Although Gawain was already plotting how to "retrieve" certain useful items from Seluvis, he didn't voice his intentions just yet. It was too early. To be precise, he was saving those plans for Sir Gideon Ofnir in the future—he could only imagine the All-Knowing's reaction to seeing his "old friend" brought back to life.
Seluvis, maintaining his usual sour expression, didn't stay long. He departed without the slightest inkling that his fate had already been written.
Upon learning of Ranni's intent, Blaidd left the tower with a trace of melancholy to make his preparations. Despite the Cuckoo Knights being heavily demoralized, he was confident he could rescue the imprisoned Troll Knight, Bols, on his own.
As for the treasure of Nokron? He knew there was someone better suited for the task. Having personally executed a traitor in the past, he sometimes worried he might become one himself. Even if there were only the slightest possibility, he refused to allow himself to harm Ranni.
As the night grew late, Gawain stayed at Caria Manor. He took the opportunity to have Iji, who had just returned from the outskirts, reinforce his weapons—specifically, the freshly acquired Sword of Night and Flame.
Compared to the Grafted Blade Greatsword, which he primarily used for its stat-boosting properties, the Sword of Night and Flame was far more versatile now that his own attributes had reached a sufficient level. It was a tool for all occasions.
In a place Gawain could not see—within the heart of the Academy of Raya Lucaria—the apprentices had long since returned to their dorms. The atmosphere today was peculiar; the usually high-and-mighty professors had vanished into an emergency meeting.
Inside the debate hall, beneath the portraits of the Academy's past sages, various Glintstone Crowns faced one another in a heavy, stifling silence. No one spoke; they were all lost in their own thoughts.
Finally, the sorcerer wearing the Olivinus Glintstone Crown broke the silence.
"The destruction of the Cuckoo Knight camps before Caria Manor... what are your thoughts on this?"
Silence followed. While they didn't particularly care about the losses suffered by the treacherous "Cuckoos," the two factions were still nominal allies. Through their information sharing, they knew the identity of the one responsible was far from simple.
The sorcerer sighed and spoke again. "The soldiers who managed to flee reported a powerful warrior wielding the power of storms and lightning. On the cape behind his armor, they saw the crest of a two-headed stormhawk. I believe we all understand which faction that symbol belongs to."
Another silence. A professor from the Karolos Conspectus finally spoke. "The Storm King of Stormveil is said to excel in those two powers. If the reports are true, then we have a problem."
The thought of opposing a faction that had unified all of Limgrave brought a wave of pressure. Liurnia was already a chaotic mess: Recusants, Fire Monks, Blood Nobles, Albinaurics, Cuckoo Knights, and the Carian Royal Family were all locked in conflict, not to mention the mindless spirits wandering the lake.
"From our current reconnaissance, the Stormveil under this new King is nothing like it was under Godrick. Setting aside those two Crucible Knights, the Ancient King himself sits within the castle bestowing blessings upon the Storm Knights. Furthermore, they've recruited a massive number of Tarnished. Damn it... the descendants of those warriors require almost no training to become an effective army. They are the bloodline of the warriors who followed the First Lord from the Mountaintops to the Weeping Peninsula.
"We are not in the era of the Liurnian Wars anymore. Those powerful Carian Knights are our enemies, and now they have the Storm King at their backs."
The Olivinus professor nodded, though he remained relatively calm. If it were just soldiers, the situation wouldn't be dire. The Academy's magical defenses were reliable—designed by Queen Rennala herself.
"We sit atop the largest glintstone deposit," he noted. "We can endure a siege indefinitely. Even the heroes of the Golden Order could do nothing. No matter how many soldiers surround us, they will only be evaporated by our magic."
The Karolos professor shook his head. He believed in the seal's strength, but he knew it wasn't perfect. If a sufficiently powerful individual managed to infiltrate... there was no one left in the Academy who could hold the line.
"But you saw the results of the combat festival. Beyond a Storm King who can conjure such terrifying tempests, who else could defeat even a maddened Starscourge Radahn? Unless one of you feels capable of intercepting that man personally, I suggest we stop sending puppet soldiers to harass Stormveil. We don't know his relationship with the Carian Royal Family, but we shouldn't push him further into their arms."
The professor spoke the truth. Every sorcerer in the room knew it. Although they had successfully imprisoned Queen Rennala, exiled the "heretics," and seized control of the Academy to oppose the Carians, they lacked a top-tier powerhouse. If they had one, they wouldn't have waited for the Queen to lose her mind before revolting, and even now, they could only leave her undisturbed in the Grand Library.
They couldn't even handle Moongrum, who stood guard at the door. Both sides were currently in a stalemate of mutual non-interference.
But there was a more terrifying factor: Sellen was likely in Stormveil. They had sent puppet soldiers primarily to test the new King's attitude. They had hoped to pressure Stormveil into restraint, but the King's strength was far beyond their estimates. They had thought his victory over Godrick was impressive but not terrifying—thinking the sky-piercing storm was merely the Ancient King's doing. Who would have thought he'd strike down the Starscourge shortly after?
The Academy was now caught in a trap of its own making. Worse, if Sellen truly had a relationship with the Storm King—whether as teacher, friend, or lover—and the King intended to protect her, they would never be able to eliminate the "Graven-Mass Witch."
A Haima sorcerer, seeing the heavy atmosphere, offered a word of comfort. "It's fine. The gates of Raya Lucaria are sealed. Unless we open them ourselves, they have no way to attack."
"But our seal isn't flawless. Don't forget, there are keys lost outside the Academy."
"Where are they? Even we don't know. They were likely destroyed by that dragon long ago. How could he possibly find them?"
The Karolos sorcerer looked at this group of bickering mages, all holding differing opinions and failing to find a solution. He felt a wave of exhaustion. Ultimately, they were a group united only by interest to launch a rebellion, lacking a leader with the strength to command. Every meeting was an endless cycle of noise.
"Enough! What do we do next?"
The sorcerers looked at one another and fell back into a heated argument. Finally, they reached a decision that was essentially a non-solution: strengthen the inspection of the seals, withdraw the puppet soldiers, and avoid trouble with Caria Manor. They had already lost the initiative to attack.
As for the Cuckoo Knights? Let them continue their patrols and standoffs with the Albinaurics. Their survival was of no concern to the Academy.
"You say there were signs of Recusant activity on the lake yesterday?"
"Yes. And not just Recusants. There were other strange individuals. I don't know what they were gathering for, but I felt you should be aware."
Gawain mused on Iji's report. Based on the timeline, there were only two major events likely occurring. He had planned to head straight back to Stormveil, but now it seemed necessary to wander Liurnia a bit more. If he could prevent certain things, he wouldn't stand by.
"I understand. Thank you for the warning, Iji. I won't linger here."
Iji nodded, handing over the reinforced Sword of Night and Flame. "It has been strengthened as you requested. It seems my skill hasn't faded yet."
Gawain gripped the hilt, feeling the quality of a +6 weapon. It was now truly ready for field use. Slinging it across his back, he gave a final set of instructions.
"Stay safe on the road to Stormveil. I have many things that will require your craftsmanship."
Selecting a site of grace he had touched earlier, Gawain's silhouette vanished. He materialized at the Laskyar Ruins and began traveling toward the location in his memory. If he wasn't mistaken, Rya (Laya) had finally, sluggishly made her way to Liurnia.
She was the recruiter sent out by Volcano Manor. Her job was relatively easy—she likely didn't even have a KPI. She had probably spent half her time eating prawns and losing her necklace.
After all, she was the adopted daughter of Tanith, the mistress of Volcano Manor. Although only adopted, Tanith treated her with genuine care, shielding her from the horrific truths of the Manor. This was why Rya had grown up with such a personality despite living in such a hellish place.
In terms of bloodline, Rya was technically Ranni's niece, wasn't she? One of the many man-serpents born after Rykard was devoured by the Great Serpent. Gawain wondered how Ranni viewed this relative; he hoped their eventual visit to Volcano Manor wouldn't be too awkward.
He passed through various ruins. While they had been cleared once, the sweep hadn't been thorough. The ruins were once again occupied by twisted, grotesque spirits. Gawain rode Torrent, using holy skills to dispatch the spirits while he planned his next moves.
He looked toward the massive crater in the distance. If his guess was correct, the other group Iji mentioned was the one sent by Sir Gideon. According to his memory, those men, led by Ensha, would capture Latenna and interrogate her about the Village of the Albinaurics, eventually leading to the massacre of the village for the sake of the medallion half.
If they had just gathered last night, they might still be on the trail of Latenna. He might run straight into them. Furthermore, the Fire Monks scattered on the cliffs above needed to be dealt with soon. Those flame-obsessed monks were experts at fighting the Scarlet Rot, making them valuable assets.
He tracked Rya's trail while weighing his options.
Before long, a familiar gazebo came into view. Within the small stone structure in the center of the lake, he spotted a green silhouette.
Rya sat on the edge of the gazebo, her hands on her knees, her chin resting on her palms as she gazed at a distant shack with smoke rising from it. She looked a bit pouting.
Hearing the splash of Torrent's hooves, Rya turned. A flash of joy crossed her eyes. This knight on horseback looked far from ordinary. She had been wandering the lake for so long; she had finally found a suitable candidate for recruitment.
She didn't know what kind of person he was or if he met the Manor's criteria, so she'd have to test him. Thinking quickly, she recalled that detestable ruffian and had an idea.
She stood up immediately, patting her long robes and smoothing them out so they wouldn't look too rumpled. Finally, she wiped her mouth to make sure no prawn fragments remained.
With that done, Rya waved to the strange knight from a distance and called out in a shy, soft voice.
"Excuse me, sir! Could you come here for a moment?"
Gawain slowed his pace and came to a stop before Rya. He dismounted and looked the girl over. She looked young—barely more than a child. Her face still held a touch of baby fat, making her look quite cute. There was a tiny crumb at the corner of her mouth she had missed, and he felt a sudden urge to help her wash her face.
However, as a man-serpent, even in human form, some of her instincts remained. Her back was hunched, and her neck protruded forward. It was a painful posture to look at; if a regular parent saw their child walking like that, they'd likely try to force a physical correction.
Seeing the knight approach, Rya offered a low bow, missing the strange look beneath his helmet. Then, with a faint air of delight, she spoke.
"Hello. Thank you for coming over. Though we have just met... might I be so bold as to ask for your help? I will, of course, provide a suitable reward."
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