Seeing that Ensha was attempting to flee, Gawain immediately drew the Sword of Night and Flame from his back and unleashed a skill. The blast struck Ensha directly in the legs, stripping him of his mobility and leaving him writhing on the ground, clutching his severed thigh in agony.
Gawain stepped over the corpse of the Omenkiller and slowly walked up to Ensha.
"Though this might displease the All-Knowing, you of all people should know that when you set out to kill, you must be prepared to be killed in turn."
Gawain thrust his sword directly into Ensha's abdomen. Regardless of the motive, he believed there was only one way to deal with villains who indiscriminately slaughtered the innocent: total elimination, both physically and spiritually.
"Oh, right—I forgot you don't talk. But don't worry, I'll have a little chat with Sir Gideon myself. You can stop worrying about this village's medallion."
He wrenched the blade from the man's gut. After crushing and absorbing the soul of the final perpetrator of the massacre, he looked up to find himself surrounded by a crowd of Albinaurics.
Their eyes held a mixture of awe and fear, but mostly an uneasy uncertainty about their own fate. After all, no one knew if this stranger would turn on them as easily as he had swept away those thugs.
Latenna, still seated on Torrent's back, slowly approached from behind. Elder Albus stepped forward; he trusted that anyone brought here by Latenna would not be a threat.
"Latenna, what in the world happened? You were missing for so long, I feared the worst. And this person... who is he?"
"It's a long story, Elder, but I can promise you he harbors no ill will. He came here to help us."
"That is good. That is very good."
Hearing her assurance, Albus heaved a sigh of relief. He turned to look at Gawain. Judging by his appearance alone, Albus couldn't even begin to guess which faction such a figure might lead to possess such exquisite equipment. He could only invite the two into his home for a detailed conversation.
Gawain did not refuse. Leading Torrent, he walked forward, scanning the Albinaurics who were peeking at him from the shadows. He noticed that the village was mostly comprised of first-generation Albinaurics with physical disabilities. Though their mobility was limited, they at least had a human appearance—much better than the "innocent-eyed" second generation.
He wondered if it was some twisted sense of humor from the Academy sorcerers who created them: the male Albinaurics mostly looked haggard and unrefined, while the females, like Latenna, all possessed the appearance of beautiful, elegant women. Likely, different amounts of effort went into the "character creation" phase.
To be honest, Gawain felt a great deal of sympathy for their plight. The Albinaurics kidnapped by Volcano Manor and the Mohgwyn Palace were treated horribly, tortured into grotesque shapes. It was no wonder a knight like Loretta was willing to champion their cause and seek out the Haligtree as a Promised Land.
His own territory was currently short on manpower. Taking these Albinaurics in to help at the forge wouldn't be a bad idea. With the clearing of Caelid about to begin, the demand for armor would be massive. Yes, let's go with that.
Inside Albus's warm hut, a small bonfire crackled. Though simple, the dwelling felt lived-in and cozy. From this alone, it was clear that these Albinaurics living over a poison marsh were adept at finding joy in hardship.
Latenna sat down and let out a long breath. After days of living in fear, she was finally back in familiar surroundings. Although today's events proved it wasn't exactly "safe," she had nowhere else to go.
"I apologize. As you can see, the village has nothing suitable to offer an honored guest. I thank you deeply for your intervention. I truly cannot imagine what would have become of us otherwise."
Albus sighed. Even with the rescue, many of the village's capable young men had been murdered. The loss was devastating.
"Don't worry about it. I only happened to rescue Latenna and learned of those thugs' movements through her. I simply didn't want to stand by and watch such an atrocity occur."
Albus looked at Latenna, who nodded and began to recount her ordeal. After losing Lobo, she had at least met someone willing to help. The only problem was that, in their haste, she hadn't even had the chance to ask for his identity before coming here. She had expected the best-case scenario to be saving a few villagers amidst the chaos, but instead, she had watched her benefactor casually slaughter every enemy in his path while reciting a strange poem.
"Poor Lobo... I watched that wolf grow up. Such a fine beast, gone just like that. At least you are safe, girl."
Being called "girl" in front of an outsider made Latenna feel a bit awkward, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Those men today were servants of the 'All-Hearing Man.' They came to steal the medallion. I fear that even if this raid was stopped, he might send other assassins to strike the village again."
She trailed off. While the medallion was vital to the Albinaurics—being the key to reaching the legendary Haligtree—staying as targets now meant they would likely be wiped out before they ever got there. Perhaps handing over this "hot potato" was the best choice.
Albus understood the risk and fell into deep thought. It was a difficult dilemma to resolve.
"I suggest you all pack up and move," Gawain said. "I know Sir Gideon. He won't let go of any item related to key intelligence in the Lands Between. Furthermore, the loss to his network this time was significant. He won't have additional manpower in the Liurnia region for a while. In my view, if you don't have the medallion, he won't bother sending more people for revenge—but who can say for sure?"
Albus nodded in agreement. Staking their lives on the hope that someone would be "too lazy" to seek revenge was far too risky.
"Move? But where could we go? War is everywhere in Liurnia. I can't think of anywhere else that could serve as a sanctuary besides this hidden spot."
Gawain looked at a simple map of Liurnia hanging on the wall and pinned a throwing knife into the marker for the city at the edge.
"Move to Stormveil Castle. There's a garrison of regular Storm Knights there. Protecting a group of Albinaurics won't be an issue for them."
Albus stared at the location of Stormveil, stunned. His primary impression of the city was that it was occupied by a pack of twisted Grafted Scions. Although he had heard rumors that the leadership had changed, he hadn't had the energy to investigate.
But if they truly could move to Stormveil, it would be far better than the Haligtree, which they could only dream of but never reach. Even an old man like him could easily make the journey.
"But... would they truly take us in?"
"Don't worry. Stormveil isn't what it used to be. And I happen to know that the person currently in charge of the city once faced a situation very similar to yours."
"What do you mean?"
"Her home city was once nearly slaughtered to the last during a rebellion, and the thing parasitic within her body was once feared by all. But all of that is in the past for her now."
Gawain never considered the blood of Albinaurics to be a "taboo." Could anything be more taboo than the Frenzied Flame?
"Is that so? Then she must be a kind and gentle ruler."
"Indeed. At least in that regard, I am far behind her. Regardless, you can't stay here. Prepare to leave as soon as possible."
Latenna and Albus locked eyes and came to a decision. The Elder reached into his robes, pulled out half of a medallion, and handed it over.
"This is...?"
"If Stormveil is truly willing to take us in as you say, then this medallion is of no use to me. Keeping it would only bring more disaster. Please take it as a token of my gratitude for your help."
"Thanks. This medallion is actually quite useful to me."
Gawain accepted it without hesitation. He would eventually have to head to the Haligtree to deal with Malenia—another "dirty bomb" that could explode at any moment.
"Alright, I have other things to attend to, so I'll be heading out. You should know the fastest route to Stormveil."
Latenna looked up, wanting to ask him to stay. After saving so many of them, it felt only right to hold a small ceremony of gratitude. But she didn't want to waste his time. Finally, she couldn't help but ask:
"Wait—can you tell me your name? And what is your relationship with the ruler of Stormveil you mentioned?"
"I'm Gawain. As for my relationship with her... well, you can think of it as the true Lord of the Castle and his strongest Legion Champion. Something like that. See you, Latenna. I hope to see you in the city next time, rather than tied up by someone else."
Before Latenna could process his words, she saw him mount his horse and ride away.
Albus, having a bit more worldliness, recognized the emblem resembling a Stormhawk on the man's back. It was clear now: he was a high-ranking figure from Stormveil. With his guarantee, Stormveil should indeed be a safe haven.
"Stop staring, Latenna. Like he said, we need to prepare to move. You'll have plenty of chances to see him again in the city."
"Oh, right. I'll go prepare immediately."
Gawain didn't bother asking when they would arrive. The village wasn't that far from Stormveil, and the path wasn't particularly dangerous. These Albinaurics, who had spent their lives struggling to survive, knew better than he did how to migrate safely.
He only had one last thing to deal with before heading back: the Fire Monks nearby. Just up ahead was an Evergaol holding a prisoner with a legendary incantation—Adan, Thief of Fire.
The Fire Monks had originally been assigned by Marika to guard the Flame of the Giants, but they had all eventually turned traitor. They even wore the image of the Fell God of Fire on their armor. He didn't know if Leyndell was still in the dark about this, or if they simply lacked the military strength to control them.
To be honest, Gawain didn't know exactly why Adan had fled from the Mountaintops of the Giants to Liurnia after stealing the most secret incantation. Adan seemed to have discarded his bishop's helm and staff along the way.
However, Adan's descent likely became the excuse for the Fire Monks and Rykard to align. Because the Flame of the Fell God had been stolen, the Monks hunted Adan.
To hunt him, they needed the assistance of Lord Praetor Rykard. During this alliance between traitors, some Monks, fearing the power of the Fell God's flame, encountered the Godskins who served as mercenaries under Rykard. Consequently, they switched sides to the Godskins and became Blackflame Monks.
Gawain understood these traitors who changed their faith due to the temptation of fire. As an Ashen One, he was also "tempted" by the First Flame in a sense. It was a truly difficult lure to resist. Had he not possessed immense self-control when choosing to extinguish the flame, he might have walked into a different, darker ending.
So, if these people were willing to serve him, he could deploy them to the Caelid battlefield to fight the Scarlet Rot. The fire burning within him was far more potent than any Fell God's flame.
First, a few mages wrapped in briars blocked his path. He knew these were the "Exiles"—heretical sorcerers who worshipped the "Formless Mother" (the Mother of Truth) and had fled the Mountaintops with the Fire Monks.
He had no mercy for these worshippers of the Formless Mother. Before they could cast their Briars of Sin, a burst of pyromancy ignited within their bodies. They exploded and died instantly, and Gawain didn't even slow down his charge.
"Prelate! Someone strange is approaching from behind! He seems to be using a peculiar power of fire!"
In a camp not far from the Evergaol, a Fire Monk reported to a figure dressed in the heavy robes of a Bishop.
the Fire Prelate turned his massive frame, hoisting a giant hammer. He stared with interest at the strangely colored flames. This was a power of fire he had never seen before. He had to meet such an interesting character personally. In his excitement, his "pious" heart nearly reached its peak, and the fire-basket atop his head began to spew flames.
"Halt his charge! I want him to feel with his own body just what kind of power the Flame we serve possesses!"
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (189 chapter - Ongoing)
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