"You outplayed Miquella?"
Gawain pondered this for a moment, silently guessing that it had something to do with Godwyn's death. After all, Ranni had used half of the Rune of Death on herself, which resulted in the Prince of Death's body being unable to die, swelling into the grotesque form it held today.
In the lore he remembered, the only connection between Miquella and Godwyn was that single line on the Golden Epitaph: O brother, lord brother, please die a true death.
Seeing the look of clear surprise on Gawain's face, Ranni felt a surge of private satisfaction. Sometimes she found herself wondering why this man, who had only recently arrived in the Lands Between, seemed to know so many hidden secrets. But this time was an exception; it appeared her actions back then had truly deceived everyone.
"It seems that even you have things you are kept in the dark about," she remarked.
Noticing her unmistakable intent to show off, Gawain found a stone pillar slightly taller than himself and placed the Ranni doll on top of it. He knew this was her favorite vantage point. He then asked his question.
"I don't know much about that night myself. Most of what I know is public information, and not necessarily the truth. So, I'd like to hear from the person who lived through the conspiracy. What exactly happened that night?"
Ranni sat atop the pillar, striking a pose similar to the one in the Elden Ring promotional materials to make herself look more elegant—though her current size made the effect somewhat limited.
Regardless, the Night of the Black Knives was the operation she was most proud of, so she didn't mind recounting the process to him.
"It was a long time ago, yet it remains vivid in my mind.
On a night of cold morning mist, the Rune of Death was stolen. Godwyn the Golden became the first of the demigods to die.
Subsequently, Queen Marika was driven to madness, and the Elden Ring was shattered by someone, for some unknown purpose.
Then came the outbreak of the Shattering War, where the demigods threw themselves into battle for their own ends, fighting even unto the present day."
"That's the official story," Gawain interjected. "But we both know Godwyn didn't die completely. At least, half the power of the Rune of Death was used on you, wasn't it?"
"Indeed. In the eyes of most in the Lands Between, the Shattering War began after the Ring was broken. But in truth, the war had already begun long before that.
All the demigods were forced into it. What I did was merely seize an opportunity to gain my freedom."
Gawain caught the word "forced." But shouldn't the Night of the Black Knives have been a proactive strike?
"Forced into it? I thought you were the one who actively planned the Night of the Black Knives just to escape the control of the Two Fingers, and that your two brothers launched the Shattering War in response to your actions."
Ranni shook her head with a smile, though her expression held a trace of helplessness.
"Actively planned? I possessed no such power then. At that time, I was nothing more than a prisoner in the Capital who bore the title of Empyrean. Had I the means, I would have taken my revenge on the Two Fingers long ago, rather than pinning my hopes on the Eternal City.
Queen Marika once said that her children, and demigods like us three siblings, could each become a god or a king. But if we failed to become either, we would become nothing more than sacrifices.
It was a destiny forged from the beginning. Even without the conflict of Laws, the demigods would never have been content to become sacrifices for Godwyn the Golden. Since only one Law can exist, the Night of the Black Knives was an inevitability. No one was exempt."
Gawain knew those were indeed Marika's words. Thus, the "battle royale" between the demigods was unavoidable, and Godwyn the Golden—who appeared to be the most perfect of them all—was naturally the prime target for a coordinated strike.
His only question was why no Empyrean had chosen Godwyn to be their King. Ranni wanted freedom above all else, and Malenia's mind was entirely occupied by her brother, but what about Miquella?
As an Empyrean, Miquella would have needed a King to complete his own Order. Until Ranni personally told him that Miquella was involved, Gawain truly wouldn't have suspected the Haligtree faction of participating in Godwyn's murder.
If Miquella didn't choose Godwyn as his King, then who? Surely it couldn't have actually been the "Lord of Blood"?
"I did not act alone that night. Miquella and my two brothers, also in the Capital, were participants.
The Four Belfries are the domain of the Carian Royal Family. This place holds the fastest passage to Farum Azula, so I cooperated with Miquella to establish a portal here from the Consecrated Snowfield.
Then, on a certain day, Miquella dispatched his own Numen Black Knife Assassins to the Crumbling City to steal the Rune of Death."
"So the Rune of Death was really stolen via the portal here? But Maliketh the Black Blade, the guardian of the Rune, was the beast who defeated the Gloam-Eyed Queen in the ancient war. How did Miquella manage to steal it from him?"
Thinking of that terrifying figure, Ranni found it impossible to deny her fear. As Queen Marika's own Shadowbound Beast, perhaps only the First Elden Lord could have matched him in martial prowess.
"It seems you understand the terror of that beast. Even my brother Radahn would have stood no chance against such a foe. Therefore, Miquella employed a special power.
Do you know of St. Trina of the Haligtree? Her footsteps once traversed the entirety of the Lands Between."
"St. Trina? Of course. I've smelled the Trina's Lilies scattered across the land. Let's just say I had a very peaceful sleep that day."
"Precisely. Legend says St. Trina's power can lull life into a deep slumber. If used to excess, that slumber is indistinguishable from death. Miquella used this very method to sedate the beast, subsequently stealing a portion of the Rune of Death from the Black Blade.
Later, it is said the enraged beast severed all passages leading to Farum Azula, including the portal here. Even if you were to use it now, you would only find yourself lost in the cracks of space and time."
Well, there goes my plan of using the Four Belfries to speedrun Farum Azula, Gawain thought. I guess I'll have to go to the Mountaintops after all.
He hadn't expected St. Trina to be involved in this. To be honest, Gawain still wasn't sure if St. Trina was just a persona the little "merman" used for cosplay, or if she was a conscious "other self" inherited from Marika's abilities.
No wonder Maliketh didn't even know how the Rune of Death was lost. It turned out the "Beast Clergyman" had been secretly drugged by the boy-god and milked of the Rune of Death while unconscious. How tragic.
"Once the deed was done, the power of the Rune of Death was divided into many parts. I crafted the excess material into Blasphemous Claws and gifted them to my brother Rykard. The target that night was not just Godwyn the Golden; the servants of the Two Fingers and the descendants of the demigods were all targets to be eliminated."
Ranni's tone grew fierce. Whether it was the lapdogs of the Two Fingers or the Golden Order that had cost her mother her heart, they were all objects of her vengeance. The harvest that night had been far more bountiful than anyone imagined.
"You have likely seen the corpses lying within those Wandering Mausoleums. Those were the spoils of the Night of the Black Knives.
Originally, my brother Rykard intended to use the power of the Blasphemous Claw to defeat the Black Blade and seize the full power of the Rune of Death. But now, it seems he no longer has the capacity to do so."
Gawain sorted through the lore and the cause-and-effect in his mind. Ranni's words were unexpected, yet they made perfect sense.
To reach the Crumbling City via the Four Belfries, Miquella had to ally with Ranni. These three siblings shared aligned interests, so a coalition was logical.
Furthermore, Ordina, the Liturgical Town, had no fewer than three Black Knife Assassins guarding the path to the Haligtree—a level of security found nowhere else.
As the offspring of Marika and Radagon's self-union, Miquella shared the same pure Numen blood as Malenia. It wasn't strange at all that he could command the Numen Black Knives.
But then why was the leader of the Black Knives locked up at the Moonlight Altar, and why was Ranni being hunted by them? This was likely the part about the betrayal Ranni was about to tell.
"According to what you've said, why did those Black Knife Assassins start hunting you?"
"Simple. Because I betrayed everyone and became the unexpected 'victim' of the Night of the Black Knives.
Originally, Miquella's intention was to kill Godwyn the Golden completely. But I tampered with the Rune of Death, resulting in Godwyn's soul perishing while his flesh remained.
Utilizing the stolen Cursemark of Death, I slew my own flesh, thereby faking my death to escape the grasp of the Two Fingers. It is for this reason that the Black Knife Assassins have pursued me relentlessly; I betrayed Miquella to achieve my own goal."
Gawain finally understood why Ranni sounded so proud when mentioning the Night of the Black Knives. She didn't have the strength herself, so she used the Four Belfries' portal to "freeload" off Miquella's assassins and his sleep magic, and then turned around and sold Miquella out by using the Rune of Death on herself.
She'd caused a bunch of Black Knives to die and then locked the rest under the Moonlight Altar. No wonder they were hunting her like their lives depended on it—they'd been royally screwed over.
But thinking on it, there was one major question remaining: what role did Queen Marika play in all this?
"I remember the Black Knife Assassins were composed of Queen Marika's own kin," Gawain noted. "How was Miquella able to pull this off under her nose? And why did those assassins actually follow the orders?"
Ranni didn't answer directly. Instead, she posed a question of her own.
"Based on your understanding of Queen Marika, if she truly wished to stop it, would the Night of the Black Knives ever have had the chance to occur?"
"Well... based on her performance in the Giant War, if she opposed it, she probably would have sent Maliketh down to kill you all and ensured Godwyn's ascension to the throne. She wouldn't have said something that sounds so much like she was inciting a fight."
"A fine answer. Though I loathe to admit it, Queen Marika and her beast truly possessed the power to do so. Without Queen Marika's tacit consent, we could never have pulled it off on our own.
I do not know exactly when Queen Marika began to harbor such thoughts, but I am certain she has felt this way since the Ancient Dragon War.
Otherwise, as a goddess, she would not have stood by and watched as the Capital nearly fell to ruin."
"The Ancient Dragon War? I thought she held back to let Godwyn earn the glory. But combined with what she said before, it does look suspicious. But why would she want Godwyn—the near-perfect heir—to die?"
"That, I do not know. Only Queen Marika herself can understand what truth she discovered from her position. Just like the shattering of the Ring and her own disappearance, those are mysteries I cannot reach.
What I wanted was simply to use the opportunity to reject a predetermined fate and regain my freedom. And then, to take my revenge on the Two Fingers."
"So the shattering of the Ring was an unexpected event for you as well?"
"Precisely. In the original plan, Godwyn's death would lead to a power struggle, but a large-scale war was unlikely because a true deity still lived.
The 'Those Who Live in Death' resulting from Godwyn's demise should have been a minor nuisance, easily handled with the complete Rune of Death. But Queen Marika remained entirely indifferent to it."
To be honest, Ranni had never expected things to spiral into such a mess. If the Night of the Black Knives cracked the Golden Order's veneer of glory, the Shattering of the Ring was what truly turned the Lands Between into the graveyard it was today.
"The Ring shattered, contrary to everyone's expectations. While it was of little importance to me, having already regained my freedom...
In the eyes of the demigods who hungered for godhood or kingship, it was a rare opportunity. Queen Marika's words were like a curse; no one was willing to yield the seat of King or God. And so, the demigods formed a coalition and began their assault on Leyndell.
But the soldiers of the Capital would not allow them entry. Thus, the Shattering War erupted. You know the rest: the Veiled Monarch emerged and won the war, and the demigod coalition collapsed due to the 'Blood Conspiracy.'
The Monarch's army captured Gofroy and pushed the front lines to the gates of Volcano Manor, only to have the Capital ambushed by my brother Radahn. While the Omen King's formidable strength kept the Capital standing, Leyndell no longer had the capacity to continue the offensive.
The Academy chose silence over war. Miquella vanished at the Haligtree. Malenia led her army to Caelid, leading to a mutual defeat. This war had no winners."
Ranni summarized the major events of the Shattering War, then looked at Gawain with a serious expression.
"Now that you know what I have done... do you still dare to remain allied with someone like me?"
Gawain knew this was a test, but for someone who already knew her character, the test was meaningless.
"Why wouldn't I? You just said the Night of the Black Knives was inevitable, and you weren't the one who smashed the Ring. In these two events that ruined the Lands Between, you appear to be the mastermind, but from another perspective, you're also a victim. To be honest, I'm actually impressed you could use those events to escape your chains.
There's no conflict of interest between us. If you truly wanted to betray me, why would you have sent Iji to Stormveil? I know how much you care for him."
The corners of Ranni's mouth curled slightly. She felt as though her thoughts were seen through every time. After all their time together, she didn't know why, but she had gradually come to view him as an indispensable part of her future plans.
"It seems no amount of warning will suffice. Do as you wish, then. Go and handle the Academy's affairs. Once that is done, I shall teach you the complete method for the Rite of Rebirth."
"Then I'll thank you in advance. I don't think it will take long. After today, the Academy will usher in a new era."
She nodded lightly. As long as it's better than the era run by those professors, she thought.
Turning her gaze toward the nearby Academy, a certain item she had stored within the Grand Library suddenly flickered in her mind. For a moment, she felt a twinge of panic. He won't find it... will he?
No, why am I worrying? she told herself. Even if he sees it, it has nothing to do with the me who resolved to cast everything aside. Yes, that's right. But then... why am I so conflicted?
Unaware of the minor psychological drama playing out in Ranni's soul, Gawain stared at the distant Academy. Miquella, the most mysterious Empyrean in the game, had just revealed a ruthless side to him.
Back when he'd read the description of Malenia's armor, which stated that Miquella was the most fearsome Empyrean, he'd already suspected the boy might not be as gentle as his Order implied.
Today's revelations confirmed it. That wish for his brother to "die a true death" was actually a sigh of regret that his own plan hadn't been thorough enough. Clearly, familial love was a rare thing in the life-and-death struggles between demigods. Was the same true for Miquella's relationship with Malenia?
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (218 chapter - Ongoing)
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