Elden Lord of Cinders

Rykard regained consciousness.

Perhaps he regained it a little too much.

Or rather—only his head did.

In the vast arena, the massive serpent body that had blotted out the sky just moments ago was now completely gone, leaving only scattered remains on the ground and one enormous head at the center.

But even that head had actually been smashed apart earlier. Only because of a Demigod's immortality did it regenerate in place after some time, despite his entire body having been shattered.

He wasn't happy about it.

This was the second time in his life he utterly hated the immortality of Demigods. The first was when he discovered he was being consumed by the serpent, unable to die. And now…

He looked at his mother's dark expression, his sister's cold face, and his brother—the only one whose expression seemed halfway decent, though he was clearly holding something back. Thinking back on his behavior just now, and the nonsense he had spouted, Rykard—for the first time—truly wished the serpent had swallowed him whole, leaving not even a trace behind.

Though Demigods could not die, in a sense, he already had. And in the truest sense of the word, he was as dead as could be.

The Queen of the Full Moon and Radahn weren't particularly surprised at his condition; before coming, they had already gathered plenty of information through various means.

As for Ranni? Well, guess who they had gotten that information from.

But knowing the situation was one thing; actually facing him in person made their anger much harder to suppress.

"What is this place supposed to be? Filthy and chaotic. After being swallowed by a serpent, did you start liking this kind of environment?"

"...Tanith prefers this style."

"And your sword? I just saw it. You really made it like that on purpose?"

"...Tanith thinks it looks better that way."

"And this big face of yours… forget it, you don't need to answer. I already know."

The Queen of the Full Moon sighed. She had no illusions about her family's tendency toward love-struck foolishness.

Truth be told, she was probably the least qualified person to criticize anyone on that front. So, after a brief exchange, she simply decided to drop the topic.

Turning to Lloyd, who was examining the massive head in front of him, she hesitated for a moment.

"How is he?"

"Not good."

Lloyd pulled back his hand and shook his head.

"It's not just that his soul was contaminated or fused into this form. He's been shaped—bit by bit—through some deliberate process…"

"To put it simply, it's like a righteous magical girl captured by an evil villain. Taken to their lair, subjected to all sorts of adjustments, conditioning, and transformation, until both her body and spirit are twisted—so much so that even the slightest touch makes her tremble all over…"

"This isn't simple corruption. It's a fundamental reshaping. And it didn't start when he was devoured."

"It began much earlier—when he was already being watched without realizing it. Tested, little by little, until he was gradually consumed and broken down…"

Just as Rykard remembered, he had met the serpent long before being swallowed. He had accepted the power and knowledge it shared, using it to develop blasphemous sorcery.

He thought he had mastered the serpent's power, that it was his own will that led him down the path of blasphemous rebellion. But perhaps, from the very start, he had been caught in someone's—no, in the serpent's—design, eroded piece by piece.

For the serpent was the symbol of greed—greed vast enough to try to swallow the entire world. Naturally, it could see into the desires buried deep in a person's heart. With just a little guidance, everything would unfold as planned.

Faced with a Rykard twisted into this state, even Lloyd could only strip away the hunger the serpent had branded into his soul. The rest would be up to him.

After listening, the Queen of the Full Moon was silent for a while before sighing. She thanked Lloyd, then lifted her staff and conjured a magical cage around Rykard's head, sealing him away for the time being.

Rykard himself raised no objection. With his family here, and after the beating he had just endured, he had clawed back a sliver of the consciousness that once belonged to the Praetor. He understood his condition, and willingly allowed himself to be confined.

Once locked away, he turned toward his brother, about to speak—when he suddenly noticed something strange.

"Radahn, what's that on your shoulder…?"

"It's me, Mr. Rykard."

The red-haired horse girl twitched her ears and spoke calmly.

"You used to feed me carrots."

Rykard froze, then, realizing what she meant, turned to look at his mother and sister.

The two of them were silent for a moment before slowly nodding.

After confirming this, Rykard was shaken to the core. He even managed to claw back a sliver of his former consciousness.

Then he began chatting with Radahn.

Why not with Ranni instead? Theoretically, she should have been the better choice to talk to. But looking at her expression…

Even without knowing exactly what had happened, Rykard felt it was safer to talk to his dim-witted brother.

As for why Ranni looked so displeased?

In truth, after Rykard had been beaten into nothing but a head and confirmed to be otherwise fine, Ranni had let out a brief sigh of relief. But when she came back to her senses, she suddenly realized something.

Tilting the doll's head, she looked around and noticed that no matter who she spoke to, she had to look up. Even with only his head left, Rykard was still taller than her doll's body.

And to make matters worse, once the Queen of the Full Moon confirmed her son was safe (not dead was safe enough), she moved closer to her daughter and, whether intentionally or not, adjusted her tall hat.

Ranni thought back to the missing portraits in Volcano Manor, and to that Iron Virgin that seemed made just for her…

"You talk amongst yourselves. I'm going for a walk."

Ranni pressed down her wide-brimmed hat and left, her face dark.

Seeing her go, Lloyd considered for a moment. Since this was clearly a family reunion, it felt awkward for him, an outsider, to stay. He found an excuse and slipped out after her.

Once he was gone, Rykard finally began to recover from the shock of his family's sudden appearance and realized something.

"Wait… who was that just now?"

The Queen of the Full Moon glanced in the direction they had left, confirmed they were gone, then lowered her voice and waved her staff, casting a soundproof barrier.

"He gave Ranni a Dark Moon Greatsword."

"Oh, the Dark Moon Greatsword…"

The enormous head slowly nodded, then froze as the meaning hit him.

Wait. What? Who gave what to whom?

When he came to his senses, Rykard was utterly shaken.

And not just him. Radahn, standing off to the side, had only just learned of this himself, and was left dumbstruck.

Seeing both sons' reactions, the Queen of the Full Moon nodded in satisfaction.

"And Ranni accepted it."

"You understand what that means, don't you?"

Rykard, reduced to nothing but a head, saw the sharp gleam in her eyes and nodded again and again.

Radahn, on the other hand, was still slow to react—but the little horse on his shoulder nodded in his place.

"I'll keep an eye on General Radahn."

"Then I can rest easy."

...

Elsewhere.

Unaware of the conversation taking place in the boss chamber, Ranni stopped walking and turned to the person following her.

"…Do you need something?"

Faced with her question, Lloyd blinked and answered honestly.

"I wanted to see if you had any side quests."

"No."

Ranni replied without hesitation.

By now, after spending so much time with him, she had started to understand some of Lloyd's strange words.

For example, "side quest"—in her understanding—just meant asking if she had anything to do.

And right now, she was simply irritated. So naturally, there was no side quest to give.

But after a moment, when she saw Lloyd turn to leave at her answer, Ranni hesitated. Then she suddenly called out to him.

"Wait."

Lloyd turned back with a puzzled look.

"What is it?"

"…Walk with me for a while."

Although a little confused by her back-and-forth, Lloyd had nothing better to do. After a brief thought, he nodded.

The two of them began wandering around Volcano Manor.

There was no conversation, no exchange—just walking, taking in the scenery as they went.

After a long while, Ranni stopped, turned to him, and spoke seriously.

"…Thank you."

[Obtained item: Carian Inverted Statue]

"There is a hidden seal in the Divine Tower of Liurnia. Place this inverted statue on the desk and it will break."

"I left something inside. Take it if you need it."

She paused, then as if deciding it wasn't enough, produced something else.

[Obtained 'Ranni's Badge']

[A talisman with a Dark Moon emblem on its shield]

[Greatly reduces the Focus Points required to use Ashes of War (35%)]

[It is said that in the past, among the Carian Knights]

[Only those who directly served the princess were granted the Carian Badge]

[This is a Carian Badge crafted especially for the Lunar Princess]

[It is a one-of-a-kind exclusive]

Damn, now that's a treasure.

After receiving the badge, Lloyd's gaze toward Ranni changed completely.

And she claimed she had no side quests? He almost missed this!

Next time, there's no way he's trusting her. Even if she says there's nothing, he'll stick around—maybe she'll drop more loot.

Ranni, of course, had no idea what he was thinking. After handing him the badge, for some reason, she let out a quiet breath, her expression easing ever so slightly.

"How's that Crucible Fragment coming along?"

"Feels about ready."

Lloyd pulled out the Crucible Fragment, gave it a quick inspection, then slipped it back into his inventory.

"Collect another two or three fragments, and I should be able to forge you a Demigod-level body. Or, if you're in a hurry, I could whip up a simple one for now."

"When the materials are complete, I'll stab you to death, extract your soul, and place it into the new body. No trouble at all."

No, wait—how is that not trouble?!

Ranni's eye twitched at Lloyd's dead-serious tone. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to steer the conversation elsewhere, worried this fool might spout some outrageous logic and actually convince her to agree.

After a bit of idle talk, Lloyd suddenly remembered something and asked curiously.

"So, why did you want the Fingerslayer Blade before?"

Ranni fell silent for a long time.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Lloyd, or that she wanted to hide her plan. She was simply afraid—afraid to even speak of it.

Truth be told, she should have told him long ago.

When Alice first came to speak with her, she suggested that Ranni ask Lloyd for help in dealing with the Two Fingers. She had even said that if things didn't work out, Ranni could call her directly.

Ranni had no idea who Alice really was, though Blaidd had reported her activities before. When they finally met, Alice demonstrated her mastery of space manipulation and even altering The Law.

The abilities were so absurd that, if not for their shared enmity with the Two Fingers, Ranni might have suspected she was the Greater Will itself in disguise.

At the end of their conversation, Alice had even shown her the completely modified Fingerslayer Blade—or perhaps it should be called the Finger-Reforged Blade now.

Either way, relying on that weapon to slay the Two Fingers was no longer an option.

Without the Fingerslayer Blade, the only force Ranni could depend on to kill them was Lloyd's Law.

Which meant that, after that meeting, she really should have explained her plan to him and sought his cooperation. But out of fear, she had delayed again and again, never once bringing it up until now.

But now…

After a long silence, Ranni let out a deep sigh.

Forget it.

Sooner or later, she would have to tell him. Better to seize this chance, and at least give him some time to prepare.

With that thought, she steadied herself, bracing for the taint of speaking the words, and finally began.

"…Fine. I'll tell you."

"I was once an Empyrean."

"Among the Demigods, only Miquella, Malenia, and I are Empyreans."

"Each of us was chosen by a different Two Fingers, made candidates to succeed Queen Marika and become the deity of the next age."

"Because of this, I was given Blaidd, a special attendant unique to Empyreans."

"…But I rejected the Two Fingers."

"I stole the Rune of Death. I murdered and abandoned my Empyrean flesh because I refused to be a puppet to such beings."

"Since then, the Two Fingers and I have cursed each other."

"They long for my death, and I in turn long for theirs."

"The difference is—they hold Destined Death in their grasp, the remnants of what I once stole. I, however, have nothing with which to kill them."

"The Fingerslayer Blade was the weapon meant to do so. It resonated with my fate—it was mine to wield."

"But now…"

Ranni shook her head.

To be honest, she didn't truly mind that Alice had taken the Fingerslayer Blade. It had never been hers in the first place. She had no grounds to protest.

And Alice had even offered her aid afterward. That alone was more than generous.

Just as Ranni expected, Lloyd wore a baffled expression after hearing her explanation.

She sighed again, resigned.

"Fine, just tell me where I should even start. Empyrean? Deity? Or the Two Fingers…"

But to her surprise, Lloyd shook his head.

"No, I think I get the gist. Sounds about the same as your brother's deal—rebelling against the Two Fingers, right?"

He paused, then added.

"But… is it possible there's some kind of misunderstanding between you and them?"

What misunderstanding could there possibly be?

Ranni stared at him, puzzled.

Lloyd didn't quite know how to explain. Judging from the Two Fingers' corpse at the Divine Tower, it was clear there were more than one. Without knowing the exact one she was bound to, he couldn't make a firm call.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to consult someone else.

"Wait here."

With that, Lloyd vanished.

Some time later, he returned.

"I asked around, and it's a little different than I thought. According to my friend, the Two Fingers are born with a mission. Part of that mission is to support their Empyrean in defeating rivals and ascending as the god of the next era."

"It's a mandatory directive—the very reason for their existence. If you refuse to play along, of course it's going to cause problems for your finger."

"But it's not hopeless. If you really don't want yours, just say the word and it can be reassigned to someone else."

"Granted, that kid's a little stubborn, but my friend's on good terms with your finger. If it comes to it, he can step in, have a chat, smooth things over. Should help a bit."

Ranni: "…?"

What the hell is he even talking about?

Where did he just run off to? Since when is he friends with her finger? Why has she never heard of this before?

Before she could press him, a golden-haired figure suddenly appeared.

"The new Great Rune is ready. Equip it yourself."

Alice handed over Rykard's Great Rune.

Lloyd accepted it, equipped it, and gained a new effect—healing upon killing enemies.

But that wasn't all. Since she had also reforged the Finger Blade, Alice handed him another Great Rune, one he had obtained earlier but had been useless until now.

[Great Rune of the Unborn]

Yet after equipping it, Lloyd noticed no change at all.

No stat boosts. No special buffs. Nothing.

Puzzled, he frowned—until Alice spoke again.

"Open your character panel. Try it."

Lloyd did as instructed, tapping his attribute page a few times.

Then his eyes widened.

"Holy shit—"

"Infinite Respec!"

...

[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]

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