Members of the patrol squad aren't allowed down on the lower levels. Leda and Finlay are busy with who knows what, Trina is nowhere to be found, and Malenia remains a sleeping beauty who has yet to wake.
That leaves Nolan with little to do in his free time. Aside from locking eyes with the patrol knights, his only real diversion is chatting with the Ghost Lady for some easy visual comfort. Every now and then, he even sneaks up to the upper city for a drink.
Day after day passes with nothing but eating and sleeping, with hardly anything to worry about. When a thought crosses his mind, he sits by Saintess Lake with a bottle in hand, sometimes accompanied by a beauty. The days are pleasant, but time slips by without him noticing.
Even so, Nolan's resolve to grow stronger has never wavered. He never allows himself to slack off, showing just how frightening a truly disciplined Golden Needle Knight can be.
He studies Incantation and practices swordsmanship every day. When time permits, he spars with knights or trades moves with the female ghost. Still, no matter what he does, something about this life feels lacking. There's no spark.
"Without 'experience,' my strength just won't grow," Nolan muttered to himself as he stared up at the full moon.
He isn't someone who delights in killing, but he has lived through too much and faced too many brushes with death. It's only natural that his desire to become stronger has grown more urgent with time.
In the Lands Between, a place crawling with monsters and madmen, weakness itself is a sin.
The world of Dark Souls isn't any kinder. The weak aren't even fit to be used as kindling. They exist only to become nourishment for the strong.
But even so, the deaths of the weak shouldn't be taken for granted. He wanted many people to live.
Yet he failed.
No matter how many times he tried, Nolan could only come to one conclusion. That world could no longer be saved.
But this world still holds hope.
"I should go find the Ghost Lady. Since I can't patrol the tree roots and farm those bugs, I might as well focus on mastering Incantation."
He turned and started toward the interior of the great tree, but after taking just one step, he suddenly stopped. His brow lifted as he turned to look back.
A tall figure was slowly crossing the narrow bridge. Long golden hair fluttered in the wind, a revealing gown clung to her form, and a veil covered her face.
If it wasn't the Ghost Lady, then who could it be?
The Lady Ghost clearly seemed to be looking for him, walking straight up to Nolan before stopping right in front of him.
That smug, gloating look…
Nolan's sharp instincts immediately sounded an alarm. Without hesitation, he asked, "What happened to make you look this happy?"
The Lady Ghost kept her usual cheerful tone, answering plainly without the slightest attempt at concealment. "Something interesting is about to happen. It might have something to do with those two Empyrean Highnesses. Want to hear about it?"
His chin was lightly lifted, and Nolan couldn't help sighing inwardly. This woman was as captivating as ever.
Going along with her, he nodded. "Of course I want to know. Beautiful lady, just say it."
"I saw a few sneaky-looking fellows earlier. One glance was enough to tell they're bad news. If you're interested, come with me."
Lady Ghost turned and walked off confidently without waiting for the Golden Needle Knight's reply, as if she were certain he would follow.
Nolan watched her retreating back. When he turned his head, he could still see a Cleanrot Knight patrolling with a Glintstone lantern held high.
People moved in and out, and everything looked calm and orderly, with no sign of any outside threat.
And yet, in the end, he turned back and stepped forward, following after the Ghost Lady.
Nolan wasn't afflicted with madness, nor was he incapable of thinking. But when it came to certain matters, he would rather believe there was something to them than dismiss them outright.
If there truly were no so-called dangerous individuals, then at worst it would just mean being toyed with once. That wasn't a big deal.
But if what the Ghost Lady said was true, then who exactly were these bad actors?
Nolan hesitated for a moment, and the image of the Black Knife surfaced in his mind.
What mattered most here were the two demigods. In the Golden Order, where death did not exist, only Destined Death could truly kill a demigod.
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
The Night of Conspiracy had yet to arrive. They might not have obtained Destined Death at all.
Besides, the intruders' goal didn't necessarily have to be the death of a demigod. If their intent was to disrupt the Golden Order, returning someone to the Erdtree could achieve a similar result.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Nolan's body moved faster than his thoughts. Without stopping to think further, he followed at once.
The two slipped into the darkness together, concealing themselves as they moved. Lady Ghost took the Golden Needle Knight's hand, weaving through winding paths until they circled back outside the tree wall.
Their hiding spot was some distance away, and the Cleanrot Knight guarding the entrance failed to notice them. A trace of confusion flickered in Nolan's eyes.
Just as he was about to speak, the Ghost Lady gestured with her gaze. Nolan followed her line of sight.
It was a stretch of darkness, an unnaturally black mass. Nolan immediately sensed something was wrong. The inky mist seemed to envelop the entire residence, blending seamlessly into the deep night.
A group of warriors clad in cloaks and pitch-black armor emerged from the shadows. They climbed onto the rooftops and slipped inside, while the patrolling Cleanrot Knight appeared completely unaware of any disturbance.
That attire, that behavior. They were clearly up to no good. Compared to them, the Ghost Lady was practically open and honest.
Lost in thought, Nolan noticed the Ghost Lady glance back at him.
"Who are those people?" he asked, snapping back to attention as his eyes locked onto the group.
Anyone with a functioning brain could tell they were suspicious. They were definitely not good people.
"Looks like church emissaries," the Ghost Lady replied with a playful smile.
Nolan's heart tightened at her words. Those were assassins who served the Two Fingers.
But why were they here?
At that moment, Nolan saw the last confessor slip into the building.
Before the Ghost Lady could say anything, Nolan moved. He rushed out immediately, careful not to alert the intruders, quickly warned the Cleanrot Knight of the infiltration, and then headed toward the residence.
There were usually very few people in the ground-level structures. Only two knights were stationed there, and the field of view was fairly open.
He had originally planned to ignore the Two Fingers assassins, pretend he hadn't noticed anything, and continue downward.
However, the instant he stepped onto the elevator, he caught sight of a shadow lurking in the darkness.
The moment that shadow stirred, his brows drew together sharply.
He raised his hand at once, drew his greatsword, and swept it forward.
Clang—
A crisp metallic crash rang out as a streak of cold light flashed past. The flying black bolt slammed into the broad blade and was knocked aside.
Nolan pushed this body's potential to its absolute limit. His figure vanished like a ghost in an instant, only to reappear abruptly a short distance away.
The blade in his hand swept sideways, slashing toward the enemy's waist with terrifying speed.
Yet at the very moment of the strike, the pitch-black figure fell backward and rolled away, reacting far faster than any ordinary person.