It seemed this Golden Needle Knight truly mattered to both Miquella and the Saintess before him.
Unlike the Carian knight, whose attention lay elsewhere, Nolan's gaze settled on the inner wall of the spirit ring. There, a single line was engraved—
A covenant that will not end even at the world's demise, belonging to me alone.
Nolan did not need to guess what it meant.
In that instant, he understood his place in the Saintess's heart, and he had no intention of refusing.
Of course, had the other party been Miquella, the whole thing would have turned into a horror story on the spot.
Coming back to his senses, he reached out to take it, only for Trina to swiftly pull her hand back. Her expression turned solemn as she warned him,
"This is a personal item of this Saintess. It's extremely precious. If you lose it, you'll have to compensate me!"
Nolan naturally agreed without hesitation.
Before he had even seen a Tarnished, he had already gained such a capable little workhorse, as though the god of fate were smiling upon him. If his luck were not usually so unremarkable, he might have started to suspect that he truly carried some kind of destiny.
Before the Saintess, he carefully slipped the two rings onto the middle and ring fingers of his left hand. In the next moment, an invisible spiritual connection surged through him.
He extended his right hand, grasped the hilt of the greatsword on his back, and gave it a light tap. In an instant, the blade shattered into countless golden motes, drifting gently into the ring in his hand.
Watching this scene, Nolan could not help but think of the bracelet owned by that mysterious Lady Ghost. It likely functioned in much the same way.
With that thought, he asked curiously,
"Then how do you take things back out of the ring?"
Perhaps pleased to see that Nolan had worn the rings correctly, Trina nodded with satisfaction and replied with a smile,
"Just lightly stroke the ring with your hand and think about the item you want to take out. It'll come out easily."
Hearing this, Nolan immediately tried as instructed.
As he brushed the ring and focused his mind, he felt as if he could clearly see everything stored within it.
Then he clenched his right hand and pulled outward. Golden particles rapidly gathered, condensing once more into the familiar greatsword.
"All right. Go pack your things. You should set out as soon as possible."
From beginning to end, Trina gave Nolan no chance to refuse.
The gazes of the Saintess and the knight met. After a brief silence, they tacitly looked away from one another.
Nolan had been through many such moments before. He never liked making a spectacle of farewells. It was enough that those parting understood what he felt.
Back in his room, Nolan began organizing his belongings in an orderly fashion.
He sorted through the scattered items one by one, making sure not to leave out a single thing. The Sacred Tear Flasks in particular could not be missing. Everything was packed into the spirit ring.
After about half an hour, most of the ring's space was finally filled. Only then did he stand and head for Saintess Lake.
"Beautiful lady, I'm heading off."
They did not speak for long. In the end, the knight said this.
"Go."
The Lady Ghost did not try to keep him. She simply watched the knight's retreating figure before quietly dispersing into the wind.
Nolan and Loretta moved swiftly and efficiently. The Saintess herself seemed eager to send them on their way, having the ship prepared early in the morning.
On the calm sea, aboard the great ship bathed in sunlight, Nolan had already changed into plain clothes. He stared at the ring on his finger, lost in thought.
He knew the Golden Prince likely did not have much time left.
And he, the Golden Needle Knight, might also die under the weight of others' expectations, his soul perhaps fusing with a walking corpse.
Half a year ago, he would not have resisted such an outcome. But now that he had found a path to strength, the thought was slowly fading.
I am a Lord of Cinder who hunts kings. Am I really inferior to that Golden Prince?
"This Promised Consort title… really isn't an easy role to bear."
,,,
Golden light once again washed over the land. Following Loretta, Nolan crossed the bitter snowfields and made his way through the lively Royal Capital.
Yet every time they passed a church, even though he had half-expected it, an indescribable feeling still rose in Nolan's chest.
This statue of Marika looks way too damn similar to that ghost lady.
He could not help feeling a little exasperated. The real world was not a game, and people's faces were not so easy to identify. Still, a blonde big sister who had mastered Golden Order incantations was bound to make anyone think of that goddess.
Unfortunately, with his current level of strength, there were many things he was not yet qualified to touch. Being kept in the dark did not feel good, but he was not the type to brood over it. If anything, he would rather spend that time taking in the scenery along the way.
The Lands Between before him looked nothing like the desolate ruins he remembered. To be honest, war alone should not have been enough to reduce the world to that state.
As long as people were still alive, even the most run-down towns could be repaired, and even shattered walls could be rebuilt. Only when people themselves became the problem would everything truly become beyond saving.
"Those big shots are such a headache. I just figured out what Trina was trying to do, and now Marika shows up out of nowhere."
Riding atop his beloved little calf, Nolan followed the flow of people as they slowly stepped onto the great bridge.
The bridge leading to the academy's northern gate was exceptionally wide, easily allowing seven or eight carriages to pass side by side.
He glanced to the right and spotted a small island in the distance. A tall tower rose from it, solemn and imposing.
Numerous cuckoo soldiers patrolled the island, moving back and forth as if guarding against dangers that might emerge from the water.
Liurnia of the Lakes was renowned for its unique local delicacies, the most famous of which were the Giant Crayfish.
These massive creatures occasionally crawled onto land and caused people some trouble, but they were not nearly as terrifying as one might imagine.
Even the cuckoo soldiers, under a knight's command, could deal with them easily, turning them into delicious dishes for the table.
These lobster delicacies had since become one of the signature foods of the Lands Between.
At the far end of the bridge stood a massive gatehouse, with a group of sorcerers stationed at the entrance.
They had been chatting among themselves, but the moment Nolan and Loretta approached on horseback, they immediately stopped.
No matter what rebellious thoughts the higher ranks might harbor, Caria remained the nominal ruler of Liurnia of the Lakes.
The sorcerers, wearing pointed hoods, showed clear respect to the Carian knights and bowed in salute.
Led by Loretta, Nolan entered the Magic Academy smoothly, encountering no obstacles along the way.
As he walked through the academy grounds, he noticed a group of robed figures lined up to enter.
"Who are those people?" he asked.
"They're apprentice candidates taking an assessment," Loretta replied. "The lecturer is evaluating their aptitude. You should know how demanding the requirements are for using sorcery."
Over the course of their journey, Loretta had come to understand this Golden Needle Knight fairly well, and the fact that Nolan could use magic was hardly a secret.
She seemed to recall something, paused for a moment, then said,
"Now that I think about it, I never really introduced the academy to you. Since you're about to enroll anyway, I might as well explain."
"The academy has five major Conspectus. Karolos Conspectus studies comet-type sorcery, while Olivinus Conspectus focuses on meteor-type sorcery."
"Then there's the Twinsage Conspectus, which only accepts apprentices with exceptional aptitude and allows them to study all types of magic, and Haima, which researches cannon and sanction-type sorcery."
"And finally, Lazuli Conspectus, founded by the Carian royal family. It treats stars and moons as equals and specializes in Carian magic."