Ranni was, naturally, far more concerned about Blaidd than she let on. Although she felt a twinge of guilt for excluding him from several recent operations, that was a small price to pay if it meant he could successfully weather the ordeal ahead.
"Then, for the time being, I shall return to Caria Manor. There are several necessary preparations I must complete. Once you are ready, come find me."
"Understood. It will take me some time to bring in personnel from Stormveil Castle to take over the Academy. Those Cuckoo Knights outside probably have no idea the Academy has changed hands. I'll head out in a bit to sweep them all away."
After their brief exchange, Ranni's spectral form vanished into the air; it seemed she had already departed.
Gawain stood in silence for a while before finally averting his gaze from the Queen's rebirth egg. It would be enough to let Melina undergo her rebirth here slowly. Given the timeline, he would help Ranni fulfill her final mission before the critical moment arrived, and then he would return here.
Before leaving, he carefully navigated around the students crawling across the floor and took a good look at the interior structure of the Grand Library.
He had to admit, the collection of books here was far more extensive than he had imagined. There was no telling how much useful knowledge was concentrated within these walls; it truly lived up to its reputation as the highest institution of learning in the Lands Between.
However, he wasn't particularly interested in the books themselves. After a brief survey, his eyes locked onto a chest that appeared to be placed somewhat haphazardly on the floor.
Squatting down, he examined it. The chest seemed out of place compared to the other items in the Grand Library, yet it looked remarkably similar to one in his memory.
Inside that chest was something incredibly important. Just as he reached out to touch it, he heard Ranni's voice—filled with a mix of urgency and reproach—ringing in his ears.
"Do not go meddling with Mother's collection! Honestly, leave this place at once. You have far more pressing matters to attend to than idling about here."
"Oh! I thought you'd already left. Why are you still here? Is there something important inside this chest?"
Gawain felt a flush of embarrassment. He had been hoping to snag a sneak peek, only to be caught red-handed.
Ranni, of course, could not tell him what was inside. For some reason, just imagining the scene of this man seeing the words engraved on the inside of that ring made her feel as though she couldn't show her face again. She'd have to flee to the stars overnight.
"It does not matter what is inside. It is enough for you to know that you are not permitted to touch it yet."
"Fine, fine. This is the Academy, you are the Princess, so whatever you say goes. I'll listen to you. I won't touch the things in here from now on, alright? Once Melina is resurrected, I won't come back to disturb the Queen. I can probably have Melina handle the rebirth rituals herself anyway."
Hearing this, Ranni huffed petulantly, pulling her large hat down with one small hand to shield her eyes. She reverted to her tiny doll form, perched on Gawain's shoulder, and glared at him before finally whispering:
"That is also not allowed. The Academy is under your management now. As long as you guarantee Mother's peace, I will not break my word. But... at least wait until you have completed what you promised me before you go rummaging through the items here. Now, leave. I want to see you out before I go back."
Gawain almost couldn't suppress a chuckle. While the "original" red-haired Ranni from moments ago was stunning, he found this Snow Witch doll form far more endearing.
Stepping out of the Grand Library, he saw Moongrum still standing guard. The knight remained as loyal as a statue, protecting the entrance to the Queen's sanctuary.
"Moongrum, your mission is complete. From now on, the Academy will be managed by people I send. While the books in the Grand Library are vital and people will inevitably come and go, I promise you that the Queen's peace will be maintained. No one will disturb her."
Moongrum let out a long sigh upon hearing this, as if lamenting the end of a long-held duty. He lowered his sword, and the voice coming from beneath his helm lost its former muffled heaviness, sounding instead like it carried a hint of liberation.
"Tell me... is this also the Lady Princess's will?"
"Yes, she has agreed to this. You've worked hard guarding this place all these years. You are free to do as you wish now—whether that's returning to Caria Manor or going elsewhere, the choice is yours."
"What I wish to do... I do not know what else I am capable of besides standing guard here. Let me continue my work, just as before. However, since it is the Princess's command, I will cooperate with your people to better manage the Academy's operations. I believe this is a result the Queen would be pleased to see."
"Then I thank you. The Academy truly needs a knight like you to help."
With a loyal knight like Moongrum guarding the library, Gawain felt much more at ease. After all, the man was a hero-level combatant. As he turned to leave, Moongrum's voice called out from behind him once more.
"I entrust the Princess to you. Do not let the Queen down."
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
On his shoulder, Ranni seemed to be muttering something under her breath. Eventually, she seemed to accept the outcome and gave up, resting her chin on her hands with a moody expression, trying to look aloof and silent. It was hard to imagine a doll could possess such a rich range of expressions.
Once she was certain Gawain had left the vicinity of the library, Ranni finally felt secure enough to let her consciousness and power return to Caria Manor. Before she began her final move, she had to ensure Blaidd was far from the center of the vortex. Furthermore, there was a certain individual with ill intentions who was no longer of any use to her.
Gawain looked up at the sky and realized it was nearing noon. Between purging the Academy's resistance and watching Melina in her dormant state for so long, the night had slipped away.
The commotion from the previous night had settled. After seeing the miserable fate of the professors, the apprentices were staying quietly in their dormitories.
Entering the Debate Parlor, he found Sellen staring blankly at the murals on the wall—portraits of the great sorcerers who had founded the Academy. Chained beside her was the Red Wolf, still shivering in the corner after the "lesson" it had received earlier.
There were also two other things in the room that were quite horrifying: two large Graven Schools—masses of many sorcerers fused together. Their surfaces were smooth, round, and meticulously crafted. Without a doubt, they were high-end "artworks" hand-made by a master.
Sellen smiled immediately upon seeing her apprentice return from the Grand Library.
"Apprentice, you are finally out. I have been waiting for you. How is the Queen? It seems Moongrum did not make things difficult for you."
"The Queen is the same as ever; there isn't much we can do for now. As for Moongrum, he is still guarding the library entrance to ensure her peace, but you are free to enter the library whenever you need to retrieve materials, Master."
"That is good. Thops needs many more magic scrolls as references to continue his research. We can only hope the library still preserves the relevant data."
"These two Graven Schools next to you... I assume the materials used were exactly what I think they were?"
Sellen glanced at the glintstone crowns mashed together and gave a light huff.
"These two? It's nothing major. The magic classrooms on the top floor still need to be used, so I did a bit of cleaning. I gathered the various 'bits' of those sorcerers you dealt with last night from all over the place. Your master is kind-hearted; I couldn't bear to see their various factions so divided, so I stuck them all together. There were just a few too many sorcerers to process, so I made two."
"As expected of Master—so merciful. I see they aren't offering any objections, so they must have agreed to the arrangement. Let them reminisce with each other in there. Are there any other urgent problems in the Academy?"
Sellen thought for a moment before shaking her head.
"The strongest groups have mostly been purged. As for the remaining apprentices, even if some were followers of those professors, what trouble could they possibly stir? Just a moment ago, I spoke with the representatives of the various classrooms. There isn't much trouble. However, the future direction of research and teaching will need adjustment. I expect there will be more Primeval Current theories—modified, less extreme versions, of course—as well as courses from the Haima Classroom to prepare for future wars. As for the research on suppressing Fallingstar Beasts you mentioned, I will put it on the agenda immediately. I expect we'll have viable results soon."
"Then I'm relieved. Once I bring reinforcements from Stormveil, I won't have to worry much about the Academy. It shouldn't be a problem if I leave for a few days soon, right?"
Sellen nodded. Once the help from Stormveil arrived, the Academy could resume operations at maximum speed. After all, the reputation of the Sellian sorcerer-killers was legendary; even the apprentices had likely heard of them.
"That shouldn't be a problem. But are you really in such a hurry to reach your next destination? Apprentice, sometimes it is good to slow down and rest. The situation on the Altus Plateau is still complicated. I have heard there are many strange creatures up there that are difficult to deal with without the right countermeasures."
Gawain shook his head. With Liurnia of the Lakes still in such a mess, he wanted to straighten things out here before heading to the Altus Plateau. The Eternal City of Nokstella underground and the Lake of Rot were both matters that required his attention.
"Master, you misunderstand. I'm not going to the Altus Plateau. I'm going to fulfill a promise to someone important. That was one of the conditions for her helping me take the Academy."
"A promise to someone important? What kind of promise would make you so... Oh! I see."
Sellen looked at the subtle smile playing on her apprentice's lips, his ornate armor, the Sword of Night and Flame, and the fact that even Moongrum had submitted. If she couldn't figure out what kind of promise he was fulfilling, she would be quite dense. With Master Iji still in the manor smithing away, she couldn't help but marvel at her apprentice—he truly was something else to have caught the eye of such a figure.
Gawain turned to look outside. The Academy was still tightly sealed by the blue barriers.
"Master, can you control the Academy's seal? I don't have enough Glintstone Keys to let everyone in and out. Or should I go out and clear those Cuckoo Knights before we do anything else?"
Sellen's lips curled into a disdainful smirk as she pulled a special glintstone from her robes.
"There is no need for you to make the trip. I have not forgotten such a small matter. Last night, while processing those sorcerers, I conveniently retrieved the control rights for the seal and the automated defense magic from their corpses. You have been to Caria Manor, so I assume you remember what made the blood of the Cuckoo Knights flow like a river during the siege there?"
"The puppets... and the powerful defensive magic. Master, are you planning to...?"
"The Academy's sealing system was originally designed by the Full Moon Queen herself during the Liurnian Wars. Its purpose was to contend with the heroes of the Golden Dynasty, drawing continuous power from the massive glintstone mines beneath the Academy. Beyond its formidable defense, it can naturally launch attacks. Those magic professors were simply too reliant on the Cuckoo Knights guarding the gates, so they maintained a neutral, isolationist stance and never used it. Today, it's about time we put it to use."
A short while later, outside the Academy gates, the Cuckoo Knights stationed at the Academy Gate Town were patrolling as usual. Under the isolation of the seal, not a single sound from the chaos inside had reached the outside world. Naturally, they had no idea an attack was coming from their rear.
Only a few knights noticed something was wrong when the blue barrier surrounding the Academy began to undergo a visible transformation, but by then, it was too late to run.
Countless massive magic circles appeared in the sky, blanketing the entire area around the Academy. These circles were similar to the ones at the entrance of Caria Manor, but their patterns were clearly more complex and refined, and their coverage was much larger. Backed by an ample supply of glintstone energy, they were capable of total saturation fire.
"What is happening?! What are those professors doing?!"
The Cuckoo Knights looked up in terror at the magic circles coiling above them. This didn't look like they were coming to help.
"This is bad! Retreat! At least get away from this cursed place!"
Before the order to retreat could even be fully issued, countless massive beams of blue light rained down like divine punishment. In an instant, the entire area from the south gate to the Gate Town was engulfed in massive explosions.
If these Cuckoo Knights could have realized it before they died, they should have felt honored. The trump card once used by the Carian Royal Family to oppose the army of the Golden Dynasty at its peak—magic that had left even Radagon feeling helpless—had descended once more upon Liurnia of the Lakes after the long years of the Shattering.
With no time to react or flee, the Cuckoo Knights surrounding the Academy were wiped out in a single moment. They were shattered to pieces under the irresistible force of glintstone sorcery, buried in Liurnia of the Lakes along with their ridiculous ambitions.
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (229 chapter - Ongoing)
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