"Another Eternal City? I think I have a general idea of what that clue might be." Raven described the two Great Waterfalls of the Deeproot to Ranni, as well as the discovery Morgott had made beneath one of them. "Judging by the location, the Eternal City Morgott found isn't Nokstella. In all likelihood, it's Nokron."
"The Great Waterfall? The Fallen Hawk Legion?" Ranni's eyes lit up. "It is indeed a high possibility! Underground rivers of that scale could only be the Siofra and the Ainsel. I never expected there to be such a way to enter Nokron."
"However, the Golden Dynasty is about to deploy troops to suppress the Deeproot," Raven said, mentally calculating the time. Machno and his group might have already begun the demolition. "That path might not be viable for much longer."
As they spoke, Lansseax had already reached the vicinity of the Roundtable Hold. She circled once, confirming that Fortissax was not below, before descending onto the terrace beside the main thoroughfare to let her passengers off.
"Thanks for the hard work. Head back to the manor for now and keep an eye on those Confessors—make sure they don't overstep," Raven said, patting Lansseax before sliding down her wing last. "I'll have something delicious prepared for you when I get back."
"The dragons are ancient allies of the Carian Kingdom, yet no Carian has ever received such favor from an Ancient Dragon." Having watched him communicate with Lansseax via Dragonbolt, Ranni finally couldn't help but ask once the dragon had taken flight, "How exactly did you two meet?"
Raven gave a brief account of their encounter in Windmill Village.
"The Frenzied Flame faith spreading less than two hundred kilometers from the Capital, and they even managed to capture an Ancient Dragon?" Ranni asked in disbelief. "Even if Shabriri himself were reborn, such a thing should be impossible. Raven, do you not think—"
"I knew people would say that," Raven said with a shrug. "The Frenzied Flame cultists were being secretly supported by Godwyn. Windmill Village was a trap he set specifically to target the Royalist faction."
"I fear it was more than just a trap for the Royalists. That dragon..."
"I trust Lansseax without reservation," Raven interrupted. "Please, do not doubt her."
"Without reservation... I see." There was a hint of helplessness in Ranni's voice. She turned to Loretta. "I shall head to the Queen's Bedchamber to have an audience with Queen Marika. Loretta, wait for me here on the terrace."
Loretta did not answer.
"Loretta?"
"Princess Ranni, I once swore to be Prince Raven's sword and shield," Loretta said, exhaling as she dropped to one knee. "Since he has been granted permission to establish his own knight order, I wish to return to his side. I must offer you my resignation here. I am deeply sorry."
"Loretta, you..." Raven was startled.
"There is no need for apologies," Ranni said after a pause, pulling down the brim of her hat. "You were always free to leave; that was our original agreement. Thank you for your service during this time, Knight Loretta."
Ranni dissolved into stardust and reappeared atop the Glintstone Dragon, waving a hand toward Loretta. The low-hanging brim of her hat obscured most of her face; although Raven could see the corners of her mouth curling upward, he couldn't help but feel that her smile was a bit of a forced front.
The Glintstone Dragon beat its wings and took to the sky, and Raven waved goodbye to Ranni.
"Your adventure in Nokstella must have been spectacular," Raven said, seeing that the doors to the Roundtable Hold were still firmly shut. He sat down on a stone bench on the terrace. "Would you mind sharing your experiences with me?"
"I would be delighted, Your Highness." Loretta lifted her skirt armor and sat beside him. "However, it is a long tale. I wouldn't want to take up too much of your time."
"It's fine. It looks like it'll be a while before the meeting starts." As Raven spoke, he leaned back slightly. The bench had no backrest, so he braced his hands against the edge and tilted his head back to gaze at the radiant leaves of the Erdtree, letting out a long sigh.
When he first arrived at the Capital, the spectacle of the Erdtree had left him in awe. Now, he found it merely monotonous. There was no longer any distinction between day and night; no matter when one looked up, the scenery never changed.
This monotony was only broken in the early morning and late evening when the sun appeared. As the clouds shifted, the dawn and dusk provided a kaleidoscope of change. Unfortunately, there were only a few hours in the day to enjoy such a view; after that, the golden light cascading from the Erdtree's canopy dominated everything once more.
If the Erdtree's branches continued to expand, they could eventually blot out the sky entirely. At that point, the Capital would be shrouded in an eternal, unchanging radiance, and the citizens could live through the same unending day forever. Perhaps people would be satisfied with that.
It had been less than half a year since he had parted ways with Loretta and his mother to leave Caria for the Capital, yet it felt as if an eternity had passed. Listening to Loretta's familiar voice, Raven felt as though he had returned to the peaceful days of his life in Caria, and a sudden, inexplicable wave of exhaustion washed over him.
For a fleeting moment, he almost wanted to take Loretta back to the manor, have Lansseax carry Rya and whichever knights were willing to follow him, and simply return to Caria. Let those madmen and bastards have their damnable Roundtable meeting; why was he even participating?
These people had orchestrated a massacre in Windmill Village and unleashed the Scarlet Rot to wipe out an entire district, and now they were preparing to discuss how to conduct a slaughter in the Deeproot. They broke things, destroyed lives, and then retreated into their laws, their gold, their immense indifference, or whatever petty things allowed them to coexist, putting on a pretense of a meeting to shift blame onto one another.
No one truly cared about cleaning up the mess; everyone was too busy jockeying for power, shoving their snouts into the feeding trough. Most had even shoved their front hooves in as well. In the end, the one who seemed to be working most diligently for the sake of this nation was, ironically, him—the Carian who intended to overthrow the Dynasty's rule.
"Raven?" Loretta stopped talking and turned to look at him, her expression full of concern.
"Sorry, I got a bit distracted," Raven said with a small smile. "Loretta, could I lean on your shoulder for a moment?"
"My shoulder?" Loretta said in a fluster. "Oh, yes, of course, but my pauldrons are quite hard—"
"It's fine. I just realized I can't actually reach your shoulder." Raven shifted his position to rest his legs on the bench, leaning his upper body against Loretta. He folded his arms and closed his eyes.
Loretta's body went rigid, and she remained perfectly still, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.
"Loretta... what happened next?"
"Eh?" She blinked, only then realizing he was asking for the story. "Does Your Highness still wish to hear it?"
"Yes."
As she continued the chronicle of their adventure in the underworld, Loretta gradually began to relax.
She, Ranni, and Blaidd had entered the subterranean world via the well on the eastern shore of Lake Liurnia, exploring along the Ainsel River. Along the way, they had repelled wave after wave of giant ant attacks until the wolf warrior came up with a solution: he skewered the heads of two ant queens with his greatsword and carried them on his back. From then on, the giant ants left them in peace.
At the edge of the Uhl Palace Ruins, their camp had been besieged by Claymen. After nearly an hour of fierce fighting, the Claymen—unable to sustain further casualties—chose to negotiate a truce and withdraw. A captured Clayman priest told them the route to Nokstella. They followed the priest's directions, only to be led to a deep pool where they were ambushed by a Dragonkin Soldier golem while the priest escaped in the chaos.
Ranni's magic had frozen half the pool, trapping the Dragonkin Soldier's legs. Loretta took the opportunity to fire continuous volleys with her Greatbow, shattering the golem's head and finally ending the brutal battle. Fortunately, the priest hadn't lied to them entirely. In the reflection of the pool's frozen surface, the spires of Nokstella's towers shimmered, while a false starry sky sparkled silently above their heads.
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(174 Chapter - Ongoing)
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