With the detailed information in hand, Duanmu Huai quickly located the Black Knife Catacombs. Inside, he found a black blade engraved with a strange sigil. After retrieving it, he returned to the cabin and handed the weapon to Rogier.
"This is…"
Rogier's eyes widened in astonishment as he took the eerie blade.
"Could this be the Black Knife Mark? I didn't expect you to actually obtain it…"
He ran his fingers along the warped edge of the weapon, awe and dread mingling in his expression.
"Can you trace the Rune of Death from this?"
Duanmu Huai's voice was steady, but his gaze was sharp. Rogier nodded.
"To channel the power of the Rune of Death—even just a fragment of it—requires a ritual of considerable scale. A ritual always leaves behind traces of the one who led it…"
As he spoke, Rogier placed his hand upon the blade. A glimmer of light flickered in his eyes.
"…I've found it. The mark reveals the leader of the ritual—the mastermind of the Night of the Black Knives. It was Princess of the Moon—Ranni, one of the children of Radagon and his first wife, Renalla. Her name was hidden deep within the mark. Now we can be certain—she was the one who led that conspiracy. Though I can't say why she did it."
"Ranni…"
"That's right. Since she orchestrated that night, the Cursemark of Death must still remain upon her true body. She resides in a sorcerer's tower beyond the Carian Manor, north of the academy—the ancestral home of the Carian royal family. I believe you'll find her there."
With that lead, Duanmu Huai and Millefi set out once again, heading for the Carian Manor.
However—
"Umm… Sir Knight, the 'Princess of the Moon' he mentioned… that wouldn't happen to be…"
"Yeah. I know. And I have a feeling this meeting isn't going to be very friendly."
Duanmu Huai sighed helplessly. Though the situation was still hazy, he'd more or less pieced together the relationships involved.
It was obvious now: the woman he'd fought at Raya Lucaria Academy, Renalla, was Ranni's mother. Which meant—he had stormed into her mother's home and beat her senseless. There was no way the daughter was going to welcome him warmly.
And from what he remembered, their bond was quite strong—after all, during the second phase of that fight, Ranni herself had appeared through magic, creating a phantom of her mother to protect her.
So, if you put yourself in her shoes: your mother, driven half-mad from grief, gets assaulted by a stranger who barges into your family home—what would you think?
"…I'll be surprised if she doesn't throw us out the door immediately," Millefi muttered.
"Let's think positively," Duanmu Huai replied with a dry laugh. "At least we didn't kill her. That should count for some kind of goodwill, right?"
"No, Sir Knight, I don't think beating her within an inch of her life exactly screamed goodwill…"
"How was I supposed to know she was that woman's mother?"
But there was no undoing it now. Regret or not, there was no "reload checkpoint" in reality.
So with that, they pressed onward toward the towering spire behind Carian Manor—Ranni's tower.
And there, at last, they saw her.
"Oh… it's you."
The girl sitting in the chair looked delicate, almost ethereal. She wore a wide white hat and long white robes. At first glance she could have passed for a normal young woman—but the four slender arms extending from her sleeves, and the unmistakable texture of puppet joints beneath her robes, made it clear she was not alive.
Like Oghis, Ranni's body was that of a doll.
Her gaze fixed on Duanmu Huai with a chill that made Millefi shrink back.
"So. You've come here seeking something, have you, strangers from afar? I don't recall sending either of you an invitation. What is it you want? To defeat me as you did my mother, and steal my power?"
"Uh…"
The sarcasm in her voice made Duanmu Huai's head ache. No matter how he looked at it, there was no escaping responsibility for the mother-beating incident.
"I can only apologize," he said with an awkward shrug. "I didn't mean for that to happen. But… I realize an apology won't change much."
After all, as the saying goes—if saying sorry fixed everything, there'd be no need for judges or prisons.
Then again, he was a Judge.
He straightened, meeting her gaze.
"I'm here for information about the Rune of Death."
"Ah…"
Ranni's eyes grew colder, her voice sharpening to a blade's edge.
"So, you've uncovered that much already. Very well—I am Ranni the Witch, the one who stole a fragment of the Rune of Death and forged it, through ritual, into the Black Knives—the blades that slew Godwyn the Golden. Yes, it was my doing. I know why you've come, but what you seek is not here. I killed and discarded the body I was born with… the Cursemark of Death is carved upon that corpse."
"Then where is your body now?"
"Hmph."
Ranni gave a cold, dismissive snort.
"And why should I tell you? I do not hide my past, nor do I regret it—but that does not mean I will hand out favors to every beggar who comes asking. What you seek is not here. That is all. Leave."
"Uh…"
Millefi fidgeted nervously as Ranni turned her gaze away, clearly done with the conversation. Duanmu Huai rubbed his forehead.
If this were a game, her favorability meter would definitely be sitting at Cold—barely above Hostile. But he wasn't about to give up now. The Rune of Death was too important to his mission.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "but I must obtain the Rune of Death."
"Oh? And how do you intend to do that?"
Her voice was soft but dangerous.
"Will you use brute force to make me submit—just as you did my mother? You may try, if you wish. But know this—the power of Ranni the Witch is not so easily broken."
As she spoke, she raised one hand. Starlight burst from her fingertips, surrounding her like a shimmering galaxy. The air trembled with gathering power.
Oh great, here we go again.
"I don't mean to fight you!" Duanmu Huai said quickly, raising his hands. Normally, he wouldn't have minded a good brawl—but given he'd just flattened her mother, he didn't exactly have the moral high ground here.
"I know nothing comes for free," he continued. "I'm not asking you to simply hand it over. So—how about we make a deal?"
"…A deal?"
"If there's something you need done, I can do it. In return, I want you to tell me where the cursemark lies. Simple as that."
Ranni was silent for a long while, eyes narrowing slightly.
"There are tasks I would entrust to another," she said at last. "But can someone like you—who swears loyalty to no one—truly be trusted?"
"Trust isn't a prerequisite for a transaction."
Duanmu Huai shook his head.
"I won't claim loyalty or faith. But if our interests align, that's enough. I help you—you reward me. Mutual benefit is all the reason we need."
He held her gaze firmly. That was as far as he was willing to bend. If she still refused… well, as an Inquisitor, persuasion could take more than one form.
"Not loyalty, but trade…"
Ranni studied him quietly, then finally gave a faint nod.
"…Very well. I don't dislike such honesty. Perhaps fate itself brought you here—if it was my actions that drew you into this world, then so be it. I shall allow you to act in my service."
She raised one hand, and a faint light shimmered in the air.
"Your first task: go to the Eternal City of Nokron and meet with a half-wolf warrior named Blaidd. Together, uncover the hidden treasure buried within the city. As for the details—ask him when you find him. The entrance's location is marked on this map."
A folded map drifted down into Duanmu Huai's hands.
"That is all. You may leave. I hope next time you bring better news."
She closed her eyes, clearly dismissing them.
It hadn't gone smoothly, but at least Duanmu Huai had gained another clue regarding the Rune of Death—and a new mission, courtesy of Ranni.
Well, he'd done worse fetch quests.
Because in every game, it's the same pattern—
You want item A, so you talk to B, who gives you tasks C, D, and E, only to send you to F for a key, and then F says it was stolen by G…
If that happened in real life, someone would've been punched by now.
Of course, if he were playing his in-game character—the cute, high-charisma loli build—he'd probably just pout and charm Ranni into spilling everything.
Unfortunately, the man standing here had 1 point in Charisma.
No saving throw for that. Time to get to work.
(End of Chapter)