Fujiwara Chika:
"I didn't expect Mr. Tarnished was actually saving someone…"
Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor:
"This outcome really was unexpected…"
NorthNorthNorth:
"Unexpected.jpg"
No one in the group had imagined that the Tarnished was truly healing someone.
Although the method… was undeniably violent.
Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife:
"What are you all talking about?"
Fujiwara Chika:
"Ah! Mr. Tarnished, we weren't saying anything! We were just discussing how incredibly cool it was when you intercepted that meteor earlier! Even movie special effects couldn't match something like that!"
Fujiwara Chika:
"Right, Hu Tao? @Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor"
Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor:
"Ah—yes! Chika is absolutely right!"
From those two messages alone, their intense survival instincts were obvious.
The Tarnished raised an eyebrow and casually scrolled through the chat history.
Then he slowly typed a reply.
Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife:
"…Miss Fujiwara, if you're not good at lying, maybe don't try. The chat log is right there. Who exactly are you trying to fool?"
Fujiwara Chika:
"Hehehe… is that so? (pretending not to understand)"
Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife:
"…Forget it. I won't argue with you. But I'll say one thing—Radahn is technically my brother-in-law, so of course I had to save him."
Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor:
"So… that's how Mr. Tarnished saves people?"
Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife:
"Is there a problem with that?"
Fujiwara Chika:
"..."
NorthNorthNorth:
"..."
The Oldest King:
"..."
Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor:
"..."
Otto Apocalypse:
"..."
A single simple sentence had rendered everyone speechless.
You call that saving someone?
The Tarnished, however, didn't care about their reaction. He simply closed the livestream and shut the chat group.
Leaving Redmane Castle, he crossed the Impassable Greatbridge and returned to a Site of Grace.
Feeling the power of another Great Rune fragment within his body, his mood immediately brightened.
At least this time he wouldn't need to climb that cursed Divine Tower half-buried in the sands at the edge of Caelid.
This fragment had been given to him by Radahn as a token of gratitude before he departed.
Radahn said he had no use for it anymore and hoped the Tarnished would become the next Elden Lord, ending the chaos of the Lands Between.
He had also promised that once matters in Redmane Castle and Caelid were settled, he would visit the Academy of Raya Lucaria.
It seemed his "brother-in-law" had acknowledged him.
However, Ogha's soul had returned to his spirit ashes instead of remaining at Redmane Castle.
According to Ogha, he wished to continue following the Tarnished into battle.
"One by one… you're all stubborn."
The Tarnished shook his head with a wry smile.
Yet that smile carried a trace of happiness.
Because in this cycle, things were truly beginning to change.
"…Tarnished."
At that moment, Melina appeared beside him once again.
He paused in surprise.
Lately, Melina seemed to appear far more often.
Normally he might not see her for ten days or even half a month.
"…There is something I do not understand. May I ask you a question?"
"Hm? Melina, you have something you don't understand?"
He stared at her familiar face in disbelief.
After so many years, this was the first time he had ever heard Melina say she didn't understand something.
It was unprecedented.
In the past, whenever he had questions about becoming Elden Lord, it was always Melina who answered them.
She was practically an encyclopedia.
She could even recite the teachings engraved in the Churches of Marika.
Yet now she had something she could not understand.
"…Yes. That is correct."
Melina nodded gently.
A playful smile appeared at the corner of the Tarnished's lips.
"Of course you can ask. But if you're asking whether I like you, then my answer is 'yes.'"
"…That is not the question."
Melina shook her head.
"…What I wish to know is this: If there was a more convenient way to obtain the Great Rune, why did you go to such trouble to save a stranger like Radahn?"
"Those needles that suppress the Scarlet Rot must be extremely valuable."
From her observations of the Lands Between over many years, such items were nearly impossible to find.
"…."
Seeing Melina's serious expression, the Tarnished sighed.
"…Ah, so that's what you meant."
To respond to a confession with such complete indifference—
Only Melina could do that.
But that was the Melina he knew.
His expression gradually softened.
Slowing his steps, he looked up at the brilliant stars filling the sky and the enormous full moon above.
"There's no grand reason."
He then looked toward a distant campfire where corpses were being burned.
"I simply don't enjoy killing."
"General Radahn is also one of the demigods I respect."
"And besides…"
His voice paused.
He stopped walking.
The wind blew gently between them.
Turning to face Melina, he smiled faintly.
"Existence has its own reason."
"…Existence has its own reason?"
Melina quietly repeated the words, unable to fully grasp their meaning.
"That's right. Gods, demigods, humans—at the end of the day, we're all parts of the same world."
"If you choose certain parts and erase them entirely…"
"Isn't that rather arrogant?"
As he spoke, he held his hands out evenly to both sides like the arms of a scale.
This was the conclusion he had reached after more than six hundred cycles.
The Lands Between had always been a land of conflict.
Different races fought endlessly for control.
But ultimately, this land did not belong to any single individual or race.
It was shaped by countless peoples rising and falling through history.
Whether they came from beyond the stars or were born here—
They all had meaning.
There was no need to wipe anyone out completely.
Except for those oversized rats lurking in dark corners.
And those lizards that spewed lethal poison.
And that bald scoundrel Patches.
If he ever saw Patches again, the first thing he would do was smash that egg-shaped head.
Let him personally experience the wrath of an Elden Lord.
Even Marika and Godfrey had never completely destroyed their enemies.
They had only subdued them with force.
Yet endless war and slaughter had brought consequences even for Marika.
Radagon, born from her own being, had been cursed by the Fire Giants.
Still—
Anyone who stood in the Tarnished's way…
Or anyone whose name appeared on his list of targets…
Would receive no mercy.
Those people had to die.
A cold glint flickered deep within his wine-red eyes.
Melina, however, did not notice the shift in his emotions.
She simply gazed at him quietly as the wind brushed their hair.
They had traveled together for so long.
Yet for the first time, she felt she truly saw the Tarnished clearly.
He stood right in front of her—
And yet felt impossibly distant.
His words stirred something deep within her heart.
To show such acceptance toward everything in the Lands Between…
Before she realized it, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
She bowed her head respectfully.
"…I understand. If this is what you desire."
At that moment, she became even more certain that her choice had been correct.
If it was him—
Then the Lands Between would surely have a better future.
No matter what fate awaited her beneath the Erdtree, she wished to help this gentle Tarnished become the Elden Lord.
And for the first time, another thought appeared in her mind.
She wanted to know him better.
To understand this Tarnished more deeply.
Just then—
A notification sounded in his mind.
[Group Notice: Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has sent an invitation to all members.]
"Melina, wait a moment."
"…?"
Melina tilted her head slightly.
The Tarnished opened the chat group again.
Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor:
"I invite all of you to my birthday banquet! Let's gather at Wanmin Restaurant and enjoy a feast!"
Seeing the message, the Tarnished suddenly remembered.
Ah… right.
That had been mentioned earlier.
And now that his business with Radahn was finished, the journey to Nokron was not urgent.
Perhaps it was time to relax for a while.
He had the time.
As for whether Blaidd might find the Fingerslayer Blade first—
He wasn't worried.
Even if Blaidd exhausted himself, he still wouldn't locate its exact position.
How did he know?
Experience.
After making his decision, he closed the chat group and turned to Melina.
"Melina… I might need to leave for a while."
"…Are you leaving the Lands Between?"
Her question startled him for a moment.
But he quickly regained his composure and nodded.
It wasn't surprising that Melina had guessed.
He had already left twice before.
"…I see…"
Perhaps it was his imagination.
But after hearing his confirmation, Melina's tone seemed slightly different.
She lowered her head as if thinking.
After a long silence, she raised her gaze and said something that truly surprised him.
"…Tarnished, may I accompany you?"
"…Huh?"
He blinked.
Did he hear that correctly?
Melina… wanted to go with him?
To be sure, he asked again.
"Miss Melina… what did you say? I didn't quite catch that."
"…May I accompany you? I wish to see the world beyond the Lands Between."
This time he heard it clearly.
Melina truly wanted to go with him.
But this possibility was even lower than Godrick defeating Radahn and Malenia before becoming Elden Lord.
Normally Melina rarely appeared unless he summoned her.
Yet now she wanted to travel with him?
It was unbelievable.
Still—
If it was his beloved Melina making the request, how could he refuse?
"Of course. But how will you come with me?"
That was the problem.
He wasn't certain the chat group's teleportation function could carry another person.
Even Aurelia had unknowingly smuggled herself along by hiding inside his body.
"…You need not worry. I can attach myself to you."
"…?"
The Tarnished slowly produced a question mark in his mind.
Before he could react, Melina dissolved into soft blue light.
The glowing particles circled him, settling onto his armor before merging into his body.
Her familiar voice echoed within his mind.
"…This should work."
"..."
The Tarnished looked down at his ancient silver armor in silence.
Well.
It did seem to work.
Spirits were certainly convenient.
Still—
Something about it felt a little strange.
"…Whatever."
As a Tarnished who preferred not to overthink things, he decided not to dwell on it.
It was just possession.
Only Melina and Aurelia were inside him.
It wasn't like he was running a haunted dormitory.
With that, he pressed the confirmation button.
[Notice: Teleportation will begin.]
His vision blurred.
Once again, his figure vanished from the Lands Between.
The World of Teyvat
On a steep mountainside, a vibrant green medicinal plant grew from a narrow cliff.
A droplet of morning dew still clung to it, clear as crystal.
Beneath the nearby shade of a tree—
"Hyup… hyup… hyup!"
"…What is that child doing?"
The Tarnished, newly arrived, stared speechlessly at the scene before him.
Who had ever seen a little girl stuck between rocks because she was too short to reach a plant?
And instead of climbing out of the gap first—
She was desperately stretching her tiny arms toward the herb above her.
Trying to grab it from a distance.
He certainly hadn't.
Her expression was completely blank, making it impossible to tell how long she had been struggling.
But judging from her dusty clothes and reddened arms, she had clearly been trying for quite some time.
Watching this clumsy yet stubborn little girl—
He didn't know what to say.
With a helpless sigh, he turned to Melina beside him.
"…Melina. Should we… help her?"
The Tarnished's incurable habit of helping others had surfaced again.
Melina offered no opinion.
She simply left the decision to him.
Unlock 100+ advance chapters on Patreon — every follow inspires me to keep going!
patreon.com/legacyverse1