"Shadow-bound Beast, huh?"
Thud—
"My innovation, right?"
Thud—
"Now you see it's wrong, don't you?"
Thud—
When Lloyd reached the ruins, he stumbled upon a strange sight.
Moonlight's Two Fingers was sprawled miserably on the ground. At first, it waved its digits about, trying to explain something.
But the more it explained, the hotter the Golden Two Fingers grew.
To put it in a modern analogy, it was like sending a screenshot of Steam's game manager, only for the other side to reply, "Isn't this way better than yours?"
"Adaptation doesn't mean making things up! What kind of Shadow-bound Beast is this supposed to be?
And didn't I give you the template? Just import it and use it as is. Don't tell me you can't even do that!"
Faced with the Golden Two Fingers' scolding, Moonlight's Two Fingers curled in on itself pitifully.
"I really did follow your instructions..."
This wasn't an excuse.
Moonlight knew it had never passed anything to do with shadowcraft, while the other wasn't just an expert in the field—it had handed over a simplified version of its own greatest masterpiece.
The 'Black Blade,' Maliketh.
A Shadow-bound Beast that once single-handedly defeated the Queen of the Gloam-Eyed and her Godskin army. The strongest in history, leagues beyond anything else.
The reason the original wasn't given wasn't because the Golden Two Fingers was hoarding it. Creations of that caliber were out of reach even for itself. Moonlight had no chance, and even Golden Two Fingers had no confidence it could forge another.
And the reason it gave the template to Moonlight's Two Fingers, rather than any other?
Partly because of their close ties. But also because Golden Two Fingers had high hopes for it, believing it the most promising contender in the next Empyrean Tournament. That's why it entrusted its most treasured template.
But now...
"Hm?"
After retracing the process Moonlight had described and running the operation itself, Golden Two Fingers discovered the problem.
The result was the same.
Large build, wolf ears, delicate features, and a massive chest...
But something was still wrong.
Rubbing its fingers together, Golden Two Fingers frowned in confusion.
The format was right. The coding was right. The data source it had pulled from was indeed the Black Blade's location.
So why was the output template off?
"You see, it really isn't my fault, is it?"
"Quiet. Let me think."
Just then, a message box popped up before Lloyd.
[It's Alice: Tell it there's a fragment at the Black Blade's location. The two overlap, so it may have pulled the fragment's template instead.]
[Alice again: Also, I'm nearly finished here. I'll need your help for the final touches. Once you're done there, come by.]
After relaying Alice's words, Golden Two Fingers suddenly understood.
Moonlight, relieved to have its name cleared, hurried over—only to get smacked again.
"You couldn't spot such an obvious mistake, and you were happy about it?"
"Look at you now. I gave you that template because I thought you could take over my work.
But look around—the Lands Between after the Shattering are a mess. And I still have to come out and clean up after you."
Moonlight's Two Fingers could only sulk.
It truly wanted to do its duty, caring deeply for its Empyrean. It even risked breaking the rules, stealing Destined Death from Farum Azula for her sake, just to secure her ultimate victory.
But who could've expected the woman was a lunatic? Out of nowhere, she turned on it, ready to fight. Who could've predicted that?
"Couldn't you just talk about it? Don't you have a mouth?"
"Oh... right. Guess I don't."
Not that words would've solved anything.
As Golden Two Fingers had once told Lloyd, just like Shadow-bound Beasts, the Two Fingers were beings born with a mission.
For them, fulfilling that mission outweighed life itself. They were bound to it, obsessed.
If Ranni refused Moonlight's mission, then conflict was inevitable. There was no way to resolve it through ordinary means.
But now...
After another round of Golden Two Fingers' beatings, Moonlight suddenly sensed something from Lloyd—a familiar, comforting aura.
It scurried behind him, like a child hiding behind a parent, sulking miserably.
Finding it oddly endearing, Lloyd reached out and stroked it. Then, turning toward the still-fuming Golden Two Fingers, he extended a hand to calm it as well.
Once Golden Two Fingers had settled down, it finally revealed its intent.
"If this doesn't work, I'll assign you a different Empyrean."
Moonlight eagerly agreed.
After all, not only did Ranni want it gone, it had long grown tired of its Empyrean too.
The problem was, even setting loyalty aside, there were only four Empyreans in the Lands Between, and all were already reserved by the Two Fingers.
It couldn't find a replacement. That was why, despite its miserable relationship with Ranni, it still endured and tried to help her fulfill her divine role.
Now, Lloyd did have a Three Fingers at his side. But as said before, that Three Fingers had long lost its mission.
Though it still served Lloyd, it was less about duty, more like cosplaying to make up for past regrets.
And as for Moonlight's Two Fingers joining their service... what did Three Fingers think?
Truthfully, it minded a little.
But as the loneliest of the fingers, none understood better than it the pain of losing one's mission.
And now, this Two Fingers before it—not only failing its own mission, but even hunted by the very Empyrean it was meant to serve...
Even Three Fingers couldn't help but feel pity.
So, though inwardly reluctant, it didn't object. After hearing the situation, it even reached out a finger to comfort Moonlight.
"See? I told you there might've been some misunderstanding."
After settling things with the fingers, Lloyd turned to look at Ranni.
She stayed silent for a moment, staring at the three fingers before her, then simply let her mind go blank again.
"Oh. Then I suppose it really was a misunderstanding."
Fine. The matter was resolved—no need to dwell on trivial details.
But while Ranni chose not to dwell on it, the fingers certainly did.
After agreeing to the Golden Two Fingers' proposal and, with its help, performing the transfer ritual, the Moonlight Two Fingers became Lloyd's finger. And then...
It immediately mimicked the Three Fingers, clinging tightly to Lloyd.
Though it was a properly trained Two Fingers, unlike the Three Fingers who had gone mad from long torment, Ranni's treatment had shaken it far too deeply. And being a rather young finger, the rollercoaster of events shattered its emotional defenses.
Especially after becoming Lloyd's finger—not only did he show no rejection, but once the ritual was done, he even pulled it into his arms to comfort it.
The Moonlight Two Fingers had never experienced such warmth.
After enduring Ranni's scowls and hostility, and even betrayal by its own shadow creations, to now be held in such a gentle embrace—if it had eyes, it would have cried.
Even without tears, it still trembled in Lloyd's arms for quite some time.
When the trembling finally eased and Golden Two Fingers lifted the restrictions, the shadows and Black Knife Assassins were summoned back. They gathered around Lloyd to swear an oath of loyalty.
After pledging allegiance, they even offered up all their reserves: the remaining fragments of Destined Death, stockpiled sorceries, and various other tools.
"It really likes you," Golden Two Fingers said, wagging slightly.
Lloyd nodded, stroked Moonlight Two Fingers again, then turned his gaze to the towering figures surrounding them.
Yes, towering figures.
The Shadow-bound Beasts, of course, all came from the same template. Though minor differences existed between them—due to creation or growth—on the major points, such as race and gender, they were identical.
As for the Black Knife Assassins, the reason they were suspected of being Queen Marika's personal guard was because they were all rare-born female assassins.
And rare-born women, sharing the same lineage, could be compared directly to a certain Queen Marika—even their figures matched.
The reason Lloyd was staring at them now was exactly that.
Or rather—their height.
He glanced at the towering figures, then down at the small, sullen-faced Ranni surrounded among them. After a moment of silence, he turned back to Moonlight Two Fingers.
"Honestly, it's no wonder you two don't get along."
Moonlight Two Fingers: ".......?"
After cracking that joke—or perhaps it wasn't a joke—Lloyd turned back to the real issue.
How to arrange his newly acquired Two Fingers and all these subordinates.
Keeping them here wasn't an option. The environment was too harsh, and since Moonlight had broken with Ranni, it also wanted a place far from her.
The Roundtable Hold was out too. According to Golden Two Fingers, even with a new Empyrean to serve, the child still had missions. Sending it to the Roundtable was unsuitable, and besides, the place wasn't nearly large enough to house so many towering figures.
As for Castle Morne, Lloyd teleported over to ask Edgar. He hadn't even gotten to mentioning the Black Knife Assassins or Shadow-bound Beasts—just bringing up the Two Fingers made Edgar firmly refuse.
"If that's the case, why not bring two Flying Dragons instead?
Castle Morne doesn't have much in the way of resources, but we could manage one or two dragons if we squeeze."
So Lloyd actually sent two Flying Dragons over.
But if Castle Morne wasn't workable, then what about... hm?
Looking at the towering beasts before him, Lloyd recalled a certain warrior woman and the battles they'd once fought together.
The details weren't important. What mattered was that after those events, he had rebuilt that dungeon several times. The town had expanded, and with upgraded carriages, the entry restrictions had loosened considerably.
With that in mind, he teleported to Limgrave and opened the dungeon entrance.
Testing it, he found that aside from the Two Fingers, both the Shadow-bound Beasts and the Black Knife Assassins met the requirements for entry.
And thanks to its isolation, the dungeon turned out to be an unexpectedly suitable home for them.
After all, both the Shadow-bound Beasts and Black Knife Assassins were covert forces, never meant to operate openly.
Now, the Golden Dungeon not only offered seclusion, but also abundant resources for them to live on and use.
If not for the rule requiring Lloyd himself to lead a team out to farm rewards, they could've gathered resources for him on their own.
Even without automation, with so many of them, Lloyd could now go in alone and still bring them out to run ordinary dungeons whenever he wished.
Beyond farming dungeons, thanks to the convenience of dungeon teleportation, he could summon them anywhere he needed simply by altering the dungeon's exit, having them carry out tasks and services for him.
Later, when Alice found out about this, she sent him a plugin through the chat window. After he downloaded it, even Moonlight Two Fingers could be placed inside without expending any power, and it was settled within Lloyd's castle.
With everything in place, the once-empty Hamlet Town suddenly came alive. Now, walking through it, one could see figures moving about everywhere. Lloyd felt gratified, a sense of satisfaction like completing the building phase of a simulation game.
Ranni, however, wore a far more complicated expression.
By all rights, since Lloyd had solved her problem with the Two Fingers, she should have been happy. But the way it was resolved—and especially the way Moonlight Two Fingers now clung to Lloyd so affectionately, along with its other behaviors—was...
Even before their falling out, she had never received such treatment. Back then, the finger was cold and aloof.
Yet now, after changing its Empyrean, it practically threw itself at him. Not only did it, right after their display of closeness, immediately offer up all its fragments of Destined Death, but it also handed over command of the Shadow-bound Beasts and the Black Knives...
If Lloyd hadn't refused again and again, Moonlight Two Fingers would have even given him Blaidd.
Seriously, is this how the game is supposed to be played?
This should have been a moment of joy, but as she watched the bond between man and finger in front of her, Ranni couldn't smile. Instead, an inexplicable sense of betrayal gnawed at her.
That had once been her Two Fingers. And everything under its command had been the kind of aid she had sought but never gained. Yet now...
"What's wrong?"
After skillfully soothing Moonlight Two Fingers, Lloyd turned toward Ranni.
She fell silent for a moment, then turned her head aside.
"Nothing."
"Really nothing?"
"Really."
After that brief exchange, Ranni lingered for a while, forcing down the strange feeling in her chest, then beckoned to Lloyd.
"Come with me."
Lloyd followed her steps, walking to the center of the Moonlight Altar.
The pale moonlight spilled down from the sky, scattering across the marble floor.
The blue doll stopped, stood silent for a while, then turned back to look at the man behind her.
"I promised you before that once you helped me, I'd give you a reward.
I keep my word."
The serene moonlight fell, cold and clear.
The doll raised her arm and drew from her body a greatsword radiating a chill.
The Dark Moon Greatsword.
One of a sorcerer's ultimate arms, the Moonlight Greatsword of the Elden Ring, and also a traditional gift of the Carian royal family, bestowed by the queen upon her consort.
Though she had regained her clarity, the Full Moon Queen had not resumed her throne. In private, she had even held a quiet retirement ceremony for herself.
Thus, the former Princess of Caria, the one and only 'Lunar Princess' Ranni, was now in truth the Carian Queen—though she herself had yet to realize it.
The reason she produced the Dark Moon Greatsword now wasn't because she had any designs on Lloyd.
Quite the opposite—she drew it to cut ties with her former self.
Unlike other Empyreans, Ranni never sought to win the so-called divine battle royale to become a god of the Lands Between. That was the very root of her split with the Two Fingers.
And as for what she truly sought...
"I want to leave the Lands Between."
She lifted her head to the starry sky, stretching out her puppet's arm as though reaching for something far away.
"To cross beyond the cold, dark night, and seek true freedom."
No more laws. No preordained fate. No so-called mission she was born to carry...
She wished to be the master of her own destiny, not a puppet bound to laws and fingers.
But...
"Well, even if you fly into the sky, you'll just be floating higher. It won't make you any taller.
And from what I've seen, nothing that falls from the sky is small. So if you go up there, you'll probably look even smaller..."
Silence.
Then a sigh.
"Don't ruin the mood right now..."
Ranni lowered her gaze to the Dark Moon Greatsword in her hands, brushing her fingertips across the blade.
"I worked so hard for this, sacrificed so much, prepared myself to betray everything...
But I never imagined the ending would be so theatrical, so unlike what I expected..."
"But it isn't a bad thing, is it?"
After a pause, she nodded.
"Yes. It isn't a bad thing."
Ever since meeting this fool, she had been tormented nearly every day.
Yet alongside the torment, good things had followed.
Her mother's recovery, her brother's awakening—even her Two Fingers had been handled with care...
She had meant to leave after betraying everything. But now, with so many ties holding her here, her resolve to depart wavered.
Still—it was only a waver.
Ranni had always been one of clear purpose. No matter how many unexpected twists, she never intended to abandon her plan.
And beyond her will to claim her fate, as a sorcerer, her longing for the vast starry expanse was very real.
So here, she would draw a line—leaving behind her weakness, her reluctance, and every last attachment...
"Uh, just to be clear—you're planning to leave, not planning to die, right?"
"Of course I'm not going to die. Why?"
"Well, if you're just leaving, not dying, then why not just come back to visit when you can? No need to make it sound so tragic and heavy..."
Silence.
Her hand paused on the blade. After a moment, she raised her head.
"Didn't you say before that you wanted to fight me?"
"I did. Why?"
"Then let's fight here."
She drew out her staff.
Two hands gripped Moonlight Greatswords, the other two held her staff. Under the pale moonlight, she fixed Lloyd with a resentful gaze.
"If you win, this Dark Moon Greatsword will be yours.
And for the time being, I won't leave the Lands Between. I'll focus instead on helping you become Elden Lord.
How about it?"
Normally, Lloyd would have agreed to such a request at once.
But now, seeing the wounded look on her face, he blinked.
"Uh... are you mad?"
"I am not!"
Her voice snapped like a cat with its tail stepped on.
"Enough nonsense. If you want to fight so badly, I'll fight you..."
"But I don't feel like fighting right now."
"Then I'll fight! That's final!"
With her angry outburst, a health bar appeared before him.
[Lunar Princess Ranni]
[Special Domain: I'm Not Mad!]
[I'm Not Mad!: In this battle, the Lunar Princess's health bar is replaced with a Resentment Gauge that cannot be reduced by attacks.]
[Her attacks consume the Resentment Gauge. When it is depleted, you win automatically.]
[Her attacks cause no real harm to you during this battle.]
[Special Note: Just let her have this one.]
[Stop picking on the girl.]
[Black Knife Assassins]
[Ranni]
...
[Up to 20 chapters ahead for now]
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