Lloyd had no idea what was happening on Nadisha's side.
And even if he did, he probably wouldn't have cared.
As for why...
"...What are you doing?"
After drifting into sleep—or perhaps just waking up—the Ashen One had planned to check on the Young Lady of the Painting's progress with her painted world, and maybe share a quiet moment with the Fire Keeper.
But the instant he stirred, even before opening his eyes, he sensed something was off.
There was a weight on his body, and his hands felt... strange.
Still half-asleep, he flexed his fingers to identify the odd sensation.
Soft. Warm. Round.
Xiaolongbao.
When he finally opened his eyes, he saw the Young Lady of the Painting and the little purple flower girl lying on either side of him, each clutching one of his hands. Their cheeks were flushed, clothes in disarray.
The moment they realized he was awake, the two mischievous kittens scrambled to explain themselves—babbling about "nothing happened," "we've been working so hard," and "we just wanted a little reward."
After hearing their unconvincing excuses, the Ashen One nodded calmly, then grabbed both of them and gave them the "reward" they asked for until they were limp and breathless. When they finally begged for mercy, he pulled them into his arms—one in each hand—and glanced helplessly at the Fire Keeper.
"So, you just stood there watching?"
"What else was I supposed to do?"
The Fire Keeper smiled softly, brushing a hand across his cheek.
"You don't really mind, do you? And those two worked hard. Wanting a small reward seems only fair..."
"...You just wanted to see me flustered, didn't you?"
"Hmm. Who can say?"
After that brief exchange, the Ashen One let it go. He chatted with the Fire Keeper for a while and teasingly returned the favor for her little comment.
Then he sat up and took in his surroundings.
Thanks to the combined efforts of the Young Lady of the Painting and Trina, the place was completely transformed from what it had been before.
Where once the ground was covered in ashes, now it was paved with worn but sturdy stone bricks. The walls, once cracked and decaying, had been patched up and painted over.
The stairs were neat, the air felt clearer, and even above—the endless void that had once stretched overhead—now faintly resembled a sky, wisps of illusionary clouds drifting through it.
It wasn't exactly beautiful, certainly nowhere near as pleasant as Limgrave, but to the Ashen One, it was enough.
"You've worked hard."
Lloyd gently squeezed the small painter in his arms. Still too weak to speak after what had happened, she only shifted slightly, making a faint sound as if in acknowledgment.
After confirming that everything was in order, and exchanging a few more words with the Fire Keeper, the Ashen One—aware that there were still matters to attend to outside—didn't linger. He gave her one last kiss before sinking back into sleep.
...
"What... are you trying to do now?"
Lloyd felt like he was trapped in an endless chain of dreams.
First, back in the prayer room, he'd been surrounded by those golden-haired beasts, forced into all sorts of activities.
Then, in the consciousness realm, he'd barely opened his eyes before being dragged into more of the same—then somehow ended up sharing quiet time with the Fire Keeper again.
Finally, when he thought he'd escaped and opened his eyes in the waking world—
Melina, Millicent, Elizabeth, Chaos, and even Ni had formed a circle around him, watching closely.
"I heard you were asleep, so I came to sneak a bite," Elizabeth said bluntly.
"But before I could, they stopped me."
Chaos nodded beside her. "I came to talk to you about something, but caught her in the act."
As for the remaining three, though they didn't move around much these days, the truth was they hadn't left Lloyd's side at all. Thanks to their ability to shrink themselves, they'd been nesting in his arms the entire time.
To make it easier for them, Lloyd had even carved out a separate pocket of space there—a cozy little area where they could move around freely.
But they weren't just lounging idly.
Earlier, Alice had told Lloyd that the Roundtable Sanctuary—or more precisely, her library—needed help sorting through its books, and asked him to prepare to send someone.
But the "library" and the "sorting" weren't literal. The work referred to organizing and aligning the Laws themselves, something that didn't require physically moving anyone.
When Millicent had first shrunk down and met Ranni, the latter had claimed she simply wanted to see how far Lloyd could go.
In truth, she could've watched from afar—or stirred up trouble from the sidelines—but she hadn't left his side.
As an Empyrean who possessed her own self-realized Law, Ranni had a natural talent for this kind of "book sorting."
Once Lloyd realized that, he asked for her help.
After she agreed, she'd stayed by his side ever since, diligently assisting him in organizing the "books." Recently, Melina had joined them as well.
As for Millicent—since she didn't possess a complete Law (unlike Melina, who bore the Gloam-Eyes)—she wasn't much help in that area. Instead, she simply stayed nestled with the others, keeping them company during their breaks.
Then, just earlier, while the three worked as usual, Elizabeth had crept up beside Lloyd—intending to climb on top and sneak a bite.
But before she could do anything, the three inside sensed it immediately. They appeared before her and pinned her back down on the spot.
"Hey, if you didn't want me sneaking a bite, we could've just shared it together. Did you really have to do that...?"
Elizabeth sighed regretfully.
After hearing the full story, Lloyd thought for a moment, then set Elizabeth aside and turned to Chaos.
"You said you came to talk about something, right?"
"Yes."
Chaos nodded lightly.
"To put it simply, in the Land of Shadow, there's a ruin tied to the Frenzied Flame. My power is sealed there. I want to ask you to go and..."
"Break the seal?"
If this had been at the start, hearing that would've set alarms ringing—especially from a certain little Frenzied Flame enforcer.
But now, after growing used to Chaos's presence, even when she mentioned breaking a seal, Melina only raised an eyebrow and stayed silent.
Lloyd thought for a moment.
"Is it urgent?"
"No. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I'm not fully prepared yet anyway..."
"Alright. I'll check it out when I get the chance."
After giving his word, Lloyd stayed to chat with them a little longer. Thanks to Ranni and Melina's earlier efforts, Alice's library had expanded again and could now accommodate more helpers.
After thinking it over, and since both of them carried the Law within them, Lloyd invited the two to join in as well.
And so...
He gained two more tiny figures.
[Obtained Item: 'Petite Chaos']
[Obtained Item: 'Petite Elizabeth']
"Behave yourselves. If you do well, I'll give you a beating when you're out."
He trusted Chaos to stay in line, but Elizabeth... without some kind of incentive, she'd definitely stir up trouble.
At his words, Elizabeth hesitated briefly, then nodded with a faint pout.
"Then you'd better really hit me. Hard. Like, to death hard..."
"Yeah, yeah, got it. Now get inside already."
Lloyd tossed Petite Elizabeth into his arms, while Petite Chaos leaned in, kissed him softly, and then gracefully transported herself inside.
Once all five were settled within his embrace, Lloyd considered his next move. Instead of returning to the Land of Shadow, he teleported to the academy and sought out Renna.
"Ah, are we doing that again?"
Seeing him approach, Renna immediately realized he was here for another "temperature adjustment." She set aside her current work.
"Alright then, let's—"
"I want to speed things up."
Renna blinked in surprise.
Speed up? At this point, how could they possibly—
Then the heat surged.
Lloyd lifted Renna and pressed her down onto the table, lowering his head as he poured his soul—and its burning intensity—directly into hers.
In an instant, the searing fire consumed Renna's composure, melting the once-cool Snow Witch into something soft and fluid, pliant beneath his touch.
"Just... a little gentler..."
"My brain... it's melting..."
After finishing with Renna, Lloyd sought out Latenna and gave her a long-overdue foot massage.
When it was over, Latenna, her face bright red, shyly made a request—since she needed to conduct certain research later, she wanted to "get used to it in advance."
Lloyd didn't object. It had to be done sooner or later, so if she wanted it now, he didn't see any harm in giving her a head start.
But then...
"Your sister... wants to join too?"
Staring at the towering platinum giantess before him—her legs alone thicker than his entire body—Lloyd's expression twisted with unease.
Good grief. That factory's a lot bigger than any of the golden beasts he'd seen.
"Yes," Latenna explained. "After all, it was originally her mission."
Though Phillia looked a little embarrassed, she didn't object either.
And so...
"The texture and feel are top-notch. Her skin, made of the same material as the Silver Tear, is unbelievably smooth and delicate, with a faintly cool touch."
"But for ordinary lifeforms, even without direct exchange of fluids, just prolonged skin contact would cause poisoning and corrosion..."
After the practical testing was done, Lloyd went to Renna to report the results. She wasn't surprised—only sighed softly.
"So in the end, you really are the only one who can handle this."
"Even putting their consent aside, Nightdew's corrosion isn't something most beings can endure. Not even demigods could manage it..."
It was like throwing a sausage into a pool of mercury.
After discussing the data, Lloyd spent some time with Renna, strengthening their Covenant bond, before heading off to Sellen—where he promptly started working on her orb.
"You idiot... could you at least try to be gentle..."
He carried the now-paralyzed Sellen to bed, leaned down for a soft kiss, and only left after confirming she was fine—even after she started trying to shoo him away.
Leaving Sellen's quarters, Lloyd found everyone else occupied with their own tasks, leaving him with nothing pressing to do.
After some thought, he opened the map. He'd planned to visit the City of Pus of Man, but after reconsidering, decided instead to finish something he'd left incomplete earlier.
[Abyssal Contamination · Caelid]
[Special Domain: Abyssal Contamination]
[Abyssal Contamination: Greatly increases Dark damage; reduces MP consumption of Dark spells and miracles]
[Soul erosion increases over time]
Lloyd had been here once before, after completing the Caelid questline.
Back then, due to the monsters' unpredictability, he'd had to tap into his main body's power just a bit too much. Though he hadn't blown up the instance outright, it had entered a critical state, forcing him to retreat before fully exploring it.
But this time...
Drawing the Ark Holy Sword, Lloyd stepped into the darkness ahead.
Compared to before, his "minor form" had grown tremendously. The monsters and enemies that once gave him trouble now felt like little more than drizzle. With the Law more firmly stabilized, he could even channel a portion of his main body's strength inside the instance without destabilizing it.
Perhaps because his last display of power had terrified whatever existed behind this dungeon, there were no tricks this time—just a straightforward dungeon.
Well, aside from the special "Soul Corrosion" effect that worsened the deeper he went.
But that so-called soul corrosion...
"Father—living father—we wouldn't dare corrupt you! It's already mercy enough that you don't corrupt us!"
That was more or less the situation.
After clearing another quarter of the map, a golden fog gate appeared before Lloyd.
Sensing the energy within, he raised an eyebrow.
He wasn't sure what awaited him inside, but that aura...
"So that's why you've been acting so well-behaved. Waiting for me in here, huh?"
Still, Lloyd didn't hesitate. He summoned three companions from nearby golden signs—Melina, Chaos, and Elizabeth—and stepped through the fog.
Then he stopped dead.
Four figures stood waiting on the other side.
Whoosh—flames flared along a straight sword.
Buzz—the small scythe shimmered with dark grease.
Swish—the split-leaf greatsword spun like a helicopter blade.
And behind them, a figure in a slave's hood wielded twin Gael crossbows, constantly leaping back as he reloaded.
Click. Click.
That sharp sound of bolts locking into place.
Finally, as all four readied themselves, their names and health bars appeared.
[The Four Kings of the Abyss]
[Ring Snatcher]
[Little Scythe]
[Splitleaf Greatsword]
[Left Bow Bastard]
Click-click-click!