Lucian hefted the massive Dragonslayer Swordspear as he stepped out of Hewg's forge.
The other Tarnished who caught sight of him were struck dumb, their eyes going wide.
This appearance was not only handsome—it radiated a sovereign's majesty. The oppressive weight of his presence alone made knees grow weak, as though those who stood before him were compelled to bow.
Before he had taken up the Dragonslayer Swordspear, his equipment had seemed incomplete. But with the weapon now in his grasp, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. The set blazed with unrestrained arrogance, its aura fully unleashed.
Lucian basked in the admiring gazes of the others, and in that moment, he suddenly understood a saying from his past life:
A man cannot simultaneously possess inferiority complex and a Maybach.
Yes—inner strength was important, but outward appearance mattered as well. Clothes make the man, as they say, and a steed is known by its saddle.
If he had appeared today clad only in a common Storm Knight's set, then even as the powerful Lord of Stormveil, the others would not look at him with such awe.
Still, Lucian did not lose himself in this enjoyment. Praise and admiration were but seasoning along the road. What truly satisfied him was shaping the world with his own hands—guiding it toward the path he envisioned. That was the ultimate fulfillment.
He wandered through the Roundtable Hold, not to flaunt his new equipment, but to browse for useful items before his departure.
In particular, he sought out Hildegard—the eccentric perfumer.
The last concoction she had provided, the Scarlet Rot Perfume, had been remarkably effective, enhancing his attributes with barely any side effects. Thanks to his formidable constitution, he hadn't even needed the usual antidotal boluses to counteract its aftereffects.
Since she used plants grown from Scarlet Rot as ingredients, Lucian reasoned she must have a deep understanding of Caelid. Perhaps she even operated there herself—and might have special perfumes or rare remedies to offer.
If possible, he wanted to secure more for his coming campaign.
This time fortune favored him. Hildegard, who had been absent during his previous visits, was now at her stall with the small living jar at her side.
When she caught sight of Lucian in his resplendent new armor, her eyes went wide in shock.
She had heard many stories of his exploits over the past days, tales that had already astonished her. But to see him in person made her realize how false those rumors had been—far too modest compared to the truth.
The Lucian before her was a world apart from the one she had once known. Indeed, rumors were never to be trusted.
Still, her surprise lasted only a heartbeat before she broke into a bright smile. "Ah! It has been too long, Lord of Storms. Tell me—did the perfume I gave you last time serve you well?"
Lucian smiled back at her vigor.
"Yes, it has been a while. The Scarlet Rot Perfume worked wonderfully, and the lack of aftereffects pleased me greatly."
He had even considered distributing the perfume among his soldiers—its drawbacks were minimal, almost negligible for hardy warriors. But before committing to such a plan, he needed to consult her directly.
As he studied her, however, his eyes narrowed. Something on her person was… off.
Noticing his gaze, Hildegard tilted her head, twirling a lock of hair with her finger. "Eh? What is it? Do I have something on my face?"
Lucian shook his head, pointing instead to her back. "Not your face. Your shoulder."
She reached back and pulled off several fleshy red-and-white growths, mushroom-like and oozing blood-colored fluid.
"Oh my, forgive me—I hadn't noticed. How embarrassing!" She chuckled, shaking her head.
"I've been spending too much time wading in the Swamp of Aeonia. Perhaps I forgot to clean off some of the Rot."
Lucian nearly broke into a cold sweat. This girl truly was a workaholic… and her resistance to poison was downright monstrous. "...As expected of you, I suppose."
Hildegard only laughed awkwardly, rubbing her hat to ease the tension. "Let's not dwell on such details."
Lucian nodded. Better to let it pass.
He came here with purpose. "Last time, you crafted Scarlet Rot perfume from plants born of the Rot. I intend to travel to Caelid soon. I imagine you know much about that land, so I've come to ask what you can tell me. And if possible, I'd like to purchase some of your remedies."
Her eyes lit up—business, and perhaps a very lucrative order. "Indeed, I've spent a long time in Caelid. Ask whatever you wish. If I know it, I'll tell you without reservation."
She had wandered since leaving Leyndell, traveling across the Lands Between, studying local flora and customs, always chasing rare herbs and poisons. But Caelid had become her true home, a land ravaged by Scarlet Rot where plants and animals had twisted beyond recognition.
There, new species arose, never seen elsewhere in the Lands Between. Even plants thought lost since the age of the ancients had resurfaced. Hilbert had devoted herself to cataloging their effects.
She was confident—whatever Lucian sought to know, she could answer.
"The first question," Lucian began, "and the one I care for most: if one enters Caelid without protection, will the Rot immediately infect them? I've heard the entire land is contaminated. Does the air itself carry the infection?"
Hildegard nodded. "Yes, Caelid is utterly polluted. But thankfully, the air poses little danger to warriors of your strength. It may cause discomfort, but unless you live there for years on end, it won't manifest severely. Simply cleanse yourself every few months."
"The true danger lies in the swamps. Prolonged exposure there brings swift infection. At the earliest signs, you must take neutralizing boluses—delay will bring grave consequences."
Lucian breathed easier. If Caelid's air alone caused immediate, incurable infection, his journey would have been much harder. At least now, he could endure with vigilance and supplies.
"Then my second question: do you know of the Festival of Combat?"
Hildegard's eyes widened with realization. Of course. What else would draw a warrior like him to Caelid's hellscape but that grand contest?
"Yes, I know of it. I often rest near the ruins of a village by Redmane Castle, so I hear much. The Festival begins when the sky fills with stars. By my reckoning, only two or three weeks remain until it is held."
Lucian nodded thoughtfully. That matched what he knew. He would have time to reach the castle, assess the situation, then roam Caelid to prepare and gather what he could before the Festival began.
"Then my third question," he said. "What remedies or perfumes would you recommend for use in Caelid?"
Hildegard's face brightened—this was the moment she had been waiting for. "Oh, I have just the thing."
From behind her stall, she brought out three perfumed bottles. They were unlike the common goods she sold—special reserves, akin to the Scarlet Rot Perfume she had once gifted him.
Lucian lifted one, even capped it gave off a pungent, stinging aroma, sharp like volatile chemicals.
Hildegard quickly warned him; "Ah, not for drinking—be careful not to mistake it!"
"What is it?" he asked.
"This is Withering Perfume, designed for Caelid's mutated flora. The plants warped by the Rot are vicious. Some were dangerous even before mutating—now, they ambush travelers and drain them as sustenance. Scatter this perfume near their roots, and they wither swiftly. Sprinkle it on leaves or branches, and the effect is weaker."
"...So, essentially, a herbicide," Lucian muttered. "And it works on other plants as well?"
"Of course. It's even stronger on normal flora—but Caelid has few of those left. Use it freely."
He mused. Perhaps it might even work on Erdtree Avatars. They were, after all, plant-like… though on a very different scale. He'd have to try.
He gestured toward the other two bottles, identical in appearance. "These two are the same, I take it?"
Hildegard puffed her chest with pride. "My masterpiece—Neutralizing Perfume. Sprinkle it on tainted ground, and it neutralizes Scarlet Rot there. Inhale its vapor, and it purges Rot from within the body. For a time, it even lingers inside you, neutralizing further Rot that enters.
"But once that reserve is gone, you must still take boluses if you're exposed again. And beware—outside Caelid, where the air is clean, inhaling it will poison you instead."
Lucian's eyes widened. He hadn't expected something this groundbreaking. "You never cease to surprise me."
"And the neutralized Rot on the ground—does it stay harmless?"
Hildegard smirked, brimming with confidence. "Yes. But the surrounding Rot spreads back quickly. Otherwise, I would have cleared a whole plot for myself long ago."
The potential was staggering. If mass-produced, this perfume could reshape Caelid's fate. Even if it couldn't cure the land, it could at least hold the corruption at bay.
"How did you make it?" he pressed.
"The principle is simple. Scarlet Rot is a poison. And every poison has an antidote—or, failing that, something that neutralizes it. After long trials, I discovered that the toxin of the Poisonbloom mushroom counteracts Scarlet Rot. Combining its extract with cave moss crystals produces this neutralizer. Not a cure, but a counter."
Acid meeting alkali—neutralization yielding harmlessness.
Lucian accepted the three bottles solemnly. These were no ordinary tools. "What of its production? With enough supply, this perfume could transform Caelid."
Hildegard scratched her chin. "Sadly, large-scale production is difficult. The ingredients are scarce—Poisonblooms especially rare—and crafting each batch is painstaking."
Lucian only smiled. "That's not a problem. If I provide manpower and materials, could you oversee mass production?"
Her breath caught. His ambition stunned her. Did he truly intend to cleanse Caelid itself, drop by drop, bottle by bottle?
Her heart raced. As a perfumer, the chance to play a part in such a grand endeavor—perhaps the salvation of Caelid—was irresistible. "In theory… yes."
Lucian nodded. Stormveil had many hands, and the demi-humans were adept at cultivating moss and fungi. With them to grow ingredients, and mixed-blood laborers on the assembly line, large-scale production was possible.
Using Neutralizing Perfume, they could slowly push back the Scarlet Rot, burning or barricading behind as they advanced. The process would be grueling, fraught with challenges.
But Lucian did not fear hardship.
He would change Caelid. Step by step.