Perhaps because she had learned from past experience, Ranni wasn't sitting atop the piles of books this time, sparing herself from being disturbed by the magic apprentices.
At the moment, Ranni was floating in midair, reclining as if lying down, her head tilted upward as she stared at the spellbook in her hands.
Yet although she looked like she was reading, her thoughts were nowhere near the contents of the book.
Right now, Ranni was contemplating how to use the Fingerslayer Blade to kill her sworn enemy, the Two Fingers.
She was waiting for Melina's rebirth, as well as for Blaidd's mirror helm to be completed.
These days had conveniently given her time to refine her plans in detail.
Although she had obtained the Fingerslayer Blade, that didn't mean she could rest easy and kill the Two Fingers whenever she pleased.
The Two Fingers still had a group of beings protecting them, including the most detestable of all, the Baleful Shadow.
The Baleful Shadow was a curse placed by the Two Fingers upon an Empyrean, a threat Ranni could never avoid and would inevitably have to face.
It would resurrect endlessly, track down Ranni's whereabouts, and never give up.
This was also why Ranni had never appeared before the public before, and why she completely avoided even Caria Manor.
Once entangled with it even once, peace would be impossible for a long time afterward.
Only after fully escaping its pursuit could she enjoy a brief period of calm.
But shaking it off required a long stretch of time, and Ranni herself needed to sleep frequently.
So the best solution was simply to never let it discover her.
The Baleful Shadow was an even more direct threat than the Two Fingers.
After all, the doll body Ranni currently inhabited wasn't particularly suited for combat.
If only there were someone who could help her deal with the Baleful Shadow…
Ranni lightly bit her lip.
In truth, Blaidd could absolutely contend with the Baleful Shadow—after all, he too was an Empyrean's shadow.
In essence, there was no real difference between them, and in terms of strength, Blaidd was no weaker.
But Ranni had never allowed Blaidd to come into contact with the Baleful Shadow before, fearing that he might be influenced by it and end up controlled by the Two Fingers.
Even after Blaidd put on the mirrored helm, Ranni still didn't intend to have him deal with the Baleful Shadow.
Their strength levels were too close. If the helm were shattered in the midst of a fierce battle, it would all be over.
As for old man Iji… his combat ability wasn't something she could place much hope in.
And Seluvis, that man had his own vile intentions. Ranni couldn't trust him at all.
Ranni let out a soft sigh, deciding that she would have to deal with the Baleful Shadow herself.
After all, this was the path she had chosen. She couldn't push everything onto others.
However, Lucian's figure suddenly surfaced in her mind for no apparent reason.
If Lucian were to act, he could certainly dispose of the Baleful Shadow with ease.
For him, it would merely be a matter of convenience…
Ranni shook her head vigorously, forcefully throwing the thought out of her mind—so hard that her oversized hat nearly flew off.
Seriously, what was she thinking?
Since when had Witch Ranni become so weak as to rely on others?
Her relationship with him was nothing more than a partnership. Once that cooperation ended, things would be settled between them.
Her pride would never allow her to ask an outsider for help—
Not long after, Lucian returned to the Grand Library.
Ranni flipped over and drifted downward.
During this process, she noticed that there was now an additional soul inside Lucian's body.
Ranni blinked, but didn't comment on it.
"By thy countenance, I take it thou hast come upon somewhat."
Lucian nodded and recounted the history of the Lands Between he had just told Selinsax, once again.
After listening, Ranni frowned deeply.
"So then… such a thing did truly come to pass?"
"Queen Marika… she is, in truth, past all fathoming."
Lucian nodded in strong agreement.
Marika's image in the original story had already been vague and abstract enough.
After learning this history, she became even more incomprehensible.
"Still, that place seems to be merely sealed away. If possible, I'd quite like to go and see it myself."
"Not only are there all kinds of ruins to explore, perhaps even traces of ancient technology, but I also want to see that Scadutree with my own eyes."
Hearing Lucian say this, Ranni thought of his Great Rune that was currently of little use, and nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. If the Scadutree might bestow benedictions as doth the Erdtree, that would be most meet."
"Yet that place is assuredly sealed fast beyond common measure. To find a path of ingress shall not be an easy charge for thee."
Lucian raised his head, pondering.
"Maybe a trip to the Royal Capital could reveal some clues…"
"If Queen Marika was the one who did it, perhaps she placed the entrance to the seal in the capital."
Ranni shook her head, clearly unconvinced.
"The capital is warded on all sides, held under watch most strict. Ere it might be searched in earnest, thou wouldst needs first wrest it wholly unto thy hand."
"And standing as it doth beneath Queen Marika's very gaze, any trace of import there would long since have been scoured away."
"Only such places as the Academy of Raya Lucaria, or Stormveil—lands wherein her hand could not so readily reach, might yet preserve some faint remnant of the truth."
"Hadst thou not before chanced upon the Ancient King, this trail would in all likelihood have been lost entire."
Lucian shrugged. There was nothing to be done, the Golden Order's blockade had simply been too thorough.
Since there was no way to reach that place for now, Lucian simply changed the subject.
"Once your rebirth is complete, you'll have to face the Two Fingers, won't you?"
Ranni nodded.
"I have already some rough knowing of where they lie concealed."
Lucian looked Ranni up and down, a trace of concern in his eyes.
Back when he himself had been weak, Ranni had seemed overwhelmingly powerful.
But now that he looked at her again, this doll body of hers clearly couldn't bring much combat strength to bear—at best, it could only manage a few tricks.
Could she really make it past the Baleful Shadow?
And the Two Fingers surely didn't rely on just a single Baleful Shadow. They must have other methods of defense as well.
After thinking it over, Luciani still said to her,
"If you run into trouble, just reach out to me. I'll find a way to help."
Ranni half-lidded her eyes as she looked at Lucian, then slowly drifted upward into the air.
She felt that she had to draw a clear line right now.
Otherwise, one day, she might truly lose her way and accept that help.
She absolutely could not allow herself to become reliant on Lucian.
Putting on a deliberately cold front, Ranni said,
"There is no need. Our accord endeth here."
"From this point henceforth, this matter is mine alone."
Lucian sighed inwardly. Since Ranni wasn't willing to accept it, there was nothing he could do.
After all, Ranni had her own pride, and it was a very strong one.
"Alright then. I wish you success."
Lucian walked over to the amber egg and took a closer look.
Inside the amber, the tear-drop infant was gradually taking on the shape of a humanoid embryo.
Rebirth…
He wondered whether Ranni might one day be able to use rebirth to reshape a true flesh-and-blood body for herself.
After watching Melina's slowly forming body for a while, Lucian left the Grand Library.
There were still three matters he needed to deal with inside the Academy.
Namely: The Red Wolf of Radagon in the Debate Parlor, the Alabaster Lord beneath the waterwheel, and the Abductor Virgin at the bottom of the waterwheel.
Leaving from here, he could conveniently visit them in that order.
Lucian passed through the plaza and soon arrived at the Debate Parlor occupied by the Red Wolf of Radagon.
The moment he pushed open the classroom doors, the red wolf lying at the center of the room immediately stood up.
It assumed an attacking stance, stared at Lucian warily, and bared its teeth at him.
But after a short while, the Red Wolf caught Lucian's scent. It slowly lowered its aggressive posture, though it still remained on guard.
Lucian glanced around the Debate Parlor.
The room was littered with the skeletal remains of sorcerers, along with shattered glintstone crowns.
Lucian reached out to touch the Red Wolf's head, but the wolf dodged aside.
Still, it didn't react any further.
Whether the Red Wolf could understand him or not, Lucian spoke anyway:
"The Academy has been liberated. I am now the one in charge here."
"From now on, no one will imprison Queen Rennala"
The Red Wolf of Radagon stared at Lucian, as if judging the truth of his words.
Then it walked off to the side, leapt up to the second level of the Debate Parlor, and lay down there.
Lucian paused in thought, then opened his achievement panel and took a look.
Sure enough, both achievements—[Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon] and [Red Wolf of Radagon] had already been unlocked.
These two achievements granted him two additional uses of Wind Spirit Moon Shadow.
His remaining uses were now back up to four, making future challenges much more manageable.
Previously, every achievement he had earned came from defeating or killing enemies.
But for Rennala and the Red Wolf of Radagon, he hadn't defeated them at all—he hadn't even fought them, yet the achievements were still completed.
It seemed that subjugation was treated, in terms of judgment, as a follow-up to defeat, and would still count once accomplished.
All in all, this was good news.
In the game, some bosses really didn't need to be killed.
Now that he could avoid fighting or killing them and still earn achievements, that was ideal.
Lucian casually glanced at the portraits hanging around the Debate Parlor.
They depicted the founders of the Academy's schools of sorcery, as well as a portrait of Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon.
The designs of the Academy's glintstone crowns were all modeled after the appearances of these founding sorcerers.
However, there were no portraits here of Master Azur or Master Lusat.
Those two masters were exceptionally powerful. Aside from Rennala herself, none of the sorcerers depicted here were qualified to be mentioned in the same breath as them.
After all, the Academy's two strongest schools of magic were each fundamentally based on the sorceries of those two masters.
It seemed that when the two masters were expelled from the Academy, all traces of them—including portraits like these had been removed as well.
Lucian left the Debate Parlor and headed down the stairs, arriving at the wreckage of the waterwheel.
He leapt off the cliffside, landing on the stone bridge below.
Next, it was time to meet the Alabaster Lord.
Hopefully, he would be willing to teach Lucian gravity magic.
—
[T/N: Scadutree is the shadow of the Erdtree in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, a massive, twisted tree that looms over the Land of Shadow. It is the inverse of the Erdtree; born of dark, unordered notions that distort its form, making it brittle and decaying. The name "Scadutree" derives from Old English "scadu," meaning "shadow," reinforcing its identity as the dark counterpart to the Erdtree. ]