When the Warmaster's Shack disappeared with the golden light and reappeared in the Erdtree's courtyard, Arthur immediately noticed that Bernal's name, which had been grayed out, began to glow.
Arthur checked the Blessings the Erdtree had accumulated these past few days; there were more than enough to summon Bernal.
He had originally planned to use these Blessings to summon more Banished Knights and Exiled Soldiers from Stormveil Castle.
However, because the food supply from the farmlands had reached its limit, Arthur had to pause summoning until new land could be cultivated.
The Misbegotten stationed far away in Thorndale also needed food; their land was too distant for the Erdtree's influence to reach, so Morne Castle still needed to provide supplies until the Misbegotten could become self-sufficient.
Of course, if Thorndale were rebuilt by the Misbegotten and this former great port resumed operations, the wealth brought in from the sea would be immense.
And if Halbarad, located north of Thorndale, could also be reactivated, the entire Greywater River waterway would regain its former prosperity.
"Come, Bernal."
Arthur refocused his attention on the name that appeared in his mind, finally confirming the summon.
A slight ripple broke the courtyard's stillness, and a blurred figure gradually solidified before Arthur.
It was a middle-aged man wearing silver Beast Champion heavy armor that didn't look particularly ornate; his grizzled hair was tied into a short braid, his chin and lips were covered in stubble, and strands of aged hair hung by his temples.
The Erdtree's branches and leaves swayed, casting golden light and shadow, illuminating the man's profound face.
This was Bernal, a man of 'demi-lord' strength, who once bore the fate of becoming a king.
His appearance didn't cause any grand changes; it was just an ordinary emergence.
Bernal slowly opened his eyes, revealing silver-gray pupils. His gaze met Arthur', and a flood of sudden memories filled Bernal's mind, yet his expression remained as calm as still water.
He stood there, unmoving, as if a great mountain had risen before Arthur.
Time had etched furrow-like wrinkles onto Bernal's face, and the wind swept through the empty courtyard, rustling golden leaves.
The two stood opposite each other, neither speaking.
Nepheli Loux's figure appeared at the courtyard entrance. She walked in silently with agile steps.
Her calloused hands gently stroked the axe handle at her waist. She stood beside Arthur, fearlessly raising her head and casting a sharp glance at Bernal.
"Hmph."
Seeing Nepheli Loux's action, Bernal chuckled, as if recalling how he once had like-minded friends who stood by him no matter what in the Roundtable Hold.
However, times had changed. They had gone their separate ways for their own goals, and when they met again, they were even enemies.
Then he slowly looked around, trying to find a familiar place.
But Bernal, besides realizing he was inside Stormveil Castle, found that the sky above and the Erdtree behind Arthur were both different from his memories.
He said with a complex tone, "This isn't The Lands Between anymore, is it, Arthur?"
Arthur nodded slightly, "Mm."
Bernal said, "Indeed, because the Erdtree behind you is too small."
"But it will grow, becoming a towering tree," Arthur replied.
Bernal suddenly asked out of the blue, "Where is your maiden? The girl who always hid her face beneath her hood and followed behind you?"
Arthur instantly felt a massive, unexpected sense of suffocation envelop him. The sound of his own heartbeat echoed clearly in his ears, as if the next moment he could hear Melina's gentle, calm voice calling his name.
Bernal's silver-gray eyes turned dangerous: "You didn't make her burn the tree too, did you?"
He emphasized the word "too," a flicker of pain in his eyes.
Arthur didn't answer Bernal. He realized the other was trying to take control of the conversation and disturb his inner peace.
So he countered, "Bernal, if there was even a slim possibility to revive your maiden, what would you do?"
Now it was Bernal's turn to be speechless.
He stood there, unmoving, as if time had frozen around him.
Bernal's eyes, like torches ignited by fury, burned fiercely, piercing the surrounding silence.
"Of course, I would go and revive her…" Bernal's voice was low and filled with undeniable resolve, "Even if it means treading a bloody path, my hands stained with the blood of innocents, surrounded by their curses, I would not hesitate. My soul was already dyed with the deepest darkness the moment I lost her."
Rage and sorrow danced in Bernal's pupils. His suppressed words echoed in the empty courtyard, every word like hammered iron, hard and ruthless.
Arthur pointed to himself, nodding to Bernal and saying, "I am that slim possibility for you, Bernal. The elden ring came to this world with me, and it also brought everything from The Lands Between. In your mind, you must have memories of fighting me and being killed by me, but you are now alive and standing before me. You should understand what this means."
Bernal looked sharply at Arthur, his voice tinged with sarcasm, each word squeezed out as if through gritted teeth: "But that doesn't mean I will become a dog of the Golden Order! The Golden Order, ha! I will never forget that it was because of this damned Golden Order that my maiden willingly sacrificed her life, but the result was so ridiculous, so laughable!"
He raised his hand, pointing forcefully at Arthur, and loudly questioned, "Arthur, my memories include you and me becoming judges together! Are you now also willing to become a dog of the Golden Order?! Tell me, you who obtained the elden ring, you who became the Elden Lord, what is your law now?!"
You can't let D hear these words, or he'll definitely fight you to the death.
However, Arthur also understood what Bernal truly hated: he hated the Golden Order that brought him suffering in The Lands Between.
From Bernal's perspective, the Golden Order had betrayed him first, which was why he betrayed the Golden Order.
Arthur, facing Bernal's questioning, answered without hesitation: "My law? Naturally, it is no longer that flawed Golden Order. I met a virtuous old soldier in the Shadowland, and he spoke to me about this very question before he died. I swear on my soul, both my law and my reason for becoming king are entirely for the people of The Lands Between, and not for those gods!"
Then, he looked at Bernal, extending his hand to invite him: "The reason I summoned you here is because I am rebuilding The Lands Between. I need your strength. Join me, Bernal."
Bernal slowly chewed on Arthur's words: "Not for the gods, but for the people of The Lands Between?"
Arthur nodded: "If you don't believe me, you can step out of Stormveil Castle now and see for yourself."
Bernal's chest rose and fell a few times, his silver-grey eyes looking at Arthur again. This time, however, there was no previous questioning, but instead, a strong desire for battle: "But that alone isn't enough. If you want me to join... you know the rules of The Lands Between."
Ah, yes, I know, strength is the reason for becoming a Lord.
Arthur extended both hands, and two identical knight's greatswords appeared simultaneously in his left and right hands.
As he handed one of the knight's greatswords to Bernal, he teased: "You've been defeated by me eight times; do you still want to do this?"
Bernal took the knight's greatsword, swung it a few times as if it weighed nothing, and snorted coldly: "You didn't defeat me in swordsmanship. Tell me, what Glintstone Magic or Prayers are you planning to use this time?"
Arthur blinked: "I dare to say it, do you dare to believe it?"
Bernal smirked, asking with a fake smile: "What do you think?"
Arthur shrugged, then glanced at the courtyard: "How about we change locations? I'm worried the aftermath of our fight will destroy this beautiful courtyard."
Bernal nodded indifferently: "You choose. Even if you want to choose a harsh environment like the Volcano Manor, I have no objections."
Arthur pouted: "I would never choose such terrain; only someone like you enjoys bathing in lava."
Then Arthur looked at Nepheli Loux and said to her: "Nepheli, help me call Fili and Kili. Tell them I'm going to spar with their future Battle Skill teacher, and have them come to the open ground outside the main gate of Stormveil Castle."
Nepheli Loux seemed a little surprised. She said, "But with their personalities, I'm afraid even the dwarves will come to watch you two fight."
"Wouldn't that be even better? Let our dwarf friends witness Bernal's power. It will also save me the trouble of explaining Bernal's prowess to them in Thorin's expedition team later. It would be best if those Elf friends could also come and observe," Arthur said.
Rather, he had this intention all along. After all, Bernal's reputation and strength were only known to some people in The Lands Between; people in Middle-earth were not aware.
Bernal, however, was confused at this point. He furrowed his grey-white brows and said, "You two, explain to me what 'future Battle Skill teacher' means? And who are Fili and Kili?"
Arthur gestured for Nepheli Loux to go call them first, then said to Bernal: "It's hard to explain in a few words. You come with me first, and I'll explain slowly as we go."
Nepheli Loux quickly wrote a few letters, had the Stormhawks under her command in Stormveil Castle fly to Morne Castle and Castle Haight respectively, and then go find Fili and Kili, who were temporarily staying in Stormveil Castle.
Soon, everyone in the Golden Tree Territory knew the news that their Lord was going to spar with someone.
And on the way, Arthur explained to Bernal the story of what happened after he came to this world, as well as the matters concerning the dwarves and Elves.
"So you summoned me here just to be a Battle Skill instructor for two dwarves?" Bernal asked with a strange expression.
Arthur nodded and then shook his head: "Not entirely. Later, I, you, and two other people will join an expedition team led by a dwarf King to reclaim his homeland. That dwarf King is also a new friend I made in this world. When I first arrived here and needed help the most, he generously provided a lot of supplies, which is why you see Stormveil Castle as it is now."
Bernal sighed, not knowing whether to laugh or be speechless, and shook his head saying: "It's only right to return favors and value loyalty; there's nothing wrong with that. I don't mind helping your friend. It's just that when you first summoned me, your expression was so serious, as if you were about to swing a blade at me the next second. I thought you were going to do something to me. I didn't expect you were just asking me to teach Battle Skills. You could have just asked directly."
I think it's because you were still emotional when you were first summoned, and you asked me a very difficult question, which is why you looked so grim and bitter before.
However, Arthur did not say this out loud, and his mood became much lighter.
Because he confirmed that Bernal was not truly hostile towards him, Arthur, who did not want to break ties with Bernal, was happy from the bottom of his heart.
Bernal watched Arthur's lightened steps and said: "Don't get careless and underestimate me just because I'm not hostile towards you and get defeated by me. Although we say it's a spar, I won't hold back."
Upon hearing this, Arthur looked at Bernal with burning eyes: "How could I underestimate you? I'm just excited about our upcoming battle."
"You battle maniac, you really haven't changed at all," Bernal said.
Then he fell silent for a moment, finally asking with a slight tremor in his voice: "But what you said to me in the Erdtree courtyard just now, that there's a slight possibility of resurrecting my witch, were you serious? Or were you just deceiving me to stabilize my emotions?"
Bernal was really afraid that Arthur would say he was lying, but based on his understanding of Arthur, although Arthur was very cunning in combat, he had never lied to anyone about important matters, not even his enemies.
Under Bernal's hopeful gaze, Arthur replied: "The elden ring contains everything in The Lands Between, and there's a high possibility that your witch's soul is among them. Even if not, you don't need to give up hope. Although you and I have both been to the city of the Ancient Dragon—Farum Azula—there's one thing you don't know, and I haven't told you."
The ancient sky city surrounded by storms appeared in Bernal's mind, and he subconsciously pressed: "What is it?"
"Ancient Dragonlord Placidusax is still alive. He is in the center of the storm in Farum Azula, which is also a temporal rift. We might be able to use this temporal rift to find the point in time when your witch's soul had not yet dispersed."