Reality, however, dealt Arthur a heavy disappointment.
Queen Marika had left nothing behind in her bedchamber.
Nothing—except for a single inscription at the nearby site of grace:
"O Radagon, loyal hound of the Golden Order.
Thou art yet to become me, yet to become a god.
My other self—shatter one another."
There were no tangible rewards, but this inscription alone was enough to confirm Arthur's earlier suspicions.
Marika's decision to unite with Radagon had never been simple affection—it had almost certainly carried the intent of destroying this uncontrollable other half of herself.
With that, matters in the Royal Capital came to a temporary close.
Arthur's next destination was clear.
He was going to visit his very first teacher—
Sorceress Sellen, the Graven Witch.
Come to think of it, ever since reaching the Altus Plateau, Arthur had never returned to see her.
Partly because he had been busy exploring the Lands Between.
And partly… because he hadn't known how to deal with the relationship between Sellen and the Carian Royal Family.
Sellen had been expelled from the Academy of Raya Lucaria. Her physical body sealed, her soul exiled.
If not for her formidable power—and her ability to fashion a substitute body beneath the Waypoint Ruins—her soul might have long since returned to the Erdtree.
Because of this, Sellen harbored deep hatred toward the Academy and the Carian royal line.
She had always planned to return one day, overthrow the Carian royal family, and restore primeval glintstone sorcery.
Arthur, naturally, could not allow that to happen.
That was his mother-in-law's home, after all.
But on the other hand… Sellen was his respected teacher.
That contradiction had left him hesitant, unable to face her.
Which was precisely why he had delayed this visit for so long.
But no matter what, this was something he had to resolve.
He couldn't leave Sellen suffering alone in those underground ruins forever.
Waypoint Ruins – Underground Chamber
Arthur returned to the place where he had first learned magic.
The moment he stepped inside, Sellen's voice rang out, tinged with emotion.
"Ah… what a rare guest.
My dear apprentice—you haven't come to see your teacher in a very long time."
Arthur scratched his head awkwardly and smiled.
"Sorry, Master Sellen. I've been rather busy lately."
"Busy is good," she replied lightly.
"It means you're working hard on your path to becoming Elden Lord.
So—have you been diligent in your magical studies?"
"I have. I've learned some new sorceries recently."
As he spoke, Arthur demonstrated Comet Azur.
Sellen's eyes widened.
"Oh? That sorcery… You've met Master Azur, haven't you?
He was the founder of glintstone sorcery—and my first teacher."
She continued, clearly pleased.
"That strict old master acknowledged you… That's no small feat.
My apprentice truly makes me proud."
Arthur hadn't expected that.
He'd had no idea Azur was actually Sellen's own master.
To be honest, he hadn't found Azur particularly strict.
When Arthur first approached him, Azur had simply sat there in silence.
Arthur had even thought he needed some sort of prerequisite to trigger dialogue.
After waiting for quite a while, Azur slowly extended his hand—and Comet Azur appeared within it.
No words. No reaction. Even Arthur's thanks went unanswered.
"Apprentice," Sellen said, interrupting his thoughts,
"You didn't come today because of some urgent matter, did you?"
"No. Is there something you wanted to talk about, Master?" Arthur asked.
"Nothing urgent," she replied. "I simply wished to speak with you properly."
"…About what?"
"I once mentioned that I was expelled from the Academy of Raya Lucaria. You remember that, yes?"
Arthur nodded.
Sellen continued slowly.
"The reason was my desire to revive the primeval source of glintstone sorcery.
Not the hollow discipline manipulated by the Carian royals—
Not the empty art that's lost its core and exists only to show off.
What I seek is glintstone sorcery with no taboos—
pure, unfettered pursuit and exploration.
For that goal, I was willing to sacrifice everything."
She paused, then asked quietly:
"My apprentice…
Are you willing to lend your strength to the restoration of primeval glintstone sorcery?
I do not demand it. Even parting ways is a common fate between master and student."
At last, Arthur fully understood the true conflict between Sellen and the Carian royal family.
The Carian royals were descendants of the Eternal City, followers of lunar magic.
The Academy of Raya Lucaria, meanwhile, revered stellar magic, inherited from the astrologers.
Arthur had learned from Ranni that the astrologers originally migrated from the mountaintops of the giants.
They once lived near the Giants' Forge, neighbors to the giants themselves.
But when war broke out between Leyndell and the giants, the astrologers were forced to flee—eventually settling in Liurnia of the Lakes.
They chose Liurnia for two reasons.
First, the night sky there was the clearest in all the Lands Between—ideal for observing the stars.
Second, the region was rich in glintstone ore, crystallized magic that astrologers revered as amber of the stars.
That was why scholars of the Academy wore glintstone crowns—those stones were the very source of their power.
The astrologers founded Raya Lucaria, and at first the Academy belonged entirely to star-worshipping sorcerers.
But when the Carian royal family—devotees of lunar magic—joined, conflict between stars and moon erupted.
Thus began the First Sorcerous War.
The war ended with the Carian royals' victory.
The Academy was forced to bow its head, and even the astrologers' treasured weapon—the Sword of Night and Flame—was seized by the royal family.
That was why Arthur had later found it in Caria Manor.
From that point onward, glintstone sorcery became exactly what Sellen despised:
An art stripped of its essence, shackled by royal authority, reduced to empty spectacle.
Sellen's dissatisfaction led her to pursue primeval sorcery—and ultimately, to her exile.
At the time, the Carian ruler was Queen Rennala, both sovereign and head of the Academy.
She could not allow Sellen's path.
Yet Sellen knew nothing of what followed.
She did not know that after the Night of the Black Knives and the Shattering of the Elden Ring, the demigods plunged the world into war.
When the Academy's sorcerers realized the Carian royals had lost the backing of the Golden Lineage, they immediately turned against them.
They allied with the Cuckoo Knights, imprisoned Queen Rennala in the Grand Library, and launched an assault on Caria Manor.
But the Cuckoo Knights weren't loyal to the Academy either—and the Academy knew it.
So they sealed themselves inside Raya Lucaria, barring the knights from entry.
Meanwhile, at Caria Manor, War Counselor Iji united with the Albinaurics to counterattack.
The result was a stalemate:
The Cuckoo Knights surrounded Caria Manor
The Albinaurics surrounded the Academy
Neither side could break the other.
This was the Second Sorcerous War.
Sellen, seeing Arthur remain silent for so long, assumed he had refused her.
Her voice fell, even trembling slightly.
"…I'm sorry. Asking you to involve yourself in something so twisted—
Perhaps I've relied on you too much.
Forget it, my apprentice.
I apologize."
Arthur snapped back to reality.
"Master… I support your pursuit of primeval glintstone sorcery," he said carefully.
"But overthrowing the Carian royal family—that, I cannot agree to."
"…Why?" Sellen asked, confused.
"I am now the King of the Carian royal family—consort to Princess Ranni.
I can't stand by while you destroy them."
"…I see."
Her calm response surprised Arthur.
"You're… not angry?" he asked.
"Angry?" Sellen replied, sounding almost amused.
"Why would I be angry? My apprentice becoming King of Caria is something to be proud of!"
Her voice carried unmistakable pride.
"But I would stop you from overthrowing them!"
"My apprentice," Sellen said gently,
"I believe you've misunderstood something.
I wished to destroy the Carian royal family only because they blocked my path to primeval sorcery.
But now, tell me—what position do you hold within Caria?"
Arthur thought it through.
Queen Rennala had awakened, but after Radagon's departure she had lost her will, caring little for governance.
Her sons—Radahn and Rykard—were both dead.
That left only Ranni as rightful heir.
At present, Carian power was effectively managed by War Counselor Iji.
And Arthur, as Ranni's king…
In a sense, he stood at the very top.
Arthur explained this to Sellen.
She laughed softly.
"Then if your authority is so great—and you won't hinder my pursuit of primeval sorcery—
Why would I still need to destroy Caria Manor?
That's my apprentice's domain now, isn't it?"
Arthur froze.
Then slapped his own forehead.
Of course.
If he ruled Caria, all he needed was a decree—
A single order allowing glintstone sorcerers to pursue primeval origins freely.
He'd agonized endlessly over how to balance his teacher and his royal family—
Never realizing the solution had been himself all along.
To read 90+ future chapters, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554