Chapter 385 - 288: That’s My Dearest Sister!

Hearing Messmer's words, Lucian silently committed them to memory.

'My moonlight.'

That was quite a good term of endearment.

But now it belonged to him!

He could use it when he went to see Ranni later.

That was absolutely perfect.

As for Melina, she was genuinely happy for Messmer as she watched him and Rellana together.

Messmer had taken on far too much because of everything that had happened in the Land of Shadow.

Who could possibly understand what he had felt when facing those warriors who had once believed so deeply in the Erdtree, only to be abandoned by it?

And when he gave the order to destroy their mother's statue, taking all of their sorrow, curses, and hatred upon himself, what kind of feelings must he have carried in his heart?

At least now, Rellana was still by his side, soothing him with her moonlight.

The person being called moonlight at this moment, however, was not nearly as calm.

Underneath her helmet, Rellana's face had already turned completely red, and her body was trembling slightly.

Although many years had passed since the two became partners, Messmer did not call her that very often.

And now he had said it in front of other people, making the woman who had spent so much time secluded in her chambers even more embarrassed.

Rellana nodded lightly and answered somewhat stiffly.

"…Yes."

"W-Wouldn't you introduce our guests first?"

Messmer chuckled and released Rellana's hand, moving to stand beside her before turning toward Lucian and Melina.

Messmer first introduced Rellana to the two of them.

"This is Rellana, my consort."

"She is the former princess of Caria, and younger sister to the Queen of the Full Moon."

"She is also a proud Moon Knight."

"In ages past, she fought alongside the Carian Knights, and stood beside her sister as Caria rose to the station of a royal house."

"One could scarcely speak of the glory of the Carian royal family without giving Rellana her due."

"During the Crusade in the Land of Shadow, she was my sword—unvanquished, and ever at my side."

After saying this, Messmer let out a faint sigh.

These titles and positions meant absolutely nothing in the Land of Shadow.

Besides, they were things Rellana herself had already abandoned.

And that was precisely why Messmer had always felt that he owed Rellana.

She had followed him here and ultimately lost so much, yet received nothing in return.

Messmer then raised a hand toward Melina and turned to Rellana.

"This is Melina, my younger sister."

"By Mother's design, Melina was ever compelled to conceal her existence, and so she seldom showed herself before the world."

"Though an age and more hath passed since last we beheld one another, the bond betwixt us hath remained strong."

"If only I had the chance… I would have wished to introduce the two of you unto one another far sooner."

Melina lifted the hem of her skirt and gracefully performed a formal greeting.

Rellana, meanwhile, bowed slightly and returned the greeting with the refined courtesy of a Carian Knight.

Then Rellana turned her gaze toward Lucian, waiting for Messmer to explain who he was.

Messmer, however, was also looking at Lucian, apparently thinking about how exactly he should introduce him.

Rellana stared at Lucian for a moment before suddenly realizing something that she found almost unbelievable.

Lucian was actually a Tarnished.

As someone born into the Carian royal family, Rellana had no particular prejudice against Tarnished.

But she knew all too well how Messmer viewed them.

That was why she found the situation even more strange.

In Messmer's eyes, Tarnished were targets that needed to be purged, with no mercy shown to them.

And yet Messmer and Lucian showed no trace of unfamiliarity with each other.

On the contrary, they were extremely close, almost as though Messmer were treating him like an ordinary brother-in-law.

Even if it was because of Melina, there was no way Messmer and a Tarnished should have such a harmonious relationship.

So what exactly was going on?

After observing Lucian for a while, Rellana once again felt a strange sense of familiarity for some inexplicable reason.

She had the feeling that there was something familiar about Lucian's presence.

Something that seemed almost like the moon of Caria…

Rellana's attention continued to wander over him, and she soon discovered the lunar mark Ranni had left behind.

No.

It wasn't merely similar.

Lucian really was connected to the Carian moon.

But that moon was not the same one shared by her and her sister.

How strange…

Just as Rellana continued pondering this, Messmer finally thought of how he wanted to introduce Lucian.

He cleared his throat lightly and pointed toward Lucian.

"This is… my sister's lover, Lucian."

"To speak plainly, I know but little of him myself. Melina chose him whilst she was outside, and I had no knowledge of the matter beforehand."

"As for his influence and the forces at his command, I have never witnessed them with mine own eyes. Thus, I shall leave that matter aside for the present."

"Yet his strength… that much I can acknowledge."

"It is power of a most terrifying magnitude."

"And as for his character, and all else besides… he is a man whom I deem worthy of trust."

"I find I rather like the fellow."

After Messmer finished his introduction, Lucian smiled and nodded toward Rellana.

As she returned the greeting, Rellana became even more astonished.

She had already guessed that Lucian and Melina were from the Lands Between, and she could roughly imagine why they had come to the Realm of Shadow.

But a guess was one thing.

The truth was another.

What concerned Rellana even more was Messmer's evaluation of Lucian's strength.

This was not the sort of praise Messmer would give merely to flatter someone.

Rellana had never seen anyone receive such an evaluation from Messmer before.

After carefully observing Lucian, Rellana suddenly felt relieved.

Because she had found that power of the sun within him.

The moment she recognized that power, Rellana immediately connected Lucian to the strange phenomenon that had appeared in the Land of Shadow earlier.

That sun which had appeared from nowhere and then vanished…

Could it have been caused by Lucian?

It must have been.

Rellana was already certain of the answer.

After all, the Carian royal family was closely connected to the moon in the night sky.

Through the power of the moon, they also understood just how powerful the sun's power was, and how extraordinarily rare it was.

So rare that it had never appeared of its own accord in the Lands Between.

Now that Rellana could see that Lucian possessed the power of the sun, there was no need to consider any other possibility.

The realization made Rellana's eyes widen.

No wonder Messmer had said his strength was terrifying.

To be capable of something on that level…

Perhaps his strength was already on an entirely different level from theirs.

Rellana took a deep breath and smiled.

"Welcome to Castle Ensis. It has been a very long time since this place has been so lively."

"Please, come inside the castle. This is not a place for us to discuss things."

She nodded toward the group before turning around and leading them into the castle.

Messmer followed first, with Lucian and Melina following behind him.

The Carian Knight Moonrithyll bowed respectfully to the group from the side.

Once they had all entered, she quietly remained standing at the doorway.

——

After descending several steps from the lift, the group soon arrived at the lord's chamber, which was also where Rellana carried out her duties.

Aside from the magnificent main table in the center, there were several other sets of tables and chairs, conveniently providing enough seats for everyone.

Messmer sat together with Rellana at the main table.

Once they had returned to the room and taken their seats, Rellana removed her helmet and placed it on the table.

Lucian and Melina finally got a proper look at Rellana's appearance.

She had been wearing her helmet the entire time before this, covering herself completely, so Lucian had had no idea what his sister-in-law looked like.

Now that he could finally see her face, Lucian could not help but marvel.

Rellana and Rennala truly were sisters.

The two looked remarkably alike, and both were equally beautiful.

Compared to Queen Rennala, however, Rellana's face possessed a few more traces of heroic sharpness.

With Messmer's cold and stern features, the two of them really did look like a perfect married couple.

Messmer turned toward Rellana and finally asked the purpose of his visit.

"Rellana… wouldst thou wish to return unto the Lands Between, and see it once more?"

"There is a path back now."

"If thou hast the desire, thou mayest return unto the Lands Between with Lucian and Melina."

Rellana looked at Messmer, then turned her gaze toward Lucian and Melina.

The two of them also nodded, giving Rellana an affirmative answer.

Rellana lowered her head, not giving an answer for a moment.

Since Melina and Lucian had entered the Land of Shadow, the seal must have developed a problem, creating a passage between the Lands Between and the Land of Shadow.

Under these circumstances, she really could return.

However, Rellana was still somewhat hesitant.

What happened in the Land of Shadow could not be allowed to spread to the Lands Between. That was an agreement that had to be upheld.

If it had only been because of that oath, she would never have severed her ties with the Carian royal family in the first place.

"I…"

I don't need to go back.

That was what Rellana had originally intended to say.

After all, from the moment she had chosen to stay behind and leave the Carian royal family, she had already severed her connection with the Lands Between completely.

And although the Land of Shadow had nothing, a place forgotten by the gods, it did have the person she loved.

But when the words reached her lips, they suddenly changed.

"If I can still return to the Land of Shadow after going back… then I suppose I have a little selfish request of my own."

"I want to… see my sister."

"And also, how is the Carian royal family doing now?"

The places that family and love occupied in her heart were impossible to compare.

Rellana could make a choice at a certain moment, but that did not mean she wanted to make such a choice.

Since she had the opportunity to have everything, why should she choose at all?

Lucian and Melina exchanged a glance, as though discussing something between themselves.

In the end, Lucian sighed and spoke.

"Traveling back and forth naturally isn't a problem."

"Whether you want to come here from the Lands Between or return there from the Land of Shadow, the route is completely open."

Rellana relaxed upon hearing this.

If she could return to Messmer's side afterward, then being able to go back and see her sister was naturally a wonderful thing.

Anticipation began to rise in her heart.

Looking at the smile on Rellana's face, Lucian felt somewhat reluctant to say what came next.

But she still needed to know the truth.

"However, there's one thing I need to tell you first…"

"The situation of the Carian royal family isn't particularly good."

"Actually, the situation throughout the Lands Between isn't much better than here in the Land of Shadow."

Lucian took a deep breath and began telling Rellana about everything that had happened in the Lands Between.

——

Rellana slammed her hand onto the table and abruptly stood up.

She had no time to care about the table that had been smashed to pieces before her.

At this moment, Rellana still could not believe what she was hearing.

Just now, Lucian had told her what had happened in the Lands Between after the Land of Shadow had been sealed away.

After hearing the entire story, Rellana finally could not endure it any longer.

She completely exploded.

Everything about the Carian royal family had originally been going well.

Her sister's third child, Ranni, had been born, while the first two children had continued rising in status within the Erdtree dynasty.

Caria itself had also continued to flourish.

However, after Radagon left, Rennala lost her heart and almost became nothing more than an empty shell.

The moment Rellana thought about that faithless bastard Radagon, anger immediately surged through her.

That was her dearest sister!

Back then, Radagon had even bathed himself in a Celestial Dew at the Church of Vows.

That act had been both a sincere repentance for the wars of conquest and a vow that his love for Rennala would remain eternal.

And then Queen Marika beckoned him over, and he simply abandoned his wife and went off to become the second Elden Lord of the Erdtree.

To be betrayed after the two of them had formed their bond…

How painful must that have been for her sister?

Even if that man's actions had allowed all three of their children to enjoy even more exalted positions, it could never change the harm he had inflicted upon her sister.

Rellana could never forgive Radagon.

And things only became worse afterward.

After her sister lost her heart, the Academy of Raya Lucaria completely descended into chaos.

Those sorcerers who had colluded with the Cuckoos launched a rebellion against the Carian royal family.

After the queen was lost, the Cuckoos even attacked Caria Manor, while the Academy completely sealed itself off.

Fortunately, even after losing her heart, her sister's strength remained formidable.

Even her unconscious retaliation was incredibly powerful.

Those sorcerers were unable to do anything to harm her and could only imprison her within the Grand Library.

Her sister had not been harmed.

That was the piece of news Rellana was most relieved to hear.

Rellana repeatedly took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

Even though she was far away and had severed her ties with Caria, the pride and honor she felt toward the moon still remained deeply engraved in her heart.

She could not accept that something like this had happened to the Carian royal family.

If Rellana had still been struggling over whether she should return just moments ago, then the answer to that question was now obvious.

At this moment, Rellana was already thinking about how she would settle accounts with Radagon after returning.

Looking at Rellana, who was practically sharpening her sword in preparation, Lucian suddenly felt that asking whether she wanted to go back really had been a good decision.

As Rennala's younger sister, perhaps Rellana could stimulate some of her sister's emotions and cause something inside her to awaken.

And even if returning had no effect on Rennala's condition, Rellana could still go back and rebuild the Carian royal family.

Before completely killing the Two Fingers, which had been cursing and fighting against her, Ranni had not shown much interest in restoring Caria.

Previously, she had even needed to hide herself and stay on the run.

It was only recently that the positions of the two sides had begun to reverse, with Ranni gaining the upper hand.

After dealing with the Two Fingers, would Ranni actually go and restore the Carian royal family?

Or rather, would she really be capable of doing it?

It was possible.

But not very likely.

Putting aside what Ranni herself actually thought about the matter, her ability to manage things was, to put it mildly, somewhat less than satisfactory.

Hmm…

Lucian suddenly felt that constantly using this matter to poke fun at Ranni was perhaps a little unfair.

But then again, it was the truth.

However, if Rellana returned, there would basically be nothing to worry about.

After all, she was a woman who had once worked alongside her sister to raise Caria to the status of a royal family.

She certainly had the ability to handle this sort of thing.

And there would be no problem with finding successors for the rebuilt Carian royal family either.

Although there weren't any right now…

Wouldn't the problem be solved if Rellana and Messmer had two children later?