Chapter 396 - 299: I Don't Need Gifts. I Want You to Love Me

Lucian stood behind Ranni, silently watching her movements.

Ranni held the Fingerslayer Blade, which looked rather small in comparison, and slowly carved into Celes, one cut at a time.

Following the palm of the enormous finger, she eventually left behind a strange, winding scar that twisted across its surface.

Along the path traced by that scar, Celes's body began to crack apart.

In the end, it bore a cursemark resembling the one left behind when a demigod died: the so-called Cursemark of the Centipede.

Ranni certainly hadn't done it intentionally, yet somehow, this was the result she had produced.

Perhaps all forms of death shared something in common.

To be perfectly honest, Lucian thought Ranni's method of killing Celes was rather clumsy.

Her movements were so exaggerated that even her hat fell off.

But precisely because of that, Lucian could easily sense the relief and satisfaction she had kept hidden beneath the surface.

After a while, as though she had finally vented all her emotions, Ranni at last stopped.

Celes's body had been brutally carved apart from top to bottom. The mysterious creature was now completely dead.

At that moment, Ranni felt an overwhelming sense of liberation. There was nothing left in this world that could bind her fate.

She no longer needed to evade those annoying Shadows, hide herself away, or submit to any restrictions.

Breathing heavily, Ranni slowly stepped backward.

Only when her gaze could once again take in the entirety of the enormous creature did she realize just how gruesome Celes's condition had become.

Ranni lowered her head and looked at herself. Her battered puppet body was now stained with blood.

A puppet's body could not bleed, yet the blood of her enemy somehow made her look a little more human.

Although her hands were covered in blood, Ranni didn't care in the slightest.

She knew that she no longer needed to hide anything.

Lucian had already witnessed the real her. He had seen her tenderness, her helplessness, and her most wretched moments.

He had seen all of it with his own eyes.

Now, it was time for her to receive an answer.

Ranni turned toward Lucian and spoke.

"This is mine true self."

"I am no longer the fair princess thou mightst have imagined. I am a witch, through and through. Surely, thou hast come to understand as much by now."

"This is thy final chance to turn away from the witch."

"Even so... knowing me as I am, wouldst thou still accept me?"

Although she seemed utterly determined, the slight tremble in Ranni's voice betrayed the unease in her heart.

Lucian stepped forward, brushed aside her disheveled hair, and answered firmly.

"Of course I understand what kind of person you are."

"You can't love someone only when they're looking their best."

"That should be true whether it's the person you love or a member of your family."

"Whether it's the proud you who once sat high above the clouds, or the you who now holds nothing back, you're still you. That's all there is to it."

"So no matter what form you take when you appear before me, I'll gladly accept you."

With that, Lucian took something he had prepared long ago from his spatial storage disk: a black moon pendant that shimmered with a dark, glossy sheen.

The Moon of Nokstella.

One of the legendary talismans, a most precious treasure among sorcerers. It was also the gift Lucian had prepared for Ranni some time ago.

Now, it was the perfect way to celebrate Ranni's rebirth.

Lucian undid the clasp of the Moon of Nokstella, gently brought the cord around Ranni's neck, and fastened it for her.

As he looked at the Moon of Nokstella hanging just below Ranni's collarbone, Lucian felt that something was missing.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Snow Witch's pointed hat lying where it had fallen.

Lucian picked it up, brushed the dust from it, and placed it back on Ranni's head. Only then did he nod in satisfaction.

She was covered in blood and battered beyond recognition, yet in Lucian's eyes, Ranni remained just as flawless as ever.

Ranni touched the black moon with her fingertips, sensing the power it contained.

The Moon of Nokstella. Naturally, she understood the significance of this gift.

Ranni had previously told Lucian that she wanted him to give it to her with his own hands, but what she had wanted was never really a gift.

She had simply wanted the act of Lucian giving something to her.

And yet, at this moment, Ranni suddenly found that she wanted more.

Witches were greedy by nature, so there was nothing wrong with asking for a little more, was there?

Ranni narrowed her eyes as though she wanted to swallow Lucian whole. She looked up at him with a smile.

"I desire no gifts from thee. Only that thou wouldst love me."

Lucian gently hooked a finger beneath the necklace and countered with a question.

"Then... what if the gift itself contains my love?"

Ranni lowered her head, trying once again to use the broad brim of her hat to conceal the smile she could barely suppress.

Unfortunately, her battered hat could no longer serve its original purpose. Her radiant smile was still laid bare before Lucian.

Watching Ranni reveal such an endearing side of herself only in front of him, Lucian couldn't help laughing.

Hearing his laughter, Ranni finally realized what he was doing. Pouting, she retaliated.

"Thou hast bestowed upon me a gift most precious. Tell me... shall Melina not grow jealous?"

Lucian rested his knuckles against his chin and answered without hesitation.

"I'm not very eloquent, so it's difficult for me to express my love in words."

"Besides, words are so powerless when it comes to conveying affection."

"And, regrettably, while they're so weak at expressing love, they can be incredibly sharp when it comes to inflicting pain."

"So I can only show you how I feel through actions that all of you can understand and feel for yourselves, without any risk of misunderstanding."

"I've also given Melina a gift of equal value, one that carries just as much of my heart."

"Because you're both my wings. Neither of you is someone I can bear to part with."

Ranni smiled and readily accepted Lucian's words.

She could feel that he wasn't being insincere. He meant every word from the bottom of his heart.

Besides, Melina didn't mind her presence in the first place. Why should she, who had arrived a little later, be bothered by it? Wouldn't that make her seem terribly petty?

Ranni turned her head and gazed out into the boundless darkness beyond the cave.

"I wish... to be human."

"The time hath come for me to reclaim mine original form, and descend once more upon this world."

Ranni had abandoned her original flesh to sever her connection to fate and escape the control of the Two Fingers.

Now that Celes was dead and she had been reborn, reclaiming her body could finally be added to her agenda.

"And besides... to remain in this borrowed form would prove rather inconvenient, would it not?"

Ranni turned her gaze toward Lucian, the corners of her mouth curling into an almost imperceptible smile.

This time, Lucian didn't dare respond.

Desire was an indispensable part of love, but he wasn't in such a hurry.

Even if Ranni continued using her puppet body while spending time with him, he wouldn't find it inconvenient at all.

It was just that he couldn't shake the feeling that Ranni was preparing to devour him alive...

Seeing that Lucian had no answer, Ranni didn't mind.

She simply stood beside him in silence, sharing the boundless night with him.

For Ranni, the chance to do absolutely nothing while still feeling completely at ease was a rare luxury.

In the past, she had either been under too much pressure to stop and rest, or so consumed by emptiness that she couldn't bring herself to care about anything.

After a while, Ranni spoke again.

"This gift pleases me greatly."

"I shall prepare a gift for thee in turn. Though... thou shalt have to wait a little longer."

"So thou must needs be patient, and await my return. Dost thou understand?"

Ranni had already decided what she would give Lucian in return.

Naturally, it would be the Dark Moon Ring, carefully preserved and hidden deep within the Grand Library.

The large ring, fashioned in the image of a dark full moon, had originally been prepared by Rennala, the Queen of the Full Moon, for the future consort of Ranni, the Lunar Princess.

But Ranni had long since resolved to walk a dark path that allowed no one else to accompany her.

And so, the cold ring that should have been given to her future consort, a symbol of their bond, had been hidden away, where no one was permitted to touch it.

But now, Ranni had changed her mind.

If possible, she wanted to put it on Lucian's finger right then and there.

Unfortunately, she hadn't thought to retrieve it beforehand, leaving her in a somewhat awkward position.

Still, this worked out well enough. Once she returned and restored her body, she would be able to retrieve it.

When that time came, Ranni would use her true body to place the ring symbolizing their bond on Lucian's finger with her own hands.

Lucian nodded, and the two exchanged smiles.

"Mm. I'll look forward to it with all my heart."

Lucian thought for a moment before asking another question.

"Ranni, are you planning to return to Liurnia?"

Ranni didn't deny it. She answered calmly, "Mm. Why?"

Lucian rubbed his chin and began to explain.

"About Rellana, whom I mentioned to you before, there are some things I think you should know."

"Her background, her experiences, and her determination to restore Caria..."

Lucian explained everything bit by bit, while Ranni stood quietly beside him and listened. From time to time, she sighed at just how astonishing the hidden truths behind it all turned out to be.

By the time Lucian had finished, Ranni understood the situation.

"So... that is how it stands."

"I had never imagined there lay such a tale behind these events. Truly, it is a story unlike any I have heard before."

"If she intends to restore the Carian royal house, then now that I am free to act, it would hardly do for me to stand idly by."

"Then... shall I bring the Black Knife Assassins along with me?"

Lucian naturally agreed. They had been Ranni's subordinates in the first place, so it was only right that she decide what to do with them.

Besides, Lucian still had to spend some time on the Altus Plateau. He couldn't just drop everything and escort them all the way back himself.

Even if he simply told them where to go, handing them directly back to Ranni would be much more convenient.

After all, Ranni was still seriously short on manpower.

He had called Old Man Iji away to work on forging, leaving Blaidd as the only other person who could really count as a subordinate.

As for Celes, he was dead now. Or rather, whether he would remain dead in the future was another matter.

Still, Lucian reminded Ranni to wait until he had preserved the technology before dealing with him.

Since it was Lucian's request, Ranni naturally agreed.

At that moment, Ranni seemed to remember something and held out the Fingerslayer Blade in her hand toward Lucian.

Tilting her head slightly, she smiled.

"Here. I shall return this to thee."

"It shall doubtless prove useful when thou at last confrontest the one lurking behind the scenes."

Lucian nodded and accepted the Fingerslayer Blade from her.

Unlike the katana Shadow of the Stars, which he had obtained by accident, this blade retained the short-knife design seen in the game.

Although the two Fingerslayer Blades differed in length and appearance, they were still a matched pair of weapons.

Even if Shadow of the Stars was a katana rather than a greatsword, it could still pay homage to the Abyss Watchers.

With the two Fingerslayer Blades brought together, there would surely be a chance to put them to use in the future.

Especially when facing that strange Finger, about whom they still knew very little.

Lucian had been on guard the entire time, afraid that Celes might receive some unexpected assistance at the very last moment.

If the being that had once impersonated the Greater Will, yet had never truly shown itself, decided to intervene, Lucian would have no choice but to respond cautiously.

Although they had very little information about it, the other party was at least an existence on the same level as the Elden Beast.

If they really ended up fighting, Lucian wasn't confident he could handle it. He would have to rely on the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow.

Yet, against all expectations, Celes really had no backup plan whatsoever. The being behind the scenes didn't even seem to care that he had died.

This inevitably made Lucian reconsider the relationship between them.

Perhaps they weren't as close as he had previously imagined?

Judging by its appearance, that thing clearly shared many characteristics with the Fingers. It was even the source of the Two Fingers' power.

Even if Celes had been nothing more than a disposable wage slave working for it, surely it should have shown some reaction when he died?

Lucian still couldn't make sense of it. But if the other party wasn't going to get involved, then there was no need to worry too much for now.

Both the priority and the danger level of dealing with it had decreased. He could simply continue investigating the truth at his own pace.

At the same time, Ranni handed him a map.

"And this, too. I suspect thou shalt have need of it."

"Honestly... thou hast made no preparations whatsoever, hast thou? How fortunate for thee that I am so dependable."

Ranni turned her head away and cleared her throat.

She wasn't very good at saying goodbye, but both of them had things they needed to do now.

"Ahem... Be that as it may, I must take my leave ere long."

"For now, thou needst only look forward to what is yet to come."

With that, Ranni led the Black Knife Assassins toward the cave's exit and flew away, leaving Lucian with nothing but a trail of moonlight.

Lucian smiled and waved goodbye, not minding how brief their farewell had been.

He unfolded the map Ranni had given him. As expected, it was a map of the Altus Plateau, drawn in considerable detail.

However, its appearance alone made it clear that the map was extremely old.

So old that its markings had begun to blur and the parchment had started to deteriorate. So old that quite a few of the geographical features depicted on it had already changed.

Perhaps Ranni had prepared this map more than a thousand years ago. That would explain its current condition.

But for Lucian, this was hardly a problem.

All he needed was to know where he was on the Altus Plateau.

The rest of the map was already in his head.

Holding the map, Lucian took a moment to examine his location.

He was somewhere near the boundary between the Altus Plateau and Volcano Manor.

The terrain between these two regions differed considerably, and Seluvis had been hiding in one of the caves carved into the cliffs.

In other words, it would now be convenient for Lucian to head either toward Volcano Manor or toward the Altus Plateau.

After thinking it over, Lucian decided to visit Volcano Manor first.

He didn't want to make too much of a fuss in front of Morgott just yet, in case it prompted him to take some kind of action.

It wasn't that Lucian was afraid of anything. It was simply that the butterfly's wings had already stirred up a hurricane. There was no need to keep flapping them.

After all, whether from Lucian's perspective or Morgott's, the right thing to do at present was to wait.

Wait for Godfrey to return. Once he did, everything would naturally become clear.

Lucian was still looking forward to defeating Godfrey fair and square, then using his unrivaled prestige to bring Leyndell to heel and make it submit to him.

That was the plan he had made, and it was the story he had been having people spread. All that remained was to wait for Godfrey.

But if he put too much pressure on Morgott and provoked an outright confrontation before Godfrey returned, he might be forced to seize the Royal Capital ahead of schedule. That would also damage his reputation.

After all, he had invested so much effort in building up that narrative beforehand. He couldn't let all that publicity go to waste.

With that in mind, there was no harm in continuing to keep a low profile and maintain the current situation.

Besides, Volcano Manor remained a place entirely beyond Leyndell's control.

Whatever Lucian did there, it wouldn't change the overall situation.

Thinking about it, Lucian realized that in places unknown to Leyndell, he had almost conquered the entire Lands Between already.