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PinkSnake - Elden Ring First Flame - 467/468
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Chapter 467: No Regrets, Even in Death
The cavalry rode their warhorses across the battlefield, hooves thundering as dust billowed through the air.
Longswords flashed in their hands. Every swing brought a cold gleam of steel, cutting down battered soldiers of the Golden Order Dynasty beneath their horses.
Godfrey and that old lion had escaped, and Nolan had gotten a taste of just how disgusting it was when someone could come and go through your territory as they pleased.
Godfrey and that old lion had made it out, but the number of people they could take with them was limited.
By a rough estimate, including those killed in battle, the Golden Army had left more than twenty thousand men behind on the battlefield.
Among them were ordinary soldiers, brave knights, and even a few champions. Now, all of them had been ground into pieces of meat by this enormous war machine.
When dusk faded completely and the twin moons slowly rose over the sea’s horizon, the entire volcano was covered in a faint layer of moonlight.
Yet that beautiful moonlight could not hide the terrible sight of the battlefield.
Within the Volcano Manor Fortress, shattered armor, notched weapons, and ruined siege engines lay everywhere, mixed with blood and severed limbs.
The cries of the defeated gradually died away inside the Volcano Manor Fortress. The soldiers giving chase were too exhausted from battle and slaughter to keep cutting people down.
In the last light of sunset, everyone raised their heads as one and looked up at the man standing atop the giant serpent’s corpse.
Godfrey was not dead, but the invincible War Lord had fled. This was an unprecedented feat.
They knew Godfrey’s withdrawal was a strategic decision, but it was still unbelievable.
If Godfrey and Serosh had not believed the Golden Army could no longer win, why would they have left?
“Long live His Majesty!”
“Long live His Majesty!”
Nolan listened to the cheers and accepted their praise openly, without the slightest awkwardness. Morale surged once again.
At that moment, even if they had been ordered to charge Godfrey himself, none of them would have hesitated. They believed their Lord would bring victory in the end.
As for Nolan, he was surrounded by Man-Serpent corpses, standing as if atop a small hill while everyone paid homage to him.
After he killed that giant serpent, those Man-Serpents had actually ignored the Golden Army entirely and rushed at him like madmen.
So if one had looked down over the battlefield from above at that moment, they would have seen a rather strange sight.
The Firelink Army was attacking the Golden Army on the outside, while the Man-Serpents were attacking Nolan on the inside. Anyone who did not know better might have thought everyone had joined forces to hunt down the Lord of Cinder.
Nolan lowered his gaze to the giant serpent’s corpse beneath his feet. Rykard’s face could no longer be seen at all. Only the Great Serpent’s severed head remained, and Nolan had no particular thoughts about it.
It was just a greedy, foolish snake. Since it could not control its appetite and kept stuffing everything into its mouth, it should have been prepared to burst its own belly.
The only pity was Rykard, his second brother-in-law. Rykard had never wanted to become a Lord. To him, as long as the Golden Order could be blasphemed, it did not matter who sat the throne.
If Rykard had never fused with the giant snake, perhaps they might now have been one happy family. Of course, it was far more likely that when Morgott campaigned against Mt. Gelmir, Rykard would have been beheaded as a heretic.
Nolan shook his head and looked into the distance, where collapsed fortress walls, corpses scattered across the ground, and broken banners filled his sight.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, enough to make one sick. It was a scene of slaughter and death, the brutal mark left behind by war.
But Nolan knew that such an age would end one day, and a new age would be built by their hands.
To end one age and begin another was undoubtedly an extraordinarily arrogant idea.
In the long history of the Lands Between, people who dared think that way were few and far between. Marika could perhaps barely count as one.
But to turn such a thought into reality, the crucial first step was to believe it could come true. Nolan believed it, and that was why joy outweighed sorrow in his heart.
This war had meaning. Now only one final opponent remained, and this age of chaos would come to an end after that decisive battle.
Nolan slowly turned around. Under the deep blue moonlight, he gave off a soft glow, as if a magnificent robe had been draped over him.
He was like a lighthouse standing in the darkness, radiating a light people longed for, drawing them irresistibly toward its glow.
In the Battle of Mt. Gelmir, the victor was neither the Volcano Manor Army nor the Golden Army, but the Firelink Army. With that, the Golden Order Dynasty’s second counteroffensive came to an end.
“I’m finally going to see my mother...” Messmer murmured.
He drove his war spear deep into the dry earth. The long, high-intensity battle had left even him exhausted, and wounds staining his robes red could be seen across his body.
Under normal circumstances, Rellana would have come out to tend to him long ago. But this time, that loyal knight had not accompanied him and was temporarily staying at the side of the Queen of the Full Moon.
When the thunderous cheers of victory rang out, he suddenly felt an exhaustion unlike anything before, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away in an instant.
Their enemy this time had been the War Lord himself. To say he had not been worried at all would have been a lie.
Standing at the summit of Mt. Gelmir, he gazed into the distance.
What met his eyes was not only broken walls and corpses piled like mountains. Even the surrounding terrain had been utterly transformed.
It was a miracle Mt. Gelmir had not erupted. For that, they had Rykard to thank for drawing out an eruption in advance.
“Your Majesty, we lost nearly two thousand soldiers in this battle. We annihilated twenty thousand of the Golden Army, including six Crucible Knights, and slew even more Tree Sentinels, Golden Knights, and other champions.”
Vyke staggered to Nolan’s side. His body was likewise covered in wounds, but he had not forgotten his duty as Chief Fire Knight and reported the postwar situation.
A casualty ratio of one to ten. Nolan had never thought of himself as especially skilled at marching and fighting, but this result should still count as good.
If the Firelink Army had fought the Golden Army head-on, their casualties would never have been this low.
Even so, the Firelink Army had lost nine Fire Knights in this battle. The other legions had also suffered damage to varying degrees, and even an Ancient Dragon had fallen.
War was that cruel and merciless. Some people thought that becoming a champion made them invincible, never realizing that even an ordinary soldier could take their life at any moment.
On the battlefield, everyone faced enormous risk. Life and death often turned in a single instant.
“The brave deserve to be honored, and their families must be properly cared for,” Nolan said in a low voice.
“I understand.” Vyke nodded. He would make note of it first.
The warriors’ tombstones and medals would have to wait until after the war, but the pensions had to be sent back and distributed immediately. This was the Firelink Dynasty’s usual way of handling fallen soldiers.
The Fire Knights around them let out quiet sighs, carrying their grief for the comrades they had lost.
In those sighs, the sorrow gradually faded, and a surge of pride rose in its place. This battle was no different from the epics of ancient legend.
To have personally taken part in such a battle and left even a small trace of one’s name in history was a worthy death. This was the highest hall of honor that champions yearned for.
They were fortunate to have survived, but even in death, they would have no regrets.
...
Chapter 468: Rude Behavior
The smoke of war had not yet fully cleared, and Nolan and the Firelink Army did not remain at Volcano Manor for long.
After quickly exchanging information with Ranni about the main force’s location, he led the Firelink Army through the Blood Pool and successfully reunited with the main army.
Once they had joined up, Nolan and the others urgently discussed their next move.
After some deliberation, they finally decided to station the army for the time being along the main road between The Dectus Grand Elevator and Leyndell’s West Gate.
Leyndell was now at an absolute disadvantage in military strength, so the Firelink Army did not choose to occupy Mt. Gelmir or Shaded City.
If the Golden Order Dynasty was willing to split its forces under these circumstances and attack those places to form some kind of pincer, that would suit Nolan perfectly.
A so-called “pincer” only worked if, after dividing one’s forces, they could still threaten the enemy or effectively tie them down.
With Leyndell’s current strength, splitting their forces was suicide.
The road from The Dectus Grand Elevator to Leyndell’s West Gate had been built too well. A road that good only made it easier for the Firelink Army to advance.
If Leyndell dared to divide its forces, Nolan would dare to lead his troops straight into the Royal Capital at the first opportunity. Of course, even if Leyndell did not divide its forces, Nolan would attack sooner or later.
Serosh understood the present situation clearly. The Golden Army had now withdrawn into Leyndell, not daring to leave the city for battle, and had even abandoned every area outside the Royal Capital.
The Altus Plateau was now left unmanaged. All kinds of bandits and outlaws had sprung up at once, and the Firelink Army’s patrols had to maintain order.
The old lion meant to make his last stand, relying on Leyndell, the strongest fortress under heaven, to stage a fine show of the few defeating the many and the weak overcoming the strong.
But Leyndell was still only one isolated city, while Nolan had Caelid, Limgrave, and Caria behind him.
He had more resources and manpower than Leyndell. If it came down to attrition, he could afford it.
Even so, Nolan knew very well that he could not drag things out forever.
As more time passed since the Ring of Law shattered, the symptoms of dementia were growing worse. If this dragged on too long, it would work against Nolan instead.
The Firelink Army had followed him out to win glory. He could not let this hard-won army of one hundred thousand be destroyed by dementia before they even saw the enemy.
The Firelink Army was currently resting. If the Golden Army refused to come out, then so be it. They would simply fight their way in.
Another evening came. As usual, after Nolan finished making a round of the camp, he returned to his tent.
The commander-in-chief of the three armies truly had very little to do. Aside from showing his face in front of the soldiers each day, there seemed to be nothing else for him.
“Your Majesty, finished your stroll again?” Trina gave Nolan a casual glance as he entered the tent.
“Did any young Numen ladies or female knights throw themselves into your arms today?”
As she spoke, she leaned over the table and finished handling the last document, then rose and followed Nolan outside to enjoy the moon.
“Listen to you. I went to boost morale. How does it sound like I was doing something shady once it comes out of your mouth?” Nolan rolled his eyes helplessly and shot back.
“Because someone is good at everything, but in certain respects, he really isn’t very trustworthy.”
The corner of Trina’s mouth lifted into a cold smile, though it had no intimidating effect at all. Nolan only found it a little cute.
“And if you’re really that bored, why not show some concern for your mother-in-law?” Trina continued, her tone carrying a hint of teasing.
If he was going to care about anyone, should it not be Ranni? Why bring up Rennala?
Nolan looked utterly confused.
“A mere Ranni is nothing to worry about. Your mother-in-law, on the other hand, has been interacting with Ranni quite frequently lately.”
There was a seriousness in Trina’s words that could not be ignored.
“Isn’t it normal for a mother and daughter to be close?”
Nolan replied somewhat helplessly. He truly could not understand why Trina cared so much about something so ordinary.
“No, you don’t understand at all. It isn’t ordinary interaction. It’s secret whispering that cannot be known to outsiders.”
Trina narrowed her eyes. With that sharp, knowing expression, she looked exactly like a little detective who could crack any case, though this was not Detective Conan.
Nolan could not help finding it amusing, but Trina’s words did make him quietly take notice.
In truth, he did not really understand what Rennala was thinking either.
No matter what, she was still a queen several thousand years old, not some young person like Malenia. His ability to read people had no effect on this queen at all.
He had once thought the queen would be the dignified ruler of the Kingdom of Caria, the proud, powerful sort who could beat Radagon until he had no temper left. Now he could only say that every person was different.
Rennala’s personality was surprisingly gentle. Her affection for Ranni was so indulgent it almost seemed visible to the naked eye, and she treated him, her son-in-law, very well too. This time, for the sake of the Firelink Dynasty, she had even brought out all of Caria’s resources.
“She isn’t going to live with us from now on, is she?”
The corner of Nolan’s eye twitched involuntarily. Just imagining such a mother-in-law watching from the side at every moment of married life made him uncomfortable all over.
“So you want me to act as your inside man and gather information for you?” Nolan looked at Trina suspiciously and pressed her.
“I never said that!” Trina quickly looked away, guilty as if he had exposed her thoughts.
“I just think this is a little strange. After all, Caria doesn’t belong to our Firelink Dynasty, so these odd actions are worth paying attention to.”
Nolan doubted Trina’s words completely. He did not believe so much as a single punctuation mark.
As he saw it, this little Goddess was openly asking about Rennala while secretly guarding against Ranni.
“Why don’t you go yourself?” Nolan asked. Wasn’t it easier to eavesdrop in spirit form?
Trina’s expression turned serious, and she answered earnestly.
“I tried. I was almost discovered. Luckily, I ran fast, or it would have been trouble. A Lord isn’t so easy to spy on.”
After hearing that, Nolan grew even more suspicious of her motives.
“The Queen is definitely giving Ranni private lessons,” Trina continued. “The Queen is someone who can make even Order Golems willingly offer affection. If Ranni learns the Queen’s essence, I’ll be in danger.”
Nolan could not help pinching Trina’s soft, rosy cheek and laughed.
“You little rascal, you just gave yourself away!”
Trina did not feel any pain from the pinch and immediately put on a silly grin.
Nolan snorted in annoyance. Even if Trina played dumb, he would not let this little Goddess, who was clearly trying to use him, off so easily.
“Also, about Her Majesty Rennala’s essence...” Nolan changed the subject.
Before he could finish, a cool, clear voice suddenly came from behind him, like the first breeze of spring brushing softly past their ears.
“Your Majesty Nolan, discussing someone’s private affairs behind their back is quite rude, you know?”
Despite her words, there was no anger in the Queen’s voice. She was gentle to the very core.
Trina heard the voice, instinctively turned her head, and shivered in fright.
She saw Rennala standing right behind Nolan, the beautiful Queen shining like the brightest star in the night sky.
Nolan had sensed someone approaching and was just about to smooth things over for the little Goddess. Who would have thought the person herself would ignore all expectations and not even let him finish speaking?
Chapter 467: No Regrets, Even in Death
The cavalry rode their warhorses across the battlefield, hooves thundering as dust billowed through the air.
Longswords flashed in their hands. Every swing brought a cold gleam of steel, cutting down battered soldiers of the Golden Order Dynasty beneath their horses.
Godfrey and that old lion had escaped, and Nolan had gotten a taste of just how disgusting it was when someone could come and go through your territory as they pleased.
Godfrey and that old lion had made it out, but the number of people they could take with them was limited.
By a rough estimate, including those killed in battle, the Golden Army had left more than twenty thousand men behind on the battlefield.
Among them were ordinary soldiers, brave knights, and even a few champions. Now, all of them had been ground into pieces of meat by this enormous war machine.
When dusk faded completely and the twin moons slowly rose over the sea’s horizon, the entire volcano was covered in a faint layer of moonlight.
Yet that beautiful moonlight could not hide the terrible sight of the battlefield.
Within the Volcano Manor Fortress, shattered armor, notched weapons, and ruined siege engines lay everywhere, mixed with blood and severed limbs.
The cries of the defeated gradually died away inside the Volcano Manor Fortress. The soldiers giving chase were too exhausted from battle and slaughter to keep cutting people down.
In the last light of sunset, everyone raised their heads as one and looked up at the man standing atop the giant serpent’s corpse.
Godfrey was not dead, but the invincible War Lord had fled. This was an unprecedented feat.
They knew Godfrey’s withdrawal was a strategic decision, but it was still unbelievable.
If Godfrey and Serosh had not believed the Golden Army could no longer win, why would they have left?
“Long live His Majesty!”
“Long live His Majesty!”
Nolan listened to the cheers and accepted their praise openly, without the slightest awkwardness. Morale surged once again.
At that moment, even if they had been ordered to charge Godfrey himself, none of them would have hesitated. They believed their Lord would bring victory in the end.
As for Nolan, he was surrounded by Man-Serpent corpses, standing as if atop a small hill while everyone paid homage to him.
After he killed that giant serpent, those Man-Serpents had actually ignored the Golden Army entirely and rushed at him like madmen.
So if one had looked down over the battlefield from above at that moment, they would have seen a rather strange sight.
The Firelink Army was attacking the Golden Army on the outside, while the Man-Serpents were attacking Nolan on the inside. Anyone who did not know better might have thought everyone had joined forces to hunt down the Lord of Cinder.
Nolan lowered his gaze to the giant serpent’s corpse beneath his feet. Rykard’s face could no longer be seen at all. Only the Great Serpent’s severed head remained, and Nolan had no particular thoughts about it.
It was just a greedy, foolish snake. Since it could not control its appetite and kept stuffing everything into its mouth, it should have been prepared to burst its own belly.
The only pity was Rykard, his second brother-in-law. Rykard had never wanted to become a Lord. To him, as long as the Golden Order could be blasphemed, it did not matter who sat the throne.
If Rykard had never fused with the giant snake, perhaps they might now have been one happy family. Of course, it was far more likely that when Morgott campaigned against Mt. Gelmir, Rykard would have been beheaded as a heretic.
Nolan shook his head and looked into the distance, where collapsed fortress walls, corpses scattered across the ground, and broken banners filled his sight.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, enough to make one sick. It was a scene of slaughter and death, the brutal mark left behind by war.
But Nolan knew that such an age would end one day, and a new age would be built by their hands.
To end one age and begin another was undoubtedly an extraordinarily arrogant idea.
In the long history of the Lands Between, people who dared think that way were few and far between. Marika could perhaps barely count as one.
But to turn such a thought into reality, the crucial first step was to believe it could come true. Nolan believed it, and that was why joy outweighed sorrow in his heart.
This war had meaning. Now only one final opponent remained, and this age of chaos would come to an end after that decisive battle.
Nolan slowly turned around. Under the deep blue moonlight, he gave off a soft glow, as if a magnificent robe had been draped over him.
He was like a lighthouse standing in the darkness, radiating a light people longed for, drawing them irresistibly toward its glow.
In the Battle of Mt. Gelmir, the victor was neither the Volcano Manor Army nor the Golden Army, but the Firelink Army. With that, the Golden Order Dynasty’s second counteroffensive came to an end.
“I’m finally going to see my mother...” Messmer murmured.
He drove his war spear deep into the dry earth. The long, high-intensity battle had left even him exhausted, and wounds staining his robes red could be seen across his body.
Under normal circumstances, Rellana would have come out to tend to him long ago. But this time, that loyal knight had not accompanied him and was temporarily staying at the side of the Queen of the Full Moon.
When the thunderous cheers of victory rang out, he suddenly felt an exhaustion unlike anything before, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away in an instant.
Their enemy this time had been the War Lord himself. To say he had not been worried at all would have been a lie.
Standing at the summit of Mt. Gelmir, he gazed into the distance.
What met his eyes was not only broken walls and corpses piled like mountains. Even the surrounding terrain had been utterly transformed.
It was a miracle Mt. Gelmir had not erupted. For that, they had Rykard to thank for drawing out an eruption in advance.
“Your Majesty, we lost nearly two thousand soldiers in this battle. We annihilated twenty thousand of the Golden Army, including six Crucible Knights, and slew even more Tree Sentinels, Golden Knights, and other champions.”
Vyke staggered to Nolan’s side. His body was likewise covered in wounds, but he had not forgotten his duty as Chief Fire Knight and reported the postwar situation.
A casualty ratio of one to ten. Nolan had never thought of himself as especially skilled at marching and fighting, but this result should still count as good.
If the Firelink Army had fought the Golden Army head-on, their casualties would never have been this low.
Even so, the Firelink Army had lost nine Fire Knights in this battle. The other legions had also suffered damage to varying degrees, and even an Ancient Dragon had fallen.
War was that cruel and merciless. Some people thought that becoming a champion made them invincible, never realizing that even an ordinary soldier could take their life at any moment.
On the battlefield, everyone faced enormous risk. Life and death often turned in a single instant.
“The brave deserve to be honored, and their families must be properly cared for,” Nolan said in a low voice.
“I understand.” Vyke nodded. He would make note of it first.
The warriors’ tombstones and medals would have to wait until after the war, but the pensions had to be sent back and distributed immediately. This was the Firelink Dynasty’s usual way of handling fallen soldiers.
The Fire Knights around them let out quiet sighs, carrying their grief for the comrades they had lost.
In those sighs, the sorrow gradually faded, and a surge of pride rose in its place. This battle was no different from the epics of ancient legend.
To have personally taken part in such a battle and left even a small trace of one’s name in history was a worthy death. This was the highest hall of honor that champions yearned for.
They were fortunate to have survived, but even in death, they would have no regrets.
...
Chapter 468: Rude Behavior
The smoke of war had not yet fully cleared, and Nolan and the Firelink Army did not remain at Volcano Manor for long.
After quickly exchanging information with Ranni about the main force’s location, he led the Firelink Army through the Blood Pool and successfully reunited with the main army.
Once they had joined up, Nolan and the others urgently discussed their next move.
After some deliberation, they finally decided to station the army for the time being along the main road between The Dectus Grand Elevator and Leyndell’s West Gate.
Leyndell was now at an absolute disadvantage in military strength, so the Firelink Army did not choose to occupy Mt. Gelmir or Shaded City.
If the Golden Order Dynasty was willing to split its forces under these circumstances and attack those places to form some kind of pincer, that would suit Nolan perfectly.
A so-called “pincer” only worked if, after dividing one’s forces, they could still threaten the enemy or effectively tie them down.
With Leyndell’s current strength, splitting their forces was suicide.
The road from The Dectus Grand Elevator to Leyndell’s West Gate had been built too well. A road that good only made it easier for the Firelink Army to advance.
If Leyndell dared to divide its forces, Nolan would dare to lead his troops straight into the Royal Capital at the first opportunity. Of course, even if Leyndell did not divide its forces, Nolan would attack sooner or later.
Serosh understood the present situation clearly. The Golden Army had now withdrawn into Leyndell, not daring to leave the city for battle, and had even abandoned every area outside the Royal Capital.
The Altus Plateau was now left unmanaged. All kinds of bandits and outlaws had sprung up at once, and the Firelink Army’s patrols had to maintain order.
The old lion meant to make his last stand, relying on Leyndell, the strongest fortress under heaven, to stage a fine show of the few defeating the many and the weak overcoming the strong.
But Leyndell was still only one isolated city, while Nolan had Caelid, Limgrave, and Caria behind him.
He had more resources and manpower than Leyndell. If it came down to attrition, he could afford it.
Even so, Nolan knew very well that he could not drag things out forever.
As more time passed since the Ring of Law shattered, the symptoms of dementia were growing worse. If this dragged on too long, it would work against Nolan instead.
The Firelink Army had followed him out to win glory. He could not let this hard-won army of one hundred thousand be destroyed by dementia before they even saw the enemy.
The Firelink Army was currently resting. If the Golden Army refused to come out, then so be it. They would simply fight their way in.
Another evening came. As usual, after Nolan finished making a round of the camp, he returned to his tent.
The commander-in-chief of the three armies truly had very little to do. Aside from showing his face in front of the soldiers each day, there seemed to be nothing else for him.
“Your Majesty, finished your stroll again?” Trina gave Nolan a casual glance as he entered the tent.
“Did any young Numen ladies or female knights throw themselves into your arms today?”
As she spoke, she leaned over the table and finished handling the last document, then rose and followed Nolan outside to enjoy the moon.
“Listen to you. I went to boost morale. How does it sound like I was doing something shady once it comes out of your mouth?” Nolan rolled his eyes helplessly and shot back.
“Because someone is good at everything, but in certain respects, he really isn’t very trustworthy.”
The corner of Trina’s mouth lifted into a cold smile, though it had no intimidating effect at all. Nolan only found it a little cute.
“And if you’re really that bored, why not show some concern for your mother-in-law?” Trina continued, her tone carrying a hint of teasing.
If he was going to care about anyone, should it not be Ranni? Why bring up Rennala?
Nolan looked utterly confused.
“A mere Ranni is nothing to worry about. Your mother-in-law, on the other hand, has been interacting with Ranni quite frequently lately.”
There was a seriousness in Trina’s words that could not be ignored.
“Isn’t it normal for a mother and daughter to be close?”
Nolan replied somewhat helplessly. He truly could not understand why Trina cared so much about something so ordinary.
“No, you don’t understand at all. It isn’t ordinary interaction. It’s secret whispering that cannot be known to outsiders.”
Trina narrowed her eyes. With that sharp, knowing expression, she looked exactly like a little detective who could crack any case, though this was not Detective Conan.
Nolan could not help finding it amusing, but Trina’s words did make him quietly take notice.
In truth, he did not really understand what Rennala was thinking either.
No matter what, she was still a queen several thousand years old, not some young person like Malenia. His ability to read people had no effect on this queen at all.
He had once thought the queen would be the dignified ruler of the Kingdom of Caria, the proud, powerful sort who could beat Radagon until he had no temper left. Now he could only say that every person was different.
Rennala’s personality was surprisingly gentle. Her affection for Ranni was so indulgent it almost seemed visible to the naked eye, and she treated him, her son-in-law, very well too. This time, for the sake of the Firelink Dynasty, she had even brought out all of Caria’s resources.
“She isn’t going to live with us from now on, is she?”
The corner of Nolan’s eye twitched involuntarily. Just imagining such a mother-in-law watching from the side at every moment of married life made him uncomfortable all over.
“So you want me to act as your inside man and gather information for you?” Nolan looked at Trina suspiciously and pressed her.
“I never said that!” Trina quickly looked away, guilty as if he had exposed her thoughts.
“I just think this is a little strange. After all, Caria doesn’t belong to our Firelink Dynasty, so these odd actions are worth paying attention to.”
Nolan doubted Trina’s words completely. He did not believe so much as a single punctuation mark.
As he saw it, this little Goddess was openly asking about Rennala while secretly guarding against Ranni.
“Why don’t you go yourself?” Nolan asked. Wasn’t it easier to eavesdrop in spirit form?
Trina’s expression turned serious, and she answered earnestly.
“I tried. I was almost discovered. Luckily, I ran fast, or it would have been trouble. A Lord isn’t so easy to spy on.”
After hearing that, Nolan grew even more suspicious of her motives.
“The Queen is definitely giving Ranni private lessons,” Trina continued. “The Queen is someone who can make even Order Golems willingly offer affection. If Ranni learns the Queen’s essence, I’ll be in danger.”
Nolan could not help pinching Trina’s soft, rosy cheek and laughed.
“You little rascal, you just gave yourself away!”
Trina did not feel any pain from the pinch and immediately put on a silly grin.
Nolan snorted in annoyance. Even if Trina played dumb, he would not let this little Goddess, who was clearly trying to use him, off so easily.
“Also, about Her Majesty Rennala’s essence...” Nolan changed the subject.
Before he could finish, a cool, clear voice suddenly came from behind him, like the first breeze of spring brushing softly past their ears.
“Your Majesty Nolan, discussing someone’s private affairs behind their back is quite rude, you know?”
Despite her words, there was no anger in the Queen’s voice. She was gentle to the very core.
Trina heard the voice, instinctively turned her head, and shivered in fright.
She saw Rennala standing right behind Nolan, the beautiful Queen shining like the brightest star in the night sky.
Nolan had sensed someone approaching and was just about to smooth things over for the little Goddess. Who would have thought the person herself would ignore all expectations and not even let him finish speaking?
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