PinkSnake - Elden Ring First Flame - 473/474

Chapter 473: Parents and Elders

The corners of Rennala’s mouth lifted into a faint smile. Nolan’s words suited her very well. She, too, disliked the faiths of the Frenzied Flame and the Scarlet Rot.

Her gaze fell on Nolan, deep and mysterious, as if it meant to pierce through his soul.

“Then I can rest easy entrusting Caria to you.”

Hearing Rennala say that, Nolan froze. He had never expected those words from her.

Had his mother-in-law lost the will to keep going at such a young age?

Two or three thousand years old really did not count as much to Nolan. With Rennala’s strength, living another several thousand or even ten thousand years should not be a problem.

“Why has Her Majesty Rennala made this decision?” Nolan asked.

Rennala turned slightly and met Nolan’s eyes. Her smile became a little mysterious.

“Your Majesty Nolan’s ambition is vast. Godfrey cannot stop you, and neither can Caria,” Rennala said calmly.

His mother-in-law really was clever.

Nolan sighed inwardly. He had actually guessed that answer already, so it was not exactly a surprise. He simply had not expected Rennala’s reaction to be far calmer than he had imagined.

In his expectations, even if the two kingdoms did not go to war, he and Rennala, two Lords, should at least have had one fierce battle between them.

“Is Her Majesty Rennala truly willing to hand over the Carian Dynasty, which has endured for a thousand years, just like this?”

“Do you know why Caria was able to resist the Golden Order Dynasty back then?” Rennala did not answer his question directly. Instead, she asked one of her own.

“Because Caria had the Queen leading it,” Nolan said as if it were only natural. “There were also two Grand Masters of Magic and twenty Carian Knights standing at the peak of heroism. Even Radagon’s Golden Army could not match them.”

Rennala laughed softly and shook her head.

“The two Preceptors and the knights certainly contributed greatly, but stopping the Golden Order Dynasty took more than that. Look around us, Your Majesty Nolan.”

Nolan’s gaze slowly passed over Rennala and settled on the scene around them. He could see solemn Carian Knights and patrolling Carian soldiers.

In the busy camp, Sorcerers chatted with ordinary soldiers in a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.

A First-Generation Albinauric rode a great wolf, leading round-headed Second-Generation Albinaurics on patrol.

Tall Trolls strode past with huge steps, each one landing with a heavy thud.

“In the prosperous Golden Order Dynasty, those granted Golden Grace are always noble, while everyone else is as small and lowly as dust. We could not accept such a Dynasty, so we chose to resist.”

Rennala turned and looked straight at Nolan, her gaze burning bright like a torch.

“People longed for a Lord to lead them, and that is why the Queen of the Full Moon came to be. Of course, if I could, I would have wanted to realize that Dynasty the people hoped for with my own hands. But I can no longer do it. Now, however, I see someone who can.”

“That someone is me?” Nolan already understood what kind of Dynasty this mother-in-law wanted. A Dynasty where all people were equal. “Then what about Her Majesty the Queen?”

No matter what, Rennala was still a Queen. Accepting her trust meant asking her to give up the throne. If a few words from him drove Rennala to her death, Ranni would definitely make him suffer for it.

“After laying down the throne, I hope Your Majesty Nolan can give me a place to stay, so I may witness the birth of this dream Dynasty. But over these years, I have owed my children too much. Your Majesty, would you allow me to stay with my family?”

Hearing that, Nolan suddenly felt uncomfortable all over.

So he really was going to be watched by his mother-in-law every day. But she was offering an entire nation as the condition. He truly could not refuse such a small request.

“As long as Her Majesty the Queen is willing, of course I would be very glad for you to remain at Ranni’s side.”

Awkward was awkward. At worst, when they tried to make little Demigods in the future, he would just have to avoid this mother-in-law a little.

Once Rennala received Nolan’s answer, her face immediately bloomed into a radiant smile, as if filled with sunlight.

A few fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes because of that smile, but they did not diminish her beauty in the slightest. Instead, they added a touch of mature charm.

Rennala’s red lips parted lightly, revealing teeth white as snow, and she said happily, “Then it’s settled!”

Why did this mother-in-law seem a little too happy?

Her thoughts were truly hard to grasp.

If Nolan had to guess what his queens were thinking, he could get it right every time. But Rennala was not his queen, and her mind was not so easy to read.

Nolan felt a little puzzled. This kind of situation was quite rare for him.

Just as he was still thinking, the clear sound of footsteps and clashing armor reached his ears.

He did not dwell on it further and stepped forward to greet Messmer and Rellana as they approached.

When she saw the newly engaged couple coming over, Rennala’s presence immediately weakened, because Nolan had suddenly become the most senior person present. The world really was a strange place.

After Nolan and Rennala finished their serious conversation, they had nothing else to do, so they went over together and greeted the two. They found that the pair had grown even closer, though of course, Rellana was still the one taking the initiative.

Rennala truly did not know what was so good about this wooden brother-in-law of hers, Messmer, but since her sister liked him, she could only support her.

The young couple had come specifically to find Nolan and Rennala. For an important matter like marriage, they still decided to ask the opinions of their parents and elders.

Nolan was Messmer’s godfather in name and effectively his stepfather, while Rennala was like an elder sister who had taken the place of a mother.

“You want to marry tonight? Isn’t that a little rushed?” Rennala asked in surprise.

She seemed to have completely forgotten who had sent Nolan into Ranni’s tent earlier.

“Time waits for no one. Even if we wait a few more days, war will still come, and once we set foot on the battlefield, there will be too much uncertainty,” Rellana said to Rennala. Then she turned to Nolan. “Father, what do you think?”

Hearing her own younger sister call Nolan “Father,” Rennala felt a headache coming on. This love-struck sister of hers said it far too naturally.

Nolan’s expression, however, was unusually calm. He had long since gotten used to Rellana calling him that.

After a brief silence, Nolan said, “Then let it be tonight. But given the current situation, I’m afraid we won’t be able to give you a grand wedding.”

The situation on the battlefield changed constantly and was difficult to predict. Even with Demigod-level strength, no one could guarantee absolute safety.

Messmer was not truly ignorant of worldly matters. His feelings with Rellana had lasted for a thousand years, and their love had long since taken root.

It was only that Messmer’s personality was reserved, and he was always slow in expressing his feelings. That was why, only after returning to the Lands Between, the two of them finally accepted each other.

Rather than gamble on whether one of them would fall in love with someone else after the other died on the battlefield, it was better to gamble on whether they would die for each other.

Since that was the case, why leave regrets at the end?

When they heard this answer, even the usually steady Messmer could not help smiling. It was clear how happy the young couple was.

That night, the allied army held a small banquet.

The war was at a critical moment, so of course they could not drag the whole army into feasting and drinking. The wedding had to be kept simple.

Fortunately, this ceremony, sworn in the name of love, still received the blessing of the elders from both sides.

...

Chapter 474: Seizing the Throne

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and from the western Altus Plateau came the deafening thunder of drums and horns.

The sound rolled like thunder, echoing into the clouds as it steadily approached Leyndell from afar.

Along with the stirring war drums and horn calls came the heavy tread of iron boots striking the ground.

A multicolored torrent appeared on the horizon, advancing along the Altus Highway.

It was the vanguard of the allied army of the Firelink Dynasty and the Caria Dynasty. Like an unstoppable force, they surged through the long-abandoned first wall and entered the outskirts of the Royal Capital.

Then, as the allied army stepped into the battlefield ruins where the armies of kings had once fought, their pace slowed.

This wasteland had witnessed countless wars and killings. Now, only broken walls and barren earth remained.

The soldiers of the allied army advanced slowly. Under the fading glow of sunset, their figures looked especially solemn, as if paying tribute to the heroic spirits who had passed.

That scene was reflected clearly in the eyes of Godfrey and Serosh.

Faced with such a dire situation, they should have felt fear and anxiety, but at this moment, what rose in their hearts was a measure of nostalgia.

Such a powerful army, with such a fearless and unstoppable momentum, almost seemed to carry them through time, letting them personally witness the brutal battlefields of the past, when kings rose together and heroes fought for supremacy.

In that scene, weapons rang, horses thundered, and battle cries shook the sky. Every soldier charged forward without fear, like a war god forged from steel.

The feeling was so vivid that they could almost sense the smoke drifting over the battlefield and hear the cries of battle rising and falling around them.

It was an experience that made one tremble with excitement, as if all the blood in the body had begun to boil and race wildly through the veins.

“He has come, leading countless armies, bringing terrible fire with him.”

Enia spoke from behind Godfrey, conveying the will of the Fingers.

Serosh’s hot blood gradually cooled. Everything happening before his eyes was within his expectations, and there was nothing surprising about it.

He drew in a deep breath, then slowly said, “Nolan Bethel is a terrifying opponent. We cannot be careless this time, Godfrey.”

“I have never been careless. Just seeing that man makes my blood burn. I can hardly wait to fight him again. This time, I will give it everything I have.”

Godfrey braced both hands on the city wall and leaned forward slightly. An excited smile spread across his face, filled with fanatical fighting spirit.

If Serosh had not been suppressing that battle hunger, he would likely have lost patience and charged out already.

Enia, standing to the side, remained silent. The will of the Two Fingers had not passed even a single word to her.

Since the enemy had already come right before them, they could only meet them head-on.

At the very least, with Godfrey’s ability to rally others, the Royal Capital still had a certain power to resist.

Leyndell had fewer than thirty thousand fighting men. Thirty thousand against one hundred and twenty thousand. The gap was still enormous.

Today, the great enemy they had never met finally appeared before them, yet the Two Fingers were unexpectedly calm, showing not the slightest tension or fear.

It had already done everything it could, even using, for Nolan’s sake, the trump card that had not been played since the stars and moon sank.

Even if it died here in the end, it believed it had not failed the mission entrusted to it by its mother and the Great Deity.

But when the long-horned warhorse and the Lord riding upon it arrived before the enemy formation, Enia’s gaze suddenly sharpened.

She keenly sensed that the will of the Two Fingers, which had once been firm as bedrock, had produced the faintest ripple of emotion.

Behind the Lord, the red royal banner with golden patterns flickered like fire. Upon the warhorse’s back, the noble and dangerous Lord gazed toward them from afar.

Nolan Bethel, the “Lord of Cinder,” the threat to the Golden Order Dynasty, and the man the Two Fingers had sworn to kill.

One stood before the army, watched by ten thousand troops. The other hid behind an ancient Lord, beneath the shadow of a giant insect.

These two mortal enemies, who could never exist under the same sky, looked at each other from several kilometers away across the scarred earth. Yet both their expressions were strangely calm.

The true body of the Two Fingers within the Church drew slightly together, without the slightest trembling or retreat.

And Nolan, standing outside the city walls, was just as expressionless. He did not even offer some righteous denunciation.

They simply stared at each other in silence across the distance, their gazes carrying not even a trace of killing intent.

Reconciliation was impossible. What lay between them was not a private grudge, but opposition of stance.

Only, compared to the surging tide in Nolan’s heart, the Two Fingers were cold and indifferent, like a piece of rotting dead flesh.

“Rennala is here too. If Radagon were here, he might be able to ease some of the pressure for us,” Serosh said with a faint, mocking smile.

This old lion, usually so calm and wise, now spoke in a tone filled with disdain and ridicule.

“You want to drag that pretty boy out and play the sympathy card? Don’t be naive. A Lord does not pity a traitor. She and the Lord of Cinder joining hands only means they share the same stench.”

Godfrey grinned, showing a mouthful of stark white teeth.

He and Rennala were powerful figures from the same era. In truth, he had always wanted to cross blades with the Queen of the Full Moon.

After all, no matter how one looked at it, Rennala was also a powerful Lord.

Unfortunately, during the dynasty unification war a thousand years ago, Marika had sent him to deal with the Storm King, so that opponent could only be left to Radagon.

“This will be an exceptionally hard battle, but it will also be the most glorious battle of The Shattering. Have our soldiers prepare their bows and crossbows. Have the knights polish their blades. The horn of war has sounded!”

Godfrey roared with excitement.

What a madman. He was clearly surrounded by Nolan’s great army, yet he was still this happy.

Nolan shook his head lightly, though there was a smile on his face as well. An epic battlefield really did have a way of captivating people.

Of course, he was not a war fanatic. Only when the final bloodshed ended would he truly feel at ease.

Leyndell, Royal Capital, had only one main approach. Aside from the small path leading to the Mountaintops of the Giants, there was only the front gate.

The outer city had long since been ravaged once by the armies of kings. Rebuilding such a vast area was no simple project, and Leyndell no longer had the spare strength for it.

Now, not a single proper building could be seen in the outer city. There were only broken weapons, still stained with blood, driven into the ground.

Nolan rode Torrent, the horse’s hooves thundering like lightning. Beneath him, the stone road looked exceptionally white after the blood had been washed clean.

The last time he came to Leyndell, he had only stayed briefly in Malenia’s camp. It had not been for long.

This time, the one leading the charge was finally him.

The city was grand and magnificent, enough to leave one in awe.

Looking up, he saw a broad flight of long steps before the gate. On both sides of the road stood giant stone statues that had not yet become mottled with age. Judging by the style of their armor, they were probably Leyndell Knights.

It really was a colossal project. Building such an extravagantly splendid city must have consumed untold manpower and resources. Marika certainly knew how to enjoy herself.

His thoughts did not last long. The allied army of the two Lords began to move.

Twenty Dragonkin Soldiers formed the vanguard, raising Magical Power shields as they held the front. The puppet soldiers of Caria and Nox, along with the Silver Tears, immediately followed. Behind them came the allied infantry legions, while bows, crossbows, and heavy artillery provided fire support from the rear.

Limgrave, Caelid, the Haligtree, and Liurnia. Aside from the Altus Plateau and Mt. Gelmir, the power of the entire Lands Between had gathered within the allied army.

Two Lords led more than ten Demigod-level fighters, with countless champions and knights behind them, and soldiers who rushed forward without fear of life or death.

They were going to seize the throne at the foot of the Erdtree.