Sent Back to the Starting Point

"She could be an excellent operator—the elite of the elite. Blaze might be a little less mature than her. But Ace's abilities should be stronger than hers—in terms of execution."

She concluded by saying that the answer she gave was undeniably objective and fair.

"Hmm..." Surtr nodded. "So, according to Kal'tsit,... if the Fire Keeper were on Terra, she would be a talent capable of becoming Elite Operator?"

"I can only say she has the potential to become Elite Operator. I haven't yet witnessed her decisiveness and resourcefulness in emergencies; after all, simply possessing great power cannot solve all problems." Kal'tsit, now in work evaluation mode, glanced lightly at Miss Surtr. "Unless, she can become as powerful as you."

"My current assessment of her is that she is a strong logistics operator capable of handling combat independently, but perhaps better suited for internal affairs, management, and other areas. She..." Kal'tsit hesitated at this point, seemingly struggling to overcome something she found deeply painful. "She is very good at expressing her opinions, and... when she persuades others, her persuasiveness... is quite strong."

"She's a great help to you. Surtr, someone like you who isn't... well, someone who specializes in physical destruction needs a helper like her to assist you. If she can return to Terra with you, she might be able to save you about 15 to 30 percent of your energy in daily activities to deal with various emergencies."

Unfortunately, she's just a dream being... I admit she has a point. I also intend to change myself as she suggested to please Surtr and gain her support. But she's ultimately just a dream being. Even if I fail in the end, it's better than someone like her who couldn't even get a chance to play from the start! —Miss Kal'tsit thought to herself with a touch of superiority. Of course, "superiority" might not be the most accurate word; finding joy in hardship would be a more fitting description.

Then...

"I see." Miss Surtr nodded. "So, you don't have a negative opinion about her joining Rhodes Island."

"Of course I won't deny it... What do you want to do?" The green-haired lynx suddenly realized.

"I was simply asking you, as someone in charge, whether the new operator can join Rhodes Island," Miss Surtr shrugged. "After all, if you don't agree to accept her, then I'll have no choice but to settle her in Chernobog through a private hiring arrangement."

Miss Lynx opened her mouth. Her words and tone became labored.

"You... are planning to take her back to Terra?" — Trying to find humor in hardship, but now there's no humor left.

"Yes, I do have such a plan—as you just said, Kal'tsit. She depends on me a lot. So, I naturally have to live up to that dependence and expectation."

Miss Surtr tilted her head.

"Of course, I still need to ask for her opinion on this matter."

"I would be delighted, Miss!"—Upon hearing Surtr's inquiry, the Fire Keeper broke her composure for the first time, using an exclamation mark in her voice. The plate in her hand nearly fell to the ground, but she caught it firmly as it fell.

The person who took the plate was unexpected—because it wasn't Surtr but Kal'tsit. And this guy, who for some reason seemed to be sulking in the eyes of that red-haired fellow, simply took the plate and walked away silently, without saying a word, hiding in the corner of the field of vision as if he were invisible.

"You're willing? That's great." — The red-haired fellow clearly wasn't going to pay attention to the lynx at this moment. He just breathed a slight sigh of relief. "I've never known how to settle you after everything settled down. But now it should be possible to solve this problem — however, traversing worlds involves some risks. As far as I know, the things I bring back from other worlds, while their effects won't change, will have their essence transcribed to conform to the physical laws of Terra — I've never used this power on a living person before. But this time..."

The Fire Keeper pressed her fingertips against her lips—such a bold move was hard to imagine coming from the usually quiet and gentle Fire Keeper—the black-robed noblewoman's cheeks flushed slightly, and her tone seemed a little excited.

"I am willing to take the risk, Miss." Her voice was light, yet resolute. "Following you is the meaning and value of my life. I was born to serve you, so please let me always be by your side."

Surtr opened his mouth.

"To be clear, this action may not be successful. I want to bring something back to Terra. But there's a specific prerequisite that needs to be met."

What do you want me to do?

"That thing must belong entirely to me," Surtr said earnestly. "I don't know if there will be other rules after converting the object into a person. But... Fire Keeper, if you want to go back with me, you may have to compromise your feelings."

She noticed that the Fire Keeper was looking at her strangely.

Before she asked in confusion—

"How many people can you take with you?"

The red-haired fellow tilted his head and considered for a moment.

"One is definitely no problem. Two is achievable with a little effort. But three is definitely out of the question—ah, Kal'tsit doesn't count. She's going through another passage. Hmm...you ask this because there's something important she needs to take with her?"

"It is indeed a very important thing." She saw the Fire Keeper bow to her and then take her leave.

"Please allow me to excuse myself for a moment, miss. I would like to... offer a prayer."

It seems my frozen shoulder is acting up again... Today's update was a bit difficult _(:з"∠)_

Chapter 193 - Returning to the Place of Origin

The royal family of Lothric is a divine race, more precisely, a lineage of gods descended from ancient heroes and the Sun Princess. This grants them the right to pass on the Flame through generations, and also gives them faith.

Faith – faith in one's bloodline.

Miss Surtr didn't know who the Fire Keeper's faith was—was it the ancient King of Men? Or perhaps the Sun Princess of Gwyn lineage? Both were possible, but she never asked. It was a trivial question, and as a person of principle, she always respected the privacy of her companions.

However, she still has some curiosity sometimes—for example, right now.

—Hmm, that's a bit strange. While it's clear she wants to take something back, the items she's taking are based on prayer rather than her own heart... She can't possibly be planning to take her objects of faith back with her, can she? Ah... this is a bit of a headache. Which gods are still alive?

Watching the Fire Keeper's somewhat hurried steps, Miss Surtr tilted her head slightly.

—Gwyndolin is definitely alive, and then... well, isn't Yuria a god? Besides those, there's the Nameless One on Dragon's Peak. And... oh yes, there's also Filianore of the Ringed City.

—I've never met Filianore, and besides that, Yuria seems to be related to Priscilla ... That half- Dragon Girl's tea was delicious. But she should belong to the Seath lineage rather than pure Gwyn blood. As for the remaining gods, I don't really think they're the objects of the Fire Keeper's worship, let alone ones I could bring to Terra.

—So, if the Fire Keeper's god is still from the solar system, then it's basically only Gwynevere, the Sun Princess, or Goddess Filianore of the Ringed City ... It's unlikely she's dead, after all, Solaire and I killed Gwyn's undead back then. And his descendants... it's highly improbable they would hold reverence for a god who died at the hands of their ancestor, even if they are required to traditionally worship the sun.

—Ah... Speaking of which. Gwyndolin should be Filianore's brother, right? After all, he's the youngest child, while Filianore is only the youngest daughter. The former takes precedence over the latter, hmm...I wonder if Filianore knows that her brother is about to be tricked by the Pope?

The girl pondered; she had indeed been to the world of Dark Souls before. And before leaving last time, she had made many changes.

For example, most of those who were supposed to die didn't—the undead basically gained a second life when the flame was inherited. As for those gods who were supposed to die... apart from Gwyn and Manus and other Abyss Corruption creations who were beyond saving, she basically saved them all, if she could.

—I remember when I was seizing the Soul of Life, I must have saved Clara as well. I also broke the curse on the two spider sisters, Red and White, allowing them to return to their human forms as witches... I wonder how they're doing now. After all, witches are considered part of the divine race. Perhaps we'll have a chance to meet again someday.

She thought about it, and had a vague intuition—that if, during her last dream, she had arrived in Drangleic Castle, the Dark Souls II game, instead of Lothric from Dark Souls 3, then when she entered the starting area, she might not have encountered the Fates explaining the Three Fates, but rather three witch sisters who might be older, but more beautiful, and whose journey would become quite fantastical.

It was a strange feeling, but she didn't know why she was thinking that way.

And time slipped away unnoticed in her meaningless contemplation. Until—

—The smoky aroma of roasted meat touched the tip of her nose.

"I've made some roasted meat, would you like to try some?" — Kal'tsit had already built a campfire and started cooking some food. The marbled meat chunks were interspersed with vibrant green vegetable slices, seasoned with spices, cooking wine, and some unique cooking techniques. This exquisite handmade meat dish exuded an enticing aroma while being coated in a rich sauce.

She handed a skewer of steaming grilled meat to Miss Surtr. Her eyes held anticipation, but her movements still showed signs of restraint.

—Wow...the sun is rising from the west, no, from underground!

—Does meeting new friends really have such a big effect on improving one's temper... or is it not just because there are new friends nearby?

My thoughts raced.

But the response was equally swift.