Chapter 311

"It's quite cute this way too." Miss Surtr rubbed her shoulder, which didn't hurt at all.

Ah... what is this? Isn't her smile more desirable than her body? Perhaps...

There was a commotion behind her, and Ren seemed to want to come over and help her rub it, but she found that the Fire Keeper seemed to have a competitive attitude. The two Princess Highness almost bumped into each other, and the atmosphere in the three-person group became much more lively. And in this somewhat lively atmosphere, Miss Surtr's gaze turned to the distance.

—Yes, I was in the past. What I've always hoped for is for the people around me to be happy and joyful, to be able to show genuine, heartfelt smiles. I've always been like this, I've always been like this.

Ownership of the body has always been secondary. Just like my attitude towards Persephone. I don't covet their bodies and souls; there was no need for it in the past, there is no need now, and there will be no need in the future.

—And besides saving the world, besides establishing a new order, what else can I do for them to bring a smile to their faces?

She thought—her thoughts, before continuing to explore deeper, drifted temporarily into the distance.

She thought of Kal'tsit's lynx ears.

Then her attention returned to the depths of the abyss.

The knight's name was Fedorlink. He was old and alert, his armor worn but sturdy, with a brass sheen. He claimed to be from the Land of Twilight, a holy knight who had come here to exorcise a powerful evil spirit that inhabited the land.

This happened three days ago.

Three days ago, after Kal'tsit seized Duke Alster's power and spear, her suddenly heightened senses allowed her to spot the paladin Fedorlink hidden behind a hundred-meter-high boulder. What followed was a battle that ended without a kill or a clear victor.

Even if one has mastered all the techniques of newly learned spearmanship, it is ultimately no match for the sword and shield skills honed through countless trials.

However, even the refined sword and shield techniques and the miracles imbued with conviction were ultimately no match for the sudden attack of the Verdant Dragon Serpent.

The battle ended in a draw, and the lack of murderous intent in the exchange successfully cleared up the misunderstanding. After obtaining Kal'tsit's permission, the aged paladin examined the remains of the evil creature in the tree and the transformed piercing spear. In the end, he had to admit that the alien girl before him possessed abilities beyond his reach.

"The gun has been purified, but this evil entity possesses immense power—if I had arrived a few days earlier and confronted the evil being nurtured within this tree, I would have died even if I had won. And if I had lost, I might have been seduced by it and become its servant."

"Your mind is very strong, so you were able to defeat it. You were also able to wield this spear—but I couldn't, so you could say you saved my life beforehand. Considering the previous battle, I owe you a favor."

The knight's conclusion was frank and straightforward, revealing his own shortcomings and understanding Kal'tsit's needs.

"But you look travel-worn... You are a traveler, you came from the direction of Fran. This is not a place you want to stay. And you have foreign servants with you, of a different race I have never seen before."

"I think you might want to go to a bustling city, Irithyll? Lothric? Ah... you wouldn't want to deal with those White Cult monks. So I guess you'd like to go to Lothric City. But given your status and physique, even if Lothric no longer submits to the White Cult, it would be difficult for you to enter openly."

"I need a guide, an introducer." Kal'tsit didn't hesitate, taking the cross -Cross Spear, its past stains no longer visible, and pleading with the knight before her. "My name is Kal'tsit, from... a very faraway land called Terra. Old sir, would you help me enter Lothric City?"

"It is my honor, Miss Kal'tsit." The old sanctuary bowed to her with a knight's salute. The favor he had offered was now repaid. As he departed, he offered Kal'tsit some advice. "Please accompany me as a scholar. In the Land of Twilight, knights and mages often form alliances. And if you intend to attract attention along the way, describe that emerald-green creature as your spell."

Kal'tsit didn't intend to attract attention, so she let the emerald green dragon snake hide inside her body once again.

After a short rest, the two set off on their journey.

Day One. The paladin led her to a still-populated market. With the paladin's proof, her foreign features became less noticeable. She successfully enjoyed a soft bed and the average daily meals of Lordran. Her undisguised discomfort as a foreigner earned the knight's partial trust.

"You must come from a very far place... Terra, the name has an ancient feel to it."

As they passed a convoy, the rider struck up a conversation with her.

"Hmm, very far." Kal'tsit gazed at the prison wagons in the caravan, several teenagers tightly chained up—and this was just an ordinary merchant caravan. As the caravan passed the watchtower, she saw armored sentries thrusting sharp spears into the children's eyes.

No one thought there was anything wrong with it, including the child whose head was pierced but who was still able to scream.

"Oh, those are undead. Don't bother with them. Undead aren't human. If you leave them alone, they'll spread the curse of immortality to others. And the undead will gradually turn into zombies, just like the ones you saw in that fortress." The paladin explained to her, clearly noticing Kal'tsit's unfamiliarity with the zombies in the fortress, and the slight anger that was now suppressed in her heart.

"Don't you have any immortals there?" the knight asked.

Kal'tsit shook her head slightly, then nodded.

"There are patients in Terra who have contracted an incurable disease, whose symptoms are contagious and enhance certain abilities of the patient. Once they become critically ill, they can cause destructive effects on their surroundings that are proportional to their abilities." She added softly, "There are many."

"Oh." The paladin clicked his tongue. "Looks like things aren't peaceful on your end either."

"Hmm." Kal'tsit nodded, passing through the checkpoint with Fedorlink. The dead and the living were not difficult to distinguish, and the Spirit-like Entity even possessed mimicking breathing and pulse—she asked the knight from the other side of the checkpoint, "Is there no cure for this disease?"

"Yes. The first is fire. If you burn them with fire, the living corpses will turn to ashes. The second is also fire. As long as a powerful hero inherits the original fire, all the cursed can be freed."

"What kind of liberation?"

"The kind you imagine," the paladin replied, leading her to the next stop on the road.

Kal'tsit fell silent, and before she left in silence, a column of smoke rose from the distance behind her, accompanied by the childish wails of the dying.

The next day, the two were ambushed while crossing a forest—an ambush that Kal'tsit had anticipated. A group of exiled undead attacked them. After the battle, Kal'tsit decided to let them go.

"They'll become zombies sooner or later," Fedorlink told her. "Useless kindness. I hope you can learn to let go of this superfluous emotion soon."

"But they aren't. At least not yet." Kal'tsit displayed the water and food she had taken from the undead bandits, which were no longer of any use to them. "They have already paid the price for their attacks. Until they truly become so that no one else can live as long as they live, I don't think burning them at the stake is an act of mercy."

The paladin did not answer; perhaps he scoffed inwardly.

That very night, however, an undead that Kal'tsit had spared secretly informed them that a powerful army had been active in the area two days prior, killing all living beings that approached. If Kal'tsit and her companion continued forward, they would inevitably run into that group of assassins with sinister intentions.

The two chose a new route overnight, and when they fetched water from the river at dawn, the few limbs and faint scarlet blood flowing down from upstream proved that the warning was not just empty talk.

"Being infected only proves that they are sick; it does not mean that they are bad or evil," Kal'tsit said.

The knight did not answer.

The two set off again on the morning of the third day, but due to a detour, they had to take a longer and more remote route. The cursed mushrooms in the forest could spew out deadly poison. The crabs in the swamp could tear apart large trees and rocks. It took them a considerable amount of time and fighting to deal with them, and it wasn't until Twilight that they finally set up camp in an abandoned fortress that had begun to show signs of merging.

Kal'tsit saw Fedorlink worshipping the Twilight sun—she waited until nightfall before speaking by the campfire.

"I haven't asked yet, sir, which deity do you worship..."

"It is the Lord of Sunlight," the paladin said without concealment. "The Land of Twilight worships two deities, the nameless Lord of Sunlight and the Lady of the Moon. And at Twilight, it is a sacred time when the setting sun and the pale moon appear simultaneously." He tapped his shield, a brass shield that produced a clear, resonant sound. "This shield is called the Dusk Shield. In the Land of Twilight, male monks worship the Lord of Sunlight, while female knights worship the nameless Lady of the Moon."

Twilight, twilight, setting sun—these few words combined gave Kal'tsit a vague premonition. She wanted to ask the Lord of Sunlight's true identity. But before she could speak, a sudden jolt of her senses made her abruptly turn her head to look at a certain empty spot within the fortress!

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The miracle of light was lifted, and a beautifully dressed but battered girl collapsed in front of the two men, reaching out her hand for help.

"Save..." She only managed to utter one word before fainting.

Before she lost consciousness, Kal'tsit clearly saw that she had a face almost identical to the Fire Keeper!

Today is also a two-in-one day.

25/75_(:з"∠)_