Little Red Riding Hood

Lin Luo had not dealt a killing blow to the soldiers pursuing him from behind, though he was used to leaving no roots behind.

Lin Luo was different from Godrick. Only after breaking free from the cycle had he realized that his personality had begun to change again.

Lin Luo wondered if it was cowardice.

He had asked Melina before, but Melina had said,

"Perhaps this is a king's mercy..."

Though Lin Luo could not agree with it, he still kept Melina's words in mind.

Since runes no longer improved him much, there was no need to commit such great slaughter.

"What kind of king could there be on a land without living beings?"

Those were the words Melina had spoken to him when he had once embraced the Frenzied Flame.

"Phew..."

Lin Luo sighed. What was wrong with him lately? Why had he become so sentimental?

There was no answer to that.

Perhaps, if Lin Luo asked Melina this question years later, she would most likely say, "Perhaps you changed for her because there is someone you care about..."

Returning to the matter at hand, Torrent seemed to have noticed that something was off with Lin Luo and snorted.

"Hm?"

Only then did Lin Luo come back to his senses and realize that they had reached Stormhill.

"I'm fine, Torrent."

Lin Luo patted Torrent's head, and a smile returned to his face.

"Let's go."

On Stormhill in Limgrave stood a dilapidated shack. Lin Luo lit the site of grace and looked inside, where he found a trembling young girl curled up in the corner. She wore a red hood that covered her short golden hair.

Lin Luo slowly climbed down from his horse and approached the girl.

"Mm... what happened?"

Lin Luo made his voice as gentle as possible. It looked like the girl had suffered a terrible fright.

"...Everyone... everyone was grafted."

The girl said uneasily, "Those who came to the Lands Between with me, those who fought for me... their hands, feet, and heads were all cut off. They became part of a spider."

"You know? After being grafted onto a spider, people grow to look like insect pupae. It's really fascinating, isn't it?"

As she spoke, the girl hugged her knees even tighter.

"..."

Lin Luo said nothing. He merely crouched down and stared intently at her.

"Are you traveling alone?"

The girl continued, "Are you heading for Stormveil Castle?

Did you believe the sweet words of that White Mask?"

The girl seemed somewhat downcast as she looked at Lin Luo. Her eyes glimmered with the dull light unique to the Tarnished. But was she not Tarnished? Why were her eyes emerald green?

"Or do you also want to become part of a spider? If so, then you're just like me. But I don't have the courage—having my hands and feet cut off, having my head cut off... it's too terrifying. I really want to become the same as everyone else, but I'm simply too scared. I'm too cowardly."

"Mm..."

Lin Luo nodded and said, "Varré? I already killed him..."

"Varré?"

Little Red Riding Hood murmured in confusion. The name sounded familiar, and she carefully searched through her memories.

"That White Mask lord!"

"So you're that strong too..."

The dullness in Little Red Riding Hood's eyes suddenly flickered, only to quickly fade again. Yes, grafting was the work of a demigod. How could she possibly ask the powerful person before her to help her?

"Did the White Mask lord... anger you?"

Little Red Riding Hood asked curiously.

"Mm... he insulted me and humiliated my maiden..."

Lin Luo rubbed his chin. "He wasn't a good person anyway. Killing him was no great loss..."

"..."

Little Red Riding Hood unusually agreed. After all, without Varré, her companions likely would not have come to Stormveil Castle... and the tragedy would not have happened.

"Ah... right."

Little Red Riding Hood seemed to remember something and took a small bell from her robes. It was the Spirit Jellyfish Ashes.

"It's too pitiful for her to stay with someone as cowardly as me... and the spirit seems to like you very much. I think this child would be happy too. Then, please take care."

"If you are going to Stormveil Castle, please tell everyone who became pupae: 'I love you all. I'm still very afraid, but sooner or later, I'll become exactly like everyone else.'"

Little Red Riding Hood clasped her hands before her chest, as though praying for her friends...

"I will..."

Lin Luo nodded and slowly rose to his feet.

"I'll destroy the grafted..."

In the end, Lin Luo left behind only those words.

Lin Luo mounted his horse, his goal still clear—kill Godrick.

"Hm?"

Little Red Riding Hood froze. Just as she was about to say something, she discovered that Lin Luo had already gradually vanished beyond her sight.

"Is that so..."

"He looks very strong... perhaps he really can do it..."

Little Red Riding Hood revealed a long-lost smile, and felt a long-lost warmth as well...

"You truly are different from the other Tarnished..."

Melina appeared on Torrent's back. She had been following Lin Luo all along, so she naturally knew everything that had just happened.

"She's a very kind girl. She shouldn't die in a place like this."

Feeling the softness behind him, Lin Luo smiled.

"Perhaps..."

Melina nodded, her gaze upon Lin Luo carrying a trace of tenderness.

Lin Luo then remembered the Grafted Scion in the Royal Capital Erdtree Chapel. It had to be said that, though its body was strangely shaped from all the limbs joined to it, its face was exceptionally handsome.

After killing it, it would leave behind an Ornamental Straight Sword and a Golden Beast Crest Shield.

Those were weapons used by the Golden Lineage.

Though Little Red Riding Hood was Tarnished, she could not see the guidance of grace. Moreover, she possessed a talent for spirit tuning.

By sheer coincidence, Hewg—the blacksmith at The Erdtree, Marika's contingency, the blacksmith who specialized in forging god-slaying weapons for the Tarnished—

Hewg had also said that the person who once cared for him had been a spirit tuner.

Putting these connections together, Little Red Riding Hood certainly had an inseparable relationship with the Golden Lineage as well.

Perhaps she was the princess of this generation's Golden Lineage...

Lin Luo sorted through these tangled relationships, then suddenly looked toward Melina.

If he remembered correctly, Melina also seemed to be Marika's descendant...

Marika had wanted to break free from the Greater Will's control and shatter the Elden Ring.

Radagon obeyed the Greater Will's command and repaired the Elden Ring.

Although they were the same person, they clearly possessed two different consciousnesses.

Perhaps Radagon was the divine side, while Marika was the human side.

Then it seemed that Melina and Hewg were both contingencies Marika had left behind to break free from the Greater Will...

No wonder Melina supported every ending in which the Tarnished became a lord, except the Lord of Frenzied Flame...

It had to be said that Marika was a truly terrifying person.