Sir Gideon Ofnir

Lin Luo had no intention of laying everything bare before Sir Gideon Ofnir. If he said it outright, Gideon would surely sneer at him.

Perhaps it would make him stay wary, but it would not do much.

People as clever as him only ever believed what they saw with their own eyes.

Walking past the Great Rune by the entrance, Lin Luo arrived at Sir Gideon Ofnir's door.

A guard wearing a skull helmet stood outside. He was likely Ensha, the Royal Remains, one of Sir Gideon Ofnir's subordinates.

He was still leaning half his body against the wall, his right hand resting on his chin and his head slightly lowered, as though deep in thought.

Lin Luo ignored him and walked straight through the door.

"Tarnished? Oh... a new guest..."

Sir Gideon Ofnir raised his head in confusion, then noticed Melina beside Lin Luo.

"Oh? Melina... an old friend I have not seen in a long time..."

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gideon Ofnir. You may call me Sir Gideon Ofnir..."

Sir Gideon Ofnir raised his head, both hands braced on the table. Beneath his silver-white helmet, his faded eyes gleamed with wisdom.

"So, what brings you here?"

Before Lin Luo could answer, Sir Gideon Ofnir continued.

"If I am not mistaken, you have already defeated Godrick... Hmm... I must say, you are very powerful. But you are still far from becoming the Elden Lord. Godrick was the weakest of the demigods."

"Please do not misunderstand. I mean nothing else by it. I am merely reminding you... After all, you are now a member of the Roundtable Hold as well..."

Sir Gideon Ofnir paused, then stopped, waiting to see what Lin Luo would say.

"..."

Lin Luo looked at Sir Gideon Ofnir and slowly spoke.

"You seem to know a great many things. If possible, I would like you to help me find the whereabouts of the Black Knife organization."

"The Black Knives?"

Sir Gideon Ofnir was somewhat surprised.

"I may not be able to help you with that for the time being. After all, the Black Knives were one of the main forces involved in the Night of the Black Knives..."

"If they were so easily discovered, they would likely have been purged long ago..."

"But you are Sir Gideon Ofnir, are you not?"

"You may name your terms. After all, you believe in fair exchange as well, do you not?"

"..."

"Tarnished, you seem far from ordinary..."

Sir Gideon Ofnir fell silent for a moment, staring quietly at Lin Luo as though trying to see something in his eyes.

"I cannot guarantee anything, but I will help you..."

"However... I need information on those demigods. Since the Shattering, most of them have vanished without a trace. If you want me to search for the Black Knives, then this is my condition."

"What do you think, Tarnished?"

Sir Gideon Ofnir stroked his chin, thought for a moment, then continued. "If possible, I would like to ask why you wish to find the Black Knives..."

"Of course, you need not say anything. I am simply curious..."

"Of course you may ask, but not now."

Lin Luo shrugged and laughed openly.

"As a wise man, you have never completely believed what others say, have you?"

"You seem to understand me well..."

Sir Gideon Ofnir nodded. Indeed, false information was often more terrifying than knowing nothing at all. Ignorance at least did no harm to the current situation, while false information could make someone waste precious time in entirely the wrong place.

It seemed Sir Gideon Ofnir had suffered quite a bit from this in the past. After all, only after taking enough wrong paths could one choose the right one for oneself.

"I would not say I understand you... I merely look past a person's surface and see what lies within..."

"Aren't you that kind of person too?"

"Haha..."

Sir Gideon Ofnir laughed for the first time in a long while.

"I never expected it..."

"This is the first time I have met a Tarnished like you..."

Sir Gideon Ofnir found it rather unexpected. The Tarnished he had met before were either too cowardly to even approach Stormveil Castle; or outright thugs who had been granted the strength and abilities of the Tarnished, yet survived in the Lands Between through plunder and theft; or else overly ambitious fools who lost all sense of direction after gaining a little strength, dreaming of reaching the heavens in a single step, only to vanish so completely that not even their corpses could be found. They had been grafted.

Lin Luo was the first he had encountered who was powerful, had ambitions for the Elden Throne, and suited his tastes.

"Mm-hm..."

Lin Luo merely shrugged, utterly unmoved.

Only then did Sir Gideon Ofnir notice that Lin Luo seemed rather close to Melina... Were they perhaps a couple?

Sir Gideon Ofnir recalled Varré's story...

That Tarnished who had embraced the Frenzied Flame because he did not want his maiden to die as kindling...

He had been only one step away from becoming Lord... Sir Gideon Ofnir could not understand such a choice in the slightest...

At least, he could not understand it.

Although Sir Gideon Ofnir had once partnered with Dolores, they had only been partners. There had been feelings between them, certainly, but never enough for him to die for her. Otherwise, when Seluvis turned Dolores into a puppet, he would have gone and killed him long ago.

Sir Gideon Ofnir had no intention of warning Lin Luo. He would be more than happy if Lin Luo eventually embraced the Frenzied Flame. It would not affect his current plans anyway, and in the end, there would be one less competitor for the throne.

"You seem to be thinking about something impolite..."

Lin Luo saw Sir Gideon Ofnir's gaze lingering on Melina for far too long and could not help feeling a little uncomfortable.

Shameless old man. What the hell is he thinking?

Ahem, just joking.

Lin Luo naturally knew that Sir Gideon Ofnir was not interested in women. With a little deduction, he had guessed most of it.

"Cough, cough...!!"

The moment Sir Gideon Ofnir heard Lin Luo's words, he nearly choked to death on his own saliva.

Good grief. No matter how I look at it, he is insulting me, isn't he? I may be several hundred years old, but I would not do something like that!

"You misunderstand..."

"Melina is an old friend of mine..."

"It seems the two of you are very close... I am simply happy for Melina..."

Yeah, right. You did not even avenge your own girlfriend after someone killed her right in front of you, and you expect me to believe you care about Melina?

Lin Luo grumbled inwardly, but did not say it aloud. He feared Sir Gideon Ofnir would turn hostile on the spot if he did.

"Then I must have misunderstood..."

"It is getting late..."

"Before night falls, head to Liurnia of the Lakes."

"The headmistress of Raya Lucaria Academy, the last queen of the Carian royal family—Rennala—is there..."

"That is where the road to the Royal Capital lies, Tarnished."

"So you are kicking me out, huh..."

Lin Luo gave a wry smile. It seemed he had completely stumped Sir Gideon Ofnir.

Since you know I am sending you away, take the hint, will you? Do not put on such a wronged expression, and why the hell did you say it out loud?! Don't I have any dignity?

Fortunately, Sir Gideon Ofnir wore a helmet. Otherwise, given this Tarnished's rotten personality, he would probably have mocked the look on his face too.

"Melina, let's go... We do not need to suffer this indignity."

Lin Luo rested his head on Melina's shoulder and walked out of the room with an "aggrieved" expression...

Not long after Lin Luo left.

Sir Gideon Ofnir's irritated voice rang out.

"Ensha! Put a notice on the wall!"

"Write: Lin Luo and dogs are forbidden from entering!"