In the end, Melina was the first to speak.
"Um, may I ask what's wrong?"
Melina asked cautiously.
"Sorry, I lost my composure. Seeing you reminded me of someone from my past, and I ended up spacing out."
Lucian suppressed the uncontrollable emotions in his heart and casually made up a lie to brush it off.
Melina nodded. Though she found it a little strange, it did sound reasonable.
"Oh, I see. You must have cared deeply for each other."
"Yes. She was my Maiden. We traveled together and overcame countless hardships. I thought those days could go on forever, but she sacrificed herself for me."
Melina did not know that Lucian was actually speaking of her. She merely took it as a story about Lucian and the Maiden he had once traveled with.
"I'm sorry to hear such a story. But if you still seek the Elden Ring, then you have no choice but to keep moving forward, don't you?"
Lucian nodded.
"What do you mean?"
Seeing that Lucian seemed to have regained his composure, Melina sighed in relief and began explaining why she had come.
"Just as I said earlier, I wish to make a bargain with you."
"I mean no offense, but you currently have no Maiden by your side..."
Melina had been watching Lucian's expression all along. Only when she saw that he was not angered by her mentioning his lack of a Maiden did she continue.
"I can take on a Maiden's duties and turn Runes into your strength."
"As long as you still desire the Elden Ring, this will surely be of help to you."
"In return, I hope you will help me by taking me to the foot of the Erdtree."
"What do you say?"
Lucian had no reason to refuse, but he still pretended to think it over before agreeing after a while.
"Though I don't know who you are, this seems to do me no harm."
"So, you agree?"
"Yes. My name is Lucian. I look forward to working with you, my Maiden."
The corners of Melina's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Then we have an agreement. When you need to turn Runes into strength, simply call for me at a Grace."
Lucian stared at Melina's smile, his heart pounding fiercely.
In his previous life, Melina had been teased for being wooden, always wearing a serious, unsmiling expression. But now, when she smiled, she was as beautiful as a melting glacier.
Seeing such a breathtaking contrast, Lucian truly felt that he could die without regrets.
"Can you turn my Runes into strength now?"
Melina nodded and reached her hand toward Lucian.
"Just for a moment. Let me touch you."
Seeing the burn scars covering Melina's fair, delicate hand, Lucian's heart ached.
But Melina thought Lucian was bothered by the scars on her hand. Her fingers trembled slightly as she began to pull her hand back, suddenly lacking confidence.
"Sorry. They're ugly, aren't they? I'll wear gloves next time."
But Lucian suddenly reached out and caught the hand Melina had tried to withdraw. Like a startled fawn, her body stiffened.
Huh? Why was this person so practiced at holding her hand? Was this a normal reaction to seeing scars?
Melina's hand was small, easily covered by Lucian's palm.
"Not at all. You must have gone through so much pain, but from now on, I'll protect you. I promise."
"I won't lose my Maiden a second time."
Melina lowered her head, refusing to let Lucian see her expression.
Only after a while did she nod and let out a faint, "Mm."
Melina took a deep breath and tried her best to slow her pounding heart.
Lucian's action had startled her so badly just now that her mind had gone blank, and she had completely forgotten to pull her hand away.
This was bad. Torrent seemed to have found a strange person.
No, wait. She was the one who had asked him to touch her hand, wasn't she?
Melina raised her head, appearing to have regained her usual calm. But she knew that she was nowhere near as calm as she looked.
"Next, I will help you convert your Runes into strength. Please do not resist."
Golden Runes were drawn from Lucian's body by Melina, gathering in her hand.
"You currently possess more than 2,200 Runes, enough to raise two attributes."
"I can distribute the strength formed from your Runes among vigor, mind, endurance, strength, Dexterity, intelligence, faith, and Arcane."
"Now, please choose where you wish to allocate that strength."
"Raise my vigor and Dexterity."
Melina nodded, indicating that she understood.
The golden Runes then slowly flowed back from Melina's hand. But unlike before, Lucian felt the energy seep directly into his flesh, binding firmly with it and becoming impossible to separate again.
Lucian had given careful thought to these two attributes.
When Melina had asked him how he wished to allocate them, an upgrade panel had suddenly appeared before him, allowing him to see his attributes.
Vigor: 15,
Mind: 10,
Endurance: 11,
Strength: 14,
Dexterity: 13,
Intelligence: 9,
Faith: 9,
Arcane: 7.
These were the starting attributes of the knight class. His vigor, strength, and Dexterity were all high, without any obvious weakness.
The relatively low intelligence, faith, and Arcane were not particularly important attributes at the moment.
What Lucian needed most right now was room for error—at the very least, enough room for error to activate Wind Spirit Moon Shadow.
The automatic Invincibility that had triggered against the Grafted Scion only worked once. Every future activation would need to be initiated manually.
Therefore, higher vigor would make Lucian less likely to be instantly killed, while Dexterity would let him dodge and attack more easily in battle, striving for flawless victories.
The transfer ended quickly. The vigor and Dexterity on the panel became 16 and 14 respectively.
"That is all. Your Runes have become strength. But please remember that as your strength rises, you will need increasingly more Runes."
Lucian released her hand and suddenly realized sadly that this was the first time he had ever held a girl's hand.
Melina then took several items from beneath her cloak and held them out to Lucian.
In her left hand was a golden ring emitting a gentle glow. In her right were two golden bottles, one filled with blue liquid and the other with red.
Melina first handed the two bottles to Lucian.
"These are Flask of Crimson Tears containing Tears. They are vessels made in imitation of the legendary Golden Chalice, which received blessed Tears. The red one can heal your wounds, while the blue one restores your focus."
"There is no need to conserve them. Each time you rest at a Grace, the Tears will be replenished."
Lucian accepted them and carefully stored them in his bag. They were things that could save his life.
Melina then handed Lucian the ring in her left hand.
"When you need to travel a long distance, please use this ring. It can serve as a Spectral Steed Whistle. Blow it to summon the spirit steed named Torrent."
"Torrent likes you very much. I hope you will treat him well."
Lucian solemnly accepted the ring and slipped it onto the ring finger of his left hand, where he had just removed his gauntlet.
The relationship won't heat up too quickly, but I need to get it started first. (Honestly, I just wanted to write Melina acting shy.)
Before you continue