Target: Weeping Peninsula

Lucian sat before the Grace, unable to figure out why Melina had suddenly vanished.

He had wanted to ask how to blow the Spectral Steed Whistle after putting on the ring. It would be awkward if he could not make it sound.

There were also questions he had not had time to ask, such as whether he could teleport or store items at a Grace.

"Melina? Are you still there?"

"Forget it. Melina must have had her reasons for doing that."

Lucian took out a Flask of Crimson Tears.

"Let's see what it tastes like. Sitting at a Grace restores it anyway."

Lucian licked his lips. He had been eating ever since he started traveling, but he had not properly had a drink of water.

He had forgotten to ask Kale whether he had a water pouch. Though he had not seen one at the time, so Kale probably did not have one either.

After all, nearly everyone in the Lands Between was basically undead. They did not need to eat or drink at all.

"Glug, glug—ah!"

Lucian drained a whole flask of Cerulean Tears in one go. It tasted pretty good, a little like iced black tea with a cool kick—refreshing and invigorating.

Then Lucian sampled the Crimson Tears. Mm, this was the flavor. Classic original iced black tea.

I miss you, bro.

After quenching his thirst, Lucian watched as the Tears were replenished drop by drop by the Grace and began considering what to do next.

Right now, Lucian had no real combat skill to speak of. His previous victories could only be credited to this body's decent stats.

But that was not enough. He had to work harder and hone himself. The Lands Between was far too dangerous.

Against those powerful demigods, without Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, he would most likely be crushed by sheer stats.

Not to mention all the elite enemies along the way. Lucian could not waste Wind Spirit Moon Shadow's uses on them.

Since that was the case, he had to bring out this body's proper strength—perhaps even strength beyond what its stats should allow.

Lucian needed exceptional combat skills. Only then could he defeat stronger enemies while at a disadvantage.

Lucian needed someone to teach him how to fight.

The best choice was naturally Bernahl, the Ash of War instructor. He could learn many useful Ashes of War from him.

But Bernahl's fees were expensive, and the road there was rather dangerous.

One route was to force his way through the checkpoint, charging past the pass crowded with stationed soldiers.

The other was to use Torrent to leap up the Spirit Springs beside the cliff and reach the top of the hill—a Stormhill crawling with Trolls.

Whichever route he chose, there were countless enemies, and they were not weak either.

Though it was not impossible to reach Bernahl, Lucian had another potential teacher in mind.

On the Weeping Peninsula stood Castle Morne. Its lord was a Banished Knight with superb martial skill. Though he was inferior to Bernahl, he was already extremely powerful by Lucian's standards.

If time here matched the game's timeline, Castle Morne was probably in the midst of a brutal rebellion. The rebellious Misbegotten and the soldiers clashed fiercely every day.

The Misbegotten might be numerous, but they were not particularly troublesome opponents. It would be perfect to sharpen his combat skills there.

And there was also a girl on the Weeping Peninsula—Irina, the castle lord's daughter—waiting for Lucian's rescue.

As Lucian continued thinking, he gradually drifted into sleep. The battles during the day had left his mind quite exhausted.

As a former shut-in, Lucian's ability to adapt after crossing into this world could already be called terrifying.

In just two days, he had become utterly unafraid of fighting and killing.

Perhaps he was never meant to live in a peaceful era. Peace would only put the beast in his heart to sleep.

Lucian was someone who loved peace, and his desire to bring peace to the Lands Between was genuine.

But he had yet to realize that he was equally obsessed with the slaughter and bloodshed filling the road to peace.

Melina sat quietly beside the Grace. Torrent lay on his side like a sofa, giving Melina something to lean against.

She had fled in embarrassment after being startled by Lucian's actions.

In the Lands Between, wearing a ring offered by someone else on the ring finger of one's left hand was also part of a marriage ceremony.

But Melina had only regarded that ring as a whistle. Were whistles not usually worn on the index finger for easier blowing?

Who would have thought Lucian would put it directly on his left ring finger?

It was only after Lucian put it on that Melina realized there was nothing wrong with interpreting that action as a proposal.

And it was Melina proposing to Lucian.

She had thought Lucian was deliberately teasing her. A little angry, she had left without saying goodbye and immediately turned into spirit form.

But afterward, seeing Lucian's confused expression, Melina began to hesitate again.

Could it be that the Tarnished simply did not have such a custom? Had she blamed him unfairly?

In the end, Melina decided to put the matter out of her mind. It was not the time to think about such things.

She still could not be sure whether he would truly follow the guidance of Grace, nor did she know whether he would step forward to challenge the hardships ahead.

Though Torrent had chosen him, Melina still had her worries. The journey to the foot of the Erdtree was difficult, and she had no choice but to return there.

If he had no intention of fulfilling their agreement, or if his abilities were insufficient for the task, Melina would have to find another way herself.

Looking at Lucian's childlike sleeping posture, curled up into a ball, Melina shook her head.

And this guy said he would definitely protect me...

Melina shook her head. The word "protect" was far too distant from her.

She could not imagine what that feeling was like either. Other than the mission she had yet to recover, she had nothing at all.

But who would not like the feeling of being protected?

To put it plainly, Melina was only a pitiful young girl.

Someone had firmly said he would protect her, and it stirred an indescribable feeling within her.

She was already a spirit. The very idea of protection should not apply to her at all, yet unexpectedly, she felt the faintest longing for it.

For the first time, she yearned for that distant, unknown word—one unrelated to her mission.

It was not that she did not long for a sweeping journey like those in heroic picture books, nor that she did not wish to freely explore the Lands Between.

But she had to search for the reason why she, whose physical body had burned away and who remained only as a soul, still had to keep living.

There had to be something—some extremely important mission waiting for her to complete, even if only her soul remained.

When Lucian woke, the sky had already brightened. He felt light all over. Right now, he was terrifyingly strong.

Lucian vigorously shook his head, banishing that cringe-worthy thought from his mind.

It would not be funny if he died because of arrogance.

Lucian rose to his feet, and the space shrouded by Grace around him dissipated with him.

The soldiers in the distance saw someone suddenly appear and began calling for their companions as they prepared to surround him.

But Lucian was not afraid now.

He raised his left hand and forcefully blew the whistle around his ring finger.

With a "whoosh," a large gray horse with horns appeared out of thin air.

Torrent affectionately rubbed the horn on his head against Lucian. Lucian burst into laughter and swung himself onto the saddle as if he had done it countless times before.

"Hahahaha, Torrent, charge!"

Lucian rode Torrent toward the distance.

In the spirit world beyond his sight, Melina sat sideways behind him, quietly admiring the scenery along the way.

The school has a week-long electronics internship, and my schedule is packed. Keeping up one update a day should not be a problem; I will try for two. (oД`o)ノ