Irina

Lucian lifted the Confessor's hood with his sword, revealing an utterly ordinary face. His faded eyes proved that he truly was one of the Tarnished.

Lucian had not necessarily intended to kill him, but he had lost control in the middle of the fight.

It could not be helped. The man had simply been too weak.

Though the Confessor's combat skills were decent enough, Lucian had already leveled up several times. With his attributes overwhelming the man's, his defenses were like paper. After two strikes, he could no longer hold up his shield.

Well, what was done was done. No sense wasting it. Time to loot the body.

Lucian picked up the Confessor's equipment: a straight sword called the Broadsword +2, a Blue-Crest Heater Shield, and a Finger Seal. There were also three Smithing Stone [1]s and an Iron Cleaver.

Lucian had done quite a bit of research into Irina's death in his previous life. The Confessor coming to assassinate her was within his expectations.

In the game, Irina had clearly not been murdered by Misbegotten. That had merely been a staged scene.

At the place where Irina died, two patches of blood had been left on the stone behind her.

The smaller patch came from a penetrating wound. It was older and had already darkened. The larger patch had been sprayed across more than half the stone.

An Iron Cleaver used by Misbegotten had been stuck nearby. It should have been used to mutilate the corpse and create the illusion of the scene.

But Misbegotten had endured abuse and humiliation. After rebelling, they continuously vented the rage in their hearts. Even after their enemies died, they would keep swinging their cleavers until the bodies had been chopped into pulp.

That was why Lucian believed the scene had been forged. Misbegotten would not kill someone, toss aside their weapon, and leave.

Melina's voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

"He truly was a Confessor who served the Two Fingers... I am not saying you were wrong to kill him. It is simply that if the church of the Two Fingers discovers this, there may be some trouble."

Lucian was a little surprised.

"You do not think this is some outrageous act of heresy?"

"What is so strange about it? As you said, following guidance does not mean following the guidance of the Two Fingers."

After thinking it over carefully, Lucian realized that this truly did not seem important to Melina. Even if he became one of the Recusants, joined Volcano Manor, and hunted his own kind, she would not object.

Except for the Frenzied Flame. That was Melina's forbidden line.

"In that case..."

Lucian hoisted the Confessor's corpse over his shoulder and walked toward Torrent.

Irina was still in a state of panic.

She had only just escaped from the castle when she encountered a group of Misbegotten on the road. All the guards at her side had stayed behind to hold off the enemy.

The servants beside her had fled with her, but one by one, they had gone silent. She did not know whether they had become separated or where they had gone.

She remembered her father once saying that a great bridge connected their Castle Morne to Lord Godrick's territory.

So she had walked along the roadside stone railing, intending to seek help from the soldiers stationed on the bridge.

Then she heard the rider tell her that someone was behind her. If not for his warning, she might already have died without ever knowing why.

Looking back now, the servants had probably been assassinated one by one by the person following them.

Her life had been peaceful until then, but today, that peace had been shattered.

Her father had remained in the castle, his fate unknown. The soldiers who stayed behind to cover their retreat were likely doomed as well. The servants who had raised and cared for her had already been killed...

Irina wanted to cry, but she could not. With her disability, she could not even shed tears.

When she heard Lucian approaching, she shuddered.

The battle had been somewhat far away. She only knew that it had ended, not who had won.

Lucian walked up to her. Seeing her body trembling uncontrollably from fear and grief, his heart ached for her.

"It is all right. The person who wanted to kill you is dead. I killed him."

Hearing the voice of her savior, Irina's taut nerves finally relaxed.

But the grief and lingering fear washed over her even more violently. She sobbed without tears, muttering incoherently beneath her breath.

She wanted to dismount and thank her benefactor, but her physical condition made her nearly fall to the ground.

Fortunately, Lucian reacted quickly. He tossed the corpse to the ground and caught Irina.

Feeling the soft body in his arms tremble with sobs, Lucian could think of nothing but heartache.

He gently patted Irina's back, comforting her again and again.

"It is all right. You are safe now. As long as I am here, nothing will happen to you. It is all right. It is all right..."

Irina gradually calmed down. She was a strong girl, and she still had something important to do.

She raised her face, held Lucian's hand with both of hers, and pleaded:

"Please, could you deliver this letter to my father? He is the lord of that castle in the south. The Misbegotten have risen in rebellion, and there are sounds of fighting and roaring everywhere."

"My father had the soldiers and servants take me out of the castle, but he is still defending it himself. Please deliver the letter to him and tell him to flee."

"Even if he must bear the name of a coward, I still want him to live, because he is my father..."

"I am sorry. You have only just saved my life, yet I shamelessly ask you to help me."

"But please, I beg you..."

Lucian took Irina's hands and promised in a solemn voice:

"Leave it to me. I will reunite you and your father."

Lucian rode Torrent to the edge of a cliff. Behind him, Irina wrapped her arms around him. Her spirit had been battered all day, and she had actually fallen asleep against him on horseback.

Lucian planned to keep Irina with him. Leaving her alone was far too dangerous. He did not know whether the Confessor had acted alone, or whether others still wanted her dead.

Lucian held one of the Confessor's feet in his right hand and dragged the corpse all the way there, leaving a trail of bloody mud behind him.

He coldly threw the corpse, now missing half its head, off the cliff. Only after hearing it fall into the sea did he turn and leave.

To keep Irina from falling off while she slept, Lucian moved her to the front of the saddle.

He had her sit sideways on the horse, held her body with his left arm while controlling the reins, and drew his blade with his right hand.

He was furious now. He wanted to cut something down.

Thus, every Misbegotten still mutilating the soldiers and servants on the road to Castle Morne met with disaster.

Lucian rode away from the Misbegotten encampment. Not a single corpse behind him remained intact.

The entire slaughter had failed to wake Irina.

Since her seat had been taken, Melina floated beside Torrent. She felt somewhat shaken. Lucian's fighting techniques seemed to come to him instinctively.

Though his enemies had only been a group of weak Misbegotten, his weapon handling, timing, and ability to deal with being surrounded had all improved greatly compared to before. And he was still growing stronger.

Ignoring the Teardrop Scarab pushing an Ash of War along the road, Lucian soon arrived outside Castle Morne's outer wall. There was a Grace there, along with a merchant tending a campfire.

Night had already fallen. Lucian did not intend to enter Castle Morne today. Resting and recovering his strength was extremely important.

He greeted the nomadic merchant and gave him 100 Runes, persuading him to let them share the fire.

Lucian held the sleeping Irina in his arms, lost in thought.

From the bushes on the other side of the road came rustling sounds. Lucian looked over and saw pairs of goose-yellow eyes, like burning flames, lighting up in the darkness.

Lucian knew those were eyes inhabited by the Frenzied Flame.

"Looks like the truth is even more complicated than I guessed."

There are all kinds of theories about why Irina was killed. Personally, I think the Two Fingers wanted to kill Irina because she was suspected of being a Frenzied Flame Maiden, while the Three Fingers wanted to abduct her and turn her into one. That is why both sides acted in this novel. As for Irina being a Maiden, that judgment is based on the fact that Lord of Blood's Favor, which requires Maiden blood, could be dyed red with Irina's corpse in the game before. White Mask Varré surely had a way to determine whether blood came from a Maiden. Since Irina's blood could be used to complete the quest, it meant she truly was a Maiden, or at least had the bloodline to become one. This is only my personal speculation. After all, I am writing a novel, not doing Elden Ring scholarship, so please do not take it too seriously. Friendly discussion is welcome. Also, shamelessly asking for recommendation votes. ^_^