Pinky Swear

Melina sat at the round table, bracing herself with both hands on its surface while her dangling legs swung back and forth. She stared blankly at the domed ceiling of the Roundtable Hold, bored out of her mind.

The Roundtable Hold was, after all, the Two Fingers' territory. Though Melina had no particular issue with the Two Fingers, she did not want to expose herself before them so easily.

Why? Intuition, of course.

So instead of following Lucian around to explore the Roundtable Hold, she had stayed alone beside the Grace, lost in thought.

The Golden Blessing blocked all attempts at observation. As long as she remained here, there was no chance of being exposed.

But there was nothing she could do, either. All she could do was swing her legs and stare into space.

In the past, her goal throughout her journey had been to find a suitable candidate. Everything else was merely something to observe, never something she took to heart.

She had wandered everywhere with Torrent, searching for a Tarnished who might become Elden Lord, and she had never once felt lonely or bored along the way.

But after choosing Lucian, she was no longer in such a hurry. All she needed to do was quietly wait for him to grow stronger, then bring her back to the foot of the Erdtree.

And so, she began to enjoy this journey as well. Ever since she had set out with Lucian, the time had been brief, but she had experienced more than she had in all her previous years combined.

Only by experiencing things firsthand could one realize how wonderful they were, and how boring it was to simply wait.

Melina was, in truth, an exceptionally pure girl, as pure as a blank sheet of paper, because she had been "made" that way.

She knew all kinds of skills that assisted others—leveling up, Ashes of War, maps—because her mission required her to.

She had learned etiquette and knew how to speak without making people angry, because her mission required her to.

She no longer even had a body, only a soul, yet she still lived in this world, because her mission required her to.

But no one had ever taught her what she should do when traveling with companions, or how to speak in a way that made others happy rather than merely not angry.

All memories apart from the common sense and knowledge she needed had been erased.

Because none of that was necessary for completing her mission.

She was also deeply confused, because she only knew that she needed to search for her mission. Beyond that, she knew nothing.

Everything was for the sake of her mission, yet even she herself was still searching. What exactly was this mission?

Though Melina did not hate the mission she bore and would certainly carry it out,

when Boc mentioned his mother, she still wondered what the relationship between an ordinary mother and an ordinary child was like.

And when Irina reunited with her father, she still wondered what it would feel like if she, too, had been loved by her parents.

Melina knew none of those answers, because her former life had contained only her mission.

But things were different now.

She had a trustworthy companion, one who was both gentle and strong.

Even if her heart was confused, it did not matter. She could believe in him, just as he believed in her.

She was grateful that, before reaching the foot of the Erdtree, she still had so much time.

Time to seek out those answers, time to etch the sights along the road into her mind, time to fill the emptiness in her heart.

In that case, until I recover my mission, I should enjoy the journey properly.

Lucian approached the enormous Grace at the round table. He did not need to sit down as he would at an ordinary Grace; with a single outstretched hand, he entered the Grace's space.

Melina's swinging feet stiffened for a moment, but soon began to sway again.

We're companions. Even if I don't act quite so proper, that should be all right, shouldn't it?

Melina tested the waters in her own clumsy way. After all, she was only a young girl, and she wanted to understand things beyond her mission.

For example, how to get along with a companion.

Lucian was greatly surprised. Melina seemed to have changed; she had actually made such a casual gesture.

But he could also tell that Melina had simply been bored from waiting too long. Her movements were far too easy to read.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Melina stopped swinging her legs and asked Lucian,

"How was the Roundtable Hold?"

"It exceeded my expectations—the facilities, the staff, and the service."

"Then what about heroes? Were there many powerful heroes?"

"To be honest, I didn't see any particularly powerful heroes. The Roundtable Hold seems to have declined."

Lucian felt a little wistful. The founders of the Roundtable Hold had either gone mad or rebelled, leaving only Gideon Ofnir to hold things together.

And Gideon Ofnir happened to be a scheming old bastard, which meant the Roundtable Hold no longer had anyone outwardly capable of commanding the room.

Melina was somewhat disappointed as well. This was rather different from the Roundtable Hold she knew.

Still, Lucian quite liked the Roundtable Hold as it was now. Compared to the one in the game, this Roundtable Hold felt much more alive.

"But the tools and items in the Roundtable Hold are all very useful, and the people seem pretty decent too. Overall, I like this place quite a lot."

"I see. Then shall we set a small goal first?"

"What small goal?"

Melina thought for a moment, then raised one index finger between them, wearing a confident smile that showed she had it all figured out.

"Before becoming Elden Lord, let's first aim to become the strongest person in the Roundtable Hold."

"I believe you can definitely do it, because every part of you shines with the qualities of a hero."

"Courage, strength, kindness, and so many other things I cannot put into words. That is how I see you."

Lucian had never expected Melina to see him that way, and he felt almost flattered.

It was like being complimented on his good grades by a girl in high school who had a secret crush on him.

They were clearly nothing special, merely ordinary words of praise, yet they made Lucian's heart pound wildly.

Because what was special was not the words. What was special was the trust, and the person giving it.

Lucian was not good at dealing with other people's expectations, because no one had ever expected anything of him.

Even though becoming the strongest in the Roundtable Hold would not be difficult for him now, he did not know what to say.

No one had ever taught him how to respond to expectations or how to face praise.

Because he had never encountered such things. Due to his family circumstances, no one had ever praised him or expected anything of him.

In his previous life, whenever anything happened, he only needed to hide inside a game. Games had been his sole emotional refuge.

Should he confidently agree? Or should he humbly refuse?

Lucian knew none of the answers, because his previous life had contained only games and escape.

As for everything else, he did not really understand it all that well.

But thankfully, things were different now.

He had gradually grown stronger, strong enough to bear other people's expectations. He no longer needed to run away.

Lucian wanted to understand more about how to shoulder the trust of others.

So Lucian removed the gauntlet from his right hand and extended his little finger toward Melina. At some point, his hand had become covered in scars that even Grace could not erase.

"I'll definitely do it. Let's make a promise."

Though Melina had never seen this kind of oath before, she immediately understood the meaning of Lucian's gesture and extended her little finger, covered in burn scars.

As their two scarred little fingers hooked together in a pinky swear, these two people—unexpectedly alike in some ways—became completely intertwined from that moment on.

Like beasts separated from the pack finding a companion, they licked each other's wounds.

I had to visit a grave tomorrow, so I stayed up all night to write a chapter. I decided to post it right away instead of sticking to a schedule. These two troubled children had finally begun to truly open their hearts. The protagonist might not have seemed like it in ordinary scenes, but according to the character setup from the first two chapters, he was also a complete gaming wreck. Normal conversations were fine, but whenever things reached deeper emotions, he would retreat into games to escape. Please send some recommendation votes every day, and come join the group too. No approval required—you can enter directly. ('')