A knight's loyalty

"Clang!"

The twisted branch slammed into the smooth Brass Shield. The terrifying force sent Tarnished staggering, and Margit was about to press his advantage when Blaidd charged in from the flank. His enamel-colored Greatsword swept sideways, forcing Margit to leap back. Edgar was already waiting. He leveled his Banished Knight's Halberd +8 and thrust forward, stabbing, stabbing, and stabbing again!

The attack was monotonous and lacked variety, but it exerted tremendous pressure. The simpler a technique, the fewer openings it left, and in the veteran Edgar's hands, these simple thrusts displayed the refined mastery of someone who had returned to the fundamentals. Margit had no choice but to take them seriously.

Edgar thrust five times, and Margit blocked five times. They were evenly matched, one attacking skillfully and the other defending just as well. But Margit had forgotten that Edgar was never fighting alone.

Rogier swiftly joined the fray with nimble footwork. What gave Margit the biggest headache, however, was not Rogier's short, slender thrusting sword, but the four glintblades formed from magic floating behind him.

[Carian Phalanx]: A sorcery of the Carian Royal Family that forms a circular array of magical glintblades. The blades automatically attack nearby enemies, allowing for richly layered attacks when combined with swordplay.

If Edgar's and Rogier's attacks followed patterns, Carian Phalanx was unpredictable. Even its caster did not know when it would activate. The threat of an attack that could come at any moment, yet might not come at all, forced Margit to devote considerable attention to guarding against it. As a result, Edgar spotted an opening and drove his +8 halberd deep into Margit's body.

Pain drove Margit into a frenzy. He abandoned defense altogether and swung his withered branch at Edgar, intending to trade blow for blow. Tarnished stepped forward and raised his shield, firmly blocking the strike. Margit immediately swung again to finish him off, only for Sellen's Glintstone Stars to strike him square in the face. He grunted, his attack interrupted.

The pain roused his ferocity. With a sudden whoosh, Margit raised his withered branch and charged forward, closing the distance while using his momentum to power a sweeping spinning slash.

As a mage with plenty of firepower but little protection, Sellen could never withstand that attack. But her foolish apprentice would never let anyone hurt his teacher.

Tarnished rushed back to defend her, meeting the withered branch with his Brass Shield.

Clang! Tarnished did not budge.

Another clang! Tarnished still did not budge.

Tarnished blocked both of Margit's spinning slashes. Just as he had promised, this time he would become a shield and protect everyone!

And his resolve was met with the same resolve. Tarnished wanted to protect everyone, and everyone wanted to protect Tarnished!

Blaidd landed a heavy leaping slash on Margit's shoulder. Edgar drove his halberd into Margit's lower back, and Rogier's thrusting sword pierced his arm. The poised Carian Phalanx activated at that same moment, its blades thudding into Margit's back. Even Klara the jellyfish swung a tentacle and delivered a vicious "punch"!

In an instant, Margit suffered grievous wounds, blood pouring from his body.

He roared in fury and conjured a massive golden hammer of pure holy energy in his left hand. A sweeping swing forced everyone back, and then he leaped high into the air.

"The Tarnished truly are descendants of warriors, not to be underestimated. But this is as far as you go! A band of traitorous rebels, deserving nothing less than-Argh!"

Before he could finish pronouncing their death sentence, Sellen's more advanced "Glintstone Spiral" pierced Margit's body, shooting him out of the sky.

The apprentice would not let anyone hurt his teacher, and the teacher was even less willing to let anyone hurt her apprentice.

Their desire to protect each other was the bond between teacher and student!

"To... seize the Elden Ring, you dare rise against your betters. A pack of... rebels who know nothing of their place!" Margit could no longer fight. His life was draining rapidly through the gaping hole in his chest, but even now, he continued denouncing Tarnished and the others for their disloyalty.

"We aren't here to seize the Elden Ring. We came only to save our friend," Tarnished said. "A Demi-Human Queen was captured and brought to Stormveil Castle. She's enormous, far larger than ordinary demi-humans. Do you know where she's being held?"

"Ha! Do you expect me to believe such a pathetic lie? Attacking the Golden Lineage's castle for a mere demi-human? No one could be that foolish!" Margit did not believe him at all.

Sellen nodded repeatedly. "On that point, I wholeheartedly agree with him."

"Teacher, whose side are you on?!" Tarnished snapped.

"Do not think defeating me settles everything. The darkness lurking in the shadows will not fade so easily. The Fell Omen will never let you go..." Margit shed his final drop of blood, delivered his last words, and dissolved into motes of light.

"What happened? Where's that accursed creature's body?" Edgar asked in confusion.

Rogier sensed the scattering magic and said, "It seems that was merely a projection. Margit's true body is probably somewhere far away."

"Only a projection? Then how powerful must his true body be?" Blaidd marveled. "What a terrifying man."

Tarnished asked Sellen, "Teacher, are you all right?"

"Yes. I wasn't hurt."

"What was that spell just now?"

"Want to learn it?" Sellen chuckled. "Raise your intelligence, and I'll teach you."

Tarnished hastily laughed it off. He had only raised his intelligence to 12 so he could use Scholar's Shield. He had no intention of becoming a mage.

With Margit's death, the seal on Stormgate Tunnel vanished. The soldiers immediately poured in, asking anxiously, "Lord Tarnished, are you all right?"

"We're fine. We ran into a little trouble, but it's been dealt with." Tarnished looked around at everyone. "Let's keep moving. Stay alert. Once we enter Stormveil Castle, the real battle begins!"

"Yes!"

Morale soaring, the ragtag army began advancing swiftly.

Godrick had stationed heavy defenses at Stormveil Castle's main gate, including no fewer than five ballistae. Even Tarnished could not charge through their dense barrage with his shield raised. Stormveil Castle gave full meaning to the saying that the main gate was a gate that would never fall.

An ordinary army could only have stared helplessly at such defenses. But Tarnished had a mage, and an exceptionally powerful primeval sorcerer at that.

Under everyone's protection, Sellen began gathering magic. The sky dimmed in an instant, and black clouds enveloped all of Stormveil Castle. With a wave of her staff, a torrent of stars formed from magical energy rained down, destroying every defender and siege engine at the main gate!

"Oh!!!"

The ragtag army cheered once more.

Rogier, something of a mage himself, was utterly stunned. "What spell was that?"

"Founding Rain of Stars. Although it isn't officially complete yet, it's more than enough to take a city." Sellen swayed as she spoke, and Tarnished hurried to support her.

"Sorry, apprentice. This body is only an illusion. I'll probably need to rest for a while." Sellen flickered like a television picture with poor reception, her body becoming translucent.

"Get some rest, teacher," Tarnished said with absolute assurance. "Leave the rest to me!"

"Yes. Bring our friend back."

Sellen's illusion vanished like a bursting bubble, and Tarnished led the army onward.

Beyond the main gate lay a broad open area. Its defenders were no longer regular soldiers, but special troops wearing deep crimson hoods and face coverings.

"Godrick used all the powerful soldiers and knights in the castle as material for grafting," Edgar explained. "To make up for the shortage of troops, he recruited these Exile Soldiers. As the name suggests, they were criminals sentenced to exile for grave offenses. To maintain his wicked rule, Godrick pardoned their crimes and brought them into his army. It's not merely a violation of the law, but an insult to every soldier!"

Tarnished did not hesitate. Mercy toward the enemy now would be cruelty toward his own men. He immediately ordered, "Attack. Don't hold back."

Edgar and Blaidd immediately charged into the enemy ranks. Rogier sighed softly but joined the battle at once. With these three hero units clearing the way, Tarnished led his troops in a mass assault. They quickly eliminated the Exile Soldiers stationed there and took control of the area.

"I've got information," Blaidd told Tarnished. "All the grafting material is in the inner ward. That Demi-Human Queen is probably there too."

"Straight ahead leads to Stormveil's inner ward. To the right is the Divine Tower," Edgar said, once again providing directions.

Even without Blaidd's information, Godrick could not possibly have imprisoned Mako in the Divine Tower. In local culture, demi-humans were considered among the crudest of creatures. For a being like a Demi-Human Queen, even setting a toe on the Divine Tower would be a grave affront to the gods.

"Forward, to the inner ward!"

Tarnished chose their direction, but soon retreated.

The road to the inner ward was a long, narrow slope, making it difficult for an army to pass quickly. Godrick had also stationed ballistae on the elevated platforms on both sides and installed flamethrowers along the road ahead, turning the approach into a choke point where one man could hold off ten thousand.

Things would have been manageable with Sellen, their anti-city weapon. Unfortunately, his teacher was only an illusion at present, with limited staying power, and they had already exhausted her uses.

Tarnished tried charging up several times with his shield raised, but failed.

Blaidd made several attempts relying on his agility, but failed too.

Rogier... knew his own limits very well, so he did not even try.

With their advance blocked, Edgar, their guide, offered another handy tip for breaching the castle.

"We can go around. Enter the rampart tower from the cliff beside the gate, and we can bypass the frontal defenses and come out behind these guards. But the path is narrow and unsuitable for a large army."

"Then we'll leave the army here to defend this position, and the four of us will open the way!"

Leaving the army to establish defenses and face off against the inner ward's garrison, Tarnished and the other three doubled back and took the side path along Stormveil Cliffside. Several bald eagles with blades strapped to their feet tried to stop them, but Rogier shot them down with a few Glintstone Pebbles. They caused no trouble at all.

"It's said that Stormveil Castle was not originally a city of the Erdtree, but the domain of the Storm King. Godfrey, the First Elden Lord, conquered it. Although the Storm King fell in that battle, his methods of training hawks survived. There are still quite a few Warhawks like these in Stormveil Castle."

Rogier's fluent explanation impressed them. Edgar looked him up and down and asked curiously, "You know quite a lot. Are you a scholar?"

"For certain personal reasons, I've taken an interest in stories of the past. I wouldn't call myself a scholar," Rogier replied modestly.

Edgar had asked casually, and Rogier answered in kind. With the situation so urgent, none of them had time to dig deeper.

Their subsequent advance went smoothly. The defenses here were indeed far weaker than those at the inner ward. There were barely any Exile Soldiers, only civilians standing at key passages, numbly throwing fire pots and other explosives at Tarnished and his companions.

"Godrick is sending even ordinary people onto the battlefield?" Rogier's eyes filled with pity.

Edgar snorted. "How else do you think he managed to turn everyone against him?"

Rogier looked at Tarnished. "Mr. Tarnished, these people..."

Tarnished nodded. "Keep them alive if possible. Knock them unconscious if you can. But if there's really no other way, then there's nothing we can do."

Rogier knew this was the greatest concession he could ask for. "Thank you!"

Things went far more smoothly than he had expected. Since they were only civilians, their fighting ability was poor, giving the group room to maneuver. The four entered the rampart tower without killing a single person. Perhaps good deeds really were rewarded, because they also learned an important piece of information from those civilians.

"Godrick is performing a grafting ritual in a small room deep inside the castle. He's using a giant creature that was just captured!"

"Recently captured, and a giant creature. That has to be the Demi-Human Queen," Edgar concluded immediately.

"We need to hurry." Tarnished did not tell him that Godrick had also acquired a flying dragon.

"There's a ladder in the room ahead that leads up onto the ramparts." Edgar pointed at an iron door. Tarnished went over and pushed it, then shook his head. "It's locked."

"Wait, let me think. The key should be..." Edgar looked around before fixing his gaze on a nearby room. "Over there. That's the guards' rest room."

Tarnished immediately went over to open the door. The good news was that this one was unlocked. The bad news was that a Greatsword suddenly pierced the wooden door, aimed straight at his throat. Fortunately, he remained vigilant at all times and raised his shield immediately, blocking the attack and narrowly avoiding decapitation.

The impact pushed both sides back half a step. The others finally got a clear look at the attacker, and all turned toward Edgar.

The reason was simple: the two men wore the same style of armor. The only difference was that Edgar wore no helmet, while the other man did.

"Gray, you're still alive? Godrick didn't use you for grafting? That's wonderful!" Edgar did indeed know him.

But the knight named Gray was anything but friendly. With a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, he advanced step by step like a moving tower. In a low, muffled voice, he said, "Edgar, you've betrayed Lord Godrick!"

"He betrayed us first!" Edgar snapped. "How many Banished Knights did Stormveil Castle once have, and how many are left now? You know better than I do where they went!"

Gray shook his head. "Banished Knights never betray their lord. If our sovereign commands us to die, then we die!"

"Blind stubbornness!"

"Loyalty!"

"Gray, I'll beat some sense into you!"

"Edgar, I won't let you take another step!"

As Gray assumed a fighting stance, everyone drew their weapons. But Edgar stepped forward, blocking their path. "Sorry, could you leave this to me?"

"Are you sure?" Blaidd glanced at Gray and offered a well-meant warning. "He's younger than you, and stronger."

"Yes, I'm sure." Edgar drew a deep breath. "As his teacher, I can't simply stand by and watch him stray down an evil path!"

Men understood other men best. With that said, there was nothing more to add.

"Go on, then. Don't lose."

"Ha! Not a chance. I told you, I'm his teacher!"

Edgar stepped forward and held his Banished Knight's Halberd level in one hand. Gray struck his sword against his shield, offering an ancient salute.

Both stood silent for a moment, then looked at each other. The instant their eyes met, they charged.

Edgar drove his halberd forward. Gray raised his shield to block, tilting it slightly upon impact and using its curved surface to deflect the halberd. As Edgar's guard opened wide, Gray stepped in and slammed his sword's pommel into Edgar's face, sending the veteran flying into the wooden crates stacked in the corner with a tremendous crash.

Tarnished: "..."

Blaidd: "..."

Rogier: "..."

They had been worried for Edgar, but they had never expected him to lose so quickly.

Even Gray could not help saying, "Edgar, you've grown old."

Then laughter rang out. His face covered in blood, Edgar rose from the shattered crates and tossed something to Tarnished.

Tarnished caught it and looked down. It was a key.

[Rusty Key]: A rusted iron key that opens the door leading to the rampart tower.

Gray was shocked. "You let me hit you on purpose?"

"What else? Taking something from you, the famed Iron Guard, is no easy task. I had to resort to this. But you little fucking bastard, you really hit hard!" Seeing everyone's dumbfounded expressions, Edgar added matter-of-factly, "What? I'm a soldier. A little swearing is perfectly reasonable."

"Yes, yes, of course." Everyone nodded repeatedly.

"Go on, Tarnished. The mission comes first." Edgar wiped the blood from his face and picked up his halberd again. "Leave this to me!"

Rogier wanted to stay and help, but Tarnished stopped him and shook his head.

"Edgar, we'll be waiting up ahead!"

"Yes. I'll catch up soon!"

Gray flew into a rage. "You won't get anywhere near Lord Godrick!"

He attacked Tarnished and the others, but Edgar moved first, catching his sword with his halberd.

The three nodded to Edgar, then hurried past on either side, unlocked the iron door, and headed up the rampart tower.

"You traitor!" Gray hurled the insult at Edgar.

"I did betray Godrick. But daring to raise your sword against an evil sovereign is a knight's true loyalty!" Edgar roared. "Gray, this is the final lesson I have to teach you!"