Fourth Wife

[Why put a number before "wife"? Isn't a wife supposed to be one of a kind?]

Melina was puzzled, but the quiet, reserved girl had no intention of asking. It was only a form of address, nowhere near enough to shake someone who bore a mission.

For now, they should talk business.

Melina said, "My flesh was burned away, leaving only this spirit body. Yet I still have a mission and a reason to live. Beyond Stormgate ahead lies Stormveil, the city on the cliffs, where a shardbearer resides. He is one of the demigods who claimed a fragment when the Elden Ring shattered. If the light of grace guides you there, then you truly have received the Elden Ring's guidance. As someone who has an accord with you, I hope you will accept its guidance and find the courage to face whatever trials await."

"Sure!" Tarnished clenched his fist. "I don't care about the Elden Ring, but if it's your request, Melu, I'd never refuse! Stormveil Castle is nothing. I can clear the whole place in ten minutes!"

As he spoke, Tarnished blew the spectral steed whistle on his finger. A spirit creature resembling both a horse and an ox abruptly appeared. He mounted with surprising ease and shouted, brimming with fighting spirit, "Charge, Radish! Onward to Stormveil Castle!"

Melina: [...His name is Torrent.]

Torrent raised his forelegs. "Neigh!"

Melina: [...He actually answered?]

Seeing Tarnished already galloping ahead, the girl hurriedly floated behind him and sat down invisibly. Meanwhile, the soldiers guarding Stormgate raised their crossbows and aimed at Tarnished in unison.

"I am the Elden Lord! Clear the way, or I'll have to show you my credentials!"

The gate guards shouted, "Fire!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. A volley of bolts cut through the air.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Uh, uh, uh! Wait, wait!"

Driven into a frantic scramble, Tarnished steered Torrent from side to side, dodging constantly. Then a gigantic Stonedigger Troll suddenly dropped from the sky, kicking up a cloud of dust with a crash.

"They've even got reinforcements! Radish, retreat!"

Tarnished made a snap decision and squeezed his legs. Torrent immediately performed several double jumps, easily clearing the guards' heads. They raced through checkpoint after checkpoint and charged up the narrow slope, passing a phantom Erdtree along the way. Tarnished swiftly snatched up a Golden Seed and left the guards' greetings and blessings in the dust as he stylishly... fled.

"Hahaha! Run for your life! This is my escape route!" Tarnished dismounted outside a shack. There was a site of grace here, just the place for a rest.

But before he could activate the grace, faint sobbing came from the nearby shack.

Tarnished walked inside and found a girl in a dark red hood curled up in the corner.

The naked man shuddered all over and said in a trembling voice, "Melina."

The invisible Melina: *[?]*

"Sorry, but from today onward, she's my first wife. You're my second wife now!"

Melina: *[???]*

Tarnished approached Little Red Hood.

She seemed gripped by terror, murmuring to herself, "Everyone was grafted. Those who came to the Lands Between with me, who fought for me... Their heads, hands, and feet were all cut off and made part of a spider... So people become like chrysalises when they lose their hands and feet. How strange. Hehehehe..."

"Hey, are you okay?" Tarnished crouched down. "I'm the Elden Lord. If you're having trouble, you can tell me."

Melina: *[...]*

Little Red Hood looked up, startled at first by the naked man before her, then calmed down again. "You're... Tarnished, aren't you? Traveling alone, heading toward Stormveil Castle? Did you believe White-Faced Varre's pretty words, or do you want to become part of a spider too? If so, you're just like me. I want to become like everyone else too, but having my head, hands, and feet cut off would hurt so much. I don't have the courage. I'm such a coward."

"Listen, little girl." Tarn placed a hand on her shoulder. "Whoever's been gaslighting you, people aren't supposed to have their heads, hands, and feet cut off. What happened to your companions is tragic, and that's all the more reason for you to live on. Live their share too."

"I want to live, but the lord of Stormveil Castle is hunting Tarnished everywhere for his evil grafting rituals," Little Red Hood said, trembling. "There are grafted monsters with countless hands and feet everywhere. I have nowhere to run."

"Then stay here." Tarnished confidently pointed at himself. "I'll come back for you once I defeat the lord of Stormveil Castle!"

Little Red Hood looked at the naked man before her and felt... absolutely no hope.

She took a small pouch from her waist and offered it to Tarnished. "Would you please take this child on your travels? She's been searching for her homeland. It's so unfair to make her stay with a coward like me. She seems to like you very much. I'm sure she would be happy if she could stay by your side."

Tarnished accepted the pouch. "What's this?"

"Spirit Jellyfish Ashes," Little Red Hood answered. "With a Spirit Calling Bell, you can summon this child to help you fight."

"What's a Spirit Calling Bell?"

"A magical tool used to summon spirits. You don't have one? What a shame. My Spirit Calling Bell was damaged in the earlier fighting."

"That's all right. I'll find another Spirit Calling Bell. Thanks for the gift. I'll take good care of her." Tarnished put away the ashes, then asked, "Want me to take you away from here first?"

"No. I want to stay here. I want to be a little closer to everyone."

Tarnished did not press her. For one thing, this place was safe enough. For another, the girl still had emotional wounds to work through.

He patted Little Red Hood's shoulder again, walked out of the shack, and activated the grace.

"Second wife, do you know where I can find a Spirit Calling Bell?"

[I really have been demoted?]

Still, a mere form of address was not enough to shake her. Melina's voice sounded beside the Tarnished's ear. "I'm sorry. I have no information about that."

"I see." The Tarnished rested his chin on his hand and thought for a while, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Right! Let's ask Kale. He's a merchant, so he's well informed. He'll definitely know where they sell Spirit Calling Bells!"

Melina did not think a wandering merchant would possess such specialized information.

But the Tarnished acted the moment he decided, teleporting straight back to the Church of Elleh.

This was another function of grace. Once he had visited a place, he could return there through grace at any time. All he could say was long live Queen Marika. Such a blessing was incredibly convenient.

As the Tarnished touched the grace with his finger, golden light surged out and enveloped him. Darkness swallowed him first, then the light returned a few seconds later. When he looked around, he was already back at the Church of Elleh.

At some point, the moon had risen above the branches, shining alongside the Erdtree. The Tarnished looked toward Kale and found the merchant with his head lowered, fast asleep.

"Asleep again, just as I thought. Say, would he notice if I stole his merchandise now?"

While Tarn pondered this important question, a slightly husky female voice spoke behind him. "Tarnished, come over and have a word."

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, but by the time the Tarnished turned around, he had replaced his expression with surprise.

A petite woman in a long white dress and an enormous white pointed hat sat on a broken wall of the church. A closer look revealed blue skin and four hands. She was no human, but an exquisitely crafted life-sized doll.

The Tarnished's eyes widened, his face filled with shock and excitement. Pointing at the girl in white, he cried in a trembling voice, "A b-blue-skinned, four-handed Grafting monster!"

The girl in white nearly pulled out her staff.

"I am Witch Renna!" Every word was forced through gritted teeth.

The Tarnished scratched his head. "Huh? You're not a Grafting monster?"

"Don't lump me in with those hideous creatures!" Witch Renna snapped. "You're the Tarnished riding Torrent everywhere, aren't you? Take these. The steed's former master left them with me. That's all. Goodbye... No, good riddance!"

With those few words, Witch Renna dissolved into motes of light and vanished.

The Tarnished sighed wistfully. "Leaving so soon? She must have gotten shy in front of my strong, perfect body. So cute."

Melina felt she had gained a preliminary understanding of the Tarnished's arrogance. Still, he was truly fortunate. He had only come to find a merchant, yet unexpectedly received a gift from the Moon Princess and actually obtained a Spirit Calling Bell.

Then the Tarnished suddenly spoke again. "Melu."

Melina had a bad feeling.

"Sorry, Witch Renna is my first wife now. Little Red Hood is my second wife, so you can only be my third wife!"

[...Does he just appoint every woman he meets as his wife?]

Melina sighed. Tarnished came in all sorts, but the one she had chosen seemed excessively strange.

Still, that was fine, as long as she could fulfill her mission. It was only a form of address. Even if she were demoted again later, she would not waver in the slightest.

After announcing his new wife rankings, the Tarnished began inspecting the things he had received from his first wife.

One [Spirit Calling Bell] and one set of [Lone Wolves Ashes].

"Wow, how lucky! I got a Spirit Calling Bell completely by chance." The Tarnished's exaggerated delivery sounded as though he were deliberately reading a prewritten script in a monotone.

Kale had woken up at some point and could only feel that the Tarnished had somehow gotten a little stupider again. Melina shared the sentiment.

Unaware that his reputation had declined further, the Tarnished immediately tried out the Spirit Calling Bell.

[Spirit Calling Bell]: A bell that summons various spirits through their ashes. Summoning usually consumes Focus.

FP was a measure of Focus. Whether using incantations that relied on faith, sorceries founded on intelligence, or combat skills built upon a strong body, all required Focus.

The Tarnished had 10 Focus, which translated to 78 FP. Summoning the Spirit Jellyfish cost 31 FP, while summoning the Lone Wolves cost 55 FP.

Following the first-come, first-served rule, the Tarnished summoned the Spirit Jellyfish.

With a clear ringing of the bell, a cloud of white mist rose. The mist surged and contracted, finally forming a plump jellyfish floating in midair, with a transparent bell and tentacles.

"So cute!"

The Tarnished reached out and stroked the jellyfish's bell. She immediately gave a series of "chi-chi" cries, as though asking for affection. Information about her also flowed into her summoner's mind.

[Spirit Jellyfish]: A spirit that floats through the air, illuminating her surroundings. A tearful jellyfish girl searching for her distant homeland, she does her best to spit venom. The jellyfish girl's name is Klara.

The Tarnished shuddered all over again.

"Melu."

Melina sighed.

"Klara and Little Red Hood share my second and third wife slots. You've dropped one place. You're my fourth wife now!"

Melina: [...Not even jellyfish are safe?]

The Tarnished solemnly bowed to the jellyfish girl. "Third wife, I'll be counting on you from now on!"

Klara: "Chi-chi-chi-chi!"

After dismissing Klara, the Tarnished prepared to summon the Lone Wolves.

But the Lone Wolves required 55 Focus. The Tarnished had 78 Focus in total and had spent 31 summoning Klara, leaving only 47. It was not enough.

He was about to rest at the grace when Melina appeared. "These are for you."

The Tarnished received four flasks, three containing red liquid and one containing blue liquid.

[Flask of Crimson Tears] & [Flask of Cerulean Tears]: It is said that a golden chalice once held blessed tears. These flasks were modeled after that chalice. Filled with crimson/cerulean tears, they restore HP/Focus when used and are replenished by resting at a site of grace. - For a body that drifted to the graveyard in pursuit of the Elden Ring, slowly approaching death, these should surely provide healing.

The Tarnished laughed. "What's this? Did seeing my first wife give me a present make you feel threatened, Melu, so you hurried to give me one too? This desperate bid for my affection is rather unbecoming, but I like it!"

Melina's response was to turn invisible immediately.

"She's shy. So cute."

The Tarnished gulped down a flask of cerulean tears, fully restored his Focus, and rang the bell again.

Another cloud of white mist appeared, and three wolves materialized out of thin air. They circled the Tarnished, rubbed their heads against him, and whined, looking thoroughly affectionate.

[Lone Wolves]: Ashes of three wolves driven from their pack. It is said they encountered a nameless Tarnished and hunted together. Their swift movements can disrupt enemies and aid in battle.

To be honest, Melina had already braced herself.

But surprisingly, the Tarnished did not lower her ranking this time.

Melina felt somewhat relieved. He had not gone after animals. At least the man had some standards.

So when the Tarnished sat down at the grace, she appeared again.

"This small cluster of golden light is the grace of the Erdtree. In the past, this light faded from the eyes of you Tarnished. Now it has returned to guide you. The Golden Seed you just obtained can increase the number of flasks you carry. Please give it to me."

"Huh? It can do that too? I just picked it up along the way. How amazing."

The Tarnished handed the Golden Seed to Melina. With a gentle squeeze, she shattered it into motes of golden light, which eventually formed a brand-new flask.

[Golden Seed]: A seed found at the roots of a phantom golden tree. When the Elden Ring shattered, the Erdtree scattered Golden Seeds across the lands-as though life itself knew the fate that awaited it.

"Wow, it really turned into a flask! Thanks, Mel-Mel." Tarn happily accepted it. "We've got everything we need. Now let's challenge Stormveil Castle's shardbearer!"

Melina did not think the Tarnished was strong enough yet, but if that was his own wish, she could hardly stop him.

The Tarnished teleported to the gatefront.

He knew teleporting to Little Red Hood's location—the site of grace at Stormhill Shack—would put him closer. But although he was terrifyingly powerful as the Elden Lord, he also understood that a craftsman needed sharp tools to do good work. He had come to the gatefront to requisition a suit of armor from the soldiers here.

This must be an immense honor for these lowly soldiers. Heh-heh. I really am a benevolent lord.

Thinking this, Tarnished strode proudly up to the squad leader patrolling the gate fortifications and imperiously ordered, "Hey, you! Bring me your best equipment!"

The squad leader glanced at Tarnished, took the horn from his waist, put it to his lips, and blew hard. "Toot↗ toot↘!"

The loud, lingering bugle call rang throughout the gatefront. Every soldier charged out, wielding straight swords, war picks, and spears, and thrust them viciously at Tarnished's head!

"Haha! Such enthusiasm! The troops' morale is excellent... Ah! Whoa, whoa, whoa! Uh, uh, uh! Wait, wait! I'm your lord! Keep hitting me and I'll fight back! Damn it, third wife, save me!!!"

Jingle, jingle. The great Elden Lord rang his bell in a panic, and the jellyfish girl Klara made her dazzling entrance. Today was another day of diligently spitting venom!