If One Person Wasn't Enough, Then Four

"What... is that?!"

A trace of fear crept into the two Crucible Knights' voices.

This was not cowardice, but the instinct of living creatures.

Looking at that hideous, twisted face felt like witnessing the end of everything, the doom of all existence.

Rogier breathed a little heavily. He too sensed the power of death, and it made him nervous.

"That is the source of the power of death in Stormveil Castle-the Prince of Death."

"The Prince of Death?!" The two Crucible Knights were aghast. "Lord Godwyn?! Didn't he fall on the Night of the Black Knives? Why has he become like this?"

"The Golden Order does not include death. In theory, even if a demigod dies, they can be resurrected through the Return to the Erdtree ritual. The same goes for everyone else," Tarnished said. "But the weapon that killed Godwyn had been deliberately imbued with the power of death. That was why he fell. And that power was incomplete, so only his soul was killed, making him the first to die in soul alone. His flesh never died."

Rogier looked surprised. "How do you know all this?"

As usual, Tarnished passed the buck. "Kenneth told me."

Understanding dawned on Rogier, and he nodded repeatedly. "Just what I'd expect of a descendant of Limgrave's rightful rulers. It seems I must consult Master Haight more often from now on."

"We can discuss scholarship later," Laurendi said urgently. "I only want to know why Lord Godwyn became like this!"

"The reason is not complicated." This time, Rogier answered. "As Tarnished said, only Master Godwyn's soul died. His flesh is still alive. The Golden Order does not permit death, but without his soul, Master Godwyn cannot return to life, no matter how much it repairs the damage to his body. My knowledge is limited, and I do not know precisely how the Golden Order functions, but from what we can see, it has been trying to resurrect him all this time. As divine power continues to pour into him, his flesh is nourished and keeps swelling and multiplying. That is what made him so... enormous and twisted."

The two Crucible Knights more or less understood, but another question arose.

Rodini asked, "But why is there only a face here?"

"Because this is not Master Godwyn's actual face, but a portion of his power that has spread here." Rogier hesitated before continuing. "An ordinary person's Return to the Erdtree ritual takes place in underground catacombs threaded with the Erdtree's roots, but surely Golden Godwyn would not have received such a humble burial. I suspect Goddess Marika placed his body at the very base of the Erdtree, hoping it would resurrect her beloved son. She never expected that instead, Master Godwyn's 'death' would spread along the roots throughout the Lands Between. Stormveil became one of the places it reached."

"You're right." Tarnished revealed another secret. "Godwyn's real body is deep within the Erdtree's roots, directly beneath the Royal Capital of Leyndell."

Rogier asked in astonishment, "Master Haight knows even secrets like that?"

"Yes." Tarnished looked utterly sincere. "That Kenneth hides a lot, Roger. If he tells you he doesn't know, he's just pretending. Don't believe him."

Rogier wholeheartedly agreed. "Very well. I shall win Master Haight over with my sincerity, so that he will impart more knowledge to me!"

While Roger brimmed with enthusiasm, the two Crucible Knights were lost in confusion.

"Lord Godwyn was King Godfrey's own son, and the crown prince of the Golden Dynasty. Now that he has become like this, is the dynasty truly beyond saving?"

Rogier did not know how to comfort the two devoted knights, so he could only turn to Tarnished.

Tarnished shrugged. "Haven't you pledged yourselves to Nepheli? How is the Golden Dynasty beyond saving?"

"But Lord Godwyn is the dynasty's rightful heir. He..."

"Godwyn is dead," Tarnished emphasized again. "The Golden Order can't resurrect him, and neither can the Erdtree. It was precisely because Goddess Marika recognized that fact that she shattered the Elden Ring in her overwhelming grief. Unless you have some way to resurrect Godwyn?"

The two Crucible Knights hurriedly waved their hands. "No. If even the Goddess could not do it, how could we possibly..."

"Then accept things as they are and serve Nepheli well. Whether she's the rightful heir or a demigod, she's still your former lord's descendant. Whether she remains unknown or becomes famous throughout the world, you'll have honored your loyalty either way, won't you?"

The two Crucible Knights exchanged a glance. That... actually made sense.

With the rightful heir dead, the one without a rightful claim became the rightful heir.

Whatever else happened, they could hardly neglect their former lord's last descendant for the sake of a dead man.

They were Crucible Knights, not Graveyard Knights. Their job was to cut living people into dead ones. Turning dead people back into living ones was outside their remit.

Seeing the relief on their faces, Tarnished asked, "Figured it out?"

"Yes." Laurendi and Rodini bowed with their hands over their chests. "Thank you for your guidance."

Tarnished smiled. "You were just too close to the situation to see clearly. If you really want to thank me, then offer me advice and encouragement when I lose my way someday."

The two knights took those words to heart.

The four continued downward.

After jumping across several more beams, they finally reached the ground.

They immediately received a warm welcome from a pack of rats as large as calves, but that was nothing to the four skilled fighters. They easily exterminated the rats and removed the threat.

"How did these rats get so big?" Tarnished was very interested in the dead rats. "How much meat could a rat this size yield? How many people could it feed?"

The other three shuddered. They were not picky about food and drink, but eating rat meat was a little too outrageous.

Rogier coughed. "Rats carry many bacteria and viruses. Their meat poses too great a risk. Unless necessary, it would be best not to eat it."

"Then let's study what makes them grow so large. If we can apply it to livestock, it should increase yields dramatically."

"Oh, that's an excellent angle. It might really work."

Rogier's eyes lit up, and he began discussing it with Tarnished.

Laurendi whispered to Rodini, "Our king never concerned himself with such trivialities back then. Victory and defeat on the battlefield were what he ought to consider."

Rodini looked at Tarnished's animated expression and shook his head. "But a king who discusses such trivialities isn't unpleasant either."

Laurendi opened his mouth, but offered no rebuttal.

They stopped talking and silently guarded their surroundings, fulfilling their duties as knights.

A little later, Tarnished said to them, "Sorry for the wait."

"It's no trouble." Rodini paused, then asked, "Have you found a way to make livestock grow larger?"

"That's not something we can figure out so quickly." Tarnished chuckled and shook his head. "I only helped Roger collect a few samples."

The two Crucible Knights looked at Rogier.

The humble spellsword said, "Though I cannot be certain yet, I do have a few leads. Once we return, I will analyze these samples carefully. If my suspicions are correct, ordinary livestock should also be capable of growing larger to a certain degree. After testing for several more cycles, we should be able to eat them safely if no problems arise."

"You can actually do that?" Rodini and Laurendi were both rather surprised. "Are you some renowned scholar? But if you are a scholar, why study something so vulgar?"

"Hey, there's nothing vulgar about this," Tarnished corrected them. "Nothing matters more than having food to eat. You can't talk about ideals on an empty stomach."

Rogier smiled. "Though I lack Tarnished's concern for the whole world, I would gladly do my part if it meant everyone could eat their fill. Besides, I'm only a dabbler who knows a little of everything, not a professional scholar. Surely there's nothing wrong with lacking lofty ambitions."

Lacking lofty ambitions?

The two Crucible Knights did not think so.

Still, they found it somewhat difficult to accept that Tarnished and Rogier, two members of the ruling class, would concern themselves with something as shallow as food and drink. In the days when they had roamed the Lands Between, important figures had always spoken of grand talents and sweeping strategies.

Times truly had changed.

The two Crucible Knights felt that truth once again.

Unfortunately, they had little time to dwell on it.

Not long after the four set off again toward the Prince of Death's enormous face, the entire ground began shaking, accompanied by thunderous rumbling.

Already prepared, Tarnished immediately warned everyone, "Watch out! Something's coming up from underground!"

Underground?

Rogier and the two knights all looked down. An instant later, the earth burst apart, rubble flew, and a huge creature emerged from the ground.

It looked like a plant's root, yet writhed and crawled like a snake. Although its surface was made of woody fibers resembling bark, muscles and blood vessels grew within it. It had a head, a tail, and limbs. In appearance, it resembled an oversized gecko, but judging by the commotion and its imposing presence, it was more like a vicious dragon emerging from the earth.

"A combination of plant and animal?" Rogier had never seen such a creature before.

His curiosity earned him a tail swipe. Apparently, the creature disliked being scrutinized.

The enormous tail swept forward with tremendous force, crushing everything in its path. But two Crucible hornshields rose to meet it, and the tail struck them with a clang, as though it had hit an immovable mountain. Caught off guard, the monster's momentum sent it flying, like a speeding bicycle whose wheel had suddenly had a stick thrust through it. It flipped over their heads and crashed back to the ground.

The Crucible Knights were that dependable. Tarnished had only beaten them easily because his fighting style happened to counter theirs.

While the monster reeled from its fall, the two Crucible Knights swung their swords without another word. Whatever the thing was, they could study it after killing it.

Rogier drew his Estoc to help, but Tarnished stopped him.

"With those two humanoid Gundams here, why would you need to fight? Leave it to them and enjoy the show."

Rogier asked curiously, "What are humanoid Gundams?"

"Uh..." Tarnished thought for a moment. "Experts. Really, really formidable experts."

Understanding dawned on Rogier. He had only just nodded when a tremendous crash rang out ahead.

The monster had been cornered against a wall and beaten so brutally that it flew into a frenzy, unleashing intense holy energy from its entire body in a dazzling explosion.

The two Crucible Knights had not expected that move. The blast sent them flying, and they skidded across the ground back to Tarnished and Rogier.

"Sorry. We got careless." Rodini and Laurendi looked a little embarrassed.

Tarnished sighed. "I noticed. Get back out there and fight, experts!"

The two Crucible Knights immediately got up and charged back into battle as though nothing had happened. The monster's explosion had been powerful, but it had also exhausted itself. It was hanging its head, panting and recovering, never expecting the two brawny men to return. In an instant, it was back to being cornered against the wall and beaten.

To be safe, Tarnished kindly warned them, "This thing is a Putrid Tree Spirit. It forms when the Erdtree's roots mingle with the flesh and blood of the dead over a long period. Put simply, it's a byproduct of the Return to the Erdtree ritual, so don't hold back. It isn't a true living creature, just the resentment and regrets the dead left behind. Finish it off cleanly. That's the greatest release you can give it."

Now that they understood its origins, the two Crucible Knights had no more reservations. They stamped hard on the ground, golden wings suddenly sprouting from their backs, then soared high together. Diving from different directions, they sliced the Putrid Tree Spirit into three pieces in an instant, utterly dispersing the resentment it had accumulated for who knew how long.

"That settles it," Rogier suddenly said. "If they had appeared on Stormveil's battlefield back then, we would never have won."

"Yes. Unfortunately, Godrick would rather trust cold grafting than warm human hearts," Tarnished said sincerely. "However strong one person is, their strength has limits. Only by bringing everyone's strength together can you become truly invincible. Godrick chose the right road, but walked it the wrong way."

The two Crucible Knights returned and asked curiously, "I heard Lord Godrick's name. What were you discussing?"

"Nothing." Tarnished smiled. "Congratulations on your victory. Let's keep moving."

The four advanced again. This time, no monsters suddenly emerged, and they reached the "face" without incident.

Up close, they discovered that it was indeed as Tarnished had said. This was not actual "skin," but roots deformed by a strange power.

Laurendi touched the face. "It feels like wood. So it's just a root?"

Rodini reached out too. "But it's elastic, like real skin."

Tarnished hurriedly stopped them. "Hey, don't touch something this dangerous!"

What he had never expected, however, was that the greatest cause for concern was not the two Crucible Knights who knew only how to fight anything and everything, but Rogier, the scholarly talent.

While Tarnished was stopping the two Crucible Knights from touching the "face," Rogier actually drew his Estoc and cut it.

As the sharp blade passed over it, blood actually spurted from the wound in the "face."

Rogier said excitedly, "My hypothesis was correct! The Erdtree really is constantly repairing the Prince of Death's body, giving these roots the same properties as human flesh! Wonderful! I'm one step closer to the truth. Next, I only need to..."

Only need to what?

Before he could finish, Rogier suddenly clutched his chest in agony. Gray mist rose from his entire body, and he began groaning in pain.

"Roger!!"

Tarnished noticed and immediately moved toward him.

But Rogier shouted to stop him. "Stay back! Otherwise, you'll be caught in it too!"

He looked at the drop of blood that had inadvertently stained his fingertip, inwardly smiling bitterly.

"Tarnished, this was all my own carelessness. Don't blame yourself. I have only one final request. For the sake of all these days I've worked for Stormveil, please give my research notes to Nepheli and have her pass them to Fi... at the Roundtable Hold."

Once again, before he could finish, Tarnished stepped forward and tightly clasped Rogier's bloodstained hand.

Rogier's eyes widened in shock as he watched the gray mist spread onto Tarnished, turning his face deathly pale in an instant.

"Your room's such a mess. How would I know where your research notes are? Something that important, you'd better hand over yourself!"

"You idiot!" Rogier roared in anger, but not because Tarnished had refused his request. Rather... "You'll die too! You're Stormveil's hero, the hope of countless people! How can you value your own life so little?!"

"I said I'd protect everyone, and that includes you, Roger!" Tarnished roared back. "I won't let you die again! I'll save you, no matter what! It's just death blight! If one person can't bear it, then two of us will bear it together!"

Rogier was stunned. He had never imagined that someone would one day risk their life to save an insignificant man like him.

Then...

He and Tarnished began groaning in pain together.

"Fuck, this is way too strong. I should've prepared some Deathmoss." Tarnished felt a stabbing pain in his chest, as though sharp Thorns of Death were growing wildly inside his heart. He desperately tried to suppress the power, but could do nothing.

Am I really going to die here?

Just as that thought entered Tarnished's mind, a third hand joined theirs, followed by a fourth.

Tarnished and Rogier looked up in astonishment to find the two Crucible Knights.

"If we add more people, we can share the curse's power, correct?" Laurendi asked coldly.

Rodini, however, sounded rather gentle. "Applying wisdom to shallow matters is a tremendous waste. Still, I would like to taste those enlarged cattle and sheep."

"You..." Rogier choked up. A feeling fiercer than pain was rapidly filling his entire being.

The four spoke no more, for nothing more needed saying. They focused together on resisting the curse, determined to defeat divine power with mortal bodies, and then...

"Gah!"

All four passed out together.