Overloaded as he was, every step took all the strength the Tarnished had. He couldn't hurry even if he wanted to.
And the castle's layout was complicated, full of rooms and corridors. With Torrent's enormous size, riding him wasn't particularly convenient either.
Fortunately, a man shouldn't finish too quickly anyway, and taking things slowly had its benefits. By proceeding one step at a time, for instance, the Tarnished discovered a treasure chest behind a heap of discarded junk in the armory. Inside, he found a greatsword whose weapon type was "Greatsword" and whose name was also "Greatsword."
[Greatsword]: A straight-bladed greatsword of considerable weight, typically wielded with both hands. Only those with sufficient strength can wield it one-handed. Its heavy blade can deliver sweeping attacks as well as powerful thrusts, making it an exceptionally versatile tactical weapon.
As everyone knew, the strongest greatsword was the greatsword named Greatsword.
And the skill attached to this Greatsword was none other than the renowned Lion's Claw.
[Skill: Lion's Claw]: A skill used by the Redmane army, who fought alongside General Radahn. Leap forward, somersaulting as you strike with your weapon.
The Tarnished couldn't put the Greatsword down after getting his hands on it. Irina spoke up at just the right moment. "If you like it, please take it."
"Oh, no, I couldn't possibly. Really, I couldn't."
"Please don't stand on ceremony. Consider it a gift of thanks for coming to Castle Morne's aid."
"Ah, is that so? Then don't mind if I do."
Delighted, the Tarnished hung the Greatsword at his waist. It added even more weight, but he was overloaded already. Once you owed enough, another debt hardly mattered.
He and Irina continued onward. Outside the armory, they did indeed find a rope ladder leading to the ramparts, but they also found a human soldier being attacked by two Winged Misbegotten.
"Hey, assholes!"
The Tarnished's shout successfully drew the two Winged Misbegotten's attention. They promptly abandoned the badly wounded soldier, raised their large cleavers, and charged together at the newly arrived high-ranking human officer.
Clang! Clang! The brass shield blocked both attacks.
Shhk! Shhk! The Great Epee pierced both enemies' throats.
"Sir Knight?!" The wounded soldier recognized the Tarnished's attire, then spotted Irina clinging to his back. "My lady?!"
The soldier froze for a moment, then filled in the story himself. "Wonderful! My lady has returned with reinforcements from Stormveil Castle! Castle Morne is saved!"
Huh? He's actually not attacking me? That wasn't how it went last time.
The Tarnished was a little surprised. Could it be because I've brought Irina with me?
While he was pondering this, the wounded soldier got to his feet and said anxiously, "Sir Knight, our men are still fighting the Misbegotten on the ramparts!"
The Tarnished stopped thinking and answered decisively, "Come on. Let's go up."
"Huh? Just you?" The wounded soldier hesitated. "I mean, shouldn't we wait for the main force?"
You poor fool. There isn't any main force.
Irina was agonizing over how to break that cruel truth to him when the Tarnished said, "The situation was urgent, so I rode ahead alone. The main force is still on its way. Let's save our men first. Once the others arrive, we'll launch a counterattack together."
The wounded soldier immediately understood. "You're right, Sir Knight! I'll lead the way!"
With that, he climbed the rope ladder toward the ramparts. The Tarnished followed close behind. He moved slowly, but the wounded soldier attributed it to his armor and wasn't particularly surprised.
The three reached the ramparts, where the battle was indeed raging.
Several human soldiers were surrounded by a large number of Misbegotten. Despite fighting desperately, they remained in constant peril.
The wounded soldier immediately shouted, "Everyone! My lady has returned with reinforcements from Stormveil Castle!"
Both sides turned, their attention immediately caught by the Tarnished's magnificent knight's armor.
The humans' morale soared, while the Misbegotten fell into panic.
Several Winged Misbegotten on the outskirts abandoned the encirclement and attacked A-Tui instead. He raised his shield and thrust with practiced ease, attacking as he defended and neatly dispatching the winged bastards.
"He's so strong! Just what you'd expect from a knight!" the humans exclaimed in admiration.
The Misbegotten grew wary, watching and waiting instead of advancing.
If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain.
The Tarnished set Irina down and left her in the wounded soldier's care. Then he stepped forward, carrying his blood-dripping Great Epee toward the Misbegotten.
His slow, heavy footsteps exerted an incomparable pressure. After all, who could remain so unhurried unless victory was already assured?
To the humans, the Tarnished looked like a god of war. To the Misbegotten, he was death itself.
At last, one Misbegotten could no longer bear the pressure and attacked first. Spurred into action, the others followed. A-Tui raised his shield to block while thrusting with his sword. The speed of their charge only added to the force of his thrusts, letting him kill them one after another like a god of slaughter descended to earth.
His outstanding performance greatly inspired the humans. Soldiers who had already reached their limits found themselves filled with strength once more. They attacked together, joining the Tarnished in slaughtering every Misbegotten on that stretch of rampart.
"Hah... hah! We won! We finally won! I'm alive!"
"It's all thanks to Sir Knight!"
"There are still plenty of our brothers fighting up ahead! Sir Knight, where are the other reinforcements?"
The wounded soldier answered for him. "The situation was urgent, so Sir Knight rode ahead alone. The reinforcements will arrive shortly. We'll save our men first, then launch a counterattack together once the main force arrives and retake Castle Morne."
These words gave the humans' morale a tremendous boost, and they cheered.
The Tarnished wasted no time on formalities. He told the soldiers to look after Irina and took the lead in clearing a path.
He walked slowly, but the slower he went, the more reassured the soldiers felt. He was a distinguished gentleman from Stormveil, after all. Acting just like country soldiers from Castle Morne would hardly befit his station.
Far from complaining, the soldiers began imitating the Tarnished's stride. Each walked steadily and unhurriedly. This band of battered survivors somehow managed to carry themselves like an undefeated army, looking remarkably intimidating.
"My lady has returned with reinforcements from Stormveil Castle! Castle Morne is saved! Victory is ours!"
Amid repeated shouts, the occupied ramparts were reclaimed section by section, and the Tarnished's force continued to grow. By the time they reached the final stretch, he had gathered over thirty human soldiers and largely quelled the rebellion within the castle.
"The castellan is at the beacon tower just ahead."
After receiving this information from a soldier, the Tarnished picked Irina up onto his back again and climbed the wooden stairs to the beacon tower.
The castellan, clad in armor and visibly exhausted, was resting on a bench. He alone had repelled the Misbegotten's fiercest attacks earlier, but human stamina had its limits. He couldn't fight forever and could only seize every opportunity to rest and recover.
The Tarnished's appearance startled the castellan. Seeing Irina on his back shocked him even more.
"You... why have you brought my daughter somewhere so dangerous?!" the castellan demanded.
The Tarnished explained why.
"What? You've already quelled the rebellion inside the castle, and leaving Irina alone beside the road wasn't safe either..." The castellan considered this carefully, then sighed. "Indeed, that was an oversight on my part. Thank you for looking after Irina. But Lord Godrick explicitly refused my earlier request for reinforcements. Why would one of his knights come here?"
The soldiers were just below, making this an inconvenient time for a detailed explanation. Irina intervened. "Father, let's leave Castle Morne first. Everyone is already covered in wounds."
The castellan shook his head. "No."
"Why?"
"Because Lord Godrick personally appointed me castellan of Castle Morne. As long as I live, I will never abandon this castle!"
"Even though this Lord Godrick of yours refused your plea for help and left Castle Morne to fall into the Misbegotten's hands?" the Tarnished asked.
"I will demand an explanation from Lord Godrick myself. But anyone who would speak such insolent nonsense cannot be one of his knights. Who are you, really?"
The Tarnished shook his head. "Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is whether you want to make your daughter cry. Do you want Miss Irina to lose her only family?"
The castellan shuddered and looked at Irina. Tears had already soaked a patch of the cloth covering his beloved daughter's eyes.
"I... ah, I'm sorry, Irina." The castellan sighed. "I've failed you, but I must recover Castle Morne's treasure from that beast. That is my duty."
Irina's silent weeping intensified. She understood that she couldn't stop her father.
But while she couldn't, the Tarnished could.
Why? Because men understood other men best.
"Are you sure you want to stay, even if it means abandoning your beloved daughter?" the Tarnished asked.
"Of course I don't want to abandon my daughter! But my duty demands it. What would you have me do? I have no choice!" the castellan roared.
The Tarnished smiled. "That's not exactly the right answer, but there wasn't a right answer to that question in the first place. So I'll help you!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?" The castellan frowned.
"It's simple. The Misbegotten stole Castle Morne's treasure, right? I'll get it back for you. Then you'll have fulfilled your duty and can leave with Irina."
"You?" The castellan looked the Tarnished up and down, seeing through him at once. "You can barely bear the weight of that armor, yet you dare boast about retrieving the treasure?"
"Let me try. Even if I fail, you won't lose anything," the Tarnished said. "But if I succeed, you'll get a perfect ending, won't you?"
The castellan looked at the Tarnished, and the Tarnished looked back.
"Why go to such lengths for my daughter and me? We're complete strangers."
The Tarnished shrugged. "Because I prefer the Miyazaki world with Totoro to the Miyazaki world of 'does not open from this side.'"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." The castellan thought for a moment. "What do you want as payment?"
"If I succeed, treat me to some meatballs. Not human meatballs. Beef meatballs."
The castellan couldn't help retorting, "Who would make meatballs out of human flesh?!"
"Exactly. Who would make meatballs out of human flesh?"
As he spoke, the Tarnished looked toward the seaward side of Castle Morne.
"The Misbegotten's leader is over there, right?"
"Huh? How did you know?" The castellan froze, but answered anyway. "Yes. Their leader is on the shoal by the sea. That was where Castle Morne's treasure was kept, and now it has fallen into his hands. To trap the beast, I ordered the ladder leading to the rear of Castle Morne removed. Once you jump down, you won't be able to return. Either you kill him, or he kills you. There is no alternative. Think carefully."
"So you were the one who removed the ladder. I was wondering why I couldn't get back after going down."
Muttering this, the Tarnished jumped from the battlements without hesitation and landed on the high slope leading to the shoal.
The castellan was surprised by the Tarnished's decisiveness, while Irina leaned over the battlements and shouted, "My hero, please return victorious! I'll stay here and pray for you!"
This surprised the castellan even more. He had never imagined that his reserved, well-mannered daughter would say something so bold. He couldn't help asking, "Irina, you and he..."
"Please be quiet, Father. Don't interrupt my prayers for my hero," Irina said unhappily.
The castellan: "..."
By then, the Tarnished had entered the rear of Castle Morne, where the castle's prison stood. It wasn't large, nor were its paths complicated. He soon reached the shoal and spotted the Misbegotten leader within.
Red fur, a lean body, powerful limbs-this was a Leonine Misbegotten, the highest-ranking, best-looking, and strongest of all Misbegotten!
Lions themselves carried special significance in the Lands Between, and the Leonine Misbegotten, superior in all three respects, received privileges utterly unlike those of other Misbegotten. They were elevated from lowly slaves to low-ranking battle slaves.
In wartime, they charged with the army. Those who earned military merit might receive an education or even a military rank. It was said that one Leonine Misbegotten had once been granted the rank of paladin, only to vanish later, supposedly murdered in secret by jealous humans.
The good news was that the Leonine Misbegotten before the Tarnished wasn't that historical paladin. The bad news was that a Leonine Misbegotten's three advantages still made him a force to be reckoned with, utterly unlike every enemy the Tarnished had faced before. Worse still, he now held Castle Morne's treasure—the Grafted Blade Greatsword.
[Grafted Blade Greatsword]: The treasure of Castle Morne, a greatsword of vengeance burdened with countless laments and rage. One of the nine legendary armaments. Long ago, the lone surviving hero of a fallen country gathered the weapons of an entire clan of warriors and forged them into this sword to continue fighting. Unique skill: Oath of Vengeance. Swear an oath upon the greatsword to avenge the clan, increasing all the user's attributes for a limited time!
Hey, hold on. Last time, the Leonine Misbegotten only had an ordinary iron sword. Now he's actually using the Grafted Blade Greatsword? What's going on?
Did bringing Irina along change the story?
The upside is that I don't have to fight the humans, but the downside is that the Leonine Misbegotten has a legendary armament?
But that's way too big a difference! How could a bunch of battered soldiers compare to a legendary weapon?!
While the Tarnished was grumbling inwardly, the scrape of armor sounded behind him.
He turned and saw the castellan approaching, halberd in hand.
"Irina sees something special in you," the castellan said darkly. "Let us fight together. I want to see what sort of mettle the man who changed my daughter possesses!"
The Tarnished froze, then asked with a hint of alarm, "You're not planning to take the opportunity to kill me on the battlefield, are you?"
"I'm not so devoid of judgment!!!"
"Haha, just kidding." The Tarnished asked, "But are you really coming along? He's using your castle's Grafted Blade Greatsword, you know."
"It may not equal a legendary armament, but my halberd is no less keen." The castellan stroked his weapon and said confidently, "This Banished Knight's Halberd has been with me for over a decade. I strengthened it to +8 with smithing stones long ago. Even against the Grafted Blade Greatsword, it can hold its own!"
The Tarnished made an appreciative noise and showered him with praise. "Just what you'd expect from the castellan. What a mighty halberd you've got."
The castellan's vision darkened, and he nearly fainted from anger on the spot. He loudly emphasized, "It's a halberd +8, not my shaft!"
Afraid the old man might drop dead from a brain hemorrhage, the Tarnished was about to offer a few placating words when the Leonine Misbegotten ahead suddenly roared.
Their enemy had finally noticed them and prepared to attack.
"Here he comes!" The castellan knelt in prayer, and golden light bloomed from his hand. Bathed in that glow, the Tarnished felt strength fill his entire body.
"Golden Vow! You've been empowered. Go!"
Before you continue