Remembrance: An Unworthy Man Burdened with Ancestral Glory-2 (Revised)

Day after day passed, and time wore Godrick and Godfrey into ever darker states of mind. People seemed to notice something was wrong, but before they could react, a terrifying assassin attack struck Leyndell, whose defenses had grown lax.

Godwyn the Golden was brutally murdered on that cold, dark night. No one knew how those assassins had appeared, nor how someone as powerful as Godwyn had died... And not long afterward, Queen Marika committed an act of utter sacrilege-she shattered the Elden Ring. In an instant, the peace was broken.

Marika's act undoubtedly enraged the Erdtree and the Greater Will. From then on, no one ever saw Queen Marika herself again. All that remained were statues bearing witness to her sin, while the fragments of the shattered Elden Ring chose her various Demigod children.

The Demigods, now armed with even greater power, waged a farcical civil war. An alliance comprising several of the strongest Demigods of the age even marched on Leyndell, each pursuing their own ends. Godrick, too, sought to seize a share of the spoils.

He still believed he would make a good leader, and he had been fortunate enough to obtain a Great Rune-the strongest of them all. Learning of Godwyn's death only strengthened that conviction. He secretly sent men to remove part of Godwyn's corpse, then launched his own attack on Leyndell.

"Traitors... Traitors, every last one of you!" A tall man covered in horns and hair stood inside the city gates, seething as he watched the rebels rise against him.

"Conniving vermin, you dare dream of setting foot in Leyndell?!" The man's imposing presence showed not the slightest fear, even before an alliance of the strongest Demigods. Meanwhile, Godrick lurked secretly at the rear, hoping to bring down this formidable-looking man.

"Godrick... You fool!" But the man immediately spotted Godrick's little scheme. His sneak attack failed, and because he was still inside Leyndell, the Gatekeeper put out a warrant for his arrest. Left with no other choice, Godrick took advantage of his scrawny frame, dressed himself in women's clothes, and slipped among the fleeing civilians.

He now intended to reach Stormveil and reunite with his younger brother Godfroy, whom he had not seen in years. But the weak always found ways to cause trouble...

An unknown amount of time passed... The Allied Army attacking Leyndell ultimately failed, apparently because someone had sabotaged them from behind. Warriors on the front lines kept suffering casualties, while supplies and medical staff in the rear vanished one after another. Faced with Leyndell's ironclad defenses as well, the allied forces had no choice but to retreat for the time being.

Among the retreating Allied Army was Radahn, hailed as the strongest Demigod. By sheer coincidence, the withdrawing Radahn encountered the fleeing Godrick. Then came the most absurd sight of all: Godrick challenged the strongest Demigod.

"Fight me, Radahn! Let us see whether you truly are the strongest!" Godrick seemed to have forgotten how the mysterious man had defeated him.

"...Godrick, I know you, and I know you have no talent for combat... I have no desire to strike down deserters or defeated men. Leave. We must prepare for our next battle. We must uncover what happened at Leyndell..." Radahn's generosity was as vast as his frame, and he took none of Godrick's provocations to heart.

"A mere outsider by marriage, yet so insolent! Today, you shall witness the power of the true Golden Lineage!" Reckless to the point of courting death, Godrick charged, swinging his battered battle axe.

"Hmph!" Radahn did not so much as take a step. His sheer presence alone left Godrick's head reeling.

"Leave this place, Godrick... You are no warrior." With that, he left the bedraggled Godrick behind and led his army back toward Caelid.

His encounter with Radahn did not shatter Godrick's confidence. By now, he could always find some excuse for his failures. He reasoned that perhaps he had lost to Radahn because he had spent too little time training. After all, he had only just begun, while Radahn had been fighting since birth.

Given Radahn's enormous frame, losing to him seemed only natural, too. After consoling himself for a while, Godrick continued wandering the Lands Between with his battle axe in his arms. As luck would have it, he encountered a force of Cleanrot Knights led by the Valkyrie, on their way back to the Haligtree.

"My lady, that man ahead appears to be... Godrick." At the head of the force stood a tall, valiant, one-armed female warrior. She was Malenia, the Valkyrie said to have never known defeat... At least, before the assault on Leyndell, she had not known what defeat was.

The woman who had just spoken was Malenia's trusted right hand-Finlay, a Cleanrot Knight.

"Ignore him. We must return to the Haligtree at once... I have a bad feeling." A trace of inexplicable worry threaded through Malenia's steady, low voice.

"Yes, my lady..." Finlay answered and paid Godrick no further attention. But just then, Godrick suddenly rushed up beside their ranks.

"Why are you barring our way...?" Malenia frowned at Godrick as he blocked the road.

The ominous feeling filled Malenia's mind and refused to fade. She had to hurry back to the Haligtree, yet Godrick had chosen to stand in her path.

Malenia had every reason to be angry with the man obstructing her. But years of resisting the Scarlet Rot within her had forged immense mental fortitude and self-mastery, so she did not lose her temper.

"Oh, I know you, Malenia. They call you the Valkyrie..." Godrick appraised the woman before him. Her figure was indeed beautiful and better built than those of ordinary women in the city, but... She was still only a woman, unfit for anything of consequence. I might not be able to beat Radahn, but surely I could beat her.

"What exactly do you want? We have urgent business." Finlay asked, doing her best to keep her temper.

"Silence! How dare a mere attendant address me in such a manner! Have you no manners?" Godrick snarled.

"You...!" This man was clearly here to cause trouble. Finlay was about to lash out when Malenia's steady voice calmed her.

"Do not be rash, Finlay... You seem to have some grievance against me?" Malenia looked at Godrick, her voice level and devoid of anger.

"A woman is unfit for anything of consequence, and you're a cripple besides!" Godrick mocked her without the slightest restraint.

"Godrick, you...!" Finlay could no longer hold herself back. She would never tolerate anyone insulting her lady, especially over her body.

"Then let us put it to the test with steel." Malenia remained composed. She swept her right arm, sparks scraping across her golden prosthetic hand as a long blade sprang from it.

"..." Malenia watched Godrick in silence. The very next second, she moved! Clang! Before anyone else could react, her blade slashed into Godrick.

"Aaaah!!!" Godrick screamed, clutched the wound on his chest, and fell to his knees.

"Have you now fully understood what it means to face the Blade of Miquella?" Malenia looked down at Godrick, her voice icy.

Godrick panicked. He felt as though he was about to die, so...

"I'm sorry! I was narrow-minded! I was wrong, I was wrong!" Godrick suddenly begged for mercy on his knees, earning looks of contempt from Malenia and the Cleanrot Knights behind her.

"I pledge my loyalty to you. Please spare my life... I-I will lick your toes. Please!" Godrick looked utterly abject, but neither Malenia nor the Cleanrot Knights knew what he was thinking.

(Hmph. Once I get out of this alive, I will wash away this humiliation... Fortune turns. Next time, I will win!)

With that, Godrick started to stick out his tongue to lick Malenia's foot, but she stepped away in utter disgust.

"Begone, vile wretch... I will not sully my blade." Without sparing him another glance, Malenia ordered the Cleanrot Knights onward to the Haligtree.

After a long, winding journey, Godrick finally reached the region surrounding Stormveil. Strangely, its gates were tightly shut, leaving him baffled. Only after questioning the locals did he learn that Godfroy had joined the war the moment the Shattering began. But why had he never seen him?

"Hah... Hah... Damn it, those accursed knights!" A man as round as a ball fled across the golden Altus Plateau, draped in an enormous cloak.

"Godfroy, where do you think you're going?!" A bolt of crimson lightning struck in front of the round man. The tremendous impact lifted his cloak, revealing that the body beneath was not fat at all-it was densely covered in grafted limbs! Even now, those hands writhed.

"I, Knight Kristoff, act today by order of the new king, the Grace King! I will apprehend you, villain! Godfroy, after committing such atrocities, will you still not surrender?" The knight leveled his spear at Godfroy. He was Kristoff, the Ancient Dragon Knight who had been spared by the mysterious Grace King.

"Silence! You are merely a knight. I am the king of Stormveil!" Godfroy flailed his limbs, lashing at the knight.

Kristoff wielded his spear with consummate skill, and within moments, he had Godfroy completely overwhelmed.

"Grafting... You are a disgrace to the Golden Lineage. How could strength ever be gained through such twisted means?"

"Shut up! If you're so capable, stop using Dragon Communion!" Godfroy cursed, infuriated by the beating.

"Then I shall utterly destroy that warped belief of yours!" Kristoff flicked his spear, putting distance between himself and Godfroy, then took a stance to gather his strength.

"Insolence! I am a king, and a king cannot lose! I will make gold shine brighter, more gloriously than ever!" Godfroy roared and scuttled toward Kristoff like a spider.

"A disorderly mess... Such a twisted thing no longer deserves to be called golden!" Kristoff's gaze hardened, killing intent radiating from him. With a single thrust, relying on nothing but his own strength, he pinned Godfroy to a stone wall.

"You will face that lord's judgment. Knights... Take him away!" Kristoff swept his hand, and a large host of knights approached from afar. Godfroy was captured alive on the spot...

"People of Stormveil Castle, I am the elder brother of your lord, Godfroy! Until Godfroy returns, I shall fulfill his duties in his stead!" Godrick proclaimed before the gates. Once the soldiers inside saw his appearance, they dared not slight him and opened the gates to admit him.

Thus, Godrick became the acting lord of Stormveil Castle... Yet a long time passed without Godfroy returning. Finally, at the urging of those within the castle, Godrick officially succeeded Godfroy and became its new lord.

Their reason for supporting Godrick was simple: Godfroy's atrocities of grafting had come to light...

But while sorting through Godfroy's belongings after taking power, Godrick discovered that forbidden thing-grafting.

"Haha... Hahahaha! Well done, my brother, well done! With this power... We can return to our homeland!" Far from fearing or rejecting that forbidden knowledge, Godrick cherished it as a priceless treasure.

And so, a demon who would bring calamity upon the entire castle and its surrounding region was about to be born... Yet the people still foolishly believed their new lord would lead them out of Godfroy's brutal rule... Little did they know that Godrick and Godfroy had always been the same kind of person... And Godrick's deeds would inevitably be crueler and more savage than Godfroy's.

For he was more sinister than Godfroy, more deranged, more

The glory these two bore was torn apart by their own hands, becoming the thing that most defiled gold-ugliness.