Raya Lucaria Academy... no entry

"Here's your necklace." Holding the necklace between his fingers, the Tarnished walked toward the girl.

"You're back... yes, that's my necklace. Thank you. You're my savior." Rya took the necklace as though it were precious and carefully put it away.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Rya. I serve Lady Tanith at Volcano Manor," Rya introduced herself softly.

"Oh, is that place of yours on Mount Gelmir?"

"Yes, that's right. It seems you know of it... we're searching for people with the makings of a hero, and my duty is to recruit them."

"You're strong, and I don't just mean in battle. You also possess a resilient heart and the courage to turn your blade against your own kind. Lady Tanith needs people with precisely those qualities."

Since when did killing your own kind count as a qualification?

"Please accept this." Rya handed the Tarnished an envelope. "This is an invitation to Volcano Manor. Tarnished with the makings of a hero, please travel to the Altus Plateau, where the Erdtree stands."

"Guided by grace, yet able only to wander the Lands Between and gaze at the Erdtree from afar-you are certainly no such ordinary soul." Rya sounded as though she were chanting a slogan, her whole being fired up.

"Once your strength has been proven, Volcano Manor will surely welcome you formally, as a comrade fighting at our side, as one of our own."

The Tarnished looked at the invitation without speaking. At first, they sounded like the rebel armies that often appeared in troubled times, but something felt off. He had wanted to question Rya further, yet one look at her utterly innocent face quickly put that thought to rest.

This girl has even less common sense than Ame... even if there's something shady going on, she wouldn't know about it.

"All right. I'll go have a look."

"Oh, right. There's something else I'd like to warn you about. You know that this region, Liurnia, used to be connected to the Altus Plateau by the Grand Lift of Dectus, don't you?"

"I know. Otherwise, how would I know about Mount Gelmir?"

"Oh, yes, of course... but the Grand Lift hasn't operated in a long time, and the road has long since fallen into disrepair... heading there recklessly could be dangerous, so go to the Ruin-Strewn Precipice first."

The Ruin-Strewn Precipice...

"Those ancient ruins lie at the bottom of the ravine below the lift. There's an old tunnel there, supposedly excavated jointly from Liurnia and the Altus Plateau."

"So that place can get me to the Altus Plateau now, right?" He had heard of that plan before his exile. He hadn't expected them to actually carry it out.

"Yes. You'll surely become a hero. I believe in you, and I look forward to meeting you again on the Altus Plateau." Rya waved goodbye.

Come to think of it, how did she get all the way here from the volcano... oh, looks like she has protection... Watching Rya leave, the Tarnished could make out a faint shield around her. It seemed to conceal her presence and reduce the damage she took.

"Volcano Manor, huh..." From Rya's tone earlier, they seemed to be a force resisting the Erdtree. Still, he would have to visit them himself to find out exactly what they were like.

The Tarnished returned to the portal from earlier. After making sure no one was around, he stepped inside. It transported him to the main entrance of an enormous, elegant building, one of Liurnia's great powers-Raya Lucaria Academy.

"Oh... a seal. What a letdown. If it were an ordinary door, I'd have smashed it open already." Indeed, Raya Lucaria's gates were tightly shut, sealed by an enormous magic circle. Seals were rather special things in the Lands Between.

They represented sturdy defenses. Nearly every seal bore many intricate, mysterious runes. Some provided protection, while others inflicted a backlash on anyone attempting to break through by force.

"Looks like I'll have to behave and find a key." The Tarnished happened to glance into a corner and spotted a man dressed in sorcerer's robes. He was already dead, and something resembling a map was clutched in his hand.

"Hmm...? Judging by his position, he must have been trying to get into the Academy." Even in death, the sorcerer was pressed against the seal, one hand pointing toward the Academy. "Then this must be a clue he found. Too bad he died before he could follow it."

The Tarnished put the map away. From what he had just seen, it seemed to indicate an open area west of the Academy. After examining the surroundings, he decided to follow the path leading away from the Academy's gates, since he could sense grace ahead.

"Ahh, you..." He hadn't gone far when a lifeless voice, sounding as though its owner were on the verge of death, called out to him. Turning around, he saw an old Finger Reader.

"Come here, to this old woman... let me read your fingers." There was a hint of pleading in the old Finger Reader's voice.

"..." The Tarnished didn't approach immediately. He felt there was something wrong with the old woman's mind.

"Please." The old woman continued begging. The Tarnished looked at his fingers, then walked over after all.

"Ah, thank goodness..." The old woman began examining his fingers closely.

"Oh... oh... you have a connection with Lord Miquella." The old woman sounded somewhat surprised.

"Slaughter, slaughter, and more slaughter... but that hundred-eared boy won't get his way... because you'll take that thing from the pot. Heehee."

"Heeheehee..." Serves him right, serves him right. The old woman's laughter was shrill, but the Tarnished's attention was elsewhere.

Miquella... I remember he's a demigod too. I have a connection with him...? And that hundred-eared boy... could she mean Gideon? Slaughter... what has he slaughtered this time, and what am I going to take from a pot...? Still, it looks like taking that thing will put me at odds with Gideon.

The Tarnished didn't ask any more questions. She wouldn't answer anyway. Rather than waste time, he mounted Torrent and hurried to the Site of Grace ahead.

Ahead lay not only a new Site of Grace, but also a large map of Liurnia. Once activated, the map displayed the entirety of northern Liurnia.

"What a fascinating design..." Melina walked over and glanced at the map.

"This must have been compiled by later generations. We didn't have curious things like this in my day." After giving the map a quick look, he found that apart from the conspicuous Academy in the middle, there wasn't much else in Liurnia that required his attention.

The area on Sellen's hand-drawn map was clearly outside this map's boundaries.

"The only places worth paying attention to in Liurnia are Caria Manor and the Academy." A creature like a Glintstone Dragon naturally wouldn't be marked on a map, so finding one would come down to luck. He had traveled for so long without finding a single local. Liurnia was as chaotic as Limgrave.

Are there even any peaceful places left in the Lands Between? Trina's Haligtree seems relatively tranquil, but she said herself that there are conflicts within it too. Still, I want to say...

Ah... Trina, take me away.

"Tarnished... what are you thinking about?" The little block of wood suddenly leaned closer.

"I'm wondering where Smараg the Glintstone Dragon is."

"Really...?"

"Yes."

"..." Silence settled over them once again.

"Crystal Tears... you don't seem to have used them yet."

"Well, that's a shock. You actually spoke first." The Tarnished jumped. This was even stranger than Godfrey dancing.

"..." Melina was also a little surprised by her own change. She seemed to have grown accustomed to talking with the Tarnished before her. On the contrary, not saying anything to him somehow felt wrong.

"But you're right. I haven't used any Crystal Tears yet." The Tarnished walked to the Site of Grace and retrieved the Crystal Tears he had collected earlier from the grace. Their effects varied, and most were quite powerful, but there was one exception.

The Ruptured Crystal Tear... using it would give you the sensation of ascending to heaven...

"Let's see. These two are..." The Tarnished studied the two Crystal Tears he had obtained from the Erdtree Avatar, considering their effects.

"Opaline Bubbletear... Crimsonburst Crystal Tear." Melina named them before he could.

"Looks like you know them. That makes things easier." There were many varieties of Crystal Tears, and he had possessed only a small number in the past.

"These two can be mixed together... their effects are damage reduction and stopping bleeding, respectively, though both are temporary."

"All right." With that, the Tarnished put both tears into the Flask of Wondrous Physick and began shaking it. Eventually, the two tears blended together, indicating that the mixture had succeeded.

"Be careful... don't add too many other tears. They might repel one another," Melina warned. The Tarnished nodded slowly. He knew the danger. In the past, plenty of people had stuffed a whole bunch of tears into their Flask of Wondrous Physick, only to find that drinking it produced an effect comparable to the Ruptured Crystal Tear! Off to heaven they went.

An ordinary person's body couldn't withstand that much power, even if it was only temporary...

"This might be useful in an emergency." With his current strength, few people could drive him into a corner unless he encountered those demigods standing at the pinnacle of the present world. Still, it never hurt to have insurance.

After resting for a while, the Tarnished followed the route marked on the small map he had taken from the corpse, searching for a way into the Academy. His main reason for entering was to grab a few people inside and ask them where Smараg was. That was the most direct and convenient approach.

He could also investigate Sellen's situation while he was there.

"What's going on up ahead...?" As he traveled, the Tarnished noticed that Liurnia's normally pale blue lake water had somehow acquired a faint blood-red tint. At the same time, his keen nose picked up a trace of blood.

"Was there a big battle up ahead...?" He had heard earlier that the war in Liurnia was still ongoing. Perhaps the blood had been left by the opposing sides.

But once the Tarnished drew closer, he immediately dismissed that idea. Those weren't bloodstains left by a battle at all. It was a church surrounded by things resembling blood-red lumps of flesh.

The closer the Tarnished got, the more crimson lumps of flesh appeared, and the more revolting the sight became.

"Heh, 'roses,' huh?" The lumps of flesh closely resembled vivid red roses, but they inspired nothing but disgust... except in fools who delighted in blood.

"How long are you going to hide?" the Tarnished asked the puddle ahead coldly.

"Hmph. As expected of the man who killed Varre and Nerijus, your senses are keen... but this is where it ends. You'll pay for the trouble you've caused the dynasty." As the Tarnished's words faded, the puddle before him gradually turned red, and a man in lavish black clothing emerged from the pool of blood.

"Ah, the Mohgwyn Dynasty... what, killing just two of you caused that much trouble?" The Tarnished gave the man a sidelong look and sneered.

"Before long, our lord's new dynasty will reign over the Lands Between. I'll give you a chance... join us, and our lord will overlook your past deeds." The man's voice brimmed with confidence. He seemed quite assured of his own strength.

"You lot really are funny. I've already killed two of your important people. All that's left is to show up at your door and beat up your king, yet you still want to recruit me." The Tarnished chuckled.

"You're strong... stronger than Nerijus and Varre. Our lord needs powerful people like you. With your help, blood will flourish all the more." The man spread his arms.

"..."

"Well? For you, this isn't... Ah!!! Stop!"

"Gone in a flash... kid."

In an instant, the Tarnished flashed behind the man and froze him with a single slash, turning him into an ice sculpture.

"I told you... if you belong to the Mohgwyn Dynasty, I'll kill every last one of you I see." With a light tap, the ice sculpture shattered into icy dust and drifted away.