Master Blaidd? Was Very Strict

Lord Edgar was a refined, easygoing young man dressed in splendid noble attire, with someone holding an umbrella behind him.

At the sight of Blaidd?, he smiled and said, "The renowned White Wolf War-Witch's presence is proof enough of the importance the Two Fingers place on our situation."

It was merely a pleasantry, and Blaidd? showed no particular reaction. Everyone dismounted, and Blaidd? asked, "Where is that village? We'd like to finish the mission quickly."

Edgar was delighted. Nothing could be better than having such motivated people from the Two Fingers.

"There's no hurry, no hurry. Come into the castle and rest first. I'll explain the situation." Edgar led the party inside.

Along the way, they saw Misbegotten doing manual labor in the streets. Shackled, they carried out their assigned work, perhaps for no more than a meal. Up close, the stench coming off them was unmistakable.

These seemingly uncivilized creatures possessed an untamable wildness, and Zhao Si detected a vicious gleam in their eyes.

Alberich whispered, "You little loser, you seem pretty perceptive."

"Huh?" Zhao Si had no idea what she meant.

"Don't you think these things are bad news too? Honestly, I wouldn't even pick them as sacrifices." Alberich made no attempt to hide her disgust for the Misbegotten.

These misshapen creatures, neither human nor beast, certainly weren't pleasant to look at.

"Where did they come from?" Zhao Si certainly didn't think they were the offspring of humans mating with other creatures.

For once, Alberich paused to think. "As far as I know, they might have something to do with the original Aspects of the Crucible. They touched the Crucible without permission and became Misbegotten. That's proof of their defilement. They're condemned to slavery for generation after generation."

The Misbegotten were mostly humanoid, with ugly faces and short, hunched bodies. Tails swung behind them, scales covered their skin, and some had wings.

They could only make meaningless grunting noises.

Zhao Si deliberately raised his voice. "I get the feeling they could be a security risk."

"Why?" Alberich asked.

"Because if they picked up weapons and rebelled one day while the castle was undefended, wouldn't there be nobody to stop them?" Zhao Si had noticed that the castle had a sizable garrison.

Perhaps Edgar wasn't entirely unprepared for the Misbegotten. He simply wouldn't be able to withstand the sweeping changes that came later.

A little girl with her eyes covered stood waiting at the entrance to Edgar's residence, accompanied by a maid holding an umbrella behind her.

"Daddy, are you back?" Hearing footsteps, the little girl called out in a childish voice.

Edgar beamed. "Of course, Irina. I'm back. The envoys of the Two Fingers have come with me."

"Are they stronger than that uncle who came before?" Little Irina spoke in a sweet, babyish voice.

Edgar walked over and stroked Irina's head. "They're all very strong. The Two Fingers sent them to solve our problem."

"Someone came before us?" Blaidd? asked.

"Yes, a knight passing through," Edgar said. "He didn't give me a very good feeling, though. He went ahead to the plague village."

Its original name was Carl Village, and the Carl Baptismal Church stood nearby. Now, however, with so many sick people gathered there, it had become known as the plague village.

They entered the hall of the lord's residence. Everyone except Zhao Si sat down, water dripping from their cloaks and spreading across the floor.

"To confirm, our mission is to kill the source of the plague-Shabriri," Blaidd? said, then added, "And eliminate the infected. Lord Edgar, please give us the map quickly so we can finish this without delay."

Alberich spread her hands and said to Zhao Si, "Oh dear, he really is strict."

Zhao Si also thought Blaidd? was being too impatient. He had wanted to chat a little longer with this childhood version of Irina.

Born blind, she was as innocent and adorable as any other girl, and loved clinging to her father.

-If the Elden Ring never shattered and the soldiers kept their sanity, surely the Misbegotten wouldn't massacre everyone in the castle.

Zhao Si felt unsettled. Without realizing it, he walked to the window and discovered that he could see the Morne Weeping Tomb through it.

Buried there was the Grafted Greatsword, which looked like the Iron Throne. It was Castle Morne's greatest treasure.

Alberich clamored for food, saying she was hungry, while Blaidd? insisted on getting the job done quickly. Helena merely listened to them argue.

Helena wasn't their maiden, so she couldn't care less.

"Who was that person who came before us?" Zhao Si suddenly turned and asked.

Edgar replied, "He didn't leave his name, but his weapon and armor were very unusual. His weapon looked like a greatsword made from a spine, and his armor was fashioned to resemble an Omen Child, with a black sun on the chest."

Blaidd? fell silent. He had no idea who that was.

Alberich's face fell. "Oh, it's Milos."

"You know him?" Zhao Si pressed.

"I wouldn't really say I know him. He's a strange fellow, very withdrawn, and often says dangerous things. He's the kind of person I don't want to provoke." Alberich seemed to lose interest. "He said he had the heart of an Omen Child, and that he'd seen some terrifying visions."

That description reminded Zhao Si of a relatively minor character-the Dung Eater.

He didn't have a very good impression of the guy. He seemed exactly like the sort who would declare, "I'm turning evil."

Something must have happened to the Dung Eater. Otherwise, he wouldn't believe he had the heart of an Omen Child or go on about defilement every day. Yet he wasn't as single-minded as the Frenzied Flame. He didn't want to burn the world to ashes; he wanted to curse and defile all of it.

Remembering the ending associated with that guy-the age of despair-gave Zhao Si goosebumps. To use a somewhat inappropriate comparison, it was the age of Lao Ba. Pretty shitty, indeed.

"How did you meet?" Zhao Si wanted to get more information out of Alberich.

"Hmm, we met back when I worked for the Two Fingers. I was never close to him, so I don't know much else. I'd advise you not to get too curious about him either. You really will be defiled!" Alberich warned Zhao Si not to meddle.

Defile the Erdtree. Defile the mortal world.

Zhao Si thought that ending was worse than letting the Frenzied Flame burn everything away.

"Then why did he go to the plague village? Is he actually a helpful guy?" Zhao Si couldn't figure it out.

"Ah!" Alberich shrieked. "I get it! He must have gone there to kill the patients. That fellow is a murderous maniac."

"Coming from you, that isn't convincing in the slightest." Zhao Si felt like scratching his head.

He had never imagined he would end up being colleagues with the Dung Eater too. Oh, Two Fingers, Two Fingers, you really did gather a whole bunch of freaks

together.

"Convincing or not, I'm serious." For once, Alberich adopted a sober attitude. "With him there, we might not need to go to the plague village anymore."

By then, Edgar had brought the map and handed it to Blaidd?, explaining the route and the local conditions. "I left a squad of soldiers to seal off the area, but that yellow flame is far too powerful. I don't dare let them approach recklessly."

The soldiers couldn't approach recklessly, but the Tarnished could be sent in. Ha, so the Tarnished really were "recyclable trash"? Even though there was a madness effect specifically targeting them.

Blaidd?'s voice was low. "How much longer are you going to talk? If you don't want to go, just wait here."

With that, he walked out alone without looking back. Zhao Si followed without a second thought. "I'm going too."

Helena needed no prompting and naturally followed Zhao Si. Alberich could no longer contain herself. "Ugh, how annoying, how annoying! Why are you all so motivated?"

Still grumbling, she stood up and quickened her pace to catch up with the three ahead.