The Two Fingers

It was hard to say whether the Two Fingers were a living creature or an object.

In any case, they could convey the Greater Will's wishes and remained in constant contact with the Erdtree, staunchly supporting both divine and royal authority. Some suspected that the Erdtree had created the Two Fingers, because the "dead" Two Fingers found atop the Divine Towers after the Shattering looked a little like wood where they had broken.

Yet the Two Fingers killed by Ranni had bled.

Zhao Si also believed that the Two Fingers did not belong to the Erdtree. They were very likely partners instead. His reasoning was that Ranni possessed her own Order of the Stars, yet the Two Fingers had not rejected her. Surely, to preserve the Golden Order's lasting rule, anyone possessing another order ought to have been eliminated first.

In reality, however, both Miquella, who had turned away from the Golden Order, and Malenia, who possessed Scarlet Rot, were alive and well. If he had to name something wrong with them, it would be their "congenital disabilities." That was what happened when Marika and Radagon reproduced with themselves.

They were practically a carbon copy of European nobility. To preserve the "purity" of their bloodlines, nobles practiced inbreeding, which naturally led to hereditary diseases and deformed children.

Interestingly, Morgott and Mohg, the twins born to Godfrey and Marika, were hideous, horned "Omen Children." How did that work? Were their bloodlines so distinguished that they had reverted to their ancestors?

Leaving old Godfrey's family affairs aside, Zhao Si had already followed Blaidd? and Gideon into the Two Fingers' chamber.

The Two Fingers' chamber resembled a small Throne Room, with a red carpet covering the floor, benches on either side, and the towering Two Fingers standing on a low dais.

Two fingers rose from a narrow palm, bent and trembling slightly, with white hairs sprouting from their dark gray skin. They looked truly bizarre.

Beside the Two Fingers sat a kindly-looking old woman on a tall chair, leaning on a scepter.

"Ah, so it's the White Wolf War-Witch. No wonder the Two Fingers have been so excited since this morning. With you joining us, surely the other Tarnished will follow in your footsteps and come to the Roundtable Hold." Finger Reader Enia, the old woman, spoke with a smile.

Blaidd? gave the Two Fingers a simple bow. "Then may I ask why the Two Fingers are gathering the Tarnished?"

Finger Reader Enia said, "Well, the Two Fingers wish to establish the Roundtable Hold with the Tarnished, creating a force that belongs to them alone, to deal with whatever circumstances might arise."

"Circumstances that might arise?" Zhao Si could not help asking.

As far as he was concerned, the biggest possible event was the Night of the Black Knives. Could the Two Fingers have already foreseen it? He had completely forgotten about the matter of "heresy."

The Two Fingers hadn't mentioned it, so that meant everything was fine, right?

"Oh my, a Tarnished I haven't seen before. So weak, and yet so talkative. Ha ha." Finger Reader Enia smiled. "Still, the Two Fingers welcome you too. Not everyone excels at fighting, after all. It is perfectly acceptable to make yourself useful in other ways."

"As for these 'circumstances that might arise,' even the Two Fingers are unsure at present. Once the Tarnished have gotten acquainted and learned to work together, simply remain in peak condition and wait patiently for the Two Fingers' instructions. Ah, one more thing. Fighting is forbidden in the Roundtable Hold. The Two Fingers do not wish to see anyone dead here."

"Ah, and to avoid trouble, please do not leave the Roundtable Hold unless necessary. Everything you need can be provided here."

Finger Reader Enia looked directly at Zhao Si and Blaidd?. "You will remain loyal to the Two Fingers forever, won't you?"

Zhao Si sensed a chill in the old witch's voice. Her meaning was obvious: anyone who dared betray the Two Fingers would surely draw their assassins.

Still, Zhao Si did not find the threat particularly intimidating. The Two Fingers' assassins were nothing special, merely Tarnished who could not see the guidance of Grace. With enough skill, killing one of those assassins instead would not be much of a problem.

The real issue was that, at the height of their power, the Two Fingers surely had their reach everywhere. A thief could wait a thousand days to strike, but no one could stay on guard for a thousand days. No matter how well he fought, their assassins would eventually hound him to death.

Blaidd? placed a hand over his chest. "If I'm needed, I'll do my part."

"Me too!" Zhao Si chimed in.

"Mm..." Finger Reader Enia nodded. "Then there is nothing else for now. Go and rest. Remember, always keep yourselves in good condition."

What followed was much simpler. Gideon assigned them somewhere to stay. The Roundtable Hold had dormitories and a dining hall, but only Fia enjoyed the luxury of a private room. Perhaps that was because of her special nature.

Zhao Si kept looking at Gideon's armor. It really was strange. In particular, he could not understand why it had so many decorations shaped like eyes and ears. They were packed so densely that looking at them nearly triggered his trypophobia.

There weren't even any Silver Knights in this world. What did he need so many ears for?

While eating in the dining hall, he worked up the courage to ask, "Sir, is there anything we need to do right now?"

"Oh?" Gideon pinched the lower edge of his helmet's faceplate, mimicking someone holding his chin in thought. "We all came here to serve the Fingers. Since the Two Fingers have given no orders, I have nothing to assign you. Aside from the ban on fighting and leaving without permission, there are no strict requirements. Just make yourselves at home."

Since there really was nothing to do, Zhao Si looked eagerly at Blaidd?. "Master Ba, are you busy?"

Blaidd? naturally understood what Zhao Si meant. "Fighting may be forbidden, but instruction and sparring aren't. If you have nothing else to do, I can teach you a move or two."

Zhao Si nearly sprang out of his seat in excitement and began frantically shoveling food into his mouth. He had to admit that the food here was quite good. There was meat, vegetables, and even soup-a fairly lavish spread.

Blaidd? warned him, "Don't eat too much. You might throw it up later."

That frightened Zhao Si into stopping immediately.

The Roundtable Hold had an armory stocked with common equipment, including armor, blades, and swords. Naturally, there were also blunt swords and wooden swords for training.

Blaidd? picked up a wooden sword. "Since this may be your first time fighting another person, I'll use a wooden sword to avoid killing you. You'd better wear a full set of equipment to protect your vital spots, and use an iron sword so you can get used to its weight."

Gulp.

Zhao Si swallowed hard. "Don't worry. I'll protect myself."

Putting on armor for the first time, Zhao Si struggled for quite a while before he was fully equipped. It was only an ordinary soldier's armor and offered limited protection, but it was enough for sparring.

He also deliberately chose a wooden shield.

Holding a simple, unsharpened straight sword in his right hand, he tapped it against the shield and immediately felt more confident.

"The real stuff really is a little heavy, though."

When he reached the corridor outside the entrance hall, Blaidd? had

already been waiting for quite some time.

Looking over Zhao Si's outfit, he nodded. "That'll do."

"There's nothing difficult about fighting. What matters most is having the will to kill your opponent."

The moment he finished speaking, he stepped forward and thrust his wooden sword.

Fast.

That was Zhao Si's first thought. Then a stabbing pain shot through his chest. He instinctively shifted his feet to dodge, and the wooden sword's tip scraped across his chest.

Counterattack, counterattack, counterattack, counterattack.

The cry rang endlessly through his mind, driving Zhao Si to swing his sword at Blaidd?'s right arm.

Blaidd? changed his move to a horizontal slash with the wooden sword, striking Zhao Si squarely across the waist and abdomen. The tremendous impact snapped the fragile wooden sword and sent Zhao Si stumbling back several steps before he landed on his backside.

It burned like hell, even through his armor.

"Not bad," Blaidd? offered a measured compliment. "Let's try a few more rounds. I need to get a feel for your abilities too."

Zhao Si struggled to his feet. "All right!"