Elden Ring: Atai vows to have a perfect ending

Following the half-wolf Blaze, we returned to the square from the Red Lion City Lord's tower. It was still a bustling scene here, with people toasting and everyone enjoying their food.

This wave of enthusiasm made me a little dazed.

After all, after setting out from Stonewell, I passed through Watercall Village and the Smokehouse Church, and then the trial of the Gale Fortress and the competition with Alexander. In these two days, I seemed to have not closed my eyes for a moment and have been fighting all the time.

He couldn't help but sigh slightly and stroked his forehead.

"Zero~" Suddenly, Laya came close to me, which scared me a little.

Her face was flushed and her eyes were a little blurry: "Ling, you're coming back! Good boy~ Good boy~"

——······Why is Laya speaking with such a lisp? Did she drink?

I glanced in the direction where Laya was walking, and the group of guys turned their heads in unison, pretending nothing had happened.

"He, they all said, I, I was deceived." The little snake suddenly pouted his mouth in grievance, "······Zero, Zero, you don't want to go to our Fushan Mansion... Shrimp, Shrimp betrayed the law, are we all, all bad people?"

"..." To be honest, it was hard for me to answer this question, so I could only change the subject, "Laya, are you sleepy?"

"Sleepy? Well, come to think of it, I do feel a little dizzy..."

"Then I'll carry you to take a rest, okay?"

"Hmm~" Laya happily climbed onto my back and suddenly blew in my ear, "Hey hey~ Ling, porridge~"

——······

——Huh? Confession? Did you just say that?

——In the past twenty years, this is the first time someone confessed to me in a different world!?

——But, but Laya’s words should be similar to the kind in anime where the daughter, when she is still young, says something like she wants to marry her dad when she grows up, right?

——Yes, that must be the case, and she was drinking!

I couldn't help but swallow my saliva, and I felt my face getting a little hot. But the little girl Laya, after she finished talking, actually fell asleep on my back.

I feel like...the atmosphere has become a little weird.

I subconsciously glanced around, and immediately the group of guys started shouting, playing finger-guessing games and laughing... But can you please fill up your cups or porcelain bowls first? There's not even a drop of water, what are you going to do?

"Zero, you are really good at making fun of people." Brother Wolf actually made fun of me. Then, under my gaze, he immediately turned his head away and said seriously, "Don't worry, I won't tell the princess~"

“······What does this have to do with anything? Please take me to rest, Brother Wolf.” I sighed helplessly again.

——Let’s not talk about it for now. Lani and I are just partners now.

——Even if she really has a good impression of him, she won’t be jealous of her niece.

After Blaze took us to the guest rooms arranged for the Faded Ones in Red Lion City, he left Laya and I alone.

The room was quite simple, with just a bed, a table and a chair.

I put Laya on the bed, covered her with a quilt, and was about to turn around and leave when my calf was suddenly hit, and I almost fell out.

"Hmm~Ta...niss big silver." Laya was talking in her sleep again, "...so much silver, I brought back a lot of silver..."

——Just say it, and don’t let your tail wag around... Ah, don’t hit it, don’t hit it!

——Just like a puppy, did it have a sweet dream?

——If you swing it again, this already fragile bed will collapse!

I quickly grabbed Laya's tail. Damn, she was quite strong, but it was cold and slippery, and felt good to touch.

Fortunately, Laya's face and body still maintained a human appearance and did not completely change back.

After I caught his tail and he found it hard to break free, he slowly calmed down. He seemed quite happy: "Tanis Dayin, I, I... I was able to help you~"

——Are you still thinking about the recruitment at Volcano Mansion?

Suddenly I remembered that when we were in Sleeping Wolf's shabby house, Laya was sleepwalking and almost choked me. I was a little worried that this girl would do something stupid again in her daze.

I sighed, put Laya's tail on the bed, and decided to pull up a chair and stay in the room to watch her.

In the quiet and dim room, my nerves that had been tense for a long time couldn't help but relax a little, and my eyelids slowly began to droop. The desktop seemed to have an incomparable attraction, making me unable to help but lie down on it with my head down and rest for a while.

······

In a daze, my hair seemed to be pressed by something.

I raised my head reflexively, and almost fell down because of the force. I grabbed the table and looked around vigilantly.

“······I’m sorry, did I scare you, Master Zero?”

"Meimei... Melina." After meeting that familiar pair of willow-browed, star-like eyes, I couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Why are you here?"

But Melina was silent for a moment, turned to look at Laya who was still snoring, and said softly: "You...you seem to spoil that child a lot."

"Ah." I suddenly felt a little panicked. "It's hard. Have I done it before?"

Melina shook her head and paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm just a little curious... Perhaps you don't know, Lord Ling, that snakes are actually very dangerous in the border area. They even tried to devour the golden tree and were feared by everyone... Although I can see that this girl has no ill intentions, Lord Ling, you seem to be quite indulgent towards her from the beginning, which is a bit surprising."

——Uh... Speaking of which, am I not very indulgent towards all NPCs?

——As long as they don’t show any murderous intent towards me, I will basically turn a blind eye.

However, I had nothing to hide in front of Melina: "Actually... I just want to give this child more courage."

"courage?"

“······Ahaha, although this word seems a bit weird coming out of my mouth, after all, I’m struggling every day, and it doesn’t seem to have much to do with courage.” I realized it belatedly and felt embarrassed.

But Melina interrupted me: "No, Master Ling, you do have precious courage. After all... after all, I have been with you for quite a while, and I have seen everything you have done. So, please believe in yourself a little more."

"Thank you, thank you." A little surprised.

——Meimei actually took the initiative to praise me!

--Great!

——Did the sun rise from the west today? Why do I feel like everyone around me is praising me? I feel really happy~

But I still pretended to be nonchalant, and said in a slightly higher voice: "Ahem, come to think of it, Laya... from what I know about the story, her ending was not very good. She lost the will to live and even begged the Fading One to grant her death."

"Eh?"

"Ah, of course, there is another ending, that is, she disappears." I looked at Laya carefully. She was still quite sleepy. "Anyway, I want to use this trip to share my limited courage with her, so that she can be happy and make more friends... In case, when the time comes, Laya will have more to rely on and more choices. So, like you said, I can't help but spoil her."

"I see." Melina nodded, indicating that she understood what I meant. Then, she suddenly asked a question, "Then, Master Ling, what is my fate?"

“Huh?” I felt...my heart skipped a beat.

Melina looked straight at me, with an almost eager light in her golden eyes.

She asked again: "Master Ling, you also told me that in that world, through the so-called game, you knew most of the things that happened and even didn't happen at the border... So, do you also know my fate? Can you..."

She was halfway through her words when her voice gradually faded to an inaudible level.

But I felt like I was sweating all over, and my throat felt like it was flooding, and I had to swallow my saliva uncontrollably.

Even without hearing everything she said, I could probably guess what Melina wanted to ask.

——But, how should I answer?

——Little Wood, you can't burn the trees. If you burn the trees, I would rather go to the fire?

“Well, that…”

Just as I was considering how to respond, I heard the sound of a door opening in the next room.