Elden Ring: Atai vows to have a perfect ending

The square of Red Lion City was as bustling as ever, with absolutely no changes from before I left.

Oh, no, there are changes.

I have found Patch's bald forehead, drinking, laughing, shouting and making a lot of noise in the midst of the noisy crowd.

Diaros actually came as well, but looking at him, it looked like he was forced to drink by Patch, and his face was as red as a cooked shrimp.

There was no sign of Lenia. Did she not come with us? Or was she resting in the guest room?

I walked quietly around the edge of the banquet hall, observing the people that Jie Lian had just told me about.

——The guy who attacked me on the night I arrived at Red Lion City...

To be honest, I personally prefer the old man and his apprentice.

"······This master and disciple are both good at using knives, especially the old man as the master. But the disciple Inabashu·Wei Lu is bold and straightforward by nature. Instead of stealing, I think he would rather challenge you directly; his master, the old man, is mysterious. In my opinion, the Faded Ones who are invited here are naturally people with tempers and are quite confident in their abilities, but so far, I have not seen anyone willing to conflict with the old man······To be honest, the old man exudes the breath of death. He is a strong man who has fought and killed for a long time."

That’s what Jerry said to me.

——Besides, in the game world of the Magic Ring, the old man is a member of the "Blood Fingers" under the Blood King, and can even be called the top powerhouse among the "Blood Fingers".

······However, there is no mark of the Blood Dynasty on his face now. Perhaps, the old man and his apprentice have not yet come into contact with Monger?

I glanced at the other guy again secretly.

The next person looked exactly like an ordinary A-tai in the game, with a mess of clothes on his body, making it impossible to tell his head: Kaidan mercenary armor, a black hood, long cloth strips used as leggings on his hands and legs, and a long sword hanging from his waist.

"...This man calls himself 'Scavenger' Yaro, and seems to be from the northern dragon tomb area of ​​Galid. He speaks quite frivolously and is a troublemaker."

In addition, there was another less noticeable person. When I noticed her, she seemed to have just walked into the square and asked the guards who were entertaining the guests for a portion of meat and soup. During this time, she kept looking around carefully.

As soon as our eyes met, I quickly looked away.

"...Kabu Milana, came from Yelinia. I heard that she is looking for Saint Torina. She is very cautious and has never attacked anyone... However, her daily attire is similar to your description. Zero always wears black, and the weapon she uses now is also a famous sword called 'Moon Hidden'."

——Having the ability to defeat the lava earth dragon in Gale's tunnel, Cab Milana should not be underestimated.

"Ah, who is this guy?" I couldn't help but sigh. There weren't enough clues. Perhaps I would have to fight him again to figure out who the real assassin was.

But I don’t really want to cause trouble, and the battle festival of “Star Shatterer” Ratan is approaching, so I have to prepare well.

Fortunately, Jie Lian said that he had sent people to keep an eye on those people, and if there were any abnormal behavior, he would immediately mobilize all manpower to capture the other party.

And I also need to be more careful, not only now, but also every step I take on the border in the future.

After describing each suspect to me, Jeliando mentioned, "I know that the ultimate goal of each of you Faded Ones is to repair the Elden Ring and become the new king of the Junction. Everyone on Gaileed's side is busy dealing with the Scarlet Corruption and doesn't care much about what happens in other places. But in the future, you need to pay more attention to your side. Zero... That day, everyone in the square knew that Greg was defeated by you, so the Great Rune of the demigod is naturally in your hands. For those with ulterior motives, it is definitely a rare opportunity to obtain their power without challenging the demigods. Therefore, the greater your reputation, the more people will be against you in the future, so be careful."

——In that case, it’s all Ishutopia’s fault for promoting it so much.

——At first I thought the attacker was looking for revenge on Laya and the Volcano Mansion behind her, but it turned out that I was the real target.

——However, considering that my senior has helped me a lot, I will not settle the score with him.

After all, Ishutopia is still more or less immersed in the atmosphere of the former Round Table Hall, where people helped each other and fought together for the prosperity of the dynasty.

For them, challenging and defeating a demigod-level enemy is a great honor and naturally a legend worth publicizing. It can be seen that they have never engaged in intrigue with others.

I sighed, chewed and swallowed the last bite of meat, and walked towards the tower platform at the other end of the square.

Unexpectedly, I saw a familiar figure standing on the balcony, looking towards the Weeping Dunes where General "Star Shatterer" Latan was.

The wind and dust caressed the hair on her forehead, and a bit of crystal seemed to slide down from the corner of her eye and was blown away in the scarlet.

"Millicent." I trotted over. "Why are you here? How are you feeling?"

"Zero." Millicent turned around and smiled at me. "I'm fine. I just heard the crying and came to check."

"That one is the 'Star Shattering' General Latan that you mentioned, right?" she asked.

I nodded and asked cautiously: "Do you... do you still remember him?"

After a moment's silence, Millicent shook her head. "I don't have any memory of seeing that general, but... his voice makes me feel inexplicably irritated... Ah, I've also been in this state, tortured by corruption and disease. Every time they wriggle in my body, I can't stop having nightmares. Endless scarlet, like a sea of ​​blood, swallowing me and drowning me, and like countless hands, pulling me tightly, trying to tear me apart... That voice, she seemed to say, bloom! Bloom! My child... You only have me, I am your strength, your everything... So use my power to the fullest, bloom! Let the world feel your pain!"

Millicent spoke softly, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her.

But all this is the real pain she was born with...or perhaps it is part of Malenia's thoughts.

"To be honest, when that person showed up, I had completely given up. Even if there was a mission, I wanted to accept that power, at least I wouldn't be tortured anymore... Fortunately, Zero, you showed up." Millicent looked at me, her golden eyes glittering like flowers, "It was your fearless voice that gave me the courage to hold on, Zero."

"Well, I wasn't that reckless, and I didn't think too much about it at that time." I scratched my face a little embarrassedly and changed the subject. "Before me, you also persisted for a long time. Surviving was your own wish, Millicent."

“… Maybe. But in fact, there was another voice in the nightmare that kept telling me not to lose to this obvious temptation, telling me that one day, he would find a way to redeem me and come back… And, my redemption did come.”

Her last words were so faint that I could not catch them: "Well? Did you say anything, Millicent?"

Millicent had already turned her eyes away and looked towards the Weeping Dunes. "Can I ask you a favor? Zero."

"what's up?"

"I beg you to give that general hope... At least now, everything is still possible."