Elden Ring: Atai vows to have a perfect ending

“······Huh?!” I was a little slow to react.

——I, I didn’t hear it wrong!

——The evil teacher actually invited me to become his subordinate? !

"To be honest, after that battle, I often heard about you." Markit went on to explain his reasons. "Whether it's the stable Nimgefu now, or the suppression of the Cuckoo Rebellion in Lienia, I even heard that you went to Gailed, participated in the festival of the 'Shattered Star', and defeated it... Now, you have even attracted the favor of the ancient dragon... You are indeed different from ordinary faded ones, and you are a rare talent. Moreover, you once said that you want to establish a dynasty where everyone can live with a smile. I have to admit that this is a good dream. So, in order to realize this vision, I need your help."

Market's words were so heartfelt that one could sense they were not false at all, and even made me feel a little shy.

Moreover, he continued, "In addition, you just mentioned the Hall of the Round Table. I am planning to follow the example of the 'Eternal Queen' Marica and re-establish the Round Table under Rodel. I have also recruited several knights of the original Round Table... If you are willing, you can also join them and establish a new order for the border area together."

Market's statement and transformation really surprised me.

After all, in the world view of the game, the Faded Ones are hated by everyone.

Especially in the eyes of those noble golden people, the Faded Ones were like bandits who were exiled by the old dynasty and came back to invade when the dynasty was on the verge of collapse.

Of course, there are indeed some Faders who do things similar to bandits.

——Like when I’m about to go crazy in the game, I’ll kill anyone who stands in my way, even if it’s a Buddha. I’ll kick any stray dog ​​that passes by.

But as the last Golden King, Markit actually began to accept our existence, which was unexpected.

"How is it, the Faded One named Zero?" Markit asked again.

I couldn't help but swallow.

——At this moment, you must answer carefully.

If it's good enough, I'm afraid that after this, it will be easy to enter and exit the Royal City of Rodel, and I don't have to run around like being chased in the game. Who knows, I can even easily step into the forbidden area of ​​the snow mountain;

But if the answer is unsatisfactory, the worst case scenario is that Market will attack me directly here, and if Lance Shanks is not prepared to help, I will probably meet the end here without supplies and in poor condition.

-After all, this one dragon and one person were clearly not allies, but Markit didn't try his best to take care of the ancient dragon, and Lance Shanks was too lazy to fight the Golden Dynasty.

But this does not mean that I can be like a fence-sitter and sway between them at will.

- Plus, if I don't plan to let Melina burn the trees in the future, I will most likely follow Vic's old path and get involved in the fire.

This can be said to be the common Achilles' heel of Lance Shanks and Market, and it must not be noticed by others.

"First of all, please allow me to correct one thing." I took a deep breath and replied, "Lance Shanks and I actually just have an agreement, so she helped me enter the royal city of Rodel, not because she favors me... So, please don't make it too difficult for Lance Shanks, teacher Market. And our agreement is to find her brother, the ancient dragon Fran Shanks. This involves the Prince of Death, Godwin."

Market raised her head and looked at Lance Shanks.

Gu Long also nodded slowly, but...

——Lance Shanks, you hesitated for a moment just now, why?

Scared me.

I'm not lying, but Lance Shanks is my only support now, and it would be bad if she didn't admit it.

After a light cough, I continued, "The information about the dead prince must be related to the 'Night of the Black Knife Conspiracy', and that is probably one of the reasons why Queen Marika smashed the ring."

"Oh?" Market and Lance Shanks both looked surprised.

"······This is just my personal guess now." I added rigorously, "After all, why would the queen who seeks 'eternal prosperity' suddenly smash the ring and plunge the entire border into chaos; what is the potential meaning of the appearance of the Dead Born... We have to figure these out before we can rebuild a new dynasty. Otherwise, we will just continue to follow the queen's old path, and one day we will reach the end of the road, right? In addition..."

I looked at Markit and said solemnly, "Teacher Markit, as an evil omen, you must have suffered many unpleasant memories. But sometimes I wonder if the queen's ring smashing is related to your evil omen clan... After all, no matter what, you are her and King Gefulei's biological son, right?"

Markit's eyes suddenly widened a little, and the hand holding the cane began to tremble slightly.

Lance Shanks unexpectedly said, "Humph, what is a bad omen? It's just a lie of the Golden Dynasty. The horn is a proof of identity for us ancient dragons. It should be regarded as the glory of the sons of mortals!"

"Yeah, yeah, Lance Shanks' horns are indeed beautiful and handsome. If I had horns on my head like Lance Shanks, I would be much more majestic~" I joked with a smile to change the heavy atmosphere.

Lance Shanks was naturally very satisfied with what I said: "Zero, as a son of man, you really have good vision!"

"Indeed, you have too many horns, teacher. I don't know how you usually sleep."

"······I don't need to sleep."

"Eh? Ah... Proper rest is good for your body, but be careful not to get exhausted." This joke didn't seem to go well. I felt that Markit's face was particularly gloomy. I quickly changed back to the main topic. "Anyway, I'm still exploring the possibilities of the border area, and trying to understand Queen Marika's thoughts... Some attempts and actions made in the future may not be in harmony with Teacher Markit and Lance Shanks, and may cause disputes. In the end, we may even become enemies if we can't reconcile... So, please forgive me for not being able to agree to your invitation, the King of Blessing, casually. After all, I don't want to live up to your trust in me now."

Market stared at me, silent.

After a long while, he finally said, "Really... Humph, I finally understand why Lance Shanks would help you, Zero."

—Did he just laugh, Mr. Omen?

For a moment, I did feel the tension in Market relax for a brief moment, and her words were smiling, with no hostility at all.

But it's fleeting.

"...But now, there is another common potential threat to us - the Mad Fire." I continued, "They have been on the Yatan Plateau for a while. It is impossible for them to stay quiet and hide without taking any action. So, Mr. Markit, please be more careful of those guys in Rodel Royal City."

"how about you?"

"As for me, I recently heard that a fire maniac might be hiding in the Volcano Residence, so I'm going to go there."

"Justice Officer Lakkad? What a despicable blasphemer." Markit's aura suddenly turned cold. "That area is in quite a mess. The troops I sent out to pursue them have all disappeared without a trace. The vitality of the royal city has also been greatly damaged by the war... In short, if you want to go there, you have to be more cautious, Zero."

"clear."

"If you can defeat the blasphemous snake and come back here, I will receive Rodel's distinguished guest with the highest etiquette... no matter whether we will be enemies in the future." After saying this, Markit stomped the scepter in his hand, "I will wait for your good news, Zero."

Then, the ominous figure turned into golden light and dissipated under the night sky.

Part of it gathered on me - Green Amber Pendant +1, obtained.

I couldn't help but hold the amulet that increased my energy tightly and said softly, "Thank you, Teacher Markit."