Hearing the name from Lucian, Messmer rested one hand against his head and spoke calmly.
"Miquella…"
"I have indeed met him. Or rather… it was he who came seeking me."
The moment Lucian heard that Messmer had actually met Miquella, he immediately perked up.
Ever since learning of Miquella's ambition to become a god in front of Enir-Ilim, the sealed Spiral Tower at the end of Belurat, Lucian had been extremely wary of his plans.
After all, it would be better if something like an Infinite Tsukuyomi that hypnotized the entire Lands Between never happened.
Unfortunately, there had been far too few ways to obtain information back then. Even among Miquella's followers, Leda was probably the only one who knew even part of his plans.
But if Lucian went after Leda, he would inevitably alert Miquella.
If Miquella disappeared into the shadows again like he had during the Shattering, then Lucian might genuinely never be able to find him.
Now that he finally had news of Miquella, the corners of Lucian's mouth gradually lifted.
"That's great. Can you tell me more?"
As Messmer recalled what had happened back then, he slowly began to speak.
"It was some time ago."
"For reasons unknown to me, Miquella discovered a breach in the seal that surroundeth the Land of Shadow, and slipped within."
"I know not how he came to learn of this land, yet he was plainly well prepared for what awaited him."
"Whether it was the events that had transpired upon this land, or the deeper secrets concealed beneath them…"
"After finding me, Miquella revealed his identity."
"Our dealings were cordial enough, and in the end, he remained within the Shadow Keep for several days."
Messmer paused before continuing.
"Since the Land of Shadow was sealed away, it had been utterly severed from the world beyond."
"During our time together, he also told me of all that had transpired in the Lands Between."
"Most notably, of the great upheaval wrought by the shattering of the Elden Ring."
Lucian wasn't surprised by the way Messmer had treated Miquella.
As far as Messmer was concerned, Miquella's identity was practically spotless.
A Golden Demigod born from Marika, and an Empyrean at that. His lineage and status were perfectly legitimate.
Furthermore, even without consciously using his power of enchantment, Miquella was naturally capable of making others feel favorable toward him.
Unless someone was explicitly determined to oppose him like Lucian was, there was no reason for their first meeting to end in conflict.
Lucian hurriedly pressed further.
"Then what else did Miquella do? Did he ever tell you what he wanted to accomplish?"
"Miquella didn't come all the way here just to chat with you, did he?"
Messmer raised his head and looked at Lucian curiously.
"Aye. After several days spent in one another's company, Miquella came to me with a request."
"He desired that I undo the seal upon the Divine Tower—Enir-Ilim."
"I surmised that Miquella sought to make use of the miracle concealed within, and, by passing through the Gate of Divinity, to recreate the rite by which Mother had once ascended to godhood."
"Yet at the very end of the Crusade, Mother called upon the power of the Scadutree and sealed that place away entirely. From that day forth, none could enter."
"The seal could be undone only by kindling the sealing tree with a particular flame."
The moment Miquella mentioned Enir-Ilim, Messmer had more or less understood what he was after.
After all, aside from the Gate of Divinity, there was practically nothing else there.
However, Miquella wanting to become a god wasn't something Messmer found completely incomprehensible.
What other reason could a Demigod have to trace the existence of the Land of Shadow from mere fragments of information and then come all the way here?
The events that had occurred in the Lands Between were difficult for Messmer to believe, but since they had happened, then the Empyreans indeed possessed the right to succeed to godhood.
And Miquella was undoubtedly one of the Empyreans closest to achieving that goal, to the point that he had even managed to uncover the existence of the Land of Shadow and make his way here.
That didn't mean, however, that Messmer would simply assist Miquella according to his wishes.
Messmer chuckled twice before speaking again.
"Of course, I would never have undone the seal for him."
"This is the Land of Shadow. It is a realm wholly apart from the Lands Between from whence they came."
"Save for Mother, there is none to whom I am bound to give obedience, nor have I any need to concern myself with their so-called laws of succession."
"I refused Miquella."
"Several days thereafter, Miquella departed."
"As for where he went thereafter, I know not. He never again revealed himself within my domain."
"…Thou seemest rather interested in Miquella."
"It would appear the two of you share some history."
Lucian nodded, openly admitting it.
"According to the information I have, Miquella wants to become a god."
"He was born with the power of enchantment, capable of making living beings feel favorable toward him even without consciously using it."
"If my guess is correct, then after becoming a god, Miquella intends to use that power to enchant every living being in the Lands Between."
"Miquella wants to create a 'peaceful' Lands Between filled with puppets on strings."
"That kind of world is something I cannot accept. I have to stop him."
Lucian looked toward Messmer.
The information he needed next would have to come from his brother-in-law.
"But when it comes to godhood, I know almost nothing."
"The conditions required to become a god, the power obtained after becoming one, all of these are things I urgently need to understand."
"Only by knowing these things can I deduce Miquella's plan."
After understanding what Miquella intended to do, Messmer was also thoroughly startled by the sheer insight behind Lucian's deduction.
He frowned and sat upright.
"So that was what he intended…"
"No wonder he sought me out."
"Seen in that light, Miquella is indeed a dangerous one."
"Though I knew already, when he made his request, that Miquella desired to become a god, I had never imagined that his ultimate aim was to bring such an absurd notion to fruition."
Messmer shook his head, not considering the matter quite as serious as Lucian did.
"But the seal yet remaineth intact. Miquella can no longer enter the Divine Tower."
Lucian suddenly thought of something and immediately contradicted him.
"Not necessarily."
"When Miquella met you back then, was his body intact?"
Messmer raised an eyebrow.
Although he found Lucian's question strange, he answered truthfully.
"Of course it was intact… No, wait. I never actually saw what he looked like before."
"Although he appeared perfectly normal at the time, if that's the case, then I suppose we can't be certain that was his original form."
"Why are you asking?"
Lucian stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"Miquella left traces of his movements throughout the Land of Shadow."
"His Crosses."
"Beneath those crosses, pieces of Miquella's discarded body are buried."
"I suspect Miquella intends to abandon everything that makes up his physical self and pass through the seal in the form of a soul."
"It's possible that he left some of his discarded body inside the Shadow Keep itself. With his power of enchantment influencing them, ordinary soldiers might simply overlook such abnormalities."
Messmer furrowed his brow and began considering whether this method was actually feasible.
From Messmer's perspective, there was absolutely no flaw in the seal. Could a soul really enter in such a state?
That seal had been established by her Mother herself with the power of the Scadutree.
Before the sealing tree was burned, even he had no way of entering.
And even if Miquella's soul somehow managed to get inside, how could he become a god through the Gate of Divinity without a Lord to guide him?
Regardless of what Miquella was thinking, there was simply no way for him to accomplish anything.
Still, although Messmer believed Miquella had no means of succeeding, he took the matter to heart.
From now on, he intended to have his knights pay closer attention and see if they could uncover any trace of Miquella's movements, just in case something unexpected really did happen.
Messmer nodded toward Lucian before speaking again.
"This knowledge is of no small importance. I shall keep watch over the matter."
"Set thy mind at ease. I would not see this world become such a place, either."
Messmer then changed the subject and began talking about the Gate of Divinity that Lucian had been so eager to learn about.
"Since thou hast said that thou wouldst know how one might become a god within the Spiral Tower, then I shall tell thee."
"Mother, Queen Marika, is the god of the Golden Order."
"Yet precious few know that Mother ascended to godhood through the miracle known as the Gate of Divinity, deep within Enir-Ilim."
"To ascend as a god through the Gate of Divinity, several conditions must be fulfilled at once."
Messmer raised one finger after another, gesturing toward Lucian and Melina.
"First, thou must possess a Law of sufficient might, one worthy of bearing thee unto godhood."
"Second, thou must have a Lord to guide the god. Without one, thou shalt lose thyself within the power thereof."
"Third, the opening of the Gate of Divinity requireth a sacrifice."
"As for whether there are further conditions beyond these… I know not."
Messmer lowered his three raised fingers and continued.
"This is also why I have little cause to fear Miquella entering Enir-Ilim."
"Even should he somehow succeed in sending his soul within, he would yet be unable to fulfill the remaining conditions."
Lucian committed these conditions firmly to memory, but instead found himself even more puzzled.
Miquella definitely knew enough about the Gate of Divinity. There was no reason for him not to know about the other requirements.
Yet under these circumstances, he had still chosen to proceed with his plan.
That was extremely strange.
Unfortunately, Lucian still knew far too little about Miquella.
A question suddenly occurred to him, and he turned toward Messmer.
"What if… I wanted to become a god too?"
Although the Sun had said that it could help him become the new Sun, Lucian still had no idea what that process actually entailed.
By becoming a god through the Gate of Divinity, he could bring out the full power of the Laws within the Sun Great Rune ahead of time.
As for whether this process would affect his chances of becoming the true Sun in the future…
Lucian genuinely couldn't see any problem.
Just because he became a god in the Lands Between, did that mean he couldn't become the Sun?
How could the Sun possibly be so inconvenient?
No matter how he looked at it, this seemed to be an opportunity with nothing to lose.
Furthermore, unlike a god who needed to rely upon a Lord, Lucian himself was already a Lord.
If he succeeded, he would become a combination of god and lord.
His individual strength would undoubtedly become absurd.
Messmer gave Lucian a strange look.
"…Forget it."
"Even for thee, I shall not undo the seal."
"Besides… wouldst thou not become Elden Lord?"
After a pause, Messmer continued questioning Lucian.
"Furthermore, by the rite's own design, one who would cross the Gate of Divinity must have a Lord to guide them."
"If thou wouldst cross the Gate of Divinity and ascend unto godhood, then tell me—who shall be thy Lord?"
"To be a Lord is not merely a matter of possessing strength sufficient for the title."
"Setting aside one who hath already taken the mantle of Lord, at the very least… his fate must be bound in some measure to that station."
Lucian thought about it carefully.
It did seem rather difficult to find someone who met those conditions.
He wanted to become both lord and god, but surely he couldn't guide himself…
Then, a flash of inspiration struck him.
Wait.
Why couldn't he guide himself?
Wasn't Asimi there?
In terms of strength, there was absolutely no need to worry. Asimi could definitely fulfill the role.
As for the identity of a Lord…
Asimi had originally been created for the purpose of becoming the Lord of Night. So she should… technically count, right?
Lucian recalled Asimi's somewhat vacant, innocent expression.
For the moment, he decided to put that plan aside.
—
After asking Messmer about everything he wanted to know, Lucian was thoroughly satisfied.
As expected of the person in charge of the entire Land of Shadow, Messmer's information network was incredible.
Whether it was matters concerning the Land of Shadow or the Scadutree, Lucian had learned quite a lot.
He even learned that Messmer had a handle on the whereabouts of the followers of the Prince of Death who had secretly entered the Land of Shadow.
While Lucian continued asking Messmer about the circumstances of the Land of Shadow, Melina quietly stood to the side, gazing up at the statue of her mother.
Within Messmer's dark chamber was perhaps the only completely intact statue of Marika in the entire Land of Shadow.
And unlike the other statues, this statue of Marika was depicted cradling an infant in her arms.
Once their conversation ended, Melina looked seriously at Messmer.
"Brother, I want to know about our true origins…"
"Although it has nothing to do with our mission, perhaps searching for the origin of one's own existence is simply an instinct of life."
Messmer fell silent for a moment as he looked at Melina.
After some time, he finally raised his eyes and met her gaze.
"Dost thou truly wish to know?"
He could clearly see the determination in Melina's eyes.
Messmer raised his head and gazed toward the towering statue.
"We are… beings apart. Unique, in truth."
"For we were never meant to be born. We are children who, by all that was ordained, should never have come into this world."
Melina had already made some guesses, but hearing it from Messmer's own mouth still left her stunned.
"What exactly does that mean?"
Messmer remained expressionless as he continued.
"We were not born in the ordinary manner. We were made. Brought into being for the sake of a purpose."
"Though we are Mother's children, the powers we bear have naught to do with her."
"One of thine eyes bears the mark of the Gloam-Eyed Queen, whilst within me dwelleth the power of the Abyssal Serpent. Is that not strange enough in itself?"
"And yet there is more. The body thou now possessest is not thine original one, and still thou wieldest it without the slightest trace of incompatibility."
"…It is almost as though this body were no different from the one thou wert born with, is it not?"
"Have thou never wondered what secret lies at the heart of it all?"
Melina's breath caught.
All the clues suddenly connected in her mind, and a single name surfaced in her thoughts.
"The Great Rune of the Unborn…"
Messmer gently nodded.
"The Hornsent believed that shamans possessed the ability to meld with other living beings… and that belief was not entirely without truth."
"Taking that faint trait, and combining it with the Great Rune of the Unborn, Mother employed a Mimic Tear to bring us into being."
"We were created for a single purpose, to fulfill the mission entrusted unto us."
—
[T/N: Some Melina and Messmer Images :3 ]