In the end, Lucian left under Messmer's furious glare.
But Lucian paid no attention to that gaze, which seemed almost capable of devouring him alive. Instead, he secretly reveled in his heart.
Having a girl whose eyes were filled with nothing but him was truly the greatest stroke of luck in his entire life.
When it was time to leave, Lucian also became much bolder, no longer bothering to hide their relationship.
He simply wrapped an arm around Melina's waist and walked back toward Shadow Keep beside her.
Although Melina was initially somewhat uncomfortable doing this in front of Messmer, in the end, she merely leaned shyly against Lucian's embrace.
Messmer glared at them the entire way, watching as the two returned to Shadow Keep.
He remained standing there for a long while before finally letting out a sigh.
"Wouldst thou not say this is good as well?"
Although they were siblings, their experiences were different, and so were their pursuits.
For Messmer, nothing in this world could ever be more important than the mission their mother had given him.
But now that Melina had found the pursuit she wanted to devote her life to, what reason did he, as her elder brother, have to interfere?
It was only that he wondered where Melina's mission would ultimately lead this relationship...
Messmer suddenly remembered the sun that had risen earlier and realized that perhaps there was truly nothing he needed to worry about.
A flame only needs kindling to be ignited.
When one already possesses the most powerful flame in the world, what need is there for the kindling to make a sacrifice?
Since the most crucial part of the mission no longer required her to sacrifice herself, Melina could simply fulfill the other part of her mission and guide him toward becoming a lord.
Shaking his head, Messmer also set out on the road back.
—
After returning to Shadow Keep, Lucian had no intention of leaving immediately.
He had spent several consecutive days treating the Shamans, and he was quite exhausted.
So Lucian decided to stay in Shadow Keep for a while and recover his spirits.
Melina had also parted ways with him for the time being and returned to her own room.
All the Shaman survivors who could be found had now been completely healed and were receiving care within Shadow Keep.
The ones rescued by Lucian and Melina had also arrived here under the care of the physicians, finally reuniting with their fellow Shamans.
Once their condition improved a little further, they would be able to return to their homeland, Shaman Village, and live there.
The Shamans who had once been forced to leave their homeland would ultimately return to it.
As for Black Knight Harold and the soldiers under Messmer who had participated in the rebellion, they really did not want to return to Shadow Keep.
So Lucian did not force them and simply let them go.
At present, they were following Hildegard around as her bodyguards, exploring the plants and medicinal herbs of the Land of Shadow.
With both hands behind his head, Lucian stared at the unfamiliar ceiling and began calculating his plans for what came next.
Now that he had finally freed himself from the matters he had been dealing with earlier, he could finally organize his thoughts properly.
Ever since setting foot in the Land of Shadow, he had first thoroughly cleared the way through Tower Settlement, then successfully rescued and treated the Shamans.
Now, the Lord of Frenzied Flame at the bottom of the ravine had also been dealt with, eliminating the most urgent threat.
And because of his relationship with Melina, his relationship with his brother-in-law's forces at Shadow Keep was also excellent. They could now be considered a completely friendly faction.
Looking at things this way, Lucian had already explored a considerable portion of the Land of Shadow.
Not only had he already gained tremendous rewards, but after obtaining all that information from Messmer, Lucian could now proceed based on intelligence.
He already had a rough understanding of what could be found in the various regions of the Land of Shadow.
All that remained was to set out and find them.
However, before leaving, Lucian planned to obtain a few more incantations and sorceries from his brother-in-law.
The Specimen Storehouse contained far more than biological specimens.
As the largest library in the entire Land of Shadow, it also contained many scrolls and stone tablets recording precious sorceries and incantations.
Lucian had already mentioned this matter to Messmer during their previous conversation.
His brother-in-law had readily agreed. As long as Lucian returned to the Specimen Storehouse, someone would be assigned to receive him and help him retrieve whichever scrolls or stone tablets he wanted.
As for the matters in the Lands Between, Lucian was not in a hurry.
Nor could he afford to be.
If Lucian were to lead an army right now, he could completely launch a direct assault on Leyndell and fight his way all the way to the Erdtree.
Messmer's army might even be useful for this.
The only problem was how to persuade him.
That would be a test of his skill with words.
Although the one currently ruling Leyndell, the "Grace-Given" Morgott, was an Omen, what Messmer had always wanted to eliminate were those who were unblessed by Grace.
As a legitimate Golden Demigod, Morgott still possessed Grace in his eyes, so Messmer would not attack him simply because he was an Omen.
However, if Lucian told Messmer that Queen Marika was currently suffering a fate worse than death, hanging within the Erdtree and enduring punishment...
Lucian estimated that Messmer might charge into battle even more urgently than he would.
As for the thorns blocking the way, Lucian did not consider them much of a problem either.
After all, he possessed the power of the sun.
He could simply burn them away.
And even if burning them directly did not work, wasn't there still the Flame Chariots and Wind Spirit Moon Shadow?
Unfortunately, Lucian would not do that before Godfrey returned and sounded the horn for the final battle.
Godfrey was the First Elden Lord of the Erdtree and enjoyed an unparalleled reputation throughout the Lands Between.
Such a reputation was difficult to shake. Friend and foe alike acknowledged his strength.
Now, the news that Godfrey was about to return was already gradually spreading, and sooner or later, everyone in the Lands Between would know.
If Lucian rushed to attack the capital at a time like this, wouldn't it make him look as though he were afraid of Godfrey?
Furthermore, Lucian had already ordered people to spread word of the coming great battle and was waiting for the confrontation.
That made it even more impossible for him to strike first.
Doing so would only damage his own reputation.
What Lucian wanted was to take everything to the absolute extreme.
In terms of strength, reputation, and character, Lucian wanted to become a lord who was utterly worthy of the title.
And not merely a lord.
Lucian also wanted to become a god, the sun, the absolute light of the Lands Between.
Therefore, only when Godfrey returned to the Lands Between would the ultimate battle to determine the victor truly begin.
He would fight his way through one obstacle after another, clash with numerous powerful foes, and ultimately become Elden Lord.
But before that, Lucian would also collect the Great Runes, recovering as many of the scattered Great Runes as possible.
When the final decision was made, those Great Runes would all prove immensely useful.
By now, there were not many Demigods who still possessed Great Runes and had not yet been dealt with by Lucian.
Rykard was the most convenient one.
He could be dealt with almost effortlessly.
Afterward, Lucian also planned to find some time to clear out Volcano Manor completely.
Then, it was time to continue increasing his strength.
Lucian naturally had no fear of openly facing Godfrey in a fair fight.
It was just that...
There was still the Elden Beast inside the Erdtree.
That was a beast born from the Greater Will, a manifestation of the very concept of Order itself.
Although its appearance had earned it the joking nickname of "the giant space egg," anyone who truly thought it was as harmless and bouncy as an egg was in for a painful lesson.
Whether it was Marika or Radagon, both of them were practically toys in the presence of the Elden Beast.
If Lucian were to fight it right now, he still wasn't entirely confident he could win.
The best time would be after Lucian truly became the Sun.
At that point, let alone the Elden Beast, even if the Greater Will itself came down, Lucian would dare to use Wind Spirit Moon Shadow and argue with it face-to-face.
If not then, the next best opportunity would be after Lucian dealt with Miquella and attempted to become a god within the Land of Shadow.
Only after reaching that level would he have enough confidence to face true gods like the Elden Beast.
However, the first thing he needed to obtain was the ancient meteoric ore material from the ruined forge and have it forged into armor.
Considering the requirements for preserving the material, he might even have to ask Master Iji to make a trip here.
Compared to Master Hewg, who was imprisoned in Roundtable Hold, that was one advantage Master Iji had.
—
While Lucian was thinking about these matters, he suddenly felt something appear on his bed.
Lucian turned his head and was greeted by an astonishing sight.
A slender, pale-blue little hand slowly emerged from a spatial disc.
Then came a second hand.
Then a third.
And a fourth.
Miniature Ranni used all four hands to grip the edge of the spatial disc and pull herself out, eventually standing on Lucian's bed.
With her back to Lucian, Miniature Ranni adjusted her clothes slightly and straightened the brim of her hat before finally turning around.
Seeing the bewildered expression on Lucian's face, Miniature Ranni revealed a slightly sly, almost witch-like smile.
"What?"
"Art thou truly so surprised?"
Lucian tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, asking in confusion,
"Of course. But why did you come out like that?"
Miniature Ranni blinked, looking somewhat puzzled herself.
"What? Dost thou take issue with it?"
"What is so strange about it? This is something I gave thee."
"It would be far stranger if I could not use it myself
Lucian thought about it.
She actually had a point.
The spatial disc had originally been something he had obtained from Ranni, and he had been using it for quite some time.
Lucian reached out one finger and poked Miniature Ranni's hat.
"I don't really mind..."
"But, Miss Witch, you wouldn't want someone else to see you looking like this, would you?"
"If you happened to come through at an unfortunate moment, you might just appear in front of everyone."
"The Lunar Princess, Ranni, who once masterminded the Night of Black Knives and triggered the Shattering... has actually become this tiny and adorable."
"That really is quite unexpected."
Miniature Ranni placed a hand against her head, looking somewhat helpless.
"Your Majesty, the Sun King, I pray thee conduct thyself with some dignity."
"Of course, if thou art saying that this body is small and adorable… I shall concede the point."
"After all, it is my own masterpiece."
Seeing Ranni accidentally play right into his words, Lucian inexplicably found it amusing.
Miniature Ranni walked over to the side of Lucian's head and proudly declared,
"Besides, the situation thou describest is impossible. Do not underestimate a witch."
"I can still use the Moonlight Mark to observe the situation here beforehand."
Lucian nodded lightly.
So the Moonlight Mark could be used for that as well.
That made sense. Even if they could only use the marks to "make calls," it wasn't strange for the main unit on Ranni's side to have additional functions.
Suddenly, Lucian's expression changed.
He became somewhat flustered.
"Wait a second. Doesn't that mean you saw what happened earlier?"
"You were secretly watching before, weren't you?"
Miniature Ranni froze.
She quickly realized what Lucian was referring to.
Her previously flexible puppet body became completely rigid, not moving at all.
The enormous brim of her hat concealed her entire expression, while the chill surrounding her gradually weakened.
"W-What? I know naught of any such thing…"
"Would I even have reason to peek?"
In reality...
Ranni had indeed seen some scenes that she probably should not have seen at the time.
Of course, she had not seen anything truly important.
It was more or less the moment Lucian had just returned to Stormveil and had begun taking off his clothes.
Ranni had only watched for two seconds before disconnecting in shock and embarrassment.
Looking at Miniature Ranni's rapid breathing and the obvious redness spreading across her face, Lucian immediately sensed that something was wrong and quickly changed the subject.
"Ahem... So, you came here on your own this time. Is there something you wanted?"
Ranni recovered and hurriedly ended the topic as well.
Without saying anything, Miniature Ranni began laboriously climbing up Lucian's clothes.
Fortunately, Lucian was lying down.
Otherwise, there was no guarantee that Miniature Ranni's tiny body could actually manage it.
Once she had climbed onto Lucian's chest, Miniature Ranni sat there and looked down at his face.
"What? Am I not permitted to come?"
But that wasn't what Ranni was actually thinking.
Can't I come over just to see what you're up to?
She concealed her thoughts and pretended to be composed before continuing,
"I merely came to inform thee of some intelligence."
Ranni cleared her throat twice before continuing,
"The hiding place of the Two Fingers, Celes. I have finally made some progress in locating that fellow."
"I know not when thou shalt have the time to spare, but… couldst thou come unto the Altus Plateau and aid me in dealing with him?"
Once they began discussing serious matters, Lucian became serious as well.
"You finally found him?"
After thinking for a moment, Lucian gave her his answer.
"As for me, I'm free whenever."
"I was just about to head to a ruined forge to look for materials for forging equipment."
"Once I've confirmed the material and had Master Iji come over, I'll be able to leave for the plateau."
Lucian reached out and lifted Miniature Ranni into his hands before sitting up on the bed.
"Coincidentally, I also have quite a bit of new information that I just obtained."
"I imagine you'll be very interested in it."
Petite Ranni straightened her hat and looked up at Lucian, clearly curious.
"It seems our esteemed Sun King hath gained quite a great deal from his journey through the Land of Shadow."
"Go on, then. What intelligence hast thou brought me?"
Lucian held Miniature Ranni in the palm of his hand and spoke seriously.
"It's about the existence hiding behind the scenes, impersonating the Greater Will and playing with the fate of the inhabitants of the Lands Between."
Miniature Ranni's expression immediately changed.
She became extremely serious.
"Canst thou be certain?"
Lucian took out the map and unfolded it, pointing out the locations of the two Finger Ruins to Ranni.
"There are two enormous Finger Ruins that can clearly be seen in the Land of Shadow."
"A geographical transformation on that scale is absolutely impossible for something like the Two Fingers to accomplish."
"Since that existence also has a finger-like appearance, there are too many connections."
"The Finger Ruins might even be traces left behind by that existence."
Ranni rested a finger against her chin and silently began to think.
"Indeed. We cannot dismiss it as wholly unrelated."
"So long as there remain even the faintest traces to be found, it is worth investigating."
"Only… if we begin our search now, there is no telling how many years it may take."
"And an opportunity to deal with Celes will not present itself often…"
Ranni was now somewhat torn over whether she should temporarily put aside the investigation and forcefully kill Celes.
But with the threat of that unknown existence hanging over them, she was also uncertain.
Lucian chuckled twice and said,
"According to the information I've obtained, there is a sorcery tutor named Ymir who is investigating the Finger Ruins."
"If he's truly capable, then by making use of the progress of his research, things will be much easier for us."