Ranni quietly gazed at the tall, upright man before her, and for a moment she lost herself in thought.
The resolve and determination written on his face made admiration and delight rise in her heart.
If Nolan truly crushed the Cuckoos, then with Ranni's exceptional intelligence and insight, she would easily understand one thing.
In this struggle, the greatest beneficiary would be Caria.
By comparison, all Nolan would receive was nothing more than a personal promise from Ranni.
And that promise was something he should have had in the first place, yet he was still giving even more.
Time slipped by in silence. Only after a long while did Ranni finally break it, slowly parting her lips as she spoke.
"My knight, Caria will always be your strongest support. Do whatever you wish."
The two of them still placed complete trust in one another.
At the side, Melina's gaze kept moving back and forth between Ranni and Nolan.
The more she watched, the stranger these two seemed to her, and before long she began to feel it was not worth it for Nolan.
Such a vast stretch of territory, and he was giving it away just for something that should already have been his.
Just as Melina could no longer suppress the urge to speak.
Nolan, as if he had seen straight through her thoughts, quickly sent her a look that was deeply reassuring.
Melina immediately understood what he meant, and obediently kept her mouth shut.
Her Highness the Princess never forgot the kindness others showed her. Even if she said nothing, she always remembered it in her heart.
Of course, this sort of sincerity in return for sincerity was only suited for people who had both feeling and loyalty.
When it came to heartless people, the only way to deal with them was to be even more ruthless than they were.
"Do you have any other requests?"
Ranni narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly and fixed Nolan with a burning stare, as though if he failed to give an answer that satisfied her, she would never let him off.
Nolan said nothing. He merely stood there in silence, brows faintly knit, as though considering something important.
Only after quite some time did he finally open his mouth and speak in a low voice.
"I also want Your Highness's Great Rune."
At those words, Ranni was briefly taken aback, but she quickly understood, and a look of sudden realization crossed her face.
She gave a small nod.
"The Great Rune? That makes sense. You killed Godrick, so you should have obtained his Great Rune."
She had not forgotten his ability. Now it seemed he could even absorb a Great Rune. He was more terrifying than a Tarnished.
"But I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. That Great Rune was tainted by death, and I discarded it at the Divine Tower long ago."
As for why she had left that dead body at the Divine Tower, it was both a provocation and an insult.
And the target of that insult was naturally the great spokesperson of the gods, the Two Fingers.
"Your god cannot control me. I can change my own fate." That was what Ranni had wanted to tell it.
"I do not fear death. I only need your consent," Nolan said again, his tone as calm as ever.
"If you have enough courage and conviction to face death directly, then it is yours."
Ranni nodded. If she had truly cared about the Great Rune, she would never have thrown it away in the first place.
But even after saying that, she did not leave the subject there. Instead, she pressed on.
"Other than the Great Rune, what else do you want?"
"To be honest, I still feel that my strength is not enough. I hope to receive another Dark Moon."
Nolan had a feeling that Ranni actually liked going out and seeing the world, but for now her circumstances had left her trapped here.
At last hearing the answer she wanted, Ranni silently praised her knight for understanding her intentions.
And so, with both sides pleased and satisfied, the meeting came to a perfect close in a warm and cheerful atmosphere.
When Nolan stepped out through the grand doors of the Mage's Tower, the first thing he saw was War Counselor Iji standing in the distance.
The moment he saw him, Nolan quickened his pace without thinking.
"Lord Iji!"
Calling out loudly, Nolan strode quickly toward him.
The troll seated on a great boulder heard the shout, tossed aside a corpse, and slightly raised his head in Nolan's direction.
"Lord Nolan."
Just as the two were exchanging greetings, a deafening series of thuds suddenly rang out.
The ground itself seemed to tremble, shattering the peaceful mood from moments before.
Then the three of them saw a gigantic beast, as large as a small hill, charging straight toward them.
With that posture, claws and fangs bared, it looked as though it would tear the person in front of it to pieces the moment it opened its bloody jaws.
What was this thing doing? Was this really how it repaid a good deed?
Faced with such a sudden turn of events, Nolan was baffled for a moment.
He had saved her life. Even if she was not overflowing with gratitude, the least she could do was show a better attitude.
There was no time to think further. Nolan was just about to dodge, but strangely enough, he felt no danger at all.
He leaped lightly into the air and thrust a hand forward, intending to stop the charge, but the dragon halted on her own.
With a rustling sweep, the Glintstone Dragon lowered her head and rubbed against him. Her enormous body showed no hostility at all, more like a gentle oversized dog.
But after rubbing against him for a while, the Glintstone Dragon seemed to get worked up by something and let out two low roars, blowing Nolan's long hair wildly about.
Only after snorting several times through those huge nostrils did she finally stop, sending dust swirling everywhere.
"So is this stupid dragon angry or happy?"
Seeing this, Iji was completely dumbfounded. His eyes widened, his face full of disbelief, and he muttered under his breath.
The Glintstone Dragon swayed her head and gave it a vigorous shake, as though trying to drive away the dizziness left behind by her earlier injuries.
Even so, she did not attack. She only gave two low growls.
Nolan understood what she meant.
"You performed Dragon Communion?"
"No, but I did kill a Flying Dragon. Was it a relative or a friend of yours?" Nolan asked.
Iji answered for her.
"I've never heard of her having any friends. She probably learned that you hunted a Flying Dragon and assumed you had performed the ritual."
"Flying Dragons and those dragon-slaying warriors who hunt their hearts are mortal enemies."
Iji brought his weapon down with a solid knock on Adula's head. Flying Dragons were intelligent creatures, but in general their intelligence was not especially high.
"You foolish dragon, hurry up and apologize. Nolan saved your life. Next time something happens, figure out the situation first."
Adula gradually calmed down, and the memories in her mind surfaced again. The scene from before she fainted returned to her.
At once, she nodded without hesitation and let out two low whimpers.
Hearing that dragon cry, which sounded almost like an apology, Nolan's tightly drawn brows gradually relaxed, though they soon lifted slightly again.
That was simply the kind of person this Carian Knight was. He found himself thinking that if the chance ever came, maybe he could keep a dragon by his side too.