A light drizzle fell from the sky.
Riding on Torrent, he seemed completely unaware of it, allowing the rain to patter against his body as he passed through the pond that carried the pungent scent of pickled vegetables.
In the end, he had obtained the Haligtree Secret Medallion.
And once again, Albus had turned to ash before his eyes.
That fate could not be changed by anyone, because such was the inevitable end of the Albinaurics.
Before dying, Albus entrusted him with half of the Haligtree Secret Medallion and asked him to find the Albinauric Latenna, requesting that he help her fulfill her mission.
He accepted the request without hesitation.
After all, Latenna was already an old acquaintance to him—an exceptionally skilled archer.
During his earliest cycles, the Spirit Ash formed from Latenna had helped him more than once.
Yet every time, he never kept her.
Instead, he followed her final wish and laid her to rest in that broken hut, letting her sleep beside her wolf.
"…Alright. I should turn around and head to the Slumbering Wolf's Shack first."
Looking at the map in his hand, he scratched his head in annoyance.
Although the shack was located just above these mountains, he still needed to backtrack and circle around to reach it.
"Not even a single updraft to glide on… sigh…"
"Aaaa…"
"Alright, alright, Ao-chan. I won't sigh anymore."
He tapped Tiamat lightly on the forehead and grumbled inwardly.
You look like a cute little creature, but you act like an old housewife…
Tiamat: ᗜ‸ᗜ
She stared at him with that expression.
A primordial goddess of creation—yet now called Ao-chan.
At that moment, Torrent suddenly stopped.
Not because the road ahead was blocked.
The Tarnished had pulled the reins.
"Long time no see, Melina."
On a nearby stone sat a familiar figure.
Seeing Melina appear again after such a long time instantly brightened his mood.
"…Long time no see."
Her face remained as calm and expressionless as ever.
"Did something happen? I've been working very hard collecting runes lately. Planning to take you back beneath the Erdtree as soon as possible."
"…I know. Thank you, Tarnished."
Just hearing those words of gratitude made his recent efforts feel worthwhile.
Lately, he had focused solely on traveling and hadn't even bothered exploring.
In a normal cycle, reaching Liurnia would take more than a month.
But sometimes, when he wanted to see Ranni sooner, he would defeat Godrick as quickly as possible and rush straight to the Three Sisters towers in Caria Manor.
Sometimes he didn't even activate the Great Rune.
"…Tarnished. Your tailor, Boc, wishes to see you."
Melina's sudden statement froze his expression.
A string of question marks practically appeared above his head.
"Wait. What did you just say? Boc? My tailor?"
"…Yes. He has been waiting for you at the Lake-Facing Cliffs, but you never appeared. So he asked me to pass along his message. He wishes to see you.
…If possible, I hope you will go meet him. It would make him very happy."
"..."
The Tarnished's eye twitched.
"Miss Melina, would you mind telling me when Boc became my tailor?"
"…Boc introduced himself that way. After you helped him recover his keepsake, he decided to pledge his loyalty to you."
"…Alright."
He gave up thinking about it.
If the man wanted to swear loyalty, then so be it.
Even if Boc was a demi-human, it didn't really matter.
At least it meant his little faction had gained another member.
"Fine. I'll go see him—for your sake."
Melina immediately shook her head.
"…No. There is no need to do it for my sake. I was only here to pass along the message."
His expression stiffened again.
Of course it's you, Melina.
He had only spoken casually, yet she took it literally.
He sighed with a bitter smile.
"Alright, alright. Not for your sake. I'm going because I want to. Happy now?"
With that, he turned Torrent toward the Lake-Facing Cliffs.
"Honestly… when will Melina stop being such a block of wood…"
But when he thought about it carefully, that reaction was completely normal.
That was Melina.
If she weren't this blunt and emotionally clueless, would he really have struggled through more than six hundred cycles for her?
So what if she was a piece of wood?
Even if she could be ignited like firewood at the slightest spark—after all, she was meant to become kindling.
He still loved her.
Wood or not.
Melina was still his number one wife.
And he would always fight for Melina and Ranni.
Melina, however, did not leave immediately.
She remained standing on the stone, watching the Tarnished ride away in silence.
Even now, she still didn't understand why he had been so emotional that day.
What was that strange feeling that had stirred within her heart?
She didn't know.
Yet whenever she watched him from the shadows, that feeling would appear again.
Even now.
"What… is this feeling?"
She murmured softly, pressing a hand to her chest.
Her body dissolved into pale blue light and vanished.
Lake-Facing Cliffs
"…Brr… Master… my master… why haven't you come yet… Boc feels so cold…"
Hidden in the grass, Boc curled into himself, hugging his arms as he shivered.
Although the rain had stopped, the chill after the storm still lingered.
He had been waiting here for one or two days, hoping to meet the Tarnished who had saved him.
But that Tarnished never appeared.
Sometimes he wondered if they had simply missed each other.
Yet when he noticed a blind woman standing on the cliff nearby, also waiting for someone, he forced himself to remain.
He didn't know who she was waiting for.
But he felt that person was probably the Tarnished as well.
And after a cloaked woman named Melina appeared, he became even more certain.
That belief was what kept him waiting.
Still…
It was so cold.
Just as hunger and cold began to overwhelm him—
A voice arrived like salvation.
"…Boc."
Melina had appeared silently, crouching in front of him.
Boc's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Miss Melina! Has Master—has Master arrived already?!"
"…Yes. I delivered your message. He is already on his way to see you…"
She paused suddenly, as if sensing something.
"No… he has already arrived."
With that, she dissolved into glimmering light and disappeared.
"Thank you, Miss Melina!"
Boc bowed deeply toward the fading light, then ran out of the grass with excitement.
But the moment he stepped out—
A massive iron hoof filled his vision, growing larger and larger.
"Stop, Torrent!"
The Tarnished yanked the reins, forcing Torrent to veer aside and step back, narrowly avoiding tragedy.
"Is this guy trying to get himself killed?!"
Looking at Boc crouched on the ground with his head covered in terror, he didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
If Torrent's hoof had landed…
With Boc's tiny body, he would have died instantly.
But Boc seemed not to hear him.
Lowering his arms, he gazed at the Tarnished on the spectral steed.
"…Y-you've finally come, Master! My master! Do you remember me? I'm Boc, the demi-human.
The Boc who retrieved his sewing needle thanks to your help."
His voice trembled with excitement—and fear.
As if he worried the Tarnished had forgotten him.
"Yes. I remember. Boc from the Coastal Cave."
He climbed down from Torrent and nodded.
Though his gaze remained strange.
This guy was still just as timid…
And was that a bundle on his back?
It looked pitifully small.
"…That's wonderful… thank you for remembering me…"
Boc breathed out in relief.
Then suddenly, his expression changed.
With determination, he bowed deeply.
"Master, please! Allow me to work for you as your tailor!"
"I still cannot sew clothes from scratch, but I can alter garments perfectly. Please allow me to serve you!"
After speaking, Boc lifted his head timidly, eyes full of hope.
The Tarnished didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he crouched down and asked calmly:
"Tell me something first. Why do you want to follow me? I'm Tarnished—despised throughout the Lands Between."
And it was true.
Aside from Roderika, who was also Tarnished, only a handful of people around him held no hostility toward him.
Only Torrent and the spirits of his ashes had accompanied him from beginning to end.
And perhaps the jellyfish formed from the souls of astrologer girls.
Oh, and the dying ancient dragon Greyoll in the Dragonbarrow.
Other than that, wherever he went, enemies surrounded him.
"…What you say is true, Master… but you saved me. You helped me retrieve my mother's keepsake."
"…From that moment on, Boc decided you were his master. I do not wish to follow anyone else."
"I want to repay you. I thought about it many times, but I cannot fight for you…"
"So the only thing I could think of… was becoming your tailor."
"And Master… I don't think you know how to alter clothes yourself… so I hoped I could help you with that…"
His voice grew softer and softer.
But hearing these heartfelt words, the Tarnished finally believed him.
After considering the pros and cons, he nodded.
"Alright. Then from now on, I'll leave clothing alterations to you, Boc."
"!!!"
"Really?! Thank you so much, Master! Boc will work hard as your tailor! One day I'll design clothes for you with my own hands!"
Boc was so excited he nearly burst into tears.
Seeing that, the Tarnished smiled faintly.
He didn't dislike someone like Boc.
Now he had both a spirit tuner and a tailor.
Once he seized Raya Lucaria Academy as his base, everything would be perfect.
But first, there was a problem.
"How am I supposed to arrange things for you?"
He muttered.
Let Boc follow him through battles?
Impossible.
Even if the demigods—even Radagon and the Elden Beast—couldn't threaten him, he couldn't guarantee Boc's safety.
The road ahead crossed mountains, snowfields, lava, Caelid's scarlet rot, and even the scarlet swamp.
Boc's frail body wouldn't survive it.
What about the Roundtable Hold?
That was even worse.
The Roundtable accepted only Tarnished.
A demi-human like Boc would be killed the moment he arrived.
He wasn't like Hewg, who could barely survive there as a blacksmith.
Just as he was struggling to think—
Boc spoke again.
"Master, you don't need to worry about me. Boc may be weak, but I'm very experienced at surviving in the wild. I can take care of myself…"
"And someday… I'll find you again."
Even he sounded unsure.
"Really?"
"…Yes, Master."
"..."
That was the least convincing thing he had ever heard.
Seeing Boc shivering like that, the Tarnished nearly laughed.
This guy had survival skills?
He was freezing to death.
Still, since Boc insisted, he decided to go along with it.
He reached into his pack and pulled out a pile of items, stuffing them into Boc's arms.
"M-Master… what is all this?"
Boc stared at the mountain of items in shock.
"Take them. This is one of the few things I can do for you as your master."
Then he explained each item.
"This is a Lazuli Glintstone Sword. It doesn't require much strength to use, so it's perfect for self-defense."
"This jar contains Smoldering Butterflies. You can use them to light campfires, so you won't freeze outdoors anymore."
"And this—sliced beast meat. I prepared enough for a month. After a month, I'll come find you and bring you to live at Raya Lucaria Academy."
"When you're in the wild, be careful. And whatever you do, don't try crossing Liurnia of the Lakes. It's dangerous…"
Like a nagging mother, he rambled on and on about survival tips.
Back in the day, he had been killed by giant lobsters more times than he could count.
For some reason, even though Boc looked rather ugly, he still wanted to help the little demi-human.
Hearing all this, Boc burst into tears.
"…Waaah… Master… thank you… you're the first person to treat Boc this kindly since my mother died… thank you so much…"
He wiped his nose and tears while sobbing softly.
"…Thank you… truly…"
"Stop crying. If you want to be my servant, don't cry like a woman all the time."
"Yes, Master! Boc will become strong!"
Wiping his tears, Boc's expression became firm.
Then he glanced toward the other side of a rock.
"Um… Master… there's a blind girl over there… She seems to be waiting for you too…"
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