The clamor of a crowd echoed from the distance.
Raven craned his neck, peering past Loretta's arm as she held the reins, searching for the source of the noise.
A large group of short, stunted creatures came splashing through the water toward them. They were dressed in rags, their limbs withered and thin. Most carried curved wooden clubs, though a few were equipped with bucklers and short metal hooks. They moved in a chaotic jumble, devoid of any formation. A few crude banners wavered at the rear of the pack, held by flag-bearers who were clearly struggling to keep up.
Upon seeing the carcasses of the giant crawfish and the crab, these creatures erupted into cheers. They shouted in a cacophony of strange accents, from which Raven could only barely distinguish the phrase, "Glory to Caria!"
"Our thanks to the Good Prince and the Knight Lady! The scourge of the Gate Town has finally been purged! Glory to Caria!" The leader of the creatures came rolling forward, coming to a stop right in front of Loretta's warhorse. The sudden movement sent Raven's pony, Miyu, skittishly backing away.
The creature had a large, bulbous, greyish-white head, looking as if it had been haphazardly molded from low-quality plaster. Its features were distinctly frog-like.
Raven wasn't entirely sure of its name. He felt bad about it, but he truly couldn't tell one frog-head from another. He could only gather that this one was a chieftain of one of the local tribes based on its slightly less tattered robes and its marginally clearer accent.
"No... two months ago, you sent messengers to the Cuckoo Knight encampment seeking aid, yet you received no response. It is Caria and the Academy who should apologize for their negligence... ah, please, don't do that! Don't grab my boots!"
Raven had been trying to speak with the solemn dignity befitting the youngest prince, but his composure shattered instantly when the creature reached out.
Large, heavy tears rolled out of the Albinauric's bulging black eyes. It lunged forward, seemingly trying to rub its face against Raven's leg, but finding that it couldn't reach that high even with a jump, it settled for the next best thing: it grabbed the warhorse's chest mane and used it like a rag to wipe its face. Miyu let out an angry, rhythmic snort in protest.
"Oh, Good Prince! No one has ever paid any mind to us Albinaurics. You are the only one who does not despise us, the only one willing to extend a helping hand! You generously granted us the secret to increasing our crop yields, and now you have slain the scourge of the Gate Town!"
The Albinauric began hopping about, waving its arms frantically.
"We gathered the finest craftsmen from fourteen tribes, and after six months of working day and night, the Raven Cathedral is finally complete! We have even carved the most 'Waaaagh' statue for the Good Prince! We beg the Good Prince to grace us with his presence and cut the ribbon for the new cathedral!"
"Don't waste your surplus labor on things like that!" Raven shouted in exasperation, but the other Albinaurics had already swarmed forward, their voices blending into a chatter so loud he couldn't be heard.
At some point, another group of Albinaurics had climbed onto the giant crawfish, brandishing various tools to begin work on the carcass. Before long, a loud cheer erupted from that direction, drowning out the local noise.
Raven looked over and saw that they had detached the crawfish's head. A dozen Albinaurics with grappling hooks were laboriously dragging the massive head onto a large flatbed cart.
Another Albinauric, dressed as a chieftain, squeezed through the crowd and bellowed even louder: "Good Prince! The vengeful soul of the giant crawfish still hovers around you! We shall immediately preserve this head with spices. Once you have eaten it raw and beaten a drum made from its shell with all your might, you shall banish its evil spirit and devour its strength! Please, come to the Cathedral to complete the ritual!"
"Haha... I see. So there's actually a 'Prawn-Feast' cult here?" Cold sweat began to bead on Raven's brow. He turned his head and looked at Loretta with pleading eyes that screamed, Please, help me escape.
"Your Highness, one must take responsibility for the consequences of one's own actions." Loretta's shoulders were shaking; she was clearly having a very difficult time stifling her laughter.
"Loretta! Have even you betrayed me?!"
The lively celebration lasted well into the night. In the end, Raven didn't actually eat the raw crawfish head. Instead, he used frost magic to flash-freeze it into a fine powder, which he declared as "consuming" it.
The Albinaurics immediately accepted this new ritual, proclaiming that it was ten—no, nine times more effective than eating it raw. They vowed to pass down this method to future generations—though Raven had no idea how they planned to replicate a Frost Mist spell.
Inside the wooden "cathedral," Raven's statue stood a full ten meters tall. Raven expressed his satisfaction with the height but criticized the fact that the statue's head looked suspiciously like a frog.
The Albinaurics took the criticism solemnly, stating they would build a taller, larger one and correct the facial features. Raven immediately changed his tune, declaring that this statue was perfect and should remain his only official likeness; all others would be considered fakes, and no second statue should be built to avoid wasting resources.
However, the trip wasn't without its rewards. He inspected the newly built Albinauric breeding base. Rowa fruit was being cultivated in the marshy waters, with Earthbore Butterflies and Rimed Crystal Buds—valuable magical materials—planted in the silt beneath. In the water, they were raising crabs that fed on the Rowa fruit. These weren't the monstrous crabs like the one Loretta had killed, but a hybrid variety selected by Academy sorcerers that grew no larger than a washbasin.
Raven's contribution had been minor; he had merely suggested the concept of "integrated rice-fish farming," while the actual implementation was devised by the Academy's sorcerers. After Raven had invited Professor Miriam from the Carian Study Hall to lead the project and ordered the Academy to assist, they had finally cleared out a small classroom. The Academy had then voted to send a dozen of their least popular sorcerers and their apprentices to join this "disgraceful research project."
From the look of things, they were doing quite well. The "Version 1.0 Fertilizer" created through Glintstone sorcery was remarkably effective. As long as costs could be reduced and mass production capabilities enhanced, it could be promoted throughout Liurnia and even serve as a signature Carian export.
Riding his beloved pony, Miyu, Raven traveled side-by-side with Loretta on the way back—though they were only side-by-side horizontally; the difference in their heights was astronomical. The sound of hoofbeats carried far in the silence of the night.
Perhaps because the festival had been so boisterous and they had exhausted a day's worth of conversation, they didn't speak much during the first half of the journey. They simply enjoyed the cool night breeze of Liurnia of the Lakes. Loretta had removed her helmet, her long hair fluttering in the wind. Raven could faintly hear her slow, steady breathing.
The moonlit forest road was as clear as pooled water. The rows of glintstone lanterns on either side formed a sapphire necklace extending into the distance, appearing to connect with the lights of Raya Lucaria that illuminated half the horizon.
"Thank you," Loretta said suddenly.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for doing all of this."
Confused, Raven tilted his head to look at her profile, partially lit and partially shadowed. "Did I do something? I've been dragging you around everywhere on my whims; I must have made things difficult for you. You have much more important duties."
"Those Albinaurics are my kin. Thank you for treating them with kindness," Loretta said.
"What?" Raven asked in shock, unable to connect the valiant, elegant knight before him with those frog-headed creatures. "You're joking, right?"
"I am also an Albinauric."
"But... aren't you one of the Wolf-Riders?"
Raven knew of Loretta's origins. The Wolf-Riders came from the Albinauric Village in southwest Liurnia. They were a minority group of only a few hundred people who were born with a defect in their legs; they lacked sensation below the knees and were unable to walk. To compensate, they developed the secret art of taming giant wolves, allowing them to ride across thousands of miles. To a person, they were all expert marksmen.
Loretta was the finest rider and archer among the village girls. To improve the lives of her people, she had joined the Carian military. After completing her training with the highest honors, she had been exceptionally knighted as a Carian Knight by Rennala. Raven believed that among the Eighteen Knights, Loretta was the strongest.
"The Wolf-Riders are the first generation of Albinaurics. We were cursed; every one of us is born with paralyzed legs... and the most terrifying part is that the descendants of the Wolf-Riders—the second generation—will inevitably grow into those tragic frog-headed forms. Without exception," Loretta said softly.
"A curse? But... what about your parents? Were there no Albinaurics before them?"
"I have no parents. None of the Wolf-Riders know who their parents were. Perhaps we simply sprang from the cracks in the rocks; who knows?" Loretta joked. "So, sometimes I envy you. You have such a wonderful mother in the Full Moon Queen. That must be a beautiful feeling."
Raven was momentarily speechless.
"Once we realized all our descendants would mutate, the Wolf-Riders decided to stop marrying and bearing children. However, many descendants from the earlier years wandered off and formed the Albinauric communities you see now," Loretta explained. "After several generations of breeding, they no longer recognize us. But perhaps that is for the best—they have become a thriving, true race of their own."
It was as if this secret had been buried in her heart for too long with no one to tell. Loretta spoke with an irrepressible flow of emotion.
Raven listened quietly by her side.
"First-generation Albinaurics have long lifespans, and the women hardly age at all, but we still die from wounds, disease, and accidents. My people are constantly dwindling. We are destined to fade into history as if we never existed. Perhaps we unknowingly offended some god, and this is our punishment: to be forgotten by the world.
"I do not want us to be forgotten. I thought that if I joined the army, achieved feats that would be remembered through the ages, and became a hero known to all... if I could be remembered by an immortal, noble demigod like yourself, then the Wolf-Riders would not truly vanish from this world."
Loretta smiled, a faint glint of moisture appearing in the corners of her eyes. "You will remember me, won't you?"
"I won't let you vanish," Raven said.
"Eh?"
"Whether it's a curse or something else, since it can interfere with your bodies, it must be something that can be observed in reverse," Raven stated. "What can be observed can be interfered with, and what can be interfered with can be controlled. Such is the logic of the Elden Ring."
"It's useless. We've tried everything, sought every kind of help. Sorceries and incantations are both powerless. Even one as gentle as St. Trina or as wise as the Full Moon Queen could do nothing."
"Just because they couldn't do it doesn't mean there is truly no way," Raven said firmly. "Even if I have to amend the Elden Ring itself, I will fix your defects and stop the extinction of the Wolf-Riders."
"Sometimes, Your Highness is truly greedy," Loretta said. "You would modify the Elden Ring for something like this?"
"Just you wait." Raven reached out his hand with total confidence. "Come. A high-five to seal the oath."
Loretta didn't respond immediately.
Perhaps it was an illusion created by the lanterns, but Raven saw a faint crimson hue touch her cheeks.
"Very well. I shall wait for you."
Clap.
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(21 Chapter - Ongoing)
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