"Your Highness!"
Recognizing the voice, Raven called out in pleasant surprise, "Loretta! You're here too!"
The winged dragon descended from the sky. With the assistance of the half-wolf warrior, Blaidd, Loretta climbed down from the dragon's back. She removed her helmet, her voice trembling with unbelievable joy. "Raven... is it truly you?"
"In the flesh," Raven replied. He leaped off his horse and gave Loretta a fierce embrace. Caught off balance, the two of them tumbled together onto the grass.
Blaidd had long since let go of his supportive grip, stepping aside with his arms crossed, his large, fluffy tail wagging contentedly behind him.
Raven rolled onto his back. The sun was brilliant, and the sky stretched out in an endless, cloudless blue.
Unsure of who broke first, the two began to laugh—lying side-by-side on the grass, laughing foolishly and without end.
"Your Highness, I am so sorry." Loretta rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe away the surging tears that refused to stop. "At that time, I wasn't—"
"Loretta is the finest knight I know," Raven interrupted her. "I am alive, so there is no need for self-reproach."
"I am no longer a knight. But so long as I can remain by your side and protect you, it doesn't matter whether I hold the title or not."
"Was it because you couldn't protect me?" Raven quickly deduced the sequence of events. "But since I haven't died, any punishment should be revoked. If Mother doesn't agree, I'll write to her myself."
"Write a letter?" Loretta asked, confused.
"Ah, about that—" Raven explained his decision to go to the Capital. He concluded, "This journey is one I must complete alone. Loretta, you cannot come with me."
"Why?!" Loretta sat bolt upright, her voice sharp with protest. "Leyndell harbors nothing but ill intent. Do you intend to stay there alone, without a single reliable knight at your side? That's—"
"Loretta, listen to me. When staying in the very heart of the Golden Order's power, it makes no difference whether I have one knight or a hundred. If the Golden Order truly decides to move against me, do you really think I could fight my way out of the city and flee all the way back to Caria?"
"Even so, please allow me to accompany you, Your Highness. If the Golden Order means you harm, at least I can fight before you until my final breath. I do not want you to face danger while I am absent ever again—that pain of powerlessness is something I cannot bear a second time."
Raven knew he wouldn't be able to convince Loretta with logic alone.
He glanced to the side. The mysterious half-wolf warrior was staring off into the distance, admiring the scenery. Seeing that no one was paying attention, Raven extended his index finger.
A spark of ochre flame ignited at his fingertip—red and black interlacing into the color of death.
"This is—" Loretta's eyes widened.
"The Rune of Death," Raven whispered. "I have mastered the laws of death; Destined Death can no longer threaten me. As I am now, I possess an immortal body."
He was lying. He had mastered no such thing; that tiny spark of death-fire was the extent of what he could manifest, and its use in actual combat was extremely limited. Furthermore, while he had gained a resistance to the Rune of Death, an overwhelming amount of it could still kill him.
In fact, ordinary weapons could still send him to the Erdtree just the same. He was not blessed by the Erdtree; whether he would become nourishment or be resurrected upon returning to the roots remained to be seen. Even if he could return, he knew such resurrection came at a cost—the loss of something precious. Otherwise, if demigods could resurrect without limit, the Ancient Dragons and Giants would have surrendered long ago.
However, if the Golden Order truly murdered him and turned him into fuel for the Erdtree, the fledgling Order within him would surely make the Erdtree—and even the Greater Will—regret it bitterly. Though, he wouldn't be around to witness it.
"Is that true?"
"Mhm."
Loretta didn't doubt him. Raven had never deceived her before.
"So, if you go with me to the Capital and we are attacked, I will be fine, but you would be sacrificing yourself for nothing." Raven extinguished the death-fire. "We still have our promise to visit the Eternal City, after all. If you fall, that promise can never be fulfilled."
"Willing to go to the Capital alone, yet able to command the absolute loyalty of a knight like Loretta... it seems the praise I've heard of you was not exaggerated." A cool, clear voice drifted over.
The tall, red-haired girl leaped down from the dragon's back and approached them.
"This is—" Loretta began, intending to introduce Ranni.
"Ranni, third child of the Carian Royals," Ranni said. "In other words, your elder sister. So, do you know how to greet me?"
"...Hello, Sister."
"Good." Ranni's voice remained cold and aloof, devoid of any change in tone. "We shall have the chance to meet again, youngest son of Caria."
Raven felt Ranni's gaze linger for a fraction of a second on his index finger. He frowned slightly, unsure if she had seen the death-fire he had just displayed, or if she had recognized it. Displaying the power of the Rune of Death while others were around had been a reckless move.
Ranni signaled to Blaidd and prepared to remount the dragon. It seemed she had descended merely to say those few words.
"Princess of the Moon," Loretta spoke up suddenly. "You said you would meet Prince Raven again. Did you mean in Leyndell? Do you intend to go to the Capital later?"
"I do. While I will not stay there long, I will certainly make a trip there in the future."
"Then, I wish to follow you during this time."
"During this time?" Ranni arched an eyebrow.
"Until you go to the Capital and I can meet Prince Raven once more," Loretta said. "During this period, you may view me as a mercenary warrior; I will carry out your instructions with total devotion. Will you accept me?"
"Is that so? I would hardly turn down the strength of a Carian Knight. Very well, climb up. I shall look forward to your performance."
Raven dismounted, pressing down on his horse's head to make it kneel, and handed the reins to Loretta.
"Your Highness, this is...?"
"It's a horse from one of the Leyndell knights. It's not as good as your old one, but it will serve as a temporary replacement. Hmm? You're asking what I'll ride?" Raven smiled. "I'll just go back to the Royal Army and ask for another. I won't be polite about it."
"I will cherish it." Loretta stroked the horse's mane. "Thank you, Your Highness."
"Then, until we meet again." Raven waved his hand, watching as the Glintstone Dragon kicked off the ground and soared into the sky. He didn't lower his hand until the dragon became a mere speck on the horizon. He knew that Loretta must be watching him from the dragon's back just as intensely.
"...Until we meet again." His voice was a bit low. He looked back at the retreating Carian army; the banners of the interlaced sword and staff were slowly fading into the distance.
When would be the next time he saw the Carian crest?
He thought for a moment, then suddenly drew the Sword of Night and Flame. He looked at the Carian crest engraved upon the sword's pommel.
"What am I thinking? I can see it whenever I want," he chuckled softly to himself. "Leyndell... here I come."
I shall dismantle the foundations of the Erdtree from within.
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(56 Chapter - Ongoing)
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