Outside the council hall, the two trolls were pacing and scratching their heads in agitation. Their massive frames made it impossible to squeeze through the doorway, and though they had heard the sounds of combat within, they had been unable to intervene.
"Master, out," one troll said happily. He then turned to glare at his companion. "I said... no break house. House fall... bury alive."
"You don't have to call me Master. I told you, you aren't slaves. You can call me... well, Commander," Raven said. "What are your names?"
At the main gate of the village, the thunderous sounds of self-immolations had finally thinned out. As Godwyn's personal retainers joined the front lines, the defensive perimeter of the Frenzied Flame cultists finally collapsed entirely.
"Let's head over there," Raven said, having established that the more talkative troll was named Bone-Skull, while the quieter one was Stone-Knee. "Lansang, perhaps your—"
Raven hesitated for a moment, then swallowed the words "perhaps some of your companions survived." If such words of comfort didn't come true, they would only cut deeper.
When they reached the battlefield at the front of the village, Raven's eyelids twitched.
Not a trace remained of the original village walls. The ground was littered with charred craters, resembling a scorched frontline from a great war. It was impossible to tell how many cultists had detonated themselves here, but they had effectively scoured away an entire layer of the earth.
When the two trolls approached, the mercenaries initially took a defensive stance. However, once they saw Raven waving from below, they erupted into cheers.
A mercenary was carrying Raven's knightly banner. Raven had previously planted it atop a section of the wall—a spot that had been contested back and forth between the mercenaries and the cultists. The wall itself had collapsed under the weight of explosions and Dragonbolt, and the banner had been blown away, only to be recovered by the soldiers.
"Your Highness, your banner," the mercenary said, respectfully handing it back to Raven.
"Thank you." Raven took the flag and raised it high.
The fabric was scorched black, and the pole had been snapped partway through, making it look rather ragged and mismatched. Nevertheless, the mercenaries cheered and shouted with joy.
"Marvelous! Raven, I'm glad you're safe. We owe much to your initial charge; you crippled their forces on the walls," Godwyn said, leaping down from his horse with unreserved praise. He then tilted his head back to look up at the two trolls. "And these are...?"
"This is Bone-Skull, and this is Stone-Knee. They were coerced into the village by the cultists. After I spoke with them, they turned against their captors and helped me slay the leader in this village."
"You killed their leader? Splendid! Our assault was swift; they surely didn't have time to destroy their records. This means we won't be flying blind when it comes to the Frenzied Flame organization anymore," Godwyn said. "And who is this girl?"
"This is Lansang, a priestess of the Ancient Dragon cult. She was captured by the cultists earlier. Even under their threats, she never renounced her faith," Raven said, talking up his newest member. "I am honored to have recruited her into my order."
Lansang clearly enjoyed the praise, letting out a proud huff.
"Lansang, is it? Congratulations," Godwyn laughed, glancing up at the sky. "Next, we'll thoroughly sweep the battlefield for documents and any remaining cultists. We'll camp here for the night and head back tomorrow morning, letting the Leyndell soldiers take over."
No one objected, and the men scattered to begin their search.
"I'll take my leave for a moment as well," Raven said. "I noticed a samurai earlier whose skills were truly remarkable. I'm going to approach him and see if he's interested in joining my order."
"I noticed him too. That samurai claimed more lives than I did. I must have misjudged him; I should have recruited such an expert the moment I saw him," Godwyn said with a casual wave. "Since I promised you first pick, I won't break my word. But if he rejects you, don't blame me if I try to recruit him myself! Haha!"
"Of course," Raven smiled.
After this battle, his impression of the Golden Prince had improved significantly. During their first meeting, the subtle friction between Godwyn and Radagon had made Raven wary. But after these interactions, he found that while the Golden Prince was certainly shrewd, he seemed like a man worth befriending.
The samurai sat alone on a low, crumbled wall, clutching his katana. A large empty space had formed around him; the other mercenaries didn't dare approach.
As Raven drew near, the thick scent of blood hit him like a physical wave. He sat down on the wall next to the man and followed the old warrior's gaze.
On the Altus Plateau, the golden fields of bitter-wheat swayed in rhythmic waves. Surely, the wind across those fields would be filled with the scent of grain, but by the time it reached the village, it was tainted by an inseparable stench of blood and burning flesh.
Raven closed his eyes to feel the wind for a moment, then opened them to speak. "Sir—"
"I accept your invitation to join your order." A dry, withered voice came from beside him.
"Ah." Raven was momentarily stunned by the response. "Uh, welcome then. May I ask how I should address you, sir?"
"Okina," the samurai said. "Everything outside the edge of the blade is but an impurity. That includes names."
"I was going to discuss the terms of your employment," Raven said, "but it seems that isn't necessary. Might I ask why you're willing to join my order?"
"You are a man who brings a storm of blood and slaughter. I can smell it on you," Okina said. "That is enough."
"A storm of blood?" Raven was taken aback.
"He is the same." Okina looked toward Godwyn, who was mounted on his horse in the distance. "That is why I followed him—to see if he was worthy of my blade. But his heart is not pure. You are the better choice."
"..." Raven found no words to reply.
"Let it be so," Okina said. "Call for me when it is time to kill."
"Then, I won't disturb you further, sir." Raven shook his head, slid off the wall, and placed a knightly insignia on the stone before turning to leave.
Lansang came swaying over to join him. "Are you recruiting that creepy old man?"
"Yes, he agreed." Raven glanced at her sideways. "Were you going to say that I should have consulted the Vice-Commander first?"
"No need. You can recruit newcomers without my permission," Lansang said grandly. "Having more lackeys is a good thing. I do hope to have more worshippers."
"What do you want worshippers for?" Raven asked helplessly.
"Don't you like having worshippers?" Lansang put her hands behind her back and skipped ahead before spinning around. "Don't you feel lonely without worshippers? Oh, I forgot, you're a demigod. You probably have so many worshippers you don't even feel anything anymore."
"You feel lonely without worshippers? What a strange thought," Raven remarked.
"Well then, why do gods establish faiths? Gods need more followers to worship them—isn't it because gods are afraid of being alone?"
"I don't know if gods fear loneliness," Raven said. "But I think that worship is the emotion furthest away from understanding. It's the lack of being understood that leads to loneliness."
"Mmm-hmmm..."
"But perhaps humans worship gods because they are afraid of leaving this world alone. No one knows what the afterlife is like; is it just a world of darkness? Perhaps because they don't want to think that, they carve statues, light candles, and burn lamps just to put their minds at ease," Raven said. "If a god were also afraid of loneliness, the followers would be very disappointed if they found out."
"Wait, would they be disappointed?" Lansang seemed surprised. "If you found out, would you be disappointed?"
"No. I don't worship any god."
"Then start worshipping me from now on."
"Fine."
"I'm hungry. You know, you're supposed to offer food to a deity."
"...I've changed my faith."
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(87 Chapter - Ongoing)
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