Elden Lord of Cinders

[Marionette's Staff]

[A platinum staff covered in Ego Crystals]

[Can be used as an Estoc]

[The Albinaurics are incomplete beings]

[Even when shaped into marionettes]

[They can hardly walk under their own power]

[When an attack lands]

[It briefly prevents recovery of life]

[Skill: None]

This is quite a good Estoc.

Although classified as an Estoc, since it's made to be used as a cane, its length is closer to that of a short spear.

It has decent reach, uses the Estoc moveset, consumes stamina like one, and can even be paired with a shield for thrusting attacks.

As for its effect of suppressing healing upon hitting—while that may not matter against most monsters, Lloyd had suffered enough against those with regeneration, especially one filthy dragon in particular.

In the right circumstances, it could prove very useful.

The only drawback is that the weapon scales with both Dexterity and Arcane, and the stat requirements are fairly high, making it difficult to use for now.

After inspecting the weapon, Lloyd turned to his other find.

[Albinauric Coagulate]

[A product born of the despair of Albinauric Children tormented by Ego]

[The madness and curse within have been cleansed]

[Only the purest essence remains]

[Give it to an Albinauric]

[They can absorb the power within]

This… is Latenna's enhancement item?

Lloyd studied the shimmering coagulate in his hand, then glanced at Ranni.

"Can you wait here for me?"

Since he had summoned Latenna and Albus as spirits earlier, they had returned to their original locations after the fight. He would have to travel to them.

Ranni nodded, and Lloyd activated the grace after the boss fight, opened his map, and warped to where Latenna was.

He found her body, explained the situation, then presented the Albinauric Coagulate.

But after taking it and examining it briefly, Latenna returned it to him.

It wasn't rejection.

"The power contained in this is far too great. On my own… I don't think I can take it in."

"May I ask for your help?"

Because this coagulate was formed from the essence of nearly all Albinauric Children that Rykard had destroyed, the power it held far exceeded Latenna's capacity—or that of any single Albinauric.

To fully receive it, she would need Lloyd's aid.

And as for how that would be done…

Latenna slipped off her shoes, nestled herself into Lloyd's arms, lifted her flushed face, and slowly parted her lips.

Holding the coagulate in his right hand, Lloyd first processed the power within himself, the same way he had when he purified the Frenzied Flame.

Once assured it was safe, he raised his hand over her head and gently closed his grip, releasing the platinum liquid he had already "filtered," as if a mother feeding tender fish meat to a child.

Drip—

The platinum liquid fell into Latenna's mouth.

Cold at first, then hot, then burning.

Power is a blessing, but too much of it can tear apart the body of the one who takes it in.

Latenna's face twisted in pain. Instinctively, she clung to the warm body beside her, a stifled groan slipping from her throat.

Hearing her voice and seeing her agonized expression, Lloyd laid his free hand on her shoulder, then moved it to her chest.

He wasn't trying to take advantage of her. This was the only way to restrain and guide the force now flooding into her body.

With his palm against her chest, the wild surging power was suppressed. Though it still spread, the pace slowed, and most of it was drawn together under his control.

Her suffering eased, and some relief returned to her face.

Yet for some reason, her arms around him did not loosen. Instead, they held him even tighter.

Drip, drip—

More platinum liquid fell.

But under Lloyd's steady hand and control, the new drops caused her no further pain.

Moreover, after the first wave of pain had passed, as time went on and the power grew within her, Latenna gradually began to adapt.

From pain, to numbness, to acceptance.

And finally… to enjoyment.

It was like someone parched for days tilting their head back, longing for the dewdrops falling from the eaves—or like a dolphin at an aquarium, starved for days, waiting eagerly for the keeper's hand to feed it.

Once the pain and discomfort faded, the replenishment of her body and the surge of power brought a deep, fulfilling satisfaction.

By the later stages, Latenna almost instinctively lifted her head, trying to catch the drops falling from above with her mouth.

But the instant the thought crossed her mind, the hand pressed against her chest pushed her down.

Of course—it was only because of Lloyd's restraint that she felt such comfort now. If she recklessly swallowed the platinum liquid all at once, she would explode into pieces in the next second, her very soul shattered.

...

After some time, the last of the platinum liquid finally dripped into her mouth.

But that wasn't the end.

Once all of it had entered her, Lloyd gathered the power with his palm, molding it into a sphere, then slowly lowered his hand.

From her chest, to her stomach, then to her lower abdomen.

He placed his other hand over her as well, dividing the power into two streams and drawing them apart.

Once split and guided, his hands moved down—from her thighs, to her knees, and finally to her small feet.

To Lloyd, this amount of power was nothing much. But for Latenna, it was far beyond her limits.

Even with his help, she couldn't absorb it all at once. It needed to be stored, left for later.

And the most suitable place for that was, of course, her spirit prosthesis.

Because he had crafted it himself, Lloyd knew its structure and stability better than anyone. And since it was only a prosthetic, even if something went wrong, at worst it would be damaged—it wouldn't harm Latenna's body.

Thus, he guided the twin streams of heat into her feet and stabilized them. With that, the initial absorption was complete.

Latenna clung to him, breathing softly. After digesting the lingering power inside her, the name above her head changed.

[Platinum Queen Latenna]

But though the process was finished, her body and spirit still lingered in the afterglow, leaving her a little dazed.

As she rested against Lloyd's chest, trying to steady herself, a hand appeared before her eyes.

In it was a gray ring.

Without waiting for Lloyd to say anything, Latenna hesitated only briefly before extending her hand and sliding her ring finger into it.

[Obtained Covenant: Platinum Oath]

[Obtained Item: Queen's Order]

[Platinum Oath]

[When equipped, slightly increases Arcane]

[The Albinaurics are artificial beings]

[Silver blood flows through their veins]

[That silver is cursed blood, a burden upon their lives]

[Because of it, they were rejected and persecuted—even survival itself was a luxury]

[Once, they placed their hopes in the distant, towering Haligtree, seeking a place where they could belong]

[But now they have realized]

[Perhaps the towering Haligtree is not only in the heavens]

[Queen's Order]

[A badge made from Albinauric Bloodclot]

[When used, commands an Albinauric of hero rank or below to fight for you]

[The young queen still has much to learn]

[But if she continues, given enough time]

[The Albinauric may yet have a sovereign of their own]

"Mr. Lloyd..."

While Lloyd was examining the new covenant and item, Latenna glanced down at the ring on her finger, then slowly lifted her gaze toward him.

"Thank you so much..."

"It's nothing."

After putting away the covenant and badge, Lloyd reached down and briefly checked her small feet.

He examined the condition of the soul prosthesis and the stability of the power within it, then spoke with her for a little while. For some reason, her body felt stiff.

Once he was certain there was nothing else to be done, he opened the map and returned to Volcano Manor.

...

After watching him vanish, Latenna stood in place. She looked down at the ring on her hand, then back at the spot where he had departed.

After a long silence, she pressed her two small feet together—the same ones he had just touched—and rubbed them lightly, making a soft rustling sound.

"Lord Lloyd..."

...

On the other side.

After returning to the previous Site of Grace, Lloyd resumed his exploration.

This time, perhaps because he had already dealt with the Albinauric doll, the mechanical monsters covered in Albinauric Bloodclot were nowhere to be seen—not even in the earlier areas. Only ordinary Man-Serpents and Iron Virgins remained.

These monsters had neither magic resistance nor decent stats. Lloyd didn't even bother drawing his sword. Instead, he simply pulled out Ranni's staff and blasted them from a distance, cutting them down with ease.

After a while, just as he thought the rest of the exploration would be more of the same, he spotted something very familiar.

"Isn't this Miyazaki's favorite Basilisk?"

Seeing the squat, familiar figure crouched on the ground, Lloyd's face lit up with surprise.

"Long time no see. You guys came too, huh?"

The Basilisk across from him gave an enthusiastic response, leaping up and belching out a cloud of Death Blight smoke.

After disposing of it without effort, Lloyd picked up one of the Basilisk corpses and turned it over in his hands.

"...What are you doing?"

"I'm wondering why this thing doesn't drop a helmet."

With that, he shoved the Basilisk's corpse over his head, then turned to Ranni.

"See? Cute, right? Honestly, if Miyazaki loves his cursed frogs so much, why can't he make a helmet out of one? I don't get it..."

Ranni stayed silent for a moment. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but after staring at the fool in front of her a while longer, she only sighed.

Forget it. Let him be.

After playing around with the Basilisk corpse for a bit, Lloyd resumed his exploration.

Without the interference of Ego and Albinauric Bloodclot, the rest of the journey was straightforward.

In other words—a one-sided massacre.

Man-Serpents? Kill.

Basilisks? Kill.

Burning Slugs? Kill.

Oh right, slugs counted as old acquaintances too. These ones looked stronger than usual, but when it came to mental trauma, Lloyd's verdict was that they didn't even compare to the dung-spewing slugs in Farron Keep.

Those ones were the real deal.

He continued his easy slaughter while casually scooping up loot and materials along the way—Runes, Stonesword Keys, and the like.

After some time, Lloyd reached the edge of the map and discovered a teleportation portal.

Touching it transported him into a cave, where a Site of Grace awaited at the side.

After activating it, he walked forward a few steps and found himself standing before a massive golden Fog Gate.

From beyond the door came the sound of magma bubbling and something writhing within it.

"Up ahead… that's your brother, isn't it?"

Lloyd turned to Ranni. She studied it for a moment, then gave a small nod.

"It should be."

With the situation confirmed, Lloyd's expression grew conflicted.

By all rights, he hadn't finished the Volcano Manor side quests yet. To keep the chain from breaking, he really ought to turn back now.

The trouble was, judging from his observations, the two remaining quest targets were absurdly far away. Everything about them screamed late-game content.

But the scaling in Volcano Manor didn't feel like a late-game map at all. And with such a massive golden Fog Gate right in front of him, expecting him not to be tempted was impossible.

Still, side quests and full completion...

"I can help you adjust that."

Alice suddenly spoke up.

"Since I also need that Great Rune to proceed, I can tweak the rules for you. Defeating him won't affect anything."

Lloyd blinked at her words.

He had already seen Alice's absurd abilities more than once before, but altering quest logic itself...?

He didn't know what to say.

But with Alice's assurance, his doubts cleared away. Naturally, Lloyd decided to go in and see for himself.

Of course, preparations came first.

For example...

[Summoned ally: "Lunar Princess" Ranni]

[Summoned ally: "Shatterer of the Golden Order" Radahn]

[Summoned ally—]

["Queen of the Full Moon" Rennala]

...

[Up to 20 chapters ahead for now]

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