Leyndell's giant puppets were no match for the Furnace Golems. Or rather, the Furnace Golems—enhanced by the power of the Fire Giant's curse—had, in some sense, transcended the realm of mere puppets. It might be more accurate to call them modified Flame Giants. These forbidden creations were undoubtedly unmatched among the war machines of the Lands Between. Even self-proclaimed demigods would struggle to defeat a single Furnace Golem, so using them to attack the already-ruined Leyndell was overkill.
To prevent the so-called King of Blessings from hiding behind the omen demon Margott from escaping, Messmer ordered all known entrances and exits of Leyndell Royal Capital to be sealed off. He led the assault from the northern wall of the city, accompanied by the Flame Knights, Perfumers, General Gaius, and elite Carian mages and knights led by Rellana.
Inside the city, the situation was somewhat better than outside—but only slightly. The streets were still filled with maddened Golden Order citizens, wandering since the shattering of the Elden Ring, and knights of Leyndell who had now sworn allegiance to the King of Blessings.
Messmer was no soft-hearted commander. He welcomed those willing to join his forces, but showed no mercy to those who resisted—he granted them swift and clean deaths.
As the expeditionary force pushed into the central avenue of the inner city, Melina, once again manifesting through the Tarnished, appeared before Messmer.
"We must leave," said Melina to Messmer. "To the mountain of snow, to seek the remaining Great Runes."
"He can leave," Messmer replied, pointing at the Tarnished. "But you cannot. I know what you're planning, and I do not agree with it."
"This is the mission Mother bestowed upon me. You have no right to interfere," Melina replied coldly. "Or are you saying you would defy Mother's orders as well, brother?"
"I've already told you the truth of the Lands Between," Messmer said dryly. "We don't even know what state Mother is in anymore. Even if you intend to act, wait until I've confirmed the status of the Erdtree."
"...Fine," Melina said. "I will accept your decision."
Turning to the Tarnished, she said, "I've already taught you how to turn the Great Runes into your power. Thank you for bringing me to the foot of the Erdtree. I'm afraid the next part of your journey, you'll have to travel alone."
"Melina…" the Tarnished murmured with firm resolve. "Thank you for your help so far. I will recover the remaining Great Runes."
This Tarnished was not one to hesitate. As a descendant of warriors, even though he had lost his former skills upon resurrection, his combat prowess and unwavering will left a deep impression on Messmer. It reminded him of Godfrey, who had also been stripped of grace and become Tarnished.
"If you can recover more than two Great Runes," Messmer said to the Tarnished, "I'll be waiting for you beside the Elden Lord's throne. Then we'll settle this."
The Tarnished nodded, then turned without looking back, heading toward the grand lift of Rold. He now carried both the Rold Medallion given by Melina and half of the Secret Haligtree Medallion. It was likely he would find the Great Rune hidden deep within the snowfields.
— Scene Break —
At the Royal Carian Academy, Princess Ranni couldn't resist her mother's love and completed her rebirth ritual. She abandoned the inferior doll body and regained a physical form with power rivaling that of a demigod.
At Queen Rennala's request, this new body retained Ranni's pink hair, but its facial features were a combination of her childhood appearance from Rennala's memory and those of her teacher, the Snow Witch, from Ranni's recollections.
Overall, while Ranni was somewhat reluctant, she was deeply impressed by Touko's craftsmanship. Her only complaint was that her body appeared to be only twelve or thirteen years old, and her height was just barely above average for that age group.
"This isn't my fault," Touko shrugged. "It's determined by residual factors from your previous body. The genes related to height are crucial for your body's stability and are very difficult to alter."
…Ranni reluctantly accepted this explanation. Though a bit annoyed, she was still pleased to once again enjoy the feeling of having a real body. For the first time, she began helping her mother manage affairs in the Liurnia region, and restoration work on the Royal Academy of Caria was finally put back on the agenda.
Meanwhile, Aoko had set out with Asimi to search for the Tear Chalice and the Cradle Chalice. Initially, she intended to fly directly with Ranni to the Moonlight Forest and avoid the detour through Nokstella. But after discovering Asimi, she had no choice but to undertake the winding underground journey and obediently made her way step by step to Nokstella.
The situation in this Eternal City was far more complex than in Nokron—there were many more surviving descendants of the Nox.
Under Asimi's guidance, Aoko easily used concealment magic to avoid the Nox guards along the way. While en route to the Cradle Chalice, Aoko discovered the Moon of Nokstella, a treasure once placed at the highest point of the city.
"This is a fragment of the legendary Black Moon of the Nox," said Asimi. "Please take it. Rather than be buried in this lost city forever, it will shine once more in your hands."
Aoko was very intrigued. She remembered that in the game, this accessory granted the wearer an extra spell slot. So what would it do in the real world? Would it increase her spell capacity?
Eagerly, she took out a silver chain, wore the Moon of Nokstella as a necklace, and focused on sensing its power.
…The result was that the Black Moon fragment did not increase her number of spell slots. Instead, it greatly enhanced her memory. Her memory had already been strong, but now her thoughts became even clearer. She also found she could prepare about 30% more spells each day.
Having gained this benefit, her next task was to obtain the contents of the Cradle Chalice for her companion Asimi. It was located in a cathedral within Nokstella, guarded by several silver tears capable of transforming into human forms, along with a priestess of the Night Witch.