Lucian silently listened to Liliana, his thoughts drifting toward everything he knew about the Frenzied Flame.
It was only natural that Liliana had been unable to sense any trace of it after returning to the world.
He knew that the Three Fingers, the 'source' of the Frenzied Flame, had long ago been sealed deep beneath the royal capital of Leyndell by Queen Marika.
That seal had greatly restrained the spread of the Frenzied Flame.
During the Golden Order's age, its influence had been kept under tight control.
Though...
Even while sealed, the Frenzied Flame could still reach beyond its prison.
Because despair existed.
As long as someone somewhere sank into utter hopelessness, the Frenzied Flame would answer that despair and draw near to them.
Then, after the Elden Ring shattered, the Shattering engulfed everyone in war.
The Lands Between deteriorated further and further, edging ever closer to complete ruin.
As despair spread across the land, the Frenzied Flame's power gradually seeped through the seal.
It could even choose agents while still imprisoned, using whispered words to tempt the untainted into seeking out the Frenzied Flame themselves.
Its ultimate goal was simple:
To find a vessel capable of bearing its full power, the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
Fortunately, the amount of power leaking through the seal was still relatively limited.
They still had plenty of time to prepare for the day they would have to confront it.
Lucian had no wish to see the Frenzied Flame emerge.
Whether because of Melina's resolve, or simply because he never wanted to witness such a world.
For that reason, the inheritance Liliana carried, the power capable of sealing the Frenzied Flame was of tremendous importance.
As long as that power existed, then even if the Frenzied Flame truly returned one day, there would still be a chance to seal it away again.
That inheritance now rested within Irina, waiting for her to fully awaken it.
Of course, Lucian had no intention of placing that burden entirely upon her shoulders.
Irina possessed a certain quality that seemed to bind her closely to the Frenzied Flame.
Whether it was in the game, where 'she' became the maiden of the Frenzied Flame, or now, where a fairy had chosen her as the inheritor destined to seal it...
That trait was a double-edged sword, and Lucian had no idea whether it would ultimately bring her harm.
Naturally, he intended to shoulder as much of that responsibility himself as possible.
At the same time, another bold idea surfaced in his mind.
After coming into contact with several Outer Gods, Lucian had gradually developed a better understanding of their powers.
Whatever the reason, if the Frenzied Flame had once been capable of being sealed by Queen Marika, then it clearly wasn't on the same level as the Elden Beast or the false Greater Will.
As for Shabriri's grandiose claims in the game...
Well, self-promotion was self-promotion.
Otherwise, why hadn't the Frenzied Flame burned everything into oneness before it was sealed?
It wasn't as though it had simply chosen not to.
Rykard also loved talking about rebelling against the Greater Will.
Since that was the case...
Perhaps he could be just a little bolder.
If the opportunity ever presented itself, Lucian wanted to analyze the Frenzied Flame as well.
Not because he desired madness.
But because he wanted its ability to answer those who called upon it.
Rather than despair summoning the Frenzied Flame and leading everything toward chaos...
Wouldn't it be far better if, in the depths of despair, people instead called forth sunlight carrying strength and justice?
—
Lucian sat alone upon Stormveil's throne, his eyes lowered in contemplation.
After speaking with Liliana for so long, he had finally pieced together much of what he knew regarding the fairies and the Outer Gods.
Once Irina and Liliana had departed, he dismissed every guard standing before the throne.
He needed some quiet time to organize everything he had learned.
Resting his head against one hand, he slowly recalled Liliana's account.
—
In the distant age when life had only just begun to flourish across the Lands Between, countless forms of life emerged.
Some creatures, by virtue of their strength, came to be revered as kings.
Others became the ancient gods of that primordial world, waging savage and bloody wars against one another.
Among all the beings inhabiting the Lands Between, however, there existed a handful whose nature set them apart from everything else.
Some were born from the Lands Between itself.
Others descended from the stars beyond.
Without exception, they possessed overwhelming power, power that ordinary living creatures could never hope to oppose.
Their every action...
Even their thoughts...
Were enough to reshape the environment and alter the very laws governing the Lands Between.
In the current age of the Erdtree, they were collectively known as the Outer Gods.
Long ago, each Outer God transformed the Lands Between according to its own will.
Among them, however, were several whose mere existence gradually twisted every living thing.
Even the fairies themselves could not escape that corruption.
As beings born from living consciousness, the fairies could never accept such an outcome.
If no normal life remained within the Lands Between...
Then the fairies themselves would also disappear forever.
Yet the Outer Gods were far beyond anything the fairies could challenge directly.
Despite countless desperate struggles, every attempt ended in failure.
What arrived before gradual corruption...
Was devastating destruction brought about by resistance itself.
Overcome by sorrow, many fairies chose to erase themselves.
Compared to slowly watching themselves become twisted monsters, self-annihilation was the kinder fate.
Besides, to fairies, such a choice was never truly tragic.
They were not being extinguished forever.
They were merely leaving this place for a time.
As long as life continued somewhere in the distant future, fairies would one day return to the Lands Between.
Moreover, after they willingly vanished, they would continue to exist in another unique form.
Those who dissolved themselves completely, leaving behind only pure hearts untouched by corruption, gradually transformed into spirits.
They were different from fairies, yet could also be considered their companion race.
Possessing little true consciousness, they harbored only kindness and goodwill toward all living things.
That was the nature of spirits.
In a sense, those fairies had entrusted the future to later generations.
If the day of salvation never came...
Then so be it.
Even if that meant disappearing forever.
No one could blame them for choosing escape.
After all, the problem had never been one they were capable of solving.
But not every fairy was willing to fade away.
The fairy who guided the Blue Dancer was one of them.
Liliana was another.
If no one continued to resist...
Then perhaps even the very existence of fairies would eventually be forgotten.
Even if remaining in the Lands Between meant enduring endless suffering, they still wished for the day when their companions could truly return.
For that goal, they chose to keep fighting.
Thus, to preserve the fairy race...
And to protect the natural order of life within the Lands Between...
The fairies who remained devised a plan known as "Sealing Designation."
Its purpose was to seal away every Outer God that warped life and dragged it away from its proper form.
Even restricting them would be enough.
Among all of them, the two highest priorities were:
The Frenzied Flame...
And Scarlet Rot.
These two Outer Gods posed the greatest threat to all life.
As for the Frenzied Flame, Liliana had little more to add.
Its purpose was to burn away all distinctions.
To erase the boundary between self and others until everything returned to primordial chaos.
From One, consciousness had been born.
To her, that was not a mistake, it was the very meaning of life.
Only those consumed by despair could mistake such annihilation for salvation.
Any ordinary living being would avoid it at all costs.
When it came to the God of Rot, however, she told Lucian many stories he had never heard before.
It was an age when the sun had not yet faded from the world.
An age when Rot was still known as Abundance.
Its existence had brought flourishing vitality to the Lands Between.
Countless forms of life emerged from the Crucible, yet the evolution of those mixed life-forms was chaotic and unpredictable.
Many species simply could not adapt to the Lands Between.
Some perished almost immediately after they were born.
Abundance granted those fragile lives a chance to continue.
Under Its nurturing care, innumerable races survived that otherwise would have vanished.
But that care was never blind favoritism bestowed upon everything equally.
Rather, It granted every race a fair opportunity to participate in the cruel struggle for survival.
Those born at a disadvantage were given enough nourishment to adapt to the world around them.
Afterward, they still had to rely upon their own strength to rise above the competition.
Precisely because of that, Abundance became a deity worshipped throughout many prosperous kingdoms.
For a time, the Law of Reincarnation stood at the forefront of the Lands Between, a radiant law governing life itself.
Yet as the sun inevitably drifted farther away, the original Abundance gradually decayed toward its opposite extreme.
The empire born beneath Its blessing followed the same path, slowly sinking into corruption.
In the end, it became the "Fallen Empire" remembered by later generations.
The Abundance that had once nurtured life transformed into Scarlet Rot, a force that polluted the Lands Between and utterly corrupted the living.
That ancient empire had once ruled nearly half of the Lands Between.
But not every form of life wished to seek reincarnation through rot.
For that reason, the fairies also designated Rot as one of the targets of Sealing Designation.
The fairies sought aid from benevolent Outer Gods.
From them, they inherited various legacies and methods, hoping to seal away the corrupted deities.
In the end...
They succeeded.
At least in part.
Among all the Outer Gods they managed to seal, Rot was by far the strongest, and the one whose influence reached the furthest.
—
By the time Lucian came back to himself, dawn had already broken.
He rose from his seat and stretched his body slightly.
Next, he planned to take a quick look around Stormveil to see whether anything required his attention before setting off for the Land of Shadow.
He also intended to recruit additional personnel from the city.
Raising one hand toward the sky, Lucian summoned the wind.
At his command, a current merged into the storm surrounding Stormveil.
Using the castle's perpetual tempest as a medium, he transmitted a message directly to Lancelot.
If he wanted to know what had happened recently, the simplest method was naturally to have his steward report in person.
Before long, Lancelot appeared before the throne.
"Lord Lucian, you've returned."
"I trust the campaign against the Mohgwyn Dynasty went smoothly."
Lucian nodded.
Ever since receiving Grace, Lancelot's condition had improved dramatically.
Whenever work exhausted him, he merely had to spend a little time within the Grace, and both physical and mental fatigue would disappear.
Since his workload hadn't really changed, his spirits naturally became much better.
Looking up at him, Lucian said,
"The Mohgwyn Dynasty has been destroyed."
"But this journey also uncovered a new problem."
"Within Mohgwyn Palace, I found a path leading somewhere else."
"A place hidden away by the Golden Order."
"A land filled with secret history that was never meant to be known."
"For now... let's call it the Land of Shadow."
"There, I found Melina's people."
"They've suffered unimaginable torment."
"They're still waiting to be healed."
"Their condition is very poor."
"This is our highest priority."
Lancelot looked visibly shocked.
"Something like that still existed..."
"Even you find this difficult to deal with?"
Lucian nodded lightly.
"I only just discovered a possible method of treatment."
"In any case, I intend to bring physicians and other personnel there to assist with treatment and care."
"I need you to prepare everything necessary."
"Medical supplies, provisions, the works."
"Once everything is ready, have them wait at the Siofra River."
"I'll personally take them across."
With the Mohgwyn Dynasty destroyed, the Formless Mother's barrier surrounding that region had disappeared as well.
That meant there was no longer any need to detour through the Consecrated Snowfield.
Lucian could simply transport both personnel and supplies directly from the Siofra River by air.
After that, he only needed to make a brief stop at Redmane Castle to pick up Hildegard.
Although she had spent much of her time away from Stormveil, when it came to genuine medical expertise, she remained the most qualified healer under Lucian's command.
Even if all she did was prepare calming perfumes or pain-relieving perfumes, they would still be invaluable.
Lancelot didn't dare neglect such an important matter.
He nodded solemnly.
"Understood. I'll begin preparations immediately."
Having capable subordinates truly was convenient.
Lucian only needed to issue instructions.
His fingers lightly tapped the throne's armrest as he continued.
"That matter comes first."
"As for the Dragonkin Soldier I brought back..."
"He's currently staying in the forest beneath the cliffs outside the city."
"See that he's properly settled in."
Lancelot had already received advance notice and had taken time during the night to inspect the newcomer.
He could only say that the Dragonkin Soldier, after Lucian's modifications, was an awe-inspiring sight.
Simply standing there made it feel as though Stormveil had gained another city wall.
It inspired a profound sense of security.
Of course, the Dragonkin Soldier's arrival had hardly been subtle.
The notice sent to city officials couldn't possibly have reached every resident overnight, so there had been some commotion throughout the city.
Still, after a bit of public explanation, that imposing figure would likely boost both Lucian's prestige and the city's morale.
Lancelot silently committed the matter to memory, preparing to arrange everything afterward.
After thinking for a moment, Lucian felt he had covered nearly everything concerning this trip.
"And lastly..."
"Have all the tasks I assigned before leaving been completed?"
Lancelot straightened proudly, a confident smile spreading across his face.
"I have fulfilled every one of your orders."
"Miss Selyra has secretly brought the remaining Black Knife Assassins back."
"They're all currently inside the city."
"I've given them no assignments, they're simply awaiting your command."
As if suddenly remembering something, he quickly added,
"Oh, and there's something else."
"Master Thops has finally completed the theory you asked him to develop."
"I witnessed it myself."
"It was astonishing."
"It's an exceptionally elegant piece of magical theory."
"I rarely find myself so impressed by magical scholarship."
"Not only that, it is sufficient to serve as the cornerstone of an entirely new school of study."
"In fact, it could already be put into practical use."
Lancelot's face remained filled with admiration as he spoke of Thops' achievement.
"It truly proves that your judgment is beyond question, Lord Lucian."
"You recognized his perfectly balanced brilliance long before anyone else."
"To be honest, I didn't understand your decision at the time."
"I even questioned it in my heart."
"Looking back now... I feel rather ashamed."
A smile curled across Lucian's lips.
Unlike everyone else, he had once been a player.
He already knew just how brilliant Master Thops truly was.
Now...
At long last, Thops had completed his research.
Thops' Barrier was finally about to enter the world.
"Is that so?"
"So Master Thops has finally finished his theory."
"I've been waiting for this day for a very long time."
"It seems that, before long, I'll have to pay him a visit personally."