After Selyra had gathered the Black Knife Assassins, they had spent some time recuperating properly in Stormveil.
For years, the assassins had hidden away in catacombs and dungeons, leaving them with neither the time nor the means to maintain their equipment. Their armor had suffered considerable wear.
Naturally, ordinary blacksmiths couldn't be entrusted with repairing gear that needed to remain a secret.
Besides, they lacked the necessary skill anyway.
Fortunately, Smithing Master Iji, who knew the full truth behind the events of the Night of the Black Knives and was absolutely loyal to Ranni, was also residing in Stormveil.
Because of that, the Black Knife Assassins could hand over all of their equipment to him without any concern.
Now, every one of them had returned to peak condition.
Thus, four tall, imposing women wrapped in layers of black cloth stood before Lucian, fully equipped and awaiting orders.
Their statuesque figures and unwavering gazes alone made it clear that these were among the finest of the Black Knife Assassins.
Looking at them, Lucian issued his first command.
"Selyra will remain in Stormveil."
"As for the rest of you, I have a mission."
"I want you to investigate a man..."
"And the organization under his command."
"'Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing.'"
"No assassinations."
"Gather intelligence only."
"Your own safety comes first."
The four newly arrived Black Knife Assassins bowed their heads in unison, silently committing the target to memory.
The next moment, their figures vanished once more as they departed on their mission.
As for Selyra, the strongest among them, Lucian intended to keep her in Stormveil as insurance.
At present, there wasn't anything within Stormveil that required the full strength of the Black Knife Assassins.
One Black Knife in Selyra's hands was enough.
So instead, he would have the others collect intelligence.
Lucian no longer cared much about Gideon's potential threat.
Back when he was still weak, he had indeed been wary of that old schemer lurking in the shadows, always plotting who knew what.
But now...
'Let him bring everything he's got.'
Even if Gideon mobilized every bit of power at his disposal, he probably wouldn't survive a single move from Lucian.
When all you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail.
That said, Lucian had no intention of eliminating him.
What interested him was understanding Gideon himself.
Who exactly had been guiding him?
What was his true objective?
If he could answer those questions, he'd understand where Gideon's interests lay, and whether they truly stood opposed.
Perhaps...
If their goals ultimately aligned, reconciliation wasn't impossible.
After all, there was no irreconcilable hatred between them.
And Gideon's wisdom was undeniably genuine.
That was precisely why Lucian had instructed the Black Knife Assassins to gather information instead of taking action.
—
Lucian rose from his throne and projected his consciousness into the storm swirling above Stormveil.
As he did, everything happening throughout the castle gradually appeared within his mind.
All traces of the havoc caused by the Omen brothers had long since disappeared, and Stormveil had returned to its usual peace.
He saw physicians gathering from throughout the city, while supplies were steadily being transferred out of various storehouses.
Preparations for the expedition to the Land of Shadow were still underway.
After all, the order had only been issued that very morning.
Mobilizing personnel and transporting supplies naturally required time.
That couldn't be rushed.
Fortunately, it wouldn't take long.
At most, another day or two would be enough.
Since Lucian didn't need to handle the logistics personally, waiting wasn't much of an issue.
After some thought, he decided not to waste that time.
He would head to Caelid first and bring Hildegard back.
Using the Guidance of Grace, Lucian teleported directly to Redmane Castle.
Opening his eyes, he found himself looking upon a very different Redmane Castle.
The place had been completely transformed.
Thanks to the Neutralizing Boluses developed specifically to combat Scarlet Rot, the corruption that had once taken root throughout the fortress had been completely eradicated.
Standing atop the castle walls, Lucian looked out across Caelid.
The island on which Redmane Castle stood had been entirely cleansed of Scarlet Rot.
Beyond the Impassable Greatbridge, however, an even more formidable wall of fire had been established.
Within that fiery perimeter, tiny patches of green had begun appearing across the land.
Healthy vegetation was slowly taking root once more.
Compared to the vastness of Caelid, the progress was insignificant.
But it was unmistakable progress nonetheless.
Seeing tangible results, the Redmanes had regained their morale and thrown themselves into the battle against Scarlet Rot with renewed determination.
Watching the expanding ring of fire, Lucian nodded.
Although he now knew that sunlight could restore Scarlet Rot back into Abundance, he still had no intention of using that method.
Caelid was simply too vast.
Even if Lucian exhausted every ounce of his current power, it wouldn't be enough.
Until he developed a sufficiently reliable solution, things would remain as they were.
Since he still hadn't fully understood Scarlet Rot, he had no intention of interfering with their current approach.
Even if they were merely treating the symptoms rather than the cause...
That was good enough for now.
The resources required to produce the neutralizing perfume were trivial.
If they could give these soldiers hope, then the expense was well worth it.
Lucian found Hildegard in the same laboratory as before.
She was carefully examining several plants.
The specimens in her hands were the very first plants to sprout from the purified soil outside.
As the first life to regrow after the cleansing, perhaps they possessed some unique qualities.
Hearing someone enter, Hildegard looked up in surprise and set her research materials aside.
"Arara."
"I didn't expect you to have time to come all the way here."
"That's unusual."
"Are you here to continue the experiment we never finished?"
She was naturally referring to their unfinished tests concerning sunlight's effects on creatures corrupted by Scarlet Rot.
Lucian shook his head.
"I've already seen the progress outside."
"You deserve a great deal of credit."
"But that's not why I'm here."
"There are injured people who need treatment."
"I need you to come with me."
Hildegard nodded.
"There hasn't been any major breakthrough here in Caelid recently."
"They can continue following the established procedures without me."
"Before we leave, though..."
"I'd like to gather some materials."
"I've been in Caelid for so long that my stockpile of ordinary ingredients has almost run out."
Since this trip was meant for medical treatment, she needed to prepare as many versatile ingredients as possible.
Stormveil regularly shipped enormous quantities of materials for brewing Neutralizing Perfume, but ordinary medicinal ingredients not on that list were rarely included.
After months of steady consumption in Redmane Castle, many of those common supplies had nearly been exhausted.
Then Hildegard remembered that she now had Stormveil's logistics network backing her.
"Actually..."
"Perhaps we can just replenish them at Stormveil instead?"
"They're all fairly common ingredients."
"I'm sure Stormveil has plenty in storage."
After hearing Hildegard list off a long series of ingredients, Lucian nodded without hesitation.
"Of course."
"They're all just common herbs and flowers. Stormveil has plenty of them."
Suddenly, something came to mind.
Jarburg.
Back when he was playing the game, Jarburg had been one of the best places to gather crafting materials. While there was no longer any need to strip the village bare for ingredients, he still intended to bring the Living Jars themselves to Stormveil.
He had already discussed it with Alexander before, Alexander would speak with the villagers and persuade them to relocate to Stormveil as residents.
There, the Living Jars would never have to fear poachers again.
Turning to Hildegard, Lucian asked,
"By the way, where's Alexander?"
Hildegard thought for a moment before answering.
"He left already, not long after recovering from his injuries."
"I think he was heading for Stormveil. Though... perhaps the two of you simply missed each other."
Lucian shrugged.
It couldn't be helped. Most of his time was spent racing all over the Lands Between; staying in Stormveil was the exception rather than the rule.
Still, if Alexander had really gone looking for him in the city, someone should have informed him.
Which probably meant...
Alexander had gotten lost again.
Judging by the timing, he was probably already somewhere in Liurnia by now.
Well, no matter.
If necessary, Lucian could simply visit Jarburg himself.
The jars tended to be wary of outsiders, but it shouldn't be too difficult.
Thinking about Alexander made him chuckle.
He couldn't help wondering...
Would Alexander end up stuck in Liurnia again?
—
On the eastern cliffs of Liurnia...
The Iron Fist, Alexander, suddenly stopped walking and scratched at his lid.
"Hm...? Hm?"
The red-haired girl walking ahead noticed him stop and turned around.
"Alexander? Why did you suddenly stop?"
If Lucian had been there, he would have been genuinely surprised.
For the young woman traveling alongside Alexander was none other than Millicent, who had set out alone on the road to the Haligtree.
After leaving Caelid, she had crossed Limgrave, rested briefly in Stormveil Castle, and then resumed her journey into Liurnia.
There, amid a set of ruined structures, she had encountered a group of wandering spirits.
Having lost the use of her dominant arm, she had been unable to defeat them despite fighting with everything she had.
By pure chance, Alexander, who had gotten lost while wandering the area, heard the sounds of battle and arrived just in time to rescue her.
After the danger had passed, the two became acquainted.
It was hard for anyone to dislike a warmhearted warrior jar like Alexander.
And once they discovered they both knew Lucian and had both benefited from his kindness, they quickly grew closer.
Since both of their destinations lay far away, they decided to travel together while searching for a way up to the Altus Plateau.
Hearing Millicent's question, Alexander snapped out of his daze.
"Oh! It's nothing."
"I just... have this strange feeling that someone's talking about me behind my back."
Millicent looked toward the road ahead.
"Ah... could it be because we're getting close to your hometown?"
"Maybe your fellow jars were just thinking about you."
Alexander tilted his body thoughtfully.
"HAHAHA... now that you mention it, that's actually pretty likely."
As the thought settled in, memories of the hometown he had never returned to resurfaced.
His hometown...
It had been so beautiful.
So peaceful.
A place completely at odds with the blood and fire that defined the Lands Between.
Whenever he thought of it amidst this cruel world, he couldn't help but sink into those warm memories.
Someday, those memories might become so comforting that they'd persuade him to stop moving forward.
But a warrior...
A warrior never doubts.
A warrior never yields.
A warrior never gives up.
Still...
"...Since we're already passing by, I'll just take a quick look at my hometown."
"Ahem... just because it's on the way. That's all."
Watching Alexander rub his lid awkwardly, Millicent smiled faintly.
"If you were human... I suppose you'd sneeze when someone was thinking about you."
Alexander burst into hearty laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! I think humans really do say things like that."
"Though now that I think about it, jars can talk... so why don't we sneeze?"
"We can feel hot and cold just fine... Hmm... ah, never mind. No point worrying about questions that don't have answers."
Crossing his arms proudly, Alexander suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right..."
"Lucian mentioned before that he wanted to bring all the jars to live in Stormveil."
"I was planning to stop by and visit him."
"But by the time I realized it, I'd somehow gone around Stormveil without even seeing the front gate."
"I wonder if I'll ever run into him again."
When Alexander mentioned Lucian, a nostalgic look appeared on Millicent's face.
"Sir Lucian..."
"It really has been a long time since I last saw him."
"I'd like to see him again as well."
"I still haven't repaid the kindness he showed me."
"...But as I am now, I'm powerless."
She reached across and gripped her shoulder tightly.
The place where her arm had been severed still throbbed with the lingering corruption.
The Unalloyed Gold Needle merely suppressed the Scarlet Rot.
She could still clearly feel it lurking within her body.
And a swordswoman missing an arm...
What use was she?
Now, no matter what kind of enemy she encountered, every battle was a struggle.
Watching her, Alexander sighed inwardly.
For a warrior, losing the means to fight was an almost unbearable blow.
If he himself were to lose the fists he took such pride in, he would probably fall into despair and abandon the life of a warrior altogether.
During the Radahn Festival, he had come frighteningly close to being shattered beyond repair.
Only with Lucian's and Hildegard's help had he managed to preserve his identity as a warrior.
Thanks to the adhesive they had used, his body had finally been pieced back together.
Even so, the loss in strength was unavoidable.
He would need time before he could climb to even greater heights again.
Because of that, Alexander understood Millicent's pain completely.
Millicent really was such a strong girl.
Fortunately, throughout the rest of their journey, he could remain by her side and help protect her.
Sensing the atmosphere becoming heavy, Alexander hurriedly changed the subject.
"Oh, right! If we have to wade through water later, Millicent, you can ride on top of my head."
"Liurnia's cold enough already. If your clothes get soaked, you'll only feel worse."
Only then did Millicent realize that her gloomy mood had put Alexander in an awkward position.
She nodded apologetically.
"...Thank you."
Alexander's body rocked gently, as though nodding in return.
"It's nothing."
"We're the same, after all."
"We warriors should help each other."