Roderika was wrapped in her bright red cloak, concealing her long golden hair and fair skin. Although she appeared timid, she possessed a solemn dignity that nobles had cultivated in their bearing over a long time.
In fact, she was indeed a member of a royal family outside the Junction, among the Tarnished. But when she and her companions set out on their journey to the Junction, they had to wear this red hood, which was considered a severance from royalty.
From that moment on, she would focus on the mission of the Junction and would not return. Even if she did return, she would no longer be considered a member of the royal family.
She stood on the slope before the inner city gates, looking at the open gates, the ballistae and artillery pieces abandoned there, and the bodies of fallen soldiers. She was a little dazed.
After a short pause, she finally took the first step and entered the city she had so feared. As soon as she looked up, she saw Nidhogg and the strange girl with short chestnut hair.
"Ah..." Roderika was surprised and froze. "You... you're... here?"
"Of course I'm here." Nidhogg replied as usual, approaching. Melina silently followed. "But why are you here?"
Roderika blinked in panic. Standing in Stormveil City, which only brought her nightmares, still made her uncomfortable. But she slowly took a deep breath and finally calmed down.
"It was the 'dark storm' that enveloped Stormveil City." Roderika explained softly. "I was actually standing by the house, looking towards Stormveil City, praying for your group."
"When this storm appeared, evil spirits burst forth from Stormveil City. I immediately noticed, but I didn't dare approach. Hewg also advised me to stay near the stone house."
"Until very recently, the storm suddenly dissipated again. And immediately, it seemed that Stormveil City had finally opened its long-closed cage. Countless souls poured out from it, scattering in all directions."
"At that moment, I understood that something must have happened in Stormveil City. Perhaps it was the change you brought."
"One of the dead spirits from Stormveil City floated up to me, spoke with me, and told me what was happening in the city: that you had defeated Godrick and Margit, defeated the gods' Apostles, and liberated them."
"I couldn't believe it. It had only been half a day, and you had accomplished such a feat, ending Godrick's terror."
"Please forgive my doubts and worries. I was so afraid..."
"But as more and more souls brought the same news, Hewg no longer urged me to stay this time. Instead, he encouraged me to come, to see for myself, and also to use my 'spirit tuning' as a witness. So I came."
Having said this, Roderika looked around. She looked at the souls that had mostly scattered, listened to the echoes of the souls that had vanished around her, and couldn't help but ask for confirmation:
"Mr. Nidhogg, is this really the end? Is everything here truly over?"
"It's all over." Nidhogg answered affirmatively. He took out from his person a pin wrapped in red cloth—the "Puppet's Relic" he had picked up from the "puppet corpse pile."
He handed the "Puppet's Relic" to Roderika.
Roderika took it and stared at the dried blood upon it. Slowly, she saw familiar specters floating around, and then heard familiar sounds—the voices of her companions.
They floated around Roderika, said something to her, embraced and comforted her, and then were carried away by the wind and did not linger.
Roderika held the red cloth and pin, watched their distant figures. Her eyes were red. She couldn't help but sob.
After a long time, her eyes were red and filled with tears. She asked again:
"In this world, there is no Erdtree. And they are still Tarnished. Their souls are unable to return to the Erdtree. So where will they go?"
Since the depths of the underworld can invade here, their souls might also be able to step into the underworld of the astral world, right?
Nidhogg thought for a moment and calmly said, "Perhaps they have entered the reincarnation of this world and become a part of it."
Melina glanced at Nidhogg. She knew he wasn't lying. The rules of this world were different from those of the Junction.
Only the Apostles themselves, after their death, and the souls of those killed by the Apostles, would fall into the Abyss.
The souls of other people would enter the underworld. If lucky, they should gradually fade away and become part of the world. If unlucky, they would become souls or vengeful spirits, wandering in the shallows or depths of the astral world.
And indeed, upon hearing this, Roderika felt greatly relieved and comforted. She carefully wiped her tears with her fingers, then carefully put away the red cloth and pin, and looked at Nidhogg with gratitude.
"Thank you. Thank you for ending the nightmare here and allowing my companions and the victims' souls to find peace."
"No need to thank me. We were going to crusade against Godrick the Grafted anyway. It was just a coincidence."
Roderika repeatedly thanked her sincerely. Then she looked at Melina, who had been silent for a long time, with a puzzled expression, and asked, "...this is..."
"My companion and my Finger Maiden, Melina," Nidhogg introduced.
With this, Roderika understood.
Many Tarnished returning to the Junction are roughly divided into two categories: those who see grace and those who do not.
Those who see the guidance of grace are usually accompanied by a Finger Maiden. It seemed Nidhogg had such a relationship with this Melina.
As for Roderika and Rogier, they belong to the Tarnished who do not see the guidance of grace. But that doesn't stop their actions.
Roderika nodded to Melina, who responded with a nod.
At that moment, Roderika thought of the two companions who had come with Nidhogg. She looked left and right, didn't see them, and couldn't help but ask anxiously, "Where are Azan and Serpico?"
"Don't worry." Nidhogg understood Roderika's concern and replied, "They are in the city, with Nepheli, another Tarnished who joined us. They are persuading the city's guards to surrender and cleaning up the bodies here."
Roderika breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. She nodded again and said, "I couldn't help much in the crusade against Godrick. So let me also help clean up Stormveil City."
"Are you alright?" Nidhogg asked.
He saw that Roderika was clearly a young lady. Even if she didn't have to carry bodies, just cleaning up Stormveil City would be very hard. Could Roderika endure it?
Roderika nodded firmly and said, "On the way to the Junction and to Stormveil City, my companions taught me a lot. And Mr. Hewg taught me a lot in the past few months."
"I'm not afraid of hardship. I'm not afraid of fatigue. Please let me help. This is something I can do for these victims. If any souls remain here, I can also guide them away."
Nidhogg shrugged and smiled. "Alright. I'll take you to the others."
Soon after, they met Nepheli, Azan, and Serpico in the atrium of Stormveil City.
After Nidhogg introduced Roderika and Nepheli to each other, he and Melina also joined in cleaning up the city.
Half a day passed. When night fell, Azan and Serpico lit a campfire in the atrium. Everyone gathered around it.
Those still here, besides Nidhogg, Melina, Nepheli, and Roderika, also included the guards who had been persuaded to surrender.
The remaining guards had either resisted to the death or fled Stormveil City without a trace.
During the day, they had burned and disposed of many corpses. But the quantity was so large that they could only dispose of a small portion. They would be busy for the next few days.
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