After a while.
He looked at Melina lying in his arms, her cheeks flushed, breath unsteady, her head turned to the side.
The culprit behind it all blinked, his expression a little awkward.
Maybe he'd gone too far.
Though there was no sweetness on Melina's lips, and his sense of taste still hadn't returned...
On one hand, Melina's touch was delightful—soft and warm. Even without taste, holding her like this was deeply satisfying.
On the other hand, the flustered look on Little Wood after being caught off guard was simply too amusing.
First came her stunned expression, frozen in shock. Then, once she processed what was happening, panic took over. Yet she didn't resist—her small hands only fumbled restlessly in his arms, not knowing where to go...
After a while, she finally calmed down a little, attempting to respond and cooperate. But whether it was the way she forced herself to endure her embarrassment, or her clumsy, awkward but earnest movements, it all gave off a strange charm that made one want to tease her more...
And then, he teased her too much.
Still, Lloyd had no intention of apologizing.
Even after Melina had steadied herself and the blush on her face began to fade, he lowered his head and whispered softly.
"Want to do it again?"
Melina's body stiffened slightly in his arms, the fading blush surging back, spreading all the way to her ears.
After a long hesitation, she slowly nodded.
So Lloyd leaned down again.
This time, however, he didn't tease her. Instead, he let her enjoy it in a proper, straightforward way.
After a long while, their lips parted.
Seeing the little wooden doll curling even tighter against him, Lloyd sighed lightly, thinking to himself that no matter how hard wood might be, its mouth was always soft.
Just like how finding an Erdtree upon opening a door meant it had to be burned, Lloyd had long expected that something would eventually happen between him and his wooden companion.
After all, there had been the chance meeting at the door, the gift of the ring (the Spectral Steed Whistle), the journey shared, and her role as Fire Keeper...
If nothing had sparked between them in the end, that would have been the strange part.
In truth, even back when Melina was still conflicted, Lloyd had already sensed her feelings.
Especially after the Royal Capital, when he helped unravel the knot of her mission and she chose to trust him. Though hindered by certain reasons—like the shadow left by an overly bold village girl—her emotional expression was lacking and clumsy, her advances hesitant.
But compared to her past indifference, even those clumsy advances made her intentions obvious.
Lloyd might have been slow when it came to matters of the heart, but he wasn't blind or stupid. If logic alone could reveal it, then of course he understood.
So why hadn't he acted on it?
In fact, he had responded—in deeper healing, in daily intimacy. Those were responses, just not the kind that initiated things.
As for why he didn't take the initiative... he wasn't in a rush.
Or rather, rushing wouldn't change anything.
"Choose the fire rod or my rod"—a line once widely repeated.
But to Lloyd, both rods were the same.
When he kissed Alice earlier, he nearly devoured her. If they ever rolled in bed a couple of times, even he couldn't say for sure what might happen.
At best, the one in his arms would turn to ash. At worst, the Lands Between might burn entirely.
Given that, it was already enough that he responded at all. Taking the initiative...
Even Lloyd thought starting a world-ending fire for the sake of one night was too absurd.
Beyond his hardware being too extreme, his software also had problems.
Unlike Melina's psychological scars, Lloyd's lack of emotions wasn't from trauma. They had been burned away in the most literal sense.
Morality, conviction, humanity, affection...
To make the flame burn fiercer, to keep himself stable.
Long ago, he had thrown those things into the fire with his own hands, watching as they turned to ash, drifting away without a trace.
That was how he endured until the end, and in the final moments, gave that despairing world a relatively dignified conclusion.
But because of that, he had lost much that should have been his, leaving him unable to answer Melina's feelings with true emotion.
He could give her many things—help, care, even fulfill certain desires once his "hardware issues" were solved.
But there was one thing he could never give.
To love her.
Not just Melina—this applied to everyone.
Even Alice.
That said, Lloyd wasn't the type to overthink.
Even if he couldn't love them, nothing stopped him from treating them well. At worst, he would simply repay their feelings through concrete actions.
As for the hardware issue—since he lacked that desire to begin with, it hardly mattered. If it ever became necessary, he had plenty of alternatives.
After all, as an old hand from the Dark Souls world—especially an expert in souls—he had more than a few tricks up his sleeve.
Mind adjustments, soul manipulation, physical alterations... as long as the people of the Lands Between were willing, he was quite adept at all of it.
And so, this was Lloyd's current state.
He never took the initiative, but when others showed him their hearts, he always responded in his own way.
Now that Melina had made her feelings clear, of course Lloyd wouldn't refuse.
But neither did he hide anything from her. Once she calmed down, he explained his situation plainly, making sure she knew his response wasn't unique to her, nor would it ever be unique to anyone else.
He had no love to give, nor could he even distinguish who he loved.
But that didn't matter. He could just respond to them all, couldn't he?
After all, everyone knew—completing the collection was one of Souls 5's greatest desires. Instead of dithering and hesitating, why not just go for the full compendium?
As for morality?
As he'd already said, that had gone into the fire along with his emotions. It was something he had never possessed from the very beginning...
"So, even so, are you willing to walk this path with me?"
"Melina."
Hearing the words whispered by her ear and seeing the hand extended before her, Melina stayed silent for a moment. Then she lifted her own hand and slowly clasped his.
[The bond of the Covenant deepened further]
"I... am willing."
To say she didn't care at all about what Lloyd had said earlier would be impossible. But compared to those small doubts lingering in her heart, she wanted far more to remain by his side, to write the unfinished story of their two lives after fate itself had changed.
And judging from what just happened, along with certain hints she had gleaned earlier in her talk with Alice, Melina had a faint realization. Even if someday this man changed his mind and chose to respond only to her, she alone might not even be able to endure that response. And...
"If I refused, would you let me go?"
"Of course."
Lloyd answered with a smile.
"Impossible."
He was a firm believer in full collections. Now that she was part of his compendium, how could he possibly let her go and leave it incomplete?
That kind of gap would drive his compulsions insane.
Melina wasn't surprised at all by his answer.
Even so, after a brief silence, she softly punched his chest.
"...That's too much."
Lloyd blinked, then lowered his head.
"Then do you want something even more excessive?"
This time, after hesitating for a moment, Melina's eyes flickered. Blushing, she chose to refuse.
"Not today. If we keep dragging this out, Millicent will be waiting..."
Hearing that, Lloyd didn't insist.
After all, he had only asked to confirm whether she was satisfied. Since she was, there was no need to press further.
He leaned down, gently brushing her cheek, then released her from his embrace. With her cooperation, he merged her soul into the new body.
After a period of stillness, tiny Melina slowly opened her eyes in Lloyd's palm.
Having just entered this vessel, she still seemed unaccustomed to it. It took a while before she managed to stand, steadying herself by holding onto Lloyd's fingers.
"It's normal to feel strange. You've gone too long without a body, and this one isn't exactly standard. It'll take some time to adjust..."
Since Lloyd had warned her about this beforehand, Melina wasn't surprised and had already prepared herself for a period of adaptation.
But halfway through adjusting, she suddenly realized something.
"Wait... you mean I have to stay like this the whole time?"
Because the body had grown larger earlier when Lloyd filled it with soul energy, Melina assumed that once she entered, it would naturally return to her original size.
But now, after trying for so long, she realized transformation had to be done manually—and the requirements weren't low...
"Yes."
At his reply, Melina looked down at her palm-sized form and fell silent.
She didn't share Ranni's fondness for tiny stature, and she could accept showing this form in front of close companions like Millicent.
But what terrified her was the thought of a certain golden-haired village girl discovering her like this—something even more frightening than Ranni knowing.
After all, the Queen of the Full Moon, being of noble birth, might tease, but at least carried some reserve.
Marika, on the other hand—though hailed as a goddess—had been a real country girl before her ascension. Even after becoming divine, she could put on a proper face in public out of basic dignity, but in private...
Her favored weapon was a stone hammer, and her favorite pastime was using a mimic veil to disguise herself as a roadside railing, wandering the Royal Capital to watch the bustle.
Meet her, and the first thing you'd better do is prepare some face wash. She boasted that her proudest accomplishment wasn't founding the Golden Order Dynasty, but beating the 'First Elden Lord' Gufulei to his knees, dragging him back as a slave. On top of that, she brimmed with maternal instincts, doting on her children—especially her first son and daughter...
Melina dared not imagine what would happen if that country girl learned of her current form.
According to Lloyd, that villager was still hanging up in the sky and near death.
But even so, Melina didn't want her situation revealed. Otherwise, when that woman finally came down, she'd still suffer for it.
"You have to help me hide this."
Melina spoke with a serious look.
Lloyd nodded. After confirming she wouldn't fit in his inventory, he used the same method as before—tucking her inside his clothes.
There was nothing unusual about this, especially since they had just been intimate. Melina didn't mind the extra closeness.
The problem was, at this moment, Lloyd's clothes already housed more than just her.
So, once she was placed inside...
Melina saw a tiny girl, like a little preserved egg, swimming about within Lloyd's clothes.
And right beside her, another equally small blue-skinned doll, trying its best to pretend it was just an ordinary toy.
Silence.
Melina tried to keep her composure, but in the end, she couldn't.
"...When did you get here?"
The blue doll stiffened briefly. After a long pause, it finally spoke in a faint voice.
"A long time ago."
"...Then why didn't you show yourself earlier?"
"I was adapting to this body through sleep. By the time I woke, I couldn't get out anymore."
"...So you heard everything?"
The blue doll gave no reply.
But sometimes, silence was an answer.
A little pickled egg swam cheerfully between the two of them, glancing up with confusion at their oddly stiff expressions.
Then, perhaps bored of swimming inside, it floated upward, slipped out from Lloyd's clothes, pressed itself against his neck, and began nuzzling softly.
"Mm, alright, alright, here's a candy..."
Lloyd pulled out a small sweet he'd picked up back in Caelid. Watching the little egg happily devour it, he then lowered his gaze to the two tiny figures tucked inside his clothes.
"So, do you two want one?"
"No." *2
The answer came in unison.
After refusing Lloyd's candy, the two turned back toward each other. Following a brief silence, they reached the same decision.
"We'll keep each other's secret. Neither of us can tell anyone about this."
"Agreed."
And with that, the deal was struck.
After confirming that the two tiny ones could get along, Lloyd went to find Millicent. Because Millicent was reliable and a close companion, Melina didn't hide anything and crawled out herself.
Soon after, Ranni emerged as well. Now that she wasn't the only unlucky one in such a situation, and not wanting a repeat of earlier awkwardness, she too climbed out, perching opposite Melina on Lloyd's shoulders. The sight left Millicent staring wide-eyed.
After a quick explanation, Millicent nodded. She looked at the two small figures sitting on Lloyd's shoulders, then instinctively lowered her gaze to her own decayed, corrupted body. Envy flickered faintly in her eyes.
Before it could fade, Lloyd's voice cut in.
"The rot in your body is tied to your mission. Until you complete it, I won't interfere with it, nor can I rebuild your body yet."
"But after it's done, whenever you want, I can reshape your form. I've even gathered the materials."
Millicent looked up in surprise, then hesitated.
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you..."
"What trouble?"
Lloyd reached out, rubbing her red hair, the strands making a soft rustling sound.
"Didn't we already agree? Once your mission is complete, you'll become my blade. Maintaining one's blade is a master's duty..."
"Though, now that I think about it, I never asked what kind of body you want. If you have any requests, tell me, so I can prepare ahead of time..."
Millicent had been about to say she had no special requirements—just a normal body would be enough.
But glancing at the two tiny figures on Lloyd's shoulders, she hesitated, then spoke softly.
"Um... besides a normal form, could it also be possible to turn small like that..."
"Of course."
Lloyd agreed without hesitation. After chatting a bit longer with Millicent and tending briefly to his little red flower, he left the castle, planning as he'd said earlier to hire some people from town to help clean.
Since he was going out, the two miniature figures on his shoulders withdrew to hide.
Once they had, Ranni gave Melina a strange look.
"You really don't mind?"
He had just been intimate with her, only to turn and caress Millicent. How could she act like nothing happened?
Melina was silent for a while, then suddenly lifted her head to counter.
"You think you'll escape?"
"What does that have to do with me..."
Her words froze mid-sentence.
Then came a long silence.
...
Meanwhile, outside, as the two remained quiet, Lloyd arrived at the town.
He first sought out the Shadow-bound Beasts's dwelling, hoping to recruit some of them.
But he had clearly been overthinking.
Though the Shadow-bound Beasts were loyal and formidable, their level of intelligence...
Looking at the beast-girls circling him, tails swishing behind them, Lloyd was silent for a moment before pulling out a pile of Alluring Skulls from his inventory.
After playing with them briefly, he moved on to the Black Knife Assassins' hideout.
Just as he summoned a few over to discuss employment, something in his inventory began to tremble.
The Fire Knight Medallion.
Since it couldn't be used inside a dungeon, Lloyd fast-traveled out with the Black Knives, found a suitable spot, selected the option, and infused the medallion with strength.
As crimson flames roared, two figures slowly took form before him.
Once fully materialized, Messmer opened his eyes, ready to greet Lloyd. But before he could speak, he spotted the Black Knife Assassins behind Lloyd. His words stuck in his throat, his expression twisting awkwardly.
He knew Lloyd's purpose in calling him, but with this setup... it looked exactly like Lloyd had summoned him to be executed...