Seriel, the strange being Lloyd had encountered in Caelid.
Even now, neither Lloyd nor Seriel herself truly understood what she was, but one thing was clear: she was tied to Malenia. She carried fragments of Malenia's personality and memories, making her, in some sense, a "Malenia" who bore the Law of Abundance.
Back in Caelid, in order to cure the Scarlet Rot that plagued the land—and, in a way, to atone for Malenia's sins—Seriel made herself a vessel, letting the Flower of Abundance bloom across that blighted soil. She had intended to die there, having even left behind her final words.
But in the blink of an eye, Lloyd pulled her back and earnestly asked about the meaning of what she had just said.
"Why did you want me to kill Malenia? Aren't you two the same person?"
After the Flower of Abundance erupted, Lloyd managed to preserve her soul, but she suffered devastating injuries. Both her soul and consciousness were on the verge of collapse.
Yet even in that fragile state, she still answered Lloyd's question, seriously attempting to resolve his doubts. And then...
...there was nothing more.
Her last flare of strength was followed by another crushing blow.
After that exchange with Lloyd, Seriel's soul shattered completely, scattering into fragments—falling into what, for any normal being, was death.
Had she not been preserved in Lloyd's inventory, her consciousness would have vanished entirely. Even the immortality of a Demigod wouldn't have saved her.
And even with Lloyd storing her in his inventory and sustaining her, it took a long time before she clawed her way back to a "barely alive" state. After even more time, she finally regained her awareness and instinctively called Lloyd's name.
Then she was summoned out.
"This is... Castle Sol?"
After being summoned and exchanging a brief greeting, Seriel glanced around. Her expression slowly shifted into shock.
Had she been gone so long? To awaken here, of all places... in Castle Sol?
Seeing her surprise, Lloyd thought for a moment, then continued advancing while recounting what had happened.
"After the Flower of Abundance bloomed, Caelid's Scarlet Rot was healed. Later, I met a 'Dragon Mother' and made a deal with her—letting the dragons earn the right to live in Caelid by selling their labor..."
He spoke while cleaving down a spectral hound.
"Then I went to Volcano Manor, did some work there for a while, and dealt with Rykard..."
The Ark Holy Sword shifted shape, its spinning blade tearing through the spectral soldiers surrounding him.
"After that came the Royal Capital. First I met Old Margit in person, then went underground..."
At this point, Lloyd remembered something. After driving his blade through an elite Banished Knight, he turned to Seriel.
"Oh, right. You don't know about your brother yet, do you?"
"My brother?"
Seriel looked at him, puzzled.
"Did something happen to him?"
Lloyd shook his head. "Nothing happened. I just heard he's getting married. I wondered if you knew."
Seriel froze.
"My brother... getting married? To whom?"
"Mohg. Old Margit's younger brother. Which makes him your brother too, in a way."
"...Huh?"
Seriel blinked in disbelief. Her first reaction was to think Lloyd was joking, or speaking in some strange metaphor—that this "marriage" wasn't marriage in the normal sense.
But soon, even without Lloyd explaining further, she realized something was wrong.
It wasn't only his words. Something deep inside her stirred—or rather, fragments of Malenia's memories did.
Truthfully, while Miquella was widely revered, and while Malenia herself respected and cherished her younger brother deeply, there was one area where she had always held a gnawing suspicion about him.
Earlier, when Ranni had spoken with Lloyd, she mentioned that back when the Golden Order Dynasty had not yet collapsed, Miquella's favorite pastime was sticking close to Radahn.
Back then, Ranni simply thought it was because Radahn was too simple and good-natured, the kind of man who could even play with children. That, she assumed, was why Miquella liked him so much.
Even now, she still believed Miquella was most likely using the opportunity to influence and scheme against the three siblings, and at times she even marveled at his patience.
After all, compared to Lloyd, Radahn's ability to communicate made him seem almost friendly. But the fact he could even be compared to Lloyd was proof in itself.
For Miquella to endure, to spend every day with Radahn, constantly interacting with him just for the sake of scheming—Ranni thought she could hardly complain about being outmaneuvered by that kind of persistence.
...But those were only Ranni's thoughts.
From Malenia's perspective...
"Brother, did you go see General Radahn again?"
"Brother, there's still so much work left at the Haligtree. Can't you hold off on going to Caelid for now?"
"Brother, I heard people saying you made some kind of promise with General Radahn—that you want him to be your 'King.' That... that can't be true, right?"
Faced with his sister's questioning, the blond boy fell silent for a moment, turning his head away without replying. Malenia's eye twitched, but then she seemed to recall something.
"Forget it. You like General Radahn so much, it's not surprising you'd think that way. Even if you said it, just treat it as a joke. After all, General Radahn would never agree to something like that..."
Her voice trailed off.
Because she noticed that, as she spoke, her brother's head sank lower and lower.
Seeing Miquella like this, a terrible premonition welled up in Malenia's heart.
"Wait... brother, he didn't actually agree to it, did he?"
After a brief silence, the petite, golden-haired boy gave a small nod.
Malenia froze at the sight. Even the corruption within her stilled for a moment, as if urging her to press the matter further.
Truthfully, Malenia knew the only reason Radahn might have agreed was because he saw Miquella as just a child and humored him.
But that was precisely the problem. Because he would remain a child forever, Malenia understood all too well her brother's stubbornness in such things.
"Once he makes a promise, he'll see it through."
If Radahn had refused, Malenia could have tried to persuade her brother to give up on such a foolish idea.
But with Radahn agreeing... with what she knew of Miquella, Malenia could think of no other solution—except killing him.
After a long silence, clinging to her last hope, Malenia spoke in despair.
"Brother... you do understand what 'God and King' really means, don't you?"
Another silence, and then the blond boy nodded.
"I know. The King is the God's companion... just like Father and Mother were..."
He lowered his head further, his voice tinged with grievance.
"But... Brother Radahn really is wonderful..."
"He's strong, gentle, and always willing to play with me..."
"The Two Fingers said I need a 'King' if I want to become a god, so I wanted Brother Radahn to be mine. And he agreed..."
In the days that followed, Malenia tried again and again to persuade Miquella to choose a different 'Oathsworn King.' After all, picking her own half-brother as a partner was... outrageous.
But as she had feared, because the "pact" was already made, Miquella's attitude toward it was utterly obsessive.
No matter what she said, he wouldn't budge. When she pressed the issue too often, he began to avoid her altogether, sneaking out in secret to find Radahn.
Later, Malenia also discovered it wasn't just Radahn. When Miquella spent time with his sworn knights, he clearly favored the men over the women.
With the female knights, it wasn't just indifference—there was something closer to fear, even resistance.
So even though she trusted her brother deeply, when it came to his orientation, Malenia truly harbored doubts.
As part of Malenia herself, Seriel inherited these memories. That was why, after hearing Lloyd's words, she grew even more silent.
Because from what she knew, her "brother"—or rather, her "uncle"—was entirely capable of such a thing...
...
Castle Sol wasn't a great city, and it lacked any peculiar divine blessings. Its defenses were laughable before Lloyd's current strength.
So after talking as they went, Lloyd and Seriel soon reached the deepest part of Castle Sol, where a golden Fog Gate loomed.
But the expected boss fight never came.
Because Seriel was with him, the moment they stepped inside, the boss—Castle Sol's veteran commander—handed over the half of the Haligtree Medallion he held.
Afterward, the spirit soldiers that once guarded the city turned friendly, even willing to obey Lloyd's commands.
Among them was a Banished Knight who had left some impression on him.
Normally, Lloyd didn't bother remembering the small fry who fell to his blade.
After all, killing them was no different than eating—most people don't keep track of how many slices of bread they've eaten, or how many holes were in each slice.
But this particular one, though it hadn't truly threatened him, had at least caught his attention.
And the reason why...
Ignoring terrain, teleporting across vast distances…
High stats, high poise, hyper-armor on attacks, and endless combos... You're the real number one in Castle Sol!
After patting the Dual-Blade Banished Knight on the shoulder, Lloyd took another stroll through Castle Sol, picking up whatever was left behind.
Most of the loot wasn't worth mentioning—mostly Runes or useless toy-like equipment. Only one legendary weapon surprised him when he picked it up.
"Whoa, Death Blight Scythe?"
But no, it wasn't.
The weapon's official name was Eclipse Shotel. It did look a bit like a small scythe, but its attack mechanics were completely different—slow swings and ridiculously short reach.
And as for inflicting Death Blight? Even more laughable.
Sure, through its Ash of War, it could temporarily apply Death Blight buildup.
But the buildup was so weak that by the time the bar actually filled, you could've killed the target eight times over... On top of that, its damage was pitiful, and the skill consumed a fair bit of FP. Despite its "legendary weapon" title, it was really just a toy among toys.
After testing it out, Lloyd's exploration of Castle Sol came to an end.
Since he already had one half of the Haligtree Medallion from Tina, and now obtained the other half from the veteran commander of Castle Sol, it was time to use it and head toward the Haligtree.
With that in mind, Lloyd opened his map, warped to the Grand Lift that bore his name, and presented the completed Medallion.
As the statues rotated and the ground trembled, the lift began to move.
After a long ascent, Lloyd arrived in a new region.
[Haligtree Secret Passage]
As the name implied, this was a hidden passage connected to the Grand Lift. The place was dark and crumbling, with ghostly blue torches burning along the walls.
A few steps in, several Vulgar Militia jumped out—only to be cut down instantly by Millicent's Waterfowl Dance.
Since their next destination was both Millicent's mission site and Seriel's homeland, Lloyd decided to bring both along.
As for how...
His original plan was to have them both follow as spirit allies, and Millicent indeed manifested that way.
But Seriel was different. Reduced to a mere spirit, with neither the Waterfowl Dance nor the essence of Scarlet Rot, she had no combat ability at all. Summoning her would only get in the way.
So, after some discussion, Lloyd chose the same method he'd used in Caelid:
Seriel would cling to his back, arms wrapped around his neck, merging with him into one unit while providing support effects.
Not long after Seriel climbed on, just as Lloyd was about to set off, his inventory stirred.
Opening it, he found a small purple flower restless, as if eager to emerge.
Since she seemed intent on coming out, Lloyd summoned her as well.
A delicate purple water lily appeared beside the golden bloom on his back.
Because they had mentioned Trina earlier in conversation, Seriel was startled by her sudden arrival—but quickly calmed herself.
Yet once she did, her gaze caught something unusual.
The small purple ring on Trina's ring finger.
Millicent had one too, and Seriel had privately asked her about it before. So she could guess what it meant, and her expression grew strange.
This is...
Before she could think further, Lloyd suddenly manifested a shimmering, dreamlike light-sword in his hand and pierced Trina's chest.
"Mm—ghh..."
With a soft, almost adorable hum, the petite purple figure opened her eyes. She leaned down and gently nuzzled Lloyd's cheek.
"Lloyd..."
"Mm, I'm here. What is it?"
Lloyd reached out and pinched her delicate face.
After rubbing against him for a while and waking up a little more, the small purple flower turned toward the golden one beside her.
The latter looked a bit awkward.
"Um, Sister, I didn't know he..."
"It's fine..."
Trina's voice was drowsy, as if she hadn't fully woken.
"I'm not here to scold you. Miquella won't blame you either..."
Unlike the situation with a certain golden-haired oaf and a certain red-haired brute, although they too had once been halves of the same being, Trina and Miquella's relationship wasn't so strained.
The main reason was that Trina slept constantly—Miquella couldn't even summon her to take a shift.
But another reason was Malenia.
Both brother and sister cared deeply for their younger sibling, born incomplete and cursed with Scarlet Rot. During her treatment, though Trina slept endlessly, she still contributed much through her dreams.
Seriel was not Malenia, but with the world as it was, who could say if the "real Malenia" even existed anymore? So Trina simply treated Seriel as Malenia—for now, she carried the highest share of Malenia within her.
And the reason Trina had been so restless to emerge wasn't because someone had taken her place.
Quite the opposite.
"You go by Seriel now, don't you..."
Trina murmured softly.
"Then Seriel, I want to ask you a favor..."
She took Lloyd's hand and gently placed it before Seriel.
Upon it, a small gray ring began to form.
It wasn't something Lloyd had produced. It was a ring Trina had requested from him earlier, without explanation. He had just assumed it was a trinket for a child. But now...
"Form a Covenant with him, Seriel."
At those words, both Lloyd and Seriel froze.
"Um, Sister... isn't he your 'King'? Isn't this... not right?"
"He is my 'King,' yes. But not mine alone—you know that."
Trina paused, then continued.
"Besides, the Covenant is a bond at the soul's level.
"Your current state is dire. Only by forging a Covenant with him can he reach deep into your soul... and help you.
"And we... can stay together..."
Then she turned her gaze to Lloyd and spoke softly.
"Lloyd, please make a Covenant with this child.
I promise you, she's a good girl.
We can serve you together..."