As the eldest prince of the Golden Order Dynasty, he had personally witnessed everything—from the Giant War to the founding of the Golden Order itself. For a long time afterward, having been designated as the next heir to the Golden Throne, he even oversaw the dynasty's operations and administration.
With such a background, calling him "all-knowing" would be an exaggeration, but "well-versed and experienced" was an undeniable truth—his knowledge and insight stood a level above the other Demigods.
After all, age speaks for itself, doesn't it?
Yet despite all that, even after meeting Lloyd only a few times, he had developed an almost instinctive fear of speaking with him. Before each meeting, even before catching sight of the man, a dull ache would begin to pulse behind his temples.
He hadn't understood that feeling before. At first, when he saw Morgott sealing the door, he had even sighed inwardly, thinking the boy must have spent too long in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, and had simply grown unaccustomed to the outside world—so much so that he startled at every little thing.
But now...
"You'd probably want to seal up that lantern too, huh?"
Messmer lifted the lantern as he spoke. The other gave a slow nod and sighed.
"Yeah..."
The earlier tremor in Lloyd's Fire Knight Medallion had, of course, been Messmer's signal.
The reason was just as Lloyd had arranged with him earlier: since Lloyd couldn't reach the Land of Shadow for now, he would use the power of the Fire Knight Medallion to bring the Numens out whenever possible, so Lloyd could heal them.
Since Lloyd had just been talking to Godwyn-in-the-Lamp about it, he simply summoned Messmer and the Witch Girl right then and there, performing what looked like a grand illusion before Godwyn's eyes.
After that, Godwyn-in-the-Lamp fell silent.
Later, after Messmer had explained the situation, the two—who had interacted quite a bit before—naturally began to talk. They spoke about the past, their recent affairs, and shared a few complaints about Lloyd, with Messmer also being introduced to his two younger brothers.
It was all rather ordinary conversation—nothing particularly worth noting.
The only moment that stood out was when the topic turned to Miquella. Messmer froze at first, then as he realized what was being said, his expression grew complicated. His gaze toward the head inside the lantern softened with faint sympathy.
"That really does sound urgent."
As he spoke Miquella's name, something seemed to come to Messmer's mind.
"Oh, right. Miquella—he might be somewhere near me right now."
Godwyn-in-the-Lamp blinked in surprise.
"...With you?"
Messmer nodded.
"Some of my men reported seeing a strange figure near the battlefield's edge recently. I went to check it out myself. I didn't see the person, but based on the witnesses' accounts and the traces of aura left behind, it felt... like Miquella."
He couldn't be certain, though. His mother had told him of this younger brother, but they had never met, never even spoken. Most of what he knew came after Lloyd's Law arrived, and in truth, the two were practically strangers.
Still, since Miquella was his mother's child as well, Messmer had asked Lloyd for a few Miquella Water Lilies to take back with him.
They were Miquella's symbolic flowers, containing traces of his power. Messmer had wanted to study them in advance, so that when he finally met his brother, he could recognize him right away and avoid any awkward misunderstandings.
But when he went to the area where the strange figure had been sighted, he discovered that the lingering essence there felt eerily similar to the energy within those flowers.
Originally, he had planned to investigate further before mentioning it to Lloyd. But after hearing Godwyn-in-the-Lamp's situation, Messmer thought for a moment, then decided to tell Lloyd and his companions everything.
After Messmer finished, before Lloyd could respond, Seriel nodded.
"That must be my brother."
"I don't know the details, but long ago, Brother told me that to achieve his ultimate goal, he needed to go to a place cut off from the world. He told me to wait for his return at the Haligtree."
"Then it's definitely Miquella."
Messmer nodded slightly.
"I'll have people keep watch, then. We'll try to find him as soon as possible and retrieve Godwyn's souls..."
"Don't."
To everyone's surprise, Seriel shook his head, rejecting Messmer's offer.
"Tell your men not to approach my brother. In fact, stay as far away from him as you can."
"Because if I'm right, his current state could be extremely dangerous."
In theory, Miquella wasn't particularly strong. Even a slightly above-average hero could make him flee in panic, let alone a Demigod.
But Mohg's case had already proven the danger. It wasn't just ordinary warriors—even his fellow Demigod brothers could fall under his spell if they let their guard down for even a moment.
His enchantment didn't rely on strength; it targeted the mind, bypassing raw power entirely.
Messmer might have been strong among Demigods, but his mental resistance wasn't necessarily higher than Mohg's. And because they were brothers, he wouldn't be able to truly fight to kill.
If he went after Miquella now, forget about recovering Godwyn's souls—he might very well lose his own instead.
"Then what should we do?"
"Use the Law."
Seriel spoke earnestly.
"My brother's 'Enchantment' is also a form of the Law. Therefore, any Empyrean who wields the Law can oppose it."
It was a perfectly reasonable suggestion.
The problem, however, was that all Empyreans possessing the Law were currently within the Lands Between—none remained on Messmer's side.
"In other words, we first need to find a way for you to enter the Land of Shadow..."
At this, Messmer's expression turned uneasy.
He had begun searching for a way to leave the Land of Shadow long ago, ever since his first conversation with Lloyd. He had indeed found some clues. But precisely because of those findings—and his deeper research into the matter—he realized just how difficult the task was, and how much time it would demand.
Just as Messmer fell into silence, his thoughts clouded with frustration, and Godwyn-in-the-Lamp wore a look of despair, Lloyd suddenly spoke.
"The entrance to the Land of Shadow? Isn't it right there?"
Everyone froze. Following his gaze, they saw a massive blood cocoon—the very one Mohg had nurtured with Miquella's arm.
But there was only the cocoon, nothing else.
Faced with their questioning looks, Lloyd didn't know how to explain. After all, he couldn't exactly tell them it looked like a DLC portal.
After a brief pause, Lloyd gave up on explaining altogether. He walked straight up to the blood cocoon, guided by instinct, and slowly raised his hand.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, as Lloyd held his hand suspended over the shriveled, bloodstained limb, his figure began to blur.
Or rather—it merged into "Reality."
Passing through that medium and slipping beyond the veil of the mortal realm, Lloyd opened his eyes to find himself inside a cavern, facing a stairway that led upward.
Climbing the steps, he emerged into the sunlight and found a vast plain dotted with gravestones stretching out before him.
In the distance lay a city shrouded in white mist, and beside it rose a colossal tree—majestic like the Erdtree, yet twisted and broken, its golden sap dripping downward like blood.
That was the Shadow Tree, once the Erdtree's companion and reflection.
But when the Land of Shadow was severed, it too was torn away, left to wither into the shattered, pitiful form it bore now.
[Gravesite Plain]
That was the name of the region—and the name of the Site of Grace Lloyd had just activated.
After securing a new Site of Grace and thus a travel point, Lloyd opened his map and teleported back to the Mohgwyn Palace, as the others were still waiting.
Everyone there had already fought him countless times, so while they didn't quite understand how he managed such a feat, their surprise quickly faded, and they accepted it without question.
Still, even with a means to enter the Land of Shadow, Lloyd had no immediate plans to explore it.
The situation with Godwyn-in-the-Lamp was indeed urgent, but urgency meant little without a way to locate Miquella first.
As for the Shadowlands themselves, though he hadn't explored them yet, the sheer scale of the plains alone told him it was no small realm. Searching aimlessly for one elusive young man was like diving into the Lake of Rot to fish for a single golden needle.
As for healing the Numen, that too couldn't be done right away. Mass reincarnation required far more preparation than treating individuals, and since his arrival had been sudden, Messmer still needed time to make the necessary arrangements. The workload alone would take time to complete.
After thinking it over, Lloyd proposed a plan.
"I'll go with the two of them to the Haligtree and bring Malenia over. As Seriel said, if we can get her into the Land of Shadow, the lingering enchantment there should allow her to sense Miquella's presence and guide us to him."
"As for the Numen, when I return, I won't explore further. I'll just activate the teleportation points. Messmer, call me when you're ready, and I'll come immediately. If you detect Miquella's location, summon me then too."
It was a sound and practical plan. Everyone agreed without objection, and the matter was decided.
However, while the plan itself was solid, some individuals still had... questions.
"What exactly is a Numen?"
After Morgott asked the question, an uneasy silence fell over the group.
A long pause followed.
Then, from within the lantern, the head slowly spoke, its voice hesitant and unsure.
"This matter is rather complicated, and it's not convenient to discuss it right now. Once we return, I'll take the time to explain everything to you both in detail..."
Though Morgott sensed something strange about his elder brother's attitude, he didn't think much of it. Mohg, however, seemed lost in thought before turning his gaze toward Elizabeth.
But when Mohg's questioning eyes met hers, Elizabeth only shook her head. Then she pointed toward the head inside the lantern, silently indicating that this was something their elder brother should explain—she wasn't in a position to do so herself.
After that brief interlude, having gathered a great deal of information and each burdened with their own affairs to handle, the group chatted a little longer, discussed a few more details, and then went their separate ways.
Morgott returned to the Golden Order Dynasty with the lantern in hand, resuming the work he had set aside during his trip to Mohg's domain. Overtime began anew.
Mohg went back to his quarters, drafted a preliminary plan, then summoned the White-Masked Ones to discuss matters concerning the medical consortium.
Messmer returned to the Land of Shadow. Following Lloyd's instructions, he began gathering the materials required for the mass reincarnation ritual. At the same time, he sent out orders for his subordinates to monitor Miquella's whereabouts—but to avoid direct contact.
Before leaving, Seriel had also made an additional request of him: to keep watch for someone named "Leda."
"She is one of my brother's... knights. I can't go into detail, but if you find her, you'll likely find my brother as well."
"Are you certain she's in the Land of Shadow?"
"I'm certain—absolutely certain."
Seriel's tone was firm as he met Messmer's eyes.
"That stalker—uh, I mean, my brother's knight—will definitely follow in his footsteps. Wherever my brother goes, she's sure to be there."
Though Messmer found Seriel's description of the knight a little... peculiar, he didn't dwell on it. He nodded in agreement and returned to the Land of Shadow, adding this new task as a side mission alongside his other objectives.
As for Lloyd—after sending everyone off, he didn't immediately return to the snowfields to continue exploring. Instead, he first made a stop at the Golden Dungeon instance.
There were two reasons for this. One, he needed to deliver the newly acquired golden carriage.
The other was simple: after the relentless chain of battles—from the storm-lashed Consecrated Snowfield to the blitz through Mohgwyn Palace, ending with his "playtime" with Elizabeth—both he and his team were completely drained.
Before venturing onward, they needed a proper rest.
With that in mind, Lloyd teleported the group to the Golden Dungeon.
Upon entering the Lord's residence, he handed the new carriage over to the Black Knives to settle, then went to take a bath. Afterward, he headed to the dining hall, where he used supplies to exchange for several meals—one for himself and a few more for Millicent and the others who were still bathing.
Acting like any ordinary person, Lloyd finished his portion. Seeing that the others weren't done yet, he thought for a moment, then simply returned to his room to lie down for a quick nap.
Just as he closed his eyes, preparing to rest, a faint rustling sound reached his ears—something had climbed onto him.
It was Alice.
"I just finished a segment too. Let me rest for a bit."
She slipped her arms around Lloyd's neck, lowered her head, and began replenishing her energy.
After a long while, as the sensation of absorption faded, Alice slowly lifted her head, licked the corner of her lips, then nestled into Lloyd's embrace and closed her eyes softly.
"Good night," she murmured.
Looking at the petite, golden-haired girl in his arms, Lloyd thought for a moment before wrapping his arms around her as well.
"Mm. Good night."
With that, he closed his eyes, his consciousness slowly sinking into darkness.
...
Then, the Ashen One opened his eyes.
Upon awakening, he found himself staring at a familiar figure—a woman wearing an eyepatch. Instinctively, he opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
Startled, he froze for a moment before realizing what had happened—something was blocking his mouth.
Lowering his gaze, the Ashen One saw the thing preventing him from speaking.
It was a small purple flower.
The purple flower was straddling him, her arms wrapped around his neck, her pistil pressed against his lips, sealing them completely. Sweet nectar trickled from it.
This was...
"This method helps you maintain a deeper sleep," the woman said softly, her eyes drifting over the purple flower before returning to the Ashen One's face. "And it brings her a little joy as well. So, I didn't stop her."
Her gaze lingered for a moment, and she added, "Though it seems she fell asleep in the process..."
"Would you like me to wake her? Or..."
The woman gently took the Ashen One's hand, guiding it to her chest. She leaned close, her breath brushing against his ear as she whispered, her voice smooth and low.
"Would you prefer... that I join you too?"