That night, Arthur found Ranni reading under the shade of the Erdtree.
"I'm planning to head back to the Lands Between for more adventures. Do you want to return for a while?"
He had already given her permission to travel freely between worlds. Yet, for some reason, Ranni never showed the slightest intention of going back.
Closing her book, she lifted her gaze toward him.
"This form is not fit to walk the Lands Between."
Arthur was reminded that when he had first discovered her tiny form, she had said something similar—ranting about how he had "shamed the witch Ranni."
No doubt she simply didn't want to expose that delicate appearance to others.
"Maybe you could try the same thing as me—use that." He pointed at the puppet body sitting beside them.
"Transfer my consciousness into a doll?" Ranni mused.
Arthur nodded. She had understood correctly.
"…Very well. There are indeed matters I must address."
She mainly wanted to arrange things for her two loyal retainers—something Arthur had reminded her of last night.
Before meeting him, she had resolved to forsake everything and betray everyone, walking the dark and lonely path alone.
Her betrayal wasn't just against the Two Fingers, but also involved the Black Knife Assassins. Together they had stolen the power of Death and killed her own fleshly body on the Night of the Black Knives.
Arthur didn't know the full details of how she had cooperated with the Black Knives, but he did know one thing: it hadn't been a pleasant partnership. For their assassins still scoured the world, hunting for her trace.
Back in his previous life's game, when he revisited later stages—Smithing Master Iji was dead, Blaidd had gone mad, and even Seluvis was found dangling from his own tower.
That memory was why Arthur had reminded Ranni—to avoid returning one day only to find all her followers gone.
As for Iji, she planned to relocate him to her mother's side. Guarding Caria Manor's gates or guarding the Grand Library's gates—it was much the same. And by Rennala's side, he would be safer.
Don't be fooled by Rennala's gentle, frail exterior—she had once been the ruthless queen who carved out all of Liurnia. Under her wing, Iji would be secure.
As for Blaidd—well, he was already sealed away. No need to worry about him.
Seluvis, on the other hand… she felt no affection for him whatsoever. Best to leave him to rot.
Back in the Lands Between, they reappeared at the Cathedral of Manus Celes.
This time, Ranni's doll body moved under her direct consciousness—not merely with her soul lodged within it. The faint, spectral glow on her cheek had also vanished.
Looking around at the dark cavern, she sighed softly.
"I once thought you might place the Dark Moon Ring upon me here, beneath the moonlight."
"In a place like this? That would've been a bit… too strange."
Arthur glanced around with mild disdain: a gloomy cave, dominated by two gigantic severed fingers, bleeding enough to flood half the chamber. Hardly the scene for romance.
That was exactly why he had chosen another moment to revive Ranni—partly because it was natural timing, and partly to leave behind a memory less macabre.
Definitely not because she had been too weak to resist and easy to whisk away.
Definitely not.
"Come to think of it, this pair of Fingers is far larger than the one in the Roundtable Hold," Arthur said, looking up at the corpse.
"They were meant to govern the Empyreans on behalf of the Greater Will—naturally, they were stronger," Ranni explained.
"So you're telling me the pint-sized Fingers back at Roundtable are mocking us Tarnished? I'm the man who can slay demigods!" He furrowed his brow, feigning indignation.
Ranni caught the joke in his tone and teased back:
"Shall I lend you the Fingerslayer Blade, then? You could cleave the Hold's Two Fingers yourself."
"Forget it. The Greater Will can't even reach this world anymore—those two digits make no difference. Besides, the Hold still needs them to maintain order."
Arthur waved it off. The Two Fingers served as a symbol for the Tarnished in the Roundtable Hold. Like a church without a statue of its god—once it's gone, faith scatters.
Funny thing was, few Tarnished truly cared about the Fingers anymore.
Sorcerer Rogier lay half-dead in Stormveil, his lower body twisted.
"D" hunted the Deathroot carriers ceaselessly—those who had resurrected after the Ring's shattering, unable to return to the Erdtree.
And there was Nepheli, endlessly quarreling with her adoptive father, Sir Gideon Ofnir the All-Knowing.
"Enough. There's nothing more to see here." Ranni's voice drew him from his thoughts.
"Then let's head to Caria Manor."
"What for? You've yet to explore the Moonlight Altar here, haven't you?"
"…To have a heartfelt chat with Seluvis."
Ranni rolled her eyes. A heartfelt chat? More like tearing out his heart.
Outside the cathedral, Arthur drew out his flying broom and extended a hand toward her.
"Please, my princess."
If he were alone, he could've simply warped through Sites of Grace. But Ranni wasn't Tarnished—she couldn't use them. So flying was the only way.
"What an amusing magical construct," she remarked, intrigued by this oddity from another world.
At Caria Manor's gates, Arthur let Ranni down. Iji was there as always, hammering at the forge, while Seluvis hid away in his tower with his puppets.
This was Arthur's first proper meeting with Seluvis.
When he had first begun serving Ranni, he had glimpsed Seluvis once below her tower—but that had only been his phantom, like a remote call. Though Seluvis had offered then that Arthur could visit his tower anytime, Arthur had kept away, knowing all too well the man's twisted proclivities from his previous playthrough.
Ranni clearly held him in contempt too. Seluvis still didn't realize he had already been abandoned.
"Oh, it's you, Tarnish—" Seluvis began, only to be cut off by a sudden barrage of curses.
"Imperio!"
"Crucio!"
Caught off guard, Seluvis collapsed under Arthur's control.
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