Standing atop the ruins of the Aqueduct, Lucian looked over the expeditionary force assembled before him.
There were vast quantities of supplies that might prove useful, a fully staffed medical team, a contingent of sorcerers, and a company of Silver Knights assigned as escorts.
Hildegard stood quietly at Lucian's side, awaiting orders.
As for the two most important people, Irina and Liliana, they were currently gazing around in awe at the underground landscape.
Anyone seeing the eternal star-filled sky beneath the Lands Between for the first time would be left speechless.
Especially Irina, who had only recently regained her sight and had yet to witness the world's many breathtaking vistas.
Several days had passed since Lucian returned to Stormveil from the Roundtable Hold, and all the personnel he had summoned had finally arrived.
Facing the countless pairs of eyes fixed upon him, Lucian raised his voice.
"I've gathered all of you here today for an important reason."
"To heal the wounded."
"Their condition is unlike anything ever seen in the Lands Between."
"Of course, your responsibilities will mainly be assisting with treatment and caring for the patients, so there's no need to feel too much pressure."
"In a moment, I'll be taking you somewhere else. That's where the patients are."
"As for the Silver Knights and the sorcerers, I have separate tasks for you."
"No matter what happens, do not act on your own."
After giving a brief explanation, Lucian lifted an arm.
The storm answered his command.
There were simply too many people and too many supplies to transport, and the destination was far away.
Even for Lucian, the burden was considerable.
Because of that, he donned the Divine Beast Head, pairing it with the Enraged Divine Beast talisman.
With both items amplifying the power of his storms, everything before him was effortlessly swept into the air.
Wrapped within the roaring winds, the entire group flew toward the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum.
The invisible barrier that had once surrounded Mohgwyn Palace, created through the power of the Formless Mother, had already disappeared.
Nor could it ever be restored.
Lucian had shattered Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear, destroying the medium through which the Formless Mother projected Her power.
Without that conduit, She could no longer interfere.
There was nothing left to worry about.
Not long afterward, Lucian led the entire expedition back to Mohgwyn Palace.
The devastation left behind by the previous battle remained exactly as before.
The place was utterly lifeless.
Upon arriving, Lucian ordered the Silver Knights to begin clearing away the battlefield and tidying the ruins.
He had no intention of bringing them into the Realm of Shadow.
For the foreseeable future, they would remain stationed here.
Their responsibilities would include cleaning up the battlefield and transforming Mohgwyn Palace into a permanent transfer station.
The sorcerers Lucian had brought would also stay behind.
Having him personally ferry everyone back and forth every time would be far too inconvenient.
Establishing a stable teleportation gate was therefore essential.
It would save an enormous amount of time and make future operations much easier.
As for the portal leading to the Consecrated Snowfield...
That one would have to be destroyed.
The Consecrated Snowfield was remote enough, but the Haligtree still existed there.
There was no telling whether any surviving members of Mohg's faction had already slipped through from the Snowfield after Mohgwyn Palace fell.
Those who had already infiltrated were no longer worth worrying about.
But no more would be allowed through.
After assigning the Silver Knights and the sorcerers to their respective duties, Lucian led everyone else to the highest point of Mohgwyn Palace—
The Cocoon of the Empyrean.
Without hesitation, he instructed everyone to touch the withered arm one after another, allowing them to enter the Land of Shadow.
The first time Lucian himself had crossed over, he had fallen victim to one of Miquella's hidden enchantments.
Only the 'mod' had allowed him to remove it.
But that power had most likely already been expended.
It had been prepared specifically for Lucian.
If Miquella could somehow still charm every single person entering the Land of Shadow through this withered arm...
Then Lucian would simply accept it.
Besides, these people had only come to care for the Shamans.
Even if they were charmed, it wouldn't interfere with their work.
More importantly, the charm itself wasn't life-threatening.
There was no reason to let fear stop them now.
Getting everyone across was the priority.
At worst...
After Lucian gave that evil little pretty-boy Miquella a thorough lesson with the Fist of Personality Correction, he could simply make him undo the enchantment afterward.
—
Returning to the Land of Shadow once more, everything remained unchanged.
The dark veil still blanketed the land.
The air remained heavy, bleak, and oppressive.
Once everyone had arrived, Lucian summoned another storm and carried the entire group to the church atop the mountain.
By now, the Black Knights and soldiers had already cleared the surrounding area.
Any potential threats had been eliminated.
Even the notoriously ill-tempered mountain goats had become dinner for the Shamans.
Inside the church, Melina sat cross-legged, quietly sustaining the power of the Minor Erdtree.
Her eyes were filled with compassion as she looked upon the Shamans.
Their condition had not changed.
Neither improving...
Nor deteriorating.
The power of gold symbolized eternity and immortality.
It naturally possessed the ability to preserve.
But relying on that power alone...
It seemed impossible to help them any further.
Melina couldn't help sighing inwardly.
Lately, that had become the emotion she experienced most often.
Just then, a noisy commotion erupted outside the church.
Sensing something, she rose to her feet and walked toward the entrance.
The moment she stepped outside...
She saw people dropping from the sky like dumplings being tossed into boiling water, stumbling awkwardly as they landed.
Although Lucian had thoughtfully lowered everyone until they were only a short hop above the ground, most of them were experiencing flight for the first time.
A graceful landing was simply beyond them.
Still...
No matter how clumsy their landings were, everyone had arrived safely.
Standing nearby, the Black Knight Harold watched the bewildered newcomers falling from the sky and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, completely forgetting that he had looked exactly the same not long ago.
Seeing the familiar scene, Melina immediately knew.
Lucian had returned.
As soon as he landed, a genuine smile finally appeared on her face again.
She hurried over to him.
Lucian likewise quickened his pace and pulled her into his arms.
With so many of his subordinates watching, Melina lowered her head shyly.
But she made no attempt to resist.
For days, sorrow and worry had consumed her heart.
Only in Lucian's embrace could she lower her guard completely and allow herself a brief moment of weakness.
Leaning close to her ear, Lucian whispered softly,
"Melina..."
"I'm back."
"I've found a possible way to treat them."
"And I've brought the people we need."
"This time, I'm certain we'll make progress."
Melina buried her face against his chest and gently rubbed her cheek against him.
That was her way of nodding.
Watching the two embrace so intimately, Irina quietly pressed her lips together.
During her stay at Stormveil Castle, she had already learned about Melina from the others.
After learning about all of this, Irina's emotions became rather complicated.
She had originally thought that she was the first to create precious memories with Lucian.
She should have been the first.
Yet it turned out that, even back then, Melina had already been watching everything unfold...
It wasn't that Irina had any particular objection to the situation itself.
It just felt...
Incredibly strange.
If Melina could hear Irina's thoughts, she would wholeheartedly agree.
After obtaining a physical body, facing people she knew who had no memory of her was an incredibly odd experience.
Perhaps only the Lands Between could produce such a bizarre situation.
At that moment, Melina also noticed Irina and the tiny fairy beside her.
She remembered the unfortunate young girl quite well.
Everything that had happened at Castle Morne had, in many ways, been the beginning of the growing bond between herself and Lucian.
And...
Irina seemed to harbor feelings of admiration for him as well.
Remembering that, Melina quietly took a step back, slipping free from Lucian's embrace.
Their brief reunion came to an end, leaving the atmosphere just a little awkward.
Scratching his head, Lucian gave everyone a simple round of introductions.
More specifically, he introduced Melina to Hildegard and Irina.
After all, Melina had always traveled alongside Lucian.
She already knew the two of them quite well.
Once the introductions were finished, Lucian and Melina led everyone into the church.
The instant they saw the Shamans lying inside...
Every single newcomer gasped in shock.
Hildegard frowned deeply, quickly recalling everything Lucian had previously told him.
"So..."
"These are the people we're here to save..."
"This is truly..."
"...Unbelievable."
"I've never seen anything like this before."
"No..."
"Forget seeing it. I've never even read about anything like this in books or legends."
"No wonder you specifically went back to gather so many people..."
Hildegard looked up, clenched her teeth, and spoke helplessly.
"In a situation like this..."
"Perfuming arts can accomplish very little."
"Or rather..."
"They're practically useless."
Lucian already knew that.
If even surgery couldn't solve the problem, there was no way a few medicinal perfumes could.
"It doesn't matter."
"I'll be handling the primary treatment myself."
"Your main responsibility will be caring for them afterward and responding to anything unexpected."
"Prepare pain-relieving perfumes and similar medicines. Even if we don't end up needing them, it's better to have them ready."
After a moment's thought, Lucian took out the Sleep Pots he had crafted previously.
"Take these apart and recycle the materials."
"Make a gentler sleep-inducing perfume."
"If necessary, we'll use it to forcibly calm them down."
Hildegard nodded.
Since she had originally been the one to formulate those pots, recovering the ingredients would be easy enough.
Lucian then turned toward Irina and Liliana.
The two of them were the key to the treatment that would follow.
Irina still stood there with one hand covering her mouth, staring blankly at the Shamans.
The sight before her was simply too overwhelming.
Then Lucian noticed something.
Liliana wasn't looking at the Shamans at all.
She was staring fixedly toward a single point in the distance.
Seeing the fairy's strange behavior, Irina quickly called out.
"Liliana?"
"What's wrong?"
Grinding her teeth, Liliana forced the words out one by one.
"...The Frenzied Flame."
"I can sense the aura of the Frenzied Flame."
"And..."
"It belongs to the Lord of Frenzied Flame!"
Lucian froze.
His expression immediately became serious.
'The Lord of Frenzied Flame?'
'Wait... that can't be right.'
'I haven't even completed the Frenzied Flame ending yet!'
'If he's the Lord of Frenzied Flame... then who am I?'
'No, wait...'
'Can there actually be more than one Lord of Frenzied Flame?'
Hearing Liliana's words, Melina's expression became equally grave.
The Frenzied Flame was the greatest taboo of life itself.
Once it spread, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Only those driven into utter despair, with nowhere left to turn, would embrace it regardless of the cost.
Melina loved this world with all her heart.
She would never allow such a thing to happen.
Before Lucian could ask another question, Liliana suddenly abandoned her previous solemn demeanor.
Instead, she began flying frantic circles through the air.
Her wings beat furiously as she muttered to herself.
"No..."
"That's strange..."
"So strange..."
"It's definitely the aura of the Lord of Frenzied Flame..."
"But why..."
"...Why is it so weak?"
Her face filled with confusion.
For a moment, she even began to wonder whether something was wrong with her own senses.
'Could I have slept for so long that my brain stopped working?'
Around the Lord of Frenzied Flame should have been countless creatures tainted by the Frenzied Flame.
Even the weakest of those creatures should possess a stronger aura than this.
The aura she sensed now...
Was so feeble it was practically no different from a stray dog by the roadside.
That made absolutely no sense.
The Frenzied Flame was one of the Outer Gods.
The Lord of Frenzied Flame carried the vast majority of its power.
He was the incarnation of that divine force.
Measured by the standards of the Lands Between, such a being should stand among those capable of contending with gods and kings.
How could someone so terrifying possess an aura barely stronger than a wandering corpse?
Yet that was precisely what Liliana sensed.
The power unmistakably belonged to the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
It was simply...
Ridiculously weak.
Moreover, she could clearly tell that whoever it belonged to wasn't very far away.
Countless possibilities raced through her mind.
Then suddenly—
An idea flashed through her thoughts.
She had finally arrived at the only explanation that made sense.
Unless...
The Lord of Frenzied Flame's power had already been sealed away.
The realization immediately dawned on her.
She still couldn't be absolutely certain.
But she was probably right.
Seeing Liliana finally relax, Irina knew her well enough to recognize that she was once again capable of holding a conversation.
She hurriedly asked on everyone's behalf,
"Liliana..."
"What exactly is this Lord of Frenzied Flame you're talking about?"
Lucian and Melina silently watched her, waiting for an explanation.
The Shamans' condition was urgent.
But compared to the Frenzied Flame...
There simply was no comparison.
Especially when this involved not just ordinary Frenzied Flame—
But the Lord of Frenzied Flame himself.
Now that the overwhelming aura was no longer monopolizing her attention, Liliana finally explained.
"It really is the aura of the Lord of Frenzied Flame."
"I'm certain of it."
"But it's incredibly weak."
"So weak that even ordinary creatures infected by the Frenzied Flame possess a stronger presence."
"My guess..."
"...is that his power has been sealed away."
"That's the only explanation."
Lucian committed the information to memory before asking another question.
"What about his location?"
Liliana pointed toward the distance.
"He isn't very far from us."
"If we get closer, I can pinpoint his exact location."
"Roughly speaking..."
"He's somewhere beneath those mountains."
"There should be a valley, or perhaps a river gorge, over there."
Lucian looked in the direction she indicated and nodded.
If the Lord of Frenzied Flame truly was sealed...
Then the threat probably wasn't immediate.
But Lucian had never been the sort of person who ignored a problem until it exploded into a disaster.
The mere existence of the Lord of Frenzied Flame was enough to make him uneasy.
The sooner it was dealt with, the better.
Since he'd already stumbled upon him...
There would be no escaping.
For now, however, he'd first attempt to treat the Shamans and determine whether his proposed method would actually work.
No matter what the outcome of the treatment was...
Lucian had already made up his mind.
His very next destination would be to deal with the Lord of Frenzied Flame.