Nolan recalled Maliketh, Marika's Shadow of the Empyrean, her sworn brother and the guardian of the Rune of Death.
His duty was to hunt down and seal away death.
"Well then. Worrying is pointless. Death is already within me."
Nolan stared at the wreckage and rubble scattered across the ground. A thread of black aura quietly sank into the thick roots, as if the earth itself had swallowed it.
As the black aura disappeared, the oppressive, deathly heaviness that had filled the area gradually faded, replaced by a calm that felt almost comforting.
"Have someone come clean this up. There shouldn't be any more problems here. People may not be able to return to the Erdtree, but they can at least meet a proper death."
"I think the church outside can be rebuilt as well. A great Lord should be revered."
Lansseax made the suggestion suddenly.
"Do as you like."
Nolan glanced at her, then turned and walked out.
She had once been a priestess, and now she was about to return to her old calling. Lansseax felt a kind of excitement she couldn't quite put into words.
Because this time, the one she would be praising was a being who might have surpassed even the gods.
Back at the palace in the inner city, Lansseax immediately went to find Vyke and Nepheli to begin putting the church restoration plan into action.
Nolan, meanwhile, headed to his office. The moment he pushed the door open, he saw a small figure sprawled across the desk like a lazy little cat.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. He reached out and lightly flicked the kitten on the head.
Melina shot upright, as if jolted awake from a pleasant dream.
"Ow, what was that for?"
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she reached back to touch the back of her head, muttering her complaint under her breath.
Nolan folded his arms and looked down at the groggy girl with annoyance.
"I should be asking you that. I told you to stay and help, and you're over here fast asleep."
"It's not like I know how," Melina shot back, pouting.
"Then learn. Isn't Alicia right there? If you don't understand something, ask her."
Nolan turned to look at his Finger Maiden.
The blonde girl was bent over the desk, writing at full speed. The brush in her hand flew across the page, and she seemed completely absorbed in her work.
"What are you writing? It's already this late. You should rest a little."
Nolan asked with concern, but before he could finish, Melina shot him a vicious glare from the side.
Pretending not to notice, Nolan calmly lowered his head.
At that moment, Alicia finally stopped writing.
She looked up, her beautiful blue eyes glimmering in the lamplight.
Her gaze rested on Nolan's face for a moment, then moved back and forth over him like a scanner, as though she meant to examine every last pore on his face.
Only after quite a while, as if that alone had eased some of her fatigue, did she finally respond.
"I'm writing back to Leyndell. They sent someone again, asking why you still haven't gone to the Divine Tower."
She truly could not understand what kind of being her savior really was.
He did not need a Finger Maiden to turn runes into strength. He could even make a Great Rune his outright.
She had undergone strict maiden training.
By all rights, if a Tarnished wanted to use the power of a Great Rune, they had to go to the Divine Tower and receive recognition from the Two Fingers.
And yet Nolan, standing right in front of her, had bypassed the Two Fingers entirely and made the Great Rune his own.
"Tell them I need to put Limgrave in order. I'll go to the Divine Tower later when I have time."
Nolan stroked his chin.
"But we can't keep stringing them along forever. We need to think of something."
Seeing him drift off into thought, Alicia suddenly called out to him.
"Brother Nolan."
"Hm? What is it? Is there something else?"
Alicia quickly replied, "A guest has arrived from Caria. Someone you'll definitely want to meet."
She knew Nolan well. No more explanation was needed, and the three of them headed for the reception room together.
Before they even stepped inside, they could clearly sense that whoever was in the room had made no effort to hide that overwhelming presence.
As if on purpose, that powerful aura was being released openly.
A biting chill seeped through the crack in the door. The cold was so dense it almost seemed ready to condense into something visible.
The guard at the door recognized who had come and dared not delay. He hurriedly pushed the doors open, and with a creak, a tall figure instantly filled their view.
A broad cloak covered his body, and the small eyes on his long face narrowed.
"A wolfman? A Shadow of the Empyrean? Wait, what even is a Shadow of the Empyrean?" Melina widened her eyes, her thoughts in complete disarray.
The moon quietly slipped out from behind the heavy clouds, spilling down a wash of clear silver light.
And in that light, everyone saw the visitor clearly for what he was.
A burly wolfman swordsman.
Blaidd stood not far away, silent as a mountain.
The Royal Greatsword on his back shone with a cold gleam, as though it might leave its sheath and drink blood at any moment.
Beside him, a Glintstone lamp cast a soft glow, lighting the scene outside the doorway with perfect clarity.
In that light stood a man in magnificent armor, with two petite, beautiful girls behind him.
The instant the man saw the scene before him, surprise appeared briefly on his face, only to be replaced at once by joy.
The wolfman froze.
Then he took another careful look at the man. The silver hair and blue eyes were exactly as he remembered.
That absurdly handsome face made the wolfman want to smash it to pieces with one swipe of his claw.
But the moment he noticed the warm, gentle smile that had never left the man's face, his movement locked in place.
That smile. He was certain he had seen it countless times before.
I have fulfilled Your Highness's trust. I finally... found him...
Blaidd quietly let out a breath of relief, feeling as though he were finally breaking free from a torment that had lasted through countless days and nights.
He did not, as anyone might have expected, throw himself forward in excitement and embrace an old friend at long last.
Instead, he simply stood there, silently studying the scene before him again and again.
His small eyes shifted from the man to one girl, then from the girl back to the man, then over to the other girl.
Back and forth, over and over, his gaze cycled between the three of them like some tireless machine.
Then suddenly, his tightly shut muzzle split wide open, baring a row of sharp, deathly pale fangs.
A sinister chill surged from his body, mixed with blazing anger, and crashed straight toward the people opposite him.
"Nolan Bethel, you bastard. You've been living pretty comfortably, haven't you?"
His voice was low and hoarse, with the faintest trace of grievance buried underneath.
That strange tone left Nolan utterly baffled.
The soft light of the Glintstone lamp overhead spilled down, illuminating everything around them.
Within that glittering world, now instantly coated in ice crystals, the four of them stood there in silence, staring at one another.
In the awkward stillness, no one spoke first.