Blaidd stared fixedly at Nolan, his expression unusually strange, as if he were studying some rare and peculiar creature.
Nolan felt uncomfortable under that stare. Unable to make sense of it, he simply asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
The corners of Blaidd's mouth lifted slightly into something like a smile.
"I'm just curious what kind of terrifying face His Majesty the Cannibal Demon King, who is even more savage than a beast, might have."
"How dare you. Who's spreading rumors about me? Since when did I become a Cannibal Demon King?" Nolan slapped a hand onto the armrest of his chair.
Blaidd did not restrain himself at all. Instead, he laughed even harder and replied teasingly,
"I'm not the one spreading rumors. Everyone saw His Majesty Nolan swallow the Lord of the Nox people whole."
"You're insane. Since when did you get this bored too?" Nolan rolled his eyes.
His act of absorbing Asimi was indeed easy to misunderstand, but Asimi had been running in and out plenty over the past few days.
Blaidd crossed his arms and said unhurriedly, "Then why didn't you kill it? That Lord was no weakling. Killing it would have benefited you too."
"If there had been any benefit, of course I wouldn't have spared her. But Asimi isn't quite the kind of life you imagine."
Nolan's gaze slowly fell on that large wolf head. Every strand of fur looked soft and smooth, clearly groomed with great care.
For a dog lover, a wolf head like that had fatal appeal. Even Nolan felt his hands itching a little.
He held back the urge to give that wolf head a thorough rub. After all, doing that to a friend would be somewhat rude.
"Asimi is a being caught between having a soul and not having one. Her soul and body are the same thing," Nolan said.
"To put it simply, killing her would be the same as completely destroying her soul. I wouldn't gain anything from it. Keeping her around, on the other hand, might still prove useful."
If killing Asimi could have increased his own power, then that option would naturally have taken priority. By contrast, keeping Asimi alive was full of uncertainty.
Letting Asimi enter his body had already been a risk. If Nolan's body were not so unimportant to him now, he never would have tried it so casually.
"Heh." A cold smile appeared on Blaidd's face. "And here I thought you'd suddenly discovered your conscience and gone back to being that so-called merciful Lord."
His eyes remained on Nolan, and in his gaze appeared a tiny silver sphere.
Asimi was perched on Nolan's shoulder. She had even formed a pair of eyes and looked as though she was about to cry, gesturing at Nolan about who knew what.
"Look, you scared the child," Nolan said with a faint smile.
He gently patted Asimi's round little head and said softly, "Don't worry, little one. As long as you're still useful to me, I won't kill you."
Asimi quickly nodded after hearing him.
Blaidd glanced at Nolan and thought to himself, You're clearly scarier than I am. If it weren't for Princess Ranni, this guy might even wipe out Caria along with everything else.
"But calling me merciful is a bit too generous," Nolan said, turning back to Blaidd. "Don't forget, this war of ours has nothing to do with justice in the first place."
This was a war without the slightest trace of justice, yet Nolan felt no regret at all.
Now that he understood the Noxians' ambitions, that was even more true. By the time they struck the surface, it would be too late.
Blaidd looked at Nolan's calm face, his gaze shifting slightly.
"What an utterly boring idea. A Lord conquers everything. He doesn't need a reason. Instead of worrying over justice, you'd be better off thinking about how to end this war as quickly as possible."
Keep conquering. That was the answer Blaidd gave Nolan. War would not stop because of mercy.
"It really is boring."
Nolan spoke lightly, then took a strangely shaped dagger from his robes. Its blade was sharply curved, marked by two small holes, and stained with blood.
Nolan handed the dagger to Blaidd and said slowly,
"This is what you wanted. The Fingerslayer Blade, proof of the Eternal City's treason. Take it back to Ranni."
"You found it that easily?" Blaidd froze. His eyes widened, disbelief written all over his face.
The thing he had searched for bitterly for hundreds of years had appeared before him so easily.
It left him with an almost dreamlike feeling, as though none of this were real.
"This is their territory, and this thing belonged to them in the first place. What's so difficult about having them find it?"
Nolan explained calmly, then pointed to the five Night Priestesses standing on either side of the tent.
The two extra Priestesses closest to Nolan were Alexia and Olivia, whom Nolan had just promoted.
These two former monks and swordswomen had clearly not yet adjusted to their new identities.
They stood there looking uneasy, even somewhat bewildered. They had never expected that returning in a prison cart would somehow lead to a promotion.
Yet unlike the excitement of these two newly promoted Priestesses, the original three Priestesses were not particularly friendly toward them.
After all, these two had spent some time with the Firelink Army, returned with them, and then received Nolan's promotion.
No matter how one looked at it, something was suspicious.
Blaidd did not pay much attention to the subtle tension between the Priestesses. His attention was entirely drawn to the Fingerslayer Blade.
He stepped forward quickly, took the blade from Nolan's hand, and examined it carefully.
"I'll bring it back intact." Blaidd frowned slightly and asked, "Then when are you going to Caria? Princess Ranni..."
The werewolf's mouth twitched. He seemed to use every bit of strength in his body before he finally managed to continue.
"Mentions you often."
Don't force yourself if you don't want to say it.
"I have things to do. Besides, Ranni and I can contact each other whenever we want, so there's no rush." Nolan took tiny Ranni out of his spirit ring.
He had already fully figured out the Lunar Princess's routine. When she was asleep, he usually kept the doll in the spirit ring.
After putting tiny Ranni away again, Nolan stood before the sand table and suddenly asked, "Between the dead Golden Prince and the Regal Ancestor Spirit, which one do you think I should go find first?"
After thinking for a moment, Blaidd answered seriously,
"My suggestion is Godwyn. If you don't provoke the Ancestral Followers, they won't provoke you either. But the Deeproot Depths are beneath Leyndell. If you drag this out too long, something unexpected may happen."
Nolan nodded, finding Blaidd's analysis reasonable.
"Mm. Then I'll go meet His Highness the Prince first."
He turned back to Blaidd and said with a grin, "I wish you a safe journey too. And remember to say hello to Ranni for me."
"You should go to Caria and say it to Princess Ranni yourself. Princess Ranni doesn't like others doing that sort of thing for you."
"I told you, I have things to do!" Nolan sighed helplessly, then continued, "Also, Blaidd."
"What else?"
"Don't start overthinking things just because you hear some strange bastard whispering nonsense in your head."
"...I know that without you telling me."