"Once I have used my territory to finish this task for the Dynasty, I will declare my own death. Then, I will join the Dynasty under a hidden identity."
"Lord Nebra!"
Lange could no longer sit still. He whipped his head around to look at Nebra, his eyes wide with shock.
"Say no more, Lange. As I said, my new life was granted by the Sovereign. The rest of my days shall belong to him," Nebra stated. He turned his head, staring at Lange with crimson eyes, his tone absolute.
"If that is the case, then please, Lord Nebra—take me with you! Let me join the Dynasty as well!" Lange pleaded, his voice thick with urgency.
Beside them, Horulf watched the exchange, his eyes narrowing slightly as he observed the subordinate.
He sensed a potential problem. If this man joined the Dynasty, he might become a liability. If Nebra remained loyal, Lange would likely be a great asset. But what if the Sovereign assigned Nebra a task that went against Lange's personal feelings? What would the subordinate do then?
A primary loyalty to an individual rather than the Sovereign was the greatest hidden danger.
You... are disloyal!
"Are you... certain?" Nebra asked, his brow furrowed.
In his original plan, Lange was meant to succeed him. Nebra had no children or living kin; he had intended to leave his lands and his title to Lange after his "death."
"I am. Just as you said—you are loyal to the Sovereign because he gave you new life. I am loyal to you for the very same reason!"
"... I see. Lord Horulf?"
Horulf, who had been silently appraising Lange, turned his gaze to Nebra. "Yes?"
"I wish for my subordinate to join the Dynasty as well. What must be done for him to receive the blessing?"
"A simple blessing is easy enough," Horulf replied. "But to receive the blessing of the Sovereign and the Formless Mother is not so simple. It requires a sacrificial ritual or the direct favor of the Sovereign himself."
"I understand. And what is your choice, Lange?"
"A standard blessing is enough. I do not wish for Lord Nebra to sacrifice any more for my sake," Lange said, dropping to one knee before his master.
Horulf's gaze grew increasingly dangerous as he mentally marked Lange as a high-risk individual.
He... is not loyal! (To the cause, at least.)
Nebra's side of things is settled. I just need to instruct them to find a way to the Mistwood and head into the underground. That should lead them exactly where I need to go...
Back in the Academy, Mohg's consciousness returned to his current body. He stretched luxuriously. The long-stagnant progress of his plans had finally found its "play" button. Now, he just needed to find a "fast-forward" button.
He had a strange premonition: the start of the Liurnian Campaign might be exactly the trigger he needed to accelerate everything.
Knock, knock!
"Lord Gwyn, are you alright? Lady Renna asked me to check on you."
"I'm fine. Tell Lady Renna I'll be out as soon as I've tidied up."
Some time later, on the practice grounds of the Raya Lucaria Academy, a circle of sorcery apprentices stood whispering and gesturing toward the center of the field.
"How long has he even been studying magic?"
"I don't know... but they say he was just a dabbler before he joined the Academy."
"Tsk. It's truly unfair..."
"That is the nature of sorcery. Talent is everything."
In the center of the grounds, the figure raised his staff. Surging, tempestuous mana gathered at the tip. A second later, a bone-chilling frost began to radiate outward.
Glintstone Frostfall!
In an instant, a massive sphere of glintstone ice, emitting a terrifying chill, materialized in the air.
With a thrust of the staff, the icy meteor shot forward with a violent whistle. Despite its size, it moved with staggering speed, slamming into a row of practice targets.
CRACK!
Hiss—!
The onlookers gasped in unison.
Thick, white frost completely encased the area. The primary target had been pulverized into fine powder by the impact, and the surrounding targets had shattered into jagged chunks of ice.
Mohg let out a long breath and slowly lowered his staff, quite satisfied with the spell's destructive power.
Nearly six months had passed since he joined Caria. To be honest, he hadn't expected Rellana to be tied down at the Academy for this long. Whatever happened to your legendary stubbornness? Your directness? Your iron-fisted methods?!
Still, it wasn't a total wash. He had learned two spells from Renna. One was the basic Glintstone Icecrag, and the other was this "Glintstone Frostfall"—a spell he had never seen in the game.
It was immensely powerful, but its mana consumption was equally staggering. With his current mana reserves (and without tapping into his other powers), he could only cast it twice before running dry.
It felt... a bit like a frost-attuned Comet Azur or a massive Glintstone Comet.
Regardless, for someone just starting out on the path of sorcery, this spell was way out of his league. He had been tricked into learning it by Renna.
He remembered it vividly. When he told her he only wanted to learn a few common spells to broaden his horizons, Renna had pulled this one out, claiming it was a "very common frost spell." She encouraged him to try it, saying that with his talent, he'd master it in no time.
As he studied it, things started to feel "wrong." It wasn't until he discussed it with Sellen that he realized the true nature of the spell.
Once he figured out he'd been played, he intentionally slowed down his progress and grilled Renna for more information. After a bit of "condemnation" on his part, she finally relented, providing him with more foundational knowledge and basic spells.
The price, however, was that he wasn't allowed to learn anything else until he mastered this one...
And now, finally, he had done it.
"Lord Gwyn, Lady Rellana has requested your presence."
"Oh? Understood. I'm on my way."
Mohg blinked, put away his staff, and followed the messenger.
As soon as he left, the other students and apprentices drifted closer to the impact zone.
"Tsk, tsk... the power is terrifying. A shame it's a heretical frost spell..."
"There is no difference between the Moon and the Stars. It is merely your prejudice speaking."
"Forget it, I'm not arguing over useless semantics. I'd rather go back to my research."
"I don't care about any of that. I just want to know when I'll be able to cast something that powerful..."
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Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (415 Chapters – Full)
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