"This... this is Caria?!"
After several days of marching, Mohg officially arrived at the Carian seat of power. Looking at the magnificent structures before him, his mind was thrown into a whirlwind of shock.
Presented before his eyes was a colossal, grand architectural complex connected to the Carian Manor. A towering castle stood at the front of the estate, its thick stone walls silently testifying to its formidable defensive capabilities.
Mohg could even see several massive Golems standing atop the battlements, alongside giant defensive siege engines he had never seen before.
At the main gate, a massive magical sigil engraved with intricate crests pulsed with light. From this point, a gargantuan magical barrier radiated outward, nearly enveloping the entire castle and manor grounds.
Stationed outside these walls was an elite Carian force. In the brief time they had spent passing through, Mohg had already spotted at least four Carian Knights among them. One individual, in particular, radiated a sense of extreme danger.
While that presence didn't quite match the sheer pressure Rellana exerted, it was still terrifyingly potent.
It seemed his previous understanding of Caria's strength had been flawed. The Caria before him truly possessed the capital to challenge the Golden Order. Between the Full Moon and the Twin Moons, and then Royal Knight Loretta and the Snow Witch...
Among them, the Full Moon and Twin Moons undoubtedly stood at the absolute apex of the Lands Between. Though he wasn't entirely sure of Loretta's full strength, she couldn't possibly be weak. Add the Snow Witch to the mix...
Looking at this lineup, Mohg began to doubt if even Radagon could take them all on by himself.
Wait... I think I overlooked the Albinaurics as well, he thought. If I remember correctly, Commander Gaius is also affiliated with Caria, isn't he?
Viewed in that light, as long as the Golden Order's main professional armies were tied up elsewhere, it might take the personal intervention of his eldest brother, Godwyn, for the Capital to have a real chance of truly conquering this place.
In other words... the marriage alliance was a result both sides found acceptable. The only question was who the final suitor would be.
Thinking of this, Mohg couldn't help but shift his gaze toward Rellana, who was riding just ahead of him. From his memories of the original timeline, it was clear that the Full Moon Queen had chosen to accept the marriage—and she had done so quite gladly.
"So, are you impressed?"
Rellana slowed her pace until she was riding only half a length ahead of Mohg.
"Indeed. It is a magnificent structure, one that leaves an impression as deep as Stormveil or the Royal Capital."
"You've been to the Royal Capital?" Rellana's eyes widened as she looked at him.
"Yes. Before I came to the Lakes, I actually lived on the Altus Plateau. Did I never mention that?"
"When would you have ever told me that?" Rellana looked at him with a deadpan expression. "Putting that aside, tell me—what was the Royal Capital like in your eyes?"
Mohg nodded and began to describe the scenes he had witnessed, ranging from the depths of the sewers to the grand vistas he saw after emerging.
"I see... your description is more or less accurate. Though, I'm surprised you saw so much of the Capital's dark underbelly," Rellana remarked, casting him an intrigued look.
"It was because I saw too much of that darkness that I no longer wished to fight for it."
Rellana nodded. In her mind, she added another note to her theories about his identity. She now leaned toward the idea that "Gwen" was a former mercenary from Leyndell. Such backgrounds were common on the Altus Plateau—warriors who didn't want to join the Order's standing army but still wished to make a living with their martial skills.
"I am curious. If the world under the Golden Order isn't the one you want, then what kind of world do you wish to live in?"
"An era belonging to the Crucible, perhaps," Mohg replied. "An era of complete unification."
"An era of the Crucible... and total unification..."
A look of contemplation crossed Rellana's face. How should she put it? That ideal was incredibly distant. Even the Ancient Dragons who once ruled the Lands Between had never achieved it—or perhaps they simply hadn't cared to.
As for an era of total unification, if the Golden Order's upcoming plans went smoothly, they would undoubtedly establish such a world.
However, a return to the "Era of the Crucible" was impossible. Under the Golden Order, there would inevitably be a hierarchy of races and a ladder of bloodlines. Even if Mohg were to unify the entire Lands Between in the future, it would be difficult to avoid such social stratifications. Still, one must think and act according to their station.
As someone born with the blessing of the Crucible and the grace of the Mother of Truth, his stance was naturally that of the Crucible itself. His loyalty lay with the races blessed by the Crucible and the subjects of the Mohgwyn Dynasty.
As for the Hornsent... well, he didn't like them either. If anyone asked how he planned to treat them?
Let's just melt down a new batch of Hornsent and start over, he thought. They need a complete ideological and cultural overhaul. At the very least, he couldn't bring himself to stuff living people into jars.
Then again, looking back, I should thank my 'cheap' mother in this life for not killing me at birth...
"That's a very distant and difficult goal to realize," Rellana said. "I'm afraid you'll find it hard to achieve regardless of which faction you serve."
"Perhaps. But until I find the path to realize it, please allow me to continue 'freeloading' under your command." Mohg shrugged and cracked a joke.
Rellana couldn't help but chuckle. She actually quite enjoyed this dynamic with Mohg. Perhaps it was because his attitude toward her lacked that suffocating sense of excessive reverence or cold distance. Aside from Rennala and Ranni, Mohg was the only one who treated her with such ease.
Suddenly, Mohg's gaze sharpened as he spotted a figure in the distance. It was someone he had never expected to see here.
The man wore heavy armor forged from dull silver steel, held together by interlocking plates. A simple black cloak hung behind him, and at his waist sat a dark greatsword. Two distinct medals were inlaid upon the blade.
Upon seeing Rellana, the man performed a respectful salute, hand over his chest.
A name instantly rose from the depths of Mohg's mind: The Blackgaol Knight!
This was a knight who appeared in the Western Nameless Mausoleum within the Land of Shadow. Records regarding him were sparse; they only said he was a member of the Blackgaol Knights, warriors who used secret arts to temper away their compassion, replacing it with cold, absolute reason.
Mohg truly hadn't expected to find a member of that order within the Carian Knights.
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (445 Chapters – Full)
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────