Leaving Sir Gideon's room, Gawain found Nepheli waiting by the door. Her Finger Maiden friend was nowhere to be seen—had she stayed behind in the castle?
"You're back already? I thought you'd be staying a while longer. Is your friend not with you?"
Nepheli shook her head; she had returned alone.
"I had matters to report to my foster father, so I came back early with Rogier, who was wounded. Rogier seems to have injured his hip and has gone to his room to rest. Therolina is still in the castle. She's even thinking about moving her things out of the Roundtable Hold in a few days to settle permanently in Stormveil."
She paused, looking at him. "I didn't expect you to beat me back. It looks like you've already seen the Two Fingers. How was it?"
"I didn't feel much of anything," Gawain replied flatly. "If He could pin a Demigod to the dirt on the battlefield for me, then maybe I'd lend Him an ear. Sadly, reality doesn't work that way."
Nepheli's eyebrows twitched. She felt he was being a bit too loud—even if it was the truth, one didn't usually say such things so brazenly within the Roundtable Hold. Still, it perfectly matched her impression of him.
With that thought, her hesitation vanished. She decided to relay the request Therolina had entrusted to her. Leaning in slightly, she spoke in a hushed tone.
Gawain listened, finding the request both absurd and strangely logical. Grace did indeed guide warriors and Finger Maidens to one another; he didn't quite understand the underlying principle, but it wasn't a bad thing.
"I don't have any objections to that. It just depends on whether your friend can get Elsa to accept her, though I doubt she has any reason to refuse."
He didn't have much of an opinion on the matter, preferring to let nature take its course. What truly concerned him was something else.
"There are more and more Tarnished in Stormveil now, and I expect more wandering Finger Maidens will be drawn here in the future. I think we should set aside a specific district for these maidens."
He continued, "They can earn a living by helping other Tarnished turn Runes into strength, just as Therolina helped you. Besides, maidens guided by the Fingers usually possess useful Incantations."
He paused, thinking of the Kindred of Rot teeming throughout Caelid.
"If we ever need to deploy troops for a major engagement, they would provide the most effective logistical support."
In Gawain's long-term vision, maidens weren't enough—Perfumers were also an essential component. Theoretically, in the Lands Between, Perfumers were the true professional battlefield medics.
However, most of them hailed from the Royal Capital. Even those who had become wandering Perfumers due to war or other circumstances were rare to find, let alone recruit and train on a large scale. At least, not yet.
Nepheli nodded in firm agreement. When she had been wounded in battle before, it was often Therolina who used Incantations and holy draughts to heal her.
She had considered the idea of gathering wandering Finger Maidens to make better use of their skills, but as a mere warrior, she lacked the authority. Her foster father might have the power, but he had no interest in wasting time on such matters.
If the man before her was willing to push for this, then even if her friend failed to find a warrior worthy of her service, she would still have a place to belong. Her tone lightened considerably.
"It seems you are already thinking from the perspective of a Lord."
"It's simply what needs to be done, and I happen to have the power to move it forward," Gawain said. "The specific arrangements will have to be handled by people I trust. Compared to being a Lord, I'd much rather be a warrior on the front lines."
Hearing this, Nepheli couldn't help but think of the legendary First Elden Lord, Godfrey. If these two ever met, they would likely have a lot to talk about.
"I don't think you need to worry about that. There are many battles ahead. If you encounter something troublesome next time, don't forget to call on me. Even if it means disobeying my foster father's orders, I will come to your aid."
"Then it's a deal. If you run into trouble, I'll be there to back you up as well."
Gawain bumped fists with her and turned to leave. A moment later, his figure vanished.
It was nearly noon when he returned to Stormveil Castle. Standing in his office, he was just about to look for Irina to discuss the ideas he'd been brewing when he found her already approaching him.
"Oh, Irina, perfect timing. I have something I want to—"
He stopped as he looked up. She was panting, clearly having run all the way. She likely had something urgent to tell him.
"Let's put my business aside for a moment. Tell me what's happened."
Irina nodded, her face clouded with worry.
"A Redmane Knight just arrived at the gate with several Radahn Soldiers. Father has already settled them in, but they... they don't look well. You should go see for yourself."
"A Redmane Knight!? Take me there, quickly."
Gawain's expression shifted to one of surprise. Why would a Redmane Knight come here now? In his memory, Caelid was likely suffering from a severe manpower shortage just trying to contain the Scarlet Rot.
He took Irina's hand and followed her lead, hurrying toward the room where the newcomers had been placed. Before they even reached the door, he caught a whiff of a foul, sickening odor. There was no mistaking it—it was the Scarlet Rot.
Pushing the door open slightly, he saw Edgar standing before several soldiers in heavy isolation gear. They were trying to help a severely wounded Radahn Soldier. The fluid leaking from the man's wounds wasn't blood, but a mixture of scarlet and white ichor. It was a stomach-turning sight.
Seeing the man he was waiting for had arrived, Edgar stepped out of the room. He instinctively pulled Irina back a few paces before speaking.
"They were found outside Stormhill early this morning. They claim to be acting on the orders of the Castellan of Redmane Castle, sent to deliver a message to the new Lord of Stormveil.
But as you can see... while the Redmane Knight is somewhat stable, the other soldiers are all infected with Scarlet Rot to varying degrees. I've done my best to treat them here, but the results are poor. Healing Incantations actually cause the scarlet tissue to grow even faster."
Gawain frowned. He recalled that the principle of Incantations in the Lands Between involved activating life force to achieve healing. The problem with the Scarlet Rot was that it was technically "alive"—an expression of extreme, primordial vitality. This was exactly why even Radagon had been powerless against Malenia's innate corruption.
"Are there any Preserving Boluses in the castle? Their condition doesn't look too far gone yet; they might still recover."
Edgar shook his head. He had heard tales of the great war in Caelid, so he knew how precious Preserving Boluses—which could neutralize or alleviate moderate symptoms of the Rot—truly were. Setting aside the rarity of materials, crafting the boluses required a master Perfumer.
"As you know, Godrick left us a complete mess. Though there are a few wandering Perfumers in the city lately, their skill level is... questionable at best."
Gawain sighed. Caelid was right next door to Limgrave, yet Godrick hadn't made a single preparation? Now it was up to him to clean up the mess. He had to save these people first.
"Step back and let me handle it. I have a way to deal with the Scarlet Rot."
Edgar looked through the window into the room, hesitating for a moment before stepping aside. Irina looked worried, but she chose to trust him.
"Please, be careful."
Gawain exhaled and stepped into the room, signaling the soldiers currently tending to the wounded to leave and let him take over.
The Redmane Knight, who sat solemnly in the center of the room, saw someone approaching without any protection. He moved to warn him, but then froze. Judging by the man's sheer presence, he knew he had found the one he was looking for.
"Are you the new master of Stormveil? I have matters—"
"Don't speak yet. Let me purge the Scarlet Rot from this room first. It might hurt a little."
The Redmane Knight felt the air temperature spike suddenly. He fell silent, curious to see how this man intended to cleanse the corruption. He was holding up well enough, but his subordinates had been ambushed by Kindred of Rot on the road. Their infections were getting worse by the hour.
Gawain looked at the wounds of the Radahn Soldiers. They were covered in clumps of scarlet flesh sprouting tiny buds. Clearly, the initial healing Incantations had backfired, allowing the Rot to burrow deeper.
However, it wasn't an impossible fix. These warriors, who had spent years on the front lines suppressing the corruption, had their own ways of resisting it. The infections from the Kindred's attacks hadn't spread too far yet; they were mostly confined to the limbs.
"Sorry. Bear with it."
He drew a sharp straight sword and imbued it with a chilling frost. Then, with speed the knight couldn't even track, he severed the corrupted limbs.
Disgustingly, the severed limbs seemed to have a consciousness of their own. Once the pressure of the soldiers' own resistance was gone, the scarlet tissue began to pulse and spread toward the surroundings.
Gawain simply snapped his fingers. A burst of Pyromancy flame engulfed the clumps of flesh, incinerating them into ash. Then, his right hand began to glow with a gentle radiance. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the severed limbs miraculously regrew.
The Redmane Knight hissed in a breath, stunned. How was this possible? He thought of his General's severed legs and shook his head.
The General had voluntarily discarded his legs while he still had his wits, sealing himself in the desert. Now that the General was on the verge of total madness, if he were to regain his mobility, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Gawain's method was crude but effective. He couldn't efficiently expel the Scarlet Rot from within their bodies yet, so he simply destroyed the infected parts entirely. After all, he could use the power of Miracles to restore their limbs afterward.
Fortunately, the infection hadn't reached vital areas like the brain; otherwise, he might have had to turn them into spirit soldiers.
After he finished treating the infected Radahn Soldiers, even these battle-hardened veterans couldn't withstand the trauma of the process. None of them had cried out, mostly because they had already passed out from the pain.
"That should take care of it. You look a bit disheveled but otherwise uninfected. So, tell me—how did you find your way to Limgrave?"
The Redmane Knight snapped out of his daze. He reached inside his armor and pulled out a handwritten letter—the message Castellan Jerren had ordered him to deliver.
"To wield such miraculous power... you must indeed be the new master of Stormveil. This is a letter the Castellan insisted I deliver to you personally. He wishes to invite you to the combat festival currently being prepared.
We traveled all the way from Redmane Castle to Limgrave for this, though we were harried by those damned Kindred of Rot on the way. Some of my brothers didn't make it."
Gawain patted the knight's shoulder in a gesture of sympathy. He held deep respect for these warriors who had burned the crests off their left breastplates and stayed in Caelid to hold back the corruption.
The Scarlet Rot was, in many ways, an antithesis to the all-consuming Frenzied Flame. It represented an almost infinite, encroaching vitality that consumed everything it touched.
The nature of the Rot always reminded him of the Abyss he had seen in the Catacombs of Carthus. Back then, there had also been a group of warriors—holding back the Abyss until the very end.
He took the letter and skimmed it, quickly grasping Jerren's message.
To put it simply, the commotion Gawain had caused recently was so significant that even Jerren, far away in Redmane Castle, had seen it clearly. It was obvious Stormveil had a powerful new master—a storm-warrior.
Jerren, whose mind was consumed with giving his General a dignified end, had sent scouts to investigate. Only the truly strong were worthy of facing the General in battle, even a General lost to madness. He invited Gawain to participate in the grand combat festival, where the ultimate prize would be General Radahn's Great Rune.
Beyond that, there was a simple, desperate plea: the Scarlet Rot was becoming impossible to contain. For the sake of being neighbors in the Lands Between, Jerren asked Gawain to lend a hand—even if it was just to ease the pressure on the border.
Gawain folded the letter. He didn't ask about the festival yet.
"How bad is the situation? Can you still hold the line?"
The Redmane Knight nodded with grim determination.
"Since we volunteered to stay and suppress the Rot, we will not let it spread beyond Caelid until the last man falls."
He sighed then, his voice heavy. "But if we could get support from Stormveil, it would be a blessing. More and more Kindred are emerging from the depths of the Swamp of Aeonia. Their numbers and ferocity far exceed anything we've seen before. Even the Smoldering Wall can hardly hold them back. my brothers have to use their own bodies to block those monsters."
Gawain's expression grew solemn. This sounded far worse than he had imagined. He didn't know exactly what Caelid looked like right now, but he knew he had to do something. If the Redmane Army collapsed, Limgrave would be the next to suffer.
"I've received the message. I will participate in your festival, but I need a few days."
The knight nodded. That was more than enough. From what he knew, the festival was still in its early stages of preparation; a few days wouldn't make a difference.
"However, I cannot ignore the situation in Caelid," Gawain continued. "Rest here for a while. Once your men have woken up and recovered their strength, I will send a detachment to the border to help you hold the line. Whatever happens, we cannot let the Scarlet Rot spread further."
"Truly? That would be... thank you. Thank you for your generosity."
"Don't thank me. I should be thanking you for holding out this long. Rest now. You won't be fighting alone."
Gawain left the room and walked toward Edgar and Irina, who were waiting by the door.
"Pass down my orders," Gawain said firmly. "Prepare sufficient fuel and protection. We're going to deal with the Scarlet Rot."
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Spring Sale Special – 20% OFF!
Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (100 chapter - Ongoing)
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────