Elden Lord of Cinders

Some time later...

With steam rising faintly from his head, The All-Knowing "invited" Lloyd out of his office. The moment Lloyd stepped outside, the door was slammed shut and sealed with over a dozen layers of wards.

Looking at the door that had once again closed on him, Lloyd shook his head in mild disappointment and tucked the ring back into his hand.

It seemed this one wasn't a covenant candidate after all...

After leaving The All-Knowing's office, Lloyd went to visit Chaos, taking the chance to perform the defilement ritual again.

[The Covenant of Friendship is Strengthened]

Just like last time, after the ritual Chaos pulled him into her arms, teased him for a bit, and—once she'd had her fun—handed him a reward.

[Obtained Incantation: "Frenzied Flame Weapon"]

There wasn't much to explain about this spell. It simply coated a weapon in frenzied flame, adding some fire damage and building up madness on hit.

While the incantation itself wasn't particularly impressive, the fact that she rewarded him at all confirmed Lloyd's suspicion—

Covenants in this world were much like those in previous generations: pure worker contracts.

Granted, it wasn't exactly the same as before—you couldn't just hand over covenant items to instantly level up and claim rewards. But if you kept fulfilling the covenant's terms, you could deepen the bond, improve its level and effects, and receive various rewards in return.

They even doubled as extra talisman slots, seemingly with quite strong effects. And with each rank-up, you could earn new reward items...

How was he supposed to resist?

After all, everyone knew Souls 5 had three great desires: Old Wolf, Full Collection, and—

You're asking about the third one? That one got cut.

Still, for an Undead, a single glimmer of light on a wall was enough reason to take a three-hundred-and-sixty-five-mile detour.

And now these covenant rewards weren't just generous—they were actually fun to pursue. No more mindless farming and offering up materials; instead, they demanded that you figure out for yourself how to meet the covenant's conditions.

Powerful and with a touch of puzzle-solving satisfaction.

How could Lloyd not want more of them?

...

Even so, after leaving The All-Knowing's office, he decided to hold off on handing out more rings for now.

Yes, covenants were strong—but after taking a good look around, it was clear not everyone could accept one. And considering that first-generation covenants came with apostasy penalties, he had no idea which past system this one drew from, or whether any of them might conflict.

For the moment, he'd focus on studying the covenants he already had, and try to figure out exactly how the system worked.

And when it came to research subjects...

Well, of course he'd start with the people closest to him.

Chaos had just come out, and Lloyd had a nagging feeling that lingering there too long might lead to... complications—so she was out.

Renna was busy with her own research and still had errands for Ranni, so she had no time to humor him.

Alice might be wearing the ring, but she'd yet to trigger any covenant effects, and she seemed fairly busy lately as well.

After some thought, it seemed there was only one covenant partner available to "play with"... or rather, to study.

[Oathbound Blade]

[The covenant made with "Waterfowl Swordswoman" Millicent]

[When equipped, slightly increases the damage dealt by consecutive strikes]

[A girl burdened with Scarlet Rot is fated for misfortune]

[She will eventually die in agony]

[But now, she has found a new purpose]

[—I shall become your blade]

[This is the meaning of our oath]

Glancing over the covenant description, Lloyd checked the in-game timer and realized it was almost time for Millicent's regular health check. So, without hesitation, he went to find his little red flower.

Having gone through this countless times, Millicent immediately understood why he was there. She stopped her sword practice, sat beside him, and offered him her right hand.

The examination itself was routine.

As always, Lloyd began by carefully assessing the function of her right arm through touch. Once satisfied, he moved on, running his hands over her body to check the state of the Scarlet Rot.

When the examination was complete, Millicent let out a quiet breath, her cheeks faintly flushed.

By now she was used to Lloyd's hands on her in this way, but she was still a young woman—having him examine her so closely inevitably carried a hint of embarrassment.

Especially with the ring on her finger. Normally she didn't think much about it, but during these examinations... if her thoughts strayed to that ring, or if she caught sight of it from the corner of her eye, the familiar routine suddenly felt different. Even the sensation of his fingertips against her skin seemed subtly changed.

But at least it was over.

She drew her gaze away from the ring, exhaled softly, and began to rise to her feet.

Normally, after a brief examination and a bit of treatment, Lloyd would take his leave.

But this time... things did not go quite as Millicent expected.

"Millicent..."

Lloyd suddenly called out to her.

"Your Scarlet Rot... it isn't just on the outside, is it?"

Millicent's body went rigid.

After a moment of silence, she nodded hesitantly.

"Yes."

Lloyd had already expected as much.

But just like with Melina's burns, even if her mental state wasn't the most stable, he knew this was something deeply personal. That was why, until now, he had only treated the more conventional, exposed areas of her rot, and—by unspoken agreement—neither of them had brought the subject up.

Still, just as with Melina's injuries, his treatments over time had healed most of the external rot. If he wanted to go further, it would require deeper work—and that meant Millicent would have to bare more of herself to him.

Unlike Melina, though, even with the shorter time they'd spent together, this little flower had spoken with him more openly, and she wasn't nearly as resistant to his touch.

"So... can you let me see your body?"

Lloyd asked bluntly.

"I can still treat you through your clothes, but it will be far less effective. I'd like to heal more of your wounds... but if you're uncomfortable with it, you can say no."

Silence.

Back in earlier treatments, Millicent had already once tried to lift her clothes. But at that time, she hadn't been wearing the ring, and their relationship was purely doctor and patient. Even if she was shy, she could clearly separate the matter from her feelings.

Now, though...

She rubbed the ring on her finger for a moment, then gave a small nod, her voice soft.

"...Alright."

She paused, about to move, but then seemed to recall something and whispered again.

"Could you... turn around first? I'm not quite used to this."

Lloyd saw no issue with that and turned away.

After a quiet rustle of fabric, her voice came again—tinged with embarrassment.

"I... I'm ready."

When Lloyd turned back, he saw Millicent with her back to him, and a neatly folded pile of clothing beside her.

Of course, it wasn't all her clothing. As they'd discussed, he would only examine her upper body for now. Between that and her own modesty, she had only removed her outer coat—her chest was still bound in breast cloth.

To be honest, even if she had removed it, her body—marred by who knew how many years of Scarlet Rot and the scars it left—would hardly be considered alluring.

Not that Lloyd cared.

Satisfied with her trust, he reached for her exposed back and began tending to the wounds left by the infection.

At first, her body was still stiff, tense muscles making the treatment less effective. But that was fine—he'd learned from past sessions how to ease her into a more relaxed state.

Without using any force, his hand gently traced over the decayed wounds, occasionally giving light, soothing pats.

"Don't tense up. Just relax... It might hurt a little at first, but trust me—it'll start to feel better soon..."

Truth be told, Lloyd wasn't entirely sure why he did this—it just reminded him of how parents in hospitals comforted crying, struggling children who didn't want their injections.

And as it turned out, it worked.

Her body gradually loosened under his touch. For some reason, though, her face flushed deeply, almost to the point of looking like a delicate, blooming flower.

This time it took a little longer, but the effect was the same. Once she was calm, Lloyd began his examination and treatment in earnest.

Through it all, Millicent remained still, as usual, simply staring down at the ring on her finger, lost in thought.

Then...

An unexpected thing happened.

In the middle of the check, Lloyd suddenly remembered another reason for coming here—to figure out how to deepen his covenant with Millicent.

The problem was, he didn't really understand how. So far, Chaos was the only one whose covenant he had successfully strengthened—and her case was... unique. No matter how you looked at it, the defilement ritual wasn't exactly something you could use on others, and besides, the method would depend on the covenant's nature.

So then... how was he supposed to strengthen his bonds with the others?

While his hands worked, Lloyd's mind wandered deeper into thought.

Millicent sat with her head bowed, staring at her ring. Lloyd stood behind her, mulling over covenant mechanics.

Neither of them was truly focused on the treatment. Which was why neither noticed that, as the check continued, his hands began to drift.

After a bit of wandering, his fingers brushed over a patch of rot. Following the trail, they eventually came into contact with something.

Hm? Why is this so soft? And... the rot here seems rather severe...

Lloyd subconsciously gave the decayed lump a squeeze.

A system window suddenly popped up in front of him.

[The bond of the Covenant has been strengthened]

"...?"

What the hell?

Because that notification appeared the moment he squeezed it, Lloyd froze for a second—then instinctively squeezed it again.

[The bond of the Covenant has been strengthened]

Huh? Was this some sort of ritual?

Staring at the floating system text, he tried pinching a few more times. This time, there was no system response. Instead, a voice came from the little flower in front of him.

"Please don't... tease me..."

"Mr. Lloyd..."

Her voice trembled slightly.

The little red flower bowed her head, staring at the hand before her, her whole stem bending as if weighed down by crushing embarrassment.

It was only when she spoke that Lloyd realized what, exactly, he had been holding.

"Uh... I didn't mean to..."

He quickly pulled his hand back, his face showing a rare trace of embarrassment.

It really hadn't been intentional—there truly was a patch of Scarlet Rot in front of Millicent just now, and he had been examining and treating it.

But as the awkwardness faded, confusion crept in.

Wait... why did squeezing that raise the Covenant level? And by two levels at once, no less. Wasn't that...

Lloyd couldn't even find the right word for it.

Either way, even with the suspicion lingering in his mind, he didn't try it again.

After a short, strained pause, he simply finished the rest of Millicent's treatment. Seeing how she still kept her head lowered in shame, he took out one of his robes and draped it over her shoulders.

"About earlier, I..."

For a moment, Lloyd wasn't sure what to say. It was, after all, entirely his fault.

After a bit of thought, he came up with something.

"How about I just chop off my hand for you?"

Without hesitation, he pulled out a knife and moved to cut the hand that had touched her.

Someone reacted faster than he did.

"Please don't do that—!"

The instant his words left his mouth, Millicent sensed danger.

With most people, she might have needed a moment to register what he meant. But after spending so much time with Lloyd, she'd learned that with him, you took everything he said at face value. And he always followed through.

So, throwing shame aside, Millicent turned, wrapped both arms around his hand, lifted her flushed face to look straight at him, and spoke with serious conviction.

"I don't mind what happened just now."

Lloyd blinked, then quietly put away the knife.

He wasn't sure whether she truly didn't mind, or if she simply didn't want him maiming himself over this—but since she had stopped him, there was no reason to continue.

When she saw him sheathe the blade, Millicent let out a breath of relief and slowly loosened her grip.

"I know you didn't mean it, so please don't do something like that... otherwise I'll end up blaming myself..."

Still uneasy, she kept talking to him until she was certain he truly wouldn't cut off his hand over this. Only then did she finally relax.

Even so—no chopping off hands, and no sign that Millicent held any grudge—Lloyd found himself liking her even more.

Especially that image of her, face flushed, fighting down embarrassment just to reassure him. It was enough to make him reach out and pinch one of her delicate, vivid petals.

When he met her slightly reproachful gaze afterward, he figured that even if he wasn't going to chop off his hand, he should at least make some kind of gesture.

After a moment's thought, a red flower ornament appeared in his palm.

He had crafted it earlier from an Arteria Leaf he'd collected, using a spare moment during his downtime.

"This is..."

"I made it for you. Think of it as my apology."

He reached forward, fastening the ornament to her and letting it fall just so, covering one of her scars. Then he gave a satisfied nod.

"See? I told you this color suits you."

"Look—cute, right?"

Millicent hesitated, then glanced at her reflection in the water.

It really did suit her—vivid crimson, resilient and unyielding, brimming with life and vitality.

Looking at the two blossoms mirrored in the water, she found herself briefly lost in thought.

"Well? Do you like it?"

Lloyd leaned down as well, his gaze falling on their shared reflection.

Millicent stared at it for a long while before brushing her fingers lightly over the little red flower at her chest and nodding.

"I like it."

The moment she spoke, the system window appeared again.

[The bond of the Covenant has been strengthened]

Lloyd had been planning to ask for her thoughts on the ornament, maybe see if there was anything he could improve. But the notification pulled his attention away.

So... giving gifts could strengthen the Covenant too?

Sure, he had leveled up the bond twice earlier through some... strange circumstances. But aside from the awkwardness of that method, it had stopped working after two tries. Probably just a one-off Easter egg—not a sustainable approach.

Giving gifts, though... troublesome as it might be, it seemed like something he could use long-term.

As he mulled this over, Lloyd found himself staring at the little red flower in front of him.

Opposite him, the little red flower under his gaze looked down at her own reflection in the water.

The image wavered, trembling gently with the rippling surface, as if trying to draw closer to the figure beside it.

But the figure above the waves only kept watching that touch of crimson in the reflection.

Though there was the faintest stir of intent, he hesitated for a long while—then merely rubbed the ring on his finger.

No other move followed.

[The bond of the Covenant has been strengthened]

[Acquired Talisman "Flowing Water Talisman"]

...

[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]

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