Elden Lord of Cinders

"...Yeah, that does sound like something he'd say."

After a long, uncertain silence, Placidusax finally spoke from within the mirror of flames, his tone carrying a subtle nuance. He looked at Lloyd, hesitated for a moment, then asked again.

"Anything else?"

Lloyd thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"That's it."

Placidusax questioned him further about what had happened earlier. Once he confirmed that Bayle was dead, he gave a slight nod.

"You've done well, human. That mad dragon Bayle is trying to possess a dragon's body, and with his deranged nature, it's bound to end in disaster... For certain reasons, I cannot manifest in the mortal world. If you have the ability to kill Bayle, I'd like to entrust you with hunting him down... In return, I'll reward you after each hunt."

[Obtained material: Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone]

[Can be used to strengthen weapons to +25]

After explaining the situation and granting the reward, Placidusax looked out at Lloyd once more.

"Do you have any questions, human?"

Other questions...

Lloyd thought for a moment, glanced at the four-headed Ancient Dragon before him, blinked, and asked with curiosity,

"Well, I'm fine with the whole killing monsters for rewards thing, but what I'm wondering about is... you."

Placidusax didn't seem surprised. Though the age when he ruled over the Ancient Dragons had long passed—and the dragon civilization itself was now in decline, teetering on the edge of extinction—

Even so, his name still lingered in legends across the Lands Between, with talismans crafted in his honor. Given his name and distinctive appearance, it wasn't strange for the other party to recognize him. He'd never intended to hide it anyway, so he lifted his head naturally.

"Yes, I am the former Dragonlord..."

"How do you even sleep with four heads?"

Lloyd eyed the four long, slender necks in the mirror, curiosity written all over his face.

"Aren't you worried they'll get tangled?"

Placidusax: "…?"

The strange human before him looked utterly sincere, his voice free of mockery or malice. Placidusax was silent for a moment.

"Well... that's... an interesting question."

He sounded hesitant. As the former Dragonlord, he wasn't inclined to lie to such a small and insignificant human. The problem was that telling the truth might be even worse than lying...

Normal Ancient Dragons only had one head, so naturally they never had such a problem. But Placidusax had four—each with its own mind—and they tended to wrap around each other, even in sleep.

When his necks were still growing, he often ended up tangled together for all sorts of reasons. And because each head had its own will, they could never agree on how to untangle, which usually just made the mess worse... sometimes even ending in a dead knot.

According to unofficial accounts, the real reason the Dragonlord chose to dwell in the space between time, in a vast, empty expanse where he slept alone and allowed no dragon to serve him nearby, was because he feared others seeing the humiliating sight of his heads tangled together. The space-time rift had another advantage—it gave him all the time he needed to untangle himself.

Even if he ended up in a dead knot, he could simply reverse time to fix it. In later years, once his necks stopped growing and he matured, the problem mostly disappeared.

But that led to another question—why did the Dragonlord choose to keep the history of dwelling in the space-time rift alive?

In any case, after thinking for a while, Placidusax decided to change the subject.

"Do you have any other questions?"

Lloyd thought for a moment.

"What kind of food do you like?"

Placidusax: "…?"

Couldn't this guy ask a serious question? Still, it wasn't as awkward as the last one. After a short silence, Placidusax decided to answer.

"Sweet."

"Salty."

"Spicy."

"Sour."

Perhaps because the question was so simple, all four heads responded at the same time.

Afterward, the four heads froze for a moment, glanced at one another, and seemed on the verge of saying something. But with Lloyd standing nearby, they swallowed the words and the air grew even quieter and more awkward than before.

"...Any other questions?"

This time, Placidusax's tone carried a hint of hesitation.

Hearing that, Lloyd thought for a bit. His gaze dropped to the dragon's claws, and his brow gave a twitch. Wait a second—part-time job, and a dragon...?

"Uh, Old P, I feel like just a verbal agreement doesn't have much weight to it..."

Lloyd blinked, looked at the Ancient Dragon in the mirror, and pulled out a gray ring.

"How about we make a covenant, you see..."

The golden flames went out. The mirror they had been using to communicate shattered.

A stylish exit.

But somehow, it also looked a little… desperate.

After Placidusax's departure, Lloyd stood frozen for a moment. Once it sank in that the dragon had indeed bailed, he shook his head, sighed, and put the ring away.

The dragons in the Lands Between really were something else. One opened with "I'll kill your mother." Another, with four heads, left him on read. Seriously...

"Forget it."

After muttering a few words about how rude the local dragons were, Lloyd let the matter drop and started forward again.

...But before he could take more than two steps, another dragon came crashing down from the sky.

Lansseax—the name hovered above its head.

Lloyd drew his Twinblade, ready to fight, but noticed something odd: the name was there, but no health bar. Even more strangely, after a moment of watching, the dragon shifted into human form in a burst of lightning.

Lansseax had been lurking here to watch for Tarnished. Not long ago, though, a message had arrived from the Royal Capital instructing him not to attack any Tarnished for the time being and to pay special attention to one particularly strange Tarnished.

He didn't know the details, but Lansseax had followed his ally's advice and spent most of this time idling around.

The reason he approached Lloyd now wasn't to fight, but because Lloyd's appearance matched the description from that message. He had intended to take one look and leave—but after a closer inspection, something about the man's presence felt… off. Curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to strike up a conversation.

Lloyd, of course, wasn't about to refuse a friendly NPC making the first move.

And then...

"Hey, I just ran into two dragons, and wow, their manners were terrible...

One was named Bayle—opened with 'I'll kill your mother.' The other, Placidusax, just hung up halfway through our chat...

But hey, I'm not saying all of you are like that. I've got a dragon friend named Greyoll—she even calls herself the Dragon Mother..."

Lansseax fell silent.

If anyone else had said that, he would've thought they were insane. Even one of those names alone belonged to a heavyweight.

The Ancient Dragon King, Placidusax—once ruler of all dragonkind. Even after a grievous injury forced him to retreat into the space-time rift to recover, he remained the object of the ancient dragons' loyalty and service.

The Mad Dragon Bayle—the strongest of the Flying Dragons—had challenged the Dragonlord after the loss of the god who once stood by his side. Though he was ultimately defeated, the fight left both grievously wounded, and Bayle had even torn off two of the Dragonlord's heads. That was the reason the Dragonlord had retreated into the rift to heal.

As for the Dragon Mother Greyoll, she might not have any impressive battle feats and wasn't particularly strong in combat, but in terms of seniority and influence, well...

In short, even with his own respectable status among the dragons, Lansseax wasn't about to casually comment on those three.

More importantly, as the man in front of him spoke, Lansseax finally identified the source of that strange feeling from earlier. It was the combined scent of the three ancient dragons just mentioned—interwoven so well that he hadn't noticed it right away.

Now, by common sense, a human speaking so rudely about the Dragonlord should be dealt with, or at least receive some sort of response.

But smelling that aura on him, and seeing how naturally he spoke those three names, Lansseax stayed silent for a moment... then promptly shifted back into dragon form, beat his wings, and took off.

Couldn't mess with this one. Time to go.

"Hey, why do you Ancient Dragons all like doing this?"

Watching Lansseax fly off, Lloyd smacked his lips, his stereotype about Ancient Dragons leaving people on read growing even stronger.

Once Lansseax was gone, Lloyd walked a bit further and came across a new Site of Grace.

It was on a hill near the Erdtree.

After activating it, he decided to stop for a short rest. The non-stop traveling and fighting had worn him out, and the scenery and terrain here made it a perfect spot to camp. He put exploring on hold for the moment and settled down.

While resting, he remembered the matter with the Winged Dame, and the more he thought about it, the more annoyed he felt.

He was just a little tone-deaf—was that reaction really necessary?

With that thought, Lloyd opened his map, fast traveled back to the Ancient Ruins Cliff, and sought out the Winged Dame again.

Then...

[Obtained Spirit Ash: "Chanting Winged Dame Ashes"]

After being restored several times by Lloyd's Law, the Winged Dame finally couldn't take it anymore. She swore allegiance to him, choosing that over enduring further torment.

Seeing her go that far, Lloyd felt awkward about continuing their singing contest. After thinking it over, he sent her to Roderika to help with tournaments instead.

Incidentally, after a period of challenges, Roderika's strength had grown considerably. Not only had her soul become stronger, but the Spirit Ash she handled had also undergone many changes.

For example, when Lloyd had first returned Aurelia to her, the jellyfish was just a slightly tanky, ordinary spirit—gentle, but bad at fighting.

Now, after repeated challenges, Aurelia's damage and stats had risen sharply. Her fighting style and skills had also improved—close-range tentacle strikes, wide-area poisonous mist, and high-speed spinning maneuvers.

In simple terms, she had evolved from a basic mob template into an elite monster template. She still wasn't overwhelmingly strong, but it was a different kind of growth.

This also unlocked a "Spirit Ash Transformation" option for Roderika, allowing her to use Grave Glovewort gathered from graveyards to adjust and strengthen her Spirit Ashes through transformation.

However, Lloyd wasn't in a rush to use this feature.

Roderika was still developing, with only about a third of the Path of the Novice completed. As she progressed, more features would unlock, and since Lloyd currently had no urgent need for Spirit Ash, he decided to hold off until she fully matured before making adjustments.

Aside from that, perhaps due to Roderika's progress on the Path of the Novice—or maybe thanks to a certain programmer's handiwork—two new challenge areas had opened in the Caelid Colosseum.

One was the [Golden Dungeon], where Lloyd would play the role of a regional lord who inherited the legacy of his ancestors. He would form a team, explore various dungeons under their protection, gather rewards, and strengthen his forces.

This dungeon didn't have any requirements for Lloyd himself, but it did place limits on the team he could bring.

In short, until his territory's facilities were properly established, he couldn't take in anyone too high-leveled.

So Melina and Millicent were out for now, and after looking through his options, only a few members of the girl group seemed suitable.

As for the other area...

[Shine! Caelid Girl!]

[Entry Requirement: At least one horse girl must accompany you]

[Objective: Win the Caelid Triple Crown within one training cycle]

After reading the requirements, Lloyd immediately knew who to look for. Once he wrapped things up with Radahn, he'd get him and that little horse to help out.

As for bringing himself along—sure, taking Torrent was an option. But he wasn't about to have a human-shaped Torrent carrying him around while traveling...

...

After making a round through Stormveil and confirming the shard exploration progress, Lloyd headed back to the Altus Plateau.

First, he stopped to check on Little Red Flower, who was quietly enjoying the scenery. He mentally calculated the time, and once he was sure it was about time to treat the burns, he went to find the usual "wooden post."

But this time, the treatment didn't start right away.

As he'd mentioned before, Melina's burns weren't limited to her hands. Thanks to his series of treatments, even the burns on her arms were now gone.

Which meant...

Lloyd sat down beside her without saying a word.

The moment he did, Melina's body stiffened for a brief second, then relaxed again. She kept her eyes on the distant view, silent.

Time passed.

Lloyd's gaze drifted to the "wooden post" beside him, noting how the thorns of rejection seemed to be growing thicker. He figured there was no chance today and was about to get up when the "post" suddenly spoke.

"Continue... the treatment."

Lloyd turned in surprise. Melina's face was turned away, but he could still see the faint blush on the edge of her ear.

This...

He blinked.

"Uh, about your clothes... do you want me to help take them off?"

The "wooden post" froze again. After a long silence, her voice came, softer this time.

"...Turn your head away first."

He did as told.

A faint rustling followed, then her voice again—quiet, but clear.

"...You can look now."

Lloyd turned back, and before him was a smooth, unblemished back.

It was, without a doubt, a beautiful back. Fair, soft, and smooth—those faint burn scars couldn't hide its beauty. If anything, they gave it a certain unique charm.

He placed his hand on it. Warm. Soft. The touch alone was exquisite. After running a quick check, Lloyd couldn't help but think—what a shame to leave such a perfect canvas untouched...

On impulse, he used his fingertip as a brush and his soul as paint, sketching a little turtle across that flawless expanse.

When he finished, he nodded to himself, very pleased with his handiwork.

Melina, at first, had gone rigid at his touch. But with the earlier treatments as a buffer, she gradually relaxed. Then, through her spirit's perception, she realized exactly what he had just done.

"Don't do anything strange."

Her back still to him, her face flushed red, she gritted her teeth.

"If you're going to treat me, then do it properly. Otherwise, next time I'll—"

"Otherwise what?"

Lloyd leaned in suddenly, curiosity written all over his face, until he was right beside hers.

Her voice had been so soft he hadn't caught it, and he thought she might be feeling unwell.

The sudden closeness caught her off guard—especially since his hands were still on her back. She bit her lip, but in the end, no words came out.

Under the warmth of his breath against her ear, she slowly lowered her head and chose to yield.

"...Nothing."

"Just keep treating me."

...

[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]

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