Ch. 91 Wilden's Story

Wilden actually really wanted to tell Mia a story.

But even up until the end, when Mia walked back to the inner room and went back to sleep, Wilden still didn’t speak.

Perhaps he felt it was too late and they had already said too much, so he didn’t stop her again.

Or perhaps Wilden simply felt that he wasn’t good at storytelling, and any story from his mouth would surely be boring.

And a man like him wasn’t suited to tell a story like a sentimental Soldier.

So, Wilden’s story remained in the depths of his heart, known only to himself.

Yet even if he didn’t want to tell anyone, he would never forget that story.

It was a long, long time ago, in an era when the elden ring had not shattered, and cheers and smiles still existed in the world.

In Leyndell, the Royal Capital of the Golden Order, there was a knight who served his lord.

The lord had long hair like golden silk and a face as finely carved as marble; he was the first-born demigod, the eldest son of a god.

The knight swore loyalty to his lord and took pride in his oath, serving as an inseparable attendant by his side.

One who could serve by the side of the eldest son of a god was naturally an elite among knights.

In times of peace, the knight was a guard by his lord’s side, helping him turn away unwelcome guests.

And when war came, the knight was also a warrior who followed his lord into the fray, achieving great military merits.

What the knight’s lord loved to do was tell others about his dream.

He hoped that on the land he would rule, whether it was the demi-humans dwelling in caves or the Ancient Dragons soaring in the sky, they would all live together on the same land as the humans who built grand cities, prospering together in peace.

He was born to be loved, so he also loved this world.

“If the prosperity of our dynasty at this moment is a dream, then I am the one who will make this dream continue.”

Those were his words.

But he did not expect that if this truly was a dream, there would eventually be a day when the dream would shatter.

On that night of cold, thick fog, the Rune of Death was stolen.

The first of the demigods became the first of the dead.

The knight lost his lord.

At the same time, he also lost his oath.

——

Stormveil Castle was now close at hand.

At the foot of the mountain, sheltered from the wind, farmland and villages were sparsely scattered.

In the distance, thin trails of cooking smoke rose from simple thatched houses.

But it was as silent as a ruin.

Looking from here, even in the morning, there were not many figures on the road.

The crows perched on the scarecrows were perhaps one of the few manifestations of life on this harsh land.

At the foot of the mountain, the main road branched off, and following the winding path upward, Stormveil Castle sat at the summit of the peak.

They encountered a squad of patrolling soldiers on the way, but fortunately, thanks to the Spirit Wolf’s warning, the three of them successfully slipped through without being stopped or questioned.

Looking west from halfway up the mountain, the edge of the plateau met the endless, dark ocean, while looking east, the bridge leading to the Divine Tower stretched beyond the horizon.

Even though the path beneath their feet led to a castle, it was still poorly maintained.

Wilden moved forward with his head down, while Mia and Patches followed behind him.

He gazed at the weathered stone bricks constantly passing beneath his feet.

Godrick was not fit to be a king.

When the Shattering War began, Godrick was too young, too naive.

On the Night of the Black Knives, it wasn’t just the Golden Firstborn who died; a father was lost as well.

With the elden ring shattered, the people beneath the Erdtree found the truth hard to accept, and the Royal Capital fell into chaos.

Amidst that chaos, assassins intent on exterminating the Golden Lineage still lurked; protected by soldiers still loyal to the banner of the Tree and the Beast, the twins of the Golden Firstborn fled the Royal Capital.

It was only to be expected that children who lost their father would grow up in a savage manner.

Wilden once swore fealty to Godrick, who inherited the Golden name, fighting for him as a soldier in hopes of one day restoring the glory of the Golden Order.

But now, after slumbering in that cave for an unknown length of time, the world remained the same when he finally woke.

What was the point of all this?

Was it because of bloodline? Because Godrick inherited Godwyn’s bloodline?

Wilden had already lost all feeling for those words. He had long forgotten where his own bloodline lay.

And the internal strife among the Shardbearers was even more lamentable.

The knight in his story had once heard an assassin, dying by his sword, murmur a mother’s name.

But the knight could no longer save his lord, who was also a father.

Why was there always constant conflict between people?

The son of man wishes to kill the son of man, the father of man wishes to kill the father of man, and the brother of man wishes to kill the brother of man.

Bloodlines are meaningless.

Yet it was precisely the Shardbearers, connected by blood, who initiated this war.

Bloodlines could not achieve the world that the lord served by that knight had envisioned.

“Are there no guards here?”

Wilden looked up, glancing back at Mia, who was riding the Torrent and asking the question.

“After all, we haven’t done anything to draw attention along the way.”

Wilden, who knew the habits of the army like the back of his hand, replied.

Starting from the very first Tree Sentinel, whenever they encountered soldiers, they either took a detour or used disguises.

They hadn’t come into conflict with any of the Royal Army.

Naturally, they hadn’t alerted the Royal Army either.

If they were like some stubborn Tarnished who just killed their way through after leaving the Stranded Graveyard…

By the time they broke through Stormgate and reached the foot of Stormveil Castle, the Royal Army soldiers would surely be waiting in full force, with barricades and ballistae set up, ready for battle.

As it stood, it was only logical that the group ascended the mountain smoothly.

“I don’t know if we can still bluff our way through after entering the castle; we must be prepared to fight.”

Wilden reminded them, planning ahead.

“I’m always ready.”

If one intended to deceive, one had to be prepared to be found out.

Just as if one intended to kill, one had to be prepared to be killed.

The light suddenly dimmed a bit.

Looking up now, Stormveil Castle was hidden behind a peak that wasn’t very high.

At that moment, the Spirit Wolf let out a short, sharp howl, and the three of them immediately cooperated to tie the ropes.

After walking up this stretch of uphill road, the flat path ahead led into a tunnel that passed through the mountain directly to the base of Stormveil Castle.

Two soldiers stood on either side of the tunnel.

Wilden led the two ‘Grafting Sacrifices,’ walking boldly past the sentries and into the winding tunnel.

As soon as they were out of sight, Patches couldn’t wait for Wilden to untie the ropes.

“The castle gate is just ahead! Behave yourself.”

Mia growled at him fiercely in a low voice.

Patches curled his lip and settled down.

Compared to the poorly maintained road, the tunnel had clearly been given a lot of effort.

After all, if a tunnel were neglected, it could easily collapse, posing unnecessary risks.

Fine stone bricks formed a vaulted arch, with torches for lighting along the sides of the tunnel.

There were also some culverts embedded deep into the mountain, extending on both sides of the tunnel like centipede legs, their purpose unknown.

There were several turns in the tunnel, and it was very quiet; the footsteps of the three echoed.

As they passed one of the culverts, at a right-angled indentation…

Mia saw something out of the corner of her eye.

‘Whirr—’

A familiar sound and a familiar light suddenly came from that corner.

“Watch out!” Mia instantly broke free from the ropes.

A Magic Glintblade, attacking from the side, flew straight toward Wilden.

Wilden had, of course, noticed what Mia did.

The moment Mia gave the warning, he turned his body aside.

The deep blue Magic Glintblade missed its mark.

Then, Mia immediately counterattacked the assailant who had released the magic; the stargazing staff appeared in her hand, and with a light flick, two Swift Glintstone Shards shot toward that direction.

Pia pia~

Mia’s Magic Pebbles also missed.

The assailant—

A sorcerer wearing a brown pointed hat and rather flamboyant clothes.

After dodging the Magic Pebbles, he scrambled up from the ground in a disheveled state.

“Are you crazy!” he shouted. “I was trying to save you!”