Chapter 404 - 307: The Volcano Manor Proprietress

Lucian wasn't surprised that his identity had been recognized. After all, he was famous throughout the Lands Between. It would have been more unusual if people didn't recognize him.

If things were like they were in the game, where the dignified Elden Lord could walk anywhere and still be treated like some insignificant nobody, even getting chased around and bitten by dogs, that would be strange.

Rya was rather naive and adorably absent-minded. She was also focused on her recruitment duties, so she wasn't particularly well-informed.

But if Tanith couldn't recognize him, then all that could be said was that she was incompetent at her job.

Lucian nodded to Rya and said, "I'd like to meet Lady Tanith as well."

"Please lead the way, Miss Zorayas."

—

Under Rya's guidance, Lucian accompanied her to the second floor of Volcano Manor.

Rya opened the door and gestured for Lucian to enter. They had arrived.

Standing at the entrance, Lucian casually glanced inside.

It was a hall used for entertaining guests. The luxurious decorations, illuminated by candlelight, created an oppressive atmosphere.

Rather than a reception room, the place felt more like a different kind of interrogation chamber.

Having brought Lucian to the entrance of the reception hall, Rya had completed her task.

When working, one had to observe the proper hierarchy, so she couldn't participate in what came next.

Rya smiled at Lucian and said, "Sir Lucian, please go in."

Lucian returned her smile warmly, then walked into the room at an unhurried pace.

Rya closed the door behind him and left, returning to the first floor to wait.

Inside the room, Lucian met the current "Volcano Manor Proprietress," Tanith.

Dressed in silver-colored lordly attire, Tanith sat at one end of a long table, her face concealed behind a mask and her hands clasped together in front of her abdomen.

The mask had been modeled after the image of a foreign queen. It was also a customary symbol of the ruling lords throughout the Lands Between, representing Tanith's position as the one who controlled Volcano Manor.

Lucian studied Tanith from head to toe, recalling the background of the woman who had bewitched Patches so thoroughly that he was practically infatuated with her.

According to Lucian's memories, Tanith had once been a dancer from a foreign land.

When Rykard met her, he fell in love at first sight and took her as a consort.

Later, after Rykard transformed into the God-Devouring Serpent, Tanith was the only person who remained at his side in human form.

Curiously enough, it was only after Rykard became a serpent that Tanith truly fell in love with him.

At present, Tanith appeared composed and confident, exuding the aura of a politician and a strong woman.

She certainly lived up to her position and reputation.

When Rykard was swallowed by the serpent, lost his sanity, and completely lost control of Volcano Manor, it was Tanith who gathered his former followers once again, brought the Recusants under her command, and organized their resistance against Leyndell.

Naturally, accomplishing this required enough force to make those violent outlaws fall into line.

There were only two people powerful enough to obey Volcano Manor's commands completely while possessing the strength necessary to enforce them.

One was Bernahl, a former would-be Elden Lord who had now become a Recusant.

The other…

Lucian's gaze passed over Tanith and settled on the Crucible Knight standing half a step behind her, holding his sword upright with impeccable discipline.

This Crucible Knight was considerably stronger than the ones Lucian had encountered before.

However, he still hadn't reached the highest level. He probably wasn't quite as powerful as the two chief Crucible Knights.

Perhaps, in the past, he had served as a deputy of some sort.

Lucian simply didn't know why this knight had also been drawn to Tanith and chosen to follow her of his own free will.

He wasn't a Crucible Knight of Volcano Manor, nor was he one of Rykard's Crucible Knights.

He was Tanith's Crucible Knight.

After silently observing the situation for a moment, Lucian walked forward.

Then, as though he were the master of the place, he casually sat down opposite Tanith, facing her across the long table in silence.

Unlike Lucian's calm composure, Tanith and Cambuja were the ones sitting stiffly, as though they were the guests instead.

From the moment he had laid eyes on Lucian, Cambuja, standing behind Tanith, had felt a bone-deep chill rise within him.

It was an instinct inherited from ancient life, a warning of danger in the presence of an entity vastly more powerful than himself.

Although Lucian had concealed some of his aura, even his posture alone had made one thing obvious.

That man was terrifyingly strong…

No one spoke until Tanith's voice came from beneath her mask, breaking the deadlock.

"Rya seems to be quite close to you…"

"I rarely see that child behave this way."

"However, I wonder why you've approached Rya in the first place."

"Your Majesty, the Sun King Lucian."

Lucian didn't answer her question. After all, he hadn't approached Rya with any particular ulterior motive in the first place.

"So you did recognize me."

"It seems your reactions haven't become so sluggish that you're practically hibernating."

Seeing that Lucian hadn't answered, Tanith didn't press him further about Rya.

Although Rya was important to her, as the Lord of Volcano Manor, getting entangled in this topic wasn't a particularly wise choice.

Instead, Tanith spoke calmly.

"Although information within Volcano Manor is indeed somewhat limited…"

"I suppose that child is probably the only one who wouldn't recognize you."

Beneath her mask, Tanith regarded Lucian with eyes full of wariness and vigilance.

"When I heard your name from Rya, I already had a suspicion."

"However, I never imagined that it would really be you…"

"Much less that you would actually come here."

Faced with Lucian, whose strength was unfathomable and whose achievements were legendary, Tanith had to proceed cautiously without losing her dignity.

A single misstep might plunge Volcano Manor into irreversible ruin.

Especially when she still didn't know why he had come.

No, perhaps Tanith already knew. She simply wasn't willing to admit it yet.

Her eyes fixed on Lucian like a serpent's as she took the initiative and asked, "You certainly haven't come here to join Volcano Manor, have you?"

"Then, Your Majesty the Sun King, what exactly brings you here?"

Unlike Tanith, who remained on guard, Lucian replied casually.

"You should already have the answer in mind."

"The only thing at Volcano Manor worth paying me a visit for is the Great Rune."

"I intend to collect the Great Runes and reconstruct the laws of the Lands Between."

"To accomplish that, I can't overlook Rykard's Great Rune either."

"Even though it has been defiled by the God-Devouring Serpent, its essence remains unchanged. It is still a Great Rune, one of the laws governing the world."

Hearing the answer she had already expected, Tanith frowned beneath her mask and responded firmly.

"That is impossible."

"My lord's Great Rune will never be surrendered."

Losing their Great Runes would have no effect on the demigods themselves.

If they simply handed it over, Volcano Manor could remain safe and sound.

However, given Rykard's current condition, he obviously wasn't going to voluntarily surrender his Great Rune. Tanith understood this perfectly well.

Therefore, there was only one way to seize it.

Kill Rykard.

Tanith would never allow that to happen.

Lucian raised an eyebrow and spoke in an even tone.

"It's perfectly normal that you can't agree to those terms."

"But you have no way to stop me either."

Tanith met Lucian's gaze without flinching.

As the person in charge of Volcano Manor, she naturally knew that everything Lucian said was true.

The powerful heroes within Volcano Manor had already merged into one after being presented before Lord Rykard. They no longer possessed much power as individuals.

And the manor itself remained a loose and disorganized faction, held together primarily by Bernahl and Cambuja.

Even if they truly gathered all their strength and every single Recusant fought together, they wouldn't stand a chance against Lucian. He could defeat them all in a single move.

Nevertheless, Tanith wouldn't simply hand her lord over without putting up any resistance.

There was a fundamental difference between suffering inevitable defeat because one lacked the strength to win and surrendering before the battle even began, willingly handing over everything one held dear.

Especially here, in Lord Rykard's Volcano Manor.

—

Faced with everything that had been imposed upon us, if the Erdtree, that is, the gods themselves, intended to trample upon us…

Then even if it meant committing the blasphemous act of rebellion, we would rise up and fight to defend our dignity.

—

They hadn't bowed their heads even when confronted by the mighty Erdtree. How could they abandon everything now merely because destruction seemed inevitable?

Tanith steeled her resolve, already prepared to die.

"If that is what you intend… then do as you please."

"Volcano Manor truly has no way to stop you."

"But I will never willingly hand over my lord."

"You may as well kill every one of us…"

"Surely that would satisfy you…"

Lucian silently watched Tanith without saying a word.

Suddenly, a surging aura erupted from him, and the invisible pressure became so powerful that it seemed to exert a tangible influence on reality itself.

The terrifying pressure made it difficult to breathe. Currents of air swirled outward of their own accord, like a growing vortex.

The tableware and paintings on the walls trembled incessantly. Yet it wasn't the faint currents of air causing them to shake.

It was the entire volcano trembling in fear of Lucian.

In places unseen by those present, crimson clouds gathered above the volcano, while the magma beneath it churned violently.

At the same time, Rya, waiting downstairs, was suddenly overcome by an inexplicable sense of unease, as though some terrifying creature…

Before she could think any further, the walls of Volcano Manor began to emit the scraping sounds she had heard before.

But unlike last time, the noises now sounded as though some creature were fleeing in blind panic, without any awareness of what it was doing.

—

Behind Tanith, Cambuja's hands tightened around the hilt of his sword.

Raise the sword, grip the scabbard, draw the blade, and swing it in a slash…

Throughout Cambuja's long life, he had repeated these movements countless times. They had long since become instinctive.

Yet Lucian merely glanced in his direction, and Cambuja's feet seemed to become nailed to the floor. He couldn't move an inch, and cold sweat immediately began to pour from him.

At that very moment, no matter how many times he rehearsed the movements in his mind, he found himself utterly incapable of performing this simple action.

Cambuja's pupils contracted.

In the end, he was forced to acknowledge a terrifying truth.

He… didn't even have the courage to draw his sword against this man…

Throughout his long life, there had only been one person capable of doing this to him.

That person was Godfrey, the Elden Lord whom the Crucible Knights had once served.

And yet… it was completely different. Entirely different from King Godfrey!

King Godfrey had wielded nothing but pure strength, without mixing in the presence of anything else.

But on Lucian, Cambuja had glimpsed a radiance more profound than darkness itself.

The most dazzling brilliance, and at the same time, the deepest abyss of darkness.

Gaze upon the sun without permission, and its light will rob you of your sight.

Lucian could illuminate others, but there was no one left who could illuminate the path behind him.

In a certain sense, wasn't Lucian also bound by his own dream, flooring the accelerator as he drove toward the ideal world he envisioned?

But an obsession was something that could not be achieved. Lucian, on the other hand, possessed power sufficient to make his dream a reality.

Powerful enough to make the entire world bow its head before him, transforming without resistance into the world he imagined.

Yet despite facing Lucian's overwhelming pressure, Tanith, whose strength was comparatively insignificant, did not collapse.

Her breathing was ragged, and she could no longer maintain her composure. She could only brace herself against the chair with both hands.

Even so, Tanith continued to meet Lucian's gaze defiantly.

Her proud head never bowed, and her resolute eyes never turned away.

After a while, just as Tanith was approaching the limit of what she could endure, Lucian suddenly withdrew the pressure he had been exerting.

He had never intended to do anything to them in the first place. After all, this was Rya's home.

And during this brief confrontation, Lucian had already come to understand Tanith's determination and convictions.

He had to admit that this woman possessed considerable personal charm.

Lucian lowered his eyes and leaned back against his chair.

"In that case, it seems I'll have to find Rykard myself."

"Go ahead and try to obstruct me, or even think about dying alongside him if you wish. My only target is Rykard."

"Although killing Rykard might be a little cruel to Rya…"

"But if I only need to kill one person, that's still a pretty good bargain, isn't it?"

Lucian paused, his peripheral vision casually drifting toward Tanith.

"But speaking of Rya…"

"Or rather, Zorayas. Is she really the child of you and Rykard?"

The secret that neither Tanith nor Rya had ever openly revealed had just been exposed by Lucian. Tanith's eyes widened in shock.

Only moments ago, she had managed to maintain her composure under Lucian's overwhelming pressure. Now, however, she could only force herself to appear calm.

Knowing that name meant Lucian had seen Rya's true appearance.

A mistake like this was hardly surprising. Rya had always been a somewhat clumsy child, and when she was around someone she trusted, she really would let down her guard.

However, Tanith had never even told Rya the truth about her own origins and bloodline.

This was the secret she had guarded most carefully within Volcano Manor.

How on earth had Lucian discovered it?!

If the problem had merely been the disparity in their strength, Tanith might have been unwilling to accept it, but she could still have understood.

But now, it was as though every secret had been laid bare before him, leaving her completely exposed.

Tanith could no longer regard the Lucian sitting before her as a human being.

Her throat bobbed, but no words came out.

Her heart pounded furiously. After a long silence, she finally managed to speak.

"…You saw her, didn't you?"

"That child's… Rya's true appearance…"

Realizing that she had already lost her composure and was even asking pointless questions, Tanith gritted her teeth, forcing herself to calm down.

She shook her head and took a deep breath before speaking again.

"…Since she told you the name 'Zorayas,' it means she truly trusts you."

"I have no right to interfere in this matter."

"However, as the mother who raised her, please allow me to say something."

"Powerful king who has traveled here from afar, I hope that from now on, you will continue to treat Zorayas well."

"Whatever the reason for her appearance, she is still a good child… such a good child that even I, her mother, sometimes feel ashamed of myself."

"Furthermore, no matter what you may know, I beg you not to tell her these cruel truths."

"Knowing the whole truth is not necessarily a good thing."

The name of Volcano Manor might carry weight when dealing with other Tarnished, but continuing to stand firm against someone as powerful as Lucian would only lead to a disastrous outcome.

For Rya's sake, even Tanith, who had never been willing to back down, finally lowered her head.

At this moment, she could set aside her identity as the Volcano Manor Proprietress and simply plead with Lucian as a mother.

At the very least… at the very least, she had to protect Rya.

That was the one selfish wish she had left.

However, Tanith's sudden submission left Lucian feeling somewhat helpless.

He waved his hand. He hadn't expected her to imagine things in such a strange direction.

Rya was still a child, and Lucian had no intention of doing anything to her. He simply liked her in the way one liked children.

"You can rest assured. I'm only here for Rykard's Great Rune."

"I won't take the initiative to harm you, Rya, or anyone else here at Volcano Manor."

"Since Volcano Manor is Rya's home, I have no desire to destroy this place either."

Recalling the events Rya would encounter later, Lucian spoke again, addressing Tanith.

"Although I don't want to involve myself in your affairs, there are still a few things I'd like to say."

"Not as a king, but simply as a friend of Rya's."

"Perhaps the relationship between you two can still be maintained as it was before. But do you truly believe things can continue that way forever?"

Looking calmly into Tanith's eyes, Lucian slowly continued.

"Is knowing the truth really such a bad thing?"

"Perhaps it is. Different circumstances can lead to different answers."

"However, I believe a child should be given the right to choose whether she wants to know the truth, rather than having it hidden from her indefinitely."

"Concealment serves no purpose. One day, Rya will have to face her own fate."

"She had no choice in her origins or the circumstances of her birth. But when it comes to choosing the path of her future life, shouldn't her own thoughts at least be heard?"

"Rya may be a little slow to catch on, but she isn't completely oblivious."

Lucian stood up and turned toward the door.

His final words drifted slowly back to Tanith, who was still shaken by what had happened.

"You truly love Rykard. You were willing to face me without bowing or scraping, even for his sake. That is a remarkable conviction, and a determination worthy of praise."

"You love Rya as well. Your affection for her is genuine, so genuine that even an outsider can recognize it at a glance."

"Although your idea of 'hiding the truth for the child's own good' reminds me of my own family in the past, you've indeed done everything a good mother should do."

"Unfortunately, no matter how merciful I may be, I will never compromise when it comes to the Great Rune."

"There are things I carry on my shoulders, and reasons why I absolutely cannot yield."

"Because I call everything beneath the sun love."

"And so, I will set this broken world right."

—

Several minutes after Lucian had left, Tanith finally relaxed her tense body and began gasping for breath.

She tried to stand, but nearly collapsed.

She couldn't get to her feet. There wasn't the slightest bit of strength left in her legs, which had become as weak as a newborn fawn's.

Not only that, but her entire body was drenched in sweat. It dripped onto the floor and pooled on the chair beneath her.

Refusing Cambuja's offer to support her, Tanith steadied herself against the table and slowly rose to her feet.

Recalling Lucian's final advice concerning Rya, Tanith felt conflicted.

The idea of an outsider, someone who could even be considered an enemy, interfering in her family affairs was almost unimaginable.

Yet Lucian could have slaughtered everyone in Volcano Manor and still chose to communicate with them instead. That alone showed considerable respect for the weak faction they were.

Moreover, Lucian's goodwill toward Rya was unmistakable, and what he had said was indeed impossible for Tanith to refute.

"Lucian… what exactly are you thinking?"