Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 508 Agreement
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lucia opened her eyes.

The campfire was still burning brightly, and the soft snores of the little fox could be heard beside me, but Katpela was nowhere to be seen.

He suddenly sat up, quickly looked around and released his mental perception, and in the blink of an eye he saw Katpela leading Frostflame back not far away.

It had been half a night since they last met. It seemed that the Queen of Death had become quite familiar with Frostflame. She gently stroked the snow-white mane on Frostflame's back with her hand. Frostflame not only didn't sneer at her, but also shook its head up and down and snorted.

The hasty release of spiritual power at such a distance naturally couldn't escape the notice of Katpela, who was also a monarch-level being, or even stronger. She looked at Lucia, tilted her head slightly, and said, "What's the panic? Are you afraid I'll gather my subordinates to kill you tonight?"

After several meetings and interactions, Lucia had become immune to Katpela's nonsense. Upon hearing this, he simply got up, brushed the snow off his shoulders, and cleaned up the traces while tidying up the supplies. He said, "I'm just afraid that His Majesty might act on a whim and suddenly run off to the Sacred Tree Forest alone, ruining our important cooperation."

Upon hearing this, Katpela's eyebrows shot up. After thinking for a moment, she suppressed her anger and said calmly, "Don't think that just because I've summoned you a few more times, you can act presumptuously in front of me. If you dare to speak disrespectfully again, you will bear the consequences."

When she spoke, Carter Pera had a stern face and a cold voice, adopting a businesslike attitude.

Lucia didn't argue. He packed his things, stuffed the half-asleep little fox back into his luggage, took the reins from Katpela, mounted his horse, and asked with his eyes down, "Does Your Majesty intend to travel with me, or go on your own?"

There was only one horse, so it was obvious how they were traveling together. Frostflame's back was extremely broad, and the saddle was much larger than that of ordinary horses, leaving more than enough room for one person to sit in the back.

Katpera didn't stand on ceremony. With a light touch of her feet, she gracefully sat down on the back of the saddle, grabbing Lucia's belt as she went. "Let's go," she said.

Frostflame carried the two of them at breakneck speed. By the afternoon of the 27th, they had already bypassed the Sol defense zone from the north. Three hundred miles ahead lay the territory of Ottina.

Along the way, Lucia spent most of his time with his eyes closed, immersing himself in the battlefield of memories to cultivate. Katpera also seemed to be losing interest, and had no interest in talking to Lucia unless he spoke.

It wasn't until the two passed through a mountainous area and caught a glimpse of the ruins of a dilapidated fortress atop the mountain that Lucia slowed his horse slightly, looked around for a moment, and said, "That place, isn't that the former branch of the Flame Sanctuary, Redel?"

Katpera, who had been resting against Lucia's back, opened her eyes drowsily upon hearing the sound, glanced at the mountain, and mumbled an indistinct "hmm," saying, "You know quite a lot."

Lucia's gaze still held some doubt as he said, "The war in the Northern Territory has only been going on for less than a year. Some of the war marks on it look very new, but the erosion from wind and rain doesn't seem to have formed recently. How can such a large regional branch temple look like it has been abandoned for a long time?"

"In June of the 43rd year of the Golden Calendar, Bishop Amon of Redel led seventy-four martial arts monks under his command in a collective defection. The twelve monks who refused to defect were killed to silence them. When the Holy Church investigators arrived, the bodies were still burning with the black flames of death. How about that? It was me again. Surprised?"

Fortunately, after suffering a few setbacks, Katpela had given up on teasing Lucia. After a brief pause, she continued, "The Flame Sanctuary has been accompanied by the fire of the evil god for decades, and is already highly sensitive to the purity of its faith. Suddenly, such a thing happened, and everyone from top to bottom has lost their appetite and sleep. The garrison and the nobles of the North have been investigating for more than a year, with a much greater scale than when they were hunting down that kid Adam. Under such circumstances, the Redel branch is the center of everyone's attention. Digging three feet into the ground is the least of their worries. How can it be rebuilt?"

Lucia glanced discreetly behind him. Katpera had been fast asleep, so it wasn't a big deal for him to be leaning against him. When you're traveling far away, who cares about so many details?

But the person was awake, and instead of moving away, he changed to a more comfortable position and leaned back. His hands unconsciously changed from gripping the belt buckle to wrapping around his lower back. Even through the armor, he could feel a soft, warm sensation, which inevitably made him feel a little strange.

"Then what about these battle traces later?" he asked, changing the subject. "Since the Redel branch has been abandoned for a long time, why did the Holy Temple monks set up camp and fight here?"

Katarpera leaned back comfortably, his eyes slightly narrowed, his expression completely natural, and said, "The Redel Branch Temple was originally under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Flame Archbishop Olivia. After the outbreak of the Giants' Rebellion, the Sanctuary and the Northern Garrison were immediately razed to the ground by Chareleus and the Primordial Giants. Olivia was pursued by the Fourth Primordial Giant, Hilbel, and led her remaining troops all the way north. There was another battle here. Afterwards, Hilbel was slightly injured and temporarily retreated. Olivia and her subordinates disappeared without a trace."

Lucia had only asked casually. It wasn't surprising that Katpela, having spent years establishing his presence in the North, knew the history of the Redel branch, but to be so familiar with even the details of local battles after the outbreak of war was quite absurd. Then, the name "Olivia" came to mind, and a thought struck him. He said incredulously, "Olivia, it can't be yours again—"

"No!" The Queen of Death paused for a moment, then angrily punched the Dragon King hard on the back. "Where did you get so many clones? You've used your split soul to control Estée's remains before, you know how difficult it is. Do you think my clones are made of clay?!"

This punch finally released all the pent-up anger he had endured along the way. After beating up Carter, he felt refreshed and his bones felt much more relaxed.

After catching her breath, she explained, "Her sister is the astrologer Oranvinia, and she herself is indeed my subordinate, she has been for over ten years. After losing contact with her half a year ago, I have been searching for her whereabouts, and only recently did I find out that the last place she disappeared should be near the Sacred Tree Forest. This time, 'Ophelia' came to investigate this matter as well. Otherwise, with my abilities, how could I be so easily ordered around by someone like Chareleus?"

It's the Sacred Tree Forest again.

Lucia frowned. Lately, too many clues had converged on that vast and deep primeval forest: Yuno's intentions, Olivia's whereabouts, the plea for help from the remnants of the Sanctuary, and the mysterious force that killed two of the first giants.
His intuition told him that this land, which had attracted attention from all sides, was likely the root of many of the problems in the North. Whoever could see through the secrets hidden beneath the surface would gain the upper hand in this great war.

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "So, Olivia is one of your people. After Adam was implanted with the first Giant's Flame Seed a year ago, it was she who sent people to follow him and implant the second Black Flame Seed into his body?"

"Yes, the first spark most likely came from a traitor among the high-ranking members of the Holy Temple. I suspect it was Yuno. The spark of the Celia family also most likely came from him, which is why he and Yuno surrendered to the Giants' Court after the outbreak of war. Adam himself was highly talented and his speed in learning the Giants' Prayer far exceeded that of his peers, so he naturally became their most ideal test subject."

“Olivia finding Adam was a coincidence. The spark that Yuno implanted in him was obviously a very crude, first-generation version. In addition, he was already seriously injured and on the verge of death at the time. Even if he had survived, he would have become a low-level giant with only the instinct to kill. In hindsight, Yuno intended for him to infiltrate the Samir clan, observe the spark's operation, and create friction at the opportune moment. If Adam went mad and started slaughtering the Samir, then he could provoke a civil war in the North without the help of external forces. Otherwise, he could send in the Templars and Wolf Riders to provoke conflict under the pretext that the Samir were harboring criminals and stealing the Giant Prayer Book.”

"Under these circumstances, implanting the Black Flame Seed into him was merely a convenient course of action; his fate was in his own hands. Fortunately, his compatibility with the Black Flame Seed was exceptionally high, and he was also incredibly lucky. When he was half-dead, the Kurros clan took him in and cared for him meticulously, helping him through the most dangerous adaptation period—"

Upon hearing this, Lucia suddenly felt the hand around her waist tighten.

Carterpera's calm tone suddenly became more serious, but his voice remained as cold as ever. He said, "I need to make this clear to you. Tibia doesn't have many people, and even fewer remain in the North. It's impossible for them to monitor the movements of a mere test subject all the time, especially a fugitive like Adam with such a sensitive identity."

"We originally planned to try to contact him after he recovered from his injuries, but when Olivia rushed to Kurros, the villagers had already been slaughtered by the Wolf Hunters. Only Adam was left protecting the two sisters and fighting against Gran Celia. If Adam was no match for them, Olivia would personally kill Gran Celia to save them. In short, although my hands are stained with blood, I never kill innocent people. Don't attribute the blood debt of the Kurros clan to me."

Lucia was stunned for a long time after hearing this, and even wanted to turn around several times to confirm whether the Queen of Death behind him was an imposter. He never expected that Katpela, who had always done things her own way, would explain this matter so cautiously.

After a long silence, his body, which had been tense ever since the other party woke up, relaxed slightly, and he said softly, "Whether it is a king or a god, the road to the top is always stained with blood."

“I have never raised my sword against the innocent, yet countless innocent people have died because of me. The blood debt on my body was no lighter than His Majesty's in the past, and it will only be heavier in the future. So what right do I have to think I am spotless and stand on a high ground to point fingers and criticize?”

"If one day, future generations will no longer shed blood because of the blood shed today, then our actions will have been worthwhile. As for right and wrong, merit and demerit, they are nothing but idle gossip of ordinary people."

The two remained silent for a long time. After a while, Carterpera straightened up, made a fist and gently tapped Lucia's back, regaining his usual lazy and relaxed demeanor, and said, "From ancient times to the present, no one has dared to break their word in front of me—you'd better not."

Lucia never broke his word, but he didn't bother with making grand promises again and again. He simply nodded slightly and said, "Let's go."

(End of this chapter)