Elden Ring, my witch is a talkative beautiful girl

Having completed his first job after taking office, Burke said goodbye to the two men with satisfaction.

He stated that he would carry on his mother's wish and travel to various locations across the Borderlands to learn local sewing techniques. He would then take the Special Tailor exam in the Royal City, worthy of the title of future Royal Tailor. If he passed, Burke would become the youngest Special Tailor in the history of the Borderlands.

Ah Tui had no other requests, he just hoped that the next time he saw Burke, he wouldn't have learned some weird aesthetic ideas.

Especially not all-naked! Not all-naked! Not all-naked!

Say the important thing three times.

Melina and A'er were standing at the edge of Lake Yakir. This was once a popular tourist destination in Nimgefu, famous for its clear waters and abundant aquatic life. But recently, it had become a deserted wasteland. Even traveling merchants would not stop here, instead taking a detour.

The reason for this phenomenon is that Lake Yakir is occupied by an unnamed flying dragon. This dominant dragon has grayish-white claws and wings, and a single breath can set half the lake on fire. It has regarded this beautiful and peaceful lake as its own habitat, lingering there and refusing to leave. People have thus named it the flying dragon "Yakir."

Under normal circumstances, the lifespan of a dragon starts at a thousand years. Yakir is in the prime of his age among his kind. If nothing unexpected happens, this lake will be a restricted area for humans for at least the next few hundred years.

Melina gazed at the flying dragons soaring over the lake and asked an elderly man wearing an iron hat and holding a sign beside him that read "Dragon ahead, turn back," "Grandpa, is that the flying dragon Yakir ahead?"

Young dragons always like to show off their power, and their daily entertainment is to patrol their territory.

"That's right." The old man looked up at them and offered some advice. "The lake ahead is the territory of flying dragons. Dragons are both beautiful and powerful, and are very terrifying creatures. Unless you are immortals who want to be burned to ashes by dragon breath, it's best to stay away from this area."

After saying that, he lowered his head and continued to sharpen the blade in his hand. The thin black blade scraped across the whetstone, sending out some red sparks. The side close to the blade was narrow and sharp, and he could faintly smell the lingering smell of blood from killing a living creature.

Ah Tui stood beside the old man, watching him repeatedly polish his sword, his eyes also revealing a look of concentration. "Nice sword! I saw the same kind of weapon on someone dressed similarly to you in the Chapel of the Kings."

"Oh? That man must be a ronin from the same hometown as me." The old man raised his sword to the sunlight, nodded with satisfaction, and sheathed it. "You are the new Faded and the Miko, right? Weapons are a warrior's second life. Those who don't take good care of them will eventually die at the hands of Blood Fingers. In this regard, you have done a good job."

Hearing this, Melina leaned close to A'er and whispered, "My dear, what did I say? Clothes make the man, and even a demigod would lose face if he went out in tattered armor. Now your king's majestic image has been greatly improved. Maybe we can even get a 10% discount on things we buy from the wandering merchant in the future."

Regardless of whether the wandering merchant would give Ah Tui a discount because of his blindingly bright armor, he noticed the word "bloody fingers" mentioned by the old man. Melina seemed to have mentioned this word before when she was browsing the newspaper looking for work.

"Excuse me, what does it mean to die at the hands of 'Blood Fingers'?" Ah Tui asked bluntly, "Is that the name of some monster?"

"Monsters? Haha." The old man sneered. "That's not wrong, though. Those guys were bewitched by the Blood Bank. They're scum who, in order to increase their power, don't hesitate to hunt their own people in exchange for a large amount of runes. I, the Blood Hunter Yura, hold this 'Long Fang' in my hand, for the purpose of hunting down those despicable creatures."

"That man in white mask is still promoting his own business? In order to increase the company's profits, he doesn't hesitate to hire people to kill other competitors. It's really tasteless." Melina shook her head after hearing this.

"What? You actually saw that white maggot!" Yura drew out a knife, "Where? When? Did you also become bloody fingers? Then there is no other way, I have to kill you..."

Before Yura could utter the words "behead him on the spot," Ah Tui waved his hands in denial, "Calm down, calm down! We only saw White Mask when we left the Chapel of the Kings, and that was two weeks ago."

"And we haven't signed a contract with the Blood Bank. Who in their right mind would sign something so dubious?" Melina added, trying to change the subject. "By the way, since you're a Blood Lipid Hunter, why don't you go hunt them instead of standing guard here?"

"I'm ashamed to say this." After hearing this logical and coherent explanation, Yura was convinced that the two men weren't obsessed with killing, so he put down his knife. "When I was hunting Nelius, a member of the Blood Fingers, he accidentally chopped up the bag containing my travel expenses. When I found it, the bag and the runes inside were gone. I guess it was taken away by a wild wolf. To solve my food problem for the next two days, I had to take this temporary job here to guard Yakir Lake and prevent any fools who strayed in from being barbecued."

"This is such a sad story. May I ask where it fell?" A penny can make a hero fall. Ah Tu was glad that he had the almighty logistics witch and never worried about something like losing money happening to him.

"Let me think... the battle took place near Mengliu Cave."

"I guess it's impossible to get it back, old man. Please accept my condolences." Ah Tui originally wanted to try his luck and see if he could do good deeds, but when he heard that the purse fell near Mengliu Cave, he completely gave up the idea.

Melina looked up at the sky. "That money must have been embezzled by some bald guy, unscrupulously. Oh, I almost forgot. He has a black heart and no conscience."

At this moment, Patch, who was doing business with his younger brother in the Lienya Lake area, sneezed violently.

Volume 1: The Journey Begins: Chapter 26: Dragon Slaying

"In our East, there's a saying: 'If the old doesn't go, the new won't come.'" Yura was quite open-minded and said nonchalantly, "After this shift, I'll have enough runes to continue hunting down those hateful Blood Fingers."

"I wish you a smooth operation and a happy guard duty." Melina pulled A Tui up and said, "Buddy, let's go."

The two men were not heading in the direction they came from, but were heading straight towards the flying dragon's territory, which scared the old hunter a lot.

"Are you idiots who don't understand what people are saying? It's still not too late to turn back before the dragon notices you. Otherwise, you'll be killed like those black guys."

At the edge of Yura's sight, a group of blackened little black men, like they'd stumbled from a Conan film set, were dancing cheerfully around a bonfire built on the lake, their hands raised high. They looked like they were high on drugs. The noisy singing and dancing displeased the pale dragon. It opened its mouth and unleashed a mighty breath, instantly reducing the little black men and the bonfire to charcoal.

An efficient and environmentally friendly method of suicide. Once the wind blows, nothing will be left on the ground.

"It doesn't matter. We're here to slay the dragon." A'tu blew the whistle and summoned Torret. "Even if we can't kill him, we have enough experience in escaping."

Torrett flicked his horse's tail. "Neigh—" (To be honest, I don't want to get involved in this at all, but I'm just a horse.)

In such open areas, spirit horses can gallop freely. At full speed, even a flying dragon would find it difficult to catch up. Dragons are very lazy creatures and rarely stray far from their lairs. Except when you throw "snacks" at their heads, once they are thoroughly enraged, they will fight to the death. Given the dragon's long life, they will be hunted for the rest of their lives.

Yura stared at the two for a few seconds, then turned back to the notice. "My responsibilities end here. I won't stop you if you want to go. If you die, don't blame me for reminding you before you die."

He hadn't seen a fool dare to slay a dragon in a long time. Most of those who had such thoughts were reduced to ashes. Occasionally, one or two escaped by chance, but they would never have the same idea again. The last time someone came to provoke Yakir, it was the men sent by Greg to collect materials for limb grafting. Over a hundred of them returned in defeat. The last time they heard, they went elsewhere and hunted an underage dragon to complete the task.

Melina sat on the back of the spirit horse, pointing to the sky. "Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by heaven." Saying this is a bit like setting a flag, which is not very auspicious. Anyway, we will be back soon, so just wait and see, old hunter."

"drive!"

Atui pulled the reins, and Torrett rushed into Lake Yakir like an arrow from a bow. The shallow lake was just deep enough to cover the horse's hooves, and the spirit horse roamed freely on the lake, splashing waves of white waves behind him. Atui wanted to ask Melina to wait for him in a safe area, but the witch insisted on staying with him, so he had no choice but to give up.

The flying dragon Yakir circled above the lake, its eyes darting as it spotted the arrogant guest the moment Torrett entered the lake. With its wings spread wide, its mountain-like form swooped down from the sky, its sharp claws capable of shattering boulders with a single strike. Armor proved meaningless in the face of the sheer power disparity.

Even before the dragon arrived, the vacuum pressure from the rapidly descending air above subtly demonstrated the dragon race's might. Any ordinary warhorse would have collapsed under the dragon's might, but not the spirit horse Torret. If Torret wasn't a recognized master, even the arrival of a demigod wouldn't be able to make him lower his noble head.

Under Ah Tui's exquisite control, the spirit horse drifted sideways, brushing past the swooping dragon, sending a surging wave across the lake. The sword, slashing across the dragon's wings, left a faint trace of blood on its front paws. Then, with a leap, it dodged the sweep of the dragon's tail.

"Wow, that feels so good!" Feeling the wet breeze blowing in her face, Melina hugged A'tai tightly and cheered loudly, "Flying Dragon is just like that, a big fool with only strength but no brains."

Perhaps her ridicule reached Yakir's ears, but the dragon shook its head angrily and spewed out dragon breath from its mouth. The scorching flames made the lake boil, and the red flames swept across the lake, burning all living things in its path.

"Amei, you're right, he's not very smart." Ah Tui steed his spirit horse to the side of the flying dragon, running faster than the dragon's head to reach a dead corner where the dragon's breath couldn't reach him. "If he stays in the sky, most of our attacks won't hurt him. But relying on his sturdy body to land on the ground and overly disregarding creatures smaller than him will be the biggest failure in this battle."

I don’t know why, but those birds, dragons, and lions that can fly and burrow into the ground must give up their own advantages and fight humans on the ground in a dignified manner. In the end, they are all stripped of their tendons and skin and become new equipment for others.

He thought it would be a protracted battle, but the moment he saw the flying dragon landing and spewing fire, an adventurous idea came to his mind.

A Tui turned around and stuffed Torret's reins into Melina's hands: "Hold this and catch me later."

"Catch you? What do you mean..."

Before Melina could finish her question, A-Tai lightly squeezed the spirit horse's belly with his legs. Torret immediately jumped from the spot and performed a double jump through the air. Meanwhile, the Faded One actually released the stirrups and stood on the spirit horse's back with astonishing agility and balance.

Closer! Closer!

At the very moment Torrett lunged, A'tai stepped on his horse's back, leveraging the momentum to launch himself into a triple leap. His body spun directly above the dragon's head, the immense centrifugal force imbuing the strike with far greater power than ever before. The gleaming armor reflected the sun's radiance, nearly blinding the dragon at close range and denying A'kiel his last chance to dodge.

Fighting skill, Lion Slash!

This powerful fighting skill can cut even a lion in half, and a flying dragon is no exception. There is no need to split the dragon's body which is harder than steel, just cut off the head of the dragon.

The sword plunged all the way into Yakir's skull, piercing the skin and cracking the skull. Pain piercing the bones instantly permeated the dragon's entire body. It screamed and neighed, its dying roar resounding through the sky. With its last remaining strength, it swung its head, freeing the tiny human clinging to it. Its massive body slammed heavily to the ground, and there was no movement.

Execute with one strike! Slay the dragon with one strike!

Ah Tui accomplished this feat in a way that ordinary people could hardly imagine. The dragon's essence and power gradually condensed into a physical entity due to the influence of certain laws, and a living, beating heart appeared in his hand.

"Torret, charge!" Melina, who witnessed this scene, did not hesitate and urged the spirit horse to rush at full speed to the place where Atai fell, and caught the free-falling Fader before he landed.

The miko scolded him angrily, "You scared me to death! You did something so sudden and reckless! If Torret and I hadn't been able to catch you in time, do you know how badly you'd be hurt, partner?"

"I'm well aware of my situation and the consequences of this action." A'tai steadied himself on the horse and took the reins again. "Most importantly... I believe you and Torrett will be able to catch me, so there's no chance of getting hurt."

"Trust me..." Melina's anger subsided as soon as she heard this. She turned her head away with a red face and muttered softly, "You usually look like a piece of wood, but you can be so cunning at a time like this."

The Torrett under the two of them snorted happily, and its expression looked like it was laughing.

The spirit horse gradually slowed down and then stopped steadily at its original position.

Yura, who had watched the entire dragon-slaying process, could hardly hide his surprise. "I never thought you could actually kill the flying dragon Yakir. Looks like my work here can end early."

Feilong is dead, so there is no point for him to stand guard here, so he can end his part-time job early.

"It was just luck. That flying dragon underestimated its opponent." Ah Tui said politely, then showed the heart in his hand. "After I killed the flying dragon, I got this thing. Do you know what I can do with it?"

"Since you possess such power, I'm happy to share the rumor." Yura adjusted his iron hat and continued, "The dragon heart you hold is a sacrifice for the Dragon Feast. At the end of the western coast, on a small island, there's a ruined altar. Offering a dragon heart grants you the power of a dragon."

"Gaining the power of a flying dragon?" Melina pinched her smooth chin, imagining Ah Tui gaining the power of a flying dragon. "Will he be able to grow wings and fly in the sky?"

"Perhaps. I haven't tried it either. After all, I'm a Bloodfinger Hunter, not a Dragon Slayer." Yura remained noncommittal. He was simply fulfilling his duty as a counselor. "But you must remember, anyone who performs a Dragon Feast will gradually become less than human. The desire for dragons won't disappear, but will gradually accumulate within you. Eventually, that desire will permeate your entire being, and unless you continue to hunt dragons, it will torment you until death. Therefore, performing a Dragon Feast is tantamount to embarking on a path of destruction from which there is no return. It's up to you to decide whether or not to keep this heart."

"I can feel the burning power contained within this heart, so I only have one choice, and that is..." Ah Tui glanced at the still-beating dragon heart in his hand, threw it to the ground without any regrets, and severed the heart's life with a single sword. "The power of a dragon is indeed very tempting, but I will not rely on this cursed power to make myself stronger."

"Hey, stop chopping it!" Melina looked at the rotting dragon heart on the ground with a distressed look on her face. "Such a good thing, if you don't want the partner, we can sell it for runes. We're losing a lot now."

A'Die: "..."

This is the wrong focus. According to normal procedures, shouldn't the witch encourage or comfort him at this time? Why is it that he is grieved that the dragon heart rotted and he couldn't sell it for a big profit?

"Forget it, forget it. We can't grieve over spilled milk." After a few seconds, Melina pulled herself together again. "There's no need to worry about a huge dragon corpse. He's covered in treasures. Partner, let's start cutting from the head."

Volume 1: The Beginning of the Journey: Chapter 27: Avenging the Past Shame

In the corridor in front of the Storm Bridge, the girl's happy singing voice echoed along with her bouncing footsteps.

On the return journey, he was teleported directly through the lit blessing. In Melina's words, A'tai is now invincible in all of Nimgefu, and can basically walk sideways in the novice village at the border.

Today, they were merciful and let the Grek soldiers guarding the gate go. Another reason was that these soldiers were too poor. After slaying the dragon, the witch who had earned a large amount of runes also had her wallet swelled. For the time being, they looked down on income below three digits.

"La la la ~ la la la ~ After doing good deeds, I can get so many runes. Today is really the second happiest day of my life in the past month. Don't you think so, my partner?" Melina's expression was visibly bright.

"Yeah, it would have been better if I hadn't spent several hours cutting off the dragon's head." Having just used runes to strengthen his physical abilities, Ah Dai felt even more tired than before the strengthening. If he hadn't strongly remonstrated with his partner about the terrible idea of ​​cutting up the dragon's entire body, then packing it up one by one and sorting it by material, he might have died of exhaustion today. "What was your happiest day this month?"

Melina turned around and smiled. "Of course, it was the day I met my partner and made a deal with you." She formed a large circle with her hands. "I'll always remember this date. Next year, I'll definitely hold a grand one-year anniversary party in the Round Table Hall."

"It's our first anniversary..." Ah Tui folded his arms, sharing the same thought, "It's really exciting, but what exactly is the Round Table Hall?"

"Oh, that's right." Melina tilted her head. "I always forgot to tell you about the Round Table Hall. It's a different dimension that the two fingers built to imitate the real Round Table Hall. It's a place for all the Faded Ones to rest and exchange information. After we defeat Greg and capture the first Great Rune, I'll take you there to see Grandma Finger."

"Can't we go now?"

"No, because I promised my mother-in-law that I must make achievements before I can face her again."

"Is that why we have to wait until Greg is defeated? It's really not easy." A'tu couldn't believe that the shrine maiden who was so sleepy and needed to be woken up in the morning had such an ambitious side.

"Who says it's not?" Melina's steps grew heavier as she recalled the hardships she had endured over the years. She muttered to herself in a low voice, "I've been able to endure this long enough to not personally fight to recapture the Great Rune. I'm almost impressed by my own perseverance. I'll just have to wait for that Hundred-Eared bastard to give me a good smack in the face when I get back."

"What do you say?"

"Nothing, let's go find Market and avenge the blow we took last time."

On the Storm Bridge, the strong wind blew wildly across the gray-white bridge made of rock, and some gravel rolled into the abyss under the bridge with the noisy wind.

On the bridge, an old figure draped in a ragged cloak slowly turned, his hunched body standing straight. Although he looked frail and aged, like a candle in the wind that could be snuffed out at any moment by the fierce wind that swept across the bridge, Ah Tui, having fought him once before, knew full well the astonishing strength hidden beneath that aged frame.

"O Faded One..." Markit's voice shook the bridge. "As I expected, you have returned once again, pursuing ambitions destined to fail. Let me, Markit, the 'Evil Omen', put an end to your meaningless journey!"

Melina put one hand on her hip and said impatiently, "You've said the same thing before, and our answer is still the same. Our journey will not end here!"

"Young witch, I won't make the same mistake this time. You won't have the chance to repeat your luck last time." Markit retorted, and three daggers of light condensed from holy power took the lead in starting the battle. This time, he was determined to win.

Facing the sudden killing move, Melina stood still, neither dodging nor evading, because she believed that someone would block the attack for her.

"Dang Dang Dang——"

The moment the wind abruptly stopped, a solid, powerful shield, emblazoned with griffins and unicorns, appeared before Melina, blocking the onslaught. A thin blue film emerged from the shield's surface, its protective power enhanced by the spell "Magic Shield."

After the shield was removed, Melina, who was unharmed, laughed and said, "I couldn't even succeed in my sneak attack. What a shame."

"Don't be ridiculous, Amei." Ah Tui hid his upper body behind the shield and whispered, "If I hadn't reacted quickly, we wouldn't have been able to escape unscathed."

Melina lowered her voice and replied, "Won't I just scare him? He doesn't know the details of our situation anyway."

"Very good, it seems you came prepared this time, learning magic specifically to deal with me?" With Markit's extraordinary insight, he saw through the type of magic used by A-Tai at a glance. "Then let's skip the warm-up and go straight into the real battle!"

As the word "fight" fell to the ground, Markit jumped up with his staff, turned around and thrust hard. Thunderclouds gathered in the sky, sand and rocks flew in the wind, the sun and the moon lost their luster, and the sacred hammer killed the two with the force of thunder.

Melina withdrew from the battlefield with light steps. Days of training, and the vast runes he had gained from slaying the Lion Alien and the flying dragon Akiel, had improved Atai's overall abilities. More importantly, his change in mindset had transformed him. The miko had an almost blind faith in her chosen partner, and she firmly believed that in this fight to avenge her humiliation, Atai would not lose!

The collision of steel and steel, magic and prayer, stimulated an unprecedented energy stance. The loud eagle cry faintly heard from the shield resounded through the sky, breaking through the clouds.

The charm of a king will attract wild beasts, just as King Gavriel of old received the help of the lion prime minister, Seros.

The griffin has an eagle head and a lion body with wings on its back. The eagle is the king of birds, the lion is the king of beasts, and the griffin is the king of kings. The griffin will never be mediocre!

The perfect blocking was beyond expectations, revealing a huge flaw in the attack of the "Evil Demon". The pyroxene staff in A'tai's right hand stirred up a violent storm, and the rapier condensed with magic power stabbed out five times in one second.

Magic, Kalia Swift Sword!

Under the continuous attacks of the old man, Markit was forced to retreat and regroup. Blood flowed through the old man's sturdy body. "It's really amazing. In just a few days, you can use magic and combat skills so naturally. Such talent is rare even among the faded descendants of warriors."

"The same trick won't work on me." Amidst the dispersing smoke and dust, Ah Tui traded his staff for a sword, standing proudly. "I promised Ah Mei I would win this time. Come at me with all your might! Evil omen, demon!"

Volume 1: The Journey Begins: Chapter 28: No Rewards, No Leaving

On the Storm Bridge, the dark clouds that had gathered above dissipated in the atmosphere, signaling the end of the battle.

After the fierce battle, the seriously injured Markit's body gradually became illusory. The carrier of this clone could no longer withstand further damage, and the battle ended here.

The two encounters gave him completely different feelings. If his sword was still confused during their first encounter, then during the second battle, Atai had truly made up his mind. For a moment, Markit even seemed to see the eyes of a king in this young man's eyes.

Even Markit himself did not realize that his heart, which had been cold for a long time, felt boiling and hot again. Deep down in his heart, he was looking forward to the second fight with Atie, not with this clone whose power was less than 50% of the original body, but with his original body far away in the royal city of Rodel, the 'King of Blessing' - Mungat!

"Very good, Faded One, the fire burning in your eyes is different from the ambitious ones I have seen in the past. I look forward to meeting you for the second time in the royal city of Rodel under the golden tree. If you have the ability, just give it a try..." Markit's gaze passed over Atai's shoulder and looked at the only spectator outside the battlefield, as if he wanted to say something else, but he finally chose to keep silent.