Elden Ring, my witch is a talkative beautiful girl

"Someone is using the rumors about Greg's limb graft to deflect blame and pin the assassination of the Faded One on him." Combining the preceding and subsequent information, Ah Dai came to an obvious conclusion. "What exactly is the intention of this mastermind behind this?"

This strategy kills two birds with one stone, yet it's slightly contradictory. If the conspirators who sent the Limb-Replacing Noble to kill the Faded One were to prevent anyone from repairing the Elden Circle, why would they direct their hatred towards Grek, who wields the Great Rune?

Seeing her partner's gloomy face, Melina patted A's shoulder and said, "If you can't figure it out, forget it. Ever since the Night of Conspiracy, strange underground organizations have emerged one after another in the border area, and they're filled with psychopaths with abnormal minds. Their logical thinking is beyond the comprehension of normal people like us. We finally got our first Great Rune, so act happy, be happy."

"That's true." Influenced by the witch's open-minded attitude, Ah Dai also smiled. "No matter what conspiracy they have, we will fight back head-on."

Only at this time did he show some of his simple and rough warrior style.

"Well said! That's what a true warrior should do. I hope we can have the opportunity to fight side by side in the future." Nepheli laughed heartily.

Seeing her packing her axe and bag, Melina asked, "Miss Neferi, are you ready to leave?"

Nepheli nodded. "Now that I know those rumors were deliberately spread by them, there are no more evil demigods here for me to defeat. It's almost time for me to take my leave."

The three of them had similar personalities, and she had twice spoken well of them on the judging panel, so they naturally became friends. Friendship among the Faded was not about formalities; often, all it took was a single battle together, a casual helping hand, to become close friends. However, they could also turn against each other due to differing positions.

"Come to think of it, that witch next door who was still wrapped up tightly in the middle of summer actually left in a hurry. I was originally thinking of having a fight with her."

The three glanced at the empty chairs. Snow Witch Reina had vanished. As if at the very moment the duel of limb-reattachment art was about to be decided, she, knowing full well the outcome, had silently departed, and the ice wall sustained by her magic had melted and dissipated.

"I have a feeling this won't be the last time we see her." Atai recalled the meaningful look in Reina's eyes at the start of the duel, and the "debts" she'd said she wanted to settle when they'd first met. It was a good thing she hadn't been sneaking around in a sneaky way this time, but would the interest on the debt behind her name in the Witch's Notes have naturally increased?

This invisible debt that would be added unknowingly really made Ah Tui feel a chill down his spine.

"It's almost time for us to leave. There's a mountain of things to do, and it's a shame to lose my dragon head." Melina sighed as she looked at the dragon bone fragments on the ground, exhausted and broken into worthless pieces. She felt bad that she had lost a large sum of her personal allowance. "That could have been exchanged for a lot of runes."

Ah Tui patted her head and comforted her: "The border is so big, we can always find something more precious. Didn't you say? Don't feel sorry for spilled milk, because it's meaningless."

Exchanging a dragon head for a Great Rune, in the end the two actually made a fortune. After all, there were many dragons in the border area, but only a handful of Great Runes, and they were all in the hands of powerful demigods.

"Stop touching my head. I'm not a child anymore." Melina said with a stern tone, lowering her head to enjoy A's touch. "But before we get down to business, we still have somewhere to go. We can't keep her waiting any longer."

......

The dilapidated house in Storm Hill.

The scenery here was the same as it was before Atai and Melina left a few days ago. The dejected Little Red Riding Hood huddled in a corner of the dilapidated house, relying only on the faint warmth emitted by the blessing and the infinitely replenished bottle of Red Dew to maintain her life to the minimum extent.

The shabby wooden door opened as the visitor arrived, and two figures were cast on the floor.

"Miss Rodlika." Melina called softly.

"...It's you guys, huh?" Roderica looked up, a hint of life in her dull eyes. "Did I convey what I wanted to say to everyone?"

Debt, guilt, and overflowing sense of sin filled Roderica's heart. She could not find a reason to live, but she did not want to die. She wandered like a lonely ghost in this deserted wooden house, waiting for the answer that would eventually come.

Having lost her purpose in life, she no longer wants to live, but what the two Faders bring will change Little Red Riding Hood's mind.

"About this..." A Tui closed the wooden door, and Melina took out the last thing entrusted to her by the limb-transplanting noble from the bag.

The witch bent down and handed over the tightly wrapped silk red cloth, saying softly, "Someone told me to give this to you. Please open it and take a look."

"This is..." Roderica's trembling fingers touched the blood-stained red cloth and the pin wrapped inside. The residual thoughts transmitted from the objects made her understand everything instantly. "The relics everyone left me are their blessings to me..."

The girl in the red hat clutched the pin tightly against her chest and burst into tears, as if she were holding the most precious treasure in the world. The emotions she had suppressed for so long were finally released, and the heavy guilt in her heart was washed away by the tears that streamed down her cheeks. Those companions who had traveled with her never hated her, and even in their final moments, they still worried about her.

A'tu and Melina quietly left the cabin and waited at the door for Roderica who was crying loudly. Now she just wanted to be alone and quiet.

"Partner." Melina tilted her head slightly and looked at her partner, and the blessed golden light illuminated half of the witch's cheek.

"Ok?"

"If I die one day, will you be sad for me, or even devastated?"

"will not."

"Actually, you only need to be sad for a year or two. Don't be too..." Melina jumped three feet high after hearing the answer, her puffed-up face like a ripe apple. "What did you say?! This beautiful girl really misjudged you! I want to break up with you, now! Immediately! Right now... Oh, and return Torret to me too!"

"Because I won't let you die." Ah Dai stared at the girl's face without blinking. "I will never let my witch die before me. If one day I am defeated and die, and fail to fulfill my promise to you, you can find another faded person who can help you accomplish your mission, and then forget me."

He would keep his oath until his death. This was his promise to his partner and the witch. As long as he lived, death could not take Melina away from him.

White steam rose from Melina's head. The witch who had been clamoring to divide the luggage and return home with full momentum just now sat down like a soft noodle, leaning on A'tai's shoulder: "I... don't want to forget about you and find another faded one. What about dying before me, what about being defeated and killed in battle, don't say such unlucky words in the future." She seemed to have forgotten who took the initiative to bring up the topic.

Looking at the girl's naive face, Ah Tui raised the corner of his mouth slightly and jokingly said, "Are you going to run away with Torret instead of breaking up?"

"No, I'm going to rely on you for the rest of my life. You have to take care of my food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, and I will always be a 17-year-old beautiful girl! Be prepared, partner!"

Volume 1: The Journey Begins: Chapter 38: The Round Table Hall (Part 1)

The next morning, after relaxing and resting for a night and filling her stomach, Roderica became full of energy. Even the golden hair under her red hat regained its luster, and there was no trace of her previous depressed look.

"Thank you so much," the refreshed Little Red Riding Hood thanked the two people who helped her. "Not only did you bring me the important treasure, but you also helped me with my hair and treated me to a meal. I will definitely remember this kindness. If there's anything I can do for you in the future, please give me the opportunity to repay you."

"There's no need to make it so serious. It's only natural for faded people to help each other."

"That's right, my partner is right."

Although A'tu and Melina spoke politely, they felt very lucky in their hearts.

"Is Roderica storing up the food she missed out on a while ago... Her appetite is terrifying."

"Luckily, I took a lot of food from Xiao Ge's kitchen when I left Stonewell City. Otherwise, we wouldn't have enough to eat."

Fortunately, there was a lot of extra space after the faucet was used, so Melina put some dry food into the bag. Now thinking about it, the original decision was really correct.

"What are your plans next? Have you decided where to go?" A'tu brought the topic back to the main topic and stopped dwelling on Roderica's huge appetite.

"I'm still a little unclear about my specific plans, but I won't give up on myself any longer," Roderica said with a shy smile. "Even if I haven't achieved anything yet, I firmly believe I can achieve something in the future. I want to embark on my journey again, to the Round Table Hall, where the Faded Ones gather, to find things I can accomplish with my own hands. This is also to live up to the trust of everyone who believes in me."

She would never succeed if she didn't do it, so she mustered up the courage to take the first step.

"Round Table Hall?"

"Round Table Hall!"

A'tu and Melina repeated the word in unison, but they didn't expect that Rodelica coincided with their next destination.

Roderica blinked. "Yes, it's the Hall of the Round Table. You've probably heard of that place, right? It's a sacred place that only the chosen heroes among the Faded Ones can go to. I wonder if I can find the way there."

Melina's eyes wandered, and she didn't have the heart to shatter Little Red Riding Hood's fantasy. "Actually, it's not as grand as you think. The Round Table Hall now looks more like the residence of a group of weirdos."

Roderica was speechless: "Huh? Have you ever been to the Round Table Hall?"

"Amei has been there." Ah Tui said honestly, "She's planning to take me somewhere next. If you don't mind, how about coming along?"

"No need. I feel really bad to trouble you two any further." Roderica politely declined.

"Let's go, let's go. We're just taking a ride. We're all friends. Don't be so formal. We won't charge you for the ticket." Melina grabbed Rodlika, not giving her the chance to timidly refuse.

"But, I..."

The witch grabbed the two men, one in each hand, and connected her consciousness to the other dimension in the void: "Alright, everyone close your eyes and count to three after me. Three, two, one, go!"

A brief feeling of weightlessness spread throughout his body, which was not much different from the normal long-distance teleportation using the blessing. But this time, when A'tai opened his eyes, the scene he saw was very different.

A huge blessing stands on a round table that can accommodate hundreds of people sitting around it, like a giant bonfire formed by thousands of bundles of firewood. The light it emits illuminates the hall like daylight, and the warm breath makes the faded people who approach the blessing feel even warmer, as if they have returned to their long-lost hometown.

The Great Blessing of the Round Table Hall, this miraculous landscape was built with the power of the creator of this place - "Two Fingers".

It was not known whether it was due to signal confusion or a translation problem, but ever since the Elden Ring was shattered, several "Two Fingers" who followed the Supreme Will had received different instructions. They all firmly believed that they were the correct faction and regarded their colleagues as heretics.

In this situation, everyone wants to prove who is right, and the separation is inevitable. However, the "Two Fingers" here still abide by the old rules and regulations of the Golden Rule. They created the Round Table Hall to gather the Faded Ones and choose a new king who can restore the Ring and ascend the throne.

"This is the legendary Round Table Hall. Seeing is believing." Roderica was completely shocked. Thanks to someone, she pressed the fast-forward button at the first step of her journey.

"〩〞陾(九)7〈流c咎引(〧三)玐刘 This place isn't the original hall built in the royal city of Rodel, but a special space created and replicated by the 'Two Fingers' using their own power. After entering for the first time, subsequent exits and reentries can be directly teleported through the blessing." Melina explained to the two people who had just arrived at the Round Table Hall for the first time, while taking out an eyepatch from her bag and putting it on her closed left eye.

"Amei, what are you doing?" A Tui was a little confused.

"For some reason, I have to hide the marks on my face when I meet Two Fingers." Melina put on her eye patch and proudly placed her hands on her hips. "Buddy, what do you think of my new look? Do you think I look much more handsome than usual? White Pearl, set sail!"

Ah Tui joked, "If we go to sail a pirate ship, Torret will cry. He can't run around on the sea, and he can't eat dried fruits anytime and anywhere."

A sudden thought came to his mind, and he felt that Melina must look very beautiful when she wore a silver-white eye mask to cover her eyes.

Just as the two were chatting, a man wearing red armor with white lining and decorated with petal emblems walked over from the other side in small steps.

"Please allow me to introduce myself, I am...Woo-poo!" A man in gorgeous armor took two steps towards this side when he was tripped by Melina who stretched out her toes and fell to the ground like an old lady hiding in the quilt.

The witch said with a vacant look in her eyes, "It's been so long, and you're still so much of a nobody, Diaros. It's time to stop flaunting your senior status and chatting up newcomers."

The scene when she first came to the Round Table Hall was similar to the current one, except that Diaros fell more badly that time.

"Melina..." Diaros rubbed his forehead and got up from the ground. "It's been a long time. Is this how you treat an old friend? Can't you see that I'm about to introduce myself to the new knight servant and the beautiful lady?"

"Knight's servant?" A'tai looked left and right. If the "beautiful lady" referred to Roderica, then this servant seemed to be only himself.

He was originally puzzled by Melina's tripping behavior, but suddenly he felt relieved. The fact that Diaros could live this long without being beaten to death with the way he spoke was truly a miracle in the border area.

"Who said last time that showing off your prestigious surname in the border area was pointless? I think it was you?" Melina's question left Diaros speechless. "Where's Lenya? Did you sneak out without her knowledge again? Be careful she'll put you in solitary confinement again when you get back."

"Oh, right, right!" Diaros clapped his hands, skipping over the self-introduction topic like a TV channel. "Excuse me, have you ever seen a girl named Lenya? She's my follower, and we grew up together. She's about the same height as the one next to you. She's a wild girl who likes to run around and brandish swords and guns, and often disappears in the blink of an eye."

After listening to his story, the first thought that popped into Ah Tui's mind was: Oh, childhood sweethearts, two innocent people."

The second thought was: "Is this person thinking straight? Why does he speak like he's playing a recording?" He began to understand why Melina said that the people gathered at the round table were a bunch of weirdos.

"In other words..." Melina held her forehead with one hand, "You sneaked off to who knows where, left Lenya behind, and came back alone. That's enough."

"Don't get the relationship wrong, little witch." Diaros pulled out the whip from his waist, and then, magically, inexplicably, tied himself up like a pretzel. "I am... this damn whip always refuses to obey. She is the servant, and I am the master. The one who is missing now is Lenya, not me."

The way he looked like he couldn't take care of himself was totally unconvincing.

The witch gave him a bright, kind smile. "So, you don't mind if I tell your brother about you hiding out here doing nothing, do you? I'll write a letter and deliver it to 'Royal City Shunfeng'. I guarantee you'll get a reply from him within a week."

"Well... I suddenly remembered that I have something else to do. I have a fan meeting to attend in the afternoon. Lenya should be able to come back by herself, so I don't have to go looking for her specially. See you guys later, remember to come to my fan meeting..." Diaros didn't finish his long-winded words before he was kicked on the butt by Melina and rolled back to his room. This time he really rolled back sideways. He came quickly and left even faster.

Melina breathed a sigh of relief: "The world is finally peaceful."

(ps: Happy Children's Day! Asking for votes at the beginning of the month, today is also the third update.)

Volume 1: The Journey Begins: Chapter 39: The Round Table Hall (Part 2)

"Who was that person just now..." Roderica has been out of the loop since Diaros appeared, and she is completely confused.

Seeing is believing, hearing is not. The Round Table Hall seems to be really different from the rumors. What the hell is this funny character who suddenly appears and then suddenly leaves?

"Diaros Khosrow. His older brother, Yuno Khosrow, is a renowned warrior among the Faded Ones, nicknamed the 'Blood Word Knight.' He has lived in the Giant Snow Mountains for years, battling the harsh environment and the local monsters. In contrast, his younger brother, Diaros, also a descendant of the renowned Khosrow family, has achieved nothing for years. Whether it's combat skills, magic, or prayer, he's only learned halfway before giving up, and aside from his eloquence, he has no real strengths."

Melina shook her head as she spoke. "Sometimes I wonder if Lenya and his brother are protecting him too well. If things continue like this, he'll never be able to stand on his own."

Ah Tui agreed, "Just now I took a quick look at Diaros's hands. His palms are very smooth and his whip skills are quite unfamiliar. The path of a warrior is not suitable for him."

As for Diaros's method of tying himself into a ball with a whip, to say he was not very good at it would be an exaggeration. If he really stepped onto the battlefield, he would probably tie himself up like a dumpling and be sent to the prisoner camp without the enemy having to make a move.

"Let's just pretend we've never met him. If there's a circus looking for clowns in the future, I'll submit a resume for him." Melina shrugged and led the way into the hallway where the sound of iron hammering could be heard. "I'm a celebrity here. What's next is the real journey through the Round Table Hall. Six-star service like mine is only available to acquaintances."

The regular sound of hammering came one after another, with the same number of seconds between each sound. Next to the red iron furnace, a sloppy old man with metal shackles on his ankles kept knocking down the hammer, beating the heated iron block, and the prototype of another weapon was born.

Melina greeted the old man warmly as soon as she saw him. "Grandpa Xiugu, I'm back! Did you miss me after being away for so long?"

The old blacksmith Xiu Gu stopped hammering and said, "It's you. No wonder there's so much noise outside. You haven't been back for so long, I thought you were dead out there."

Needless to say, Melina's reputation is once again directly related to her lively and nagging personality. The first reaction of people who see her is "that noisy girl is back."

"I won't die," Melina leaned forward, pouting in dissatisfaction. "I've finally found a partner worthy of my trust. I've been promoted from a masterless apprentice to a full-fledged miko. All I have to do now is defeat all the demigods and collect the Great Runes. Then I can head to the Golden Tree to meet the Elden Ring."

After completing the first step, the witch's plan has naturally reached the last step. The process in between is nothing more than her cheering for Ati, oh no...Galune, and then Ati just has to chop down all the enemies on the way. It's really simple, easy and brainless.

Xiu Gu had a blank expression on his face. He wiped the sweat off his face with the towel around his neck. "I don't understand what you're saying. I'm just a blacksmith working in the Round Table Hall. What I'm supposed to do won't change."

The blacksmith's attitude was quite cold, and even when he spoke, his eyes never moved away from the red-hot and deformed weapon, as if there were only three things in his world: the iron furnace, the hammer, and the weapon.

"Don't be afraid. Grandpa Xiugu is just straightforward. Although he looks a little scary, he doesn't mean any harm. You'll get used to him." Melina smiled awkwardly and explained to A-Tai and the others, "Besides, he's one of the best blacksmiths in the border area. With enough materials and runes, even scrap iron can be reborn in the hands of Grandpa Xiugu."

Upon hearing this, Ah Tu nodded to Xiu Gu and said, "Please take care of me, Grandpa Xiu Gu."

Respect for the elderly is a virtue of the faded. Furthermore, weapons are a warrior's second life, so the importance of a good blacksmith to them is self-evident. It's clear who has a better chance of survival: a man stripped naked and armed with a rusted, broken sword, or one well-equipped and wielding a two-meter-long sword.

Of course, there are very few special exceptions that are not within the scope of discussion. Some people have higher defense the less they wear.

"Just call me Xiugu, you don't need to learn from that little girl." The blacksmith looked up and down at the armor and shield that A'tai was wearing, and his eyes finally stopped on his sword. He drew out his straight sword with one hand.

Ah Dai was stunned at first, then he suppressed the urge to take back his weapon and let the blacksmith examine his sword.

Half a minute later, Xiu Gu said, "The sword is just an ordinary sword, but it can be seen that you have fought through many brutal battles with it." There was a hint of approval in his eyes. No blacksmith would not like to give the weapon he made with his own hands to a capable warrior.

A good horse deserves a good saddle, and a sword is a gift to a hero. Although this was their first meeting, Ah Tui had already gained his recognition: "I happen to have some scraps left over from forging weapons. If you have any weapons you want to forge, just give them to me. I will help you strengthen them to the best of my ability. Remember to come to me before you leave."

"Is this okay?" asked A Tui.

"It's not a must. Forging weapons for the Faded Ones is part of my job." Xiu Gu did not comment.

Melina took over the conversation: "Oh, even the strengthening materials have to be provided by Grandpa Xiugu, how can this be embarrassing?"

"You came to me first, isn't it because of this little thought?"