Elden Lord of Cinders

The reason for the All-Knowing's change in attitude was simple.

Just as he'd told Lloyd before—so long as Lloyd obtained a Great Rune, he would acknowledge him as a true member of the Roundtable Hold. As for how he got it—whether through a duel, a gang-up, or even by selling bait—he didn't care.

As the All-Knowing, he acknowledged all forms of "ability." If someone could manage to secure a Great Rune through bait-peddling, well, that too counted as skill in his eyes.

What's more, Lloyd had enlisted Nepheli's help in the fight, and she had given him a full account of what happened afterward. So even if he hadn't seen it himself, he had a general idea of how it played out—if it could even be called a battle.

"At last, someone decent at the Roundtable. I'm pleased."

He looked at Lloyd, speaking in an even tone.

"You want more Great Runes, don't you? For the sake of our camaraderie, I can share some intel."

"The Roundtable Hold has located five Shardbearers who possess Great Runes—including the one you already defeated."

"The Lord of Stormveil, Godrick the Grafted."

"General Radahn, who fought Malenia to a stalemate on the Caelid plains."

"The Veiled Monarch of Leyndell, Morgott the Grace Given."

"And the Queen of the Full Moon, Rennala, of Raya Lucaria Academy."

"Which of them are you after?"

Having said his piece, the All-Knowing quietly studied Lloyd, patiently awaiting his reply.

Lloyd considered it for a moment. "I asked an old buddy before, and he suggested I check out Raya Lucaria."

"Oh, that's a solid choice."

All-Knowing nodded. "Right now, the academy is in the middle of a civil war, and the 'Queen of the Full Moon' who holds the Great Rune isn't in great shape. Probably the easiest one to get, aside from Godrick the Grafted."

"Yeah, I've heard the same from others." Lloyd nodded.

Since he often sat in on Sellen's lectures, he was somewhat familiar with the situation in Caria. Plus, he'd talked it over with Old Margit before and heard some of his takes.

But...

"Queen of the Full Moon?"

This wasn't the first time Lloyd had heard the title, but he'd never given it much thought.

However, having just spoken to Old Margit about Ranni before coming here—and now hearing All-Knowing mention the title again—something felt off.

A Queen of the Full Moon... and a Lunar Princess...

"What's her relationship to Ranni?"

"Oh? You don't know?" All-Knowing looked a bit surprised.

Lloyd shrugged. "I've got amnesia."

The All-Knowing gave him a glance but didn't press it. After a brief pause, he spoke slowly.

"The 'Queen of the Full Moon,' Rennala, is the mother of the 'Lunar Princess,' Ranni."

"Oh, I see."

Lloyd nodded, but then something clicked.

"Wait a sec... aren't all the Demigods supposed to be Queen Marika's children? Isn't the 'Lunar Princess' a Demigod? So are they both...?"

"The Princess of the Moon is the daughter of the 'hero' Radagon and the Queen of the Full Moon."

"Who's Radagon?"

Lloyd paused, then suddenly had a revelation.

"Oh! I get it—Radagon is Marika's male form, right?"

Myths always had stuff like that. Gods didn't necessarily have fixed genders. Even if someone was called a queen, they were still divine, and slapping on an extra form wasn't a big stretch.

All-Knowing: "...?"

Seeing Lloyd's confident expression, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

Well... that conclusion...

Anyway, after a moment's thought, All-Knowing decided to drop the topic.

"Why do you want to know about the Queen of the Full Moon and the Lunar Princess?"

"Oh, you mean Ranni."

Lloyd replied casually, "Didn't I just meet her? She helped me out a bit, so I figured I should make sure I don't kill the wrong person later…"

He let out a sigh. "Good thing I thought to ask. Otherwise, if I accidentally killed her mother, I wouldn't even know how to explain it next time I saw her. But I really do need that Great Rune. Maybe I'll go back and ask Ranni if her mother could lend it to me…"

The All-Knowing: "...?"

"You're with the Lunar Princess's faction?"

Lloyd glanced at him. "What do you mean, 'Lunar Princess's faction'?"

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but after he answered, Lloyd thought he saw steam rising from the All-Knowing's head.

"I…"

The All-Knowing opened his mouth, but couldn't get any words out.

After a long silence, he sighed.

"I need some time to think. You go take care of your own business for now."

Why does everyone in this land love speaking in riddles?

Lloyd grumbled internally and turned to leave.

But just before he left, the All-Knowing added,

"Oh, by the way, if you don't mind, I'd like Nepheli to go with you."

Lloyd turned back. "What's this about?"

"She's a capable fighter. She could be of help to you. And at the same time, I'd be able to gather more intel on you."

The All-Knowing said it outright.

"Besides, that girl is like an uncut gem. And you... there's something about you, something even I can't fully grasp. I'm curious to see what she might become under your influence. Maybe... it'll be interesting."

A real joker, huh?

After a moment of thought, Lloyd nodded. "Sure, if she wants to come, I don't mind."

Even though the All-Knowing made it clear he was trying to gather intel, Lloyd didn't feel like he had anything to hide. Besides, it did sound like a side quest.

So, after wrapping up the conversation, Lloyd took another stroll around the Roundtable Hold to confirm there was nothing else to do, then returned to Stormveil.

"You're back?"

Sitting at his desk, rubbing his temples, Morgott let out a long sigh.

"What did the Two Fingers say?"

Lloyd thought for a second, then raised two fingers, wiggled them in front of Morgott while imitating the Two Fingers, and said seriously,

"More or less something like this."

Morgott: "..."

He really shouldn't have expected anything from this guy.

"Never mind. I won't ask about the Roundtable Hold."

Morgott sighed again, even deeper this time.

"Tell me about Ranni. What's your relationship with her?"

Lloyd paused to think. "I wanted to learn sorceries from her, but she thinks I'm too dumb and won't teach me."

Morgott's mouth twitched.

Honestly, out of all the demigods, Ranni was probably the one Morgott despised the most.

But this time... even he thought she made the right call.

"So you're not one of her people, and you're not planning to be her 'Consort', right?"

"What do you mean, her 'Consort'?"

"I... Never mind."

Morgott sighed again, thinking that it was enough to know this guy and Ranni weren't aligned.

"Just know that woman is dangerous. Don't believe a word she says, and don't ever lower your guard around her."

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah, I know that. Melina mentioned it to me before."

Seeing him nod, Morgott let out a breath of relief. He was too tired to even wonder why "Melina" would say such things.

"Let's talk about Trina. What's your relationship with her?"

Lloyd thought for a moment. "Uh, if I had to say... it's like a user and a tool?"

Morgott: "...?"

No, buddy, you...

Morgott was momentarily speechless.

To be honest, while his true self had always had harsh opinions about his demigod siblings in the Royal Capital, Trina was the one exception he had never cursed. After all, it's not like a child can be blamed for sleeping. Especially when her sleep wasn't even her choice, but a curse tied to her power.

So, when it came to this "little sister," Morgott had never held anything against her. In fact, he even felt a bit of concern.

At the moment, he still didn't understand what the relationship between Lloyd and Trina was, or how they'd ended up involved with each other. But judging by their behavior, it was clear that Trina wasn't being forced—if anything, she even seemed to be taking the initiative.

That was a little... concerning.

After a long silence, Morgott sighed deeply and decided not to press the matter further.

If Miquella were still around, he could at least question him about why she had turned away. But judging by Trina's current state, it was clear she had already parted ways with Miquella.

And as for getting any intel from Miquella... that was out of the question.

Like he'd said before, just to hear Trina speak, one had to enter a state of "deep sleep." Even a demigod wouldn't be exempt. And going further than that—trying to truly communicate—was no longer just about sleeping or not. That level of "eternal slumber" was something dangerously potent, even for an immortal demigod.

Besides, even if he did get an answer, he lacked the strength to do anything about it. Miquella might not be much of a fighter, but his sister—Malenia, the one they called the "Valkyrie"—she could definitely fight.

"Alright, I don't have any more questions. If you've got nothing else, get ready to head to Raya Lucaria... No, wait."

Morgott suddenly remembered something.

"Do you know the relationship between the Queen of the Full Moon and the Lunar Princess?"

"I didn't before, but I do now."

Lloyd nodded seriously. "The Queen of the Full Moon is named Rennala. Radagon is Marika. And together, they had a daughter—Ranni."

"Oh, you know..."

Morgott nodded, then froze as he realized something was off.

"Wait, what did you just say?"