Death granted the departed eternal rest, but it did not cut off the living from their path forward. The three women and the dragon watched as Nolan finished everything.
Little by little, the entire graveyard sank into deathly silence. Only the wind occasionally swept through the treetops, stirring a faint rustling sound.
Nolan lifted a brow and turned his head slightly, as if he had sensed something, but all he saw were the freshly turned mounds of earth over the graves.
"All right, everything's ready. Let's go."
Without dwelling on it, Nolan raised his head and looked into the distance. His gaze crossed mountain after mountain before finally settling on far-off Caelid.
If nothing unexpected had happened, the Blood Dynasty was still hidden beneath that land. It was not as though he felt any strange kinship with Mohg. After all, the first time they met, he had nearly chopped the man in half.
And since they were enemies who could never reconcile no matter what, then only one road remained before them. Either you die, or I do.
There was no way to get there by ordinary means, unless Caelid itself were shattered and sunk into ruin beyond redemption.
Fortunately, the substantial gains he had made earlier might finally prove useful now.
Sellen came over with an eager look on her face and asked without the slightest delay,
"Foolish disciple, when are we leaving for that Blood Dynasty?"
The corner of Nolan's mouth lifted into a confident smile.
"As soon as possible, of course. But before that, try using this."
With a light laugh, he reached into his Spirit Ring, took out a badge glowing with a strange blood-red light, and casually tossed it to Sellen.
"The Pureblood Knights' Medal?"
Seeing this, Ranni craned her neck slightly, her eyes closely following the red badge as it traced a graceful arc through the air.
She remembered that the first time they encountered someone from the Blood Dynasty, Nolan had already been collecting this strange thing.
Melina, standing nearby, also stepped forward curiously and asked softly,
"What does this badge do?"
"It's the key to the Blood Dynasty. Melina won't need it. When I go, you can just follow in spirit form," Nolan explained. "Master, try using it with your mind."
Sellen did not press for more details. Instead, she chose to trust her student without reservation.
She gripped the medal, closed her eyes tightly, and focused with all her might on trying to activate its power.
Time passed second by second, but even after quite a while, nothing happened.
"It doesn't work at all! You didn't get it wrong, did you?" Sellen opened her eyes, looking both puzzled and disappointed as she turned to her student.
"There's no mistake. I've already tried it myself. But this thing is bound to the soul, so none of you can use it."
If he had only explained it verbally, this teacher of his would definitely have insisted on digging all the way to the bottom of it. Nolan went straight to the source and let her test it herself, saving himself the trouble.
Something this important was bound to come with restrictions. Otherwise, the Blood Dynasty would have long since been infiltrated and riddled with holes by outside forces.
The Pureblood Knights were certainly not weak, but among all the powerful figures in the Lands Between, they were hardly invincible.
If one of them died outside, the medal they carried could very easily fall into someone else's hands.
Necessary safeguards were absolutely indispensable.
After listening to the two of them, Melina could not help asking,
"Then how can you use it?"
Her beautiful eyes blinked with curiosity as she looked at Nolan.
Nolan smiled faintly, reached out, and gently patted Melina on the head.
"The reason is simple. The souls of the people these medals belonged to are all with me."
Everyone present knew what Nolan was capable of. Melina was the only one who asked that question, so there was no need to say who was adorably foolish.
"We need to move quickly before Mohg learns that Her Highness the Saintess is in the Realm of Shadow."
The deep night was like a heavy curtain, quietly concealing the movements of all five of them.
When dawn finally tore across the horizon and the sky gradually brightened, Nolan and his group bid farewell to Diego.
Riding on Lansseax, they hurried all the way back to Stormveil.
In truth, Nolan had not been gone for very long, but the city, already prosperous to begin with, seemed even more swollen with people than before.
There were great numbers of Tarnished with nowhere else to go, wandering from place to place. And there was an endless stream of Golden Dynasty Subjects coming to enlist, hoping to carve out an epic with mortal bodies.
Even many Misbegotten, once scorned as lowly creatures, were now willing to submit to the Lord of this city.
The dead accepted death, while the living simply wanted to go on living. That was all.
Faced with such a scene, Nolan felt little melancholy. This humanoid killing machine had taken too many lives already. He was long accustomed to the struggle between life and death.
"Well now, looks like you lot have done pretty well while I was gone."
Nolan carefully read through the detailed report in his hand. His personal guard had achieved quite a bit lately and had taken several more villages.
"And that's all thanks to our Lord. The greater your reputation grows, the more followers come seeking you out. Our power now is nothing like what it used to be."
Nepheli planted her hands on her hips and threw her head back with a bold laugh, her face full of unconcealed pride and excitement.
In her excitement, she even gave Nolan a loud kiss on the cheek. Fortunately, everyone in this small hall was one of their own, otherwise Vyke would definitely have reminded her to watch her image.
"Those petty nobles aren't worth worrying about. The real obstacles to unifying Limgrave are Fort Haight and Castle Morne."
Vyke, standing nearby, looked much steadier by comparison, but the pride hidden deep in his heart could still be heard in his voice.
"Then deal with the petty nobles first. No need to rush. Just do what you can."
With a casual wave of his hand, Nolan set the course for everyone.
"We will not fail in our duty. Please go without worry, my lord. We will await your triumphant return at Stormveil!"
Dolores gave a serious expression and bowed respectfully.
The heroine's sincerity was genuine enough, but in her eyes Nolan saw only longing for the Saintess, not the slightest reluctance to part with her lord.
"Be careful, all of you. This land is full of dangerous people. One wrong step and you'll end up in serious trouble."
"Master, don't worry. I brought the gift you gave your student."
"And Lansseax, behave yourself. When we reach the Blood Dynasty, I'll settle your score with that old bastard. Nepheli, keep an eye on her."
"And Melina, let's go."
With that, Nolan gently adjusted the sleeping Ranni on his shoulder, then took out the Pureblood Knights' Medal.
"Hmph, it's not like I'm some pet..." Melina muttered a couple of dissatisfied complaints under her breath, but in the end she still obediently walked over to Nolan's side.