Lucian sat beside the Site of Grace before the Gatefront, with Melina quietly by his side.
From his pack, he retrieved a worn scrap of parchment—his map fragment. Unlike in the game, this one hadn't been floating conveniently in the open. It had been buried beneath a stone monument, tucked away in a slit barely wide enough to dig into. Perhaps the one who left it feared it might be blown away by the wind. Or maybe they had hoped to hide it from the prying eyes of patrolling soldiers.
Whatever the reason, the map fragment had survived, and along with it, a line of text:
"If you have found this map, I hope it helps. And if you can, leave something behind to help the next person."
Lucian wasn't sure how long ago those words had been written, nor who the author had been. The edges of the parchment were frayed and stained, but the script remained legible, the lines of ink still strong.
There was no magic to the map—no glowing markers, no helpful icons. Sites of Grace he'd touched before didn't shimmer to life across its surface like they had in the game.
He handed the map to Melina, pointing to a rough location.
"I want to return to the Church of Elleh," he said. "I touched a Grace there before. Can you take me?"
Melina studied the parchment, her fingers gently brushing over the ancient markings.
"I can transcribe this onto enchanted parchment," she said, looking up at him. "Once bound to you, it will allow the locations of Sites of Grace you have visited to appear."
"Oh? That's possible?" Lucian raised a brow. "Then I'll leave it to you."
From the satchel on Torrent's back, Melina withdrew a massive scroll of blank sheepskin and began setting up her tools—small, rune-etched implements that shimmered faintly in the light. She knelt on the ground, flattening the parchment, and began her work in silence.
Lucian hesitated as he watched her, brow furrowing.
"Wouldn't it be easier if we found a table or something? You look uncomfortable like that."
She shook her head without glancing up.
"No need. I accepted the duty of the maiden, and I intend to fulfill it fully. Besides, you're the one who has to do the fighting. This is nothing compared to that."
Lucian didn't press further. Melina was clearly someone who valued responsibility, and he respected that. He simply sat beside her quietly, watching the side of her face as she worked.
'If only you could live for yourself… not just your duty,' he thought.
Then—
"Lucian…"
Her voice caught him off guard.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Could you… stop staring at me?" she muttered, casting a sideward glance at him.
He blinked, flustered. "Ah—sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. I'll stop."
He quickly turned away, mentally chastising himself. From her perspective, they'd only just met, and here he was staring like a weirdo.
To distract himself, he pulled a handful of Rowa Fruit from a nearby bush and fed one to Torrent. The spectral steed chewed contentedly. Curious, Lucian popped one into his own mouth—and immediately regretted it.
Definitely not human food. He made a face and silently scratched the fruit from his emergency rations list.
As he stroked Torrent's silky mane, he began to mentally chart his next moves. First, he'd go back to the Church of Elleh and sell off the extra gear he'd scavenged. Kale would probably give him a good amount of Runes for it. With the spoils from earlier and the enemy soldiers he'd fought, he might even have enough to level up twice.
And if Lady Ranni happened to be there, he could try to get the Spirit Calling Bell for free.
But that was unlikely.
Ranni had only shown herself in the game because she'd been keeping an eye on Torrent's previous owner. Now that Lucian had only just acquired the mount, and all the witnesses at the Gatefront had been silenced, there was no reason for her to show up so soon.
Still, it didn't matter. He'd meet her eventually. He had time.
After that, he'd make for the Weeping Peninsula. On the way, he could detour slightly to find Boc the Seamster and meet Sellen, the Glintstone Sorcery teacher.
The only real decision was whether to pass through Mistwood first to enlist Blaidd's help and retrieve the Bloodhound's Fang, or head directly south.
After weighing the options, Lucian made up his mind.
To the Weeping Peninsula. Every day he delayed, the odds increased that Lady Irina would be killed.
In the game, I couldn't save her. This time, I will.
Not for any grand reason.
Just because he wanted to.
He'd come to this world with a goal: to give everyone the ending they deserved. A perfect one. If he didn't have the will to do even that, he might as well have stayed home and become a farmer.
Melina handed him the finished enchanted map without ceremony, her expression calm as ever.
The massive sheepskin scroll now shimmered faintly with magic, but only a portion of the lower left corner was filled in. The rest remained blank.
"This fragment corresponds to the area known as Limgrave" she explained. "The rest will be filled in over time, as you explore."
She reached for his hand.
"Let me bind it to you."
Lucian placed his hand in hers. Despite kneeling in the dirt moments ago, her skin was pristine—smooth and warm.
A moment later, a strange but familiar sensation stirred in his chest. He could now feel a faint link between himself and the parchment. His position on the map became visible, and dots of light marked the sites of Grace he'd previously touched.
"You may now choose a Site of Grace to return to"Melina said. "Speak it, and I shall take you there."
But Lucian shook his head.
"Wait here a moment. I'll be right back."
Taking the old map fragment in hand, he returned to the stone monument and reburied it, sealing it carefully beneath the stone where he had found it.
When he came back, Melina looked at him in quiet surprise.
"You buried it again? That map was hidden so well, even I would not have found it easily. Why?"
Lucian smiled softly.
"I have a new map now. This one should stay behind for the next person. If they're lucky enough to dig it up, maybe it'll help them too."
Melina blinked.
"But what if those who follow are your rivals? If they aim to become Elden Lord as well, you'll be enemies."
Lucian shrugged.
"The person who left this map didn't worry about that. Why should I? If someone beats me later, that just means I wasn't good enough. I wouldn't have any right to complain."
He looked her straight in the eyes.
"But I don't plan on losing."
Melina stared at him a moment longer, something shifting in her expression.
She had to admit—he was honest. Blunt to the point of being endearing. And for a moment, she almost smiled.
She didn't speak again, merely extended her hand once more.
"Then let my hand rest upon you. I shall take you to the Grace you desire."