"You were sent by my father to look in on me?"
Ranni regarded Shin with visible skepticism.
But the handsome young man before her — his clothing, his race — was unlike anything she had ever encountered in the Lands Between. That alone, as a demigod, gave her pause.
If he were a subordinate her father had secretly recruited from beyond the Lands Between during his time as a "King," that would be a plausible enough explanation.
After all, the first Elden Lord, Godfrey, had gathered his own forces. There was no reason her father couldn't have done the same.
But knowing her father's temperament, would he really have... done something like this for her, the "traitor" who had forsaken the Golden Order...?
"...Very well. I'll take your word for it — for now. Forgive me for my rash attack, stranger."
Two of her four palms pressed together, then parted.
Beneath the wide brim of her witch's pointed hat, where two faces seemed to flicker between real and illusory, the puppet witch chose not to continue treating Shin as an enemy.
It wasn't that she blindly believed him. Rather, she felt a stranger who knew the true name beneath this puppet body had no reason to lie. In Leyndell's current state of disarray — with the "heroic" Radagon nowhere to be found — claiming to be his subordinate was a fringe identity that would bring Shin nothing but trouble.
And most importantly —
She had noticed that the "Great Rune of the Unborn" had somehow vanished, apparently absorbed into this young man before her. And with that realization, a number of plans and possibilities had begun to take shape in her mind.
She had long lacked a reliable ally — one entirely independent of the Two Fingers' influence and control.
And that ally needed to possess some measure of genuine strength. The sight of Shin taking Adula's Moonblade clean to the neck without a scratch had given her plenty to think about.
"I appreciate the trust, Lady Ranni. I never lie."
Technically not a lie — her mom and her dad are kind of the same person anyway.
In a manner of speaking, Radagon and Marika were the product of one being's left and right minds at war with each other — even if the Two Fingers had their hand in shaping the divide.
Still, Ranni dropping her hostility this quickly was more than Shin had expected. He had assumed he'd at least need to trade blows.
"Speak your purpose, stranger."
"It's like this — I've accepted a commission from your father to seek out each of his children one by one, and bring them word of him."
Shin considered for a moment, then said:
"If possible, I'd like to meet your true self in person, Lady Ranni. Would that be convenient?"
"...Let's not."
Convenient? Absolutely not.
Even if this young man appeared to know where her missing father was, and seemed to have accepted some kind of commission from him — Ranni, who was currently evading the Two Fingers' assassination attempts, could not possibly disclose the location of her true body to an outsider.
She hadn't sensed a single trace of the Golden Order's influence on Shin — the likelihood of him being under the Two Fingers' control was low — but she obviously wasn't going to bare her vulnerabilities to someone she'd just met.
What Ranni didn't know was that this was precisely the outcome Shin had been hoping for.
— As a player with five hundred hours in the Elden Ring, did he really not know where Ranni lived? He had the spawn locations of every Fingercreeper in the bushes around Caria Manor burned into his muscle memory.
All he wanted was a legitimate excuse to drag this whole "matchmaking" business out as long as possible.
But at that very moment, Shin noticed a new notification from the chat group:
[Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)]: How's it going over there? Give us an update!
[Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)]: My child is out there on his own for the first time. Has he been mistreated? He hasn't run into any danger, has he?
[Moon Princess]: ?
[Moon Princess]: Is that you, Great Witch? Didn't you hand over your group account to your kid for the time being? How are you logged back in?
[Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)]: Yes, I originally thought handing the account over meant I couldn't do anything at all — but I couldn't just sit still and worry, so I tinkered with it on a whim.
[Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)]: Turns out the [Temporary Transfer] restrictions only block features other than chatting, so my child can still use the account normally. Anyway — how is he? Is everything going smoothly? Someone fill me in, hurry, hurry, hurry!
[Lord of the Lands Between]: His safety is not a concern. I have bestowed upon him a Great Rune from My world. His constitution, while I have not witnessed it firsthand, is quite remarkable — ordinary circumstances cannot touch him.
[Lord of the Lands Between]: Furthermore, the [Boundary Breaking Talisman]'s description also states that it will return its user to their own world should they face a life-threatening crisis. There is no need to worry.
[Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)]: Sigh, you're right, but I just can't stop fretting.
[Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)]: I was too hasty. I should have sent his little sister along with him — at least they could have watched each other's backs.
Shin: ?
Hold on — this group chat was remarkably modern. Just like the latest version of a certain messaging app, there wasn't even a kicked-out-for-dual-login issue.
Shin was just grateful that throughout his chat-group conversation, he had faithfully maintained the image of an upstanding, wholesome young man. If he'd said one wrong thing and the Great Witch — quietly screen-peeping the whole time — had caught him, there would have been absolute hell to pay.
[Moon Princess]: @Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)
[Moon Princess]: I'm watching the stream right now, and your child's actually quite lucky — he's already run into Lady Marika's daughter, barely any time after arriving.
[Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)]: He has? What does she look like? What's her figure like? Does she pass the eye test?
The Great Witch was clearly eager and impatient — if the feature restrictions hadn't blocked her from watching the stream, she would have been in there this instant, pointing at the screen and commentating.
[Moon Princess]: In terms of looks — not bad at all, actually. She has a hint of my own charm~
[Moon Princess]: Figure-wise, she's alright too. Tall, neither too thin nor too heavy — from my perspective, she'd make a fine match.
[Moon Princess]: Though...
Like someone who knew exactly how to dangle a hook, the certain NEET princess paused for deliberate effect.
[Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)]: Though what?
[Moon Princess]: Though she may not be able to fully meet the Great Witch's particular requirements. She doesn't appear to have a normal physical body~
[Moon Princess]: @Lord of the Lands Between Lady Marika, you said the one in the stream is just your daughter's avatar — so is her true body also a puppet?
[Lord of the Lands Between]: Yes.
[Lord of the Lands Between]: Due to certain circumstances, Ranni permanently lost her concept of a "physical body." Her soul can only reside within a puppet.
[Lord of the Lands Between]: I notice Ranni seems to have taken an interest in the Great Witch's child. If the Great Witch is agreeable, I could intervene and guide things along a little.
[Lord of the Lands Between]: I am quite fond of this young man myself. His ability and appearance are both admirable, and in the past, I might have...
You might have what, exactly?
Shin felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine. Marika's habit of spreading her affections liberally across the Lands Between wasn't exactly a conspiracy theory — it was practically documented history. Where else would Morgott and Mohg have come from?
He wanted absolutely no part of that particular ride. Everyone who'd ever gotten on it had been burned.
[Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)]: Hold on, Lady Marika. I want to ask about something important.
[Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)]: Your daughter — can she have children?
[Moon Princess]: ?
[Moon Princess]: Wait, is that really the key point here? I thought the Great Witch's comments about having children were just hyperbole — you know, an exaggerated way of talking about an alliance.
[Moon Princess]: In a visual novel you have to build up affection first, unlock conversations gradually, and trigger the final special CG at the end... how did we skip straight to "having children"?
[Lord of the Lands Between]: This... Ranni has lost her physical form. Theoretically speaking, bearing children would indeed be rather difficult...
Even the ever-composed [Lord of the Lands Between] was at a loss for words.
She had watched through the group livestream as Shin arrived and seamlessly absorbed the Great Rune, then happened upon Ranni by chance — and it had given her ideas.
But clearly, things had taken a turn she hadn't anticipated.
[Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)]: Please forgive my bluntness, Lady Marika. Our situation here is rather particular.
[Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)]: Shaya, if you're watching — she can't have children, so don't pursue it. Don't hold a lovely girl back from finding someone who's truly right for her.
[Spreading Witch Factor (Temp Account)]: Lady Marika, do you have any other daughters? Could you perhaps introduce another one to my child?
[Lord of the Lands Between]: ...
...
To be continued…