Edgar was contemplating how to deal with these two.
Although he hadn't fully understood the whole truth, what the two had said seemed to be genuine.
If they were truly deceived and used, then they weren't entirely to blame. The blood debt should be paid by the true mastermind.
In Edgar's view, the mastermind was likely someone behind the black-armored Tarnished whose arm he had severed.
That man had mentioned a mission, so it was probably some sort of religious order.
As the castellan, Edgar swore to find the culprits and make them pay in blood.
"I haven't ascertained the full truth of the matter yet. After I've interrogated everything out of that man, I'll decide how to handle you."
"Even if you were truly used, you still participated in this tragedy, so a punishment will be decided after I've given it some thought. But if you're just trying to evade responsibility with this story, the only fate awaiting you is execution at my hands."
Edgar planned to leave the two for now. He first had to capture and interrogate the one-armed Tarnished.
With his weapon broken and an arm missing, the emissary posed no threat in Edgar's eyes. That's why he hadn't been in a rush earlier and had taken the time to listen to the perfumer's explanation.
Bai Shi quietly watched everything unfold. Although the sudden intrusion of the perfumer and the Leonine Misbegotten was unexpected, the emissary's defeat was certain. Right now, he just wanted to rest and then find Melina to level up.
However, the emissary, whom everyone regarded as a fish on the chopping block, pulled out a branch that shimmered with a strange light.
Everyone's gaze was involuntarily drawn to it.
The captivating pink glow made one stare uncontrollably, wanting to reach out and touch the beloved silhouette within the light.
Such was the terrifying power of items related to Empyreans; just taking it out exerted mental control over everyone present.
The emissary was no exception, but thanks to his unwavering faith in the Two Fingers, he was the first to regain his senses.
Seizing the moment while everyone was entranced, he thrust the branch toward the Leonine Misbegotten, Singh.
Seeing the emissary move, the others snapped out of their daze. Singh swung a large hand, intending to knock the emissary back.
But the emissary infused the branch with magic. The sigil of the Haligtree flashed, and a captivating pink gas wafted from the branch, instantly enveloping Singh.
Singh's movements froze as if someone had hit pause.
Edgar's figure shot forward, kicking the emissary away before thrusting his halberd into the man's other arm.
"Singh! Don't breathe in the gas!"
Evan rushed to Singh's side and took out a perfumer's bottle, but he didn't dare use it.
He had never seen such a thing before and didn't know its effects. He couldn't risk using his aromatics recklessly.
Singh slowly began to move again, but his eyes glinted with a strange pink light.
"Singh, are you all righ—"
Evan backed away from Singh's side. He had noticed something was wrong. The Singh before him was no longer the same person.
Singh bared his teeth where he stood. One hand reached for the greatsword stuck in the ground, but his other hand immediately grabbed its wrist.
It was as if two consciousnesses were fighting for control of his body.
Seeing this, the emissary on the ground knew he had succeeded. Singh now only needed a command to revert to a mindless, bloodthirsty beast.
"Go get that legendary greatsword and kill them all!"
Edgar kicked the emissary in the face, knocking out several of his teeth.
But it couldn't stop the emissary's laughter.
"Hahaha, you're all going to die!"
Edgar kicked him in the head again, finally knocking him unconscious.
Having received his command, the balance in Singh's mind was shattered. His eyes glowed crimson and bloodthirsty. Ignoring the iron greatsword on the ground, he galloped on all fours toward a room in the castle. He was so fast that the three of them had no way to stop him.
Evan's face was pale, and Edgar's expression was grim.
"A legendary greatsword... you didn't steal the Grafted Blade Greatsword from Castle Morne, did you?"
Evan began to explain.
"There were two of them, both emissaries of the Two Fingers' church. The other one was skilled in stealth. He took advantage of the rebellion to steal the greatsword and bring it to our hiding place."
"I'm afraid they showed us the greatsword earlier just so the controlled Singh would know its location."
Edgar looked at Evan with wary disbelief.
"I've never heard of anything that can control a creature's mind."
Bai Shi retrieved his Lordsworn's Greatsword from the pile of Misbegotten corpses and walked over.
"It's a Bewitching Branch, an item related to the Empyrean Miquella. It makes its target obey commands unconditionally. I just didn't expect him to have something ."
"What! It's related to Lord Miquella..."
"To think such a thing exists..."
Bai Shi's heart was heavy now. The Leonine Misbegotten, Singh, had felt incredibly oppressive. Since he'd arrived in this world, only the Grafted Scion could compare.
And once Singh wielded the Grafted Blade Greatsword, he would likely become even stronger.
Bai Shi ignored their shock and continued speaking.
"Do you have any way to heal me? Something to suppress fatigue would also work. Give me everything you have. We'll have to fight side-by-side soon, or we'll all die."
Bai Shi had recovered slightly, but he was still in poor shape to fight.
Edgar looked at Bai Shi with concern. He didn't want the warrior before him to keep fighting.
But the situation was dire. The strength of that Leonine Misbegotten was not to be underestimated; even Edgar at full power wasn't sure he could win. This was no time for hesitation.
He sighed and began to cast a healing incantation.
Evan silently took out several perfumer's bottles and sprinkled the powder toward Bai Shi.
As his companion, he knew how terrifying Singh was. Only this Tarnished warrior, who had single-handedly slain hundreds of Misbegotten, had a chance of defeating him. Healing him was a must.
"This is a healing aroma that can continuously restore your wounds. There's also an uplifting aromatic that can temporarily boost your spirits."
Bai Shi felt his wounds gradually healing, and his fatigue began to fade.
He picked up the Flask the emissary had dropped and stuffed it into his pouch.
Then the three of them stood ready. They would fight side-by-side.
Before long, a red figure carrying a grotesque greatsword crashed into the courtyard, smashing the Misbegotten corpses beneath its feet into pulp. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲·𝗻𝗲𝘁
The greatsword was forged from countless blades melted together, black and lightless. This was the greatsword of vengeance, burdened by endless sorrow and rage—the Grafted Blade Greatsword.
The red-maned beast roared, then raised the Grafted Blade Greatsword high, infusing it with magic and awakening the dead souls within the sword.
A black aura surged from the sword and poured into Singh's body. His muscles began to swell, and his skin took on a rock-like hue.
No other changes were visible to the naked eye, but if Bai Shi remembered correctly, the buff from the Grafted Blade Greatsword boosted all attributes.
Bai Shi's expression was grave. He couldn't even imagine how difficult it would be to fight a Leonine Misbegotten that had used the weapon art of the Grafted Blade Greatsword.