It was always like this.
Nothing had changed.
Melina could only watch silently from behind as Bai Shi went to fight alone.
During battle, she could only watch Bai Shi, her heart filled with worry.
Even offering words of encouragement was difficult, as it might distract Bai Shi and affect the outcome of the fight.
Only on certain occasions, when she noticed something he needed to be wary of or had to give him a reminder, would she speak up.
Only then would Melina feel a little like she was fighting side-by-side with Bai Shi.
But Melina knew she was only comforting herself.
"Well..."
"Alright, in that case, you should hurry out and keep an eye on that woman.""Be careful, she might break free and run off."
Melina found an excuse to quickly end the topic.
Bai Shi smiled and countered, "There's no rush. I tied her up so thoroughly, there's no way she can escape."
The rope Bai Shi carried wasn't some shoddy thing he'd picked off a corpse.
It was Stormveil-made, quality guaranteed, and quite sturdy.
Even if his knot-tying skills were poor, the extra loops he'd made were more than strong enough.
Melina blinked, teasing him playfully, "Well, whose fault is it that your tying skills are so poor?"
"Then why didn't you teach me just now?"
"...Pfft, because I don't know how either."
Bai Shi tapped Melina's nose, which made her a little shy and defeated.
This was a good method Bai Shi had previously discovered for dealing with Melina.
Although she had long since grown used to holding hands, Melina was quite shy about contact with other parts of her body.
A light tap like that, and Melina would turn her head and pretend to ignore him.
It was quite a suitable tactic for when it was time to leave the Site of Grace.
Although he was ready to get up and leave the Site of Grace, Bai Shi found something strange.
Melina clearly had the same feeling of familiarity with the Black Knife Assassin, yet she showed no intention of discussing the assassin's identity.
From what Bai Shi knew of Melina, this was unlike her.
However, worrying about a prisoner escaping was also very much in line with Melina's character.
It made sense for Melina to be concerned.
So Bai Shi nodded, rose to his feet, said goodbye to Melina, and left the space of the Site of Grace.
As he left, Bai Shi heard a faint, almost imperceptible sigh.
The sigh was so light, it was as if he had misheard it.
Melina hid it well, but Bai Shi's keen senses still managed to catch it.
What was Melina thinking about?
She had just recalled how to use her weapon; that was something to be happy about.
No, perhaps that was precisely the reason.
She was troubled by the fact that she had no physical body.
After all, she had said before, back in Castle Morne, that she was sorry she couldn't help without a physical form.
'Just wait a little longer, Melina.'
'I will definitely get you a physical body again, so you can truly journey with me.'
——
Bai Shi walked up to the Black Knife Assassin.
The Black Knife Assassin had woken up.
She was lying on the ground, twisting and struggling.
Because Bai Shi had bound her from head to toe like a dumpling, her struggles made her look like a squirming caterpillar, which was a bit amusing.
The sweat and blood on the Black Knife Assassin's body had matted her hair, sticking it to her neck and cheeks.
From rubbing against the ground, she looked rather grimy.
Seeing Bai Shi appear out of thin air and walk over, the Black Knife Assassin stopped her wriggling.
The shame of it! To be bound like this, forced to writhe on the ground in an attempt to escape.
And to be seen in such a state.
She raised her head and stared intently at Bai Shi.
Before, she had been so focused on getting away that she hadn't noticed.
Only now did she realize he was a Tarnished.
Although the Black Knife Assassins were always in hiding, they didn't stay in one place forever.
They weren't completely ignorant of happenings in the outside world.
They knew that Queen Marika had shattered the Elden Ring and recalled the once-exiled Tarnished armies.
But what was the deal with this Tarnished?
He had appeared inexplicably in this tomb.
After their fight and her defeat, she realized he couldn't possibly be a simple graverobber.
At least, he hadn't come to this tomb to rob graves.
Grave robbing was not a glorious profession anywhere, and anyone with a bit of strength wouldn't stoop to such a thing.
If even someone as strong as Bai Shi had to resort to robbing graves, she couldn't imagine how poorly the Tarnished must be faring.
Therefore, she surmised that Bai Shi had come to this tomb for another reason entirely.
And in this tomb, aside from the strange white flames, she was likely the only valuable target.
At this thought, the Black Knife Assassin's heart sank.
Had she been exposed when she moved to this location?
He hadn't killed her. Did he want to extract some information from her?
It seemed she would have to find a chance to kill herself.
The leak of information was inevitable; this way, she could at least minimize the damage.
She didn't have the confidence to endure all manner of brutal torture.
But how could she commit suicide with him right in front of her?
The Black Knife Assassin pondered this, glaring fiercely at Bai Shi.
Bai Shi stood before her and spoke with a hint of helplessness:
"I already told you, I'm not an enemy."
"I just want to know a few things."
"Look, I haven't taken your life, I haven't done anything to you, and I even healed your wounds."
Bai Shi pulled out the gag from the Black Knife Assassin's mouth, a strip of cloth from her own clothes.
It was hard to talk with a gag in her mouth.
Then, Bai Shi reached out with his right hand, placed it on her face, and stuck his thumb into her mouth, wedging it between her upper and lower teeth.
Bai Shi wasn't doing anything strange; he was just worried that the Black Knife Assassin might bite her own tongue and commit suicide the moment he gave her a chance to speak.
Given the style of the Black Knife Assassins, it was a real possibility.
It was a bit strange, and would probably make her speech muffled, but at least it eliminated the possibility of her biting her tongue to kill herself.
The Black Knife Assassin's expression was odd as she looked at Bai Shi with confusion.
What was this guy doing? Did he really think one could commit suicide by biting their tongue?
If only it were that convenient.
To truly commit suicide, one had to prepare poison in their mouth beforehand.
Unfortunately, she hadn't prepared any, nor had she had the chance to put any in her mouth.
But clearly, Bai Shi, who had never tried to bite his own tongue in his past life, didn't know this.
After all, he'd never experienced it or looked into it; it was just something he'd heard. In truth, if Bai Shi thought about it carefully, he would realize this was a fantasy world with bizarrely resilient bodies.
Things like bleeding out or suffocating had little effect on these supernaturally tough individuals.
But the Black Knife Assassin didn't bother to correct Bai Shi.
Staying silent was the best course of action.
This guy didn't seem like he would kill her immediately; he wanted to get some information before she died.
As for his claims of not being an enemy and having healed her? She didn't even need to consider it.
It was probably just feigned kindness to gain her trust.
She was well aware of how critical the information she carried was.
She needed to use this time to figure out how to end her own life.
The Black Knife Assassin bit down hard on the thumb Bai Shi had stuck in her mouth, a protest born of indignation.
If this angered Bai Shi enough to kill her outright, that wouldn't be so bad.
Her teeth bit down on his finger, which felt a little ticklish. Paired with the slippery sensation of saliva, it was an indescribably odd feeling.
Bai Shi ignored this and began to question the Black Knife Assassin on his own:
"What's your name?"
There was no response, only a fierce glare.
"You're a Numen, right? Same race as Queen Marika."
She didn't answer, just worked her jaw forcefully, grinding her teeth against Bai Shi's thumb.
"Why are you hiding in this tomb?"
She remained silent, just biting down on his finger.
Through her relentless effort, she finally managed to break the skin on Bai Shi's finger.
Seeing that she had no intention of answering him, Bai Shi decided to hit her with some crucial information to provoke a reaction.
"Shouldn't you be a kinswoman of Queen Marika? Why was it Ranni who imbued your Black Knives with the Rune of Death?"
Hearing the name 'Ranni,' her pupils constricted.
Had this person already deciphered Ranni's involvement from the mark on the Black Knife so quickly?
Seeing her finally react, Bai Shi continued, "Don't worry, I know Ranni."
"I just want to know what exactly happened on that night."
"And what role did Ranni play in it?"
But after that, the Black Knife Assassin no longer reacted to Bai Shi's words. She simply closed her eyes resolutely, even ceasing to bite down on his thumb.
No matter what Bai Shi said, she kept her eyes shut, as unresponsive as a corpse.
Bai Shi frowned in frustration.
The Black Knife Assassins really had professional integrity. It seemed she wouldn't talk.
Nor could Bai Shi resort to torture to force a confession.
He was hoping to recruit some of the Black Knife Assassins to his side.
The Black Knife Assassins were exceptionally skilled, both in strength and ability.
If he had a few of them working for him, many things would become much easier.
But for now, it was fine. He already had the Black Knife.
The mark on it was enough for him to negotiate with Ranni.
After he spoke with Ranni, he'd see if he could recruit the Black Knife Assassins through her.
Ranni just had them hiding all over the place anyway; Bai Shi might as well put their talents to use.
In another tomb on the way from Stormveil to Caelid, there was another wounded Black Knife Assassin.
She was another target he planned to recruit.
Now Bai Shi's problem was what to do with this Black Knife Assassin.
He definitely couldn't let her go.
But what then? Tie her up and take her with him?
The racial features of a Numen were quite distinct, and anyone with some knowledge could easily recognize the attire of a Black Knife Assassin.
The Black Knife Assassins had a special status and couldn't show themselves in public.
If he just brazenly tied her to Torrent's back, they'd be easily spotted.
Especially since she was bound and her clothes were in disarray.
It would look like he was abducting a maiden by force.
If they ran into anyone, it would be impossible to explain. Bai Shi didn't want his lifelong reputation ruined.
Though in a world where might makes right, it didn't really matter.
Bai Shi considered his options.
He couldn't take her into the Site of Grace, nor could he summon anyone here.
Even if he teleported back to Stormveil and called for the Crucible Knights, it would take them a full day to fly here nonstop.
Besides, Stormhawks couldn't fly into Liurnia; the academy would shoot them down.
That would make communication very inconvenient. He'd have to arrange a meeting point for them.
That meant Bai Shi would have to waste a day waiting.
Bai Shi couldn't just leave the Black Knife Assassin here while waiting for a pickup; it was too risky.
The Black Knife Assassin could not be left out of his sight; she had to be constantly monitored.
After much deliberation, Bai Shi finally decided to take her with him.
He just needed a small disguise for her.
There were plenty of things in the tomb that could fit a whole person.
The most suitable shape was, of course, a stone coffin. She would fit perfectly inside.
But stone coffins were too big and inconvenient to carry.
So Bai Shi turned his gaze to the jars commonly found in tombs.
The jars were also quite large and didn't look particularly strange... in any case, it was better than carrying a coffin or a person directly.
It would just be a little uncomfortable for the Black Knife Assassin. He would probably have to curl her up to stuff her inside.
Yes, that's right. He'd also have to add a seal of holy law on the outside to prevent her from struggling and breaking the jar.
Bai Shi pulled his finger from the Black Knife Assassin's mouth. It was now marked with teeth imprints and bleeding slightly, a string of saliva trailing from it.
Speaking of which, the Black Knife Assassin had been in this tomb for so long and probably hadn't brushed her teeth, yet she surprisingly didn't have bad breath.
Gagging her with the cloth again, Bai Shi picked her up and walked toward the large jar he had found earlier.
The Black Knife Assassin kept her eyes shut... until she felt herself being placed inside some kind of container.
She opened her eyes and found Bai Shi stuffing her into a large jar. Panic filled her eyes, and her body began to tremble slightly.
She recalled a gruesome story passed down among her people from ancient times:
It was said that in a distant age, when their ancestors were still called sorcerers, they had suffered horrific torture at the hands of another race.
This included being beaten until their skin split open, festered, and rotted, then being stuffed into a large jar to fuse with the flesh and blood of other races.
After the flesh fused, new wounds would be inflicted, followed by more fusion with other flesh, repeating over and over.
Layers of flesh would envelop the person until the entire jar was filled.
Although she had never witnessed such a scene, she couldn't help but tremble.
She did not fear death, but torture like that was far more terrifying than death itself.