The knight who had nodded to Bai Shi was named Leda.
She was the knight of the Empyrean Miquella, his sole knight.
She was also Freya's companion on the path of following Miquella, and could even be called a friend.
Freya had heard about the festival of combat and was preparing to return to see the general off on his final journey.
After Leda learned of this, she called upon Dann and went to Redmane Castle with him.
But Leda's purpose was not limited to this.
As Lord Miquella's most loyal follower, she knew many of his plans.
She also knew what Lord Miquella wanted her to do.
She had come this time to fulfill the pact between Lord Radahn and Lord Miquella.
This journey was not only to bring the Promised Consort to Miquella's side.But also, ideally, to select powerful warriors willing to follow Lord Miquella.
After this, there would be more opportunities for warriors to prove their worth.
Only then could Lord Miquella's plans in the Land of Shadow be smoothly carried out...
——
Seeing her nod at him, Bai Shi nodded back at the knight.
Then, everyone's attention was drawn to the commotion made by Freya and Jerren.
Jerren reached out and knocked on Freya's helmet, making it clang loudly.
"You girl, you're clearly fine. Why have you only come back now?"
"I thought you'd died in Aeonia."
Though his actions were harsh, his concern was palpable.
Freya laughed a little sheepishly, feeling slightly apologetic for her unannounced departure.
"Haha, my apologies, my apologies."
"There was a reason for it. I was severely injured back then, on the verge of death."
Recalling the near-death experience, Freya sighed with emotion.
Jerren looked at the now perfectly fine Freya.
"What happened back then? What was going on?"
"Tell me about it."
Freya rubbed her helmet.
"As for that, it's a long story."
Freya had intended to say it directly, but she suddenly remembered Leda's earlier reminder.
So, Freya pulled Jerren aside.
Freya brought her head close to Jerren's helmet and whispered something to him.
The sound was too low for anyone else to hear.
Seeing this, Leda felt a bit helpless.
She had originally intended for Freya to lead the way and make some contact with the people of Redmane Castle.
But now this "local" was chatting with the castellan.
Leaving the two of them, outsiders, standing there was a bit awkward.
It was one thing for Freya; she knew her to be straightforward and a bit naive.
But she hadn't expected Castellan Jerren to be so forthright as well, leaving his guests waiting just like that.
Was it a trait they shared?
Although she had told Freya not to broadcast it, it wasn't something that absolutely had to be kept secret.
If they truly needed to be covert, they wouldn't have shown up here in the first place.
She seemed to have a good relationship with Jerren, so it didn't matter.
She even knew to avoid the others, which was an improvement compared to before.
At most, Castellan Jerren would learn that Lord Miquella had been active in Aeonia.
But he would know nothing beyond that.
Leda was supremely confident in Lord Miquella's plans.
Apart from those involved, no one could uncover the truth from the clues scattered across the Lands Between.
This was why she could appear at Redmane Castle with such confidence.
Seeing that she couldn't approach Jerren for the moment, Leda shifted her gaze toward Bai Shi and Iji.
Leda hadn't expected that letting Freya bring them to Redmane Castle would lead to an unexpected discovery.
She had actually encountered some interesting people here.
Iji was a vassal of Carian whom Leda had met before.
But the other person...
Although she didn't know his origins, just by looking at him, she could tell that man was terrifyingly strong.
Leda had also seen several other particularly powerful warriors in the castle and had marked them for observation.
If the opportunity arose in the future, she could sound out their willingness to serve Lord Miquella together.
But compared to Bai Shi, those warriors paled in comparison.
Such a powerful individual could undoubtedly help Lord Miquella achieve his goals.
——
Bai Shi couldn't hear what the two, who were like a grandfather and granddaughter, were saying, so he refocused his gaze on the two companions Freya had brought with her.
Unexpectedly, his eyes met again with the knight in ornate armor.
It seemed the other party was observing him as well.
Seeing this new group of people, each with very distinctive gear, Bai Shi knew they were certainly not ordinary.
They all looked very strong, especially the one wearing a white cape and golden armor.
Although the gear was ornate and elegant, looking less like combat equipment and more like a work of art for display...
...a composed determination emanated from them.
Beyond that, Bai Shi could also sense the indelible stench of blood on them.
Without a doubt, for a warrior, this was a symbol of countless kills and immense strength.
His gamer's intuition told him that if these people were in a game, they would definitely be characters with a storyline.
The knight bowed slightly to Iji.
"Lord Iji, it has been a long time."
"I am Leda. We met once when I was accompanying Lord Miquella."
Bai Shi was a little surprised. This person was actually a female knight.
And from the sound of her voice, she seemed very upright and dependable.
She was dressed too thickly, with a surcoat over her armor, making it impossible to tell her gender at a glance.
Seeing Leda, Iji was particularly moved:
"So it is Needle Knight Leda. A rare guest indeed."
"I remember you."
Iji had only met Miquella once or twice, so he naturally remembered the Needle Knight who was always by his side.
Though, he admittedly didn't remember her name was Leda.
As expected, when one gets old, it's easy to forget things.
'Needle Knight?'
Bai Shi pondered the name.
In Bai Shi's memory, there were only two things related to a "golden needle":
The Unalloyed Gold Needle and Miquella's Needle.
Miquella's Needle Knight? A character not in the game.
Bai Shi carefully observed the Needle Knight named Leda.
Her snow-white cape was embroidered with lush branches and leaves, and her armor also bore fine, interwoven tree patterns of gold.
Moreover, her armor was made of a unique gold, its color distinctly different from the gold of Freya's armor next to her. It was likely Miquella's Unalloyed Gold.
The overlapping golden lattice on her sword hilt, in particular, was somewhat similar in design to the Unalloyed Gold Needle.
He just wondered about the strength of these Needle Knights, who had never appeared before.
Iji recalled the past scene and continued speaking:
"It truly has been a long time. How is Lord Miquella these days?"
"Since the Shattering, I don't think I've heard any news of him."
Leda across from him chuckled softly.
"Lord Miquella is still advancing toward his ideals."
"It's just that under the current circumstances in the Lands Between, Lord Miquella has no need to go out, so there's little news of him in the outside world."
Bai Shi judged: That was a lie.
Miquella was still in the Mohgwyn Dynasty, getting messed with in his cocoon, so of course there was no news of him.
But Bai Shi could understand Leda's lie.
After all, Miquella had been abducted from the Haligtree. That wasn't something you could just tell outsiders.
Of course it had to be kept secret; otherwise, Malenia wouldn't have gone all the way to Caelid back then.
But as a Needle Knight, why was she here with Freya attending the festival of combat instead of trying to find Miquella?
However, the exchange between Leda and Iji didn't provide Bai Shi with any more information.
Because Jerren and Freya had finished their conversation.
Seeing that the two had finished, Leda took her leave of Bai Shi and Iji and went to find Jerren as originally planned.
This time, their conversation with Jerren was completely inaudible.
Leaving only Bai Shi and Iji behind.
Bai Shi looked up at Iji beside him.
"Master Iji, the Needle Knights are Miquella's knights, right?"
Iji nodded.
"Yes, the Needle Knights are Miquella's personal knightly order."
"In terms of strength, they're comparable to our Carian Knights, though there are fewer of them."
"That Leda from just now is the strongest among them, always at Lord Miquella's side."
Bai Shi nodded. The chief of the Needle Knights, or perhaps the leader of Miquella's fan club?
Iji thought for a moment, then spoke again:
"Lord Bai Shi, forgive me for overstepping."
"Lord Miquella is a gentle person, full of love..."
"But a love that is too pure, a love that knows no restraint, is bound to be an aberrant love."
"That's why I've always felt that Lord Miquella is, in essence, a very dangerous person."
"If you come into contact with Lord Miquella in the future, you must be careful."
Bai Shi nodded, only half-understanding.
But Bai Shi also felt it was advice worth taking to heart.
If it was as Master Iji said, that Miquella's love was without restraint, then that was a bit terrifying.
Because such a person would not see his love as wrong, which would likely be very troubling for others.
Previously, when Ranni spoke of Miquella, Bai Shi had felt a sense of vigilance.
Since both Ranni and Iji, who had met Miquella, had said as much, Bai Shi would heed their advice.
Besides, Bai Shi had witnessed the power of the Bewitching Branch before, and it was indeed quite terrifying.
In addition, the text description for Malenia's equipment also had a line like this:
"Possessing the wisdom of a god, the charm of a god—Miquella is the most fearsome of all the Empyreans."
In his mind, Bai Shi raised his assessment of Miquella's dangerousness by another two levels.
——
Before long, Leda, Freya, and their companion took their leave and departed.
Before leaving, Leda gave Bai Shi another deep look.
As for the man in the big hat with them, Bai Shi had no idea what he had come along for.
It seemed he really hadn't said a single word.
After they had all left, Bai Shi asked Jerren about Freya.
And what they had all said to Jerren, and why they had suddenly shown up.
Leda's reason for seeking out Jerren was nothing special.
She was merely acting as a representative of Miquella's faction, expressing her sorrow at General Radahn's current state and her willingness to lend a hand in the festival of combat.
It was basically just some pleasantries.
Besides, Jerren also knew that Malenia completely followed Miquella's commands.
The fight between Malenia and the General back then might very well have been part of Miquella's plan.
But right now, for Redmane Castle, holding the memorial festival for the general was more important than pursuing the Haligtree's responsibility and fighting to the death.
Once the festival of combat was over, Jerren would follow the clues and investigate for himself.
Therefore, Jerren simply said a few words and moved on from the matter.
However, seeing that Bai Shi was curious about Freya, Jerren began to explain:
"Freya was once a gladiator. General Radahn valued her valor and recruited her as one of his elite knights."
"She was very young at the time. We all looked after her, and our relationships were good."
"Later, she went missing during the war in Aeonia."
"I thought she had died just like Ogha, but it turns out she's still alive."
Recalling Freya's words from earlier, Jerren organized his thoughts.
"According to her, after the war in Aeonia, she was afflicted by a severe case of Scarlet Rot."
"There was no one else around, her wounds were festering, and she was just waiting to die."
"But then she met Lord Miquella, and he sucked the poison out with his mouth."
"Afterward, to repay him for saving her life, she decided to follow Lord Miquella."
Bai Shi nodded.
Afflicted with Scarlet Rot, with no comrades nearby, she met Miquella while despairing and waiting for death.
Miquella, an Empyrean no less, personally sucked the poison out for her.
Although the story was cliche, it was still moving.
Especially when it happened to her personally.
Hmm... Hmm?
Bai Shi thought it over and felt that something wasn't quite right.
Suddenly, Bai Shi pinpointed the strange sense of discord in the story.
She was afflicted with Scarlet Rot *after* the war in Aeonia, and *then* she met Miquella?
What the hell, that timing?
Wasn't Miquella abducted from the Haligtree by Mohg long before that?
Didn't Malenia travel south and fight her way to Caelid precisely because she was looking for Miquella?
Huh?
Why would Miquella appear on the battlefield after the war in Aeonia and suck the poison out for Freya?
Bai Shi suddenly felt a little confused.
Was it really Miquella? Or was it his other half, Trina?
But does Trina have that ability?
It seems only Miquella, who mastered Unalloyed Gold, would have that power.
Could it be that the one lying in the cocoon is actually Trina, which is why Miquella can be active outside?
That's not right either. Mohg wouldn't possibly mistake the gender.
But to say that Miquella tricked Mohg with a clone or something of the sort also doesn't make sense.
Strange, too strange. What in the world is going on?
For the first time, Bai Shi felt that the plot of this world had deviated significantly from what he knew.
Even if this world was real, all the major events from the game had still happened without exception.
If that's the case, how could Miquella have escaped from Mohg?
This Miquella, about whom he had no information, was making the plot he was familiar with more and more confusing.