There was nothing in the ruins of the royal domain, and Bai Shi had no intention of searching the place.
However, Slude still found a peculiar weapon in a corner and handed it to Bai Shi.
It was a rapier, its blade forged entirely from pristine ice, yet it showed no signs of melting.
It emanated wisps of chilling air and could inflict frostbite on enemies with its attacks.
This was a weapon forged by Iji, the Frozen Needle.
When its skill was used, the blade could be fired like a projectile, and a new one would be regenerated with magic.
While not a particularly powerful weapon, it was a fun toy to play with in the game.
Bai Shi tossed this weapon into the spatial disc Ranni had given him.
The spatial disc for storage really made things much more convenient.
Incidentally, all the supplies he had taken from Ranni's storeroom had already been moved into the space within the Site of Grace.This freed up all the space within the spatial disc.
Bai Shi thought for a moment. Although he was heading back to Stormveil, there were some things he could pick up along the way.
Ahead of them was a mountain peak, upon which the silhouettes of several structures could be seen.
If he wasn't mistaken, that was the Four Belfries.
At the base of the structure known as the Four Belfries were waygates that led to various locations across the Lands Between.
By using an Imbued Sword Key, one could travel through the waygates to hidden areas that were difficult to reach by normal means.
Although there were no places Bai Shi needed to visit at the moment, it wouldn't hurt to activate a Site of Grace while he was there.
Activating a Site of Grace would be very convenient, allowing him to fast travel back anytime in the future.
Therefore, on his way back to Stormveil this time, Bai Shi planned to take as many new routes as possible to activate all the Sites of Grace.
Having chosen his direction, Bai Shi led Slude onward along the western shore of Liurnia.
The western shore of the Lake of Liurnia was littered with Carian territories that had been destroyed by the Cuckoo Knights.
Corpses were strewn everywhere, and buildings were razed to the ground. It was difficult to imagine the horrific plunder and slaughter that had once taken place here.
In these places, spectral figures would occasionally appear.
But since there were no Royal Revenants, he could easily help them find release.
The journey was uneventful, leaving Bai Shi feeling a little uninspired.
In truth, Bai Shi missed Melina greatly right now.
Ever since they had confessed their feelings for each other at the Site of Grace, she had been too shy to appear again.
With Slude by his side, he couldn't speak freely anyway.
Even if he were to enter the Site of Grace to look for Melina, she probably wouldn't come out for a while.
And even if she did appear, she would probably just blush and remain silent.
Bai Shi sighed, suddenly at a loss for what to do.
He didn't know what he should do next.
No one had ever taught him what to do in a situation like this.
If this were a galge, now would be the time to take advantage of her shyness and make a bold move.
But in some story routes, that could backfire...
Damn it, this was all because he used to play galges.
Bai Shi, oh Bai Shi, you were ruined by galges in your past life. Now you don't even know how to interact with a girl normally. Especially that Yuzu Soft, damn them.
After thinking it over, Bai Shi decided he should be the one to take the initiative and seek Melina out.
After all, Melina was a girl, and a rather shy one at that.
If he didn't go to her, there was no telling when she would come looking for him.
It would almost feel like he was taking advantage of her.
Though, he had to admit, the thought of a shy Melina unable to resist coming to find him was all the more enticing.
——
As they continued along the shore, signs of the Cuckoo Knights began to appear.
At first, Bai Shi had Slude assassinate them to clear the way.
Along the way, he also opened the compartments of several caravans parked on the shore and found a few weapons.
In addition to an assortment of ordinary weapons, Bai Shi also found a Carian Knight's Sword.
It seemed a Carian knight had been killed by the Cuckoos.
But as they drew closer to the Cuckoo Knights' camp, the number of soldiers increased, and their formations grew denser.
He figured it would be impossible to sneak all the way through without alerting the other knights.
Strangely, however, most of the Cuckoo soldiers they encountered were severely zombified and seemed to lack awareness.
Bai Shi and Slude hadn't seen a single normal soldier.
This was a rather strange and abnormal phenomenon.
This, however, made things more convenient for Bai Shi.
Bai Shi cast Unseen Form on both himself and Slude.
In the dead of night, visibility was already poor. As a Black Knife Assassin, Slude's footsteps were completely silent.
And while Bai Shi couldn't move so stealthily, Torrent could, which was why Bai Shi had remained mounted.
The two of them and the horse easily crossed the Cuckoos' patrol lines and strolled right into their camp.
The camp was much livelier than the surrounding area.
In cramped and filthy tents, soldiers gathered in small groups, their boisterous chatter echoing intermittently.
The Cuckoo soldiers made their zombified comrades stand guard, while those who were still sane remained here.
Although he was some distance away, Bai Shi could roughly guess what they were doing.
Given the Cuckoos' depraved nature, they were likely gambling or engaging in similar activities.
Bai Shi had no intention of watching them; even if he did, he likely wouldn't understand what was going on.
He planned to pass through the camp and check out the Four Belfries beyond it.
If he could, he might as well purloin something from the Cuckoos.
The Cuckoos had amassed so much ill-gotten wealth from their plunder; he might find some treasures among it.
So, Bai Shi made his way through, specifically peering into the unoccupied tents.
One tent in particular caught his eye.
Its flap was tightly shut, and two Cuckoo Knights were even standing guard outside.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and the Cuckoo Knights were the soldiers' "role models."
Their behavior was, if anything, even worse than that of the common soldiers.
The Cuckoo Knights would normally be enjoying themselves in the camp, not voluntarily standing guard.
What could be inside a tent that required Cuckoo Knights to guard it?
After a moment's thought, Bai Shi decided to go in and take a look.
It was best not to kill the two Cuckoo Knights at the entrance; the scent of blood would attract the attention of the others.
Though the Cuckoo Knights were known for their lax discipline and notorious for their depraved acts of plunder, this didn't mean they were merely a band of powerless thugs.
On the contrary, one needed considerable strength to run so rampant in the Lands Between.
The Cuckoos were neither weak in strength nor in influence.
With the Academy sealed off and uninvolved in external affairs, the entirety of the Lake of Liurnia and its shores could be considered Cuckoo territory.
The ancestors of the Cuckoo Knights had existed since the time of the Nox.
There were even two cuckoos on the crest of the Eternal City.
One could say the Cuckoos' origins predated those of any other army in the Lands Between.
Furthermore, if the Cuckoos had been weak, the Academy would have simply subjugated them rather than engaging in a partnership of mutual checks and balances.
There was even a church built specifically for the Cuckoos within the Academy of Raya Lucaria.
All of this demonstrated that the Cuckoos possessed the strength to compel the Academy to act this way.
Their combat record was also far from weak.
They had breached Caria Manor and slaughtered their way through all the Carian territories surrounding the Lake of Liurnia.
They had defeated and sealed one Carian Troll Knight and killed two others, whose resentful spirits now lingered.
The Carian Knight's Sword among their spoils of war proved that yet another Carian knight had fallen at their hands.
Casually killing someone inside the camp, while not a threat to him, would likely be very troublesome.
There was no need to waste his energy on them.
After all, why fight when you can just steal?
After a moment of thought, Bai Shi took out a pot from the spatial disc Ranni had given him.
This was a sleep pot he had previously asked Hilbert to craft using St. Trina's Lilies.
He had commissioned four sleep pots at the time, thinking they would last him a long while. In reality, he hadn't used a single one.
Now, it was time for it to shine.
Bai Shi approached the Cuckoo Knights, then infused a bit of magic into the sleep pot to activate it.
Since he didn't smash it, a fine, light-purple powder drifted from the pot, which Bai Shi guided with a gentle breeze toward the two Cuckoo Knights.
Within seconds, the two Cuckoo Knights swayed and were about to collapse.
However, Slude stepped in from behind him, propping them up so they could continue their "guard duty."
Although they were slumped over awkwardly, it didn't look too strange, since their posture hadn't been very upright to begin with.
Bai Shi pulled the tent flap open just a crack to observe the situation inside.
It was dark inside, apparently not a living quarter.
At least he wouldn't stumble into the awkward trope of a beautiful woman bathing inside.
Confirming that it was likely a storage area for treasures, Bai Shi slipped inside.
However, inside the tent, Bai Shi didn't find anything of particular value.
Other than standard weapons and military equipment, there were only items like Albinauric Pots, Magic Grease, and Cuckoo Glintstones.
Bai Shi found this a bit strange. It didn't add up.
If these ordinary items were all that was here, it certainly wouldn't warrant Cuckoo Knights standing guard.
The knights would be more likely to have their subordinates stand watch while they slacked off somewhere.
There had to be some kind of trick to this place.
Though this place wasn't in the game, following the classic design of Souls-like games, it shouldn't be impossible to solve.
In a place like this with almost nothing in it, there was either a hidden wall or a hidden passage.
Since it was a tent, he could rule out a hidden wall.
That left a hidden passage. If he couldn't find one, he would just leave it at that.
Bai Shi sent a gentle gust of wind sweeping across the floor, letting it snake through the gaps between the crates, searching for any anomalies.
Sure enough, beneath a wooden crate, the airflow changed direction.
Bai Shi moved the crate aside and broke the illusory magic with a step.
A small path leading underground appeared before him.
Without hesitation, Bai Shi descended into the darkness.
In the pitch-black cellar, he couldn't see a thing.
After confirming that no one was in the cellar, Bai Shi cast the sorcery Starlight.
As the starlight appeared, the cellar was illuminated.
It was a very small cellar, with just enough room for a few chests.
Several chests were placed together, and they didn't look like they held the common goods stored above.
However, Bai Shi guessed there wouldn't be any exceptionally rare items inside either.
Obviously, if the items were truly precious, they likely wouldn't be stored in a simple cellar like this.
Based on his own practices back in Stormveil, the items usually kept in a storeroom like this were rare, but were things he couldn't use himself and for which he had no suitable wielder.
Truly precious items would be kept in a more secure location, such as the room next to his own, or carried on his person.
Instead of opening the chests on the spot to see what was inside, Bai Shi simply packed them all into his spatial disc.
After stowing the chests, Bai Shi headed back up the passage, preparing to leave.
But a sudden commotion erupted outside.
Bai Shi realized there must have been some mechanism in the cellar that had detected the theft.
But it didn't matter. They had more than enough time to get away.
A minute or two after they left, several Cuckoos with unique appearances arrived, leading a large group of Cuckoo Knights.
The gear of these new arrivals was clearly different from that of ordinary Cuckoo Knights; each one had a unique look.
There were heavy knights in reinforced, thickened armor wielding massive hammers; others had lighter, more slender armor...
Each possessed unique skills that had once given the Carian forces endless "surprises."
They were the leaders of the Cuckoo army, all undoubtedly hero-level warriors.
Seeing the two knights dozing against the tent pole, one of the leaders unceremoniously kicked them to the ground and stomped on them a couple of times, rousing them from their stupor.
They had been ordered to guard the place, and yet someone had managed to sneak into the treasury.
And now the items had been inexplicably stolen.
They searched the surrounding area for any trace of the despicable thief, but their efforts were fruitless.
They couldn't find the culprit, not even a single track. The chests had seemingly vanished into thin air.
How could someone escape so quickly in such a short amount of time while carrying those heavy chests from the cellar?
In all fairness, they had arrived very quickly.
If Bai Shi's own storeroom in Stormveil had been robbed, he might not have been able to respond with such speed.
Mainly because it was impossible to have hero-level individuals guarding a mere warehouse within one's own camp.
But as things stood, it seemed there was nothing to be done.
One of the Cuckoo leaders, who appeared to be the highest in rank, walked to the center of the camp and stood before a seemingly ordinary tent.
He took a deep breath, unwilling to face the terrifying being within.
That was their de facto leader and king.
It almost never concerned itself with the Cuckoos' affairs; leading them was merely a means to use their power to achieve its own ends.
All daily interactions with other factions were handled by these Cuckoo leaders, and once a decision to wage war was made, it rarely inquired about the details.
As a result, the vast majority of the Cuckoos didn't even know that such a being ruled over them.
Yet all the Cuckoo leaders feared the creature from the depths of their souls, unable to even muster the will to unite and rebel.
He lifted the tent flap. Surprisingly, the tent was bare of any furniture or decorations, save for a rack at the back holding a few extremely precious and special items that required safekeeping.
In the center of the tent stood a single, ornate vessel.
Within the vessel was a pool of silver liquid.
The Cuckoo leader knelt respectfully on one knee before the pool of silver liquid.
“Someone infiltrated our camp. The hidden passage in the storeroom was discovered, and everything inside was stolen...”
To be honest, they did not actually like this leader, who could be called the origin of the Albinaurics, but they had no say in the matter.
Even when it took on their appearance and used their powers, it was monstrously strong; they couldn't defeat it even if they gave it their all.
The ancient martial arts it employed were something they could not hope to match.
Furthermore, it could transform into the most powerful creatures it had witnessed over the long centuries.
When it assumed such a form, even if all the Cuckoo leaders attacked at once, they would be powerless to defeat it, and would instead be utterly crushed without any chance to retaliate.
With that kind of combat prowess, the Cuckoos could have attacked the Academy long ago, had it so desired.
Unfortunately, it cared only for its own affairs and completely disregarded the interests of the Cuckoos. They were merely its tools.
The pool of silver liquid stirred, sending out ripples across its surface.
Then, a "person" with an appearance identical to the Cuckoo leader rose from the vessel.
As it rose, its liquid body slowly molded itself into armor, eventually becoming a perfect replica of the kneeling Cuckoo leader, right down to the voice.
“Those things? They were nothing important.”
“It's not like I can find the way back to the Eternal City anyway.”
“But... revenge must still be had.”
It was a Mimic Tear.
It was one of the experiments that the ancestors of the Cuckoos had taken from the Eternal City long ago.
The Eternal City had intended to create an artificial lord.
Among the many experiments at the time, two had come closest to success.
The one with the highest level of completion had even developed a concept of self and other upon its creation.
Therefore, that specimen was securely sealed away by the Eternal City, and even during the city's ruin, it was never taken by anyone.
This particular specimen had been the second-most complete.
It possessed great potential and had recorded the techniques of countless powerful warriors, but in the past, it had not developed a consciousness.
However, given the current situation, it was likely the one that had come closest to the original design's objective.
Once used as a weapon by the Cuckoos, over the long centuries, it began to develop a sense of self.
Driven by some purpose that had mysteriously emerged from within its core, it came to dominate the Cuckoos with absolute power.