Frilian at Elden Ring

……

PS

Here's the cover.

Chapter 7 Soul Summoning Bell

Lani glanced deeply at the silver-haired girl beside her.

With the eyesight of a demigod-level mage, it was no surprise that Melina's spirit was favored by the Fire Seed Girl; the new Faded One was indeed no ordinary being.

“If you were just an ordinary faded one, I might say goodbye forever, but now we are destined to be connected. I will still refer to you as the faded one; may I ask what your name is?”

"Flillian."

“That sounds good. I, the witch Reina, will be waiting for you at the Calia Fortress. We can talk more then.”

"If we have the opportunity to cooperate in the future, you only need to pay me with magic as payment, and I will collect them."

The items dropped by monsters alone are not enough, so she must make the most of the freedom in the game world and not miss any opportunity to collect things, such as trading with NPCs.

"It's a very special hobby; even if an ordinary person collects them, it would be very difficult to learn."

The borderlands have a memory grid mechanism, meaning a person can only use a limited number of spells at a time, and the number of spells they can learn is even more limited, let alone apply them skillfully in combat. Trying to do too much at once is counterproductive; having many methods doesn't necessarily make you stronger.

But Frilian is different.

Lani roughly guessed that her opponent possessed a vast amount of magic, far exceeding the limits, and that if they were to actually fight, she would likely employ an endless array of methods.

She didn't just suddenly appear in the middle of the night; she had previously sent spies to observe the newcomers' battles, killing monsters in various ways as if testing the magic's properties, with no two being the same.

"Sure, if you join, my plan will have a much better chance of success."

"what's the plan?"

"We'll talk again once we've confirmed our mutual trust, but I can give you a heads-up: it's a path that betrays everything."

"—Then savor the taste of the borderlands, Frilian."

After saying this, Lani's figure became illusory and eventually disappeared.

At the top of the mage tower in the city of Kalia, the blue-haired doll sitting in a chair opened its eyes. After dispelling the clone, it felt that palpitation following it like a shadow. Why did the Faded One carry such a special thing?

flame.

In the borderlands, anything associated with fire is not a good thing, but that fire is full of warmth that encompasses everything and continues all things, which is very different from Frilian's coldness.

"These fading individuals are likely to cause trouble in the Nymgford region; we need to contact Blazer to keep a close eye on them..."

After delivering the message, Lani felt drowsy. If it weren't for the slightly oppressive magical perception baptism from the Faded One, she might have been able to stay active for a while longer. Oh well, she would accumulate magic power to prepare for the inevitable moment of hunting down Two-Fingers.

As a witch, one should trust one's intuition: a huge variable has arrived at the crossroads.

Islay Church.

Frillie turned around abruptly and followed a wisp of magical energy into the distance, but it vanished too quickly, clearly indicating that Rena's magical abilities were not simple.

"I wonder what level Lena belongs to in the border region?"

“She lied to you just now. Her real name is not Lena, but Lani, also known as the Moon Princess. She is a descendant acknowledged by Marika, one of the demigods, and the rightful heir to the Kalia royal family.”

Melina manifested in spirit form.

"I don't know much about matters of kings and generals, but anyway, she's an excellent magician. For example, she discovered you, right?"

"Yes, even if I hide inside your body, I can't hide it from the Moon Princess's eyes."

"Hide? So you could actually choose not to do that?"

“If you wish, I can follow you in spirit form, but only you and a very few others will be able to see me.” Then she changed the subject: “Instead of that, let’s study the Summoning Bell first. I sense a familiar aura about it.”

jingle.

Frilian gently shook it, triggering the appearance of three wolves from the [Ashes of the Lone Wolf] gifted by Lani. They stood tall and proud, exuding a spirited atmosphere.

A low growl echoed, seemingly intimidating any wandering monsters that dared to spy in the night.

She sensed a slight decrease in magic power, so it must be due to consuming magic power to summon, making her a necromancer in a sense? Performance mainly depends on the quality of the ashes themselves; the wolf pack is a bit weak.

What would happen if it were further strengthened?

It just so happens that the demons we killed had dropped related scrolls.

"Use 'Amplifying Undead Units' spell on Wolf Pack Ashes."

A ripple of magic spread out and made them come alive, baring their teeth and bristling their fur, their muscles even swelling a bit.

She had discovered long ago that combining real-world magic with in-game magic was equally effective, which is why she was trying to collect as many materials as possible for experimentation.

Frillie, with great interest, ordered the wolves to run in circles to test their speed, bite wooden stakes to test their bite force, and drag stones to test their strength... They had a great time, and it indeed produced remarkable results.

Becoming stronger again.

This refers to the "magic" mechanism that allows for complete immersion in the game, making it far more flexible than before.

For example, combining multiple spells in the past wouldn't work, and the most troublesome thing about dropped items is that they appear wherever they want. You have to go to a certain location to farm them, but in the border region, she guessed that the mechanics made it more open and full of possibilities in just one day.

I unexpectedly encountered the "Ashes of a Wandering Nobleman" before, so it seems my luck attribute is still working.

jingle.

After another shake, the powerful and the wolves roamed the church.

Seeing this, Melina finally couldn't hold back anymore. Strengthening ashes could be understood as some kind of special magic, but having multiple ashes at the same time was simply subverting the rules.

"Why can you summon multiple ashes? That shouldn't be possible, right?"

"What principle makes it impossible?"

Melina was truly stumped by Frilian's question. After a moment of hesitation, she offered an uncertain explanation:

"Because the user's soul also has to bear a part of it, and one person can only support one type of ashes at most... Should? Very few people can use the Soul Summoning Bell, and there is a lack of clear reference cases. Perhaps you can form an army of ashes."

As she gazed intently at the silver-haired girl, she made a guess: the girl's soul was like a raging, inextinguishable fire, no wonder she could withstand the strain.

Even the lowest-level ashes like wolf packs and zombies can be forcibly infused with power to amplify their strength; the Faded Ones are indeed unpredictable.

"The Legion of Bones!"

Frillie had heard that demons had many methods of controlling corpses, nothing more than puppets or control. But the ashes seemed different; there was a resonance between herself and the summoned creatures, a recognition from them.

Therefore, the ashes are not merely puppets, but rather companions possessing a certain level of combat intelligence.

"As you can see, the faded one. In the future, you should possess the ashes of legendary heroic warriors, which will become a powerful ally when they recognize you."

"Does this mean I can keep collecting ashes to build an army?"

"It depends on Lady Frilian's power."

Melina realized that her only principle was to defy common sense.

Chapter 8: Information about the Moon Princess

It's not surprising that the Faded Ones from outside the borderlands possess some special abilities. Although the flame reaction within Frilian's body was peculiar, Melina didn't care.

As long as it's not madness, it's fine; it's a taboo that even in an all-encompassing and abundant era, it's not permitted.

Since he could sense it, there was no reason why the Moon Princess couldn't see through it. No wonder she was recruiting her. The declining Kalia royal family certainly needed strong individuals. He wondered what they were plotting.

"Lady Frilian, let's continue our previous topic, about Lani."

"So she's a very famous person?"

"She's more than just famous; in the legends of the borderlands, she's the mastermind behind the Night of the Black Knife, indirectly causing the Elden Ring to shatter..."

Melina dislikes talking behind people's backs, but it's hard to judge whether these are considered bad things. It's said that even Lani herself admitted to being the mastermind, merely reiterating information about the border region to newcomers.

As a newly summoned Faded One, unaware of the intricacies of the situation, it would be disastrous if I were deceived by a schemer.

"above."

"It can be said that the Broken War caused by Lani still affects the borderlands to this day, and her refusal of the fate of the gods will inevitably lead to her being hunted down by the Two Fingers."

After listening to a long speech, Frillie fell into deep thought.

She immediately realized that a crucial piece of information had arrived: it concerned a major event in the border region, and she, being involved, couldn't ignore it. Besides, investigating the truth was fascinating in itself, with so many details worth examining, such as Lani's motive for the crime.

"The Kalia forces didn't really have a choice. According to you, the Royal City forces were already involved in Lake Lienia, and the relationship between gods and humans is naturally hostile."

"If the eldest prince Godwin is the next king, then the god will most likely be one of Marika, Michaela, or Marlenia. The Kalia royal family will not have a good time and will be easily ostracized, and may even face another Golden Conquest and be unable to escape the fate of war."

"It would be better to launch the Night of the Black Blade."

"Although much information is still unclear, Lani should have had a motive for the crime, and the conflict had been brewing for a long time."

"From an outsider's perspective, I think the Moon Princess is very intelligent and a strategist."

In reality, Frilian had heard too many stories of territorial divisions and fiefdoms, with bloodshed often resulting from disputes over succession. It was not surprising that the internal strife within the Golden Dynasty, a power struggle of such scale, felt like the end of the world.

The royal city of Rhodes is a great regime, and it is precisely because of its greatness that it can unleash terrifying power when fatally wounded, and yet it still lives.

"Your assessment is very objective."

As a resident of the border region, Melina has the right to blame Lani for causing the internal strife, but from the perspective of the faded ones, she doesn't care.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that if the fragmented rulers hadn't fought each other, how could the mere faded ones have had the chance to dabble in the Dharma Ring? Chaotic times produce heroes, and the situation provided them with a stage to shine.

"Moreover, I believe that the Golden Dynasty's system itself had inherent vulnerabilities."

"what?"

“Those who are not blessed by gold naturally become the adversaries. For a dynasty, it is certainly possible to suppress and attack them day after day, year after year, throughout its life cycle. But you will perish here sooner or later. If the magic ring is indeed perfect, it should not malfunction because of the deaths of Godwin and Lani. Besides, the goddess Marika’s every move is full of strangeness and inconsistencies, and cannot withstand scrutiny.”

Although Frilian dared not draw any conclusions, listing doubts was easy for her, since she herself was not clean.

The Night of the Black Knife was rife with intrigue, with everyone harboring their own secrets. Coupled with long-standing conflicts that finally erupted, the entire nation collapsed.

Even so, it survived, which is quite remarkable for a dynasty that lasted for thousands of years.

The long passage of time deserves our respect.

“…You’re right. I’ve thought about this a lot over the years. There are many things about Black Knife Night that don’t make sense, as if there’s a big hand influencing everything from behind.”