Frilian at Elden Ring

"Then I have to pour cold water on this: if the pollution at the roots of the golden tree is not removed, there will still be a continuous stream of dead beings."

"But you have to admit that it needs to spread through the city of Stoneville, right? Otherwise, the Corrupted Tree Spirits won't be generated. And as soon as that guy shows any signs of resurgence, the Farran Undead Legion will burn him to death, making it difficult for a large-scale outbreak of undead to occur in the Nymgford region."

"Indeed, so we're just responsible for cleaning up the rest."

"You're much more enthusiastic than before."

Roger laughed heartily, patted his friend on the shoulder, and together they walked out of the city.

Not only are they methods to curb the corruption of the tree spirits, but I've also heard that Frilian is researching root pollution. Perhaps a genius who can develop soul healing techniques could bring about different results.

Many of the "faded" members also left the union, since they would be frequently active in the south in the future and might as well contribute their efforts.

……

Eastern Ningmgefu, in the misty forest area.

After traveling through most of the south, Frilian finally confirmed that some monsters still remained, causing trouble under the protection of the misty forest. Many of these bear monsters threatened merchants who had to be wiped out, which would cause trouble if it affected the movement of troops.

As it turned out, her investigation revealed that a human tribe was hiding nearby, who mainly lived by logging and hunting in the forest and frequently migrated.

The village chief took the initiative to pay homage to the new king and declare his allegiance.

"We have heard of Your Majesty's illustrious reputation, so we no longer need to wander around. We hope to receive your protection."

Frillie, riding on horseback, nodded, and the surrounding hunters and villagers bowed deeply in unison.

It turns out that a cursory glance at a map is not enough to know the whole picture. Sure enough, there are a large number of hidden people in the border areas, especially a group of wanderers who move around every now and then.

"How many of you are there?"

"Actually, we haven't assembled completely yet. If you include the area around the Misty Forest, there should be over a thousand... Unfortunately, most of them have been infected with signs of the living dead, and they'll probably become completely inhuman."

"It's alright. You've probably heard about my healing magic. Gather the patients together. The more the better. Don't worry, even moderately to severely zombified targets can be stopped from deteriorating and regain some consciousness. They can even be used as labor."

"Long live Your Majesty! I thank you on their behalf."

Upon hearing this, the village chief hurriedly ordered people to drive away one swaying zombie after another; their numbers appeared to be significantly greater than initially thought.

He probably concealed the number because he was afraid of scaring people away by giving too many figures at once.

For Frillian, too few people would be pointless; each case of healing a zombie is a valuable reference sample, and she must seize the opportunity. Furthermore, having more subjects in her territory is more beneficial than harmful.

Unlike the prosperous and thriving times of the past, the border region is now a place where every bit of labor is precious.

The zombies are slowly gathering.

Before we knew it, the fog had dissipated a bit, revealing the lush greenery of the forest. A gentle breeze carried the scent of fresh grass, and the view became much more expansive.

Some of that fog used to be magical pollution miasma, but with her continuous purification, it was naturally removed. Perhaps after some time, the so-called fog forest will become history.

"...rarely, I'm more skilled at purification magic."

To cope with the combat environment that is often plagued by curses, negative status effects, and pollution, Frilian prepared a large number of purification spells. She tried them one by one, and they proved to be effective. In time, this fog-shrouded land will be completely passable.

The hunters, witnessing the fog gradually dissipate, were overjoyed and frequently shouted in celebration.

Although this is their home, it doesn't mean they want to stay in a land full of monsters and mist for the rest of their lives, unless it's even worse outside.

What now?

As everyone knows, the reign of the Soul King has fully revitalized the Nymgford region, earning widespread praise and commanding a huge following, a stark contrast to his predecessor, Grik.

They had some reservations at first, but their anxiety dissipated after they actually met Frilian in person.

She was a benevolent queen.

Not only will it save those suffering from the dread of becoming zombies, but it will also clear the miasma from the forest, in other words, it offers two options: either continue living in a better homeland or accept recruitment from Stoneville.

Neither option is bad; at least it's better than waiting to die. Either you become a zombie or you get killed by a monster, it all seems the same, and there's no guarantee of a proper death or return to the right place.

"By the way, I was just about to ask, what are those spire-shaped buildings over there?"

"Your Majesty, that is the elevator at the entrance to the Shifra River. It can take you to one of the two great rivers at the border."

"It sounds like there must be a lot of treasure inside."

"Far more than that. It's said that an ancient civilization called the Eternal City exists below. They suffered a devastating blow as punishment from an unseen force, yet they still stubbornly continue to thrive. In some ways, they are older than any active civilization on Earth. I wonder how they compare to the legendary Sky City..."

The hunters lamented that even in a world where ordinary people can live for a long time, the perception of time is not sensitive, but the span between different eras is still melancholic.

That was a long time ago.

Frillie immediately became interested and went to examine the area around the elevator. The carvings were ancient, and she had never seen similar patterns before. Sure enough, just when she thought she had searched enough, a new hidden map would pop up, keeping her curious.

"Want to go down and take a look? How much do you know about it?"

Upon hearing the question, Melina stepped forward and advised, "There's no need. Even if you go down to the Sifra River now, you'll find that most of it is impassable, and you'll just find it boring."

"why?"

"Because the strongest demigod, Rataen, sealed the stars, fate no longer turns. Unless it is defeated and the stars fall to open a path to the Eternal City, the civilization of the underworld will never be revealed to the world. And what you see now is incomplete."

There are quite a few twists and turns in this.

The silver-haired girl took a deep look at the elevator at the entrance to the Sivra River, but ultimately suppressed her curiosity.

The immediate priority is treating the undead in Hunter Village; the exploration of the underground civilization should be put on hold for now, especially since we can't stay away from Stoneville for too long.

"What a coincidence. Many of the things I need to do now either point to the Magic Academy or to the Galid region. They have a lot of influence, especially in the south."

"indeed."

Melina nodded.

"Could there be some deeper connection between these two?"

"What is obvious is that General Rataen is a descendant of the Kalia royal family. In reality, his fate of sealing the stars has also deeply affected the mages of the magic academy and other members of the royal family, leaving them in an unchangeable state."

"...Teacher Seren also mentioned that many spells today are based on the principle of the constellation of stars."

"From your perspective, there's no need to clash with the strongest demigod except to study the Crimson Corruption. Focus on the academy first."

Melina offered a suggestion that was half-offering advice and half-showing concern.

Fearing that Frilian might be tempted to challenge the legendary battle mage, since they shared a similar fighting style, wouldn't it be a case of mutual respect leading to a deadly duel?

You'd better not; the mad Star Shatterer General will only be more difficult to deal with than the normal one.

Even the Valkyrie Malenia's seemingly foolproof "blooming" tactic couldn't defeat him back then. Who knows what kind of unfathomable, tenacious vitality he possessed? On the contrary, the attackers were left in a sorry state by the crimson corruption and retreated to the sacred tree to recuperate.

Therefore, Melina does not want another terrible war where both sides suffer losses and neither gains anything.

"Don't worry, I'm not that reckless. At most, I'll just take advantage of the battle festival to test General Shattered Star's strength with everyone."

Frillie wasn't rigid in her approach to battle; if necessary, she would simply surround and attack.

Back when she was a novice in the game, she was even less ethical, leading monsters to jump off cliffs, stealthily backstabbing, skipping classes to escape, hiding her skills... she used every trick in the book. Now, she doesn't summon ashes in boss battles because she wants to train herself. So who deserves to be fully prepared?

Rataen.

Presumably, the strongest demigod would require a level of treatment commensurate with it to defeat, so she wasn't in a hurry at all.

He is known for his magic in the border region, but his Stargazer account level is not high, and his magic is not powerful enough. He needs to make up for the shortest piece of the barrel.

"Your Majesty, we have gathered the patients. Can you lend a hand?"

"Well, I'll come right away."

When people arrived at Frilian, they found there were more people than they had imagined; some undead that were almost within the range of the wandering monsters had been forcibly dragged over.

They look clumsy and move awkwardly, making indistinct howls. They're no ordinary zombies; you probably dragged in any wild monsters wandering around here as practice material for me.

It doesn't matter, we can never have too many test subjects anyway.

The silver-haired girl raised her staff high, releasing ripples with a buzzing sound. Gray-black magic, representing the soul, spread around, covering thousands of targets, demonstrating the unfathomable depth of the caster's magic.

The hunter villagers who witnessed this scene were shocked. They thought the treatment would be done in stages, but you took care of it all by yourself?

Wow!

The magic emanating from Frilian swept through like a whirlwind, instantly transforming from gentleness into powerful soul magic that continuously awakened the will of the undead, growing stronger and stronger.

Some of the targets' eyes have lost some of their confusion and gained a more spirited look.

Knowing the time was right, she immediately used another kind of magic, healing the soul with sunlight. Sure enough, the withered and decayed surfaces of these living corpses showed signs of recovery; they were no longer in a state of lethargy and even showed muscle lines.

Unfortunately, the magic soon experienced diminishing returns, forcing the termination of its power.

The moment the staff was lowered, all the undead knelt down and worshipped the great savior. Even those who were not in their right minds knew of the benefactor's good deed.

Why do I feel so relaxed right now?

Ever since they became half-dead, their souls have been trapped in their decaying bodies, tormented year after year, with no end in sight. Now, at least they are no longer in constant pain, and can even move to some extent.

Overjoyed and weeping, the village chief stood before Frilian and shouted:

"The greatest miracle since the Age of Abundance has been accomplished by Your Majesty; this is the power of compassion—"

“Even though it was built in the apocalypse after the devastation of war, you are already repairing it all, not as the savior of the Ring of Law, but as the savior of all people.”

"We prefer to believe in the King's blessing rather than in the golden tree, which has long since lost its grace."

"Praise be to you."

At this moment, the survivors and healed undead in the Misty Forest have made their choice to follow in the footsteps of the Soul King and create great achievements. A new era will be completed in the hands of Frilian.

Although she was not without flaws, such as the demi-human mark of her long, pointed ears, what did that matter in the face of power and grace?

Compared to Frilian, who was already used to and skilled at nodding in response, Melina remained silent.

Have you forgotten the greatness of the golden tree?

What do you mean by "saving people before saving the Ring of Light"? Don't they know that the Faded Ones also used the power of the Great Rune? Perhaps they think that only the King of Nymgford could do this, while the Ring of Light and the Golden Tree are far away.

Indeed, the blessings bestowed by the Golden Dynasty nourished all things, bringing boundless abundance. But it was all too brief, reportedly interrupted by a secret war.

It brought a series of hardships over the longer years.

Melina, whose heart is set on the Golden Tree, cannot refute this, hence her regret. Has the path she has always adhered to lost popular support? Are those who seek to restore the Ring of Fortune now the ones truly adored? Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?

The person who was supposed to restore the French Ring and spread hope became hope itself...

"The soul magic went smoothly, so even if Melina suffers any damage, I should be able to repair it."

Frillie's words suddenly interrupted her negative thoughts.

"Don't worry, there are very few forces in the world that can harm me in my soul state."