"You really are a strange one..."
Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing, gave Lloyd a subtle, puzzled look.
Just moments ago, this newly arrived Tarnished had acted bizarrely. As Gideon was about to greet him, Lloyd suddenly shouted, "Ears!"
Then, before his eyes, the man's head transformed into a chest-like creature full of sharp teeth and a flicking tongue. He even pulled out a rapier.
Thinking the visitor was hostile, Gideon was ready to fight—until Lloyd muttered, "Wait, no, I've already farmed it," and instantly reverted to normal.
After that, he approached calmly, as if nothing strange had happened, and started a conversation like it was all perfectly ordinary.
As for that bizarre moment...
"You know farming, right? The kind of silver ear that looks like yours? My God, the drop rate..."
That was how he explained it.
Gideon could understand each word, but strung together, they made absolutely no sense.
As for Lloyd—even though he had wiped out the entire world during the simulation—the place that left the deepest impression on him was still the long stairway before Anor Londo.
Maybe it was the vengeful spirits of the dead Silver Knights, but compared to other areas, the monsters there were absurdly tanky, and the drop rate for ears was terrifyingly low.
It wasn't until he had completely wiped out every monster there, obliterating the entire region into nothingness, that he finally got his thirtieth ear.
He did manage to redeem the reward, but the grind had left a lasting psychological scar. Seeing the pile of ears on Gideon instantly triggered past-life memories—but thankfully, he recovered quickly.
As for Sir Gideon, or just Gideon...
"Let me give you a piece of advice. Right now, you merely have access to the Roundtable Hold. In other words, you're just a guest. Keep that in mind, and don't overstep."
After confirming that Lloyd wasn't some crazed lunatic, Gideon spoke in an even tone.
"If you want to truly become a member of the Roundtable Hold, follow the Guidance of Grace, defeat the Shardbearers, and become a bearer of a Great Rune. When that time comes, the door to the deepest chamber in the Hold will open for you. Then, you'll be able to hear the Two Fingers' guidance..."
"What are the Two Fingers?" Lloyd asked sincerely.
Gideon: "...?"
"You don't know what the Two Fingers are?"
"No. I lost my memory, then shook someone's hand and ended up here."
Although she had transported him, Melina herself hadn't followed. She'd stayed behind at the previous Site of Grace—that's what Alice had just told Lloyd.
As for Alice, even though she had stood beside Lloyd briefly to pass on the message, she teleported away again right after.
And from start to finish, including Gideon, no one else in the Roundtable Hold seemed to notice her presence—only Lloyd.
"You…"
Staring into those clear eyes, untouched by knowledge or corruption, Gideon fell silent for a moment.
"…Forget it. Just remember, only after you've obtained a Great Rune will you truly be part of the Roundtable Hold."
"Oh." Lloyd nodded, then asked, "So how many have you got?"
Gideon: "…I haven't gotten any."
"Then what are you even talking for?"
Lloyd turned and walked off.
The guy looked so impressive with that smug, all-knowing posture. Lloyd had honestly assumed he was close to collecting all the Great Runes.
But then—zero. Not a single one. What a letdown.
Watching Lloyd's departing figure, Sir Gideon took a deep breath, shook his head, and sighed.
"The Roundtable Hold... really has gone downhill, hasn't it?"
After parting ways with the All-Knowing, Lloyd strolled through the Hold, chatting with the other residents.
Diallos, a man clad in silver armor who looked like a warrior, asked if he'd seen a girl named "Lanya," his attendant who had gone missing.
D, wearing strange armor with a head embedded in his chest, said he was hunting Those Who Live in Death and warned Lloyd to stay away from them—especially when the "boat" shows up.
Corhyn, the Miracle teacher—oh right, in this game it's called incantation—mentioned that many Tarnished recently couldn't see the Guidance of Grace. After hearing Lloyd had "lost his memory," he gave a brief explanation about the "Two Fingers."
...Not that Lloyd understood a word of it. After listening to the whole thing, the only takeaway he had was: if he managed to get a Great Rune, he'd be able to see the Two Fingers.
So it's like the Boss Souls exchange place? Wait, no, this one's called a Remembrance.
Next, he met "Hewg," a self-proclaimed Misbegotten prisoner who looked far from human. In front of him was an anvil, and he kept hammering away even while talking to Lloyd—an obvious weapon upgrade guy.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not complaining. Becoming a prisoner wasn't your fault. I don't reject forging weapons. No matter who I am, I can still make weapons stronger. Skill and time won't betray me...
"And besides, it helps me forget... the terror of that master."
After chatting with the blacksmith, Lloyd headed down the stairs, only to be blocked by a fog wall. Beside it stood a familiar-looking imp statue, but since he didn't have a Stonesword Key, he had to turn back. He took a detour into a room that looked like a bedroom.
And froze.
"Chaos?"
"Ah, my kin, you've finally come."
Seeing that familiar figure inside, Lloyd's expression twisted slightly.
How was it here?
Back when they'd traveled together on horseback, Melina had mentioned Frenzied Flame. He'd asked Blaidd and Sellen about it too.
In the end, he still had no idea what Frenzied Flame really was, where it came from, or where it was going.
But one thing was clear—it was just as despised as he was. Maybe even more.
No matter how hated he was, at least he had Melina and Alice by his side, and Blaidd who saw him as a friend. Even the ever-sarcastic White Mask Varré had explained the situation to him. But Frenzied Flame...
So far, not a single person he'd met had anything good to say about it.
Melina said it was "rejected by all of creation." Sellen said it could "make Caria and the Academy unite." Blaidd added that if the Frenzied Flame faction rose up, the Shattering War might not even happen.
Basically, the Frenzied Flame was public enemy number one in the Lands Between.
And now this... this thing was in the Roundtable Hold?
"I can hide myself too, my kin."
Chaos gave a small smile and lifted her head, revealing a spot just below her neck.
There, embedded in her flesh, was a shard of pure chaos, devouring all color.
"And it's all thanks to you."
Honestly, being part of Frenzied Flame, she shouldn't be anywhere near the Roundtable Hold, the bastion of the Golden Order and the Two Fingers.
But a Frenzied Flame's brain...
Let's all take a moment and look out toward the snowfields in the distance.
"I'm not like that witch spirit who follows you around. I have no other place to go. There just happened to be an empty room here, so I took it."
She smiled, those hollow eyes behind the cloth fixed on him.
"And I knew you would come here—and that the girl wouldn't follow. So if there's anything you don't want her to hear, this is the perfect place to talk."
Lloyd looked confused. "What kind of things shouldn't she know?"
"Many," Chaos replied softly. "Your true nature. My existence. Her fate..."
She paused, then shook her head.
"But now's not the time to talk about those."
"I'll wait here—for your flame to reignite, for the stars to return, for fate to make its choice…"
"When the moment comes, when everything is in place, chaos will descend. And fire... will devour fire."
Her voice took on a mysterious tone as she looked at Lloyd.
"I eagerly await that day."
Another cryptic lunatic, huh?
Lloyd twitched his lips, turned around, and left the room.
As soon as he stepped out, he heard Hewg's voice from beside the door.
"You just went into that room?"
"What about it?" Lloyd glanced at him. "Is there something wrong with it?"
"No, I didn't mean it like that..."
Hewg paused.
"It's just... that room's always been empty. But ever since a strange woman went in, no one's been able to open the door again. No one's managed to get inside..."
Lloyd raised an eyebrow.
So she's squatting in someone else's room now? A riddler and a squatter. No wonder everyone wants her gone.
"I understand. I'll be careful."
After thanking Hewg for the warning, Lloyd wandered around the Roundtable Hold a bit more. He didn't find anyone new, but he did come across a statue that sold items.
Unfortunately, he'd spent all his Runes earlier on learning sorceries and playing around with Bloodhound's Fang, so now all he could do was window shop—he couldn't afford anything.
With everything more or less explored, it was time to leave.
Following what Corhyn had told him, he made his way to the Great Site of Grace at the center of the Hold, ready to teleport out.
Just then, D—the guy in the strange armor—spoke up from the side.
"Oh, right. There's one more thing I forgot to mention."
He looked up at Lloyd, his tone serious.
"Besides Those Who Live in Death, there's someone else you need to watch out for."
"Fia, the Deathbed Companion. She's a lunatic who turned her blade against the Golden Order to protect Those Who Live in Death."
"If you sense her presence, do not approach. She wields a twisted weapon that can corrupt the souls of those she kills, turning them into more of Those Who Live in Death. Only the Golden Order can stand against her."
"Got it."
With that conversation over, Lloyd touched the Great Site of Grace and returned to his previous location.
"How was it? The Roundtable Hold?"
Seeing him return, Melina stepped up and crouched in front of him.
"Not bad. Just a few too many know-it-alls and riddle-spewers."
Honestly, Lloyd's impression of the Hold wasn't bad. At least the people there didn't try to stab him on sight. The place was nice, too—cleaner and more orderly than the Firelink Shrine. He'd gotten quite a bit of useful information just chatting around.
The only thing he found a little disappointing was that there was no Fire Keeper.
No matter how nice the place is, if you're on your own, you're still just passing through.
"By the way, why didn't you come along?" Lloyd asked Melina.
"I..." Melina hesitated. "It's not convenient for me to appear there."
She clearly didn't want to elaborate, so Lloyd didn't press. He gave a nod and let it drop.
"Oh, right. I ran into someone familiar at the Roundtable Hold. Want to guess who?"
Someone familiar?
Melina blinked.
Blaidd? No way. Sellen? Doesn't fit. Kalé? That'd be a joke...
"It was Chaos," Lloyd said without dragging it out. "The one you saw before—the one messing with Frenzied Flame."
Silence.
A long one.
Melina slowly raised her head. Her expression turned unusually grave, and her voice was more serious than he'd ever heard.
"Who did you say was at the Roundtable Hold?"