Warriors from all over the Lands Between had now gathered in Redmane Castle.
Their numbers weren't enough to completely fill the castle.
But compared to when only soldiers remained, the castle could now be said to be teeming with life again.
Bai Shi left the Site of Grace and, following his memory, headed towards his room.
The room had been kept for him, and no one else had entered.
However, Bai Shi didn't go in. It wasn't time to rest yet.
Bai Shi went to the room next door and knocked.
This was Hilbert's room. Bai Shi planned to give her the Crystal Cave Moss he had on hand.
After so much time had passed, her supply of neutralizing perfume ingredients must be running low.
But after he knocked, there was no response from inside.Bai Shi knocked a few more times, but there was still no answer. It seemed Hilbert wasn't in her room.
After a moment's thought, Bai Shi suddenly realized he had nothing to do.
But it was far too early to rest in his room; the sky hadn't even darkened yet.
In that case, he decided to take a stroll to the plaza up ahead.
He could meet with Jerren and find out about the current situation in Redmane Castle.
—
On the way to the plaza, Bai Shi ran into two acquaintances.
From their very distinctive backs, Bai Shi recognized them instantly.
Blaidd the Half-Wolf and Iron Fist Alexander.
Blaidd and Alexander also seemed to be heading to the plaza, chatting about their views on combat as they walked.
The two walked side by side, their massive figures nearly blocking half the road.
Alexander was already considered large among the Warrior Jars, and because of his pot-like shape, he was very wide.
And while Blaidd wasn't as wide as Alexander, he was tall and wore a thick, large fur cloak to ward off the cold, so he also took up a lot of space.
Fortunately, Redmane Castle wasn't crowded yet, or the two of them would have brought traffic on this road to a standstill.
Bai Shi was a little curious about how the two of them met, so he quickened his pace and walked up behind them.
Hearing footsteps behind them, both Blaidd and Alexander turned to look.
Upon seeing Bai Shi, Alexander enthusiastically raised his hand and was the first to greet him.
"Oh! Isn't it Bai Shi!"
"I knew it! You found your way here too. I told you I'd definitely see you at the festival of combat."
Alexander turned to Blaidd.
"Blaidd, this is the warrior I mentioned to you earlier, the one who rescued me."
Blaidd was somewhat surprised to see Bai Shi here.
He had been summoned by Master Iji after he learned of the festival of combat.
He hadn't expected to run into Bai Shi here as well.
It made sense, though. Bai Shi wanted to collect the Great Runes and become Elden Lord.
And as a warrior, he certainly wouldn't miss the festival of combat.
Blaidd bowed slightly to Bai Shi.
"Lord Bai Shi, you've come as well."
Alexander looked from Blaidd to Bai Shi, a little surprised.
"Oh? So you two know each other? Haha, that's even better."
Seeing that Alexander didn't seem to know Bai Shi's identity, Blaidd took the initiative to introduce him.
"Alexander, this is Lord Bai Shi, the 'Lord of Stormveil'."
"He's the one who defeated Godrick the Grafted and reclaimed Stormveil and the Limgrave region."
Alexander struck his left palm with his right fist in a moment of realization.
"Oh, 'Lord of Stormveil.' I've heard that name."
"No wonder the name Bai Shi sounded so familiar."
"My, it seems I was a bit discourteous before."
Bai Shi smiled and waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about it. More than a lord, I prefer to be treated as a warrior."
"Speaking of which, how did you two meet?"
Alexander let out a hearty laugh.
"It's a long story."
"But if I had to sum it up, it's because Blaidd got lost."
Blaidd raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed at Alexander's claim that he was the one who got lost.
"What? You were the one who was lost."
"You couldn't find your way in the cave and got stuck in front of an illusory wall."
"If I hadn't happened to open the wall for you from the other side, you would've been trapped in that tunnel for the rest of your life."
Alexander immediately retorted:
"Huh? I was just tired from walking and was taking a rest in front of that wall."
"I was about to leave and find another path anyway. Who said I was trapped?"
"Besides, why did you come from the opposite direction? That path clearly comes down from Caelid."
"And in the end, I was the one who led you out of the tunnel."
Blaidd sneered.
"At least I found the way."
"That's a lot better than some guy who was stuck in front of a wall, not knowing what to do."
The two continued to bicker about who had really gotten lost.
It was clear they had gotten along well on their journey, likely becoming good friends despite their bickering.
From their conversation, Bai Shi roughly understood what had happened.
Just like in the game, Alexander had entered Gael Tunnel from the back roads of Limgrave, intending to reach Redmane Castle from there.
If it had been a normal wooden wall or door, Alexander would have just broken it down and gone through.
But this time, faced with an illusory wall, Alexander was stuck.
Although Alexander claimed he was about to look for another way...
...Bai Shi didn't believe it was a mere coincidence that Blaidd had broken through the wall just as he arrived.
So Alexander must have been stuck in front of the illusory wall for a long time.
Blaidd had also been heading to Redmane Castle, but for some reason, he had entered the tunnel from the Caelid side.
Then he somehow found his way to Alexander, opening up the path connecting both ends of the tunnel.
Was this a case of two negatives making a positive?
Two people with no sense of direction managed to meet because they got lost, and together they found the right path.
But it seemed they had become friends because of it, which was a good thing.
Bai Shi stopped their endless bickering.
"Ahem, well, since you've both made it to Redmane Castle, it doesn't really matter anymore."
The two stopped arguing and quickly dropped the subject.
Perhaps they both knew deep down that they had no sense of direction and were just unwilling to admit it.
"Oh, right."
Alexander opened the lid of his jar with one hand and rummaged inside with the other.
Soon, he pulled out a katana and handed it to Bai Shi.
"After we got out of the tunnel, we ran into some Redmane soldiers."
"They told us that a Magma Wyrm had taken over the deepest part of the tunnel."
"We helped them reclaim the tunnel, and then they enthusiastically led us to Redmane Castle."
"We found this katana in the spot where the Magma Wyrm was."
"I felt my thank-you gift last time was too meager, so please, take this weapon."
Bai Shi shook his head and didn't accept it.
"Helping you last time was a simple matter. There's no need for this."
Alexander clapped Bai Shi on the shoulder and laughed. "Haha, in that case, just think of it as a gift from a friend."
"Weapons are useless to me. My fists are all I need."
"Without a doubt, among all the warriors I know, you're the most suitable person to wield it."
Bai Shi looked at Blaidd.
They had defeated the Magma Wyrm together, so naturally, he had to ask for his opinion.
In truth, Blaidd had no objections.
Blaidd shook his head.
He had his own Royal Greatsword.
Even though it was cold against his back, it was proof of his vow to serve Ranni, and it was the only weapon he would use for the rest of his life.
Besides, if they were to find a new owner for the katana, Bai Shi was definitely the best choice.
"In that case, I won't argue any further."
"If you ever need my help in the future, don't hesitate to ask."
Bai Shi accepted the Moonveil Katana.
He never thought he'd acquire this weapon in such a way.
Moonveil was a weapon Bai Shi was quite fond of; he had used it a lot in the past.
This was perfect. It would save him the trouble of searching for it later.
Blaidd looked at Bai Shi and asked about his purpose for being there.
"Lord Bai Shi, are you also heading to the Redmane plaza?"
Bai Shi glanced at the plaza, which was not far off.
"Yes, I've been to Redmane Castle before."
"But something came up, so I was away for a while and only returned today."
"The companion who came here with me isn't in her room, so I thought I'd check the plaza to see if she's there."
"If not, I plan to look for Castellan Jerren."
Blaidd nodded, understanding the situation.
"I see."
"Then let's go together. We're heading to the plaza as well."
"There's an arena set up in the plaza. We were planning to go test our skills."
"I don't know if your companion is there, but Lord Jerren and Master Iji are both in the plaza."
Bai Shi was curious and asked:
"Master Iji came here too?"
Blaidd explained:
"Yes. Lord Jerren was once a guest commander for the Carian Royal Family."
"He and Master Iji have been good friends for many years."
"This time, after learning the news, both Master Iji and I came."
"But Master Iji left first and arrived a while before I did."
Bai Shi nodded. So that was it.
No wonder he had only seen Iji's smithing station in front of Caria Manor, but not the giant himself.
He'd run off to Caelid.
That was perfect.
He'd gotten a lot of Smithing Stones from Ranni but hadn't upgraded his Dragonslayer's Swordspear yet.
The Sword of Night and Flame was strong, but he couldn't use it when he was enlarged.
Against an enemy like Radahn, Bai Shi preferred a bloody, blade-to-blade fight, not just casting Comet Azur from a distance with the Sword of Night and Flame.
He would definitely use a Great Rune to increase his size for the battle, and the Dragonslayer's Swordspear was the most suitable weapon for that.
But his +12 Dragonslayer's Swordspear probably wouldn't last long against Radahn's Starscourge Greatswords.
He could ask Master Iji to reinforce it later.
So the three of them headed to the Redmane plaza together.
Along the way, Bai Shi saw all sorts of warriors.
The plaza was even livelier; more than half the warriors in Redmane Castle were gathered there now.
Everyone was gathered around a fenced-off arena where two people were sparring.
Both were Tarnished with decent skills and were evenly matched.
The fierce clash of their weapons fired up many in the audience, who eagerly awaited their turn to fight.
But in Bai Shi's eyes, they were far from the level of heroes; it was more like two novices going at it.
So Bai Shi looked around the plaza to see who was there.
In the plaza, Bai Shi saw many familiar faces.
They included distinctive Tarnished like Great Horned Tragoth and the fearsome Lionel, who would naturally appear at the festival of combat.
Additionally, Old Knight Istvan was also here.
Bai Shi even saw Bernahl in a corner of the plaza, wearing a full set of Beast Champion Armor.
There were many other Tarnished of all kinds, dressed in different attire.
This included a group of Tarnished, all dressed in the attire of champions from the badlands.
There were also some who were bare-fisted, with their hands and feet wrapped in bandages, looking like warrior monks.
Some had even come from Stormveil and bowed respectfully upon seeing Bai Shi.
Besides them, there were also many who were not Tarnished.
For example, the Storm Knight who practiced Dragon Communion whom Bai Shi had met once before.
Knights from the fallen minor nation of Eochaid, who wielded their unique power.
Two gladiators, bare-chested and wielding great-axes.
Fire Monks sitting in a circle, silently reciting their doctrines...
All sorts of characters had come, drawn by the festival's fame to participate as warriors.
They were here to challenge General Radahn.
For these warriors, to be able to fight General Radahn was an honor.
However, Bai Shi felt that they alone would likely not be enough to defeat General Radahn.
There were only about twenty whose strength was worth noting; the remaining hundred or so were not very strong.
A Night's Cavalry could trample half of them to death in a single pass.
Just as he was thinking, Bai Shi suddenly smelled the stench of blood.
It was fresh, having just been spilled from a body.
Although the two in the arena were fighting fiercely, they hadn't drawn much blood.
Where was it coming from?
All present were experienced warriors, and they all sensed that something was wrong.
Something dangerous had appeared in the plaza.
Even the two in the arena stopped their fight, warily watching the source of the bloody smell.
The crowd quickly parted, revealing the scene of the incident.
Three people were on the ground there.
It was as if time had been frozen; each person was motionless, holding their pose.
Two of them had their backs to Bai Shi, so he could only see them from behind.
But opposite them sat a person facing Bai Shi directly.
Therefore, Bai Shi could see the bloodstained wooden old man's mask on his face.
This was the great swordsman from the Land of Reeds, the nameless shura—'The Old Man'.