Elden Ring: Atai vows to have a perfect ending

Chapter 286: Gold Out of Reach

Diaros's sudden and affectionate confession made my brain freeze.

After all, I really couldn't imagine that I could have another fan, and that fan was Diaros.

The other party seemed to think that I didn't hear what he said clearly, so he swallowed his saliva and began to explain to me slowly and in detail: "Brother Ling, you should have heard me and Lenya say that our Khosrow family has another eldest brother named Yuno Khosrow."

——Double Whip Dog Step Man, Yuno.

——Of course I know! It was this guy who whipped me like a spinning top when we first met in the snowy mountains.

"······In the past border areas, our Khosrow family was considered a prominent family. Although it sounds strange for me to say this, everyone in the family is a natural warrior. Among them, my eldest brother Yuno Khosrow is the best. No matter when, my eldest brother is always taciturn and calm to the point of being outrageous... From childhood to adulthood, I never remember him panicking. Everything seemed to be under his control." Diaros looked at the flickering flames and chattered about his brother Yuno Khosrow.

In his eyes, his elder brother Yuno was a perfect fighting genius, cold and tough. Even though he was exiled outside the border area by Queen Marika, he was able to frequently escape danger in that desolate land where there was nothing.

With the protection of such a big brother, Diaros can be said to be a flower in a greenhouse, spoiled.

However, Khosrow spoke with blood.

Diaros naturally admired his elder brother Yuno Khosrow very much, and he also longed for himself, as a younger brother, to have power no less than his brother and become a hero admired by everyone.

but·······

“Compared to my elder brother, I am just an ordinary person. No matter how hard I try, I can’t even touch my elder brother’s skin... When I was summoned by the queen and returned to the border, we almost fell into the hands of those robbers without even Lenia’s help.” Diaros sighed, “This world is too unbearable. If we can’t become stronger, we won’t even have the right to live... Lenia understands this, so she let me follow Brother Ling’s journey, and she is also growing according to her own ideas... But the more I understand this, the more impatient and embarrassed I become!”

I more or less understood Diaros's idea, but to be honest, I couldn't really feel where my strengths lay.

For example, today, if Lance Shanks had not been so easy to talk to, I would probably have been annihilated by her dragon thunder... However, I happened to know the close relationship between Furshanks and the dead prince Godwin, and I also happened to know the entanglement between Lance Shanks and Vic, so I was in danger.

So, if I have to say, my strongest weapon is the information I got from the game in my original world.

Therefore, I explained everything in detail: "Well, Diaros, actually, I am not as strong as the big brother you mentioned. The only advantage I have is knowledge? Or should I say intelligence..."

"Brother Ling, you are too modest, you..." Diaros shook his head and interrupted me. Then, he sighed, "I am quite ashamed to say that when the magma earth dragon rushed over today, I was actually scared and didn't know what to do, not to mention the sudden appearance of the ancient dragon. At that time, I dared not move at all under her pressure... But you were able to fight and talk with her as if nothing had happened, and even calmed the ancient dragon's anger. This is simply incredible."

"Hehe, Zero is the most interesting hero I have ever found~" Laya also joined the praise group at the appropriate time.

This made me feel even more embarrassed, and at the same time I was a little confused: "But Lance Shanks is pretty easy to talk to, isn't she? Compared to those guys who can't communicate, she just got angry because she misunderstood all of us. As long as we explain it clearly, she will naturally not make things difficult for us."

"But, it is also a genuine ancient dragon. Her dragon language alone is enough to shake people's psychological defenses." Millicent also took over. "Besides, after that move of the Red Thunder Blade, I never thought that you, Zero, could calm down the ancient dragon and let it leave safely just by talking."

"Yes, is that so?" To be honest, at that time, my mind was full of Dragon Lady's Bride, and I didn't think there was anything scary about Lance Shanks at all. I even felt a little sorry for the proud and defeated Dragon.

After all, judging from her words, Vic might have gone crazy because of the witch, so she said that she would find a way to deal with Vic's affairs.

But from the perspective of Diaros and Millicent, the ancient dragon, once the most powerful being in the borderland, a behemoth that could easily crush them, was indeed a very terrifying existence.

——It seems that I was indeed possessed by Kaiba Seto at that time, and the only person in my eyes was Hakunu.

——As a result, my friends completely misunderstood me and thought I was really bold...

“Hahaha.” Under the approving and admiring gazes, I could only laugh dryly and scratch the back of my head.

Diaros went on to say, "Whether it's the memorial service for Gaelid or the war in Lienia this time, Brother Ling can always do things that are far beyond my imagination... But you didn't have this ability from the beginning... Although Brother Patch's words are somewhat suspicious, he said that you used to be like a rabbit, and seemed to be resistant to fighting. At that time, Brother Ling even admitted it... So, can you tell me, what should I do to become like you, Brother Ling now?"

Come to think of it, during the Lienia War, I did talk about the past with Patch, Diaros, and Laya.

Therefore, in Diaros's understanding, I have grown from being so bad at fighting to being incredibly calm even when facing an ancient dragon under a disadvantage, just like his elder brother Yuno, who seems to have everything under control.

...When I think about it carefully, I am indeed a little surprised. How did it change?

Although I would still scream and shout when I encountered a dung monster, somehow, I no longer had any resistance to fighting. I also no longer had the paralyzing fear of the unknown existence of this land... Even when I stepped onto the Yatan Plateau and met Lance Shanks, the joy and excitement in my heart probably far exceeded my fear of her.

"...Diaros, in response to your question, I can only say that I have become what I am today with the help of many people." I explained to him solemnly, "Look, Nepheli, Blaze, Iggy, and many, many others. I have met them constantly and learned a lot from them, which has shaped me into who I am today... This is also the greatest significance of my travels."

“······The meaning of travel?” Millicent seemed to have some understanding of what I said.

But Diaros's brows did not relax, perhaps, such an answer could not answer his doubts.

After all, it was because he understood this that he was willing to come and travel with us.

"In addition, if there is anything to say, it is indeed only intelligence and knowledge." I added, "There is an old saying that goes 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be in danger of a hundred battles.' Whether it is an opponent or an ally, as long as there is a preliminary understanding, there will be no unnecessary fear. As for mistakes, they can be corrected slowly in battle or daily contact... At least, for me, this is the source of all power."

"During the journey, you gain knowledge and understanding, and turn these into your own strength?"

"Yes, yes!" I snapped my fingers at Millicent.

——As expected of Mibao, he grasped the core of my messy words right away.

"But actually, Zero was pretty good at the beginning," Laya interrupted. "When Zero first met me, he had already defeated the 'demigod' Greg, right?"

"...That was only possible with the help of Nefeli, Hertok and a group of people. It's not my ability alone." I quickly explained.

Laya nodded her head and continued, "But it does take enough power to accomplish things, right? So if you need a lot of power, you can come to the Volcano Residence. We can meet a lot of powerful people there. Moreover, Lady Tanis also said that our king has as much power as the Golden Monarch."

——Ah, it starts again, the daily recruitment of little snakes.

I looked at Laya who still knew nothing and smiled helplessly.

I looked up at the golden tree that covered most of the sky. It was clearly right in front of me, but it was still so out of reach.