The world Ah Tui wanted

Such a mighty warrior actually existed?!

That was Kenneth Haight's first thought.

How did that old bastard Edgar manage to pull an SSR like this?

That was Kenneth Haight's second thought.

No, a talent like this belongs in my service. With my civil expertise and his military prowess, we could surely pacify West Limgrave and keep everyone within twenty miles safe.

That was Kenneth Haight's third thought.

As a civil official, he naturally aspired to serve a sovereign and rise to high office. Unfortunately, his ambitions were rather modest-about twenty miles across.

He cleared his throat and made Ah Tui an offer.

"May I ask your name?"

"Just call me Ah Tui."

"What position do you hold at Castle Morne, General Ah Tui?"

"None. I just happened to lend a hand."

Kenneth Haight was delighted. "In that case, General Ah Tui, would you be interested in working under me? I think very highly of your abilities!"

The soldiers stopped what they were doing and looked over. When Kenneth Haight offered nothing further, they relaxed and went back to cooking.

You've got to be kidding. Our lord practically gave away his daughter and still couldn't win Lord Ah Tui's allegiance, and you think a few empty words will do it? If fleeing for your life has worn you out, get some sleep. You can have anything you want in your dreams.

Sure enough, Ah Tui merely smiled. "The mushrooms are ready. Let's eat first."

Even Kenneth Haight, with all his concern for the world, couldn't refuse that suggestion. Nothing mattered more than a meal, especially since he hadn't eaten properly in days.

A soldier ladled him a bowl of stewed mushrooms. He accepted it with thanks, then sat beside Ah Tui, still unwilling to give up.

"If you work for me, you'll learn what proper order beneath the Erdtree means." Kenneth Haight laid out his bargaining chip. "Even the lowly will not be cast aside, so long as they belong to a proper order. That is how the Erdtree ought to be. Do you know what I intend to do when I return to my fort? Reopen communication with the Demi-Humans. As a descendant of Limgrave's rightful rulers, it is my duty to ensure that all races coexist in peace and friendship. So long as they obey the Erdtree, uphold it, and remain steadfast under its leadership, even Demi-Humans can be good neighbors!"

Ah Tui smiled without answering, but a soldier beside him curled his lip.

"You just mean accepting other races, right? We've been doing that at Castle Morne for ages."

Kenneth Haight froze. "Impossible. That stubborn old Edgar would never be so open-minded!"

"Lord Ah Tui persuaded our lord, of course. Castle Morne is thriving under Lord Ah Tui's management now."

Kenneth Haight looked at Ah Tui. "Is he telling the truth? You really accepted other races?"

Ah Tui smiled a third time. "Try the stewed mushrooms, Mr. Haight. See how they differ from the mushrooms you've eaten before."

Kenneth Haight glanced doubtfully at the mushrooms in his bowl. His mind might have been full of grand plans, but lofty ambitions had never filled anyone's stomach. In the end, he surrendered to humanity's most primal desire, scooping up a mushroom with his wooden spoon and taking a bite.

As the fresh, savory flavor blossomed on his tongue, Kenneth Haight's pupils abruptly contracted. Looking as though someone had kicked him hard between the legs, he opened his mouth and cried out, "Delicious! These are the best stewed mushrooms I've ever eaten! Why did you let me taste something this wonderful? What if I never get to eat it again? Look, the mushrooms are glowing! Their light is shooting into the sky! It's blinding!!!"

Everyone: "..."

Mushrooms were allowed to taste good. They were not allowed to glow.

The soldiers whispered among themselves:

"What light?"

"The mushrooms should be cooked through, right? And they aren't poisonous."

Ah Tui said helplessly, "It's fine. He's just starving. Anything would taste good to him. Give him a lump of dog shit right now and he'd think it was a delicacy."

Kenneth Haight: "..."

"My apologies. I lost my composure and made a fool of myself. Still, these mushrooms are a rare delicacy, better than any I've eaten before. They're..."

"A new variety cultivated by the Mushroom People."

Kenneth Haight was astonished. "Castle Morne even takes in Mushroom People?"

"So long as they belong to a proper order, they won't be cast aside. Isn't that what you said?"

"But the Mushroom People worship rot!"

"But they don't oppose the Erdtree." Ah Tui countered, "Or is failing to praise it enthusiastically enough also a crime under the Erdtree's rule?"

Kenneth Haight's gaze sharpened. "What if I said it was?"

Ah Tui shrugged. "Then I'd understand why the goddess Marika shattered the Elden Ring."

The gravity of that subject silenced everyone. Kenneth Haight said nothing for several seconds, then suddenly raised his bowl and noisily finished the mushrooms. Wiping his mouth, he said, "Take me to Castle Morne. I want to see it for myself!"

Ah Tui was a little surprised. "You don't want to reclaim Fort Haight first?"

"My family and servants were all murdered by the knight captain Godrick sent. Rather than reclaim an empty fort, I should carry on their legacy and devote what remains of my life to fulfilling their wishes."

Just as Ah Tui remembered, Kenneth Haight was a good man. He smiled. "Have another bowl of stewed mushrooms, Lord Haight. Once you've finished, we'll head back to Castle Morne."

The rescue mission was a complete success. Ah Tui had successfully brought Kenneth Haight back.

Edgar came out of the castle to welcome them, only to find his fellow official nowhere in sight.

"Where is he?" the lord asked the Tarnished.

Ah Tui shrugged. "He went to the livestock area and the mushroom plots."

"Hmph. Just the sort of thing he'd do. And here I came all the way out to greet him." After that complaint, Edgar asked Ah Tui, "Did Kenneth try to recruit you?"

Ah Tui answered honestly, "Yes."

Edgar immediately grew anxious. "You mustn't agree!"

Ah Tui looked troubled. "But Mr. Haight offered me very generous terms. It's hard not to be tempted."

Edgar snapped, "Aren't my terms generous enough? I've given you everything short of my position as lord!"

"Materially, yes. Emotionally, they leave something to be desired." Ah Tui added pointedly, "Last time, I held Irina's hand while we were walking because I was afraid she'd fall, and someone started shouting at me."

The lord's face alternated between red and pale. For the sake of Castle Morne's future, however, he finally decided to sacrifice his daughter a little.

"Hand-holding. Nothing beyond hand-holding. Try anything else and I'll hang you from the gate myself!"

Ah Tui was delighted. "Thank you, my lord! From this day forward, Castle Morne is my home!"

That evening, Ah Tui hosted Kenneth Haight at his house, with Lord Edgar joining them.

The food consisted of mushrooms and wild greens, and the wine was a cloudy, sour brew made from wild fruit. The Shattering had reduced the entire Lands Between to rubble, and production had plummeted along with it. Having both food and wine was already a rare luxury.

Kenneth Haight drank quite a bit, his face flushed red. Ah Tui had thought he was drunk, but suddenly Kenneth seized his wrist, a brilliant light gleaming in his eyes.

"Why are you taking in other races?"

Ah Tui replied, "Because rebuilding Castle Morne requires people."

"Don't lie. Your handful of battered survivors could make do in the ruined houses. There's no need to rebuild Castle Morne at all. It's the extra population you brought in by accepting other races that made rebuilding necessary. You've been passing off the effect as the cause to deceive everyone."

Kenneth Haight turned to Edgar. "Are you an idiot? Couldn't you even see that?"

"I saw it." Edgar scooped up a mushroom.

"Then why did you let him do as he pleased?"

Edgar swallowed the mushroom. "Because this boy intends to become Elden Lord."

Kenneth Haight was utterly astonished. He looked at Ah Tui, expecting it to be nothing more than an empty slogan blurted out in youthful passion, but Ah Tui remained perfectly calm, neither denying it nor explaining.

"The Elden Ring does not permit anything that defies the Golden Order," Kenneth Haight sighed. "If you truly wish to become Elden Lord, you have even less reason to accept heretics with other faiths."

"But the goddess has already shattered the Elden Ring, hasn't she?"

"Even shattered, it's beyond the power of ordinary mortals like us to oppose! A man must know his limits. Passion alone cannot accomplish anything, much less defy a god!" Kenneth Haight turned to Edgar. "Stop eating and talk some sense into him!"

"Sorry. I've already decided to follow Ah Tui's lead."

"The boy's mad. Have you gone mad too?" Kenneth Haight was furious. "Why do you indulge him so much?"

"Because this boy saved my life, Irina's life, and the lives of everyone in Castle Morne," Edgar said earnestly. "Without Ah Tui, we would probably all be dead. We've already died once. What is there left to fear? Whatever Ah Tui wants to do, we'll support him with everything we have. The world is already in chaos. It can hardly get any worse. Besides, judging by the situation so far, Ah Tui's methods aren't wrong. He really has changed Castle Morne. He really has protected everyone."

"That's because you haven't attracted the attention of the Royal Capital of Leyndell yet. The Grace-Given King has eyes throughout the Lands Between. He will never tolerate Castle Morne openly violating the Golden Order!"

Kenneth Haight shouted, and Edgar shouted back, "Yes, the Grace-Given King has eyes throughout the Lands Between! Even the Weeping Peninsula is watched by his Night's Cavalry! Yet he watched Castle Morne suffer a Misbegotten rebellion without sending the Night's Cavalry to help! If he doesn't care about Castle Morne, why should Castle Morne care about him?"

Kenneth Haight's expression stiffened. He had no answer.

"Perhaps it was only... only beyond the Grace-Given King's power..."

"Then Castle Morne will fend for itself! We want to survive. That's all."

"But..."

Kenneth Haight tried to continue, but Ah Tui interrupted him.

"Mr. Haight, you said that those who belong to a proper order won't be cast aside. Why are you trying to stop me now?"

"Because neither you nor I decides what is proper. The Golden Order has already established that," Kenneth Haight explained. "I do wish to accept other races, but the purpose is to educate them. If they abandon their former beliefs and embrace the Erdtree, I can secure a little room for them to survive."

"Do you think you can do it?" Ah Tui asked.

Kenneth Haight said firmly, "I believe that determination can make things happen. I will devote my entire life to this undertaking!"

"That's true, but there's also such a thing as twice the effort for half the result," Ah Tui said. "As far as I know, the First Elden Lord once led the Erdtree's armies in conquest across the world. He was indeed unstoppable, yet many races refused to change their faith even when they were slaughtered to the last. Why do you think you can accomplish what he couldn't?"

Kenneth Haight couldn't answer, so he turned the question back on him. "Then what about you? Even the First Elden Lord submitted to the Golden Order. Why do you think you can forge a different path?"

"Because he was alone, surrounded by nothing but the Erdtree's radiance. I'm different. My past experiences taught me something: a person's strength has limits. The more you try to accomplish everything alone, the more completely you'll lose."

Kenneth Haight frowned. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that I will become Elden Lord again-not a lord of the gods, but a lord of the people. I'll bring everyone's strength together to create the world I want!"

Kenneth Haight was shocked. "What outrageous blasphemy! You would forsake the gods and enslave the people? Just what kind of world do you envision?"

"A perfect world where everyone can survive, everyone can find happiness, and every tragedy is stopped before it happens!" Ah Tui made no attempt to conceal his desire. His gaze burned as he said, "Mr. Haight, I need your strength too. Help me!"

Kenneth Haight couldn't stop himself from trembling. Before him lay an entirely new path-and a path that could lead to utter ruin.

But why did that path seem like freshly baked bread, giving off an irresistible aroma that made him yearn for it?

Perhaps because it truly was wonderful. Truly magnificent!

Kenneth Haight wavered, weighing the gains and losses in his mind. Before he could decide, the sound of sharpening suddenly reached his ears.

He turned and saw Edgar honing his Banished Knight's Halberd with a whetstone. Noticing his old friend's gaze, the lord smiled faintly. "It's fine. Take your time. I'm just bored, so I thought I'd polish my shaft a little."

Kenneth Haight: "..."

He looked at Ah Tui, whose gaze remained firm and unwavering, then at Edgar, whose eyes gleamed fiercely beneath a vicious expression. He looked ready to chop Kenneth's head off with his halberd if he dared refuse.

Under these circumstances, did he have a choice?

"Your shaft? How vulgar," Kenneth Haight said. "I certainly hope my new colleagues aren't all uncouth brutes."

Edgar laughed and put his shaft away.

He and Kenneth Haight had been friends for years, both veterans who had served under Godrick. The only reason they could become new colleagues was that they had joined a new faction under a new leader.

And so Kenneth Haight officially joined their little band of rebels.

"I inspected the livestock area and mushroom plots. They're decent enough, but management is far too lax to ensure consistent yields and quality. Nor are you making full use of the Demi-Humans' and Mushroom People's initiative. I'll draw up a new set of regulations to organize their management and bring it to you for review once it's finished."

"Good. But account for the different races' beliefs and customs. There should be rewards and penalties, too, applied fairly and reasonably."

"Rest assured. I'm far more familiar with the cultures of the various races than you are. There won't be any problems."

"Then sorry for the trouble, Mr. Haight."

Kenneth Haight quickly settled into his role, and Ah Tui trusted the people he employed, freely delegating authority.

"There's one other matter," Ah Tui said. "I want to rebuild Waypoint Street."

"A good idea. Once I return to Fort Haight, I can issue you formal authorization. But where will the goods come from...?"

"The Demi-Humans' livestock area can supply animal bones and meat, and the Mushroom People's plots can produce all sorts of mushrooms. Beneath the Minor Erdtree opposite Pilgrimage Church, we also have a plot of muscle golden-ring grass. The Minor Erdtree Guardians are tending it for us."

"Muscle golden-ring grass?" Kenneth Haight paused.

Edgar explained, "He means tarnished golden sunflower."

"You managed to get two characters wrong out of five. Your literacy needs work." Kenneth Haight gave Ah Tui a disdainful look, but quickly returned to business. "Tarnished golden sunflower is a primary ingredient in holy water. It certainly has considerable commercial value. If we can transport it to Leyndell, it should bring in substantial revenue. That's where most of the idio... faithful are, after all. But how will we secure the trade route?"

A civil official was a civil official, after all. He was far more perceptive than Edgar, a military man, and had immediately recognized the value of tarnished golden sunflower.

Ah Tui answered, "As long as we rebuild the shopping street, the Nomadic Merchants will fully support Castle Morne. We only need to sell our goods to them."

"You actually persuaded the Nomadic Merchants? But rumor has it they summoned a demon from underground... Never mind. Given Castle Morne's current situation, those rumors will probably only multiply." Kenneth Haight considered it. "The Nomadic Merchants have always been remarkably resourceful. Having them buy our goods would be a tremendous help, but placing our lifeline in someone else's hands is unwise. Eventually, we must establish our own caravan."

Ah Tui nodded, but Edgar frowned. "It's a long journey from the Weeping Peninsula to the Altus Plateau, where the Royal Capital of Leyndell stands. We'd have to cross both Limgrave and the Liurnia Region. More importantly, the Grand Lift of Dectus leading to the Altus Plateau has been abandoned for ages, and the Dectus Medallion is nowhere to be found..."

Before the lord could finish, Kenneth Haight pulled a semicircular object from inside his clothes.

"What's that?" Edgar asked curiously. "Some foreign food called a 'mooncake'?"

Kenneth Haight gave the warrior a disdainful glance and supplied the correct answer.

"What mooncake? This is the Dectus Medallion for the Grand Lift of Dectus... one half of it!"

Edgar: "!!!"