The Underworld Plan

"The Underworld? What's that?" D asked. "A castle or manor built underground?"

Rogier shook his head as well. "Forgive my ignorance, but I've never heard the name 'Underworld' before. Is it...?"

Tarnished cleared his throat and began explaining the concept of the Underworld.

"First of all, the Underworld isn't a castle or manor built underground. Think of it as a fully functioning kingdom, with a ruler, a capital, officials at every level, laws, and prisons."

D and Rogier were both baffled. "What does that have to do with Those Who Live in Death?"

"Because this kingdom exists to deal with Those Who Live in Death and all the problems they bring."

Tarnished continued, "The ruler is the powerful being who makes the very concept of the Underworld possible. Put simply, Godwyn, the Prince of Death, is its supreme ruler. It was his power that created Those Who Live in Death, giving the Underworld both its purpose and its foundation."

Rogier nodded. Though D disliked the Prince of Death-hated him a little, even-he had to concede that point.

"Once a kingdom has a ruler, it needs a place and territory where its subjects can live and move about. In other words, a capital," Tarnished continued. "Given the unique nature of Those Who Live in Death, the surface isn't a suitable home for them. The best place to establish their capital would be Deeproot, where the Prince of Death's corpse lies, directly beneath Leyndell. That's where the Erdtree's roots are. A vast hollow has already been carved out there, with its own self-contained ecosystem. Add the Prince of Death's power, and living there would be suicide for the living. For Those Who Live in Death, however, it's an ideal refuge, quiet and secluded enough for their needs."

Rogier nodded again, and D could find no fault with the reasoning either. To him, driving all Those Who Live in Death underground would already count as a major victory, at least for the time being.

"With a ruler and a capital in place, we come to the most important part: the central administration. This is the heart of the Underworld's operations. Its staff will each perform their own duties, forming a complete 'judicial assembly line' to regulate the conduct and actions of Those Who Live in Death. They'll reward those who obey the law and punish those who break it. Of course, given how rampant Those Who Live in Death are now, committing evil everywhere, anyone who joins the Underworld must first undergo an investigation and trial. Under my preliminary plan, ten departments will provide a comprehensive, objective assessment of them."

Rogier was stunned. He wanted to protect Those Who Live in Death, but his greatest ambition had only been to make people view their existence fairly, rather than blindly exterminating them. As for how to achieve that, he had nothing beyond trying to persuade everyone with love and sincerity. Yet Tarnished had suddenly presented a sound, complete solution. For a man who had spent so long groping through the dark, a glimmer of dawn had finally appeared.

"Tell us! What are these ten departments?" Rogier asked eagerly.

"Hmph. Personally, I think Those Who Live in Death don't need trials. Killing them all would do. But if this can effectively reduce the harm they cause, I suppose I'll hear you out." D gave a textbook display of tsundere behavior.

Tarnished didn't keep them guessing. He laid it out directly:

"The first department handles preliminary screening and routing. It makes a basic judgment of whether someone who lives in death is good or evil. Good people go straight to the tenth department, where they qualify for a new life. Those who have committed many evils are sent to the second department for a more detailed hearing."

"The second department punishes those who 'maim others, rape, steal, or kill.' Any dead person who used violence to harm others will undergo punishment here. Depending on the severity of their sins, they'll suffer the torment of bitter cold for varying lengths of time."

"The third department punishes those who 'defy their elders and incite litigation.' It primarily deals with the dead who betrayed their families or their own kind. Their bones will be scraped with steel blades."

"The fourth department audits taxes and punishes the dead who committed fraud in trade. It primarily deals with merchants, corrupt officials, and swindlers. Here, they'll be immersed in a boiling pool of blood and continually cooked."

"The fifth department reviews cases and checks for oversights. Any dead person who suffered injustice or unfair treatment can request a review here. For those who have admitted their guilt, accepted punishment, and sincerely repented, the fifth department will also take them to the surface for one last look at their hometowns or to fulfill other final wishes."

"The sixth department punishes those who 'disrespect heaven and earth and blaspheme against the gods.' It primarily deals with blasphemers. They'll kneel on ground covered in iron filings until their legs are completely worn to nothing."

"The seventh department punishes those who 'use human remains in medicine and separate people from their closest kin.' It primarily deals with grave robbers, human traffickers, and the like. These people are the most despicable, so they'll be punished by being plunged into boiling oil."

"The eighth department punishes those who 'show no filial respect to their parents or their parents-in-law.' It primarily deals with the unfilial. Here, they'll be torn apart by chariots."

"The ninth department controls the ultimate 'Avici Hell,' reserved for those whose crimes are beyond forgiveness. They'll receive the harshest, most brutal punishments here. Since they cannot be pardoned, their sentences will last forever."

"The tenth department: anyone who reaches it is either a truly good person or someone who has already accepted punishment and cleansed their sins. Here, they'll begin a new life after death. All past grievances will end here. No one will be allowed to harass or scorn them again. They'll become lawful citizens, protected by the law."

"Beyond these ten departments, the Underworld will need plenty of public servants to handle everyday matters. Investigators to gather intelligence, for example, guides to lead the dead to Deeproot, death-speakers to communicate with them, and even aftercare workers to make sure they can work and live normally after starting their new lives. And so on. Of course, this will be a huge organization requiring a great many staff. We won't be able to assemble them all overnight. Fortunately, our territory currently consists of only Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula. I suggest establishing a pilot program in Summonwater Village and giving it a small-scale trial run. If everything works, we can expand from there. What do you think?"

What could Rogier and D think? Ever since Tarnished had laid out those ten departments, their brains had stopped working.

It covered a whole range of worldly evils and specified appropriate punishments. Beyond that, it even included a review body and a final tribunal, seeing everything through from beginning to end... Had Tarnished really come up with such a complex administrative structure on the spot?

How did that brain of his even work?

Rogier and D looked at Tarnished as though he were some monster born to be king!

Tarnished understood the looks the two men were giving him. He shrugged. "I didn't come up with this alone. I'm merely standing on the shoulders of countless predecessors."

"Excessive modesty is dishonesty. No one in the Lands Between has ever proposed a system like this. I rarely admire anyone, but you, Tarnished, have truly won me over." D placed a hand over his chest and bowed, then continued, "If this plan can be implemented, it really could reduce the harm caused by Those Who Live in Death, giving us more time to find a way to deal with these dead people once and for all. I... suppose you can count me in."

Rogier said indignantly, "D, can't you let go of your prejudice yet? Tarnished's system clearly states that once Those Who Live in Death pass through the tenth department, their sins are cleansed. They'll become normal living beings, and you'll have no right to harm them!"

"Hmph. Let them actually pass through it first," D snorted. "And more importantly, this system has to be established in the first place."

"It can be. It absolutely can!" Rogier said firmly. "I'll devote my entire life to building a world where both the dead and the living can be happy!"

"Tch. You naïve fool. Do as you please," D said, all prickly denial. "I'll take part in the process too, but don't think I'm helping you. I'll only be keeping an eye on you and this plan, to make sure you don't secretly shelter Those Who Live in Death who've committed serious crimes."

Rogier smiled. As D's "former" friend, he had long since grown used to that attitude.

"Ahem." Tarnished cleared his throat. "So you agree with the plan too, Roger?"

How could Rogier possibly refuse? Before, he had wandered aimlessly in the real world and been just as aimless in pursuing his ambitions. He had been feeling his way blindly through the question of how to protect Those Who Live in Death. Now, everything was different. Tarnished's plan was a revelation, as though an aircraft carrier had sailed up to him while he struggled through raging currents and called for him to climb aboard.

If Rogier had previously thought that, were he a woman, he would gladly let Tarnished stand up and rail him, now he was willing to let Tarnished stand up and rail him even as a man!

"I agree. Completely!" Rogier clasped Tarnished's hand excitedly. "Thank you, Tarnished. Your plan is wonderful. Not only do I agree, I'm sure Miss Fia will too. Oh, Miss Fia is a Deathbed Companion currently staying at Roundtable Hold. It was her inspiration that led me to want to protect Those Who Live in Death. I'm sorry, but I may need to return to Roundtable Hold. I have to tell Miss Fia about your plan. She's an incredibly gentle, considerate person, and better at communicating with the dead than I am. Her involvement would certainly help us put this plan into action much faster."

"I'm going back with you," D said sourly. "Otherwise, a greenhorn like you will get duped by that witch again."

"Miss Fia isn't a witch!"

"Yes, yes. Fia isn't a witch, Those Who Live in Death aren't bad people, and I'm the only villain here. I'm the worst!"

Tarnished looked at Rogier, then at D. It felt like watching an old married couple flirt through their bickering.

Still, Rogier was right. If they wanted to truly bring Those Who Live in Death into the fold, Fia, the Deathbed Companion, was indispensable.

Tarnished had hugged Fia too, of course, purely for the buff. Though afterward he could run into nine "Fia's Champions" just by going downstairs to buy a pack of cigarettes, he always took an objective view of local customs, so he had chosen to give them his blessing and leave.

Call Fia a good person, and there was the fact that she had killed D.

Call Fia a bad person, and her greatest ambition was merely to create a refuge for Those Who Live in Death who had nowhere to call home.

Tarnished had no interest in dissecting human nature, nor was he qualified to judge others. He only knew that Fia had the same problem as Rogier: lofty ambitions, but no concrete strategy or plan.

That was a common affliction in the Lands Between. With gods around, mortals only needed to pray. After all, as long as a god approved of their ambition, divine power could make everything happen in an instant.

But now the goddess Marika had vanished after shattering the Elden Ring, and humanity had returned to an age when people needed to do things themselves. It was perfectly natural for them to aim too high and indulge in wild fantasies.

He hoped that, with his plan this time, Fia could finally achieve her wish. After all, as Rogier had said, Those Who Live in Death had once been human too. The dead and the living were two sides of the same coin. They should never have been slaughtering one another in the first place.

And most importantly... Those Who Live in Death needed neither food, drink, nor rest. They were practically born with the perfect constitution for wage slavery! Stormveil needed rebuilding from top to bottom, and Tarnished was so thirsty for that workforce that his crotch was practically getting wet!

And so Rogier and D left Stormveil, taking Tarnished's plan back to Roundtable Hold. When Kenneth Haight learned the news, he looked as though his parents had died. "Rogier's gone! What about all that work?" he lamented.

Obviously, he would do it all himself. What else?

Edgar had to go train the troops... build roads, while Tarnished had to go sightseeing... clear out wild monsters.

He had originally wanted to take Irina with him, but the blind girl was already the captain of Stormveil's medical team. She led a group of young women who carried the cheapest, crudest Sacred Seals and cast the warmest incantations over and over, healing everyone who needed it regardless of race or faith. Though she went about it quietly, her prestige had already reached an astonishing height.

Little Red Hood-the noble girl who had given Tarnished the Spirit Jellyfish Klara-was named Roderika. She had wanted to help at first too, but ultimately gave up because she had no talent for casting spells.

Tarnished knew Roderika had a gift for spirit tuning, which let her strengthen spirit ashes capable of fighting. He had been thinking of taking her to Roundtable Hold someday, only for the girl to find a role of her own.

With Kenneth Haight working day and night, Summonwater Village's textile center and long-necked turtle farm were successfully established. The turtle farm remained under Demi-Human management, while the textile center was entrusted to the thirty-odd people who lived in death.

Since they needed neither food, drink, nor rest, their productivity really was high. Those thirty-odd workers could produce almost as much as a hundred people. The problem was that, fast as they were, their work lacked soul.

Put simply, the cloth they wove wasn't fancy enough.

This was an important product intended for export to Volcano Manor to earn foreign currency. Something so crude would ruin Stormveil's reputation. Tarnished was beside himself with worry, but nearly everyone in Stormveil's administration, from workers to leaders, was a peasant. Kenneth Haight was the only noble, and he had fallen on hard times. More importantly, he was a textbook pampered noble son. His administrative ability was beyond reproach, but he had truly never done a lick of manual work. Ask him how to weave luxurious cloth, and he could talk you through everything from the finer points of growing textile crops to six types of embroidery stitches. Put him to work, however, and he hadn't the faintest clue.

Was starting a business really this hard? Was their very first order going to fall through?

Just as Tarnished was thinking that, Little Red Hood, Roderika, stepped forward. With superb weaving and embroidery skills, she rescued the venture from the brink of collapse and became the chief designer of Summonwater Village's textile center.

What did it mean to say everyone was born with a talent worth using? This was exactly what it meant!

Overjoyed, Tarnished immediately gave Little Red Hood a suite in Stormveil Castle, two doors down from his own room. Not right next door, because that room had already been given to Irina.

Afterward, Roderika taught her techniques to Those Who Live in Death. Their brains had rotted away, leaving them with no creativity whatsoever. All they could do was copy a model. But copying was exactly what Tarnished needed. So they began copying and pasting, churning out products like 3D printers. Summonwater Village's textile center finally got on track and properly began operations.

A few days later, a representative from Volcano Manor visited Stormveil again. Unlike Patches and his verbal promises, this man had come on behalf of Volcano Manor to sign a formal agreement with Stormveil.

"Hello."

The visitor was a tall, straight-backed knight wearing heavy armor shaped like a beast. Holding an enormous scepter entwined by a giant serpent, he spoke in an upright, warm baritone. "My name is Bernahl. Recusant Bernahl."