Rogier and D returned to the Roundtable Hold and told Deathbed Companion Fia about the "Underworld Project." Fia was equally astonished by the plan and immediately voiced her support. She promised to contribute everything she could to complete the Underworld as soon as possible and give all Those Who Live in Death a true home.
Everyone was pleased with this outcome, and Rogier was ecstatic. D, however, kept dwelling on certain details, mostly concerning control over the Underworld. Although the Prince of Death was its designated ruler, that thing's soul had long since died. He was now merely a lump of living flesh. The officials working in the Underworld would be the ones who truly held power over life and death.
To ensure Those Who Live in Death never harmed the living again, D felt he needed to become the Underworld's actual leader and administer it strictly.
Fia had the same intention, but she wanted to protect the legitimate rights of Those Who Live in Death, not monitor them.
And so the two began an argument that, while not especially heated, was peppered with barbs.
D considered Fia a woman without any sense of honor, unqualified to administer the Underworld. Fia, in turn, considered D an inhuman executioner. Putting him in charge would surely result in countless wrongful convictions.
They traded verbal blows, neither yielding an inch, as though they intended to argue until the end of time.
The reason a delicate, defenseless woman like Fia dared argue with a fully armored knight like D was the Roundtable Hold's ironclad prohibition against violence.
After all, a living "Two Fingers" resided in the Roundtable Hold. This was no aberrant creature, nor some imaginary idol fashioned by believers, but a genuine, literal-envoy of a god.
It was through the Two Fingers' divine power that the Roundtable Hold had been built in the void. Never mind ordinary people-even Goddess Marika had to show these fingers due respect.
Committing violence within a divine envoy's domain was blasphemy of the highest order-or so Sir Gideon Ofnir told everyone. Nobody doubted him. Gods really did exist in the Lands Between, after all, and no amount of caution was excessive when dealing with divine matters.
Thus, however much D disliked Fia, he never drew the sword at his waist. And however frail and powerless Fia was, she could freely speak her mind to the strong.
Rogier watched with a smile, with no intention of joining in.
He had little ambition. Helping Those Who Live in Death was merely one way of giving his life meaning. To him, either Fia or D could lead the Underworld. Tarnished had already demonstrated why-as long as they followed regulations like Stormveil did, neither shielding criminals nor framing innocent people would be an issue. Under Tarnished's administration, even humans and Demi-Humans lived together peacefully. The Underworld would contain only the dead, which made things even simpler.
Honestly, Rogier rather liked the current atmosphere.
Not because he liked arguments, but because he liked resolving problems through discussion alone, without relying on violence.
Granted, this discussion was a little heated, a little loud, and involved a little too much foul language, but it was still better than bloodshed.
Thinking of this filled Rogier with admiration for Sir Gideon Ofnir.
Although the Roundtable Hold had been created through the Two Fingers' power, it had always been administered by Sir Gideon Ofnir. He was its actual leader.
This was partly because Gideon Ofnir had been one of the original Roundtable Hold's founders, and partly because Sir Gideon Ofnir enjoyed the Two Fingers' "favor."
The former was documented history. As for the latter... since everyone said so, it was probably true.
Rogier greatly respected Gideon Ofnir. The man lived up to his name, his wisdom seemingly bottomless. Unfortunately, ever since Rogier had lost the ability to see grace, Gideon Ofnir had barely acknowledged him.
Roger was a good man, but not so good that he would keep offering warmth to someone who gave him the cold shoulder. If Gideon Ofnir ignored him, he would act alone. Through mortal effort, he had still uncovered the truth of the Night of the Black Knives, proving his talent was no less than Gideon Ofnir's. He merely needed time to develop it.
Unfortunately, time had not favored Roger. In the end, he had died under the Prince of Death's death curse. This time, however, Tarnished's presence had allowed him to survive. It had changed his fate and given him the possibility of surpassing Gideon Ofnir.
Of course, Rogier had no intention of surpassing anyone. If there was anyone he wanted to surpass, it was himself.
Thinking of Gideon Ofnir reminded Rogier of Nepheli. As one of Limgrave's officials, he felt obliged to ask about her current circumstances. Whether Nepheli could become Stormveil's ruler was crucial to Tarnished's development.
He acted immediately. Leaving D and Fia to argue without any concern, Rogier left the room and headed toward the "All-Knowing Quarter" on the other side of the Roundtable Hold.
As the Roundtable Hold's leader, Gideon Ofnir naturally occupied a quarter of its floor space for his working quarters. With a private office, reception room, and various other rooms, his accommodations were far more luxurious than those of ordinary Tarnished.
When Rogier arrived, Nepheli was sitting in a corner of the reception room, lost in thought.
"Miss Nepheli."
"Rogier?" Nepheli snapped out of her reverie and asked in surprise, "What brings you here? Has something happened to Tarnished?"
"No, don't worry. Tarnished is doing well, and Stormveil is running normally. We recently signed a large contract with Volcano Manor. We should receive ample funds soon, and everyone's lives will improve." Rogier briefly explained their circumstances.
"Volcano Manor? How did you end up getting involved with the Recusants?"
"Tarnished said we should bring everyone's strength together."
"That sounds like him, but surely he wasn't that polite."
"All right, you guessed it." Rogier shrugged. "Tarnished said people are dirty, not money, and only a bastard turns down a profit."
"Haha, now that makes much more sense."
Nepheli laughed, and Rogier joined her.
Once their laughter subsided, Rogier asked, "About our earlier proposal..."
"My foster father has agreed to let me become the ruler of Stormveil Castle," Nepheli answered.
"That's good news," Rogier said. "Why the frown?"
"Because my foster father isn't sending me there to help the people. He wants me to find a way to obtain Tarnished's Great Rune."
Rogier frowned slightly. "Godrick's Great Rune? The Gravity Elden Ring?"
"That's right."
"When Sir Gideon Ofnir says obtain, he means..."
"Exploit your trust to steal it, or take it by force."
Rogier's frown deepened. "Why?"
"My foster father said you need two Great Runes to enter the Royal Capital of Leyndell and seek an audience with the Erdtree."
"And that means stealing and robbing?"
"This is the darkness we must cross to reach the dawn," Nepheli said. "My foster father said that once he becomes Elden Lord, he'll create a world where everyone is happy."
"You believe him?"
"I do."
"Why?"
"Because he's my foster father. He pulled me from a pile of corpses, gave me food and drink, and raised me."
"Even if he tells you to deceive your friends and steal or seize their possessions?"
"I told you, this is only the darkness before dawn. Once my foster father becomes Elden Lord, he'll create a world where everyone is happy!"
"Tarnished has said the same thing," Rogier declared firmly. "But he would never tell you to steal or rob!"
Thoroughly agitated, Nepheli seized Rogier's collar and lifted him into the air. "What am I supposed to do?" she demanded angrily. "This is my father's order. I have to obey!"
"If you truly had to, you wouldn't be standing here lost in thought," Rogier said with some difficulty. "You've already made your decision, haven't you?"
Thud!
Nepheli released him, and Rogier landed on his backside.
"I must be mad!" Nepheli clawed at her hair in frustration. "I won't betray my friends. I'll ask my foster father to withdraw his order!"
Rogier smiled. "Thank you, Nepheli. Let me come with you."
"No need."
"Are you sure?" Rogier looked the warrior woman over. "You're shaking like a fish just pulled out of the water."
Nepheli: "..."
In the end, they headed for Gideon Ofnir's study together.
In battle, Nepheli was a fearless warrior. In everyday life, however, she was an utterly obedient daughter.
She had always followed her father's arrangements. If Gideon Ofnir told her to go east, she would never go west. If he told her to chase a dog, she would never chase a chicken. Even now, Nepheli still observed a curfew. Unless she was on a mission, she always returned to the Roundtable Hold before eight and had never stayed out overnight. Suddenly defying her father was like a model student and class president deciding to dye her long, straight black hair blond. She was certainly excited, but her fear was just as real.
Although Rogier carried little weight with Gideon Ofnir, having someone beside her would at least bolster her courage.
Outside Gideon Ofnir's study, Nepheli took a deep breath. Rogier reassured her, "Relax. Knock on the door."
But Nepheli did not. As though deliberately forcing herself past the point of no return, she shoved the door open hard, with outright rudeness bordering on aggression.
"Father, I have something..."
Before Nepheli could finish, she saw Gideon Ofnir hunched over his desk, speaking into a glintstone crystal in a low, hoarse voice. "Kill everyone in the Village of the Albinaurics. Find the Medallion at any cost."
The glintstone crystal transmitted his entire message. Gideon Ofnir also noticed the two intruders.
The atmosphere turned rather awkward.
Rogier inwardly groaned. I said we should knock first!
"Father, what did you just say?"
Nepheli looked astonished and was about to ask more, but Rogier covered her mouth and pulled her toward the door.
"Sorry, Sir Gideon Ofnir. We heard nothing. We're leaving!"
Rogier wanted to leave, but failed. The moment he turned around, he saw a man wearing armor fashioned from golden human bones.
Ensha of the "Royal Remains," Gideon Ofnir's attendant!
Damn it!
Just as Rogier grew wary, a treated, hardened human arm bone plunged viciously through his lower abdomen.
"Urgh!"
Rogier spat out a mouthful of blood. This was Ensha's weapon, the [Clinging Bone]. The young scholar had been very careful, but he had never imagined the man would actually dare attack.
Violence was forbidden in the Roundtable Hold. Hadn't Gideon Ofnir established that rule? Why would his attendant openly violate it?
Ah. Rogier suddenly understood. The people who break the rules are always the ones who make them. Tarnished was absolutely right!
"Rogier!"
Seeing her friend wounded, Nepheli immediately drew the Twin Axes at her waist. But just as she was about to attack Ensha of the "Royal Remains," Gideon Ofnir roared, "Violence is forbidden in the Roundtable Hold! Nepheli, would you blaspheme against the gods?"
Nepheli instantly froze. Ensha, however, did not. The Clinging Bone thrust out again, piercing Nepheli's abdomen just as it had Rogier's.
The young warrior woman collapsed in agony.
"Honestly, why didn't you knock?" Gideon Ofnir rose and said flatly, "Kill him."
He meant Rogier, not Nepheli.
Gideon Ofnir would show his foster daughter Nepheli leniency, but he would never spare a Tarnished who could no longer see grace.
Ensha chuckled coldly and raised the Clinging Bone to pierce Rogier's chest. With a roar, Nepheli sprang up and tackled him to the ground.
"Rogier, run!"
Nepheli shouted, but Ensha immediately punched her in the jaw. She grunted and spat blood.
"Nepheli..."
Rogier struggled to his feet and drew the Estoc at his waist to help his friend, but Gideon Ofnir had already produced his Staff.
Magic began gathering in the air.
Ensha punched Nepheli's face again and again, sending blood flying. Yet she clung to him desperately, refusing to let him get up!
"Run, Rogier! Tell Tarnished to go to the Village of the Albinaurics and stop those atrocities..."
A massive glintstone star shot toward Rogier but struck only the wall. He escaped at the last possible instant. Hearing the commotion, the Roundtable Hold's other inhabitants approached.
Gideon Ofnir gave Ensha a meaningful glance. Ensha nodded, knocked Nepheli unconscious with a chopping blow, and dragged her into the darkness by one ankle.
"What was that noise?"
"My apologies. I was testing a new spell," Gideon Ofnir said calmly.
"Where's Rogier?" D scanned the gathered people but did not see his "former" friend.
"Mr. Rogier left. He said he was going to find someone called Tarnished." Gideon Ofnir remained perfectly calm.
"Why did he leave alone? Oh well, he does like wandering off by himself." Since there was a precedent, D did not doubt Gideon Ofnir's words and prepared to return to Fia to continue discussing who would lead the Underworld.
That was the whole story.
After drinking a Flask of Crimson Tears, Rogier was no longer in mortal danger, though blood loss had left him weak. He told everyone what had happened in the Roundtable Hold, immediately causing an uproar.
The two Crucible Knights were naturally the most agitated. Nepheli was the young liege they had acknowledged. How dare that bastard Gideon Ofnir! The mighty Crucible veterans, who feared nothing in the entire Lands Between, flew into a rage. They declared that they would immediately flatten the Roundtable Hold and chop that old dog Gideon Ofnir into dog food.
"You can't get to the Roundtable Hold, can you?" A single question from Kenneth Haight silenced both Crucible Knights.
The Roundtable Hold existed in the void, created through the Two Fingers' power. Without being acknowledged or guided by a Finger Maiden, reaching it was impossible.
Rogier could go alone, but he could not bring anyone.
"Bastard!" Laurendi slammed his fist into the wall and shouted angrily, "Are we supposed to abandon Her Highness?"
"Gideon Ofnir and she are father and daughter, after all. She should be all right," Kenneth Haight said after some thought.
"Should? What if Gideon Ofnir doesn't care about your 'should'?" Laurendi shouted. "You heard Rogier. That man called Gideon Ofnir casually ordered an entire village massacred. Do you think he values personal bonds?"
Kenneth Haight had no answer. Edgar tried to soothe them. "Calm down. What matters now is finding a way to reach the Roundtable Hold."
"No need to look," Tarnished suddenly said. "I can get to the Roundtable Hold."
The two Crucible Knights were overjoyed. Edgar also realized something. "Of course, you're a Tarnished. Do you have a Finger Maiden of your own?"
"I should have, but she's already dead."
"Then how will you reach the Roundtable Hold? Unless you've been acknowledged, only a Finger Maiden can bring you there. That's a rule laid down by a god."
"As I said before, the people who break the rules are always the ones who make them. So..." Tarnished snapped his fingers. "Melu, come out and say hello."
The cool, reserved girl appeared amid motes of light and asked, "Hast thou changed thy mind and decided to visit the Roundtable Hold?"
Before you continue