I Can Handle It!

The journey home went smoothly, and Tarnished led the army and the Albinaurics back to Stormveil.

As martial law was lifted, the people who had been waiting so long poured into the streets to welcome the returning army.

They might not have understood why the army had marched out, but they knew it was their own army.

The people were not blind. They knew who had helped build the roads beneath their feet and the homes they lived in. Nor were they fools. They knew who treated them well and truly protected them.

The elderly offered food to the soldiers, young men pressed homemade fruit wine into their hands, and young women boldly tossed gifts they had sewn themselves into the ranks, making the soldiers blush.

Alpas and the Albinaurics watched in astonishment. They had never seen an army so beloved by its people.

Seated on Torrent, Tarnished wore the doting smile of an uncle.

"Ahem." Afraid things might turn embarrassing, Edgar asked, "Should we put a stop to this?"

Tarnished looked puzzled. "Why would we?"

"It is rather undisciplined, after all."

"This isn't a lack of discipline. It's the whole point of risking your life to fight for others." Tarnished shook his head. "If helping others brings no reward, then one day people will turn a blind eye to those who suffer. Don't stop them. The people's goodwill isn't poison-it's strength. Our soldiers are the finest in the Lands Between. They deserve all of this!"

"That's true, but what if a soldier grows arrogant because of it and does something that harms the people...?"

"Our military regulations aren't just for show. Punish wrongdoing and reward merit." Tarnished glanced at Edgar. "Or are you saying our officers would cover for them?"

"Of course not!" Edgar replied at once.

"Then what is there to worry about?" Tarnished said. "Those below follow the example of those above. As long as the leadership doesn't fall into corruption, neither will those beneath it. If the lower ranks become corrupt, that means the upper ranks have long since rotted through. The people who truly determine the goodness of people's hearts and the direction they take have never been miners or women working in textile mills. They are the officials sitting in offices, calling themselves important men, who can decide countless people's fates with a single order. It isn't these ordinary soldiers who need to stay vigilant. It's you and me."

Edgar fell silent for a while. At last, he took a deep breath and placed a hand over his chest. "Thank you for your guidance. I will remember it for the rest of my life and never betray it."

Irina gently tugged at her father's coat, while Nepheli cast an admiring look at Tarnished. His words were a reminder not only to Edgar, but to them as well.

Yet neither of them resented the lecture. Why? Because every one of them was a kind person.

The victory celebration was lively without being elaborate, and the people soon returned to their busy, fulfilling work.

The arrival of the Albinaurics supplied Stormveil with much-needed population, easing the labor shortage somewhat, but it also increased the demand for infrastructure.

With the new dormitories completed, the existing workers had all moved into their new homes. The Albinaurics were assigned their old shacks. They were already quite satisfied with this, but Tarnished was far from pleased.

Those shacks sprawled across the ground like flatbreads. Not only were they an eyesore, they also occupied vast tracts of land.

Stormveil was in the midst of a great leap forward in rapid development. It was no exaggeration to say that every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. The shacks housed far too few people for the space they occupied, and all that land could instead be converted into farming and livestock areas to create greater economic returns.

The more Tarnished thought about it, the more those shacks irritated him. Finally, with a bold sweep of his brush, he drew a circle and wrote "demolish" inside it. He decided to launch a comprehensive demolition and redevelopment campaign throughout Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula, demanding the complete removal of shantytowns and the introduction of a new concept in multistory housing. They would reduce wasted land, create new district layouts suited to the needs of the times, and put their best resources where they mattered most. While meeting the people's everyday needs, they would also expand production, securing gains in both living standards and productive capacity!

With Tarnished having said all that, what else could anyone say? Time to get to work!

And so everyone in Stormveil threw themselves into a frenzy of infrastructure construction.

Rogier and Kenneth Haight pored over geographical records and conducted field surveys. After three sleepless nights, they finally produced an overall development blueprint.

Under this plan, New Waypoint Street would become the shared commercial center of Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula, with residential and industrial districts spiraling outward from it.

Based on their respective output and functions, the Weeping Peninsula was designated a livestock farming base. Its coastal location also allowed for some fishing, and all of this was entrusted to the Demi-Humans under Mako's leadership. As for Morne Tunnel, Tarnished decided to close it because its output was too low and consisted entirely of low-grade Smithing Stones. This would preserve a healthy environment without disrupting livestock farming or fishing, while also allowing their limited workforce to move into industries with higher economic returns-two birds with one stone.

Limgrave remained divided into eastern and western sections. The west, centered on Stormveil, served as the political and military hub. The east, centered on Summonwater Village, became a light industry base.

According to the plan, every agricultural and industrial district would have an accompanying residential area. For the sake of long-term development, enough space would also be reserved between these districts to accommodate future expansion, though for now, that left them a little too far apart.

To make up for this shortcoming and improve commuting, Tarnished began building roads as well.

Building roads required still more workers.

So Edgar took Alpas's wet... little ivory sickle to Liurnia and recruited quite a few second-generation Albinaurics. But the growing population required more infrastructure, leaving them short of workers again, so they could only keep returning to Liurnia to recruit.

Like adding flour when there was too much water, then adding water when there was too much flour, the people of Stormveil stumbled onward. Everyone pooled their ideas and worked together to solve one problem after another, but the most serious remained the labor shortage. Building houses needed people, building roads needed people, production needed people-everything needed people. In the end, Fia, who had only just joined Stormveil, offered an unexpected solution.

As a Deathbed Companion, she possessed an innate ability to communicate with the dead. Under D's supervision... accompaniment, she visited the major catacombs of Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula and successfully recruited a group of Those Who Live in Death into the workforce. They needed neither food nor drink, cost nothing, and could work nonstop day and night. One was better than three, greatly easing the labor shortage.

Inspired by this, Tarnished followed her example and "hired" Those Who Live Forever who endlessly wandered the shores of the Weeping Peninsula.

Those Who Live Forever were, as the name suggested, beings who lived forever and could not die.

Under the combined influence of the Prince of Death and the shattering of the Elden Ring, the Golden Order had developed severe bugs. These had produced living dead such as Those Who Live in Death, as well as dead living beings such as Those Who Live Forever.

Their hearts no longer beat, and their flesh had lost its vitality, yet they simply could not die. They could only wander the shore day after day, longing for eternal peace.

Tarnished figured that if they were going to wander anyway, they might as well wander around a construction site. Their decaying bodies could not handle heavy work, and they moved very slowly, but their advantage lay in operating twenty-four hours a day without ever stopping. They could handle deliveries that were not particularly urgent. Pack up the goods and hang them around their necks the night before, and they would arrive by the next morning without fail. It was wonderfully convenient.

Tarnished could not speak for anyone else, but he felt he really ought to thank the Prince of Death. After all, both Those Who Live in Death and Those Who Live Forever were workhors... employees wholeheartedly recommended by the Prince of Death, and they were simply too useful.

Although Fia did not understand Tarnished's reason for revering the Prince of Death, she approved of the fact that he did.

To that end, she offered another suggestion.

"Bringing in outsiders only treats the symptoms, not the cause. To truly ease the labor shortage, we must start from within."

"Within?" Tarnished asked, puzzled.

Fia smiled. "Every living creature has an instinct to reproduce."

Understanding dawned on Tarnished. "You mean having children?"

"Exactly," Fia said bluntly. "Life has already found its own way. Only by encouraging mating can Stormveil continue to thrive and achieve greatness."

"Ahem." Tarnished broke into a fit of coughing. He agreed with Fia's point, but not her wording. "'Mating' is a little too explicit. Let's encourage marriage instead."

Fia smiled gently. "As you wish. But if possible, please allow me to take charge of this work."

Tarnished saw through her intentions at once. "You want to use this opportunity to share more people's beds and obtain their strength?"

Fia made no attempt to hide it. "Yes. I am a Deathbed Companion. In my homeland, this is a sacred act. Will you look down on me for it?"

"We're all adults. As long as you don't destroy anyone's family or relationship, and everyone involved consents, I won't interfere too much." Tarnished was not one of those sanctimonious old men who indulged in nightly debauchery and extravagant excess, yet refused to let ordinary people watch so much as a risqué online clip of bouncing breasts or kissing.

"I knew you were different." Fia bowed, then straightened with a mischievous look. "Are minors really out of the question?"

"Absolutely! Not!"

"All right. What a shame." Fia looked utterly pitiful.

The woman was giving Tarnished a headache. He reminded her, "Don't get so caught up in enjoying yourself that you neglect your actual work."

"Of course." Fia became serious again. "Stormveil is my ideal home. I am willing to devote all my strength to it. I will use my skills to show men how wonderful women are, and my experience to teach women how to better capture their husbands' hearts."

Tarnished: "..."

How could he put it? He found that rather difficult to judge.

What he did not expect was that, thanks to Fia's efforts, Stormveil would experience not only a population boom, but also unprecedented harmony between men and women. Men cared for women and protected them unconditionally, while women were considerate and gave men their full trust and respect. Young men and women alike dreamed of love and longed for families. Men worked tirelessly, willing to entrust all their wealth to their wives, while women devoted themselves to the endless household chores, willing to share both hardship and happiness with their husbands. Perhaps people initially came together out of carnal desire, but Fia taught everyone that the pleasure of lust was fleeting. The union of two hearts was the supreme joy that endured forever.

Of course, all that lay in the future. Stormveil could not yet see so far ahead, though Fia's work had already begun.

Tarnished had thought he would have no further part in this, but a few days later, Fia came to him again.

"There is something I need your help with."

"What is it?"

"To encourage mat... marriage, I need you to set an example."

Tarnished froze. "What sort of example?"

"The actions of important people are the most conspicuous guide for the public, especially when those people are deeply loved by them," Fia said. "If we want to encourage marriage, nothing would make better publicity than you getting married yourself."

Tarnished was dumbfounded. "What do you mean, getting married once? Is marriage something I can do two or three times?"

To his surprise, Fia nodded. "Of course. As a leader, how could you possibly marry only one woman? After all, the number of heirs is an important measure of a leader's achievements. And from a political perspective, marriage is also a common and dependable form of alliance. You are the master of Stormveil and the supreme leader guiding everyone forward. Naturally, you will have many wives and marry many times. There is nothing strange about that, is there?"

No, that's very strange. But considering the historical setting, perhaps it was not so strange after all.

The Middle Ages really live up to their reputation. This is wonder... rotten and backward!

Tarnished decided to condemn it harshly!

"But you've sprung this on me so suddenly. I don't even have anyone I could marry." Tarnished looked troubled.

"I wouldn't mind becoming your wife, but then I could no longer continue my present work. So..." Fia smiled faintly and looked toward the door.

Kenneth Haight pushed the door open and entered. "Nepheli is the perfect candidate!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Edgar followed close behind him. "My Irina was here first. If Tarnished is marrying anyone, he should marry Irina first!"

Kenneth Haight argued his case. "Nepheli represents the First Lord's faction. Her union with Tarnished would be more than a simple marriage. There are political considerations as well!"

Edgar refused to give an inch. "Irina represents Castle Morne's faction too. I admit we can't compare with the First Lord, but a distant official matters less than the one actually in charge. Right now, the First Lord's faction has only two Crucible Knights, Laurendi and Rodini. Castle Morne has both soldiers and civilians, and the opinions of the Banished Knights cannot be dismissed!"

"You should take the long view!"

"That doesn't mean you can forget the present!"

"Nepheli fought beside Tarnished. They have a foundation of affection!"

"Irina shared hardship with Tarnished, and she has long since decided she will marry no one else!"

"Edgar, stop being unreasonable!"

"Kenneth, how am I being unreasonable?"

"How are you not being unreasonable?"

"I am not being unreasonable!"

Seeing that they were about to fall into an endless loop, Tarnished hurried to intervene. "Come on, stop arguing."

Both men turned at once, their eyes burning as they demanded, "Tarnished, tell us yourself. Who will you marry? Nepheli or Irina?"

Tarnished looked torn. "Don't force me. How am I supposed to choose?"

"We are forcing you. You have to choose one today!"

Tarnished was in agony. Was affection still affection once it became a bargaining chip? Was he really going to monopolize a girl's entire life for political gain?

No. I can't do that. I can't be so shameless.

Marriage had to be built on affection. He could only marry someone he genuinely loved.

Having made that decision, he understood his own heart and was no longer lost. He shouted his choice:

"Neither Irina nor Nepheli! For Stormveil's long-term development, so that the people may live and work in peace, and in the selfless spirit of 'sacrifice myself to bring happiness to countless families'-both of you, come at once! I can handle it!"