A fortune

Tarnished liked Irina, and Irina liked Tarnished.

Tarnished liked Nepheli, and Nepheli liked Tarnished.

Since that was the case, why couldn't he marry them both?

If he couldn't even make two girls happy, how could he make everyone in the world happy?

If he didn't even dare defy marriage laws, how could he defy the Golden Order?

Besides, the Lands Between didn't have any marriage laws. This was a Western fantasy world, after all, where chaos was the whole point. As long as Tarnished didn't go so far off the rails that he fucked himself, his moral standards surpassed those of 98.72% of the gods in the Lands Between!

No sooner said than done.

Tarnished immediately held an engagement ceremony with Irina and Nepheli, legally becoming a fiancé and two fiancées.

They only got engaged because Stormveil was desperately poor and lacked the means to hold a grand wedding.

He could have squeezed everyone dry and made the people suffer a little more to scrape something together, but Tarnished couldn't bring himself to do it. Some people were still living in shacks. If he squandered money on extravagance, he would have called himself a beast.

And so, Tarnished, Irina, and Nepheli held a simple engagement ceremony at the newly renovated Third Church of Marika. Besides the golden whistle ring that summoned Torrent, Tarnished now wore a Morne Crest Ring and a Stormhawk Ring.

[Morne Crest Ring]: A ring imbued with Irina's love and gratitude. Only one was made, and it was given to the hero who saved Castle Morne. Lord Tarnished once protected me. Now I shall protect Lord Tarnished as well (increases the healing effects of prayers cast by the wearer by 25%, and increases the healing the wearer receives from prayers by 25%).

[Stormhawk Ring]: A ring bearing images of storms and hawks, which accompanied Nepheli throughout her childhood. The girl she once was has grown into a warrior who can stand on her own. She no longer fears the storm, but becomes the storm, sweeping away the world's injustice alongside her hero (increases the damage and effects of storm-type combat skills used by the wearer by 25%).

Likewise, Tarnished gave Irina and Nepheli rings.

They were ordinary gold rings. If there was anything special about them, it was probably that Tarnished had made both himself and set each with a different gemstone.

The ring he gave Irina was set with ammolite, an ancient fossil. Though it shimmered with countless colors, as if the entire spectrum had been sealed inside the stone, it was soft and extremely fragile, requiring careful protection.

Irina had once met a tragic death, her body taken over by a follower of the Frenzied Flame to become a vessel for the Frenzied Flame Witch. That tragic fate was like ammolite exposed to windblown sand: however brilliant it was, its luster was destined to wear away. But Tarnished's arrival had changed everything. Irina hadn't died, nor would she ever become a vessel for the Frenzied Flame. Tarnished would cherish and protect her, and in the near future, she would surely shine with her own light.

[Ammolite Ring]: A ring given by the Elden Lord to one of his many lovers. Simply stroking this ring brings the blind girl peace of mind and fills her with everlasting strength (reduces all damage received by the wearer by 25%, and slowly restores Focus at a rate of 2 points per second).

The ring he gave Nepheli was set with tiger's eye, a golden gemstone with a silky sheen. When light fell on it, a shifting band of light appeared within, resembling a tiger's eye, sharp and powerful, symbolizing courage and the earth.

Nepheli had once fallen into profound confusion and self-doubt after the betrayal of Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing, like an unpolished gemstone. But Tarnished had saved her, helping her emerge from the shadows, regain her fighting spirit, understand her heart, and find her own path. This perfectly matched the meaning of tiger's eye, which helped its wearer overcome indecision, draw together their inner strength, and transform. With Tarnished beside her, Nepheli would surely become as steadfast and radiant as tiger's eye!

[Tiger's Eye Ring]: A ring given by the Elden Lord to one of his many lovers. The righteous warrior woman longs to establish a kingdom where no one is abandoned or betrayed. She firmly believes that with her husband beside her, this wish will someday come true (while the wearer's feet are on the ground, grants immunity to all mental status abnormalities; when the wearer calls forth a storm, increases damage dealt by 25% and reduces damage received by 25%).

After exchanging rings, Tarnished kissed both his fiancées with Goddess Marika as their witness. He was just about to push his advantage when Nepheli grabbed his wrist.

"We'll leave the rest until we're officially married. Is that all right?"

"It's breaking, it's breaking, it's breaking!" Tarnished cried out in pain and hurriedly said, "Absolutely! No problem at all!"

Only then did Nepheli let go. Her slightly reddened ears betrayed the valiant warrior, however. The sudden change in her status left her a little shy, but far more delighted.

Looking pitiful, Tarnished took Irina's hand instead. The blind girl trembled in fright and quickly pulled her hand away, saying in a shaky voice, "S-sorry, Lord Tarnished. The Medical Team is short-staffed, and there's still so much work to do. The other sisters might not be able to manage on their own. If possible... could you please not make me have a baby just yet?"

Holding hands wouldn't get her pregnant. Tarnished was completely speechless.

Still, since she had said that, he couldn't exactly force her. If he didn't cherish his own wife, was he supposed to leave that to someone else?

"Sure, it's fine. Work comes first. I understand. If you need help, just ask."

"Thank you so much, Lord Tarnished! Could you prepare a teaching venue for the Medical Team, then? We also need more prayer catalysts, textbooks, medicine to restore Focus..."

Tarnished had only said it casually, but Irina actually started discussing work with him.

He glanced at Edgar for help, only for the old father to give him a fierce glare, point at Irina, and draw a finger across his throat. He looked ready to stab Tarnished to death with his goddamn halberd if he dared mistreat her. Frightened, Tarnished quickly looked away.

Are you kidding me? I got engaged so I could do the poking, not get poked.

With that thought, Tarnished turned his gaze toward Kenneth. This one didn't even glance at him, instead discussing the upcoming publicity campaign with Rogier. Fia, who also intended to use the wedding to her advantage, had joined them, occasionally offering a remark.

Damn it, I might as well not have gotten married at all. In a fit of anger, Tarnished got angry for a moment.

Forget it. Stormveil has everything to rebuild, and I've got a mountain of work myself. Better get to it.

Tarnished blew the Spectral Steed Whistle. The Third Church of Marika happened to be close to Summonwater Village, where D was now managing Those Who Live in Death. To keep him from losing control and mowing down the finest of Stormveil's model employees, Tarnished decided he had better check on them.

And so, the simple engagement ceremony came to a swift conclusion, and everyone plunged back into their busy, fulfilling work. It seemed nothing had changed, yet something had.

After the ceremony, Kenneth Haight began the publicity campaign as planned. Internally, the Castle Morne faction represented by Irina was greatly encouraged, strengthening Stormveil's cohesion and its people's sense of belonging. Externally, once Nepheli's identity as a descendant of the First Lord was announced, Tarnished's rule finally gained legal legitimacy as the fiancé of the princess of the Loux family.

What use was that legitimacy in this shattered age? It meant they could recruit more workhors... good employees.

Fia's plan could indeed encourage marriage, but having children wasn't something that happened overnight. Their current labor shortage still had to be solved by bringing in people from outside.

Ivory Sickle in hand, Edgar continued recruiting at Liurnia's talent market. There really were a great many Second-Generation Albinaurics there, especially around Raya Lucaria Academy, where numerous second-generation Albinauric communities were scattered.

Though their large heads looked rather comical and their intelligence was slightly below that of ordinary people, they could certainly handle normal life and work. Lower intelligence had its advantages, too: they were simple, honest, and tireless workers. As soon as Edgar showed them the Ivory Sickle, they followed him without hesitation. Fortunately, Edgar came from Stormveil rather than northern Myanmar. Otherwise, these adorably dim creatures would surely have been abducted and had their kidneys harvested again.

The recruitment drive went smoothly, but setting that aside for now, Kenneth had also dispatched messengers to expand Tarnished's influence. They traveled to Liurnia and Caelid respectively to deliver formal documents to the local authorities.

Liurnia's official authority had originally been the Carian Royal Family, but everyone knew Caria had long since fallen into decline. Raya Lucaria Academy now governed the Liurnia Region.

Caelid's official authority had been the Fort Faroth family, but the battle between the Valkyrie and Starscourge Radahn had turned every last member into a loyal martyr. Starscourge Radahn's Redmane Army occupied Redmane Castle, Fort Gael, and several other strongholds, becoming Caelid's de facto rulers.

Kenneth tasked the two messengers with finding representatives of the Academy and the Redmane Army, announcing Tarnished's engagement to Nepheli Loux, descendant of the First Lord, and formally requesting diplomatic and trade relations on Stormveil's behalf.

There was no need to worry about the messengers being killed en route, because they were Laurendi and Rodini. Crucible Knights could fuck the heavens above and the earth below. There was nowhere in the Lands Between they couldn't go.

With foreign affairs settled, domestic affairs came next.

Domestic affairs were much simpler. Stormveil was orderly, and its industrial districts were running well. When Tarnished inspected the textile production base at Summonwater Village, he discovered that D was actually managing it seriously. Not only was he not persecuting Those Who Live in Death, he was actively safeguarding their rightful interests and had improved numerous rules and policies.

For instance, Those Who Live in Death now received a full twenty minutes of rest every day, and their permitted range of movement had expanded from one corner of Summonwater Village to the entire village.

Tarnished looked at D with bewilderment, wondering whether some bizarre creature had possessed him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" D grew uncomfortable under his stare and couldn't help asking.

"Didn't you want to eliminate all Those Who Live in Death? Why are you...?"

"Hmph. I do want to eliminate all Those Who Live in Death. That's precisely why I'm improving their conditions. I'll turn Summonwater Village into their ideal haven and attract more of them here. Then, the moment they step out of line, I can legally and justifiably eliminate them. That's my 'lure them in and slaughter them' plan. Well? Brilliant, isn't it?"

Heh. D was as much of a tsundere as ever. Besides, insisting on waiting until Those Who Live in Death actually stepped out of line before killing them made him much kinder than the people who exterminated entire families on trumped-up charges.

Thinking this, Tarnished patted D on the shoulder. "It's decided. Once the world is at peace, you'll head the Tourism Department."

D: ?

Tarnished said with heartfelt sincerity, "If you can figure out the 'lure them in and slaughter them' plan without anyone teaching you, you'd be wasting your talents anywhere but tourism. Tourism can't do without you, just as the West can't do without Jerusalem!"

D: ...

Jerusalem? Where's that?

In the end, Tarnished never answered that question. With more Second-Generation Albinaurics recruited by Edgar joining production, the samples for Volcano Manor were finally ready.

Bernahl checked the goods and prepared to return.

"Safe travels, Bernahl. Come back to Stormveil when you have time."

"That's right, Master Bernahl. We'll all be waiting for you."

"Master Bernahl, take this egg. You can eat it on the road."

"And this jug of wine. I brewed it myself from Rowa Fruit."

"Master Bernahl..."

"Master Bernahl..."

The crowd's chatter left the solitary would-be lord at a loss.

He hadn't done anything, and had even enjoyed free food and drink for days. Why were these people so reluctant to let him leave?

Just because he had taught them a few combat skills? Those were all cheap tricks.

Hmph. Tarnished has taught these people to be far too kind. They're just like those stupid sheep that roll around everywhere.

Bernahl put on his helmet, hiding his face, and said in a muffled voice, "Practice hard. When I come back, I'll test your martial skills!"

"Yes! We'll practice diligently and never disgrace you, Master Bernahl!"

Disgrace me?

I'm sorry. As an executioner, I'm the one who has disgraced you.

Bernahl waved, turned, and left.

The people watched him go and only began dispersing after he vanished from sight.

Bernahl let out a breath. Honestly, those admiring gazes were like scorching sunlight, almost unbearable to someone as dark and filthy as him.

"Still not ready to turn back?" Old Knight Istvan asked, leaning against a tree. His friend was leaving, so of course he had come to see him off.

"Turn back?" Bernahl asked. "Where would I go?"

Istvan pointed toward the distant castle. "There. Stormveil will accept you."

"Yes, Stormveil will accept me. But I can't accept myself." Bernahl walked past Istvan. "Stay away from me. I don't want to kill another friend."

Istvan watched Bernahl's retreating back and sighed deeply.

Wounds of the heart were the hardest to heal, and debts of affection the hardest to repay. It had always been so.

But anyone capable of shouldering that affection was a brave soul.

"Tarnished actually married two wives..." Istvan remarked with profound feeling. "That's true courage!"

Three days later, Tarnished received two pieces of news, one good and one bad.

The good news was that Volcano Manor was very pleased with the samples and had sent someone with an advance payment.

The bad news was that the person who came wasn't Bernahl.

"Who came, then?"

Rogier answered, "The Recusant, Henricus."

"If he calls himself a Recusant, he must be from Volcano Manor," Tarnished said. "Did he bring the advance payment?"

Rogier stepped aside, revealing an ornate wooden chest behind him. He opened it, and the golden radiance of runes instantly lit up the entire room.

"Whoa, that's blinding! Genshin Impact's about to launch. What the hell is this?"

"The advance payment from Volcano Manor. The total is..." Rogier paused and swallowed. "233,104 runes."

Clatter!

Tarnished lost his balance and fell off his chair, then lunged toward the chest. Looking at the brilliantly shining runes, he offered his most sincere praise. "Capitalism really does have things we can learn from!"