How in the world did their soul get snatched away without her noticing?
Castorice furrowed her brows, committing to memory the magical trace left by the soul's sudden departure.
This wasn't a small matter, but right now, there were more pressing things to attend to.
Watching the atmosphere grow icy, with humans and Denizens of Chaos whispering incessantly among themselves, Castorice's figure abruptly appeared at the tense, sword-drawn center of the confrontation.
Before anyone could react, she spoke first, "Everyone, please do not let the flames of war disturb the tranquility of this place."
"Who are you?"
On the human side, they couldn't quickly appoint a single leader.
Although they'd formed a united front for the moment, each still held their own agenda.
But Castorice, at a mere glance, radiated an unusual aura.
Combined with the rising sense of dread and submission stirring within their hearts, their voices died down almost instantly.
Only a scattered few still had the courage to speak up—likely former A-rank Hunters in life.
In contrast to the humans, who had only been exposed to magic for a mere decade, the Denizens of Chaos were no strangers to it.
The moment Castorice appeared, they sensed her profound harmony with the magical essence of this afterlife realm.
Those with keener perception could faintly discern her connection to this very world.
"Greetings, respected one…"
The sapient beings among the Denizens of Chaos immediately performed their respective racial salutes, including the orc chieftain who had just been slain by Castorice and now stared wide-eyed.
"Those monsters are actually showing such respect to that girl?"
The humans, witnessing this, wore expressions as if facing a formidable enemy.
They couldn't understand the denizens' language, but the gesture of respect was unmistakable.
This girl with an unfathomable aura and pointed ears didn't seem to have them due to some ability—rather, like the Ice Elves, she appeared to be a magical beast bearing a close resemblance to humans.
"As you all know, this is a place for souls to rest, the pure land of the deceased—the Underworld."
Castorice paid no mind to the humans' skepticism. Everything within this Underworld was under her control.
If she wished, even without a shared language, the Denizens of Chaos could understand her intent.
"I am the administrator of the Underworld, the ferryman of the River of Souls. You may address me as… Thanatos."
Though she preferred the name Castorice, in this context, she was speaking in her capacity as Thanatos.
"The administrator of the Underworld? The God of Death?"
Her words were straightforward enough. Human civilizations were complex and varied, but legends of underworlds and realms of the dead were commonplace.
People from any nation could name a few deities presiding over life and death, so it was easy to equate Castorice's identity with the legendary God of Death.
After all, she was holding a scythe.
"So this is your world. Our apologies for the earlier offense, Lady Thanatos."
The reaction from the Denizens of Chaos was rather simple. While their world possessed sapience, it operated more on the principles of survival of the fittest, where the strong reigned supreme.
Faced with a maiden who governed their very existence, they naturally bowed their heads where possible.
Though… they hadn't expected this world to have an existence overseeing all life and death. Did humans, too, have their own monarch or ruler?
"You… you're in league with those magical beasts, aren't you!? I've never heard of any Underworld on Earth!"
Seeing the Denizens of Chaos grow increasingly reverent, a human couldn't resist stepping forward, a weapon aimed at Castorice.
Yet, by the time Castorice's gaze fell upon him, he was already pinned to the ground by others.
A man with a Chinese face spoke with a faint smile, "Our deepest apologies for this fool's offense against you, Lady Thanatos."
His expression remained composed, but a thin layer of cold sweat had formed on his back.
How could such an idiot exist in the world?
He looked like someone from India, yet he chose this moment to spout such utterly foolish remarks.
Judging from the situation so far, this Lady Death was clearly here to mediate the conflict between the two sides.
Though she didn't appear human, she didn't resemble a magical beast either.
To lump her in with the monsters simply because those creatures showed reverence was a level of idiocy even a pig wouldn't stoop to.
The monsters' actions were the correct approach. If her words held truth, then this was her world, and everyone here was under her control.
"His actions do not represent the collective will of humanity."
The man spoke while performing a slight bow.
He didn't utter any pleas for mercy—after all, phrases like "we hope for your understanding," no matter how humbly worded, carried an undertone of trying to influence a divine will.
If she were a deity from China, it might be different, but her attire bore distinct Greek influences.
Over ninety-nine percent of those gods weren't particularly friendly toward humans.
Without fully understanding the situation here, it was better to avoid conflict until more information was gathered.
Perhaps due to his calm and composed demeanor, the other humans seemed to find a pillar of support, following suit with respectful bows of their own.
"I will send you all to another location. You may remain there for now."
Castorice had no intention of holding grudges against the deceased or engaging in lengthy dialogue with them. It wasn't about maintaining an air of grandeur—there simply wasn't much to say.
She had plenty to attend to next. Her return this time was to establish new laws for the Underworld and relocate the deceased here to places beyond the sea of flowers.
This floral expanse was beautiful, yes, but hardly suitable for humans or magical beasts to inhabit.
Aside from blossoms and soil, there was nothing else. While the dead didn't require food or drink, they still needed some form of spiritual solace.
Dropping them in a grassland or forest would be better than leaving them here.
With a mere thought from Castorice, the world shifted accordingly. The two factions originally present were now teleported to opposite poles of the realm.
Next came the modification of the world's rules.
First, separating the arrival points for the deceased: magical beasts to one side, humans to the other. This rule was easy enough to implement.
However, the rule Castorice wished to create next—'automatically judging sins committed in life and delivering punishment'—encountered significant obstacles.
The first challenge was… the Underworld lacked self-awareness. Reviewing a person's life wasn't difficult for Castorice, and she could bestow this ability upon others, but… there was no such person to bestow it upon.
The second challenge was… how to judge these sins.
Setting aside that human and magical beast sins needed separate criteria, even focusing solely on humans, laws varied from nation to nation.
Stealing supplies for survival in war-torn regions couldn't be lumped together with theft in peaceful cities.
Implementing this rule… was far more difficult than imagined.
Realizing this, Castorice's expression darkened.
Improving this Underworld was a promise she'd made to Polyxia. Though she wasn't the true Castorice, knowing the story, she wanted to fulfill that promise in her own way.
But she wasn't stubbornly single-minded either. Since no solution presented itself now, she might as well skip this for the moment and address another matter.
Thinking of the soul recently yanked out of the Underworld, a flicker of cold intent passed through Castorice's eyes.
Whoever it was, toying with life and death was an act of supreme arrogance. She couldn't simply let it slide.
There might be extenuating circumstances, but that was something to determine only after personal verification. Before making any judgments, she needed to find the culprit first.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.