Half a second later, the [Arcweaver] flashed to join Gabrielle. The [Grovetender] hurried to her feet, where she stood looking at me with a worried expression.

“Is something wrong?” She clutched the scroll like it was a lifeline, which I guess it was, but not for her. “I promise, you can have it. No strings attached.” She went to raise her hand to swear on her house in the Gold Elf tradition, but I held up a hand to stop her.

“That won’t be necessary.” I beamed at the pair before me. “I have something to offer the pair of you instead.”

Volta’s face lit up blue as tiny arcs of cerulean lightning sprang to life all over her. “Pactlord, now isn’t the time–”

“You’re right.” I frowned as I pulled up the interface for [Elemental Pactlord]. In it, I found the notice preventing me from summoning Volta’s brother, Voltaire, back to Genovia. “Your brother should be here, but until I can get a piece of fulgurite to your, soon to be former, lord’s palace, that’s not possible.”

As I rolled my shoulders, I noticed Ylsa standing behind me in solidarity. She nodded approvingly as she smiled at Volta. “A wise choice, Storm-Blessed.”

Her approval helped confirm my decision. I locked eyes with the “Gabrielle, what you’re about to hear is likely enough to get me killed if anyone significantly more powerful than I am ever hears it. Do you still want to hear it?”

She hesitated before bobbing her head, her golden hair braid sliding in front of her chest as she did so. “You’re the only reason I even have a chance of making it home before I begin to wither. Please, tell me.”

Ylsa put a comforting hand on my shoulder and I began. “You see, my class isn’t actually [Starlord], that’s just what I told [Status Shield] to mask it as.” Her eyes widened. “It’s actually [Suzerain], a Unique SSS-ranked Class.”

“What!?” Her grape vine green eyes bulged.

“It’s the Unique Class for the Chosen of Dominus, the true ruler of our pantheon of corrupt deities.”

“Chosen of who?” She choked out before she had to put her head between her knees and begin hyperventilating.

Putting a hand on her shoulder, I spoke softly. “Dominus is the mother of all six other deities the people of Genovia worship, but four of her children betrayed her millenia ago. Only Light and Darkness stayed true,” she looked up at me with hope in her eyes at the mention that Light – the elven patron deity – wasn’t one of the betrayers, “though parts of their pantheons were siphoned off by the betrayers over time as they tried to consolidate everything under their control.”

Dominus had been particularly irritated when she mentioned how Darkness had lost control of the void to Devourer. She mentioned something about his lack of understanding putting Genovia at risk, but wouldn’t expand on it even with me pushing hard during our last conversation.

“My goddess’ only request was for me to grow stronger and live my life as best I could.” I ran my free hand through my platinum blonde bob. “Doing that put me in your path, so I guess it could be said you were already on her list. She likes you quite a bit, I can confirm.”

“She likes me?” The former administrator slumped down on her rump, ruffling her green travel dress. “How do you know that?”

Rather than explain how [Dominus’ Insight] worked, I shot the description over to her in a golden System window. “She told me as much when I used that on you. She really wants you working for me and I concur, I could really use someone as talented as you working to grow my fortune so I can do whatever I end up needing to do later in life.” I shrugged. “More money should make that easier and Dominus was impressed enough with your negotiating to ask me to recruit you.”

She placed a finger on her chest and mouthed ‘me’ a few times without making a sound. I nodded and she narrowed her eyes at me.

“How would that even work?” It was obvious she found strength in the art of negotiation as her spine straightened as she looked slightly up at me. “It’s not like you have a base of operations to call your own, do you?”

Stupid short body. She’s sitting and barely even has to look up at me. Note to self: Look into platform boots when I get settled in somewhere. People looking down at me when I’m in charge would suck.

Behind me, Ylsa practically growled. “The goliath people are behind the [Suzerain] one hundred percent. We are those who never lost faith in our goddess, even if we no longer knew her name until Arthur came into my life.” She grunted. “Our valley is remote and highly defensible. An excellent place for an empire to begin.”

“As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I’m not looking to found an empire just yet.” Turning to face Ylsa, I nodded gratefully before looking back at Gabrielle. “I was planning on employing my maternal familial connections to get my feet wet in the political battlefield that is Sunhome before doing the same with my father’s line at a later date.”

With a glance over at Raiju’s whimpering form, I forced myself back on task. “I know you have more questions, but I need to know…will you follow me?” A red System window appeared before Gabrielle.

[Arthur Bajbub Neilson, Suzerain and Chosen of Dominus has offered you vassalship. Accepting this is a permanent commitment, barring negotiation between you and him at a later date to dissolve the relationship. In return, your three highest Stats will be increased by 20% for as long as you faithfully follow his rule. Do you accept his offer? Y/N]

Surprisingly, Volta beat Gabrielle to the punch, quickly swearing allegiance. “I, Volta the [Arcweaver], pledge my loyalty to my lord and his heirs, forevermore.” A semi-familiar bright red System window appeared in front of me.

[Volta the Arcweaver has requested to be your subject for as long as you and your heirs remain. The offer stands until Volta retracts it.

Warning! This will permanently consume 1% of your Mana regeneration rate.

Do you accept her offer of fealty? Y/N]

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Of course I do.” I mentally accepted her contract and felt as I actually gained Mana in doing so. She went from consuming two percent of my Mana total and regeneration to only eating up one percent. I didn’t plan on sending her back to her former lord, so saving a whole percent on my total Mana was a welcome addition.

The lightning knight knelt before me on one knee. “Milord, what would you have me do?”

Drawing Jaegan’s staff, I tapped her on each shoulder. “Rise, Volta. None who follow me truly must kneel before me. That position is reserved for those who wrong me and mine.” A bit of an edge snuck into my tone, but she grinned wickedly as she straightened up.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Catch.” I tossed a glittering black and green gem high in the air. “Think of it as a signing bonus. I want you as strong as possible, since you don’t just go home when you get disrupted anymore.”

Not waiting for the stone to land, Volta zipped up to snatch it thirty feet in the air. “Milord, this is too generous.”

“Bah, it’s just a black opal. I’ll buy another one for your brother when we make it to Sunhome, alongside a big ass piece of fulgurite for the Duke so I can get him back.” I grumbled to myself before looking up at her. “Get started on your evolution. I want to get moving as soon as I get done with Gabrielle and the [Sending].”

She floated to be perpendicular to me in the air before bowing deeply. “At once.” Lightning coursed through her as she laid the two inch ovoid gem in the space between her breastplate and her skin.

Unlike when I’d watched Nimbus evolve from a [Cloudpup] to an [Azure Hound], she didn’t grow massively. Instead, she solidified. Lightning cascaded toward her from all around for the next five minutes, despite there being not a cloud in the sky. Each bolt that struck her increased her glow from her usual, barely more than a candle, until she began to rival the noonday sun. It all ended when an enormous bolt of black lightning shot up from the ground to lance into her.

Her back arched as she screamed in ecstasy as the light pouring out of her turned inward as her body changed from her previously semi-solid state to milky white flesh you wouldn’t be surprised to find on a particularly wealthy elven woman. When the light finally faded enough for me to get a good look at her, most people would have averted their eyes, but I understood how much it meant to her that I watched as she floated down to stand before me.

“You’re stunning.” My gaze traced her newly formed physical body. “May you enjoy your physical form, Volta.”

She spun on one foot in a circle giggling before stopping and bowing low to me and sending her long black-green hair cascading down her front. “I will, Pactlord.” She couldn’t help it as she began to giggle again. “No, Arthur.”

“That’s enough of that.” Gabrielle walked up behind Volta, threw a long red cloak around her shoulders, and pulled it shut roughly. “Modesty is important in a knight. You should–”

“Stop.” I glared at Gabrielle. “Volta is merely enjoying her new body. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in the mortal form. Have you forgotten so much of elven culture in your time away from Sunhome?”

The blonde elf’s face blanched. “She was fully nude! It isn’t becoming of a–”

“She’s the first Storm Elf on Genovia in over a thousand years according to my [Essence Reading]. Let her enjoy it before you slap her in cloth bonds.”

She looked like she wanted to argue before she sighed. “Of course, milord.” She tapped the notification floating in front of her and I received a slightly different notification than I’d received before.

[Gabrielle Honeydew has accepted your offer of vassalship. Treat your new Treasurer well.]

“Treasurer?” I frowned. “Did you do something, Gabrielle?”

“As Volta was evolving, I was poking around this red System window. It turns out it’s tied directly to your [Suzerain] Class. When I asked the System what I could do, it gave me a list of jobs I could accept and I picked the one I thought myself best suited to given what you’ve asked of me. The Skill I got for accepting it is pretty amazing, to be honest.”

Eyes widening, I focused on the idea of my Domain, the place I would one day rule given the chance, and a red window snapped into existence before me.

[Domain Management - please choose a section to review:

Vassals

Finances - Delegated to Gabrielle Honeydew (Treasurer)

Land

Infrastructure

Diplomacy]

“Sonofabitch.” I groaned. “Show me Vassals.”

[Vassal Management - please choose a subsection to review:

Council

Military

Crafters

Diplomats

General]

“This is getting ridiculous.” I looked over at Ylsa and muttered under my breath. “Military.”

[Military Management:

Imperial Guard

Marshall

Tactician

Quartermaster

General]

“Imperial Guard.” I half whispered before remembering I could navigate the menu with my mind.

[Imperial Guard Management:

No members of your Imperial Guard have been selected. Would you like to offer a position to one of your existing vassals?

Note: As a level 30 Suzerain, you have three positions available in your Imperial Guard.]

“Install Ylsa as Chief Bodyguard and Volta as my Marshall.” The System practically hummed, as if managing the Domain System was something it enjoyed. A moment later, Ylsa gasped.

“I accept!” Crimson light settled upon her shoulders before a matching red window snapped in front of her. “This should be useful with how beat up he always gets.” A second later, I suddenly felt more…solid.

“What in all the hells?” I muttered under my breath. Ylsa must have heard me, because she flipped the screen she was looking over so I could see what it entailed. “Oh, that makes sense.”

[As the Suzerain’s Chief Bodyguard, you are responsible for his wellbeing. To assist in that, you have been granted the Sympathetic Statistics Skill. It is permanently linked with your Suzerain.

Sympathetic Statistics - You and your charge each gain twenty percent of the highest physical Stat you naturally possess, including Vassal bonuses, as long as you remain within ten miles of each other.]

“Your [Toughness] is insane! Just twenty percent of your base was enough to boost my [Toughness] over my [Agility].”

She smirked. “You’re one to talk, you nearly doubled my [Agility].” She crouched down and sprinted down the hill far faster than I’d ever seen her run before without the use of a Skill.

“If you’re done playing, here’s the [Sending] scroll, milord.” Gabrielle tapped my arm with the rolled up piece of jade parchment, snapping me out of my shocked state. “We don’t have time to waste if we want to save Raiju.”

I took the scroll with a grateful nod and unfurled it.

[Learn Sending - Y/N]

I mentally tapped the yes option and, a moment later, the scroll glowed brightly and a new window appeared.

[Active Skills - Mastery

Skill Dominance - 47%

Sending - 73%]

“Excellent.” I patted her shoulder. “Thank you, and please just call me Artie, or Arthur if you must.”

The former Verdant lord smirked. “Only if you call me Gabby.”

“Can do, Gabby.”