Isaac looked down at her again. He didn’t interrupt her, or press her to explain. He just waited.
She didn’t continue right away. Her breathing was a little more steady now, though there was still a slight tremble in it. He held her a bit more tightly.
Emily stayed curled against him. Her voice broke the silence.
“It was a happy dream. It showed me glimpse of my childhood. But it became a nightmare when the sky turned red,” she said slowly. “And then it stopped but…”
She paused, her fingers tightening slightly on his shirt.
Isaac shifted slightly to see her face, concern flickering in his eyes.
“I remember my parents Isaac. My mom’s soft and warm voice used to call out my name. My dad used to pat my head when I sulked.”
Her voice wavered, but she didn’t stop.
“I saw their love. But their absence hurts more. The nightmare made it look like… they are gone. So what do I do with these memories?”
Tears slipped down from her eyes.
“I should not have remembered it. Now, it only hurts more.”
Isaac waited for her to calm down as he continued to pat her head.
After a while, he said, “Don’t say you shouldn’t have gotten those memories. They are a part of you, and the final recollection of your parents. And if it hurts too much, then share your pain with me. I’m here for you, Emily. I always will be. I’m your family. So don’t hesitate to share your feelings with me.”
Emily lifted her head and looked into his eyes. Her gaze had changed. It wasn’t the same as before. There was something steadier in it.
He could tell those memories had changed something in her. She was still Emily, but wiser now, in a way.
She studied him quietly. Then, without saying a word, she leaned in, closing the gap between them.
But before their lips could meet, her body went still.
A soft chime echoed in her mind, and a translucent screen popped up in front of her.
[Scanning Emily Warren.]
[Scan complete. Emily Warren meets the first criteria for Quests.]
[Scanning for second criteria…]
[Detected: One of Emily Warren’s Bonds dabbles in Territory Management. Second criteria met.]
[Emily Warren has met all requirements for Lordship.]
[Alert! Due to Emily Warren’s Bond and past experiences, she will be given a choice.]
[1. Path of Lord]
[2. Lord’s Subject]
Emily blinked, staring at the text as more lines appeared.
[Path of Lord: Emily Warren will be granted Lordship privilege. Quests will follow the Path of Lord. Access granted to Territory Management, Subject Management, Troop Management, Construction, and the Lord’s Shop.]
[Lord’s Subject: Choose another person to receive Lord privileges, regardless of their Talent type. The chosen person must meet the first criteria (High-rank Species and at least S-rank Talent).]
[Note: Once you choose Lord’s Subject, you cannot walk the Path of the Lord. Choose carefully.]
Isaac noticed her expression shift.
“What is it?” he asked.
Emily glanced at him, then back at the screen.
“I… I got system messages.”
She explained to him what she was seeing.
“The System’s giving me a choice,” she said. “Either I become a Lord, or I make someone else one.”
Isaac’s expression changed immediately.
His mind raced. He remembered what Professor Catherine had told them during class.
Lords weren’t just powerful.
They had real authority, backed by the World System.
The governors who ran the Fortified Cities were chosen by humans, not the System. That meant they couldn’t access most of the city’s core systems.
Defense systems, for example. In theory, a verified Lord could activate all city-wide defenses with a command.
But humanity had never been able to do it. They weren’t Lords.
At most, they had access to basic functions like citizenship control, minor repairs, identity logs. Everything else remained locked.
And now Emily could gain access to it.
Isaac’s mind sharpened.
If the higher-ups learned about this, they would try to force her to make them a Lord.
They would manipulate and coerce her to shape her decision in their favor.
A cold anger flashed in his eyes as he thought that someone would try to control Emily. It disappeared quickly, and he looked at Emily with a soft gaze.
He grabbed her.
“Emily, listen carefully to me. You should make a choice now. Choose for yourself, and—”
Before he could finish, another screen appeared in front of him.
[You have been chosen for Lord privilege by Emily Warren. Congratulations!]
[Please wait while the System confirms that you meet the criteria to become a Lord.]
He stared at the screen, stunned.
Emily leaned closer again, her forehead lightly touching his shoulder.
“Being a Lord sounds like a lot of work,” she muttered. “I would have to learn all sorts of stuff, manage people, and deal with bothersome things. So you should do them for me. Isn’t that a husband’s job?”
She looked at him with a smirk.
“You’re smart. You’ll have an easier time dealing with troublesome things than I would.”
Isaac looked at her, not sure what to say.
Even though she acted as if becoming a Lord was bothersome, both of them knew it was a position of power. She was giving it to Isaac without asking for anything in return.
More screens popped up before Emily, confirming her choice.
[You have chosen to be a Lord’s Subject.]
[Your chosen Lord will be scanned to confirm eligibility before the choice is locked.]
[Your chosen Lord, Isaac Hargraves, meets all requirements to become a Lord.]
[You are the first Subject of Lord Isaac Hargraves.]
[All upgrades related to you chosen by Lord Isaac Hargraves will have 50% increased effectiveness.]
[As you are a Lord’s first Subject, all rewards for System Quests will increase by 50% for you.]
[Tutorial Quest Triggered:]
[Objective: Defeat 100 Apprentice-rank monsters.]
[Reward: +100 Bronze Coins, Access to Main Quests.]
Emily read through the messages.
For some reason, knowing Isaac was now her Lord made her blush.
She glanced up at him, then looked away quickly.
Isaac was still trying to process everything when System notifications appeared before his eyes.
[You have cleared the requirements to become a Lord.]
[Please access the Lord tab in Status.]
He summoned his Status screen. The interface looked familiar, but now a second section had appeared alongside his personal stats.
[Personal Profile]
[Lord Profile]
He selected the Lord tab, and the display changed again. Most of the categories were still greyed out. Only one was accessible.
[Subjects (1/3)]
Isaac tapped it.
[Subjects: Individuals who have chosen to follow you and pledged loyalty. You may view their Status and distribute their unassigned points. Additional functions will unlock upon becoming a True Lord.]
[Current Subjects:]
[1. Emily Warren (Level 10, Phantom Empress)
Before he could close the tab, another prompt appeared.
[A Lord is no Lord without land and people!]
[To become a True Lord and unlock the functions in Lord tab:]
Gain three Subjects with SSS-rank Talent. Conquer an unclaimed Fortified City.]
Isaac frowned at the first requirement.
’Three SSS-rank Subjects? What does it think, that SSS ranks are lying around for free?’
Finding even one was rare.
Emily already counted as one, and Alice could be another, but what about the other one?
Humanity had nineteen SSS rank Awakeners, and all of them were already a part of major factions. They would not agree to become Isaac’s subject without asking for something excessive, not to mention the fact that they might not trust Isaac to be their Lord, since Lords seemed to be able to control a lot of things related to their subject.
He read the second condition more closely. It required conquering an unclaimed Fortified City. He already had a pretty good idea what that meant.
Professor Catherine had taught about these things during the lectures.
Any Fortified City not officially claimed through the World System by a Lord could be bought by any registered Lord. All they had to do was reach the City Core—usually at the center—and pay the price set by the System.
Fortified City 89, where they were now, was a Tier-2 City.
Professor Catherine had estimated it would cost 500 Gold Coins to claim it. That was a massive sum, considering even 1 Gold Coin was a premium currency.
On the other hand, Fortified City 50—his home before joining the university—was a Tier-1 City. Claiming it would only cost 100 Gold Coins.
But that wasn’t exactly an open opportunity either.
Even if it was cheaper, the city already had a governor and a functioning administration.
No matter how exceptional Isaac’s status might be, he doubted they’d hand over authority to anyone else, especially a student who was still in university.
By contrast, Fortified City 89 was half-ruined and lacked a government.
That made it less complicated politically, but it also came with risks.
Others were already eyeing, and they had poured too many resources into city reclamation to back out now.
’I should talk to Leora,’ he thought. ’She is Emily’s vassal. So she might make decisions in Emily’s favor and give us some proper advice..’
She might even be willing to help.
’I can ask Professor Catherine too,’ he thought.
Although she always acted fishy, she had proved that she was a trustable and dependable person.
Besides, now that Emily’s choice was locked, there wasn’t much danger in trusting Leora and Professor Catherine with more information.
Emily eyes were staring at her quest tracker.
[Quest: Defeat 100 Apprentice-rank Monsters — Progress: 0/100]
She didn’t look stressed, just focused.
“Are you okay now?” Isaac asked, nudging her lightly with his elbow. “If so, we should get some food. You must be exhausted after going through your Physique awakening.”
Emily blinked. Then her eyes widened. “Ah, I almost forgot! I awakened my Physique!”
She phased through his arms and spun around in the air, excitement bubbling in her voice. “Isaac, it’s called the Hollow Crown Physique!”
He raised an eyebrow. “That’s… a unique name.”
“I know, right?” She didn’t wait for him to ask anything else. “It’s weird, but also kind of cool. It gave me a huge stat boost, new affinities, and a couple of skills my evolved!”
Isaac couldn’t help but smile. Her energy was contagious.
“Sounds like a big upgrade. So what affinities did you unlock?” he asked, playing along.