The Overlord’s glare did nothing for Isaac.
In the end, she exhaled slowly and lowered her head, if only by a fraction.
"I will follow you, Lord," she said.
"Alright, then. The four of you go out and pacify the crowds."
The third Overlord, Anant, hesitated before speaking, "What reason should we give them about becoming your subjects? They might... rebel if we tell them we were conquered by force."
Isaac nodded. He had expected that question.
This was exactly why he had decided to make Emily the Lord instead of claiming the city outright.
Bringing these people directly under his own city could be dangerous. Forcing two very different groups together under a single banner without time to adjust would only breed resentment.
Emily, on the other hand, could take her time. She could build a healthier community here first, and only later, if they wanted, allow them to shift to the human city.
"Tell them Emily is a Lord you came across and asked to rule over your city. Say it’s to increase your city’s protection against the Thousand-Year Stampede that will come in the future. As for the ogres, tell them it was a surprise drill to test how they would react in case the city is actually attacked. And tell them the ogres are your new allies," Isaac said.
He paused, then added, "As for Eltari City being under my city—Imperium Aeternum—we’ll do that slowly, so there’s no resistance. For now, just introduce Emily."
Anant frowned slightly.
"This reason is good, but mass fear might spread that the ogres are taking over us," he said.
"Tell them they are summons of Emily," Isaac replied without missing a beat.
Anant blinked, then nodded.
"Understood."
The four Overlords turned and headed out together. Isaac raised a hand, and the ogres, who had been standing off to the side moved to follow the Overlords, making it very clear that they were there to make sure nothing "funny" happened.
The hall felt quieter after they left.
Emily didn’t even wait a full second.
"Isaac, are you sure?" she asked.
He turned toward her. "Hmm?"
She bit her lip, then spoke, her words coming out in a rush before she could second-guess herself.
"If I become the Lord, I’ll have to stay here. I don’t have a clone like you, so I won’t be able to come with you to the Florathi Kingdom."
She hated the idea.
After being separated from Isaac during the beginning of the academy, she didn’t want to go through that again. Even the thought of being apart from him for more than a few days made her chest feel tight.
Isaac chuckled softly.
"Don’t worry about it. I have an upgrade ticket to improve the city’s AI. After the upgrade, you can monitor your city from anywhere and give commands or upgrades," he said.
Emily’s eyes widened.
"Are you telling the truth?"
"Have I ever lied to you?"
She didn’t answer. Instead, she threw her arms around him.
"Thank you!"
Isaac laughed, caught slightly off guard, and patted her back. From the outside, it probably looked like a normal, lighthearted moment.
Inside, though, he felt something heavier settle in his chest.
’She’s too dependent on me,’ he thought.
He knew where it came from. She had lost her parents, and due to how he helped her overcome the grief, he had become her replacement for that empty space.
He was her pillar. The person she leaned on for everything.
Isaac didn’t mind being her support. In fact, he wanted to be. But this—this level of attachment, where she couldn’t even stand the idea of being separated for a short time—wasn’t healthy.
’I need to help her stand on her own feet instead of just leaning on me.’
Emily pulled back, still holding onto his sleeve.
"The System is asking me if I want to become a Lord," she said.
She was staring at empty air. Isaac assumed that was where her system screen was floating.
"That’s normal. You already meet all the qualifications. And you just showed you want to become a Lord while standing in an unconquered fortified city, so the System is giving you the quest."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Are the options the same as last time? To be a Subject or a Lord? Or is there something new?"
"There’s only one option now. A Sub-Lord," Emily said, reading.
She glanced up at him, then back to the screen.
"It says if I choose this option, you can control my city like a Lord at the same time as me, and we can share the buff of our Lord Talents."
"Share the buff?" Isaac repeated.
"My city will be able to use a weakened version of your Lord Talent if you allow it. And if I awaken a Lord Talent, your city can use a weakened version of mine," Emily said.
She paused, scanning the text.
"It also says only one Lord Talent works on a Tier 1 city at one time. To use two Lord Talents on a city at the same time, it needs to be Tier 2."
Isaac nodded slowly.
He already had a Tier 2 city—Fortified City 89. He planned to merge it with Imperium Aeternum tomorrow. Once that was done, his city’s rank would rise, and he’d be able to use two buffs at once.
Still, a question lingered in the back of his mind.
’The sharing of buffs is limited by the city’s tier because it’s handled by the World System.’
’But if I directly ’share’ Emily’s Lord Talent, then I’d technically have two Lord Talents. Both would be mine.’
’So would I be able to use two Lord Talents on my city regardless of the city’s tier, since I wouldn’t be sharing the buff, but using two Talents directly?’
It was something he would have to test later.
For now, Emily seemed to have made her choice.
The air in front of her shimmered faintly.
[Congratulations. A Subject under you has decided to become a Sub-Lord.]
Another line appeared a moment later.
[Help the Subject become a True Sub-Lord. Reward: 50 Gold Coins, Market Blueprint.]
Isaac raised an eyebrow.
’Money is always good.’
Then he focused on the second part.
’A market blueprint?’
A market wasn’t a normal building. It was a trading platform that allowed direct trade with other Lord Cities.
For someone trying to expand his "shops", it was invaluable.
Normally, he would have needed to level up his city several times before even unlocking the option to build one. Getting the blueprint this early would save him a lot of time and effort.
This was a reward he absolutely couldn’t afford to miss.
He looked back at Emily.
"Emily, is the first quest you got the same as mine?"
"Yes. I need to choose three people with SSS-rank Talent as my Subjects."
Just like him, she had been given quests to become a True Lord.
"We shouldn’t choose anyone from Eltari. We can choose one of the summons Isaac brought from the summoning altar, but we should filter carefully. They were summoned only recently, and we can’t put too much trust in them yet," Celia spoke up.
Isaac nodded.
Celia was right. Power was one thing, but loyalty was another. The three Subjects Emily chose wouldn’t just be names on a screen. They would become her foundation, the people she relied on when things went wrong, and things went wrong for Lords a lot of times.
He thought for a moment, then an idea came to him.
He reached out and grabbed Emily’s hand.
"Come to Cradle with me," Isaac said.
Emily blinked, then nodded without hesitation.
The two stepped into the Soulbind Pendant, leaving it behind in Celia’s care.
The world shifted around them in that familiar, weightless way, and a moment later, they were standing in the living hall of the mansion inside Cradle.
Footsteps approached, light and steady.
Priscilla, the head dragon maid, appeared at the entrance. Her long hair was neatly tied back, and her posture was, as always, flawless.
"Greetings, Master," she said, bowing.
"Hello, Priscilla. I’m sorry for coming late at night and disturbing you. I had an important task. Can you gather all the maids here?"
"Understood, Master," she said, straightening. Then her eyes narrowed just a little. "And please, never apologize to us. We are lowly maids. It is beneath Master to apologize to us."
"It was just a polite—"
"No."
She cut him off so cleanly that Isaac actually blinked.
Her expression was stern, like a mother scolding a child. She looked ready to argue with him about it if he tried again.
Isaac’s lips twitched, and he gave a small nod.
"Alright. I won’t do that again."
Her stern look melted away, replaced by a soft smile.
She left the room, and Isaac and Emily were alone for a few seconds.
"..."
Priscilla returned quickly, this time carrying a tea set. She placed it on the table with practiced ease and began pouring.
"The maids will gather within five minutes. Please forgive the tardiness, master. Some of them were outside collecting herbs, teas, and other supplies," she said.
"It’s fine," Isaac said.
The "outside" she mentioned wasn’t the real world. It was the forest that existed inside Cradle, far from the mansion. The maids often went there to gather things they needed, and they were usually back on time.
Isaac took a sip of the tea and let the warmth settle in his chest.
He made some small talk, asking how they were adjusting to the place, whether they needed anything. He reminded her, as he had before, that they were free and could leave their posts if they ever wanted to.
Priscilla thanked him for his concern, just as she always did, and told him they were happy to serve and had no intention of leaving.
Isaac smiled, though it was a little wry.
"This tea is quite good. What is it made from?" Emily asked.
"Jelipo leaves. It increases fertility in women and for men, it makes the semen more potent so they have an easier time fertilizing an egg," Priscilla replied with a calm smile.
Isaac nearly spat the tea out.
He coughed, and stared at her with an expression that clearly said, why are you doing this to me?
"Master, as I’ve told you before, we are nannies. It is our job to make sure Master has a healthy and big family," Priscilla said, completely unfazed,
Isaac decided that ignoring her was the only way to survive this conversation.
Unfortunately, her words dragged up a memory he really didn’t want to think about.
A few days ago, when he had slept with Alice, he had forgotten to use Life Drain to make sure she didn’t get pregnant.
He only realized his mistake later, when he caught Alice secretly checking herself, trying to see if anything had happened.
That moment had given him cold sweat.
She had known he had forgotten to use Life Drain, and yet didn’t tell him!
Nothing had come of it, thankfully, but the fear had been very real.
He knew Alice wanted more "little Isaacs," and he didn’t blame her for that. But he wasn’t ready for a child. Not even close.
Hell, he thought children were devil’s spawn.
Loud, messy, and somehow always sticky. He hated those nasty little creatures with a passion.
’I feel like Alice will start pestering me for a child the moment we’re officially married.’
’And Priscilla is going to fill her head with things like "children are good" and "having a child is proof of your love with Master."’
Just imagining that future made his head spin.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to dwell on it for long.
Footsteps filled the hall as the rest of the maids arrived. They lined up neatly and bowed.
Isaac returned the greeting, then got straight to the point.
"Emily is going to become a Lord. We need three people with SSS-rank Talent. I remember you all saying you had high-rank Talents. Which among you have SSS rank Talent?"