Chapter 217: New Lord Subject, Crown Devil

“I’m ready,” Celia said after a while.

He didn’t need to ask what she meant.

Still, he spoke.

“What about your brother? Won’t he say anything if you become my subject without his permission?”

“He will. But…”

She hesitated.

Slowly, her expression grew resolute.

“I think it’s time I start making my own decisions. I’ve been leaving everything to my brother for as long as I can remember. It’s always been him carrying all the burdens. I don’t want to keep forcing that on him.”

Isaac nodded.

He didn’t press her further.

Opening the Lord profile, he focused on the request.

[Request: Add Subject – Name: Celia von Rae]

[Subject Slots Available: 1]

[Confirm Y/N?]

He confirmed.

A second panel appeared in front of Celia.

Her eyes scanned through it without much change in expression, though her fingers lingered slightly before pressing the confirmation.

The air shifted.

A faint pulse of the System’s energy rippled out. A soft tone followed a moment later.

[Subject Added Successfully.]

[Subjects (3/3)]

More notifications arrived immediately.

[Congratulations, you have found three subjects!]

[Please give a title to your loyal three subjects.]

He thought about it for a moment.

’Three Goddesses,’ he decided.

[Congratulations for giving a title to your most loyal subjects! As a reward, you have received Lord Shop Gacha Ticket x3. You can now temporarily use Lord Shop!]

A small smile formed.

He opened his profile just long enough to confirm the tickets were there, then closed it without using them.

He wanted to wait until Alice, Emily, and Celia were all together before trying his luck.

The screens continued coming.

[Sub-Quest]

[Gain 10 subjects (0/10)]

[Details: Subjects can be of any awakener rank. There is no restriction on Talent rank. However, four subjects must have Life Talent, three must have Combat Talent, and three must have Support Talent.]

[Reward: Lord Emblem, 10 Silver Coins]

His brow lifted slightly.

He hadn’t even become a True Lord yet. He still lacked a Fortified City under his control.

But this quest felt like it was pushing him to expand his influence long before he had a territory of his own.

When the notifications finally stopped, he turned his attention back to Celia.

She was fidgeting.

“Is there a problem, Celia?” he asked.

“Uhm… you must be curious, right? About why I wanted to defeat the N’theris serpent?”

“I am,” he admitted.

“I thought so.” She took a small breath. “Check my profile in the Lord tab. I’ll explain after you see it. It’ll make more sense that way.”

He gave a short nod and brought up his Lord profile.

[Lord Profile]

Switching to the Lord tab, the interface changed. Most categories were still locked, but one was accessible.

[Subjects]

[1. Three Goddesses (3/3)]

[2. Subjects (0/10)]

The section for subjects had changed after he named the first three.

The title might have sounded grand, but considering all three had SSS-rank Talents and exceptional abilities, it didn’t feel like an exaggeration.

He tapped the “Three Goddesses” option.

[Three Goddesses: They have followed you when you were only a fledgling Lord Candidate. They are your most loyal followers, and your blades that will deliver your judgment. You may view their Status and distribute their unassigned points. Additional functions will unlock upon becoming a True Lord.]

[1. Emily Warren (Level 10, Netherborn Phantom Empress)]

[2. Alice Calloway (Level 10, Sun Dragon)]

[3. Celia von Rae (Level 20, Crown Devil)]

The “von” in her name wasn’t surprising. He had seen it before. But the species name caught his attention.

His eyes moved from the screen to her.

Her appearance had changed.

Two black wings extended from her lower back, near her hips, folding in close to her body.

They looked strong, almost regal.

A thin black tail, ending in a triangular tip, rested behind her but was held stiff, almost like it mirrored her unease.

“I’m an Apex-rank species of Hell, Crown Devil.”

Her throat moved as she swallowed, and her gaze held steady despite the tension in her posture.

This was no small reveal.

If anything, showing him this was a bigger gesture than becoming his subject.

“Several years ago,” she began, “my family lost the royal battle for the throne. My brother and I had to run for our lives. Our parents… didn’t make it. They were killed.”

She paused, remembering memories she would rather not recall.

“We escaped to the surface world through a teleporter hidden in the palace. A N’theris serpent sent by the attackers followed us to the surface world.

“It was killed by our guard. But our guard didn’t survive the fight either. After that, we wandered for a long time. There was nowhere safe, nowhere we could trust.”

Her voice stayed even, but he could tell it wasn’t easy for her to talk about.

“We were eventually found by the Governor. He gave us a place to stay in Fortified City 50. It’s the only home we’ve had since. We thought the serpent’s death was the end of it.”

She exhaled, looking down briefly.

“But the one we fought today… it wasn’t the same serpent. It was its child. Somehow, the original must have been pregnant. We never knew. All this time, that thing grew and survived, and today… well, you saw what happened.”

“I see. So that’s why you wanted to defeat it.”

He didn’t have to guess how heavy that must have been for her.

The thought of a creature like that killing people, and knowing it had ties to her past wasn’t something she could easily ignore.

’If she keeps blaming herself for the deaths today, her mental state’s going to crack sooner or later,’ he thought.

Isaac decided to cut through it before that could happen.

“I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me all this, Celia. But I have to say one thing. It’s not your fault. The N’theris serpent rampaging today had nothing to do with you.”

“It’s fine, Isaac. You don’t need to console me.”

She gave a faint, almost tired smile.

He shook his head.

“I’m not consoling you. I’m telling you the truth.”

His gaze didn’t waver.

“The awakeners who fought today did so by their own choice. Every single one of them could have gone back to Fortified City 50 instead of staying here. But they didn’t. Why? Because they wanted to partake in conquering the city and bathe in profits when the humanity took over it.”

Her expression shifted slightly.

“That’s what most awakeners are, Celia. We put our lives on the line, sure. But it’s not all for noble reasons.

“People say awakeners fight to protect their homes. But you should know the truth. You must’ve seen in your brother’s guild.

“Some become awakeners to protect their homes, but most? It’s for money. Even the ones trying to protect something still get paid for it. That’s the reality.”

He gestured lightly with his hand.

“They fought today because of that. Didn’t you see the Metavore Hive hunt? That was a dangerous battle too, but everyone still participated. The difference is that back then, we were prepared and lucky. This time, our luck ran out, so we had casualties.”

Her lips parted slightly. “But—”

“Even if you were here or not, they would’ve fought a dangerous monster. They might have died, they might have lived. It’s impossible to know.

“It’s not like you forced them to fight. So stop thinking their deaths are on you.”

Celia didn’t reply immediately.

He could tell his words were working on her, even if she wasn’t ready to admit it.

Isaac pressed on while the iron was hot.

“Every awakener knows they can die at any time. That’s the reality we accept when we choose this profession. What happened today is no different. It’s got nothing to do with you.”

Silence settled between them.

She didn’t argue this time.

Isaac watched her, noting the slight changes in her expression. The tension was still there, but it wasn’t quite as heavy as before.

’It should be okay now,’ he thought.

Some of what he’d said was deliberately blunt, maybe even cold, but it was better than letting her drown in misplaced guilt.

Deaths happened in this world.

If she understood that now, it would make her stronger later.

After a while, Celia stood. “I think I need some fresh air.”

He didn’t stop her as she left the room.

When the door clicked shut, Isaac’s eyes shifted to Emily. She was still sleeping in his arms.

He smiled, and pinched her cheeks.

She winced, and tried to pull away, still half-asleep.

’I think she succeeded in taming the N’theris serpent,’ he thought.

That monster had been powerful. It was dangerous enough to cause trouble for Vice Principal Eleanor.

She had trouble defeating it even while combining forces with Nagas.

Having it as an ally was no small gain.

’Emily’s wilderness exploration speed is going to shoot through the roof.’

’And if we use the N’Theris Serpent, we can eliminate all monsters in the city within a few days, and conquer it.

He licked his lips and spoke in his mind.

’Share N’theris Serpent!’

A ball of light materialized within his mind.

Inside it, he could see the familiar dark-scaled form of the serpent. Its coiled body moved lazily. It was asleep. He could sense the strength it held.

If he wanted, he could summon it into the real world at any time.

’Yes,’ he thought, almost grinning. ’I’ve got a summon straight from hell.’

Of course, there was more.

Emily had been picking up summons steadily over the past few days, and her skill levels had grown alongside them.

Alice’s skills had improved too.

Isaac’s gaze lingered on Emily for a moment longer.

’It’s been a long time since I shared their skills.’

He licked his lips.

’System, share Emily’s skills!’

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