I’m on my way to the Morven duchy seat when Ronan contacts me.

  My lady, good morning. You are awake now, right?

  I can’t help but frown. Since I told him not to use this communication unless it was something important, I’m not sure I want to know what’s happening now.

  Could it be worse than the Vincent in Convergence thing?

  Yes, I’m already on my way back to the academy. Tell me.

  The orcs attacked the village of Clearhaven last night.

  What? And why am I just finding out now?

  I did not want to wake you. I notified the prince, since that village is under his parents’ domain, and we went together to help.

  Okay, I understand, that makes sense. You didn’t compromise the goblins, right?

  No, my lady. It was just me, Vincent, and some of my undead. We finished off the orcs and saved all the people we could.

  Great.

  I relax. I’d been tensing up on the stag. Not good, considering what my rear suffers on these trips.

  Okay, so the soldiers from the detachment who survived must have notified the crown. Did Vincent go back with them?

  No, Vincent and I got up early to eliminate the orc threat. Honestly, my lady, I did not expect that from them.

  I don’t understand.

  I mean, they sent a patrol because the giant bear was not showing signs of its usual activity. If the patrol does not return, the normal thing is to think the bear killed them and not send more orcs. Much less an attack on the village.

  So they went against the orc settlement in the mountains?

  Now that I think about it… you have the area full of undead lookouts. Didn’t they see the orcs? Last time they caught them when they were still in the mountain pass.

  No, they did not see them. Nor any of those I have posted around the cave and nearby forest. That is why, once we took the orc village, I asked them, and they know nothing about the attack on Clearhaven. There must be some other orc settlement.

  Ronan, one thing at a time. You conquered an orc village without me?

  My lady, we were still in the same night, and I did not want to wake you. Besides, it was done without casualties. Upon seeing our army, they surrendered.

  What?

  That. They recognized my lady’s superiority and want to be your vassals.

  At this, I almost fall off the stag. I ask it to slow down and stop. I get off and start walking nervously back and forth while checking to see if I might have some vassalage notification that I somehow missed while sleeping.

  No, there isn’t any.

  I gather enough patience not to yell at him. First he does this to me with the cultists, and now with orcs. Compared to him, the pup is an innocent little angel.

  Ronan, what’s this about vassalage? Why do you think I’d want to annex an orc village to Convergence?

  Because it is in an area where we had considered expanding Convergence, being no man’s land between kingdoms, where it is not clear where the border is. And you need to become strong, you told me so yourself.

  “But not like this!” I exclaim out loud and then repeat mentally.

  But not like this, Ronan. You’re making decisions for me.

  No, my lady. If you do not want to accept them, then we kill them.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Damn, now Gump’s puppy-dog eyes pop back to mind—when I only wanted XP and he wanted help.

  What does Vincent say?

  Vincent says I am a great strategist, that I managed to win a battle without unsheathing a single sword from my troops.

  He’s going to have to tell me that in detail, but better later. Right now, I have more urgent concerns.

  And that village, how big is it?

  More than thirty houses of different sizes, though I might have one demolished because it has what appear to be bones of a giant creature in its structure. They have over 200 warriors.

  They use communal dwellings, right?

  Depending on their rank, most do.

  I’m getting off topic. Let’s see... Like you say, we need to find out who attacked Clearhaven. Ask them if these orcs know anything, like the location of other orc settlements.

  My lady, I prefer we interrogate them once they are your vassals, so if they know, they’ll have no problem letting us know where they are.

  Oh, really?

  But waiting for the vassalage oath... you can’t lie to me?

  That hadn’t even occurred to me.

  I can, my lady, but I do not lie. I do not like it.

  Then? They could lie just as easily to protect other orcs.

  I cannot betray you. If you ask them about a threat and they do not answer, that can be considered treason. Besides, once they are part of Convergence, they will want to fight to make it bigger. Orcs are very territorial.

  And how do you know you can’t betray me?

  Because Ronan doesn’t have a system interface telling him something like “Warning: you’re about to betray your lady. Consequence: cardiac arrest.”

  Because sometimes I feel that some of the strategies I consider are not appropriate. It is like an ominous sensation that I believe is associated with our bond. I would not consider it treason—not if it works—but the vassalage seems to imply there are certain decisions only my lady can make.

  I won’t ask. A good strategist like him has surely been considering options for Convergence. It’s good to know he can go with the goblins to eliminate a threat but not make other types of decisions. Maybe it has to do with his rank?

  He’s a sergeant. When Convergence’s level was 0 or initial, the system only let me appoint one leader. The other day, when I raised it to 1, I checked the administrators tab but not the leaders. As soon as I can, I’ll check it out to see if it’s changed.

  Okay, Ronan, agreed. We’ll do it that way. On my end, I’m going to go to the goblin village as fast as possible. Where are you?

  At the orc village. I will tell Vincent, we will bring their leader so he can swear vassalage to you, and we will meet at the goblin cave.

  It takes me a moment to answer him. I’m not thrilled about having new vassals imposed on me but if I don’t accept their oath, we have to kill them. (And once dead, Ronan only has to raise one to ask him any kind of information.) The truth is, it wouldn’t be bad either: XP and an intact village for the goblins. But apart from feeling sorry for them—even though I have never seen them—I know Ronan: he’s perfectly capable of animating them and putting them at my service as undead.

  Honestly, I think I prefer them alive.

  Well, either way they have to obey us no matter what, whether through the necromancer master-undead bond or the lady-vassal one.

  Alright Ronan, let’s leave it at that. As soon as I arrive, you have to tell me everything in detail.

  Of course, my lady. Vincent still wishes to speak with you regarding Convergence.

  Ugh, remembering that hurts...

  Okay, see you soon.

  I say goodbye to him and get back on the stag. Things are getting much more complicated than I’d like.

  Or not, because there’s a part of me that seems delighted to expand Convergence. I can say it’s to fortify myself against that future threat, but I’d be lying. That part of me—the same one that’s thrilled with how I handled Sol or with having punched the prince—likes power. It likes having more vassals under its will.

  I know that, just for that reason alone, I’m earning tickets to be a terrible ruler. I’m going to be careful not to let that power go to my head.

  I arrive at the dukes’ castle, inform their butler of the news in my father’s county, and avoid an audience with the duke by apologizing and claiming I’m in a hurry—that the prince is waiting for me.

  Playing the prince card is perfect for skipping a meeting that would undoubtedly have made me waste quite a bit of time, since normally I would have been waiting until he could receive me.

  Once at the teleporter station in the capital, I go straight to the academy and from there to Clearhaven.

  When I walk into my room, my roommate’s not here. I kind of miss having Berta around to unpack my suitcase for me. Wow, how quickly I get used to luxury—back on Earth I did everything myself...

  Truth is, my mother’s been really glad to have Berta’s help, with so many of the servants still recovering back at the manor. The plan is for her to travel with some merchants heading to the Duke and Duchess of Morven’s castle tomorrow. I’ll see her when I get back from Convergence.

  I drop my suitcase on the bed, unopened, pack a backpack with a change of clothes (pants, nothing like the dresses I wore at the palace) and sit down on the bed for a moment before going for the portal stones. The system interface opens at my command, and I check whether, with my kingdom level 1, I can appoint more leaders. It looks like I can:

  With your current kingdom level, level 1, you can have a total of two leaders.

  Available ranks: sergeant.

  Ranks unlockable at your kingdom’s current level: none.

  Looks like I’ll have to wait before promoting Ronan. As for the second officer, I decided days ago it would be the totem.

  The goblin totem is now a Sergeant. You can communicate with him mentally. His actions under your command can earn you Influence Points. As a Sergeant, he can lead up to ten of your lower-ranked vassals, who will receive Minor Resistance to Status Effects. The goblin totem gains Minor Resistance to Status Effects while serving as your vassal sergeant.

  A hesitant voice appears in my head:

  Bianca? Were you calling me?