—— [Headmaster’s Journal] ——

  Mission: Instate Lillie as the New Lord of Brightmoon Viscounty

  With Brightmoon City now under your control, your next task is to restore the Brightmoon House and install its sole heir, Lillie arc Brightmoon, as the rightful lord. In addition, you must ensure that every town and village within the territory submits to the new lord and to your Magus academy, while also securing recognition from the surrounding powers.

  Type: Main mission

  Installing Lillie: 0/1

  Recognition Progress: 0%

  Reward: 15,000 academy points and a Cosmic Rubik’s piece

  This was the new main mission, and the reward was nothing short of extraordinary. Completing it would restore the Cosmic Rubik to its full form, elevating Victor’s power by an enormous margin. Naturally, he should make haste to complete it.

  Once Victor, Lillie, and Eleanor used the Teleportation Waypoint, they materialized in a quiet corner of the city, not far from the Brightmoon Mansion, where they were immediately recognized by nearby players.

  “Respected Headmaster!”

  “Ooh! Lillie and Miss Eleanor are here too!”

  Victor wasted no time and immediately instructed them to guide the group toward the mansion, and they readily agreed — enthusiastic to assist even without the promise of a reward from a mission.

  Brightmoon City spread out before them, and despite the very recent change of power, the streets were alive with movement. Players mingled with townsfolk, merchants hawked their goods, and wagon wheels clattered over cobblestones. The banners of the Brightmoon House — once weathered and torn — now hung freshly dyed along the main thoroughfare, their vibrant colors snapping proudly in the early spring breeze.

  Lillie stood a step ahead of Victor and Eleanor, her gaze sweeping over the familiar cobblestone streets, the market square, and the distant spire of the old lord’s manor. Yet her expression wasn’t the wide-eyed wonder of a child returning home; instead, there was a quiet steadiness to her eyes now.

  “This city has changed… but the people still walk the same streets, breathe the same air. It’s our duty to make sure they can live without fear again. A lord should never forget that,” she said softly in an almost formal tone.

  Victor noticed the slight change in her voice. It wasn’t the playful, childish chatter she’d always used with him… It carried a touch of resolve, as if she had aged a little in that instant. She must be remembering what her parents had told her in the past.

  Eleanor tilted her head, watching the girl with an amused smile. “She’s grown up… The way she mimicked the tone of adults makes you want to press the poor little thing to your bosom.”

  Victor shot her a sidelong glance. “Hey, hugging her is what you’re really thinking, isn’t it?”

  “What? It’s a compliment,” Eleanor replied without a hint of shame.

  Lillie turned back toward them with a firm expression. “Mentor, Big Sis Eleanor… please come with me to the mansion.”

  As they moved deeper into the city, the townsfolk began to part before them — some bowing out of respect, recognizing who they must be, while others stepped aside with curious stares. Lillie walked forward without shrinking back, her small hands clenched into quiet fists at her sides. For the first, Victor felt a certainty settle in his chest: She had grown up. She was no longer the timid girl who hid behind him; she carried herself as someone ready to stand at the center of it all.

  The new lord of this land — she seemed to have understood her role.

  Eleanor, too, found her gaze drawn to Lillie in the same way Victor’s had been, becoming tactful not to say a word. She must have understood this was not the time for playful remarks or comforting words. Everyone, including the passerby, paused as they watched Lillie, as though the city itself was quietly acknowledging the return of its heir.

  Ahead was the Brightmoon Mansion with its gates standing open in a symbolic gesture of welcome. Twin banners rippled in the wind — the deep indigo of the Sanctum’s spiral galaxy encased within a precise geometric compass rose, and the silver-white of the Brightmoon crest, a full moon mirrored in the still waters of a pristine lake.

  Lillie slowed as they drew nearer, taking in every detail. Her heterochromatic eyes were filled with longing and melancholy, as though she stood on the threshold between childhood and the weight of an inherited future.

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  “Mentor,” she said softly, almost reverently, when they reached the open gates. “Please… help Lillie become the lord of Brightmoon City.”

  Victor returned her gaze and gave a firm nod. “That is only natural.”

  Her lips curved faintly, confidence settling over her features. They passed through the gates and moved toward the mansion. At the entrance, an elderly man in a crisp butler’s uniform stood waiting with straight posture, saluting them — Brown.

  “Headmaster. Lady Lillie,” Brown greeted in a formal, respectful voice. No longer did he call her “little miss.”

  “Butler Brown.” Lillie inclined her head with quiet dignity, acknowledging him before he fell in step behind her.

  She led the entourage through the marble-floored halls and out onto the balcony at the front of the mansion. From here, the entirety of Brightmoon City spread out before them — the winding streets, the bustling markets, the numerous buildings — all framed beneath the afternoon light. Below, townsfolk and visitors alike looked up, catching sight of her figure as she stood in full view.

  For some reason, this scene reminded Victor of when he was trapped in the Dreamscape with Lillie. At that place, Lillie had presumed herself as a king, bearing the dignity of a ruler. Now she was almost no different from that time, though she was in the right state of mind this time, unlike before, when she wasn’t fully herself.

  As the wind stirred her hair, she placed her hands lightly on the balustrade, gazing down at the crowd and the city she now called her own. The girl who was once a sheltered princess behind castle walls now stood with the poise of a ruler.

  “I, Lillie arc Brightmoon, hereby proclaim myself the new lord of Brightmoon Viscounty, and pledge to guard this land and its people!”

  Instantly, the crowd all cheered, welcoming the new lord.

  “Long live the new lord!”

  “Long live Lillie arc Brightmoon!”

  Once everything was settled in Brightmoon City, Victor returned to the academy with Lillie and Eleanor two days later. After all, Lillie was still a thirteen-year-old girl walking the arduous path of a Magus. She wouldn’t have the time or energy to personally oversee the city’s affairs. Instead, its administration would be entrusted to Brown, supported by the players.

  Moreover, given the shortage of low-ranking soldiers — and the questionable effectiveness of those available — Victor decided to rely on mechanical golems crafted by the players.

  Of course, he could have relied on the mechanical golems produced within the citadel, but he preferred to keep their existence concealed for as long as possible. Brightmoon City was open to outsiders, and it was only a matter of time before various Magus factions dispatched spies to snoop around. If those forces discovered the true origin of these golems, it could invite unnecessary suspicion and potentially dangerous consequences.

  This decision was what brought him here now, seated at his desk with Eleanor standing before him. At her side was a male player with untidy green hair and an air of quiet confidence.

  He introduced himself as XjoeCZ, one of Eleanor’s foremost Artificer apprentices and currently the top-ranked golem maker in the game. If PrimoDos was renowned for his unmatched skill in forging magic suits, then XjoeCZ was the undisputed master of golem creation. In fact, many of the rune enchantment systems now standard among player-made golems had been pioneered by him, a feat that had cemented his reputation among the player community.

  “So, you’re claiming you can handle this task?” Victor questioned.

  “Yes, Headmaster. My workshop can produce every mechanical golem needed for the entire Brightmoon territory. And not just combat golems — we can make mining golems, farming golems, scout golems, and many more. As long as you authorize us to expand beyond our current capacity, we can deliver everything you require.” XjoeCZ spoke with relentless enthusiasm, rattling off the many types of golems his workshop could create.

  Victor studied him carefully. There was a spark in the player’s eyes, the kind of passion one found in craftsmen who viewed their creations not as mere constructs, but as living extensions of themselves. The green-haired player wasted no time on pleasantries; instead, he cut straight to the point, outlining the benefits of expansion and confidently asserting his ability to meet production demands.

  A man of efficiency.

  Eleanor occasionally chimed in with a supportive remark or clarification, clearly proud of her apprentice’s progress. From the sound of it, these golems weren’t just intended to stand in for soldiers — they would seamlessly integrate into civilian life while forming a powerful defensive backbone. And now that Victor was no longer concealing the academy’s presence, it was time to direct his efforts toward its greater ambitions.

  According to the information Victor had received from Lizbeth, this player held two master’s degrees — one in robotics and autonomous systems, and another in advanced mechanical engineering. Even from those credentials alone, Victor could tell this man was utterly obsessed with building machines, be they robots in his world or mechanical golems in this one.

  Given the opportunity to create without the limitations of real-world technology, it was no wonder he pursued his craft with such fervor, allowing him to become the best golem-maker among all the players. Victor could already picture a future where the academy’s mechanical golems would rival — perhaps even surpass — those produced by the citadel. Still, even Victor had never witnessed the peak of the Steelrose Order’s craft; what they produced now was merely a shadow of their former glory.

  Victor finally broke the silence. “Very well. I’ll authorize your expansion. You’ll have access to the academy’s resources in order to meet the required quota and may recruit other acolytes in the field for this task. But remember, results matter more than promises.”

  XjoeCZ straightened, a glimmer of satisfaction crossing his face. “I assure you that you won’t be disappointed, Headmaster.”

  “Good, dismissed.” Victor waved his hand, signaling the player to leave.

  After exchanging a few words with Eleanor about her recent projects, she, too, took her leave, though not before glancing around the office, seemingly searching for Lizbeth. Finding no trace of her, Eleanor simply departed, disappointed. Still, now that she had advanced to an Elemental Adept Magus, she said that her ability to craft superior-grade magic tools was assured. With the right materials and enough time, she might even create magic artifacts. As expected of a Faulkner, her skill as an Artificer was exceptional.

  Moments later, Lizbeth slipped in and asked in a half-whisper, “Is that crazy woman gone? Phew. By the way, Master, is it time to prepare the next update patch?”

  “Indeed,” Victor replied slowly, a faint gleam in his eyes. “It’s about time.”

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