The world, I was learning, ran on a currency more powerful than gold: information. My little performance with Cedric had bought me a wary distance, but it hadn't filled my coffers with the one thing I truly needed—ears and eyes.
I had money, yes. 5,000 crowns hidden away. But spending it openly was a risk. Treasurer Elara's hawk-like gaze was a constant pressure in the back of my mind. I needed influence, not just wealth. I needed a network.
And in a noble society, the best way to build a network wasn't through kindness. It was through leverage.
My glitchy interface became my hunting tool. I spent days in the royal court and at academy functions, not talking, just observing. I watched the subtle interactions, the forced smiles, the nervous glances. I focused on person after person, enduring the minor headaches as my system cataloged their secrets.
Lord Brayton: Favor: 25. Corruption: 70. A gambler. His debt stat, a hidden variable my system seemed to pick up, was high.
Lady Constance: Favor: 15. Corruption: 65.Having a secret affair with a stable hand. Her Obsession was a shaky 45.
They were useful, but too messy. I needed someone with a clean vice. A simple, desperate problem.
I found her at a poetry reading, trying to look like she was enjoying herself. Lady Isabella, a minor baron's daughter. She was pretty, with soft brown curls and a gentle smile, but her eyes held a constant, frantic worry. Her dress, though elegant, was last season's fashion.
I focused. My interface flickered.
Lady Isabella: Favor: 10. Corruption: 20.
Debt: 2,000 Crowns.
Creditor: The Gold Feather Guild.
Status: Desperate.
Perfect. The Gold Feather Guild wasn't a bank; it was a loan syndicate with a reputation for broken knees, not just broken contracts. Her debt was large enough to be crushing, but small enough for me to handle. Her low Corruption meant she was fundamentally a good person, just in a bad situation. She would be grateful. And loyalty born from desperation was the strongest kind.
I waited for the right moment. A few days later, I saw her alone in a garden, sitting on a bench and staring into a fishpond, her shoulders slumped in defeat.
I approached quietly. "The koi are beautiful, but they are terrible conversationalists," I said.
She jumped, turning to face me. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. "V-Viscount Herrmann." Her Favor stat flickered nervously between 8 and 12.
"May I?" I gestured to the bench.
She nodded, too startled to refuse.
I sat, leaving a respectful distance between us. I didn't speak for a moment, just watched the orange and white fish dart through the water. "It's a heavy burden, isn't it?" I said, my voice soft. "Trying to keep up appearances when the ground is crumbling beneath your feet."
She went very still. "I don't know what you mean, my lord."
"I mean the Gold Feather Guild," I said, turning to look at her directly.
All the color drained from her face. Her Favor plummeted to 0. "How… how do you know about that?"
"I make it my business to know things, Lady Isabella," I said. It was the same calm, measured tone I'd used with Cedric. "I know your father is ill. I know you took the loan to pay for his treatments. I know the interest has become… unmanageable."
Tears welled in her eyes. She looked down at her hands, clenched tightly in her lap. "I don't know what to do," she whispered, her voice breaking.
This was the moment. This was where a hero would offer a generous loan. But I was not a hero.
"I can make it go away," I said.
Her head snapped up. Hope, raw and terrifying, bloomed in her expression. "You… you would loan me the money?"
I shook my head slowly. "No. I will not give you a loan." I let the words hang in the air, watching the hope in her eyes turn to confusion. "I will pay the debt in full. Every last crown. The Guild will never bother you or your family again."
She stared at me, utterly bewildered. "But… why? What do you want in return?"
I offered a small, cold smile. "A favor."
"A favor?" she repeated, the word sounding hollow.
"Not today. Not tomorrow. Perhaps not for a year," I explained, my voice like silk over steel. "Someday, I may come to you and ask for a piece of information. Or for you to vote a certain way on a minor council matter. Or to simply tell me what you heard at a tea party. You will do it, without question. That is the favor."
I was turning her into an asset. A single, quiet thread in my web.
The war on her face was painful to watch. Her honor, her family's safety, her future—all weighed against a single, undefined future action. The Corruption stat next to her name flickered, climbing from 20 to 25. I was corrupting her, right here on this sunny bench.
"I…" she stammered. "I don't know…"
"You have until sunset tomorrow to decide," I said, standing up. I couldn't appear desperate. "Meet me here if your answer is yes. If not, we will never speak of this again." I gave a slight bow. "Good day, Lady Isabella."
I walked away, leaving her sitting there, a prisoner of a choice she never wanted to make. I felt a twist in my gut. This was ugly work. This was Null's work. My interface confirmed it.
[Leverage Established: Lady Isabella]
[Corruption: 88 -> 89]
Another point. The cost of doing business.
The next day, as the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple, I returned to the garden. I didn't know if she would come.
But she was there. Standing by the pond, her back straight, her hands trembling.
She turned as I approached. Her face was pale, but her eyes were determined. "The favor," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "It cannot involve hurting anyone. It must not bring shame upon my family's name."
A last stand for her conscience. I respected that.
"Agreed," I said. "It will be a small thing. I give you my word."
She searched my eyes, looking for the lie. She must have seen only a cold, flat certainty. She nodded once, sharply. "Then… yes."
I pulled a sealed letter from my coat. "This is a bank draft for 2,000 crowns, made out to the Gold Feather Guild. It is untraceable to me. Your debt is paid."
She took the letter as if it were a live snake. Her Favor stat was a miserable 5, a mix of gratitude and deep-seated fear. Her Corruption was now 30.
"Remember our agreement, Lady Isabella," I said softly. "I will be in touch."
I left her there, holding her freedom in one hand and a chain in the other. I had my first agent. A small, frightened girl in a pretty dress. It wasn't much, but it was a start. A single, quiet thread in the web I was weaving around myself for protection. And with every thread I spun, I felt a little more like the spider I used to be.