Lucian's crimson eyes glimmered with curiosity and delight, as if the news were a game just beginning. Where others would flinch, he leaned in, savoring the potential chaos the news promised.
"Please, elaborate further."
Selene was adept at reading people. She could spot fear in the tightening of a jaw or deception in the shift of a gaze. But for a fraction of a second, her mask slipped.
Her eyes flickered with genuine disbelief at Lucian. She struggled to process the glint of delight in his eyes.
The news of being targeted by a Titan—one with the power to leash other Titans—should have been terrifying. It should have been a death sentence. It should have brought terror. Yet Lucian looked like he had just been invited to a game he couldn't wait to play.
She composed herself, though the unease lingered, and explained calmly.
"Once Karn became a tributary state, nearly all resources he produced were required to be sent directly to Mammon. Mammon decreed that this would continue until the entire debt was settled—a virtually impossible task, as the interest rises every three months the debt remains unpaid."
A soft, low chuckle escaped Lucian. It was smooth and amused, devoid of fear.
"Well now… it was the Old Beast's debt. Surely I will not be expected to repay it."
"Knowing Mammon, there's no chance he'll forgive the debt merely because the land has changed ownership."
"Well then… it seems I have something to anticipate."
"My lord, I beg you to take this news seriously. Mammon is not only a Titan but one of the mightiest. Even Karn was shaken in his presence."
Unease coiled in Selene's chest. Lucian's expression grew brighter with each worsening detail. What should have sparked fear only seemed to excite him.
*Is this arrogance?* she wondered, dread tightening her throat. She knew the cost of arrogance in this land. It was paid in blood.
Lucian noticed the tension in her shoulders. He smiled—a small, disarming expression.
"Do not trouble yourself, Selene. I did vow to protect you as your ruler, did I not? Rest easy—this matter will be handled."
A flicker of relief eased Selene's tension. It wasn't the words themselves, but the absolute, unshakable weight behind them.
She realized then that her past experiences with Mammon were fogging her judgment. She was used to leaders who ruled through panic and violence. But this young man… he felt like an experienced veteran who had seen storms far worse than this.
His confidence wasn't naivety. It was certainty.
A knock came on the door.
"Enter," Lucian said.
One of Lucian's new demonfolk stepped inside, bowing low.
"Master, the citizens have been gathered as you asked."
"Great work," Lucian said. He turned to his new assistant. "Selene."
"Yes, my Lord?"
"For your first appointed task as my assistant, I require a thorough report on the current state of my newly claimed lands."
"Understood. I will ensure it is completed as soon as possible."
Lucian rose from the plush sofa. He walked toward the balcony doors, his movements fluid and relaxed. Selene followed just a step behind, falling into her role with practiced grace.
They stepped onto the stone balcony overlooking the city.
The sun hung high, its light spilling across the cracked stone of the stronghold's plaza. Hundreds of citizens packed the square—a sea of gray rags and anxious faces. They murmured amongst themselves, their eyes flicking toward the castle balcony where a lone figure now stepped into the light.
Selene stood at Lucian's side, hands clasped behind her back, posture straight. Her expression was controlled, but not cold. The people recognized her instantly. That alone was enough to hush the crowd.
Lucian let the silence settle. He waited until even the wind seemed to listen.
Then he put the echo-horn to his mouth and spoke—calm, steady, cutting through the air with effortless authority.
"People of Karn's domain," Lucian began, his voice resonating with certainty rather than force. "You have suffered beneath a reign built on fear, on starvation, on neglect—a reign that demanded everything and offered nothing."
A ripple of tension moved through the crowd. Fear. Hope. Disbelief.
"Karn… has fallen."
Gasps tore through the silence. A few cries of shock rang out. Others stared in stunned silence, unable to process the words.
Lucian waited until the shock settled enough to speak again.
"I did not come before you as a conqueror bearing chains. I came as the one who shattered the man who bound you in them."
He glanced over the faces—tired, thin, wary. They were not loyal. Not yet. They were survivors, and survivors were hard to convince.
"I bring to you what Karn refused," he declared. "Not torment masked as discipline… not hunger disguised as order."
He opened his hand slightly, a gesture of offering rather than command.
"I bring you salvation."
Silence. Total, absolute silence.
"All your suffering stops here. Under my rule, you will know nourishment, security, and order—a future that is yours alone, not stolen by a tyrant."
His gaze hardened just a fraction—not unkind, but purposeful.
"You are free to judge me by my deeds. I will not demand trust. I shall earn it."
A breath of wind swept the plaza, carrying whispers across the crowd.
Lucian lifted his chin slightly, voice lowering—but no less powerful.
"Karn ruled by instilling fear. I shall rule by strength—and by the determination to elevate you, not to oppress you."
For a heartbeat, the plaza remained frozen. The citizens stared up at Lucian, their minds struggling to catch up with a reality that felt like a dream.
Then the murmuring began. Soft at first—tiny threads of disbelief weaving through the crowd.
"He killed… Karn?" "Is that even possible?" "Salvation… did he say salvation?" "Can we trust him? Is this another trick?" "He looks so calm… too calm." "But Selene is standing with him." "That… that might mean something."
Dozens of voices, uncertain but not panicked. Confusion, fear, and the first flickers of hope bled together into something unstable, but not hostile.
The crowd felt like a mass standing on the edge of a cliff—one step away from despair, and one step away from kneeling.
They didn't cheer. But they didn't reject him, either. They simply watched. Silent. Waiting.
Which, for a conquered city, was almost a miracle.
At Lucian's side, Selene lowered her eyes—not in submission, but in something far rarer for her.
Relief.
For years she had stood behind Karn as he issued threats, commands, and punishments, watching the people slowly decay under his rule. She had expected Lucian's announcement to be another show of domination, perhaps even brutality. That was the norm in the Lawless Continent.
Instead, Lucian spoke of stability. Food. A future.
Every promise he made felt like someone pulling open a window she hadn't realized was sealed shut.
She didn't smile—she was too disciplined for that—but her shoulders eased, and her posture softened by a degree imperceptible to all but those standing inches away.
*He is not like Karn or the others,* she realized, watching the crowd's reaction. *He doesn't need cruelty to control them. His certainty alone carries weight… and the crowd feels it too.*
Her eyes drifted across the people, noting something important.
They weren't shrinking away. They were paying attention.
Even the guards who once served Karn stood frozen, unsure if they should bow or run. None dared move.
Selene inhaled slowly.
*This… might actually work.*
The plaza held its breath.
Lucian scanned the sea of faces—hungry, hollow, desperate—and ended his speech with a final, steady promise.
"From this day forth, suffering shall no longer define you. Celebrate or question as you choose… yet remember: your path to salvation has already commenced."
No Auramancy. No demonstrations. No threats.
Only certainty.
And that certainty rippled through the crowd like a slow-building pulse.
People exchanged looks—hesitant, frightened, but not hopeless. A mother pulled her child closer, whispering something with trembling lips. A group of worn-out laborers stood straighter for the first time in years. Even the old men at the back wiped their eyes discreetly.
No one cheered.
But the silence had changed. It was no longer fear. It was anticipation.
Lucian had succeeded in the first crucial step. To eventually turn these citizens into demons and build his army, he first had to gain their trust. He had given the promise; now he had to show the action.
He gave them a final glance—measuring, calculating—and then stepped back from the balcony.
Selene immediately fell into place beside him, walking a half-step back, her presence quiet but sharpened by new purpose. As soon as they entered the castle corridor, the heavy doors closed behind them, dimming the muted murmur of the city outside.
The air inside was cooler. Still.
Almost peaceful.
Lucian said nothing at first. He walked with the easy stride of a man who owned the very stones beneath his feet.
"Selene."
"Yes, my Lord."
"Before you proceed with the task I assigned you, fetch me pen and paper. I wish to compose a letter to my so-called creditor."