The city was called Thornhearth, and it was dying.
Virelya could see it from miles away, her dragon eyes picking out details that would have been invisible to a human. The walls were high and well-maintained, but the gates stood open in the middle of the night—a sign either of supreme confidence or desperate foolishness. Smoke rose from the eastern district, not the pleasant smoke of cooking fires but the thick black column of buildings burning.
She circled higher, using the cloud cover to mask her approach while「Cold Appraisal」gathered information.
[Thornhearth – Border City][Population: ~12,000 (Declining)][Threat Level: Minimal to None][Current Crisis: Monster Siege (Day 4)][Notable Powers: 1x A-Rank Adventurer, 3x B-Rank, ~40x C-Rank, City Guard (Exhausted)][Probability of Survival Without Intervention: 23%][Estimated Time to Complete Collapse: 38 hours]
Monster siege. How traditional.
She angled her flight to get a better view of the eastern approaches and found the source of the city's problems: an army of creatures that defied easy categorization. Goblins, orcs, dire wolves, some kind of animated corpses, and commanding them from a ridge overlooking the city, a greater demon.
The same one her「Sovereign Recognition」had detected earlier.
[Archon the Destroyer][Race: Greater Demon][Threat Level: Disaster Class][Unique Skill: Terror Dominion][Objective: Consume city for evolution materials][Personality Profile: Arrogant, Theatrical, Underestimates Opponents]
Virelya watched the demon for a moment. It stood twelve feet tall, wreathed in flames, with curling horns and a crown made of bone. It was currently laughing—actually laughing—while its minions threw themselves at the city walls.
"How gauche," she murmured.
The demon's head snapped up, eyes searching the sky. It had heard her, despite the distance and the chaos of battle. Interesting. Its senses were sharper than she'd expected.
Their eyes met across a mile of empty air.
Virelya saw the demon's expression shift from confidence to confusion to something that might have been concern. Good. It should be concerned.
She descended.
Not rapidly, not as if attacking. She simply… descended, in a slow spiral that brought her down toward the ridge where the demon stood. Her serpentine body moved with liquid grace, wings catching the thermals, scales gleaming in the moonlight.
By the time she landed—settling onto the ridge with barely a sound despite her massive size—every creature in the demon's army had stopped fighting to stare at her.
The silence was profound.
Virelya coiled her body elegantly, her head level with the demon's, and regarded him with calm ruby eyes.
"You're making quite a mess," she said pleasantly.
Archon the Destroyer recovered quickly, she had to give him credit for that. The initial shock passed, and his expression shifted into something like amusement.
"Well, well," he said, his voice like gravel on fire. "A dragon. And a magnificent one at that. Tell me, beautiful creature, have you come to join the winning side? Together, we could—"
"No," Virelya interrupted gently.
The demon blinked. "No?"
"No." She glanced past him at the monstrous army, at the burning city, at the desperate defenders on the walls. "You're going to stop this siege, disperse your forces, and leave."
For a moment, Archon simply stared at her. Then he began to laugh—a sound like breaking stone.
"You think you can—you, freshly hatched, can command ME?" His flames intensified, his presence swelling with power as his Unique Skill activated. Terror Dominion spread outward, a wave of existential dread designed to freeze enemies in place.
It washed over Virelya like water over stone.
Nothing happened.
[Mental Interference Detected][Regal Certainty Active][Effect: Nullified]
Her expression didn't change. She simply waited for him to finish his display.
When the demon realized his skill had failed completely, his laughter died. "What… what are you?"
"I am Virelya Noctis," she said simply. "And you are in my way."
She activated「Dominion Pressure」.
It was not the gentle press she'd used on the lesser dragon. This was the full weight of an Ultimate Skill wielded by someone who understood, instinctively and completely, how to impose her will on reality.
The effect was immediate and total.
Every creature in the demon's army—from the smallest goblin to the largest orc—collapsed. Not dead, not unconscious, just… flattened. Pressed down by a pressure that had nothing to do with physical force and everything to do with existential hierarchy.
Archon himself managed to stay standing, but barely. His flames sputtered. His knees shook. He was a Disaster-Class demon, powerful enough to destroy cities, and he felt like an insect trying to stand in a hurricane.
"This… this is impossible," he gasped. "You're newly born. You shouldn't have this kind of—"
"Should and shouldn't," Virelya said, her voice perfectly calm as she increased the pressure slightly, "are concerns for those who doubt themselves. I do not doubt."
She let the silence stretch, watching him struggle. Then she released the pressure just enough for him to breathe properly.
"You have a choice," she continued. "You can swear fealty to me, become part of my forces, and live. Or you can refuse and die. But make no mistake—if you choose death, it will be final. I am not one of those heroes who leaves enemies alive to return stronger."
Archon stared at her, and she could see the calculation in his eyes. He was weighing options, trying to assess whether he could escape, whether this was a bluff.
「Cold Appraisal」analyzed him in real-time, feeding her information.
[Archon is considering betrayal if he swears fealty][Loyalty Probability if Forced: 12%][Loyalty Probability if Convinced: 67%][Recommended Action: Demonstrate overwhelming superiority or eliminate]
"You're thinking," Virelya observed, "that you can swear a false oath, wait for an opportunity, and betray me later." She tilted her head slightly. "That would be disappointing."
"I don't—" he started.
"Don't lie. It's beneath both of us." She gestured with one wing toward his army. "Look at them. Your forces, pressed flat by my presence alone. I'm not even fighting, Archon. I'm barely trying. If I wanted you dead, you would be. If I wanted your army destroyed, they would be. The only reason we're having this conversation is because I find you potentially useful."
She let that sink in, watching his expression shift from defiance to uncertainty to something like understanding.
"So I'll ask you directly," she continued. "Are you intelligent enough to recognize reality when it's standing in front of you? Are you wise enough to serve someone greater? Or are you too proud to survive?"
It was, she reflected, a test she'd given many times in her previous life. The answer always revealed more about the person than any amount of observation.
Archon was silent for a long moment, his flames dim and low. Then, slowly, he went to one knee.
"I…" he paused, and she could see the genuine struggle on his face. Pride warring with survival. "I swear fealty to Virelya Noctis. My power, my knowledge, my army—they are yours to command."
「Sovereign Recognition」activated automatically.
[Archon the Destroyer has offered fealty][Sincerity: 71%][Accept? Y/N]
Seventy-one percent. Not perfect, but honest enough. And the fear underlying it—the genuine recognition of her superiority—that would stabilize into something more reliable given time.
"I accept," Virelya said, and felt the skill lock into place.
The effect was subtle but profound. A thread of connection formed between them, not control exactly, but… awareness. She could sense his general state, his location, the broad strokes of his intentions. And he could feel her attention on him, a constant reminder of the hierarchy.
[Archon the Destroyer has become a subordinate][Authority binding established][Betrayal will result in soul erosion]
The demon rose, and there was something different in his expression now. Still proud, still dangerous, but tempered with caution and—perhaps—the first hints of genuine respect.
"What are your orders, my lady?" he asked.
Virelya looked past him at the city, still burning, still desperate.
"Stop the siege," she said. "Pull your forces back three miles and establish a camp. No more attacks on Thornhearth. I'll deal with the city directly."
"You're… saving them?" Archon sounded genuinely confused.
"I'm acquiring them," Virelya corrected. "There's a difference. A dead city is useless. A grateful city, on the other hand, has potential."
She spread her wings, preparing to take flight.
"Oh, and Archon?" She glanced back at him. "Find me competent lieutenants among your army. Intelligence is valued. Mindless brutes are expendable. Adjust your recruitment accordingly."
Then she launched herself into the air, leaving the demon to organize the withdrawal.
Within minutes, the monster army had pulled back, leaving confused and exhausted defenders staring at their sudden reprieve.
Virelya circled the city once more, considering her approach. She could simply land in the central plaza and announce herself, but that seemed needlessly dramatic. Better to speak with whoever was in charge first, establish the terms clearly, avoid any heroic misunderstandings.
Her「Cold Appraisal」identified the strongest presences in the city and found them clustered in the keep—the A-Rank adventurer and what appeared to be the city's leadership.
Perfect.
She landed on the keep's highest tower with perfect grace, her body coiling around the structure like a serpent around a staff. Then she simply… waited.
It took less than a minute for someone to notice her. A guard, walking the battlements, looked up and froze. His spear clattered to the ground.
"D-d-dragon!" he screamed.
Ah. So much for avoiding drama.
Within moments, the tower was swarming with armed figures. Adventurers, guards, mages with hastily prepared spells. All of them terrified and trying very hard not to show it.
The A-Rank adventurer arrived last—a woman, surprisingly, with silver hair and armor that had seen serious use. She carried a sword that hummed with enchantments, and her expression was set in a mask of determined calm.
[Kira Thornguard][Race: Human][Threat Level: A-Rank (Minimal threat to Virelya)][Unique Skill: Unbreakable Will][Personality: Honorable, Exhausted, Desperate][Current State: Will fight if she believes it's necessary, but hopes she won't have to]
Virelya regarded her with calm interest. "You must be in charge."
Kira didn't lower her sword, but she didn't attack either. "I'm the highest-ranked defender. Who—what—are you?"
"My name is Virelya Noctis," she replied, her voice carrying clearly despite not being raised. "And I'm the reason the siege just ended."
That got a reaction. Confusion, hope, suspicion—all flickering across multiple faces.
"You stopped them?" Kira asked carefully. "Why?"
"Because I wanted to." Virelya tilted her head slightly. "Does there need to be another reason?"
"Dragons don't usually… help."
"I'm not usual," Virelya said simply. "Now, I'm going to make you an offer, and I suggest you consider it carefully. Your city is dying. Four days of siege, supplies running low, walls nearly breached, and even if you survived tonight, that demon would be back tomorrow with reinforcements. You know this. Everyone here knows this."
She could see the truth of it in their faces. Hope draining away, replaced with resignation.
"I can change that," Virelya continued. "I can ensure the siege never resumes. More than that, I can ensure this city becomes prosperous, protected, significant. All I ask in return is your acknowledgment of a simple fact: I am now the power protecting Thornhearth, and you will govern according to my direction."
"You want us to surrender," Kira said flatly.
"I want you to survive," Virelya corrected. "Surrendering implies I'm taking something from you. I'm offering something instead—protection, resources, stability. What you do with it afterward is largely your concern. I'm not interested in micromanaging a city. But I am interested in establishing that this territory falls under my authority."
It was, she reflected, essentially the same offer she'd made to dozens of kingdoms in her previous life. Join willingly and thrive, or resist and fall. The difference was that now she had overwhelming power to back up her words immediately.
Kira was silent, clearly thinking. The other defenders looked to her, waiting.
"What guarantees do we have?" Kira finally asked. "That you'll keep your word? That you won't just… destroy us later?"
"None," Virelya said honestly. "Except this: I have no interest in ruling rubble. Destroyed cities provide nothing. Thriving cities provide everything. It's simple efficiency. I could obliterate Thornhearth right now if I wanted it gone. The fact that I'm talking instead of acting should tell you something about my intentions."
She let that sink in, watching「Cold Appraisal」track the shifting emotions of everyone present.
"You have one hour to decide," Virelya said. "Gather your council, debate, vote if you wish. But understand that if you refuse, I will leave. And the demon army I so conveniently stopped? It will resume its work. Without me here, you have perhaps twelve hours before the walls fall."
She began to unfurl from the tower, preparing to fly away.
"Wait," Kira said. "Where are you going?"
"I'm giving you privacy to make your decision," Virelya replied. "Authority that must be imposed through constant threat is brittle. I'd rather you choose this clearly, knowing exactly what you're accepting."
"And if we choose wrong?" one of the other adventurers asked, his voice bitter.
Virelya looked at him with her calm ruby eyes. "Then you'll die free. Which, I understand, is important to some people." She spread her wings. "One hour."
She launched herself from the tower and flew to a nearby ridge, settling there where she could observe the city but give them space.
Behind her,「Sovereign Recognition」tracked the frantic meeting that immediately began in the keep's great hall.
It was, in its way, almost amusing. She could feel their fear, their desperation, their hope, their anger—all roiling together in a complicated mess. Human emotions were so much more chaotic than she remembered. Or perhaps she'd simply forgotten what it was like to observe from the outside.
Forty-seven minutes later, a runner climbed the ridge, breathing hard.
"Lady Virelya," the young man gasped. "The council… they've reached a decision. They accept your offer."
"Smart choice," Virelya murmured. She rose, stretching her serpentine form. "Lead the way."
The great hall was packed when she arrived, having shifted to a more manageable size—a trick she'd discovered she could do almost instinctively. Still large, still clearly powerful, but sized to fit through the doors without destroying them.
She coiled in the center of the hall, her presence filling the space without overwhelming it.
Kira stood at the head of the assembled council—merchants, guild leaders, the city lord himself looking old and weary.
"We accept your protection," Kira announced formally. "Thornhearth acknowledges your authority."
[Mass acknowledgment detected][「Sovereign Recognition」activating][Thornhearth population: 11,847 individuals][Fealty established: 73% (Forced by circumstance, will stabilize with time)]
The connection formed, weaker than with Archon but broader. She could feel the city now, a constellation of lives bound loosely to her authority.
"Good," Virelya said simply. "Here are my immediate orders: First, organize relief efforts for the eastern district. Second, send scouts to negotiate with the merchant caravans that have been avoiding you—tell them the siege is over and routes are safe. Third, begin training any citizen who wishes to learn combat. I'll provide resources for equipment and instruction."
She looked at each council member in turn.
"I don't care how you run your city, who you elect, what laws you pass—as long as they're competent and don't directly contradict my interests. Prosperity serves me. Chaos does not. Govern accordingly."