Lucia Evergreen stared at the sheet of paper held in her hands. She placed it on the table, then frowned, rubbing her fingertips together.

  "I know you asked me not to make you repeat yourself," she began. "However...is this truly what you desire?"

  Simon nodded. "Those are the terms we laid out earlier. As promised, nothing's changed." He tilted his head. "Unless you want it to?"

  "No. I only wish to ensure that you won't be dissatisfied with our Contract."

  He understood her bewilderment. From Lucia's perspective, Simon's proposal didn't make much sense.

  Clause 1: This Contract will go into effect after the Contractor known as Simon Cobblestone has slain the Fell Beast within Springwater Village and returned the village's Water Artifact.

  Clause 2: In exchange, the Contractee, Lucia Evergreen, as mayor of Springwater Village, shall transfer her authority over to Simon Cobblestone. He will henceforth be named acting mayor.

  Clause 3: As an addendum, Simon Cobblestone cannot give orders that pertain to the governance of Springwater Village. All mayoral duties will still be handled by Lucia Evergreen, who is now designated as sub-mayor.

  Clause 4: Simon Cobblestone retains the authority to dismiss Lucia Evergreen and designate a new sub-mayor if he deems that she has not adequately performed her duties. Clause 3 shall also apply to any subsequent sub-mayors designated by Simon Cobblestone.

  The one real benefit his Contract gave him was the power to fire Lucia for poor job performance. Aside from that, it made him the leader of Springwater...in name only. A figurehead, essentially.

  Lucia – or any sub-mayor that followed her – would continue to be the one running the show. In fact, Simon was specifically restricted from governing day-to-day proceedings.

  It was a baffling bargain in many respects. Sure, it granted him some influence over Springwater, but why the half-measures? Why not cut out the middleman and just compel Lucia to follow his every order?

  Put simply: because he didn't want to. Simon had approximately zero interest in micromanaging a backwoods village in the middle of nowhere. He was planning on setting out tomorrow for brighter pastures, and saw no point in setting himself up as a long-distance dictator.

  The people of Springwater had been through enough already. They didn't need that kind of persistent anxiety stacked on top of everything else.

  Besides – Lucia had also shown herself to be level-headed and seemingly competent. Simon investigated her with Sin Scry, and the Skill revealed that she'd committed startlingly few crimes for a person of her position. Just minor scuffles in her youth and not-so-veiled threats made to domineering city representatives.

  As far as politicians went, she was practically a saint. He felt comfortable leaving the governance of Springwater in her hands.

  Although...this Contract did afford him two other advantages. There was a reason he'd specified the word 'authority' multiple times.

  Simon brought up his Character Sheet, double-checking to make sure he'd gotten everything right.

  Subjugate Territory (Rank 1)

  -A unique demonic ability gained by subsuming mana from Kirkelas the Conqueror. If the established leader or governing body of a village, town, city, or any similar settlement yields authority to you, then you are granted dominion of the aforementioned area.

  -Native residents of this area will feel partially compelled to follow your orders. This authority cannot be revoked except by your death, or after 100 years have passed without a renewal of authority.

  -Subjugate Territory's Rank may increase after a successful subjugation. As this ability evolves, more benefits shall be gained.

  'Partially compelled' was a nice bonus. It would help make sure that the people here didn't randomly betray him – always a possibility. And since the denizens of Springwater didn't know this Skill existed, they would hopefully fail to realize that they were being compelled at all.

  Mostly, though, Simon was interested in evolving Subjugate Territory. Seizing authority of Springwater Village might be enough to increase its Rank.

  He wanted to learn what other benefits the Skill had to offer.

  "I'm fine with this Contract." Simon held up his Shapeshifted right arm, gathering mana into its palm. "Do you accept as well?"

  Mayor Evergreen regarded him carefully. Apparently, she'd guessed that he wasn't quite telling her everything. Even so, she was in no position to refuse – not when the Beast had been slain and the Artifact returned. A weaker woman may have stared at him with terror, eyes widening like a rat caught in a trap.

  For her part, she merely nodded. "Considering I was prepared to forfeit my soul...yes. I have no objections." Lucia smirked, reaching forward to shake his demonic hand. "A deal struck is a deal honored."

  Smirking in turn, Simon concentrated his mana around the space above them.

  The room darkened. Shadows stretched forward, deepening, almost seeming to come alive. Frenzied muttering swirled at the edges of their hearing.

  One-by-one, as if scrawled by an unsteady hand, blackened words began to appear in mid-air.

  Simon's head buzzed as the Contract formed. A cloying sense of satisfaction warmed his bones, like the delight of victory combined with the surety of rightful authority.

  In that moment, he knew that this was what his demonic mana was meant for. Birds fly, fish swim, and Demons bind people with Contracts. It was at the very heart of their nature.

  He examined Clauses #1 through #4 as they were written in the air. Whereas before he had been mildly unsure of their wording, now he knew exactly what they needed to say. The mere act of beginning a Contract had given him an instinctive comprehension of what verbiage he should utilize.

  His mana was already advising him to renegotiate, suggesting adjustments he could make to twist the Contract in his favor. Or even if he changed nothing of what was currently written, it spoke of other ways – ways he could abuse loopholes in his own terms.

  Ways to turn all of Springwater into a den of glassy-eyed subservience.

  Simon exhaled, suppressing the intrusive thoughts. Can't say I'm surprised that Demons are predisposed to be conniving bastards, he mused. Something to keep in mind the next time I meet one.

  With a flourish, the last word of Clause #4 was written. Two additional lines materialized below.

  Contractor: Simon Cobblestone

  Contractee: Lucia Evergreen

  An unearthly voice echoed within both their minds. It sounded unlike anything they had ever heard.

  THIS CONTRACT IS FORGED.

  The blackened scrawl vanished.

  Simon released Lucia's hand, schooling his features to hide how out-of-breath he felt. Forming the Contract hadn't expended MP, but an indefinable resource inside him still seemed...lessened. He would only be able to create one or two more Contracts today before needing to recuperate.

  Mayor Evergreen looked down at her hand, turning it around, scrutinizing it from all angles. "I don't feel different," she mumbled to herself.

  "Why would you?"

  "That's what the tales speak of. Signing a Contract perverts the essence of your being. People who bargain with Demons are scarcely even people anymore. Some become violent monsters. Others are reduced to simpering thralls. The worst appear as they were before, yet act as an unthinking puppet, their mind hollowed out and replaced with the Demon's will."

  Simon rubbed his chin. "Well, those Contracts were likely designed to twist the Contractee into something awful. Mine aren't. My methods are...atypical. I certainly don't recommend trusting other Demons as much as you've trusted me."

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  Lucia raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying that among your entire species, you – and only you – are deserving of trust?"

  "Probably."

  She let out an amused laugh. "Then I suppose I've been fooled, because for some reason, I'm inclined to believe you."

  At those words, a system notification burst forth like a ringing gong.

  Territory Subjugated: Springwater Village!

  Subjugate Territory's Rank has Increased! 1 → 2

  While residing within a subjugated territory, your stats will dramatically increase!

  He bit back a gasp. That surge of power he'd felt yesterday after increasing his stats was a trickle compared to the tidal wave now swelling inside. Fingers trembling, he opened his Character Sheet again.

  HP: 115 / 230 (230 / 460)

  MP: 220 / 220 (440 / 440)

  Strength: 22 (44)

  Dexterity: 26 (52)

  Vitality: 23 (46)

  Intelligence: 22 (44)

  Doubled. All of his stats had doubled.

  How strong does that make me? If the Ravenous Wanderer popped out of the ground at its peak Estimated Level, could I take it in a direct fight?

  He flinched as a thought came to him. Kirkelas had an Estimated Level of 89. My demonic Skills are derived from his. How in blue blazes did they ever manage to defeat and contain him? If he receives the same benefits as me, then he would've been nigh-unstoppable in one of his subjugated territories.

  Am *I* nigh-unstoppable? At least in this tiny corner of the world. Even if Springwater contacted other settlements for help, how many elite Level 30ish warriors are roaming around the Severed Isles? Did I just become a big fish in a small pond?

  But...this strength was temporary. No better than a mirage. The second he left Springwater Village – his subjugated territory – it would disappear.

  "Simon?" Lucia peered at him, a note of concern entering her tone. "Is aught amiss? In the short time I've known you, I've never seen you embrace silence when it could instead be filled with chatter. When you are silent, it usually comes as a prelude to some distressing declaration."

  Immediately, he donned his best poker face, grinning. "Are you saying I love the sound of my own voice?"

  "In so many words."

  His expression became a bit more natural. "I can't even spend too long arguing that point, as it would merely prove you right."

  I'll mull over the ramifications of my doubled stats later. For now, there were a couple things he needed to test out.

  "Hypothetical question – as in, this is not an order," Simon began. "If I asked you to raise Springwater's taxes to 100%, outlaw public displays of affection, and arrest everyone whose favorite color was purple...what would you do?"

  "I'd ask why you've taken leave of your senses." Lucia crossed her arms. "And if you pressed the issue, I'd tell you precisely where you could stick such drivel."

  She hadn't even hesitated before denying him. Subjugate Territory's 'partial compulsion' couldn't force people to follow orders that they strongly opposed. That came as a relief – he wasn't interested in removing free will from the general populace.

  If it's a less absurd order, though...

  "Lucia Evergreen." Simon adopted an arrogant, overbearing tone. "I order you to point in my general direction."

  Her hand had lifted halfway before she frowned, lowering it again. "No."

  "Then I order you to clap your hands."

  "What are–"

  Realization shone within her gaze. "This is an act of kindness, isn't it? An attempt to eliminate my fears. By giving orders that I can freely ignore, you're showing that I am not under your thrall."

  Simon shrugged, affecting an air of nonchalance. "Who's to say?"

  He knew Lucia would interpret that as a direct confirmation. People tended to graciously fill in the blanks whenever they couldn't understand his actions.

  And in this case, no ordinary human could have possibly guessed that he was limit testing the fine print of his abilities.

  Contract had the longest Description of any of Simon's Skills. It possessed a large number of clearly-defined rules and stipulations. Only one had worried him:

  -During instances where the user has enacted multiple conflicting Contracts, additional penalties to the user shall be incurred.

  Simon had needed to test that Subjugate Territory's partial compulsion wouldn't interfere with Clause #3: 'Simon Cobblestone cannot give orders that pertain to the governance of Springwater Village.' Especially considering that he intended to shamelessly re-use this template in the future.

  Luckily, there didn't seem to be any issues. There was no contradiction penalty from making frivolous demands.

  As one final test, he attempted to say "I order you to raise taxes by 1%" – only to find the words sticking in his throat. Clause #3 outright barred him from giving orders related to governing Springwater. It felt similar to the 'Sworn to Secrecy' Trait, physically preventing him from speaking.

  Lucia declined to comment on how he'd choked on nothing. She'd grown accustomed to his disjointed behavior. "You're leaving to see Lady Katarina soon, correct?"

  "Yeah. Need to check on her and her father." He hoped that Gerald's prognosis wasn't too bad. Katarina deserved a win.

  Mayor Evergreen hesitated. A moment later, she abandoned all restraint, deeply bowing her head. "Others have already expressed their gratitude to you. Perhaps my words now will sound like a pale imitation of theirs, but, Simon...thank you. Without your efforts, thousands and thousands of my people would be dead. You have delivered salvation when all was lost, and asked for little in return, dealing with us fairly from the very start."

  Her mouth crept upward into a bittersweet, wistful smile. "Which is why I request that you stop holding back – and reveal to me the dire news lurking behind your lips."

  Simon went perfectly still.

  "...How did you know?" he eventually managed to get out.

  "Years of experience. You are more expressive than you think, Simon. It is part of why I can trust you. No true monster would struggle to deliver ill tidings, concealing flashes of pity and sympathy in their gaze."

  Her smile faded as she pointed at him. "Tell me. What fate awaits Springwater Village? What would give pause to a powerful Demon such as yourself?"

  Valtia's impending destruction. His personal plans for the future. Many, many things.

  But right here, right now?

  "The Water Artifact." Simon visibly sagged, his poker face crumbling to dust. "The Fell Beast drained most of its mana. Not much is left."

  Lucia nodded, betraying no emotion except for a tightening of her posture. "Before the Beast arrived, we believed that the Artifact had a decade remaining until it expired. How long–"

  "Six months."

  Silence gripped the room.

  "Are you certain?" Lucia asked, in a quiet voice.

  "Yes." It was a line tucked at the end of the Artifact's Identify Description. Six months – and that was prior to Simon unleashing a torrent of water at the Ravenous Wanderer. "Six months maximum."

  Mayor Evergreen was stone-faced.

  After several protracted seconds, she clapped her hands together. "So be it. We must make what preparations we can. This is still more of a reprieve than we would've had otherwise."

  She eyed him with thinly-disguised hope. "Unless...there is some manner of demonic miracle you can perform?"

  Unable to meet her expectant gaze, Simon turned away, walking quickly towards the door leading outside.

  "Working on it."