*** Real-world, Ian’s POV ***

  Today wasn’t Ian’s fi day. He’d died. To a . A .

  “This is just…” His voice broke as his hands ched into fists. “How the hell does John-Charlie do it?” His rage boiled over, and he shot up from his capsule, kig the edge so hard it scraped against the floor. The urge to destroy something ed him. His eyes darted to the table in the er, cluttered with empty bottles, crumpled papers, and the remnants of st night’s takeout.

  With a yell, he swept his arm across it, sending everything crashing to the floor. Bottles cttered and rolled, papers scattered like fallen leaves, and the unmistakable stench of stale food filled the air. The chaos was oddly satisfying, but before he could revel in it, his phone buzzed to life, vibrating across the y table.

  He snatched it up, his voice sharp. “Speak.”

  “Woah, woah, Ian!” Damon’s voice came through, cracked and tense, like he’d been yelling for hours. “I’ve been trying to reach you. Apparently, you’ve got answers for me. They docked my pay because of some princess. What’s up with that?”

  Ian’s heart skipped, then thundered in his chest. This was it. The moment she had mentiohe moment to set things into motion.

  “Hey, Damon,” Ian said, f his voito something that sounded apologetic. “Sorry, I was just finishing a session in Rimelion.” He paused for effect, letting the bait dangle. “Oh, that? Yeah, you haven’t heard…”

  “Good for you,” Damon said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “No. I have not. Who’s this princess?”

  A grin spread slowly across Ian’s face, sharp and predatory. Perfect. He took a breath, as if hesitant, then dropped the bomb. “John. Somehow, he’s… ged. Gender, I mean. Goes by Charlie now—or Princess in Rimelion.”

  “John?!” Damon’s e was instant, his voice rising to a near shout. “What does that have to do with my job?”

  Ia a surge of satisfa. The seed ime to water it. “You know him—her—damnit. He’s always been an exploiter. If the AI’s ing after you, it’s because John probably said something like, ‘Oh, Damon told me!’ or ‘Damon’s debugging the game and tipped me off about this bug!’ Or—”

  “Bastard!” Damon spat, his voice practically seething. “And I sidered him a friend. What a hyena.”

  Ian almost ughed. His new friends really came through and pushed Damon’s buttons, but Ia it together, pying the role of the relut informer. “Sorry, I ’t help you more. My hands are tied.” He paused, then added as though it were an afterthought, “Have you tried talking to Travis?”

  “Yeah,” Damon aowledged, though his tone hi doubt. “He’s been trying to protect me, but it won’t hold. I o find a way to stop John.”

  Ian’s griurned as he leaned against the wall, his satisfa nearly palpable. “Well, good luck with that,” he said casually, before hanging up.

  The phone clicked off, leaving Ian standing amidst the wreckage of his tantrum. His grin lingered, knowing the first domino had just fallen.

  The Duke’s strange look sent a shiver down my spine, but I dropped to one khout hesitation. You never oppose the Duke. I had learhat lesson the hard way, and I wasn’t about to repeat it. His sword hissed free from its scabbard, the sharp metallic sound eg in the rain. The poiip hovered menagly, aimed straight at me.

  “You disobeyed our order and used the secret on without permission. That is not the behavior of a soldier! A soldier must obey their superiors without question and adhere to every and, even if they believe it is wrong. Is that uood?”

  “Yes, sir,” I replied, l my head. Damn. It was a good run while it sted. As the bde inched closer to my neck, the cold steel grazing the air near my skin, I held my breath. My mind raced. Well, at least I’ve still got the mai in my pocket. After respawning, I’ll hoof it on foot. It’ll take a few days, but… whatever.

  Then his tone shifted. “Only noble anders may express their s. Therefore, I offer you the title of Baroess, vassal of the Empire. Do you accept?”

  No way. My head shot up, meeting his gaze. He was smiling—warmly, even. How… how is this possible?

  It didn’t matter. A le was not an offer you refused. It rize you seized and never let go. “I do, my liege,” I said, bowing my head again.

  A brilliant blue light filled the room, illuminating the crew gathered around us, casting long shadows across the metalliterior of the ship. Something cold and solid materialized on my finger—a silver sig ring adorned with the intricate engraving of a snowfke.

  Wait… a snowfke? I frowned. Of all the symbols, why that? I’d imagined something grander—a coat of arms, powerful and anding. Instead, the system had spped on this... frozen oddity. Bug or feature? With a resigned sigh, I turned my attention to the flood of system notiow streaming ay vision.

  [You received a reward for be: the first to defeat ‘World Boss’][Your title is now: baroess (Empire)][gratutions, you own a fief! Your path as noble tinue.][East Fortification has bee as a primary fief.][East Fortification has reached the rank of fortified position, the further development has been unlocked.]What an ued boon. The speed at which Lucas ranked up the fortress was ten times as fast as his drinking speed! Did he use some exploits? My heart fluttered with aement, a strange mix of pride and anticipation swirling in my chest. I couldn’t help but smile, the ers of my lips tugging upward despite the tension in the air.

  Istvan’s pierg gaze cut through my moment of joy like a bde. It bore down on me, cold and uing, as if death itself stared me in the face a dozen times over. My smile faltered, but didn’t fade entirely. He might actually kill me with his bare hands. What a turn of events, my old ander.

  After a while, the raging storm slowly settled, and the st fights died down. An unfortable silence fell on us, the adrenalin clouding our pains faded away, and rief for fallen soldiers and friends settled in. A smug smile pyed on my lips as I took it in. First battle, huh, young soldiers?

  It was then that a message popped up. The username was gray—an admin, probably.

  [Unknown] Hi John.[Princess] Who’s this?[Unknown] Ian. Spoke to Damon.[Princess] Okay, what’s wrong? I don’t o debug.[Unknown] What if you do? Remember password?[Princess] You are right. Oupsie.[Unknown] One month long, enlo-57945[Princess] Thanks Ian! This save me. You are a lifesaver![Unknown] What I would not do for a friend.Ian. He was always there when I needed him. I let my grin show even deeper.

  Ba the ship, the Duke stood amidst the aftermath, his gaze fixed otlefield. He visibly shivered at the sight of his fallen soldiers. As I approached, he asked, “Is there anything I do for you as a reward, Baroess Princess?”

  Yeah, it sounds ridiculous—I agree. What happens if I actually get that title? Are they going to call me Princess Princess?

  “Thank you, my liege,” I replied, keeping my tone surprisingly polite—so much so that it even startled me. They used to call me the rude knight for my ck of de around nobles. Look at me now, Lucy. “When I met Master Teorn in the vilge, he entrusted me with a quest. With rumors of strange happenings swirling around the Isnd of the Dead, he seo iigate. For that, I’ll ransportation—a sailboat.”

  The Duke’s expression tightened, awirled a strand of his short hair anxiously. “You say there are problems? Could it have something to do with my aunt, Queen Irwen? She’s beeing there, sealed iomb, for hundreds of years.” His voice carried a flicker of unease as he rushed to the edge of the ship, his eyes sing the horizon as if the isnd might appear before him.

  I hesitated before following him. f someone like him felt alien to me. I am a warrior. “It might, my lord. Was she involved in the rebellion? Did she fight on the royalist side?”

  Should I touch his shoulder, the way I’d seen some people at the bar fort their friends? Or maybe give him a pyful punch, like Lucas used to? Even with all my bined lives’ experience, I was utterly lost. Human tact… my eternal weakness.

  “Yes, I fought on the wrong side,” the Duke admitted, his voice trembling uhe weight of old pain. “But the loss was iable; humans were strohan us. It’s been three turies, yet if someone is trying to awaken her… it would expiirred floaters.” His gaze turned distant, as though reliving a memory he wished tet.

  I leaned against the railing beside him, letting the siletle for a moment as we both stared into the horizon. “I’ll iigate it with my knight, my liege. These is may be ued.”

  “You do that,” he said, his tone firm once more, his posure restored. “We roup and recuperate on the shore. We’ll await your return there. Take the ship you sailed with.”

  When I returo my ship, I found Don alive and well, sn peacefully in the er. Despite the heavy losses and the ship’s extensive damage, the sailors were professionals to the core. They greeted me with cheers, and the captai me at the gangway with a grin wide enough to split his face.

  “Wele back!” he roared, lunging toward me with open arms. I quickly dodged his bear hug, waving at him with a smirk.

  “I saw you sy that monstrosity,” he said, his voiing with admiration. “You were as magnifit as the heroes of legend! And now you’re a noble, right? Should I bow?” Without waiting for an answer, he bent so low his forehead almost touched the deck.

  Laughter erupted from the crew, ringing through the air, and for the first time, I felt something ued from human iion—a warmth near my heart. A strange sense of belonging, of camaraderie with these sailors I’d fought alongside. Nonsense, I told myself. I’ve battled armies and the most dangerous dragons, and I felt nothing like this. Why now?

  “Captain,” I said, shaking off the feeling. “I don’t want to ruin the mood, but I have orders.”

  He waved my words away with a sweep of his massive hand. “I know. You’ve got an important mission on that cursed isnd everyone avoids. Hear me, you zy bastards!” His voice thundered as he turo the crew. “We’re sailing with a princess here! Be gentle as you and show some respect. A hero needs her ship to sail smoothly!”