"One last question."
"You certainly have many of those."
"What’s your name?"
"That is something you must earn the right to know."
Ashveil stared at the crown.
"Fine... I’ll just call you Grandma."
"...Little lord, I suggest you reconsider."
"What? You’re ancient, aren’t you?"
"Would you prefer to die before our contract is established?"
"Then am I supposed to call you Your Majesty?"
"That would be appropriate."
"Alright, Grandma."
The woman sighed.
"Very well. Since you insist on being so troublesome, I shall make an exception."
Her voice took on a proud tone.
"Listen carefully, mortal. I am Aurelia Vespera Valerith Noctis Everheart, Sovereign of the Forgotten Dominion, Empress of the Eternal Night, and the Last Monarch of the Fallen Heavens."
Ashveil stared at the crown.
"...Yeah, I’m not remembering all that."
"...What?"
"I’ll just call you Ria."
"You dare reduce my illustrious name to two syllables?"
"Would you prefer Grandma?"
"..."
"Ria it is, then."
Without hesitating any further, Ashveil pressed the acceptance button.
[Contract Accepted!]
[Sovereign’s Pact Successfully Established!]
[Territory Development Path Unlocked: Forgotten Dominion]
[New Functions Unlocked: Forgotten Recruitment, Sovereign’s Blessing, Ancient Knowledge]
Before Ashveil could celebrate, the crown suddenly emitted a brilliant purple light.
A woman appeared directly in front of him. Her body was slightly transparent, as though she might disappear at any moment.
She had long silver-white hair that fell down her back, crimson eyes, and an exceptionally beautiful face. An elegant black dress covered her slender figure, while the silver crown rested upon her head.
A pair of small black horns curved from beneath her silver-white hair, while a slender tail moved lazily behind her. Despite her regal appearance, there was no mistaking her demonic nature.
She was a succubus.
"...Huh?"
Before Ashveil could process what had happened, the woman stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
"W-Wait..."
She leaned against him, her face moving toward his neck. Then came a sharp pain.
"Ah!"
Ashveil instinctively tried to pull away, but her embrace tightened.
She was drinking his blood!
"My lord!"
Rowan immediately rushed forward, followed by the other villagers. Seeing their lord suddenly attacked by a mysterious woman, the men hurriedly raised their axes.
However, Ashveil quickly raised one hand.
"W-Wait! Don’t!"
The villagers stopped.
"But my lord, she’s..."
"It’s fine. Just stay back!"
Ashveil forced himself to remain calm.
Although the situation was rather alarming, he could sense through their newly established contract that the woman wasn’t trying to kill him.
At least, that was what he hoped.
[Vitality Transfer Initiated!]
[Forgotten Sovereign Recovery: 0.01% → 0.5% → 1%]
A strange weakness gradually spread throughout his body.
Meanwhile, the woman’s pale complexion began recovering. Her crimson eyes grew brighter, and the faint transparency surrounding her body slowly disappeared.
[Forgotten Sovereign Recovery: 1% → 2% → 3%]
Ashveil staggered backward as his legs nearly gave out. He felt as though he had gone several days without food or sleep.
On the other hand, Ria looked considerably better.
"L-Lady..."
She didn’t respond.
"That’s... enough..."
The woman finally stopped. She slowly raised her head, a faint trace of blood remaining at the corner of her lips.
"Mm. How satisfying. Your blood is rather delicious, little lord."
"...I’m glad you liked it."
He wasn’t sure what else he was supposed to say.
The woman chuckled before loosening her embrace. Unfortunately, the moment she released him, Ashveil’s legs gave way.
She caught him before he could fall.
"My lord!"
Rowan hurried over.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah... Just a little dizzy."
That was an understatement. He felt as though someone had drained every ounce of energy from his body.
[Vitality Transfer Complete!]
[Forgotten Sovereign Recovery: 3%]
[Physical Manifestation Stabilized!]
Three percent.
She had nearly drained two-thirds of his health just to recover three percent of her power.
What would happen if she wanted the remaining ninety-seven?
He didn’t particularly want to find out.
"Do not worry, little lord. I merely needed sufficient vitality to stabilize my physical form."
"...You could’ve warned me."
"Would you have agreed?"
Ashveil fell silent.
"Rest assured. The vitality I took was used to restore my power, which benefits us both. Our contract permits such exchanges."
That was somewhat reassuring, although Ashveil would have preferred hearing it before she sank her teeth into his neck.
"So you’re at three percent of your original strength now?"
"Indeed. However, don’t misunderstand. Recovering my strength doesn’t mean I can use it freely. My remaining magical energy is extremely limited, and powerful abilities consume it quickly."
"So you can’t just summon that armored soldier again?"
"Not unless you want me to exhaust what little energy I’ve recovered."
Ashveil sighed.
However, before he could recover, another notification appeared.
[Warning: Unauthorized Inheritance Detected!]
[Hidden Quest "Sever the Forgotten Crown" forfeited.]
[Ashen Hollow designated as an Irregular Territory.]
Ashveil’s smile froze.
Irregular Territory?
What exactly did being an Irregular Territory mean?
"...Grandma."
"I thought we agreed you would call me Ria."
"Right. So, did I just get put on some kind of government watchlist?"
Ria chuckled. "Something like that."
Thinking about it now, had his situation actually improved?
Well, at least he had someone powerful on his side.
Although whether Ria would genuinely recognize him as her lord was another matter entirely.
After all, their contract only guaranteed cooperation. It didn’t mean an ancient sovereign who had once ruled an entire dominion would suddenly become obedient to an ordinary human.
Ashveil glanced at the silver-haired woman beside him.
Ria noticed his gaze and smiled.
"Is something troubling you, little lord?"
"...Nothing."
He decided not to think about it for now.
There would be plenty of time to worry about their relationship later.
What mattered was developing his territory and surviving the forty-five day protection period.
However, just as Ashveil was preparing to return to the settlement, a distant howl echoed through the forest.
He stopped.
"...What was that?"
Ria turned her head toward the trees. Before she could answer, another howl sounded, followed by several more from different directions.
The villagers immediately grew uneasy.
"My lord..."
Rowan tightened his grip on his axe.
"Perhaps we should return to the Lord’s Hall."
Ashveil nodded. That was probably a good idea. Unfortunately, before they could leave, a notification appeared before his eyes.
[Warning!]
[Hostile creatures detected near Ashen Hollow!]
[Night Wolves have entered the surrounding forest.]
[Threat Level: Tier 1]
[Warning: The Lord’s Hall protection does not extend to villagers outside the protected structure.]