Chapter 791: Nobles of the Dark Lord (Patreon)

Angie sat with the small council she had assembled. Around the table were Otto, Boggy the goblin, Tarvik the ratfolk, Joseph, and Caleb. The kingdom was growing faster than Angie could organize it, and the agenda sounded simple enough. In practice, it meant improving the village, organizing the new shelters, and somehow keeping up with the refugees still arriving every day.

“The human children we found in those criminals’ hideout...” Caleb glanced over his notes before continuing. “We couldn’t find their parents.”

They were probably dead, killed by orcs, bandits, or any of the countless disasters that had swallowed the region.

“We’ll keep looking after them together for now,” Angie said. “Eventually, though, we’ll need to find families for them.”

“Adoption?” Otto asked.

“Exactly.”

Theron gave the next report, covering patrols and the curfew in the new villages built to house the refugees. Strict rules had been put in place. Harassment between residents wouldn’t be tolerated, and neither would fighting. So far, there had been no serious conflicts, but it was still too early for that to mean much. Everyone was terrified of the orcs and grateful just to have shelter, food, and safety.

Tarvik was proving useful. More useful than most of the humans, actually. He thought like an administrator, and the other ratfolk listened to him. The humans were still too divided and suspicious of one another to manage that kind of cooperation.

We need more leaders among the humans, Angie thought. Control the leaders, and everyone below them falls in line.

Until they had a larger structure, clear laws, and an economy of their own, that would have to be enough.

Once the meeting ended, everyone returned to their duties. Angie headed for the workshop the dwarves had set up. Construction wasn’t their only strength. They were also skilled with cloth, and they worked alongside the humans, helping them train their Professions without any of the arrogance she might have expected from craftsmen that skilled.

“Lady Angie.” Dulok, the dwarf who had made it, pulled back the thick cloth covering the table. “What you requested is finished.”

Angie stared at the finished piece. It was better than she had expected.

“The symbol of the Moonlight Kingdom,” she murmured.

She and Luke had gone back and forth on the name more than once, but Moonlight had stuck. It carried his name without simply copying it, and Angie liked the contradiction. Her lord belonged to the shadows, yet people were already gathering beneath his banner because they saw something worth following.

Angie sent Mivi to fetch Luke. Mivi was perfect for errands like that. She was quiet, efficient, and never asked questions unless she needed to.

When Luke arrived, he stopped in front of the cloth and stared for several seconds.

“Damn. That looks... incredible.”

Angie tried not to show it and failed miserably. Hearing that from her lord sent a rush of happiness through her.

“It came out perfect, Dulok,” Luke said.

Angie’s expression flattened for half a second.

“Your design was incredible too, Angie.”

That fixed it immediately.

Luke studied the midnight-blue cloth spread across the table. At its center, rendered in silver, was the symbol she had created: a stylized eye wrapped around a crescent moon, with a dagger forming its vertical pupil. The dagger represented his assassin class and, secretly, echoed the shape of his horns.

“Moonlight Kingdom,” Luke murmured, still staring at the emblem. “Damn. It actually sounds good with this.”

Angie’s heart jumped. “My lord... the eye is meant to represent yours too.”

Luke blinked, then looked at the emblem again. “Oh. Right. The blue eye. I keep forgetting about that.”

“I don’t,” Angie said softly.

It’s an angel’s eye too. Something of mine and yours. Something that belongs only to us.

Angie decided to keep that part to herself.

“It is an honor, my lord. I designed every part of it with you in mind.”

“It was an honor for me to make it as well,” Dulok added.

Angie kept smiling. Why is he still talking?

Irritation prickled beneath the smile. She didn’t want interruptions while her lord was praising her, especially when it meant sharing his attention.

Luke lightly touched her shoulder, snapping her out of it.

“Thank you, Angie. Seriously. You put this much thought into everything, even the little things. The moon, the dagger, the eye... even the colors. You tied all of it back to me. I never could’ve come up with something this good. Not even close. You’re the best.”

“I wanted to make something that captured the best parts of you, my lord,” she replied in her usual calm voice.

Inside, she was practically glowing.

Please praise me more.

***

Luke looked out over the orderly village below. The first stone structure was going up, and everywhere he looked, he saw the symbol of his kingdom. Even the castle now displayed Angie’s blue emblem. He had to admit, the color looked good.

More paths had been cleared. They were still little more than simple routes connecting the neighboring settlements to Otto’s village, but they already made a difference. Torches lit the way at night, and with patrols moving between the villages, the whole place was finally starting to feel less temporary. The ratfolk were gradually becoming official citizens of the kingdom. Those who had once served as soldiers for their tribe were becoming [Dark Lord Soldiers], and patrols were becoming more frequent. The territory was expanding, the population was growing, and keeping order had become a necessity.

Luke was in his laboratory when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Mivi appeared in the doorway. “Lord Luke, you have visitors.”

He went to meet them and found Cecília and Teresa waiting for him.

“Well, look at that. You left for Nyvma yesterday, and you’re already back. That old scaled strider really makes a difference.”

“A huge one, Lord Luke,” Cecília replied.

“This is for you, sir,” Teresa said, handing him the letter.

Teresa was an old acquaintance of Cecília’s from her days working in Nyvma. In fact, she was the one who had trained her. Years spent working on Veyran estates had taught her more about nobles, etiquette, and formal conduct than anyone else in the village. The household she had worked for demanded a lot from its staff, including that every servant learn to read and write.

Luke had learned quite a bit from her: greetings, bows, posture, noble etiquette. All the things he’d never imagined needing until he suddenly did. That was why he had insisted on hiring her.

He smiled as he read the letter. “The baron gave me a recommendation. I can officially buy striders in Veyra now.”

Neither woman had read the letter yet. When he explained what it meant, both looked pleased.

“Veyra also has several excellent families specializing in furniture, sir,” Teresa added, polite even in the way she spoke.

Luke glanced around. The castle needed furniture, rugs, chandeliers, decorations. It needed to stop looking like a fortress someone had occupied in a hurry and start looking like the seat of a kingdom.

“Too bad we can’t just catch wild striders and train them,” Cecília said.

“Wild adult striders are dangerous and almost impossible to tame,” Teresa explained. “Tamers go after the young. Eggs, preferably. Then they raise them from birth.”

So basically Yoshi from Mario.

Something shattered in the kitchen.

Luke looked toward the sound. Of course.

He wrapped up the conversation, and the two women left the castle. When he reached the kitchen, Rheera and Kobi were standing over a shattered glass while Franky sat nearby, still eating.

“You three are making wild striders sound easy.” Luke looked between them. “Who did it?”

“I did,” Rheera said immediately.

Luke activated [Assassin Tracking].

“No. You’re lying.”

“It was me. I swear.”

“Something tells me it was Kobi.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Kobi said. “I tried to catch it, but it broke.”

Luke crouched in front of the little orc. “Let me see your hand.”

The boy had a small scratch on his palm. Luke let a single drop of healing potion fall onto it, and the cut began to close.

“Next time, don’t lie to me.”

Rheera and Kobi went quiet. Kobi lowered his head, and Rheera tensed beside him.

Luke looked at them for a second. Wait... do they think I’m going to hit them?

“Seriously? It was a glass. So what?”

“I-I’ll clean it up,” Rheera said.

“And risk cutting yourself on broken glass?”

Luke raised a hand, and the shards floated off the floor, suspended by telekinesis. Then he pointed at Franky’s mug.

“Hey!” Franky complained as some of the water flew out of his cup and joined the glass fragments.

A second later, the glass was whole again, restored by [Transmutation].

“Problem solved.”

Kobi and Rheera stared at the glass.

“T-that’s amazing, Lord Luke.”

“Flattery isn’t getting you another plate of food, Kobi.”

Franky laughed and went right back to his food.

After leaving the three children in the kitchen, Luke headed to the KIngdom Core. It had been a productive day. Housing and feeding everyone were no longer constant emergencies. In those areas, at least, the village was finally starting to stand on its own.

“I handed out a few citizen cards today,” Charlie said. “And the Core leveled up.”

[Citizens: 900/900]

[Your Kingdom Core has reached Level 10!]

[Your Kingdom Core has unlocked a new skill!]

Luke studied the messages. “Now it’s really going to start feeling like a kingdom.”

[Kingdom Nobility]: Allows the Monarch to grant noble titles to loyal citizens recognized by the Kingdom Core, elevating them to official positions within the Kingdom’s hierarchy. The number and rank of available titles depend on the Core’s size, population, stability, territory, and authority, preventing a small Kingdom from supporting a nobility beyond its own structure. Titled nobles may be granted land, a city, fortress, or region to govern in the Monarch’s name. Within the territory assigned to their office, they receive a fraction of Sovereign’s Gaze, allowing them to sense disturbances, threats, major movements, and problems affecting local stability. The higher the title and the stronger the noble’s bond of loyalty to the Kingdom, the greater the authority delegated to them.

Luke read the description again. As the kingdom grew, he’d probably need a nobility sooner or later. It also lined up with what Angie had been saying about finding more leaders among the humans.

The next day, Luke watched the ratfolk close in on another bandit hideout. They surrounded the cabin in silence and took their positions, with Mivi in command. She struck first, darting forward like a shadow and slamming her tail into a man. He barely had time to register the attack before the blow dropped him cold, and by then Mivi was already springing toward her next target.

The others moved at the same time. Several slipped through the windows. Arrows flew from inside the cabin, but the ratfolk ducked and twisted out of the way with quick, low movements, using their agility to overwhelm the defenders. It didn’t take long before the hideout was theirs.

“Mission accomplished, Lord Luke,” Mivi said.

Another bandit hideout gone. This one belonged to a gang of highway robbers. A few weeks ago, the ratfolk had needed his protection. Now they were clearing bandit hideouts without him lifting a finger.

They’re getting scary good at this. And they’re leveling fast now that they’re Soldiers.

Only one of them wasn’t a [Soldier]: Kren. As soon as the operation ended, he walked off alone without saying a word.

“He’s not exactly social, is he?” Luke said to Mivi.

“My brother... is kind, but...” She hesitated. “He’s been through a lot.”

Kren had been tortured by orcs. Before that, humans had attacked him too. Luke couldn’t exactly blame the guy for wanting nothing to do with anyone.

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Thanks for all the comments on the last chapter about the name of Luke’s kingdom. You guys came up with a ton of great ideas. Haven was one I really liked, but... yeah, there’s already a pretty famous story where Haven is the name of something important, so I decided against it.

I was originally torn between Moon and Moonlight, and as you already saw, Moonlight won. I think it fits really well.

There’s also a little bit of wordplay with Luke Moon. The name Luke is often associated with light, so together it can almost read like “Moon Light.”

Oh, and in Greek mythology, Artemis is Apollo’s twin sister. Apollo is associated with the Sun, while Artemis is associated with the Moon. I like that it gives Luke and Artemis a little symbolic connection too.

Since you guys had so many suggestions for the name.