Staying was a gamble. It may have been more prudent for Simon to make for his carriage before the militia returned – potentially with thrice as many able-bodied soldiers at their side. He fully recognized that.

  Yet he had always been a sucker for opportunity, and the situation in Springwater was rapidly developing into something immensely fascinating. Rather than take his chances sprinting through a village where news of his Demonhood had likely spread to every home, street, and alley...

  Something told him that good things would come to those who waited.

  He passed the time by overseeing more of Jonathan's medical procedures. The good doctor was washing his hands even more vigorously now. Apart from that, only one minor diversion occurred – when Katarina pulled him aside to speak privately again.

  "All I will say," she murmured, "is that you asked me not to reveal your Demonic nature. Made me swear a vow of secrecy, as I recall."

  Katarina swept her arms out, gesturing at the room. "And then you did this."

  Simon tilted his head. "Well, it's not like I swore a vow of secrecy."

  She stopped talking to him after that.

  Twenty minutes went by before anyone else arrived at the clinic. Eventually, Simon heard a polite knock-knock on the medicine cabinet serving as their makeshift front door.

  "May I enter?" asked an elderly female voice. "I wouldn't want to distract Jonathan if he's busy assisting someone." She spoke with an easy, innate confidence; the kind that was natural and automatic instead of forced and overbearing.

  Simon had her pegged as the village mayor before he'd even pushed the cabinet aside. He was pleased to see that she hadn't brought a large entourage of warriors with her – just a small group that was hanging back half a street away, shuffling nervously when they caught sight of him.

  "You came at a good time," he beamed, inviting the old woman inside. She refused his outstretched hand, steadying her age-worn legs by gripping onto nearby surfaces, which Simon took no offense to. "Jonathan is in-between operations right now. We'll make ourselves scarce as he gets back to work. There's plenty of washing water left, so he can supervise himself."

  Simon turned his head to the side, fixing two watchful eyes on a man currently attempting to minimize his presence. "Isn't that right, Jonathan?"

  The physician nodded insistently.

  "There you have it." Simon beckoned the mayor forward. She grunted in assent, hobbling over with the speed of a particularly urgent snail.

  It was impressive in two ways. First, that the woman was determined to move by her own strength, not giving the slightest edge to someone she would soon be negotiating with. He could respect that.

  And second, that she was Springwater's mayor in spite of her physical frailty. Simon believed that a leader's competency was measured by the sharpness of their mind...but he'd expected a land like Valtia to elevate its magic supersoldiers above the common folk. If this weak old woman was still in charge anyway, then she must be very good at her job.

  Or very good at employing favors and nepotism to keep herself in high standing. Either way, he'd be finding out shortly.

  They settled into a far corner of the clinic just outside of earshot. Katarina went with them, standing not quite by Simon's side, but closer to him than the mayor. The mayor spared a quick glance for her, yet elected not to comment.

  "Greetings," she began. "My name is Lucia Evergreen. Yours?"

  "Simon Cobblestone." He smiled. "Glad to meet you. I must say – this is a much warmer reception than the last people who stopped by."

  "An...eager bunch, yes. You have my thanks for leaving them unharmed."

  The warrior leader alone could've probably defeated him in a one-on-one duel, but best not to mention that.

  "Your presence here is a surprise," Lucia admitted. "I haven't heard of a Demon trespassing upon the Severed Isles in many years. Suppose your kind could've been slipping through the cracks undetected, but if so, they've never acted as brazenly as this. Duke Helmund's rule tends to give any prospective invaders second thoughts."

  Her lips pursed as if she'd bit into a rotten apple. "It should be the one thing he's good for."

  Simon leaned back in his chair, shifting his posture to casual indifference. "Do you intend to notify the Duke now that I'm here?" He phrased it as an offhanded query, but it was important to know. If a royal army was going to descend on Springwater, then he needed to leave as of five minutes ago.

  Mayor Evergreen barked out a hollow laugh. "I've little interest in our village being razed to the ground by uncaring city soldiers aiming to 'purify the Demon rot.' "

  Katarina fidgeted awkwardly. "Not all city dwellers are so callous as that," she defended.

  "Some of them. The ones in the nobles' pocketbooks, however? They'd cut us down without losing a wink of sleep." Lucia turned towards Simon. "If you give us no reason to request outside help, then we won't. Simple as that. Not even the Duke's local sympathizers are so daft as to contact the Capital."

  Another black mark for Helmund, Simon noted. The Duke was racking up 'awful leader' points at an astonishing rate. Between Kirkelas, Katarina, Lucia...was there anything in Valtia that didn't hate him?

  Besides the nobles that directly benefited from his rule. They didn't count.

  "Understood." The transmigrator clapped his hands together. "Now then – I'll let you start. I imagine you have questions, comments, concerns? Perhaps an offer to propose?"

  The mayor nodded, momentarily sinking into thought. Simon deliberated whether to Identify her, yet decided against it. Lucia's Description would be set in stone after the Skill was used once. He needed to gather as much information as possible so he knew which details Identify should prioritize.

  "Before we continue," she said, "I have two questions for you." Mayor Evergreen pointed at Jonathan's washing bucket. "Can you conjure up water on command?"

  "It comes from an internal supply source," Simon clarified. "There's a hard limit."

  Lucia winced. The mayor had evidently been hoping he could serve as an infinite water fountain. "I see. Then my second question..."

  She locked eyes with him. Simon was almost taken aback by the intensity of her gaze. Within the woman's failing body resided a will forged from decades of adversity, tempering something malleable into unbending steel. "Did you summon the Fell Beast that has seized our Water Artifact?"

  Oh. Water Artifact. Huh.

  Lot to unpack from that statement.

  It helped explain the dry fountain, the doctor's burst of outrage at being asked to wash his hands, the militia leader seeking vengeance on him, and why Springwater had committed such a large force to battle a Beast that seemed out of their league. It wasn't a matter of pest control – it was a matter of life or death. If Valtia had no rainfall, then Artifacts would be their sole source of water.

  Simon knew full well what it was like to go without nourishment.

  I haven't even had time to process what it means for a world to not have rain. That's like a world without sunlight. Water is a pillar of life, of...everything. And if Relia knew enough about rain to mention it, then they also must have had it in the past. What happened?

  He centered his focus. Speculate later. Negotiations come first. "No," Simon answered, emphasizing the word. "While I recognize that the timing is suspect – no. Before Katarina and I arrived, we were completely unaware that a Fell Beast was menacing Springwater."

  Katarina grimaced at being lumped in with him. Simon felt no shame at doing so. I need every ally I can get, and if you're linked to me, you won't have a choice.

  Mayor Evergreen stared at him for some time, searching for signs of duplicity. Eventually, she pulled back, the blazing intensity in her eyes fading to a steadfast simmer. "Can't say if you're truthful or an exceptional liar. Would assume liar, considering what you are...yet that is inconsequential. A Contract must be sealed if my people are to survive the week."

  "Mind explaining the situation first? Would prefer to know all the relevant details before making any decisions."

  A flicker of surprise passed through the mayor's expression. It was gone in an instant. "Very well." She nodded, seeming a bit more at ease – as if sharing stories was familiar, comfortable ground. "Like most villages that exist apart from those overstuffed cities, Springwater has just one Water Artifact. Ours is a marvel crafted by Victoria herself, and located underneath the central plaza fountain. Earlier today..."

  She grit her teeth. "Earlier today, a Fell Beast took control of it."

  "How?" Simon asked. "There are hundreds of Warding Orbs lining the village perimeter."

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Didn't keep you out." Lucia Evergreen shook her head. "We think this Beast was outside Springwater, burrowed straight down, then dug horizontally into the cavern below the fountain, bypassing our defenses. Didn't put Wards down there. Supplies are limited, and guarding the aboveground perimeter felt of greater importance."

  "It was. This is the first time a Fell Beast has made it inside Springwater Village, correct? Which means you've gone centuries without a breach. Allocating some Wards to the cavern would've weakened your borders, and it's better to defend against a known enemy than to bank on longshot scenarios. Even if things turned out this way, you still made the right call."

  Lucia paused, eyeing him with an incomprehensible look on her face. The mayor didn't seem to know how to interpret his praise, so she ignored it and pressed on. "You can predict what will become of Springwater Village without our Water Artifact. We don't have the coin to purchase water itself from outside – not with the nobles siphoning more and more mana each year."

  Her gaze flitted to the side, towards the wall, like she was staring at something outside the clinic. "And if the Beast makes its way aboveground, then into the village proper...it'll head directly for the Mana Harvesters."

  She tensed. "I don't need to tell you why that would prove disastrous for Springwater."

  No, by all means, tell me – and she won't. Awesome. With how Katarina was nodding, though, Lucia was correct. Whatever the Mana Harvesters were, they couldn't let the Fell Beast get to them.

  Katarina took that moment to clear her throat, drawing their attention. "What of the Water Artifact's mana reserves?" she posited. "The Beast has been draining it for hours now. Will there be anything left by the time we get to it?"

  "Hopefully." Undisguised loathing bloomed on Lucia's features. "Which means we need to kill that wretched creature today. As if Helmund's tithe wasn't already bleeding us dry..."

  She calmed herself, suppressing her hatred in order to concentrate on the topic at hand. "Thus, I petition your aid, Demon of the Cobblestone name. Slay this Fell Beast and retrieve our Water Artifact. Take any price from me – I merely ask that you leave Springwater unscathed."

  Self-sacrificial too? Simon almost smiled. If more leaders on Earth were like you, I might not have felt so despondent that I emigrated to another world.

  Although that wasn't enough to get him to risk his life right away. He still had questions. "Not denying your offer, but I'd like to explore alternatives first. Does Springwater have the funds to purchase a new Artifact?"

  This time both Lucia and Katarina stared at him. A pensive silence followed, as if Simon had stepped on a social landmine, or told an offensive joke to the wrong audience.

  Mayor Evergreen laced her fingers together. "That is a cruel jest to make, Demon," she said, with forced tranquility.

  Because they're poor? No, this reaction is different. More context that I can't guess.

  Nor could he ask. He was already pushing it by inquiring about Springwater's situation. A real Demon probably would've prepared everything beforehand, gloating as they lorded their vast knowledge over the pathetic humans, hinting at deep, layered schemes beyond mortal understanding.

  Simon was mostly flying blind. Again. Couldn't even ask why a Fell Beast would want to seize a Water Artifact. He had theories and conjecture, but those weren't the same as established facts.

  Seriously need to hire someone to be an exposition dump for me soon.

  Thoughts racing, he quickly went down the list of possible options. Doubt they can create a new Artifact, if that was their reaction to buying one. They also don't have the money to import water. Could evacuate the village, but there aren't enough rations and Wards to go around. Most of the populace would die while traveling...and I'm skeptical that other settlements would be hospitable to a sudden mass of refugees. Killing this Fell Beast seems like all we can do.

  A rampaging Beast so powerful that it had brutalized an armed mob of dozens. Springwater Village didn't seem like a place that would have many elite warriors – if any – but that was still squarely above Simon's pay grade.

  "What about the Artifact with sacred mana?" he asked. "The one that your warriors shot at me. Do you have another?"

  Lucia sighed. "No. There's just the one. We were planning to use it against the Beast if our assault failed. Should've used it during the assault, maybe, but we were hoping to preserve its energy. Then you came–"

  "And I warranted a response," Simon finished. So it's partially my fault they don't have a crucial weapon when they need it most. Not that I *intended* that, but...hmm.

  The Mayor leaned forward, unable to hide the curiosity in her expression. "Why didn't our Artifact affect you? Or the Warding Orbs? Sacred mana is anathema to Demons. That's what we've been told."

  He waved his hand dismissively. "While I can't speak for other Demons, sacred mana is a trivial concern to me."

  After letting that statement sink in, he continued. "It likely would've hurt the Fell Beast, but your Artifact won't be fully recharged for a few years."

  "How do you know?"

  A wide grin stretched across Simon's face. "You'd need to make a separate offer to learn that."

  Lucia couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through her. "I see." She quickly rallied her composure, donning the mantle of a leader for her people. "Then we return to the subject of Contracts. I..."

  Her resolve strengthened. "As stated, I will trade anything in regards to myself. All that I own is yours. My home, my possessions, my body, my soul. Yet you are not to harm Springwater or its inhabitants. They've gone through enough hardship as it is."

  Simon silently agreed. Taking advantage of Springwater would've been no better than kicking someone while they were down. I'm considering the opposite, really. Wonder how the people of Valtia would react to a Demon performing acts of charity.

  Still – he couldn't walk away from the negotiating table with nothing to show for it. "To start," he began, "you must guarantee safe passage for myself, Katarina, and her father Gerold. Jonathan must also address Gerold's health issues after he's finished tending to his other patients. This precludes whatever deal we end up making. You need to promise me now."

  Mayor Evergreen nodded. "I'll inform the village as soon as I leave the clinic." She hesitated. "A warning. My word is respected in Springwater, but that may not stop certain fools from disobeying me. People with more bravado than sense may decide that they'll be the next storied hero who felled a Demon. If so, please punish only those who take up arms against you."

  Katarina seemed panicked over something, but Simon was too busy being mildly stunned at Lucia's request. The mayor wasn't even asking that he spare whoever attacked him – just that he wouldn't lash out at the rest of the village too.

  Low expectations. Disastrously low. I'll be viewed as a saint, relatively speaking, simply for treating human life as if it holds a breadcrumb of value.

  Every time he learned more about Demons, he felt increasingly assured in his decision not to free Kirkelas.

  "Your terms are acceptable," Simon replied. "As for the official Contract...let's wait on that."

  The mayor flinched. "No Contract?" she repeated, sounding utterly stupefied. "Why?"

  I can't make one, for starters. "I like things to be fair and equitable. Need to see this Fell Beast and take its measure before locking you into a potentially imbalanced trade."

  Especially since I don't know if I can win, and I'm not sacrificing myself in a hopeless crusade. If Simon didn't have one strategy that might work, he would've already turned down the Mayor's plea, no matter how desperate and earnest it was.

  He had too many ambitions to die here.

  At that thought, inspiration struck. Simon brought up his Character Sheet, gravitating towards one Skill in particular.

  Now there was an idea.

  "But to give you a general concept of what I desire..." He produced a pen and paper from Inventory. Lucia couldn't hide her surprise at his use of unknown magic – and at the writing implements themselves, which would've been prohibitively expensive for commoners in a medieval world.

  Simon jotted down a quick list, then handed it over. The mayor took it, Katarina moving to read over her shoulder.

  Both their eyebrows shot up to the tops of their foreheads. Simon allowed himself a mischievous grin.

  He may have found an ethical way to Subjugate a Territory.