Logout Error: My NPCs Now Worship Me

The silence that followed Princess Lilliana's introduction was a tangible thing. It pressed in on her, heavy and absolute. Kaelus did not move from the spot where he had emerged from his [Gate]. He simply stood, his immense, shadowy form observing her, his silver eyes like two distant, cold stars.

Sir Kaelan, standing ten paces behind his princess, felt a cold sweat bead on his brow. The passive aura of dread rolling off the Sovereign was a physical force. It took all of his knightly discipline not to tremble, not to draw his sword in a futile gesture of defiance. But Lilliana... she stood before the entity as if she were addressing any other monarch, her posture perfect, her expression composed. She was either the bravest woman he had ever met, or the most insane.

Ravi, inside the god-avatar, was genuinely surprised. He had expected fear, pleading, or perhaps a desperate, foolish bravado. He had not expected this. This cool, calm, almost audacious self-possession. This princess had the aura of a CEO about to pitch a corporate merger, not a royal offering herself up to a dark lord.

He slowly walked forward and seated himself upon the obsidian throne. The movement was silent, but it carried the weight of a king taking his rightful place. From this elevated position, he looked down at her. The psychological pressure intensified.

"A proposal," Kaelus's voice rumbled, the sound seeming to come from the air itself rather than his helm. "You stand before a being that shattered your kingdom's army and holds the fate of your people in its hand, and you wish to... propose a business transaction?"

Lilliana met his gaze without flinching. "It is precisely because you hold that power that I am here," she stated, her logic sharp and clear. "A lesser being would have simply razed Lyria to the ground. You did not. You chose subjugation over annihilation. That tells me you are not a mindless beast of destruction. You are a builder. An emperor. And every emperor knows that a stable, productive empire is more valuable than a pile of rubble."

She took a small, confident step forward. "My father swore fealty. You now have the loyalty of the Crown. But the Crown and the people are two different things. The nobles still whisper of rebellion. The common folk are still frightened and confused. They have a new master, but they do not understand you. You are an abstract terror, a distant god. They need a bridge. A symbol they can comprehend."

Kaelus remained silent, letting her build her case. This was more interesting than he had anticipated.

"Marry me," Lilliana said, the words blunt and direct, stripped of all romantic pretense. "Make me your Queen. It is not a request for affection. It is a strategic alliance. The House of Elysia is one of the oldest noble lines on the continent. A union with me would grant your new Dominion a legitimacy in the eyes of the other kingdoms that generations of conquest could not achieve. It would instantly quell the dissent among the Elysian nobility. They would not dare to rebel against their own princess's husband."

She began to pace slowly before the throne, her mind clearly working at a rapid pace. "Furthermore, the people would see me, a human of noble blood, at your side. It would make you... comprehensible. Your power is terrifying, but with me as your Queen, it becomes a power that protects a human dynasty. It becomes a power they can understand and, in time, support."

She stopped and turned to face him again, her grey eyes burning with intensity. "I am not offering you my heart, Lord Kaelus. I am offering you my mind, my lineage, and my political acumen. I know the secrets of every noble house from here to the Baharuth Empire. I know the strengths and weaknesses of every kingdom. I can be your ambassador, your spymaster, your grand vizier. I can manage the mundane world of mortals, leaving you free to contemplate the matters of gods. I will make myself so useful to your new empire that you will find me indispensable."

Ravi was, for the first time since coming to this world, genuinely impressed. Her audacity was breathtaking. She wasn't begging. She was applying for a job. The most powerful job a mortal could possibly hold: the handler of a god.

From within the Great Tomb of Nexus, the three female Guardians who were watching this scene unfold via a scrying mirror were having very different reactions.

"The sheer arrogance!" Gravity hissed, her hands clenched so tightly her new Orb of Starlight flickered. "She speaks to him as if he were a mere king! As if his divine will could be swayed by mortal politics! He should atomize her for her insolence!"

"Oh, I don't know," Spidy purred, a thoughtful and dangerous look in her crimson eyes. "She's got fangs, this one. It might be fun to have a new pet to play with in the palace."

Flora was silent, her sweet smile unwavering, but she was gently stroking the stem of a small, potted plant beside her. The plant had thorns like razors.

Kaelus considered the princess's words. Everything she said was logical. Correct, even. She had identified her own unique value and was leveraging it perfectly. But he had to test her. He had to see how deep her resolve went.

"You speak of utility," his voice was cold, dismissive. "But you overlook a crucial detail, Princess Lilliana. You are mortal. You are fragile. Your life is a fleeting breath compared to the lifespan of my servants, let alone my own. You offer me your mind for a few decades. Why would I accept such a temporary asset?"

It was a cruel, logical question designed to shatter her composure.

Lilliana did not even blink. She had anticipated this.

"A mortal queen can give you a mortal heir," she said, her voice dropping slightly, becoming more serious. "Even if you are... something else... the lore of this world is filled with tales of unions between gods and mortals. A child of your blood and mine would be a demigod, a perfect bridge between your divine nature and our human world. A dynasty. That is how you secure an empire for eternity. Not with fear, but with blood."

Sir Kaelan choked back a gasp. She was proposing to bear a child for this... entity.

Ravi's mind came to a screeching halt. An heir?! A child?! I... I can't... I don't even have a... The sheer biological and logistical impossibility of it was something he hadn't even begun to consider. His avatar was a being of pure magic and data. The "plumbing," so to speak, was not included.

His internal, frantic panic was, as always, completely masked by the impassive, terrifying visage of his avatar. The Guardians in the Tomb, however, could feel a minute, almost imperceptible flicker in their master's aura.

Gravity leaned forward, her eyes wide. "He is considering it," she whispered in horrified awe. "He is actually considering this mortal's proposal!"

Kaelus stared at Lilliana, his mind racing to find a response that wasn't a flat-out, "Sorry, that's physically impossible." He had to maintain the illusion of omnipotence.

"You are bold," he stated, his voice a low rumble. "To assume my nature, and to assume I would even desire such a thing."

"It is not for me to know your desires, Sovereign Lord," Lilliana replied smoothly, seizing the advantage. "It is only for me to present you with possibilities. A path to a stable, eternal empire. All I ask in return is a throne at your side, and the security of my people."

She had presented a perfect, airtight case. She had offered him legitimacy, utility, and even a path to immortality for his rule. She had countered his every argument with cold, hard logic. She had played her hand flawlessly.

Kaelus was silent for a full minute, the tension in the plaza becoming so thick it was almost suffocating. He looked at this mortal woman, this tiny, fragile being of flesh and bone who stood before him and dared to bargain for a crown. She was not like his Guardians, who worshipped him out of fanaticism. She would "worship" him out of pragmatism. Her loyalty would be to the stability he provided, and to the power she could wield in his name.

It was a different kind of loyalty. But perhaps, a useful one.

And the internal, chaotic voice of Ravi the gamer screamed, A hot, super-smart princess wants to marry me! This is every isekai protagonist's dream! Say yes! Say yes, you idiot!

He suppressed the inner voice. Kaelus, the Silent Sovereign, would not be so easily swayed.

"Your proposal... has merit," he conceded, the words sounding like they were carved from stone. "Your logic is sound. Your ambition is... noteworthy."

He stood from his throne, his towering form casting a long shadow over her. "Very well, Princess Lilliana of the House of Elysia. I accept your gambit."

He reached out a single, obsidian-gauntleted finger and gently tilted her chin up, forcing her to look directly into the void of his helm. His touch was as cold as the grave, a chilling reminder of what she was binding herself to.

"You shall have your throne. You shall be my Queen. But understand this," his voice dropped to a whisper that was for her alone, a whisper that carried the weight of a thousand chained souls. "A Queen's purpose is to serve her King. The moment your utility fades, the moment you cease to be a valuable asset... our arrangement will be terminated. And I assure you, the severance package is not generous."

Lilliana's heart hammered in her chest, but she did not let the fear show in her eyes. She met his non-gaze with her own steely resolve.

"I would expect nothing less, my Lord... and husband."