Lucas shook his head. “No. They didn’t. I just found word of the rebellion and came to—” Lucas suddenly paused. What persona am I wearing here? Am I coming here as the evil anti-subhuman, pro-speciest Imperial? Am I coming here as the kind noble to help a neighboring lord out and secure better trade? Who am I as a villain here? Then he remembered how much Viola wanted him to be menacing and decided to settle on the first option. Just for you, he thought to himself.

“You came to what?” one of the guards asked, the other three having relaxed their menacing glare. Now, they were just watching him casually as he conversed with the one in front.

Lucas’s demeanor suddenly changed from mild amusement to glowering resentment. His conversational tone disappeared, and by the time he finished speaking his voice had transitioned from a growl to an enraged shout. “I came to make sure those filthy, inhuman beasts learn their place in the hierarchy. The Imperial law cannot abide being seen as weak. To show chinks in our armor for these foul, ungrateful reprobates to exploit—that is anathema. If they seek the death of our empire, a life of leisure and self-rule, then they must first contend with me! I already dispatched several of them single-handedly without even so much as a weapon in my hand on the way here, and with your help, we shall finish the rest off before those uppity farmers ever rise again.” Lucas wasn’t technically lying as he did have to kill those few in Hermann’s tavern.

The halberd-sporting soldiers seemed mystified by his words, their guard completely let down as they relaxed their grip on their weapons.

Due to your noble bearing, impassioned words and a Charisma score of 100 or higher, you have not only forced your way into the quest Sentenced to a Troll’s Defense, in which you must potentially join other players to defend the lord of this territory, but you have also managed to convince the guards that you are a great and worthy leader. They, as well as the other employees of Rowland, will follow your commands alone until the quest is completed.

Warning: Failure to defend Rowland will result in unknown penalties.

Warning: Death during the quest to defend Rowland will result in the inability to acquire Rowland’s territory.

Lucas looked at the last warning. Does that mean that, if I don’t die, and Rowland lives, I can get this territory added to mine? Does this mean that I can expand the number of dungeons I control to two? Will I be able to take part in the defense of both so long as I clear the simulations? He wondered about all this briefly but then went back to the task at hand. He actually had to defend the place before he could start worrying about what territory acquisition might mean.