Selene stood at the grand stone table, watching the other ninety-nine lords argue among themselves.

  None of them were familiar.

  None of them were relevant.

  Yet, each one held a vote.

  And votes could be controlled.

  The system had given them no time to prepare. No alliances had been formed before this event. No factions.

  That meant they were vulnerable.

  Indecisive.

  And Selene was neither.

  She studied the text before her again.

  Ten pairs of boons and banes presented as if they were inseparable.

  But no system rule had said they must be taken as pairs.

  It had only told them to choose one boon and one bane.

  Subtle.

  But exploitable.

  Selene let the arguments unfold. She let them think.

  Then, when the frustration was high enough, when their conversations had started going in circles, she spoke.

  Her voice was calm, even, absolute.

  “You are all making a mistake.”

  The voices faltered.

  Some turned to her in confusion. Others in irritation. A few in curiosity.

  She continued before they could recover.

  “The System said we must choose one boon and one bane. It did not say they must be from the same pair.”

  Silence.

  Then a ripple of uncertainty.

  She gestured toward the trading pair, keeping her expression carefully neutral.

  “For example, if we took both the Boon and the Bane of trade, we would be both increasing and decreasing taxes.”

  She tilted her head slightly.

  “Which makes no sense.”

  Murmurs. A few nods.

  She had their attention.

  She pressed forward.

  “The System stated to ‘make your choices,’ implying that we will select them individually, not as linked pairs.”

  One lord scoffed. “And how do you know that?”

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Selene’s smile was faint.

  “Because I read the words carefully.”

  ---

  The arguing slowed.

  Now they were rethinking their assumptions.

  Which meant they were primed to be led.

  Selene’s next move was simple.

  She shifted the discussion to the Loyalty Bane.

  “The Ties That Bind,” she said, glancing at the text again. “Loyalty will naturally reduce over time unless the lord personally enforces their authority.”

  A few lords winced. Others shrugged.

  “I don’t like it,” one admitted. “But we’re being forced to pick a bane regardless.”

  Selene’s expression did not change.

  She knew something none of them did.

  Her Fae could not lose loyalty.

  It was not possible.

  But the humans did not know that.

  To them, her army was like their own—loyalty a shifting number, something to be managed.

  Which meant this bane was a weapon only she could wield.

  She turned toward the uncertain lords, her tone measured.

  “This one is inevitable.”

  A few lords frowned.

  “Inevitable?”

  Selene nodded.

  “This world does not allow complacency. Even without this bane, we would all have to enforce our authority to some degree.”

  Some of the lords grumbled. Others nodded.

  A few less observant ones even seemed impressed by what they thought was her strategic wisdom.

  “This is the safest choice,” she added. “We already do this. Now, we simply acknowledge it.”

  It was a lie.

  For them.

  Not for her.

  For her, it was no consequence at all.

  And slowly, one by one, they began agreeing.

  ---

  The first battle was won.

  Now for the second.

  Selene allowed them to talk for a while, let them weigh the options for the boons before she spoke again.

  The moment they considered the Kingdom Boon, she struck.

  She gestured toward the text, letting her voice carry.

  “‘All Lords who rule a kingdom will gain an increase in resource production and military morale,’” she quoted. “However, governance will be strictly monitored by the System.”

  A few nodded. Some had already been considering it.

  That was fine.

  Selene wasn’t done.

  “Now,” she said, “pay attention to the wording.”

  She tapped the text.

  “It states: ‘All Lords who rule a kingdom.’ Not ‘all Lords.’”

  Some frowned.

  She let the realization settle.

  “This means that, according to the System, there are seperate qualifications to be considered rulers of kingdoms.”

  Now the lords were fully listening.

  “Which means,” Selene continued smoothly, “if we choose the boom which rewards those who rule a kingdom, we have agreed to additional monitoring for nothing.”

  Now the panic set in.

  A few lords cursed under their breath. Some immediately backpedaled on supporting it.

  Selene smiled internally.

  ---

  The final push was easy.

  The Army of Progress Boon.

  Troops would gain permanent increases in growth and experience.

  But in return, summoned troops would not be fully under their control.

  Selene knew the truth.

  Her Fae were already fully under her control.

  They would never disobey.

  Their instincts would not allow it.

  But the others didn’t know that.

  So when she spoke, she targeted their fears.

  “We all need stronger troops,” she said plainly. “And this boon offers us that.”

  “But it takes away our control,” someone argued.

  Selene met their gaze evenly.

  “We have never had complete control,” she said.

  A few lords nodded.

  Make them think it is an inevitable truth, and they will accept it.

  She continued.

  “Further, the secondary restriction only applies to thise who were able to recruit native soldiers,” she pointed out. “That means any lord who recruits native soldiers will be more affected than the rest of us.”

  A pause.

  Then realization spread through the crowd.

  Many of them were not able to recruite native forces, so this would be more damaging to others.

  Selene could see them hesitating.

  Then, a few voices rose in agreement.

  Then more.

  And slowly, the consensus shifted.

  ---

  When the votes were cast, the results were as follows:

  Boon Chosen: The Army of Progress – Troops gain a permanent increase in growth and experience gain, but conscription policies are required, limiting freedom of recruitment and restricting complete control over summoned troops.

  Bane Chosen: The Ties That Bind – Loyalty among followers is naturally reduced over time unless the lord personally enforces their authority.

  ---

  Selene did not smile.

  She did not need to.

  She had walked into a room of ninety-nine strangers.

  And she had decided the fate of them all.

  Without raising a sword.

  Without threatening a single soul.

  Without revealing a single thing about herself.

  The System’s Voice returned.

  “The votes are cast. The world will adjust accordingly.”

  A pulse of power filled the chamber.

  And one by one, the lords began vanishing.

  Selene was the last to go.

  As the world faded, she whispered to herself.

  “Balance is inevitable.”

  “…And it belongs to me.”