As the people in the hall began to depart one after another.
“Whoosh!”
Luya’s figure transformed into a streak of pinkish-white light, vanishing at the end of the corridor in the blink of an eye.
The hall instantly fell silent.
Lilith maintained her regal posture on the throne, watching Luya disappear.
“Phew... I’m exhausted.”
Her entire body suddenly slumped. Abandoning all image, she leaned back and sank into the soft cushions of the throne.
“Acting serious is so tiring... I had to keep a stiff face the whole time. I feel like my facial muscles have frozen,” she grumbled softly, rubbing her neck.
Veen was long accustomed to this. He walked to the side of the throne, retrieved an exquisite tea set from the void, and began to brew tea.
“You worked hard today, Your Majesty.”
Veen gently placed a cup of steaming black tea on the armrest of the throne near Lilith’s hand.
“Asserting dominance is the most mentally taxing of tasks. Especially for someone like you, who is naturally free-spirited and dislikes restraint.”
Lilith didn't stand on ceremony. She picked up the teacup, blew on the steam, and took a careful sip.
“It was alright.” She set the cup down and turned to Veen, returning to the matter at hand. “By the way, did you take note of the ones who had the strongest reactions in the crowd earlier?”
Veen poured a cup of tea for himself as well, gently swirling the liquid.
“Of course.” He smiled. “The leader of the Blood Axe Legion—the one whose arm you removed—had the most intense reaction and the most overt emotions. He has the typical mindset of a brute; such people are easily used as pawns by others.”
“The Patriarch of the Black Scale family appeared to go along with it on the surface, but his eyes were constantly observing the reactions of you and everyone else. It shows he is quite calculating.”
In one breath, he named over a dozen people, clearly analyzing the subtle reactions of each one.
Lilith was a bit stunned. “...You were observing that closely?”
“It is my duty, Your Majesty.”
Veen took a sip of tea, his smile unchanging. “After all, you did instruct me to pay attention.”
“Fair enough.” Lilith scratched her head. “Then... as we discussed, keep an eye on them in secret.”
“If there is any abnormal movement—especially attempts to privately mobilize troops or any secret dealings with Orosius’s old subordinates...”
She made a sharp cutting gesture with her hand.
“Execute them immediately. No need to ask me for permission.”
“Understood.” Veen nodded, making a mental note of the command.
Lilith took another sip of tea, then suddenly remembered something and added, “Oh, right, one more thing. When I was with the elves, I ran into a Rank 9 human who claimed to be from the Shadow Council. He was quite a nuisance.”
“Look into this Shadow Council while you're at it. See what their deal is and if they have any illicit dealings with the demon race.”
“The Shadow Council?” Veen pondered for a moment. “I have heard of them. They are a long-standing secret organization in the human world. They act with great secrecy, and their influence permeates multiple kingdoms. I will investigate them thoroughly.”
“Good, I’ll leave it to you.”
Lilith had full confidence in Veen’s efficiency. She set down her empty teacup, leaned back, and looked up at the high vaulted ceiling of the Demon King's Palace.
This was how Lilith had looked when she first arrived, staring up at the ceiling just like this.
Veen followed her gaze. After a moment, he asked softly, “Your Majesty, is something on your mind?”
Lilith didn't answer immediately, remaining silent for a good while.
Finally, she withdrew her gaze and turned to Veen. Her eyes were less lazy than usual, filled with a rare and complex emotion.
“Veen, you already know, don't you? I... am not the original Lilith.”
Veen was taken aback for a second. He met Lilith’s gaze and slowly nodded.
“I know.”
“I come from another world. A world without magic, without demons, and mostly without all this fighting.”
As she spoke, there was a trace of hope in Lilith’s eyes that even she hadn't noticed.
“I’ve heard that the truly powerful can tear through space and physically travel across worlds. So... do I have a chance to go back?”
“To return to my original world?”
Faced with this question, Veen chose silence.
He set down his teacup. His face, which always carried a composed smile, rarely showed such a serious expression.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Lilith didn't rush him; she just watched him quietly.
After a long time, Veen looked up again. He met Lilith’s eyes.
He slowly shook his head.
“It is nearly impossible.” His voice was low and clear, each word spoken with absolute gravity. “There are more worlds than can be counted. Each individual world is like a single grain of sand in an endless desert.”
“Even if one possesses the power to traverse the void, to precisely find the specific world you came from among an infinite number of others...”
“The probability is... near zero.”
Lilith’s eyes dimmed for a moment, but she continued to look at him, waiting for more.
Veen saw that dimness in her eyes and sighed.
“However...”
“Probability does not have a true zero.”
“It’s just that it requires more than just power; it requires unimaginable luck.”
Having said this, he fell silent again, simply watching Lilith quietly.
This answer offered no comfort, no false hope.
After hearing it, Lilith didn't look disappointed. She simply gave a soft “Oh,” and then looked up once more at the false starry sky on the ceiling.
She looked at it for a long time.
“I see...”
“I guess it really isn't that easy.”
She withdrew her gaze, her face returning to its usual lazy and casual expression.
“Forget it, I won’t think about it.”
She gave a long stretch and stood up from the throne. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now... I’m hungry. Veen, are there any local specialties in the Demon Realm?”
Veen watched her, the gravity in his eyes slowly fading as a smile returned. He also stood up and gave an elegant bow.
“Of course, Your Majesty. While the Demon Realm is known for its wars, our cuisine—especially our ‘dark cuisine’—has its own unique charm...”
“Stop, stop, stop!” Lilith interrupted him with a look of disgust. “None of that sounds normal! Forget it, you should just get things ready. I’m heading back to the Holy City tomorrow...”
She muttered as she walked toward the side hall behind the throne.
“As you wish.”
Veen stood where he was, watching her figure disappear behind the doors of the side hall.
...
Rate on N.U.
