Chapter 468: Where Is Your Lord? (2nd Bonus)

About a year earlier, the Demon King planted the necessary false memories within Lilinlea and prepared her for the possibility that she might one day be required to act.

She had been given the instruction to wait and not to make a move until the Demon King personally gave the order.

Lilinlea was to follow these instructions exactly, regardless of how long it took.

And so she had waited.

She waited while Nathan continued to rule Krygon Province, until the moment came when she could finally begin putting the plan into motion.

———

At the same time, a series of portals began opening just outside the outer gates of the Krygon Palace.

Two demons stepped out first, preceding the march of the others behind.

They were dressed in the distinctive robes of Watchers, complete with their pointed hats.

Behind them came the four Demon Lords of the Lower City—Durollan, Vastoroth, Gelgren, and Risryna—followed by the armies they had brought with them.

The two demons dressed as Watchers had been assigned to this operation directly by the Demon King.

Only a select few individuals for the role of watchers were taught the spell to use portals, and those capable of doing so operated under the special order of the Demon King.

The guards stationed at the main gates of Krygon Palace widened their eyes at the sudden appearance of hundreds of demons outside the walls.

It took them barely a moment to understand that a sudden ambush was about to happen.

Such things were hardly unusual on the Demon Continent.

However, before they could react any further, the light of a blade flashed past them and their heads were severed from their bodies.

Durollan lowered his sword as blood sprayed across the ground before calmly sliding the blade back into its sheath.

He had this devious smirk on his face.

The armies of the four Lower City Lords spread out around the palace, taking up positions and preparing to suppress any forces that attempted to intervene.

Their presence here was not intended to serve as the takeover itself.

They were here to assist Lilinlea; because sooner or later, the noble houses of the Upper City would realize what was happening.

Several of those houses were affiliated with Lord Krygon, serving as his bannermen and maintaining various obligations to his authority.

So, they learned that the palace had been attacked, many of them would raise their forces and come to his defense.

And that response could not be allowed to overwhelm Lilinlea’s plans.

It was not entirely the fault of those nobles, either.

Nathan had systematically altered their memories over time, just as he had done with the people inside the palace.

Their understanding of Lord Krygon and their relationship with him had been shaped by those alterations.

But the problem was that Lilinlea could not simply wait for all of them to have their memories restored.

There were not enough spell-negation talismans to distribute throughout the Upper City, nor was there enough time to locate every noble house, cleanse their memories, and reconstruct everything Nathan had altered before they mobilized.

That was why the Lower City Lords and their armies had been brought here.

They would surround Krygon Palace immediately, establish a defensive perimeter, and suppress any forces that came to the aid of the imposter.

By the time the nobles of the Upper City understood what was happening, Lilinlea intended for the palace to already be under her control.

——

Back at the quarters...

With the exception of Ethan and Hayley, who were currently in the training chamber, the rest of the group were in different rooms within their enormous living quarters.

Krygon Palace was vast enough that the commotion at the distant outer gates had yet to reach this part.

For some of the people inside, everything still appeared peaceful.

That changed when Lord Krygon’s wives and children came storming toward the quarters.

The first to notice them were those among the group with enhanced senses; Eduardo, Percy and Wilson.

They alerted the others to the situation, and not long after, they all stepped out of the quarters.

Lord Krygon’s family stood before them, their faces filled with anger and hostility.

Lilinlea then stepped forward to address them. "As of this very moment, none of you are welcome in this palace. I will grant you all the opportunity to leave at once."

The team’s confusion only deepened.

Eduardo, however, calmly stepped forward and addressed her. "I apologize, Lady Lilinlea, but we don’t understand what offense we’ve committed. Could you tell us why any of these is happening?"

Lilinlea smiled. "Oh, you lie."

Her gaze swept across the group as she gestured at them.

"Asides the imposter, every single one of you knows the lie we have all been living. And you have all played your part in it."

"You all know that the man who brought you here is not our Lord Krygon."

The group’s eyes widened in shock. Because, in truth, they did know.

They knew Nathan was not their husband, neither was he the true Lord Krygon.

Lilinlea continued. "And for whatever reason he claimed he brought you here, we have seen no proof of it. So please, respect our wishes and leave. Every one of you."

For a moment, nobody knew what to say.

Then Eduardo spoke again. "I’m sorry, Lady Lilinlea, but where is your lord?"

One of the demon’s sons took a step forward, his expression twisting with anger. "You’re still referring to him as our lord?"

His magical aura spiked and the atmosphere around the group instantly changed for the worse.

Percival had already begun reaching out through the connection established by the Spirit King’s sigil.

’Ethan...Wherever you are, you need to come here, and now!’

These words were said in his thoughts, and were to reach Ethan’s.

The sigil on his right shoulder gave off a subtle purple glow. And a moment later, lightning struck several meters above the quarters.

Everyone’s attention diverted upwards to figure that had appeared within the flash.

It was Ethan, descending slowly from the air with Hayley cradled in his arms.

By the time his feet touched down, Percival had already conveyed everything that had happened through their connection.

Ethan’s gaze passed over Lilinlea, the gathered family, and the members of his group.

And for a brief moment, nobody spoke.

Then Ethan turned directly to Lilinlea.

But instead of addressing the accusations or explaining anything, he simply asked the same question Eduardo had asked a few seconds.

"Where is your lord?"