Watching Via unconscious, Cecilia immediately raised her Holy Sword, and the Holy Flame condensed once again—although she had lost her position as the Church’s Saintess, her power had not dissipated.
In a critical moment, the Holy Sword in her hand could still pose a certain threat to the enemy.
However, seeing how the Demon Lord had handled her attacks with ease just now, Cecilia herself wasn’t entirely sure how much threat her power could truly pose to him.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t be making such a foolish move. Saintess, even when facing her, you rarely win, right?”
Lilith cast a glance at the Holy Sword in Cecilia’s hand and coldly warned her, “I don’t mind giving you a little lesson as well. Saintess, you’re currently on demon territory, so I believe you should know how to abide by the rules of the demon clans.”
“If you don’t know the rules of the demons, I wouldn’t hesitate to educate you. Sometimes, lessons carved deep into the bone are the most unforgettable—I believe the same applies to a Saintess.”
She laughed lightly, as if Cecilia posed no threat to her whatsoever.
Cecilia cradled Via’s body and only then noticed how feverishly hot Via’s body was, like a small furnace.
The Holy Arts she had just cast on Via had partially shielded her from the magical damage, especially against control and curse-type spells.
If she hadn’t cast her Holy Arts in time, Via would likely be on the verge of death now.
“Rest assured, I am lenient with my subordinates. Moreover, the Demon Lord is a top-tier combatant—I wouldn’t waste him recklessly. This is merely a small lesson for her. For a demon of her caliber, this injury will only take some extra time to recover. She won’t die.”
“Qin.”
“I’m here, Your Majesty.”
Qin’s figure emerged from the shadows at the Demon Lord’s summons.
Although it was still pitch dark, it was obvious the Demon Lord was accustomed to this shadow demon’s ability to appear and disappear without a trace, rarely showing his face.
“Help the Demon Lord Via back. She needs rest. My purpose here is fulfilled.”
Lilith said.
In fact, what Lilith said about being lenient was quite true for the demon clans.
The reason she came specifically to deal with Via this time was to give those two races an explanation.
Whether Dark Elves or Blood Demons, the thirteen main demon races each had their own demands and inevitably faced conflicts and disagreements.
Lilith could suppress troublemakers using her Demon Lord status, but that status wasn’t omnipotent.
Ultimately, Lilith could only treat Via this way.
The old Blood Demon elders’ dissatisfaction needed to be vented.
As for the Dark Elves?
Their leader was even more outrageous—already branded by Via’s curse with the mark of a succubus.
From the previous out-of-control incidents after being marked, the future Demon Lord of the Dark Elves was surely in for a hard time.
Having caused such a major incident, both races expressed dissatisfaction with Via, so naturally Lilith had to take necessary measures.
Lilith also knew it was impossible to make Via obediently accept punishment according to demon customs.
Since that was the case, it was better for her to personally carry out the punishment and handle the rest afterward.
“As you command. But, Your Majesty, what about her…?”
Qin glanced at the Saintess beside him and asked.
“This time, we’ll give her a chance. After all, the Saintess is new here and still needs time to adapt to some rules and customs.”
Lilith’s face resumed a very cute disguise.
“Cecilia, this time it’s just a warning. If the next time you face me with the same attitude, especially when you are under the blessings of the demon clans, it won’t just be a warning anymore.”
“The same goes for Sister Via.”
The Demon Lord left.
In the end, Cecilia still did not summon the courage to attack the Demon Lord.
This was not cowardice, but the intuition of a seasoned veteran with years of combat experience.
The gap between her and the Demon Lord was like clouds and mud.
Without risking her life, her methods would truly pose little threat to the Demon Lord.
Therefore, she would not attack the Demon Lord directly, as doing so would be bad for both her and Viya.
Long after the Demon Lord’s figure disappeared, Via lowered her head and looked at the Viya in her arms.
At this moment, her face was pale, and blood continued to flow from her mouth and nose.
Fortunately, after a few minutes, Via’s consciousness fully returned, and she slowly opened her eyes:
“They left?”
“They did,” Cecilia said as she checked Via’s injuries.
“Are you alright?”
“Claiming I’m fine is a lie.”
Via smiled bitterly.
“She used blood magic that causes blood to overheat. It’s quite a threat to those who aren’t strong, but I can barely hold on.”
“I really thought you were going to die. You scared me half to death just now.”
Cecilia exhaled in relief.
“Not that bad. My body is still sturdy, and I’m certain the Demon Lord wouldn’t kill me outright. Since she came to reprimand me, I’ll let her have her way for now.”
Via took the hot water and towel Qin handed her and wiped the blood off her face.
“Honestly, that spell was pretty nasty. She really didn’t hold back.”
Via had long anticipated that the Demon Lord would come to reprimand her.
Although the demon clans generally maintained unity, each race naturally looked out for their own interests and grievances were common.
The Blood Demons were especially like this.
Lilith needed to give the Blood Demons an explanation.
To help her do that, Viya “cooperated” by not fully unleashing her body in counterattack.
Otherwise, the Demon Lord would not have ended the punishment so uneventfully.
“Has the Demon Lord always had this kind of personality?”
“More precisely, when she encounters something she’s interested in, she’s wild like that. But in daily life, she’s actually quite decent.”
Regarding the Demon Lord’s performance today, Via gave her assessment.
“By the way, after the Blood Demons file their complaints, they might come to me next. If these Blood Demons continue to be arrogant, I won’t blame anyone if I get a bit rough. I’ve had enough of the pride of those Blood Demon nobles. I think the Demon Lord won’t oppose my approach either; she’s probably been annoyed with those old noble families for a long time.”
Having been punished actually meant that from Lilith’s side, everything was settled. Via’s problems were resolved, she was punished, and at the same time, those Blood Demons should no longer continue to disobey orders.
Both sides get fifty lashes each.