Lilia’s mind went blank.
Go ahead and do whatever she wanted?
Leave the rest… to her?
‘Is this maid captain crazy?’
Lilia’s throat tightened, and her voice shifted in pitch.
“Are you crazy? Meow? That’s Lucia! That was a trap she set! If you take the punishment for me, you’ll die! Meow!”
“I know,” Lilith replied calmly.
She reached back and gripped Lilia’s hand; her palm was burning hot.
“But, Miss, you don’t understand. To me, losing Her Majesty’s trust is more terrifying than death. From the moment I decided to help you, there was no turning back.”
Those words made Lilia’s chest feel tight.
She looked at Lilith and suddenly understood.
Lilith wasn’t joking.
She was betting everything—betting that she, “The Variable,” could stir this stagnant world, and betting that she, a “little pet,” could truly shake that god.
Guilt, gratitude, and a heavy sense of responsibility weighed on her heart.
She couldn’t betray this trust, and she certainly couldn’t let Lilith sacrifice herself for nothing.
Lilia wiped away her tears, raised her head, and spoke with a fierce, kitten-like determination.
“Sister Lilith, don’t worry. I absolutely, positively will not let anything happen to you. I will definitely… win!”
***
The next morning.
Evernight Palace, Central Administrative Hall.
This was a place where even Archduke-level lords had to hold their breath in anticipation.
Today, however, a silver-haired young girl sat upon the Black Crystal Chair at the highest seat of power.
Lilia wore a custom-made black suit and skirt, trying her best to straighten her back to project an air of majesty.
However, the documents made of magical beast skin piled in front of her were taller than she was.
All of these were her “masterpieces” from the previous night: building damage reports, resource loss inventories, and casualty statistics.
Lilia picked up the top report at random.
After just one look, her heart skipped a beat.
The direct economic loss of Evernight Rose Street was 300 million magic crystal coins!
And that was just the money!
The list of antiques and artworks burned to ash by the curse of the Doom Blade could wrap around the administrative hall three times!
Yesterday, she had just swindled one billion from Cassius and was secretly gloating.
In the blink of an eye, she had burned through 300 million herself.
‘A spendthrift! I’m the biggest spendthrift here!’
“Miss, this is the emergency disposal report for the Titan’s Heart submitted by the City Guard,” Lilith’s voice rang out beside her.
She handed a report that smelled of earth and vegetation to Lilia.
“The wild growth of plants caused by the Titan’s Heart has already covered 3 blocks around the central plaza. Ordinary cleansing spells are ineffective. They are requesting you to issue a higher-authority Law-level Cleansing order.”
Lilia looked at the twisted runes and terminology on the report, and her head began to throb.
‘Law-level Cleansing? What on earth is that?’
She opened her mouth, almost shouting that she didn’t know how, but she forced herself to swallow the words.
No.
If she made a mistake, Lilith would be the one to suffer.
Lilia gritted her teeth, took the report, and kept a stiff face while pretending to study it.
But she couldn’t understand a single word.
Just as she was so anxious that she wanted to hang herself with her own tail, the back of her hand resting on the armrest was lightly touched.
It was Lilith.
The maid captain stood by her side, ostensibly organizing documents, but her fingertips were rapidly tracing something on the back of Lilia’s hand.
‘It’s the common runes of the demon race!’
Lilia’s heart leaped, and she immediately concentrated her mind to perceive the message.
‘Deny. Reason: Law-level Cleansing consumes too much energy and damages the ley lines. Instruction: Mobilize the 3rd Magic Plant Research Group and the 5th Magic Plant Research Group. Utilize the vitality of the Titan’s Heart to cultivate new types of magic plants. Turn waste into treasure.’
Those few sentences instantly cleared her clouded mind.
‘That’s right! Why didn’t I think of that! Turn a bad thing into a good thing! This line of thinking is sheer genius!’
“Ahem.”
Lilia cleared her throat.
She slammed the report onto the desk with a sharp thwack.
The movement was about seventy or eighty percent similar to Lucia’s, though with a bit less strength.
Addressing the bowing messenger below, she spoke in a lowered, serious voice, “This request is rejected.”
The messenger froze.
“But, Lady Lilia, those plants have already begun attacking civilians—”
“I know.”
Lilia interrupted him, extending her index finger to tap the tabletop rhythmically.
This was a gesture she had learned from Lucia.
“Pass on my orders. Have the 3rd Magic Plant Research Group and the 5th Magic Plant Research Group take over the central plaza immediately. Tell them I want to see a feasibility report on the energy conversion and application of the Titan’s Heart within 3 days. I don’t care what methods they use. I want all that overgrown trash turned into magical materials that can fill the imperial treasury!”
She finished in one breath, feeling incredibly cool.
Finally, out of habit, she added, “Do you understand? Meow?”
The messenger was left dazed by her words.
The unquestionable tone, the clear and decisive instructions, and the style of turning a disaster into an opportunity…
His heart trembled; this was exactly the same as the Demon Queen.
“Yes! Understood! Lady Lilia!”
The messenger shuddered, no longer daring to question her.
He bowed, took the order, and hurried out.
Lilia let out a quiet sigh of relief.
‘Good, I managed to bluff my way through.’
She stole a glance at Lilith.
The maid captain still lacked any expression, but Lilia swore she had just seen the corner of Lilith’s mouth twitch!
With the first success, the rest went much smoother.
Every difficult report, which looked like gibberish to Lilia, was met with a perfect solution provided by Lilith’s secret transmissions whenever Lilia was about to falter.
They mobilized the alchemists to use the curse of the Doom Blade to forge new types of Magic-Breaking Arrows that could counter the Holy Shield of Light.
They dispatched Necromancers to collect the chaotic energy of the Seeds of Chaos and research forbidden spells to interfere with spatial teleportation.
In the administrative hall, the expressions of the demon officials—who had initially intended to watch the farce unfold—gradually changed.
They watched as those thorny disasters were transformed into opportunities that could bring immense benefits to the empire through just a few words from Lilia.
The whispering in the hall died down.
Everyone stood with bowed heads, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Privately, rumors began to swirl.
This “little pet” brought back by Her Majesty was not a plaything at all, but a hidden, terrifyingly talented… administrative genius!
All of this was clearly reflected in Lucia’s consciousness.
Evernight Palace, the Supreme Throne.
Lucia leaned lazily against the back of her chair, with nothing in front of her.
She “watched” as Lilia put on an act.
With a stiff little face, the girl barked orders just like she did.
She “watched” her most perfect shadow—the maid captain who never knew how to be flexible—clumsily and anxiously “passing notes” on the pet’s hand.
This scene was truly… too amusing.
Lucia finally couldn’t help it and let out a laugh.
“Lilith, my good child.”
Her voice was low, echoing through the empty palace.
“Do you really think these little tricks can be hidden from me?”