When Via stepped out of the mansion, it was nearly noon.
Her legs still felt somewhat weak, but now, at least, she was certain that the Dark Elf Lord wouldn’t be bothering her again anytime soon.
The butler who had invited her earlier remained as composed as ever when seeing her off.
“Sorry to trouble you, Lady Via.”
The butler politely escorted her away.
“Where is Cecilia now? You should know where she’s headed, right?”
Via had no intention of sparring with Cecilia’s subordinates.
Although these demons obeyed Muriel, as a fellow Demon Lord, they wouldn’t act hostile toward Via without explicit orders.
Besides…
Even if they did turn hostile, she wasn’t afraid of them anymore.
At this point, she was terrifyingly strong.
“That young lady seems to be standing at the main gate. If you don’t mind, I can arrange for someone to take you out to look for her.”
“No need.”
Via waved her hand and then took out a vial of potion from her bosom.
“Don’t forget to have that one drink this potion. It’ll prevent her brain from burning out.”
“…Is her life in danger?”
“Not at all. I’m a law-abiding succubus, after all. It’s just a Silver Inscription mark. She’ll get through it and won’t die. The only risk is possibly frying her brain. Once she takes it, she’ll be fine. The rest is just an equivalent retaliation for her actions today.”
Via couldn’t wish her dead.
If she actually killed her, her reputation in the demon clan would be ruined.
“Thank you for your generosity.”
“Also, it’s best if a familiar without reproductive ability gives her the potion,” Via smiled mysteriously.
“Don’t blame me for not warning you—given her physique and condition, if she catches anyone and starts a fight, she’ll drain them dry.”
The Succubi’s Emerald Silver magic, passed down for thousands of years, is known for its stable quality and reliable effect.
The poor Dark Elf Lord—after tonight, she’d probably have to replace her entire bedding set.
You might not believe in a succubus’s combat ability, but you can’t deny what they do when it comes to their ‘meals.’
As Via stepped out of the mansion gate, she saw Cecilia’s figure from afar.
The girl was standing right in front of the mansion, staring intently at it, as if ready to rush in at any moment.
But when she saw Via appear, she visibly exhaled in relief.
“Worried about me?”
Via walked over with a grin, as if she’d discovered something amusing.
“…After all, you’re the only one who can protect me so far.”
At a moment like this, Cecilia was a little evasive.
Although Via could clearly see the Holy Sword in the saintess’s hands ready to strike at any second, the saintess still stubbornly kept up appearances.
“Really? That’s quite disappointing. Between you and me, we have to rely on such a fragile bond to hold on,” Via teased, then grew serious again.
“To be honest, Cecilia, how about becoming my Follower? I’m short on manpower here, and you need a place to belong, don’t you?”
“Sorry, I refuse.”
Being Via’s “toy” and being her Follower were two different things.
Being her little sidekick or “toy” didn’t mean becoming part of the demon clan, but becoming a Follower meant truly becoming one of them.
Cecilia was angry at those who had plotted against her, but she still wasn’t ready to become one of the demons.
“Alright then.”
Via said casually.
“You’ve already seen enough for today. If it weren’t for looking after you, you wouldn’t have been able to enter the demon realm, let alone the Demon King’s Castle.”
Via said.
“Senior.”
“Hm?”
“Why… did you bring me here?”
Even though Via risked a lot bringing her into the Demon King’s Castle, and she wasn’t even part of the demon clan, she still brought a former saintess into the very heart of the demon realm.
This was hard to understand from a normal perspective.
Hearing Cecilia’s question, Via looked around, then tilted her head thoughtfully before saying:
“Probably for fun?”
“Senior, I’m seriously asking you.”
Cecilia had already figured out Via’s temperament.
When Via tried to hide something, she often avoided questions with various strange and quirky methods.
Clearly, Via must have a special goal for bringing her to the core of the demon clan.
“Fine, if I have to say, it’s a little personal thought of mine.”
Via said, reaching out her hand toward the towering Demon King’s Court in the distance.
“Cecilia, what kind of existence is the Demon King in your eyes?”
“Powerful, evil, and the mortal enemy of humanity.”
That was the education Cecilia had received as a saintess.
Although she never fully believed such forced indoctrination, years of experience dealing with demons had proven that judgment to be mostly accurate.
Every Demon King was an incredibly powerful being, and humans had never given up trying to kill them.
There were records of humans killing a Demon King, but that king was in an extremely weak state at the time.
“That’s true, and I agree with that,” Via nodded.
“And I want to become the Demon King.”
“…Huh?”
Cecilia’s first reaction was disbelief.
Had this succubus been made stupid by all the plants in the garden?
What was she saying?
Girl, you’re standing not far from the Demon King’s Court.
You’re saying you want to usurp the throne right under their nose?
What kind of move is this?
“The current Demon King is strong and handles demon affairs very efficiently—I can see that clearly. But no matter how strong the current Demon King is, they can’t achieve the goal I want. With the demon clan as it is now, they might not even be able to withstand attacks from other intelligent races in the future.”
Revenge required sufficient resources.
Via was a Demon Lord now but was essentially a lone one.
And Lilith, the current Demon King, though capable, was still accelerating the demon clan down the road to early full-scale war.
“Is this something you can say here?”
Cecilia shivered a little.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m overheard. In fact, doing this would be really exciting,” Via said.
“That’s why I asked if you wanted to become my Follower today. So far, I don’t have enough people or resources that match my status.”