But now she no longer thought that way.
Even if Ka Xiya was slow on the uptake, she could tell that her two blood relatives had been hiding many things from her.
Leaving aside everything else, just considering the personal strength her mother had displayed—who could possibly hurt her easily?
She could even parry the Demon King’s attacks.
Unless the enemy deployed a top-tier hero party, virtually no one could challenge the mother who had a well-rounded, six-axis stat sheet like a “juggernaut.”
As for whether Fei’ouna had any sympathy for humans, Ka Xiya could only keep those suspicions to herself.
After all, if the Demon King herself had no objections, what could she say?
And as her perception of her mother underwent a revolutionary change, Ka Xiya began to wonder if Fei’ouna’s actions carried some deeper meaning.
The main thing was that this whole incident was just too bizarre.
Overall, it gave her the feeling that Yilisi had known in advance that a group of humans would try to infiltrate the Black Prison Dungeon, and had deliberately created an opportunity for them, letting them in.
Since her mother had become the de facto “acting Demon King,” she must have learned something from Yilisi.
Dammit 💢
Even though she had been summoned back from the front lines at the border, they wouldn’t explain a single thing to her.
This completely made her feel like a side character who didn’t need to know the inside story!
Although Ka Xiya was a bit miffed, once her mother gave an order, as both daughter and subordinate, she only had to consider one thing: set aside all wild thoughts and prioritize executing her mission.
After her daughter left the side hall and flew toward the Black Prison Dungeon, Fei’ouna sat down on the garden swing.
Gently swaying in the breeze, she pondered her next move.
Even if Yilisi was faking her illness, the situation was still the highest secret of the demon race.
Leaving future matters aside for now, at least in the short term, no leaks could be allowed.
So one of the things Fei’ouna had to do was conceal the Demon King’s current state.
The official story she would put out was that the Demon King was stationed at the palace to prevent any sudden changes in the old demon city during this sensitive period, and that Queen Fei’ouna would serve as governor, actually responsible for all city affairs.
Of course, this decree wasn’t as simple as making a scroll and having Yilisi write a personal letter to send down.
For various reasons, our Demon King naturally wouldn’t appear in person.
Thus, the task of announcing the decree to the several guard commanders in the city and the senior members of the Demon Dragon Court naturally fell to Fei’ouna.
Beyond the announcement, there was another reason: to let her familiarize herself with the power structure inside the old demon city.
But to be honest, once Fei’ouna made her appearance, it would inevitably bring an earthquake-like shock to the current power ecosystem.
Because the old demon city had always been a highly autonomous city.
The nominal governor was Yilisi, but she had never actually managed it.
In simple terms, the city was ruled jointly by several royal courts.
Usually, only particularly major incidents would be reported to the Demon King.
And this was a necessary concession Yilisi had to make to consolidate her rule.
After all, no one was a fool.
If she only relied on force and didn’t share the spoils, the already loose demon race would eventually split into multiple warring tribes.
Of course, even with joint rule, the distribution of power wasn’t balanced.
Perhaps everyone started with the same cards, but after the passage of time reshuffled the deck, a leader would eventually emerge.
Currently, the most powerful faction in the old demon city was the “Night Demon Clan.”
They controlled the vast majority of factories, and the Night Demon Court’s queen, Laimanyin, was also the supreme commander of the city’s guard forces.
As for why the Night Demons, whose overall strength was slightly inferior to the other royal courts, could thrive so well in the old demon city—there were many reasons behind that.
So in a sense, if no special circumstances arose, Fei’ouna’s “inauguration ceremony” itself would go very smoothly.
Because the Night Demon Court was itself a die-hard supporter of the Demon Dragon Court.
There was no need for Yilisi to give them advance notice; they already knew what the right thing to do was.
So Fei’ouna was only suffering from a bit of social anxiety, nervously going over the inauguration procedure in her mind over and over again while sitting on the swing.
This was an old problem of hers.
Even back in her human days, Fei’ouna had been an introvert with a cold exterior and a warm interior.
She wasn’t good at communicating with strangers, and she dreaded large crowds.
She always gave off the impression that she was someone you couldn’t take out in public.
Fortunately, this problem had improved a lot.
Every year, there were always a few days when Yilisi would take her to attend various grand ceremonies and rituals.
After nearly a hundred such social events, she had gradually gotten used to her new identity as the Demon Queen.
But back then, she had always played the role of a decorative ornament, like a vase.
She didn’t need to speak or network.
Most of the time, Fei’ouna only had to sit quietly.
And if she had the chance, she’d make sure her stomach didn’t suffer—she’d gobble up the food the Demon King had prepared for her.
That was the extent of her duties.
But now, she had become the protagonist presiding over this critical meeting.
The only silver lining was that she should be able to recognize all the guests present at the event, so at least she wouldn’t be in the embarrassing situation of not knowing a single “person.”
Fortunately, there was still at least a week or so before the announcement of this heavyweight news, so Fei’ouna could take her time to adjust her mindset.
After all, the Demon King had only just arrived in the old demon city.
Making things too abrupt would not be a good choice.
But Fei’ouna wouldn’t just sit around idly. Before the announcement day arrived, she had to learn to adapt to her new role.
….
[The soft light of candles]
[A somewhat firm yet comfortable bed]
[And a thin, soft blanket]
‘Didn’t that red Demon Dragon kill me?’
‘But why am I here, in a clean, tidy, and cozy room?’
‘Could this be the pure land after death?’
‘Then why does my body hurt like hell?’
‘Have I fallen to hell?’
Just as Linka’s thoughts were in complete chaos, a dangerous figure appeared—one that made her muscles instinctively tense and her body immediately assume a combat stance.
No mistake!
It was that Demon Dragon!
Although she had no idea what kind of twisted situation this was, her instincts told her that she had to get out of bed immediately.
But just-woken Linka was like a patient with a high-level spinal injury—her mind was conscious, but her body wouldn’t obey.
Apart from clenching her teeth, she couldn’t do anything.
“Give up your foolish idea. This is the deepest level of the Black Prison Dungeon. Even if you recovered, you wouldn’t be able to escape.”
“Besides, your body is already demonizing. Before long, you won’t be human anymore.”
“So face reality.”