Volume 1 Chapter 692

Chapter 692: Golden Peacock

Within the palace of the Golden Peacock royal city,

A profound stillness had lingered ever since Queen Anya fell into slumber and Regent Maria Diana assumed power.

Servants moved through the corridors with hurried yet soundless steps, their lips sealed in perpetual silence.

The side palace once retained faint traces of vitality,

But even that remnant warmth vanished when the sole princess disappeared, leaving the entire complex shrouded in lifeless gloom.

In this sepulchral quietness resembling haunted grounds, Lolth materialized a portal within a secluded corner—an area already devoid of human presence.

Guiding Dorothy by the hand, she stepped through followed by Kanor, Lalea, and Patricia, whose casual demeanor suggested tourists rather than intruders.

The trio maintained respectful distance from the leading pair,

Though Lalea and Patricia had nearly erupted into teasing when witnessing the intimate hand-holding earlier—

They restrained themselves upon sensing the delicate atmosphere.

Kanor’s presence proved particularly inhibiting, her beatific smile silently warning against disturbing this fragile moment.

Yet whispered commentary remained inevitable.

"Who knew a succubus could be so… poetically deliberate?"

Lalea mused under her breath.

Her own history mirroring Dorothy’s vulnerabilities allowed perfect empathy—were she a youth of sixteen with a mentor who crushed repulsive royals from the United Kingdom of South Sotua, eliminated her wretched kin,

While addressing her as "My Princess"…

Resistance would’ve been futile.

The crimson-haired warrior shook her head. Discipline meant nothing against such tailored seduction.

"I witnessed their first meeting," Patricia murmured, fingertips brushing her chin. "Felt the tension immediately—though this? Beyond mere chemistry."

Kanor’s serene smile deepened.

"Exquisite, isn’t it?"

Their hushed conversation accompanied measured footsteps echoing through marble halls.

At the procession’s head, the air between Lolth and Dorothy thickened with unspoken currents.

Their advance resembled not a confrontation with a demi-god and Maria Diana’s regime,

But rather a nervous suitor being presented to parental authority.

The succubus felt subtle moisture against her palm—Dorothy’s silent tell.

"Nervous?"

She inquired gently.

"A little… I’m sorry…"

Dorothy murmured in response.

"No apologies needed—it’s only human,"

Lolth stated serenely.

"But Teacher, you’re already here with me. I shouldn’t feel this way."

Dorothy’s voice remained hushed.

Sensing this, Lolth tightened her grip on the princess’s hand.

The slender fingers nestled within her palm felt like grasping a weightless cloud.

"Feel nervous if you must. Fear what you need to fear… I vow everything will improve, yet you’re entitled to every emotion."

Lolth’s words carried the weight of an oath.

"I vowed to become your pillar and sanctuary… I want you to voice your terrors, anguish, and sorrows without restraint."

"Expecting absence of such feelings would be both unnatural and oppressive."

"Thus Dorothy, never apologize for your heart’s truth—though considering we’re here to claim debts and balance accounts, I’d advise walking tall with pride."

"You’re the rightful mistress of this realm!"

As Lolth spoke, the trembling pulse beneath Dorothy’s fingertips gradually steadied.

"Understood, Teacher."

The princess’s dulcet tones floated through the air.

Their path carried them from secluded palace corridors toward the central thoroughfare—the grand axial road stretching arrow-straight to the Golden Peacock Palace’s main hall.

Through Lolth’s heightened senses…

Maria Diana currently occupied the heart of the gilded palace.

Though an eerie stillness pervaded the compound, occasional maids and guards still traversed the approach to the hall.

Without sheltering shadows, the pair drew immediate attention—particularly the crown princess supposedly "vanished" amidst rumors of demonic allegiance.

The once approachable, even timid Princess Dorothy…

Now advanced with chin lifted and unshakable resolve.

Her hand remained clasped with that of an unremarkable-seeming girl—whose exposed horns and serpentine tail betrayed her nature.

"Abyssal Demon!!"

Maria Diana’s repeated purges had left only loyalists or silent acquiescers within these walls.

Dorothy’s emergence sparked not jubilation, but waves of alarm rippling through the onlookers.

And seeing that a lazily indifferent yet undeniably menacing succubus stood beside her…

Every guard and maid present shared the same thought…

"Hold them back!"

"Alert Lady Maria at once!"

The armored guards roared, surging toward Lolth and Dorothy.

These palace defenders truly represented the Golden Peacock’s finest—each warrior’s strength surpassed the Superlative Level! Though few in number, they formed an imposing force. From beyond the courtyards, royal warlocks and court mages funded by the Golden Peacock dynasty hastened toward the commotion.

Abruptly, the tranquil royal city erupted into chaos. Shattered silence gave way to magical flares illuminating the heavens while extraordinary energies rippled through the magic environment. Yet… Lolth herself showed no intention of intervening. With three spectators trailing her—unfit to confront Maria Diana but eager for lesser battles—she left the engagement to others.

Kanor watched as Lalea and Patricia gladly obliged.

"Let eternal night descend, and succumb to slumber…" Patricia’s incantation shimmered through the air, "…the stars shall weave dreams of amber for thee!"

Simultaneously, Lalea’s voice crackled: "Flames, heed my call! Dance upon my command—burst and consume!"

Resin-thick starlight cascaded from palace walls while fiery tendrils lashed the advancing guards. Most crumpled beneath Patricia’s spell, weapons clattering against stone as enchanted sleep claimed them. Others flew backward from Lalea’s explosive sorcery. To this peculiar trio, the Golden Peacock’s vaunted defenders proved…

Laughably feeble.

At least the vanguard did.

Subsequent waves fared no better—crossbow-bearing sentinels, reinforcements, even arriving court mages—all fell before the two casters. An epic-tier mage and legend-level sorceress, both battle-hardened (with Patricia’s renown spanning continents), dispatched the opposition effortlessly.

These clashes barely qualified as hindrances—Lolth’s group advanced without faltering, their pace never slackening. Soon they faced the palace’s main hall: an unexpectedly modest structure among fantastical realms’ gilded thrones. Moon-pale walls bore golden peacock motifs, while four towering doors yawned atop milky jade steps stretching into the distance.

The hall was spread with a crimson carpet, adorned with twelve golden banners suspended from above, while rows of standing lamps cast a brilliant glow along both sides of the textile pathway. Where the lights and carpet converged stood the ultimate symbol of supreme authority – a golden throne upon which a faint silhouette could be discerned.

Both Lolth and Dorothy recognized this figure immediately as Maria Diana. The defeated Golden Peacock Superoperators lay heaped like mountainous barriers along the flanks, their final comrades now clustered before the jade staircase – these remaining warriors being Maria Diana’s most loyal retainers.

"Not another step shall you advance!"

"Succubus… and treasonous vermin!!"

The arrayed knights and mages roared their defiance. Lolth observed their resolute expressions and heard their fervent oaths, clicking her tongue in mild irritation. "How absurd, casting us as the villains here…"

Dorothy’s laughter tinkled like silver bells. "An Abyssal Demon and a princess who’s sided with the demon race? We might as well wear ‘antagonists’ embroidered on our cloaks!" Her mirth softened into warmth as she added, "Yet… Teacher, I find great joy in sharing this role with you."

A wicked smile curved Lolth’s lips. "True enough… There’s unexpected pleasure in embracing the villain’s part." Her unoccupied hand lifted gracefully…

The stalwart guards flanking the path, steeled for mortal combat against the demon race, found themselves effortlessly swept aside by forces beyond their comprehension. Spatial manipulation shifted them like pawns on a chessboard, as effortlessly as mythical heralds parting seas with celestial scepters.

"Forward, Dorothy – let’s crush their pathetic devotion and laughable convictions." Maintaining their clasped hands, the pair ascended the staircase with measured elegance. The sealed space entrapped all opposition; though physically present, their attackers might as well have been separated by dimensional voids.

"Curse you, succubus!"

Their desperate charges met intangible barriers. Spells and steel alike dissipated into nothingness, rendering their earlier heroics suddenly farcical. Even had Lolth claimed their lives – which she refused – these zealots would have embraced such ends as martyrdom.

Whether motivated by Maria Diana’s past mercies or faith in her as prince regent mattered not. The scarlet-haired demoness would not grant them their desired glory.

The fact that these people believed they were doing the right thing irritated Lolth deeply.

Even if Dorothy remained indifferent, she couldn’t ignore this as both Dorothy’s lover and mentor.

"Watch well, you foolish, weak, and ignorant creatures. With your self-indulgent sacrificial spirit and blind loyalty, through your twisted perspective that can’t distinguish right from wrong—witness what’s about to unfold. Then wallow in remorse and impotent fury here."

Lolth spoke these words with icy composure.

She then ascended to the summit of the lengthy staircase,

coming to stand before the imposing gates of the resplendent palace.

At that very moment…

From the shadows within the doorway emerged a tall woman clad in plain servant’s attire.

"Princess Dorothy…"

The woman sighed softly, her slender frame seeming disproportionately small against the massive gates as she positioned herself between the pair.

"Forgive me."

Her apology hung in the air as she maintained her calm stance.

For the first time, a subtle shift flickered across Dorothy’s expression.

"Must we do this, Sister Garland?"

Her gentle inquiry received no verbal response—only the gradual intensification of transcendent energy radiating from the woman.

Beneath the maid’s feet, a Holy Domain began unfurling its power.

Lolth observed this development and sighed.

A Holy Domain-level opponent wasn’t particularly troublesome in itself.

The true complication lay in…

This woman’s profound significance to Dorothy.

Garland—once Dorothy’s personal attendant,

the very person who’d enjoyed the princess’s utmost trust.

She couldn’t be dealt with like common guards.

Moreover, facing a Holy Domain-level opponent…

If truly committed to dying, Garland couldn’t be neutralized without cost.

Feeling Dorothy’s hand tremble faintly again, Lolth found herself at a loss.

Then a voice rang out behind them:

"Garland… Garland… Ah yes, I’ve heard tales of you."

Lolth’s eldest apprentice—petite Kanor—stepped past her mentors to confront the maid.

"The betrayer of Sister Dorothy, aren’t you?"

Liquid silver metal coalesced in the girl’s palm as she spoke.

"Master, please… Leave this one to me."

Before Lolth or Dorothy could respond, Kanor launched herself at Garland.

CRASH!

A massive obsidian greatsword—larger than Garland herself—materialized before the maid.

The metallic clang reverberated from…

An identical argent blade now clutched in Kanor’s hands!

"Face me, traitor!"

"For your betrayal! Your deceit! Your falsehoods… PAY THE PRICE!"

The diminutive warrior hefted her disproportionate weapon, soaring skyward once more—

Then descended with fury incarnate, delivering a devastating downward strike!