Chapter 463: Demon Lords Of The Lower City
Meanwhile, in a different part of the city...
Lilinlea, one of Lord Krygon’s wives, sat at a round table across from four figures.
They were the four lords of the Lower City, the district commonly known as Lower Krygon.
The room itself was in a poor state. Parts of the walls were cracked and deteriorating, while fat rats occasionally scurried through the darker corners of the chamber.
A few small, glowing lamps provided the only illumination, casting a dim light over the room.
This secluded chamber, hidden somewhere within the Lower City, served as the meeting place where Lilinlea had gathered the four demon lords.
Their conversation was already underway.
"I want every one of you to gather your men," Lilinlea said. "Today is that day."
Apparently, they had been planning this for quite some time.
One of the demon lords spoke at this turn. "i want to renegotiate our terms"
He had spiderweb-like markings across his pale face, the coloration so stark that it almost looked as though he had covered himself in white makeup.
There was this mischievous smile playing across his red lips.
Lilinlea’s expression darkened. "What is it, Durollan?"
The demon lord’s smile became more pronounced as he said, "After all of this is done, I no longer want to rule over a domain in the Lower City. I want a domain in the Upper City. I belong up there, not here."
Lilinlea then asked. "And what will become of the people you rule?"
"I don’t care," Durollan replied casually. "I’m sure someone will fill my place."
Durollan had gained control over his domain through a combination of conniving, killings, and challenges. His territory was the sort of place where even its ruler had to constantly watch his back.
Moreover, his kind of person had always been ambitious, forever seeking a higher position and greater influence.
So, the idea of abandoning his current domain for a place among the more powerful rulers of the Upper City was therefore entirely in character.
Lilinlea stared at him for a moment. "I’ll consider it."
"No." Durollan tapped his index finger on the table, emphasizing each word. "If this is going to be done, then you must agree to my terms. That’s the only way I’ll participate."
Lilinlea’s eyes narrowed. "What domain?"
"Vel Azrak." He answered. "That one"
Lilinlea’s expression stared almost in disbelief. "You must not be serious with this demand...That place is ruled by Lord Ornorath."
"I am aware." Durollan leaned back slightly. "And I want it."
He maintained his confident expression before continuing.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m going to take full advantage of it while I can."
He shrugged. "Otherwise, you’re better off doing this with the others and leaving me out."
Lilinlea stared at him with a furious expression.
One of the other demon lords giggled quietly as he watched her, amused by the confrontation.
The other two said nothing however.
The situation was particularly frustrating for Lilinlea, because she knew how important Durollan was to this mission.
He held a significant advantage over the others.
Of the four lords gathered here, his domain possessed the largest number of demons, and his forces included some of the strongest demons among them.
He also knew this and was was using that advantage to pressure Lilinlea.
After several moments, she finally said "Very well. I suppose we can work something out."
Durollan’s smile widened, then he gave her a bow. "Excellent."
Another demon lord immediately leaned forward. "In that case, I too want to renegotiate my terms."
This was the one who had been giggling.
He was lanky, with two large curved horns rising from his head. A scar ran across one eye, while his devious grin revealed rows of claw-like teeth.
His name was Vastoroth and there were stitch wrappings covering both of his arms.
Vastoroth had waited to see how the exchange would go. More specifically, he had been waiting to see if Lilinlea would agree to Durollan’s demands so that he could quickly put his own terms forward.
The moment she had agreed, he immediately came up with his own reason to renegotiate.
That made Lilinlea even more furious as she gestured to them all and asked. "What is this sudden nonsense from you people at this hour?"
"Careful now, wife of Krygon," another demon lord spoke.
He had a tall head that looked like a smooth black cylinder with a sharp, pointed chin. Six thin yellow eyes were arranged across his face, while his red skin was wrapped in white bandages.
This was Gelgren.
He continued, "Do not lump all four of us together like that. That in itself is insulting....Moreover, you must have understood that cases like this were going to happen when you chose to come to us."
Gelgren had always been the kind of demon who carried a certain amount of pride and considered himself above others.
He was one of those demon lords of the Lower City who had gained his position through the respect people had for him.
"I apologize, Lord Gelgren," Lilinlea said, nodding before turning back toward Vastoroth, who still had that giggle on his face.
Vastoroth then laid out his terms. "If Durollan is tired of his seat, then I want his domain added to mine. And I want an additional ten thousand gold."
The thing was, Durollan’s domain was the closest to his own. And since Durollan did not care what happened to his territory afterward, Vastoroth had decided to bank on the opportunity.
"No! That will not happen." One other demon lord countered.
This one was a lady—a demoness named Risryna. She had gray skin, long flowing white hair, and a matching white hooded cloak. Her glowing red eyes contrasted with her dark lipstick.
An argument began almost immediately between Risryna and Vastoroth.
The two were enemies, and the men of their domains constantly killed one another. Risryna knew that if Vastoroth took control of Durollan’s territory, it would give him a significant advantage over her.
And who knew what he would do after that? He could even set his sights on her own domain.
After all, when it came to the Lower City, there were barely any rules that guided then.
With the exception of Gelgren, the arguments between the lords had worsened, eventually pulling Durollan back into it since it was all his fault.
At some point, Lilinlea lost her patience with the three-way banter. She pulled out a circular plaque and dropped it onto the table.
The plaque bore the seal of the Demon King, and was something that had been handed over to Lilinlea by the Demon King himself.
They all suddenly went quiet at the sight of it.
Lilinlea looked at each of them before speaking. "I never intended to show this or use it because when I came to you all a few months back, I did not need to. But I must have you all know that even the Demon King sanctions this and will make efforts to see that our plan is a success."
She paused.
"So anyone who thinks they can ruin this should just keep it at the back of their minds that they will be dealing with the king himself."
After a moment, Lilinlea continued. " I will hear your requests. I will agree to some, but only the ones that are reasonable. I will consider the others. But this plan will happen, and it must happen today. There can be no failures."
She stared across the table at all four of them.
They continued to sit in silence, staring at the plaque and understanding that they could not afford to mess this up.
The plan with these demon lords of the Lower City was to take them all the way to the Upper City, specifically Lord Krygon’s palace. It was a war to dethrone the one everyone assumed was the real Lord Krygon, and anyone who stood in support of him.
The plan had been going on for months now, and it made one thing worth wondering; Why these demon lords in the Lower City? Why not the nobles of the Upper City, who were in much closer proximity to the palace?
The answer was this; The reason Lilinlea had chosen to work with the demon lords instead was because Nathan’s attention was least focused on the Lower City.
In fact, throughout his time as Lord Krygon, he had not once stepped into this part of the city. Even after taking control, he had barely kept tabs on them.
And naturally, everything would have been fine.
The demons of the Lower City had always been content to live as they did.
The Lower City had only ever been a problem for the Lower City itself, rather than for the Upper City, or anyone in power.
So, there was never any much reason to pay attention to them.
And Lilinlea knew this.
Additions, the demon lords of the Lower City had the most reason to rebel.
Unlike the nobles of the Upper City, many of whom were directly affiliated with Lord Krygon, these demon lords had little attachment to the hierarchy that governed the city.
They had lived and under it; onlybcompeting among themselves for whatever power they could obtain.
For Lilinlea, they were therefore the perfect people to approach.
They were powerful enough to make a difference, desperate enough to accept her offer, and overlooked enough that Nathan would never see the rebellion coming until it was already at his doorstep.
——
Back at the hilly terrain close to the Krygon Palace...
Pan was now addressing both Valerie and Miss Bernadette.
"You both have done well."
"What I wanted to see was the constant application of True Magic in your techniques, and I must say I was pleased. Now I am certain that you both have imbibed the basics."
Pan paused.
"There is still so much to learn. Moving forward, you will all need to master how to channel a lot more natural mana into your techniques. For now, I have noticed that you both can only do the bare minimum with what I have shown you so far."
He looked between Valerie and Bernadette.
"But, you both have earned your rest today. We will continue tomorrow."
Pan gave a bow, and they both gave a bow as well.
He then turned toward Nathan, who was standing beside him. "I will be taking my leave back to the quarters now."
He bowed once more.
Nathan nodded, then Pan went on his way.
Valerie turned toward Nathan and gave him a respectful bow as well before turning toward the older lady. "See you later, Miss Bernadette."
Bernadette nodded lightly with a smile as Valerie turned and followed behind Pan.
A second later, Bernadette returned her attention to Nathan and gave him a bow. "Lord Krygon."
She had a smile on her face as she said it.
Nathan laughed a little. "Oh, please. No one’s watching us here."