It was obedient.

That was Rogue’s assessment of Lilitha now.

As her body gradually recovered, so did her spirit. Her mind grew more active. The oppressive gloom of the storeroom couldn’t crush her will—in fact, the very connection binding them only made her more determined.

Rogue pulled out a quill and parchment, jotting notes while observing Lilitha after his departure. The moment he left, she let out a small sigh, then hurriedly searched for her pendant.

That pendant remained her most precious possession.

Yet Lilitha’s expression darkened. Not because Rogue had left or the storeroom plunged back into darkness—but because the pendant’s glow had dimmed.

*Rogue suspected Silver Dragon King Gudexia must have already encountered Lady Aria… and something had happened.*

*If this pendant was tied to the Silver Dragon King’s life… did its fading light mean his death?*

Lilitha clutched the pendant, worry flickering across her small face. Her thick tail coiled around her again as she instinctively glanced up at the storeroom’s ceiling. The small window there stayed firmly shut.

In the end, she curled up in her usual corner.

Rogue watched from outside for half an hour before leaving. When he was present—even if her obedience was feigned—Lilitha’s expressions were vivid: fear, tension, shyness. He especially enjoyed her shy moments; teasing her brought him an indescribable thrill.

But the moment he left, her spirit seemed to fade.

*Spend more time with her?*

Impossible. In truth, this state suited Rogue perfectly.

He intended to raise Lilitha as a pet—not treat her like a daughter. A measured dose of harshness would only hasten that goal.

He might feel pity sometimes, but Rogue remained focused solely on the mission Lady Aria had entrusted to him.

After returning to his room, Rogue headed to Aria’s library. He began scouring records about Silver Dragon King Gudexia. One biography’s latest entry was dated five years ago.

"Upright, honest, incorruptible, courageous, humble, courteous…" The records painted the Silver Dragon King as the very embodiment of "justice." As one of only two supreme beings among the Dragon Clan, his Legendary-tier power commanded awe.

Rogue also found intriguing information in the biography’s latest entry: the Silver Dragon King had voluntarily joined the Hero Squad to march against the Demon King.

The biography noted that nearly all seven members of the Hero Squad had reached the Legendary tier. Alongside Gudexia, their followers were all formidable warriors—undoubtedly the strongest expedition force in nearly a millennium.

Yet Rogue knew Aria, too, was only at the Legendary tier—far from godlike. Three years ago, that expedition had ended in total defeat for the Hero Squad.

Even counting Aria’s subordinates, the entire might of the Demon Lord Fortress shouldn’t have withstood a group of Legendary-tier powerhouses.

The outcome was utterly baffling.

Just as he immersed himself in reading—**BOOM!**

Rogue instinctively cast a spell to shield his eardrums and steady his stance. The momentary deafness passed. Clutching his books, he strode to the fifth-floor balcony of the library. No attackers were visible outside. What caused such a massive tremor?

Far beyond the Demon Lord Fortress, in the Withered Marshes, a golden-haired woman in an elegant brocade robe stood atop a stone giant nearly a hundred meters tall. Wand in hand, her expression unreadable, she radiated an aura of nobility and overwhelming power.

Beneath her yawned a crater of equal depth, exposing molten magma far below. Inside lay a massive silver dragon, barely clinging to life, its body covered in wounds.

Demon King Aria—undisputed apex of the demon race, a Legendary-tier Archmage—had just unleashed an Overlord Magic spell. A strike powerful enough to shake half the underworld. Only surpassed by Grand Forbidden Spells, such magic was nearly impossible for even Legendary beings to cast.

Aria frowned down at the dragon. "Can we shatter his ‘shell’?"

A demon flapped his wings to her side—one of Aria’s trusted lieutenants. "My Lady, unless you prepare another spell of equal magnitude, we cannot break the Silver Dragon King’s magic shield."

Aria’s displeasure deepened. She’d tracked the gravely wounded Silver Dragon King, expended immense effort to cast that Overlord Magic… only to leave him merely on the brink of death. His life-forged magic shield had deflected almost all the damage.

"Truly worthy of the title Silver Dragon King," Aria murmured, shaking her head with a sigh. The stone giant beneath her crumbled to dust.

With a flick of her robe, she landed gracefully. "He’ll be dead within a week."

The demon Eris gazed at her adoringly. "You are also a King, my Lady. Do not belittle yourself. Even the mighty Silver Dragon King will fall by your hand."

"Though both are Kings… he stands near the realm of Deities," Aria replied, a trace of yearning in her eyes.

*Deity.* A familiar yet distant word. Countless powerful beings strained to grow stronger—all for a Deity’s acknowledgment, a Deity’s blessing… or even to serve at a Deity’s side.

Aria strove for it too, yet the Demon God had granted her little favor.

She would guard this place for a week. Until the Silver Dragon King’s life faded.

"By the way," Aria began walking toward her resting place, her expression softening at the mention of a name, "how is Rogue faring?"

Hearing that detested name, Eris’s eyes turned icy—but he kept his face neutral. "Since receiving the Young Dragon Princess, Rogue shows no significant change. Though… due to the Silver Dragon King’s involvement, he’s visited your library twice this week."

"May it help him recall more of his past. But you know what must remain hidden from him."

"Understood, my Lady."

"And Moy? You sent him to Rogue too, didn’t you?"

Eris shook his head. "Rogue remembers nothing of Moy. His current usefulness is even less than the dragon girl’s. Besides, Moy is far too unstable around Rogue."

"No matter. Rogue wishes to remember his past too. I look forward to him regaining his memories~"

As she spoke, Aria’s face flushed with a feverish, almost manic excitement. Her crimson eyes deepened to blood-red, adding an otherworldly allure to her already breathtaking beauty.

Eris hesitated for a long moment before speaking gravely, "My Lady… you need not treat him so kindly. Let me simply search his soul—"

His words died instantly. Aria’s violet eyes locked onto his—cold as glacial ice. Crimson mist seeped into the air around her. This wasn’t a warning. It was lethal intent made manifest.

Eris swallowed hard. His knees buckled, collapsing to the ground. Blood seeped from all seven orifices.

"You may die," Aria whispered, her voice angelically soft. "But he will not. Understand?"

*I’ve served Lady Aria for a century… Why am I worth less than a frail human?!*

***Rogue!!!***

Hatred toward that name burned ever fiercer in Eris’s heart.