With a thunderous boom, a huge mushroom cloud rose outside the western edge of the manor. In less than ten seconds, countless demons beat their wings and took to the air. The Demon Lord Army patrols around the estate mobilized at once.

“Possible Legendary-class intruder at the manor’s west gate!”

“Teams One and Three, move to the west gate immediately! Teams Two and Four, split off and head to the three prison cells! Team Five, protect Lord Rogue!”

“We don’t know if they have a Legendary among them. Go get Lord Germok, now!”

The demons moved fast. In barely over ten seconds, the battle at the west gate had already begun. The sky was full of demons, and Rogue could feel that his magic array had activated.

Along with the aftershocks of combat magic, waves of dragon roars echoed out.

Rogue already had a good idea who had launched tonight’s raid on the manor.

He turned and glanced at Lilitha inside the warehouse, but didn’t move. Puppet No. 3, the one in charge of combat, had also come to Rogue’s side. Its mechanical artificial eye flickered with a crimson glow. It looked eager to act.

“Lord Rogue!” Cheggs, the one Rogue had saved earlier, flapped over and landed before him. He said respectfully, “Please wait here for a moment, Lord Rogue. The intruders aren’t that strong. We’ll deal with them.”

Rogue nodded. “Mm. It’s the Dragon Clan, right?”

“Yes. They waited until Lady Aria was away before trying to stir up trouble. They’re only at the seventh tier, yet somehow they’ve got the nerve for this.” Cheggs was also a seventh-tier magic swordsman. Even in the Demon Lord Fortress, he was only above average. That said enough about those Silver Dragons, who might not even be stronger than him.

Rogue glanced back at the warehouse again. Because of the warehouse’s special nature, only Rogue and Puppet No. 1 could see what was happening inside. There was no doubt about it. They had come for Lilitha.

“If possible, take them alive.”

“Everyone’s quite fond of Silver Dragon blood. If possible, we’ll definitely catch one alive for you to interrogate, my lord.”

Cheggs laughed a few times, spread his wings, and flew toward the area where the battle was spreading.

The backbone of the Demon Lord Fortress was already made up of fifth-tier demons. The Dragon Clan was strong in every way, but it was only a few dragons at the seventh tier. Lilitha should be safe here.

The magic array Rogue had set up had played a huge role. Without its warning, the battle might really have broken out inside the manor.

In less than ten minutes, the fighting over there had already ended. Neither the attacking dragons nor the defending demons were foolish. Once they were blocked, the Dragon Clan decisively chose to withdraw.

As for the demons, there was even less to say. Less than ten seconds after the fight began, every patrol squad had already started moving toward the battlefield in an orderly way. When Rogue had said Lilitha would never escape no matter what, he hadn’t been joking.

These bloodthirsty demons were no useless drunks.

The battle came fast and ended just as fast. Germok, one of the Four Generals left behind to guard the Demon Lord Fortress, strode over to Rogue. He was nearly three meters tall, and even the floor trembled a little under his steps.

“They got away. Five Dragon Clan bastards, plus one Legendary mage hiding in the dark. By the time I got there, they’d already run.” Germok’s expression was ugly. The defenses around Rogue’s manor were already strong enough. Recently, dragons really had come to negotiate for the young dragon’s ransom, but Germok hadn’t expected them to use that as a cover.

What a vile bunch.

Rogue was only 1.8 meters tall, so he had to look up at Germok. “This young dragon is a pet Lady Aria specifically asked for. Please take extra care with the surrounding defenses, Lord Germok. Any demons injured in battle can be sent to me for treatment.”

“Don’t worry. Eris has returned as well. I’ll be responsible for your safety here. As for treatment, I’ll leave that to you.”

“Everything is for Lady Aria.”

Their exchange was brief. Rogue’s relationship with Germok was fairly ordinary, and they didn’t talk much. Still, just that little bit was enough for Rogue to piece together the whole cause of this incident.

The fall of Silver Dragon King Gudexia was inevitable. These dragons also knew Aria was over there. Gudexia was beyond saving, so they had tried to use Aria’s absence to raid the manor and rescue Lilitha.

But sadly for them, they had underestimated the Demon Lord Army’s combat strength.

If that Legendary mage had made a move, they might still have had a chance. Without making a move, even breaking through the patrols here was difficult.

Any race could decay under a life of luxury. Only demons would not. These demons had bloodlust carved into their bones. To fight until they died on the battlefield was the glorious end they believed in.

Rogue bent down and touched the muddy ground beneath his feet. The magic array could block one high-level spell. It hadn’t been damaged, so there was no need to repair it.

If the enemy’s Legendary mage hadn’t acted, then they were probably newly advanced and still lacking in strength.

Or perhaps they were a support-type Legendary mage. With the Demon Lord Army nearby and Germok present, the manor was safe.

After reaching that conclusion, Rogue pushed open the warehouse door behind him. Lilitha had also sensed the commotion outside just now. She didn’t know what had happened, but her rejection of the unknown had already become almost instinctive.

The hands holding the Pendant were trembling. Even when Rogue opened the door and walked in, she only looked at him twice more before lowering her gaze back to the Pendant.

Obsessed.

Those two words perfectly described Lilitha right now.

Other than the Pendant, there was nothing else in her eyes. Her reactions to Rogue were growing weaker and weaker too.

Rogue was starting to regret it. He should’ve snatched that Pendant away on the very first day he met Lilitha. It was that pointless bit of hope back then that had led to this situation now.

She wouldn’t eat bread. She didn’t want to bathe either. When Rogue wasn’t around, she hid in a corner alone and cried, constantly murmuring about her father. Even now, when Rogue dragged her over to wash up, she was like a puppet on strings, letting him grab her and toss her into the wooden tub.

At times like this, only one thing would make Lilitha react violently: Rogue taking away her Pendant and setting it aside. The moment he gave it back, she would quiet down at once.

This absolutely wouldn’t do.

Rogue took a deep breath. His expression gradually turned harsh. If this kept up, then once the Silver Dragon King died, Lilitha definitely wouldn’t want to keep living either.

After finishing the feeding and everything else, Rogue walked up to Lilitha and grabbed the other end of the Pendant.

The moment Lilitha saw what he was doing, tears flickered in her eyes as she kept shaking her head. Because she had been crying nonstop, the sound she made now was nothing but a hoarse, simple rasp.

But Rogue didn’t let go. With one hard pull, he snatched the Pendant away.

He stood in front of Lilitha, his tall figure swallowing her up like a demon.

He took the clock hanging on the wall, set it for eight tomorrow morning, then stuffed it into Lilitha’s hands. Ignoring her pleading and tugging, he coldly left the warehouse.

Your father’s fall is already set in stone. He was the great Silver Dragon King, and no one can deny that. But this Pendant can’t be your support anymore. The clansmen outside who came to save you can’t be your hope either. If you need someone to rely on, then rely on me.

“No. 1, make the arrangements. Starting today, I’ll be staying here for the time being.”