Chapter 204: Silverleaf Academy (LII)

“…Eh?”

The rune pulsed.

Chains of glowing, translucent ice exploded outward—

CRACK!!

They coiled across her limbs, wrapping around her wrists, ankles, waist, and even her wings

“Wha—” Lilith gasped, trying to float backward, but the chains snapped her body toward Aestrea like a leash being pulled tight.

They pulled hard enough to drag her slightly off-balance, her wings flapping as she struggled to regain control, but the chains tightened.

Squishhh!

Then, her body jerked slightly as the chains reacted to Aestrea’s mana, dragging her feet off the ground for a moment before slamming her softly to her knees in front of him.

“Ahn~!?” Her voice trembled out of her throat, half-gasp, half-moan, as the frost laced over her skin like icy silk, both numbing and burning at the same time.

Her wings twitched violently behind her, trying to resist, but the chains wrapped tighter around them, pinning them behind her back.

Her tail lashed in protest, only to be caught and coiled with one final chain, binding her in a kneeling pose that showed complete submission.

“Y-you… branded your tongue just to trap me…?” she stammered, staring up at him in disbelief, her flushed cheeks now matched by the soft glow of the mark starting to bloom on her collarbone.

It pulsed faintly, forming into the shape of a heart, the same shape of the rune that had been hidden on Aestrea’s tongue.

She trembled as the chains began to hum.

They weren’t just locking her body in place… they were starting to engrave a brand of ownership into her soul.

Aestrea calmly gazed down at her trembling form, but before he did anything, he glanced to the side.

『 Ice Series: Frost Chains! (✦ 5th-level Spell ✦) 』

Chains erupted from the ground, trapping the weak Beelzebub.

“You stay there, quietly, before I kill you,” he warned coldly.

“HOW DARE A MERE H—”

Splurt!

『 Bleed 』

A crescent mark erupted on his chest, drawing a wave of blood.

“Silence.”

Beelzebub gritted his teeth at Aestrea’s words, but Aestrea ignored him and then turned back to Lilith again.

“You made a mistake, Lilith… a really serious one.”

Thrum!

The chains around her waist glowed brighter, and the rune on her collarbone sizzled slightly, as if reacting to his words.

Lilith’s lips parted, her chest rising and falling as if she was caught between two complicated emotions, which were lust and fear.

She looked up at him, her heart-shaped pupils trembling ever so slightly as a bead of sweat rolled down her temple despite the cold.

Brush~

Aestrea reached out slowly, letting the back of his fingers brush across the fresh mark now etched into her collarbone.

The touch was featherlight, but Lilith shivered as if lightning had shot through her.

“You’ll speak,” he whispered, his breath feeling cold against her skin. “You’ll tell me the truth. And if you don’t…”

He leaned closer.

“I’ll make you beg to be allowed to.”

Her lips quivered, her tail twitched helplessly behind her, still bound tight.

Click!

And then, as the final chain clicked into place with a soft chime of frozen mana, Lilith’s eyes fluttered slightly.

She exhaled slowly, chest rising with the effort to stay composed.

But it didn’t last.

“…Master~,” she finally whispered.

Aestrea didn’t react immediately, as he continued looking at the brand on her neck, as if checking if there was something wrong with it.

Then, he finally spoke.

“Why are you here, Lilith?”

She flinched slightly at his words.

“Ah…”

Her breath hitched, and the chains on her wrists rattled faintly as her fingers curled inwards, gripping nothing.

Her tail, still pinned and wrapped in mana, twitched helplessly behind her.

Lilith looked up slowly, her pupils shimmered, heart-shaped and gleaming with a strange mix of amusement and dread.

“You want the truth?” she smiled, though the corners of her lips trembled slightly.

“I came to see you, of course. But not just because of you.”

She tilted her head slightly, her hair falling across her face. Her chains tightened around her arms with a small sound as if reacting to her hesitation.

“I was ordered to observe… to act if necessary.” Her eyes glinted. “By someone who stands even above the Demon King.”

That statement alone made the others stiffen. James and Derek exchanged a sharp glance. Maya raised her fists again.

Violet’s lips tightened.

But Aestrea didn’t say anything.

Lilith let out a shaky laugh.

“But, I took a little detour, you see? I’m curious by nature~.”

And then… her voice dropped.

“About ten years ago… I visited the Empire. I had to plant a seed there. And for that… I used him.”

A pause.

“The Emperor.”

That single name struck the air like thunder.

Everyone went silent.

Completely.

Even Beelzebub’s muffled growl stopped for a moment behind the chains of frost.

The twins looked at each other, stunned. Iris gasped quietly. Lucas’s fingers tightened around the hilt of Excalibur.

But the loudest reaction…

“W-WHAT?!”

It came from Leon.

The Crown Prince.

His voice cracked with shock, and his face went pale. He took a step forward, but Violet caught his arm instantly.

“She… she’s lying, right?!” His voice trembled.

Lilith gave him a slow smile.

“Oh~ little prince, don’t look at me like that~. Your dear father was more than willing. Do you know how easy it is to melt a man with just a single wet dream and a few promises? He was strong… but lonely. And very curious.”

Her hips shifted slightly, despite the chains holding her in place.

She looked proud of it.

Ella looked just as shaken.

“You… you seduced our father? The Emperor of the Empire…?!” Her voice was a mix of rage and disbelief.

Lilith met her eyes with a soft, cruel smile.

“Yes, Princess~.”

“And I left a mark on him… deeper than any scar.”

Leon took another step, his fists clenched.

“Are you saying you’re the reason…?”

Lilith giggled.

“Mhm~. Why did he stop trusting his own shadows? Why did he become so paranoid? Why did he order certain… ‘surveillance’ around both of you? Oh, honey, that was me~.”

A cold silence filled the space again.

FWOOP!

Ella’s sword glinted in the air, her body already moving before she even thought.

“YOU—!!”

She dashed forward, blade pulled back with raw fury in her eyes. Wind whirled around her as she shot towards Lilith.

Leon followed a second after, his sword drawn, a golden aura flaring high.

“YOU FUCKING BITCH—!!”

But before either of them could strike—

CLANG!

A flash of ice-blue light shimmered between them.

Aestrea moved inhumanly fast.

He raised his arm just enough, and a wall of frozen mana surged out from the ground.

BANG!

Both Leon and Ella were knocked back, gently but firmly, skidding along the floor. Their swords didn’t touch her.

Not even close.

Aestrea stood between them and Lilith, his back straight, his face cold.

“Enough.”

“She used our father—!! S-she—!!” Ella looked up from the ground, stunned.

“I know,” Aestrea said flatly.

“You’re protecting her?!” Leon pushed himself to his feet, panting in disbelief.

“She’s still useful for me.”

Giggle~

Lilith, still bound, laughed softly behind him.

“My, my~. Such a good Master~… I might just fall for you~.”

“Shut up,” Aestrea snapped coldly, not even turning his head.

She pouted dramatically, leaning her cheek against her shoulder like a guilty cat.

“So mean~… But also, so hot~…”

The others kept their distance now, still on edge, still unsure.

Aestrea turned back to Lilith.

“You said someone higher than the Demon King gave you the order.”

She blinked slowly, her tail swaying lazily behind her.

“Mhm~.”

“Who?”

She tilted her head.

“The Demon God.”

The silence was immediate.

Shock rippled through the group like thunder underwater.

Even Lucas stiffened, his body still bruised from the earlier blast. Violet’s lips parted slightly. Rose held her hand to her mouth. Maria’s eyes widened.

“No way…” Derek and James both whispered-

“The Demon God…?” Iris murmured, barely above a breath.

Aestrea’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You said… surveillance. On whom, exactly? Was it the Hero?”

Lilith’s gaze turned serious, just for a moment.

But then, her lips curled again.

“It wasn’t the Hero.”

She leaned forward, tugging lightly against the chains.

“It was you, darling~.”

Aestrea didn’t speak.

He just stared at her.

And then—

Her eyes gleamed, as if something deep in her memory resurfaced.

“…Luntheris.”

That name echoed across the ruined castle like a whisper from hell.

The others were pretty confused.

But the instant she said that name, Aestrea’s breath hitched immediately.

“What did you say?”

Lilith smiled slowly, her voice dropping into a whisper.

“That’s what He called you.”

“Luntheris.”

Everyone stayed frozen.

And then, swallowing hard, Leon spoke.

“What… What is that name?”

Lilith smiled, her chains jingling faintly as she tilted her head.

“Oh, you’ve never heard it~? That’s funny… because the moment the Demon God said it, every high-ranking demon in the realm froze like prey…”

Her eyes glowed in dim pink light.

“…And even the Demon King lowered his head.”