After Jeffrey left the room, only three people remained inside.
Elder Guntor, Lucifer, and his shadow-wife, Almyth.
Lucifer sat comfortably on a large settee with Almyth beside him, while Elder Guntor sat directly opposite them.
After a long, heavy silence — during which he gathered his courage — Elder Guntor finally spoke.
"Sir Lucifer… what did you wish to discuss with me? Now that Jeffrey is no longer here, you can speak freely."
Guntor's tone had completely changed. He was no longer addressing Lucifer as a mere boy or with any disrespect. His voice had shifted to a respectful "Sir."
Hearing this, Lucifer nodded slightly and replied in a calm, direct tone:
"Elder Guntor… I have no intention of hiding anything from you, especially when your family is involved. I don't have much time right now, so I will speak plainly, without any unnecessary talk."
"If you don't already know the situation, I'll start from the beginning — though I'll keep it brief."
"The truth is, I have a deep enmity with the City of Death, Morthveil, and its Pope, Rotveil. It is the kind of hatred where I want to skin him alive and kill him slowly, making him suffer every second. Do you understand the depth of my feelings?"
"If not, I can give you a live demonstration. But I believe you are wise and experienced enough to understand without that."
"My enmity is not only with Rotveil. It also extends to the Purefield Duchy — more precisely, to Christopher Purefield and Sarah Purefield. Unfortunately, the entire Purefield family continues to support those two, which is why I cannot spare the family either. And here's an interesting coincidence: Rotveil is actually the past Demagus Purefield — the ancestor of the current Purefield family. So their fate is already sealed with me."
He paused for a moment, then continued:
"You can take my word for it — today marks the first day. Nineteen more days remain until the Fertility Ceremony Festival. Before that festival begins, I will definitely eliminate Rotveil. That is guaranteed."
Lucifer kept speaking while Guntor listened in silence. Yet the elder still couldn't understand why Keilname County had gotten dragged into the conflict between Westirifer and the Purefield Duchy.
Lucifer continued:
"Elder Guntor, you should know that the place where you are sitting right now — this ducal palace — is located in Serendity, the capital of Westirifer. And I named this city 'Serendity' after 'Seren'."
"You must be wondering who Seren is. Today, I will open my heart and tell you everything."
"Seren… was the name of my eldest daughter. But she never got the chance to open her eyes in this world. And the ones responsible for that… are Rotveil, Sarah, and Christopher."
"This is an old story. At that time, I wasn't here. This duchy wasn't called Westirifer back then — it was known as the Asher Duchy. I was living in a small village called Evorywood as part of a modest family. My mother, Mia, was there. So was my eldest sister, Amelia. Then there was my father, Christopher… and my second eldest sister, Sarah."
"Yes — the same Christopher and Sarah who are now my sworn enemies."
"How do I explain this… Two months before I left Evorywood, Sarah told me she wanted to get pregnant by me. She was my elder sister, and I loved her deeply, so I couldn't refuse her. I impregnated her."
"Two months passed. During that time, a conflict arose between me and Christopher Purefield. That disagreement slowly turned into bitter enmity. Eventually, I severed all ties with the Purefield family. My mother Mia and my eldest sister Amelia chose to stand with me. But Sarah… she chose Christopher."
"Even then, it wasn't a big problem for me. I was furious with Christopher — so angry that I wanted to tear open his chest and drink his blood. But I had already left Evorywood village. There was only one thing I couldn't bring with me."
Guntor looked at him questioningly.
Lucifer's voice grew heavier.
"Elder Guntor… I couldn't bring my eldest daughter, Seren, with me. At that time, she was still inside Sarah's womb. The pain of that loss will haunt me for the rest of my life."
"When I was leaving the village, Christopher humiliated me thoroughly. I never expected any kind words from his worthless mouth, but he told me he would kill the child growing in Sarah's womb. Sarah herself agreed — she said she would kill my child too. At that moment, I could do nothing. So I left everything to fate and set out to wipe out the entire Asher family."
"Elder Guntor, you probably don't know this, but I possess a special sense — or skill — that tells me whether my child is a boy or a girl… and whether they are alive or not."
"After I eradicated the Asher family from this world, the very first day I spent with my new family — which included my mother Mia, my sister Amelia, and those who had come with me from Evorywood — I learned the truth. The daughter I had named Seren… was gone. Sarah and Christopher had done everything possible to kill that innocent child inside the womb. They even obtained the Tansy herb with Rotveil's help and tortured the fetus to death."
"But their cruelty didn't end there. When Sarah, with Rotveil's assistance, removed the dead fetus from her womb, instead of giving the unborn child any final respect… she handed the corpse over to Rotveil. And that monster… ate her. He devoured the body of my dead daughter."
By the time Lucifer reached this part of the story, the atmosphere in the penthouse had become unbearably tense. His eyes had turned blood-red with rage. The room temperature was rising rapidly. Space itself began to collapse and crumble around him as reality started breaking apart under the sheer pressure of his fury.
The overwhelming aura Guntor felt now made K's terrifying presence earlier seem like nothing — like comparing an ant to an elephant.
After a few moments, Lucifer managed to regain control of his anger. He took a deep breath and continued in a calmer voice:
"Forgive me, Elder Guntor. My control over my temper is still… lacking. Where were we? Ah, yes. My daughter Seren is no more. But you must be wondering how your county became involved in all of this. Let me explain that as well."
"I have a dream, Elder Guntor. In that dream, my mother — Mia Velmora — rules over the entire human kingdom. My duchy, Westirifer, does not remain a mere duchy — it becomes the Westirifer Kingdom. And I will achieve this eventually."
"However, my relationship with the Lustbound Heaven Kingdom is also hostile. As you may know, the previous queen, Veronica, is now my wife. She has severed all ties with the kingdom, so naturally, the kingdom despises me. Moreover, I completely wiped out the Asher family from this world — except for one survivor I had spared until recently: Angelina Asher, the fourth wife of King Peter Lustbound and the fourth mother of the kingdom."
"When King Ignis visited Westirifer, I had Angelina tortured and killed in front of him — not just by me, but by over seventy thousand citizens of my duchy. They took their revenge one by one while I kept healing her so she wouldn't die too quickly. Only when every single person had exacted their vengeance did I finally burn her to ashes. That is another reason the kingdom hates me."
"And just two days ago, I had the previous king, Peter Lustbound, executed in front of the kingdom's matriarch, queen, and all the nobles present. Well, not by my hand — my commander Vance beheaded him right before everyone."
"So, Elder Guntor… the Lustbound Heaven Kingdom harbors a burning hatred for me."
"On top of that, I recently learned about the kingdom's annual 'Flesh Deal' with the Remis Kingdom. Every year, they send more than ten thousand girls — some as young as eight or ten years old — to orc villages in Remis to serve as breeding stock. That was the final straw. I decided I would destroy that kingdom as well. But I kept myself somewhat restrained."
"However, on the very day Vance beheaded Peter, the kingdom chose to side with the Purefield Duchy — their foundational pillar. They made their choice clear."
"And then there is your county. I sent a delegation with one simple purpose: to ask you to become our ally. You rejected the proposal. That left me no choice but to use… rougher methods."
"Elder Guntor, I am well aware of your family. I have felt the deep love between Sir Keil van Hopervent and Lady Segencita. Both of them are very dear to my heart. This Keilname bloodline is the last remnant of Sir Keil. That is why I did not want to wipe out your family. If this matter can be resolved peacefully, it would be best."
"I know you feel indebted to the Lustbound Heaven Kingdom and believe you owe them loyalty. But I hoped you would remain more loyal to the memory of Sir Keil and Lady Segencita than to that kingdom. That is why I am speaking with you now."
"The people I sent to your county have only one objective: to integrate Keilname County into Westirifer's territory. They have carried out this task perfectly. No member of your family has been harmed. I hope you will understand my intentions."
"But Elder Guntor… if even now you fail to understand, then I will have to beg forgiveness from Sir Keil in heaven… because I will have no choice but to erase your entire family. Do you understand me?"