Time flowed from morning to afternoon, and not a single person dared to leave the scene. Everyone's gaze was locked on the black sphere hovering in the air, from which faint wisps of black smoke began to seep.
Everyone immediately sharpened their focus, staring unblinkingly at the black sphere. Under their watchful eyes, the black smoke intensified, and the surface of the sphere gradually grew more transparent, revealing two blurry figures within.
Garling narrowed his eyes slightly, an odd expression flickering across his face, for the two figures seemed to be pressed tightly against each other.
Finally, the black smoke completely dispersed, revealing Carl and Lily inside.
The two of them slowly descended toward Mary Geoise. As they drew nearer, the expressions of everyone present grew increasingly colorful.
Carl wore a slight smile. One hand casually pressed against Lily's back, while the other was lazily stuffed in his pocket. Lily clung tightly to Carl's chest, and apart from Carl himself, no one could see her expression.
Landing gracefully, Carl kept one hand tucked in his pocket, the other steady on Lily's back. As he touched down, he casually waved at the crowd—who were frozen like statues—and said blandly,
"Joy Boy has been executed. No need to loiter here anymore. Go back."
At this moment, Carl had just slain Joy Boy, and was holding in his arms a figure capable of making the Five Elders kneel in submission. The sheer force of his presence was enough to make the Celestial Dragons wet themselves in terror.
As for their lackeys, they didn't even need further command. The moment Carl's voice fell, they all dropped to their knees with a series of loud thuds. Without waiting for their masters' orders, they hoisted the Celestial Dragons onto their shoulders and scrambled away in every direction.
...
In mere moments, only the members of the Figarland family remained.
With no outsiders around, Carl's expression softened into a warm smile. A loud, metallic clatter rang out as the golden-armored guards knelt in unison, shouting in a thunderous chorus,
"Welcome home, Lord Patriarch!"
Carl nodded slightly, then glanced down at Lily cradled in his arms and said,
"You all may go."
Receiving Carl's command, the golden-armored guards rose neatly to their feet, stepped back two paces in perfect unison, turned, and marched off in orderly formation.
...
The maids exchanged curious glances, their eyes filled with wonder as they stared at Lily in Carl's arms. Sugar, among the maids, kept winking mischievously at Carl. Carl chuckled and responded with a mock-threatening expression.
Sugar feigned fear, whimpering as she threw herself into her elder sister Monet's arms. With her back to Carl, she gave a playful wiggle of her waist, an action clearly meant to tease.
Despite having just fought a brutal battle, Carl was still brimming with energy. As for Lily, aside from a few beads of sweat on her forehead, she was unharmed—though the heat of their earlier encounter still lingered for her.
Both possessed monstrous constitutions; even fighting for ten days and nights would pose no real strain.
Burying her face against Carl's chest, Lily muttered softly,
"Send your slaves away too. If they keep staring... this palace will..."
"Hm?"
Carl raised an eyebrow, and the hand resting on Lily's back suddenly pressed harder. Lily gasped, arching her body and clinging even tighter to him.
"What will you do?" Carl teased. "Still stuck in your role as the ruler of the world? Right now, you're just my woman. Behave yourself—or I won't mind repeating what just happened... Actually, judging by your reaction, it might even be a reward for you?"
As he spoke, a dark vortex slowly formed beneath his palm on Lily's back. The moment Lily sensed it, she let out a soft, inviting sound, and any lingering dignity melted away instantly.
She clutched Carl's shirt tightly and glared up at him, teeth gritted.
"You..."
Dragging the word out for a long while, she finally choked out,
"You're impossible!"
Carl's mouth curved into a wicked smile.
"You know best whether I'm good or not. You experienced it firsthand."
"Stop talking about it! That was a one-time thing! I will never submit to you again!" Lily fumed.
"Oh? Is that so? You really are the woman who once ruled atop the world... Honestly, I like that fire in you. Keep it up."
Hearing this, Lily couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.
"You're ordering me around now? Carl-sama, don't think that—ah, stop, stop!!"
Before the gathered maids' watchful eyes, Carl's hand—still pressed to Lily's back—began to emit a mingling glow of blackness and gold. Lily's body immediately writhed like a snake in response.
Carl used his other hand to lift Lily's chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. He smiled lightly,
"What's wrong? Weren't you the one so eager to entrust this thing to me? Why are you backing out now? Isn't that a bit fickle?"
Struggling against the strange sensation seeping from the mark on her back, Lily hissed,
"You're the fickle one! You're doing this deliberately... you're torturing me!"
"My dear Lily, you misunderstand me," Carl replied smoothly. "I'm just being cautious. If I drew it all out at once, it might harm your body. It's better to proceed gradually, step by step."
"I don't need that! Stop it immediately!"
The words had barely left her mouth when Carl really did stop. He even pushed Lily gently to stand beside him—though his right hand remained firmly against her back.
The sudden compliance caught Lily off guard. When she turned to look at Carl, she saw he wasn't even paying attention to her—his gaze was fixed ahead.
...
The next instant, several figures flashed into view: Nusjuro, Garling, the members of the God Knights, and the Admirals.
Caught up in her fluster earlier, Lily had completely failed to sense their approach.
Recovering quickly, her face regained its usual cold and regal expression. Upon seeing Lily, Nusjuro and the others immediately dropped to their knees with a heavy thud. Garling glanced back at the God Knights behind him, prompting them to kneel on one knee as well.
The Admirals exchanged looks, then turned questioning gazes toward Carl. Carl gave a slow shake of his head. Understanding the message, the Admirals merely bowed slightly to Lily in a simple salute.
Though Lily faced the crowd, a careful observer would have noticed—her eyes were actually on Carl.
She had thought Carl would take this chance to trample her dignity even further before all these witnesses...
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+150 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg