After Lucifer's departure from the courtroom, Veronica — who had remained silent the entire time — finally turned to Mia and asked,
"Mother-in-law, who was she?"
Mia asked, "Who?"
Veronica replied, "Almirae."
Mia answered casually, "Oh... She is Lucifer's daughter, just like Gracy and Lovertia. Don't let it bother you... And if you're wondering how she's already this grown when my Lucifer is only eighteen, you're mistaken. She isn't old at all. If I had to guess correctly, she's probably around twenty days old at most."
Veronica's shock was palpable. Astonished, she exclaimed, "What?"
Mia, completely at ease, explained, "Actually, Veronica, even I don't know much about Lucifer's shadow daughters. But I do know that due to some kind of contract, he cannot disclose how they were born or how he met his shadow wives..."
Veronica nodded slowly and asked, "How did she vanish beneath Lucifer?"
Mia shook her head. "I don't know. They all live somewhere called the Shadow Realm. Whenever Lucifer calls them, or whenever they want to spend time with him, they appear here... and then return once their task is finished."
This revelation was another shock for Veronica. Still, she nodded, accepting that there were some secrets Lucifer could not share with anyone — not even with his mother.
Then Veronica stood up and went to supervise the candidates who claimed to be skilled in crafting. Allen, meanwhile, headed to oversee those who had come to demonstrate their combat prowess in hopes of securing a ministerial position.
The candidates for geography and mining had been given one full week to complete their tasks. As for literature, Noel had already been appointed the new Minister of Literature after successfully interpreting Lucifer's poem.
Dorothia, however, was still deep in thought, contemplating how to cultivate crops on the hillsides. More than an hour and a half remained before her time limit expired.
At that moment, only Mia, Dorothia, Noel, and a few of Lucifer's Viper Guards remained in the ducal court. The guards stayed on full alert — Mia was alone, and both Noel and Dorothia were newcomers and therefore not yet trustworthy... at least not for now.
Time passed slowly. A bell rang, signaling the end of another hour. Suddenly, Noel spoke — more to herself than anyone else — "I think I've cracked Young Master's poem."
Her voice was loud enough that Mia heard it. Eagerly, Mia asked,
"What was it, Noel? For whom did my Lucifer recite that poem?"
But Noel gave no immediate answer. A conflicted expression crossed her face. On one side, Lucifer had strictly forbidden her from assuming anything or revealing the meaning to others unless she was one hundred percent certain. On the other side... the Grand Duchess herself was asking the question. Noel felt torn between her duty as a subject and Lucifer's explicit warning.
Mia noticed her hesitation and said gently, "Noel, just tell me who it was for... I won't ask you what the lines mean. Please."
Finally yielding to Mia's pleading, Noel admitted defeat and said, "Madam... I'm not perfectly sure, but I think that poem was for you... If I'm right."
The words struck Mia like lightning. Speechless for a moment, she managed to ask, "For me? How?"
Noel replied carefully, "Lady Duchess, since I'm not fully certain myself... I can't explain it to you. And Young Master also forbade me from doing so."
Mia, already going mad with curiosity about the meaning of those stanzas, glared at Noel and asked, "Noel, who is the Duchess here?"
Noel answered, "You, ma'am."
Mia pressed further, "And who was Lucifer here? Does he have higher authority than me?"
In her mind, Noel thought: 'Technically yes... Young Master holds the highest authority here. If he asked anything of you, you would give it without question. And on the day you all arrived, he was the one who appointed you Grand Duchess... Yes.'
But she lacked the courage to say those words aloud. Reluctantly, she nodded and said, "No, Duchess... you have more authority here. Master is under your jurisdiction."
Hearing this, Mia gave a satisfied nod and said, "Now tell me what those lines mean. As for Lucifer's warning... leave that to me. If he tries to punish you, I'll punish him."
Noel thought silently: 'Do you even have the guts to punish him? Really... If seeing him punish me gives him pleasure, would you truly stop him? Isn't he your beloved son... your everything?'
Still, she nodded and began, "Madam Duchess, I don't know if I'm right or wrong, but here is what I believe it means:
*** He is implying that even before he felt the warmth of the twin suns and twin moons, he felt your embrace — your motherly warmth... and he compares your warmth to any celestial light, grading your love as supreme.
*** In the second line, he emphasizes...
Your hands symbolize care and patience. His inner chaos, fear, and latent power were calmed not by force, but by your silent, steady nurturing.
*** When the world weighed heavy, you stood...
No matter how cruel or oppressive the world became, you remained firm. This line honors your unshaken resolve... you did not bend under fate, gods, or suffering.
*** No crown outranks the hearth you guarded...
All authority, kingdoms, and divine thrones are inferior to the simple home you protected. The hearth represents safety, family, and life... things Lucifer values above rulership.
*** If heaven calls me divine, I return as a child...
Even if the world sees him as a god, in your presence he is only your son. Divinity dissolves; innocence and dependence return.
*** Where your shadow falls, even fate softens...
Your very existence weakens destiny's cruelty. Fate — which he can oppose or break — becomes gentle in the space you occupy... showing that your influence runs deeper than any power."
As Noel finished, both Mia and Dorothia were weeping quietly... overwhelmed by the profound depth contained in those few lines. Now Mia had a clear, heart-piercing understanding of exactly how much Lucifer loved her.
***************************************************
As time was running out and the two-hour limit for Dorothia was about to expire, Lucifer returned to the ducal courtroom. The moment he stepped inside, someone flew toward him and wrapped him in a tight embrace.
The sudden hug startled Lucifer, but as soon as he felt the familiar warmth, he melted into it. And why wouldn't he? The embrace came from his beloved mother — the one whose place in his heart rivaled even that of a godmother.
After a while, when Mia's grip finally loosened, Lucifer approached Noel and asked, "Did you comprehend it?"
Noel nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but Lucifer interrupted gently, "Then good. It's a secret... Don't tell anyone about it. Now you may go."
With that, he sent Noel away and turned to Dorothia.
"Did you come up with an idea on how to plant crops on the slopes of the foothills?"
Dorothia replied, "Yes... but I don't know if it will work."
Lucifer said, "Let's hear it."
Dorothia then explained her ideas and measures — essentially a rudimentary form of terrace farming adapted for slopes. After listening carefully, Lucifer gave his approval. Dorothia was now officially appointed Minister of Agriculture.
As Dorothia finished sharing her views, Veronica and Allen entered the courtroom. Veronica reported that no one had succeeded in the crafting test. Allen reported that out of 1,458 candidates, only seven had managed to offer any real resistance to the Viper Guards. Graham was the only one among all 1,458 who had defeated Number 507 — and the two had fought continuously for a full hour.
Lucifer nodded at their reports and instructed Allen, "Call those seven women who stood against my guards, along with Graham who defeated Number 507."
Soon after, the seven women — Anna, Lina, Elin, Lysa, Tara, Nora, and Edena — along with the lone fighter Graham entered the courtroom and bowed before the ducal throne.
Without delay, Lucifer addressed the Viper Guards who had sparred with them:
"So, my dear guards... how did they perform? Rate each of them individually."
Following orders, Number 325 spoke first:
"Master, Miss Anna and Lina both claim to be A+ rank adventurers, but in my opinion they are equivalent to B- to C+ rank."
Next, Number 17 said:
"Master, Tara and Lysa aren't that bad. I would rate them both B+ rank, but anything higher would be overstating it."
Number 18 added:
"Master... Elin and Nora were also okay. I rate them B- rank."
Number 897 concluded:
"Master, Edena was below average. I give her C+ rank."
Hearing the guards' evaluations, all seven women fumed with anger — and understandably so. Each of them held A+ or A- rank in their respective adventurer guilds. It was humiliating to be downgraded to B- or even C+ level.
Even Tara and Lysa, who received the highest rating of B+, still felt insulted. Worse still, all seven had been utterly toyed with by the guards — treated like ants, nothing more.
Finally, Number 507 spoke:
"Master... I would rate Graham as roughly the same as me — A- rank at most. But if I'm being completely honest, he falls somewhere between A- and B+.
Still... he did eventually defeat me, so I rate him on par with myself."
Lucifer nodded and said simply, "Good."
"You all may return now. These contestants will remain here."
The guards bowed and departed.
Lucifer then turned to the seven women and Graham:
"Good work. Congratulations on passing — even if only by a small margin. For regular deployment... all eight of you need serious training. After this, I plan to recruit around 30,000 knights. You know that after winter, I intend to expand Westirifer's borders. Once your training is complete, you will have the opportunity to help train them. And what better time to train than during winter? So... are you all ready?"
All eight replied in unison, "Yes, Master."
But inwardly they thought: 'Goddamn it... We're all A+ rank adventurers, and Graham is S+ rank... yet we lost to mere guards. What a cursed day.'
Sensing their thoughts, Lucifer continued:
"From now on, you are Westirifer's apprentice knights. I forbid any form of sexual activity for the next four weeks — that is your full training period. Sex could reduce your strength and stamina.
After four weeks, if you succeed in the training, you will keep your rank and position. If you fail... it's goodbye."
Graham ventured to ask, "But Master, who will train us?"
Lucifer replied, "Don't worry... I have the perfect people in mind."
He turned to Number 507: "Call Vance and Artemis."
Number 507 bowed and left to summon them.
Moments later, Vance and Artemis entered the ducal courtroom.
Both were Lucifer's commanders — Vance male, Artemis female. They had arrived as part of a system reward and were, according to the system, loyal to Lucifer to the bone, each ranked up to SS+.
They bowed to Lucifer and Mia.
Noticing that Mia, Allen, and Veronica were seeing them for the first time, Lucifer introduced them:
"Mommy... I know you're seeing these two for the first time. They are commanders of the Viper Guards... and they are a married couple."
Thanks to Lucifer's Collector skill in effect, no one questioned where they had come from — just as no one had questioned the origin of the 5,000 Viper Guards.
Lucifer then addressed Vance and Artemis:
"Both of you, take these apprentice knights under your leadership.
Artemis, you will train all seven women. Make sure they perform no sexual activity whatsoever. If they do — even after a first warning — increase the difficulty of their training by one full notch. By the end of the fourth week, I want those seven to match my A- rank guards.
As for you, Vance... train Graham. He claims to be S+ rank. Train him accordingly. Show him no mercy. By the end of the fourth month, I want him capable of defeating an A+ rank platoon commander — not just ordinary guards. His S+ rank status is overrated... Show him what real training looks like and how high a man can soar."
Receiving their orders, Vance and Artemis bowed deeply and introduced themselves to the eight trainees.
From the gravity and intensity of their introduction alone, all eight understood they had poked a hornet's nest without any protection.
Still, Graham — wanting to gauge their strength — asked Lucifer,
"Sire... what are their levels?"
Lucifer answered nonchalantly, "Nothing much... Don't worry, they won't harm you. As for their levels... Artemis is SS- rank, and Vance is SS+ rank. Nothing to worry about. Now go train."
At those words, all eight shivered — not from fear or cold, but from the sheer weight of the situation they had landed in.
Graham thought to himself: 'I defeated Number 507 by sheer luck... He claims he's A- rank while I was S+ rank. So in this place, my S+ is equivalent to A-... and these A- rank guards are equivalent to S+ rank... If this Vance, whom Young Master calls SS+ rank, were scaled to the outside world, his level would be legendary — maybe even mythical SSS+ rank... comparable to a pure-blood Dragon King. What kind of training awaits me? Will I even survive it?'
These same terrifying thoughts raced through the minds of all seven women as well. But their fate was already sealed.