But he was too embarrassed to say it outright and could only pretend to be confused despite understanding.

...

Outside the rest area.

An Enchanting Demon and a Shadow Demon stood together, looking at the entrance of the rest area with thoughtful expressions on their faces.

"Dear, haven't you noticed... that young man bears a striking resemblance to Prince Colin of the Colin family?"

Feistin just smiled faintly, thinking to himself that he had noticed this back in the library.

However, since it was his daughter's little secret, he had not told anyone and pretended to discover this for the first time, nodding as he said,

"Now that you mention it, there is indeed some resemblance."

Upon hearing there was gossip to dig into, Serena immediately perked up, her mouth gaping in surprise.

"Really? Luo Yan is actually an illegitimate child of the Colin family—"

Feistin swiftly covered his wife's mouth and, feeling nervous, glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby before he relaxed.

After casting a Shadow Barrier, he whispered so that only the two of them could hear,

"...I've only heard that Roxey Colin, the next Family Head of the Colin Family, might have been involved with a human servant before he married."

Serena said excitedly,

"Then there was?"

Feistin replied with a wry smile,

"Who knows? Roxey Colin has always been a low-profile noble, so there is little news about him. Like you, I'm just making a hasty guess based on appearances—it could just be a misunderstanding."

The truth is that illegitimacy is meaningless.

If the main family doesn't recognize it, then it's nothing; but if they do, then it is something even if it isn't.

Perhaps, after Roxey ascends, he will legitimize his son.

But considering it might undermine his eldest daughter's right of inheritance, he felt it was improbable and that giving Luo Yan some form of compensation was a more rational choice.

After all, the Colin Family's domain was not just a few Baron Territories, but a vast Duchy known as the Colin Duchy.

Ninety percent of the Blood Race and Blood Servants in Hell lived there, and the mighty Undead also preferred to stay with the Blood Race.

There's a reason why the heads of the Colin Family have always held seats in the Cabinet.

There was no "powerful vassal" stronger than them.

If Luo Yan was smart enough to quietly wait for his father's ascension and then get along with the next heir, that would be his best option.

Blood is thicker than water, after all.

Not all illegitimate children pose a threat to inheritance; alliances between the strong exist both in Hell and on the surface.

Of course, if the child had even greater ambitions, with the strength and potential he had shown, it might not be impossible.

"I can see a poignant love story unfolding..." Serena's face lit up with an infatuated smile, lost in her own world, "Such a pitiful child. I hope Mia can heal the wounds in his heart."

Feistin coughed lightly and said,

"Actually, what I really hope for is our child's happiness."

Serena giggled and hugged her husband.

"I want the same, dear."

In the Shadow Barrier invisible to everyone else, the couple unabashedly indulged in their affection, regardless of the setting.

Meanwhile, in the distant Black Wind Valley, a group of scarred Beastman mercenaries finally returned to the castle, now in ruins.

Looking at the castle turned to rubble, Sano, the leader of the "Crown of Malice," couldn't help swallowing his saliva, overcome with a sense of relief.

If he had left just a moment later, he might not have even left behind a whole corpse.

Looking at the debris-strewn square, one mercenary couldn't help but mutter under his breath,

"Damn... these nobles are insane, blowing up such a big castle just like that."

The other Beastman mercenaries chimed in with curses,

"Exactly!"

"All of this, just over a tantrum... Is it worth it?"

"I think Hell is beyond saving."

Sano didn't know how to respond, he just shrugged his shoulders.

"The surface is the same, you would know if you'd been... As for tonight, it's actually an exception; normally it wouldn't end up like this."

Or maybe times truly have changed.

After a pause, he continued to say,

"Alright, lads, our mission is to search for survivors... mainly some coffins, to find them and see if there are any bodies nearby. Also, if you come across a kid in black clothes, call me immediately."

"Coffins?" one mercenary asked, puzzled, "I think I saw some in the main hall..."

Sano snapped his fingers.

"Those are the ones, go check them out."

The group of mercenaries rushed into the main hall, rummaging through the ruins. They found a few coffin planks, but all were open.

Not far from those coffin planks, they discovered some corpses with twisted death poses.

A Magic Energy Beam seemed to have passed directly through the window and exploded inside the room, causing the flesh to stick to the walls, making it indistinguishable how many had died.

Even accustomed to the horrors of Purgatory, Sano still couldn't help swallowing again at the sight of these twisted deaths, his mood sinking at the same moment.

From his experience, at least a Silver-Level Demon would be necessary to withstand such an explosive shockwave.

And in such a confined space, being hit anywhere was as good as a direct hit!

For those hit by that level of energy, it wouldn't matter if you were a Gold-Level Demon; even a Platinum-Level Demon would be lucky to survive with half a life left!

And that would still depend on the specific kind.

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