This wasn't the Royal Castle, a fact Bella made clear by showing Lith the different walls and carpet around the castle.

"Why are you here then?"

Bella smiled. "Shouldn't His Highness know?"

"I should?" Lith wondered.

"Yes. Didn't His Highness promise Lady Lucifer a maid for her?" Bella asked.

"Ah" Lith understood. "But, wait. I never said she gets to choose. Why are you here then?"

"Lady Lucifer did not choose. It was that I was the only one free who could join her," Bella said.

Lith rubbed his chin and asked, "Were there no lower level maids available?"

"There were," Bella said, as a matter of fact. "But they wouldn't be able to serve properly. His Highness should know that the dealings she has are of a much higher level than normal. If a low level maid were to accompany, she may hinder her or get herself killed. The probability of the latter happening is almost nil, but still, why take an unnecessary risk?"

Lith nodded. That sounded reasonable. "So what are these 'dealings' you talked about?"

Bella smiled and as they walked to a room, she made Lith settle down and served him tea. "My time with Lady Lucifer was short, but there had been a series of troubles I had to help with."

"Oh? Such as?" Lith asked, interested.

Bella began narrating the things that had transpired. Before doing so, she told Lith that Lucifer was busy with a few things and that he should wait until then.

It was a surprising development. Lucifer and busy? Those two words should not belong in the same sentence!

Keeping his thoughts to himself, Lith continued to listen to Bella.

After arriving here, Lucifer introduced her to Adriel. The latter party seemed really happy to get help, and was even happier to know that Bella was an Emperor Rank.

"Wait, you're an Emperor Rank? If that's the case, why do I feel a Supreme Rank aura from you," Lith interrupted and asked.

Bella flashed a proud smile. "I'm glad His Highness noticed. Actually, after the revival of my race and getting them sorted with their things, my cultivation soared and I broke through. It was done in seclusion, under the watchful eyes of Madam, so things weren't flashy. I've been told to keep it under wraps if I was outside the Royal Castle."

"Why is that?" Lith asked, curious.

Bella tilted her head cutely. "Did His Highness forget that ascension to Supreme Rank meant getting one's race promoted to a main one?"

"I didn't. But what has that got to with this?" Lith asked and took a sip of tea.

"There's a delicate balance maintained between the eight main races. An additional one would cause problems, and my Fairies are not strong enough to survive them. It would also be for the best if they stay secluded for a few thousand years and develop," Bella explained.

Lith put the teacup down and said nonchalantly, "Nobody knows you've got your race revived. So I don't think there should be a problem, yes?"

Bella shook her head. "Everybody knows of them, albeit indirectly. The things that had happened during the race revival, it was known to everyone. However, the matter was suppressed and nobody questioned it."

"I see," Lith took a sip of tea again. "Well, it's a small matter. But anyway, congratulations on your ascension."

Bella smiled brightly. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"And from the way you said things, your strength is directly proportional to your race's?"

Bella nodded. "That's right. Being the Fairy Queen, I benefit from them the most. If they collectively get higher in ranks, I would ascend further. I'm not limited by time like most, but by the people. Say, if everyone were to ascend one or two immortal realms in a few years, I would have an even higher cultivation than a Supreme Rank's."

Lith smiled. "That's good to know. By any chance, can I do something like that too? You know being limited by time sucks."

When he ascended to Saint Rank, he constantly felt bloated. It was as if he would explode at any moment. Then there was the fact that he slept for eighty years straight to relieve the pressure from sudden ascensions. It truly sucked.

"No, Your Highness. It's not just time. Every breakthrough requires one to fully master their previous realm. One cannot charge ahead without doing so, otherwise they would only end up crippling themselves. Stabilizing foundation, consolidating cultivation, understanding the laws they're all the things one needs to consider before moving forward."

"I'm not limited by these, along with time. It's because I am connected to the rest of the Fairies. I'm like a part of them and whatever things they understand or go through, I naturally do so as well. I share their growth but also their pain and suffering."

Lith fell silent hearing that. The last part caught him off guard.

Did Bella just say she shares the pain and suffering too? Does that mean when her race was being killed, she felt every ounce of pain everybody suffered through?

A chill ran behind Lith's back and made him shudder. He couldn't imagine the horror Bella must've been through.

The most emotional Lith had ever gotten was when he saw Keith's past. That girl had suffered a little too much.

However, if she was part of Bella's race, Bella would've felt the same things as her. And there's nothing that says a random Fairy didn't suffer as cruelly like Keith.

Lith turned to look at Bella. For the first time, he was looking at this pink-haired beauty in a new light.

She seemed so normal on the outside, as if there was nothing wrong whatsoever.

When her race was revived, she got emotional, but now, Lith felt she had barely shown any emotion!

Bella only weeped a bit, but had there been anyone else, they would've been bawling their eyes out, creating a river of tears.

'Boy is she strong,' thought Lith.

Bella found her Prince staring at her, but she didn't say anything and let him do so. She wondered why he was looking at her like that though.

Clearing his throat, Lith asked, "On this topic, I wanted to ask, can I make a race and benefit like you too?"

Bella nodded her head. "His Highness can, but they would have to be different from the Vampiresunique beings of their own. And once they're unique, His Highness would need to burn his original race's aspects and take on the newer one. It's not recommended to do so."

Lith sighed. "Of course."

There were no shortcuts to the martial peak. He also could guess that a seemingly easy method of cultivation was actually not all that easy. If it was, everyone would've rushed to make a race of their own. Now he knew why.

As if reading his mind, Bella continued, "There's also a lot of risks involved in this, in case His Highness is wondering. The major one is that, if the people hit a plateau, then there's no ascension for the ruler. There could come a time when a person within the said race had reached the very peak their race allowed. However, further ascensions would only be possible by taking onto a better race or bloodline."

"If they did that, their plateau would be gone, but the ruler won't benefit from it as the race was changed. It's a risky endeavour overall and is not recommended to anyone. I didn't take on this willingly either."

Lith nodded his head. It was surely an interesting topic so far. "Continue to work hard, I have high expectations for you, Bella."

Bella did a curtsy bow and thanked Lith for his kind words.

"Why has my aunt not visited me yet?" Lith asked. "Take me to her."

Bella nodded and began walking in a certain direction. "This way please."

..

Clinging-clanging sounds echoed in an open hall surrounded by towering pillars.

The silver-purple moon showered its regal light on the four figures currently fighting in the hall.

An alluring and seductive lady with red horns wore plain black robes. They seemed simple, but amplified the beauty of the beauty of the lady wearing them.

Attacking this lady, there were three young girls, appearing to be in their preteens. One had fiery orange hair, one had raven black hair, and one had a mix of both.

The four figures were Lucifer, the Demon Queen, and her three daughters: Roxanne, Roslynn, and Ruth.

A sparring session was going on and as Lith walked in, he saw that Lucifer or the rest didn't even glance at him. They were far too busy with the sparring session.

'Interesting,' thought Lith. The horny otaku NEET did training sessions as well instead of masturbating and watching anime? Now this was another surprise.

Bella wasn't kidding when she said Lucifer was busy.

Lith didn't disturb the training of these girls and let them be. With much interest, he watched how they trained.