As the dark hearts descended upon the rebels, a surreal scene unfolded. The once-ferocious warriors succumbed to the insidious influence of their desires. Hallucinations enveloped their minds, and a blissful haze replaced the determination in their eyes. Hearts materialized on their faces, a visible manifestation of their deepest longings.
Slumping to the ground, the rebels found themselves lost in a world of illusions, ensnared by their own fantasies. Desira's powers, rather than causing harm, delved into the core of their desires, exploiting vulnerabilities that lingered in the recesses of their subconscious.
Azazel understood the calculated mercy in Desira's actions and said, "Thanks."
Desira flung her hair to the side and crossed her hands. "Be thankful that Lord Azazel is merciful. Know that raising your weapons in front of him means death the next time."
Desira surveyed the subdued rebellion with a dispassionate gaze. The Rebellion Army was now incapacitated by the intoxicating power of their own desires, lay scattered across the field, their once-resolute spirits subdued by the sorcery of Lusts and Desires.
"They sure are weak-willed for ones who spoke grand words," Lorelai commented and poked the leader of the army, who was now laughing and giggling in his sleep. "Is this really the leader of the rebellion army?"
"He's probably just a leader of a small fraction of the Rebellion army," said Vivi.
Desira added, "Don't be fooled. The true leaders are powerful. What's more, they have the nobles on their back."
"Nobles?"
"Nobles are what we call the older generation of family demons that hold power over the realm," Azazel explained. "They're pretty old and powerful."
"Some of them didn't like the way Obsidian X ruled before because they had lost any semblance of power," Desira said with disgust and hissed, "I bet that it was their doing as to why the rebellion army grew this fast. They fanning the fire and supplying them with weapons."
"What makes you so sure?" Elena asked.
Desira explained, "Once there's war, who would the citizens cling to now that the warlords and Obsidian X couldn't help them?"
Elena nodded. "I see . . . that makes sense."
"And some of the leaders of the Rebellion army belonged to the Nobles house," Vivi said. Ren grasped the whole picture. It wasn't that hard to guess what was going on in this realm. Looks like the underlying intricacies and politics were deeper than he thought, he mused to himself.
"Anyway, are you alright there, Lethargia?" Desira asked, and all eyes turned to the slumped woman.
Lethargia remained on the ground, deep in sleep, unaffected by the events around her.
The others sighed collectively.
"Looks like you're fine," Desira dismissed.
"She never changes," Vivi noted.
"Nyahahaha! Good to know that she's still the same. Let's get her somewhere safe and tend to her wounds." Azazel went to Lethargia and effortlessly lifted her frail form.
Desira instantly protested, "Agh! Lord Azazel!" but couldn't do anything as Azazel had already moved.
After settling in an abandoned building away from the rebels, the group patiently waited for Lethargia to open her eyes while indulging in some food and drinks.
"How many noble houses are there in this realm?" Elena inquired.
Vivi pondered the question and answered, counting on her fingers, "Let's see . . . there are a lot of noble houses, but we only have four prominent noble houses: House Shadowthorn, House Abyssalwrath, House Netherflame, and House Stygianheart."
"Only four?" Lorelai commented, her face expressing mild surprise. "Back in my country, we have many nobles." Her expression then shifted to a frown. "In fact, we have too many that maybe it's time to eradicate a few."
Elena corrected, "She only said prominent but didn't say only four. And what are you saying about eradicating your own kind? Are you a tyrant?"
Lorelai shrugged. "Those pesky nobles only indulge in taxpayers' money, abuse their power, file complaints about trivial matters, and when they need to work and protect our country, they all suddenly fall severely ill just to excuse themselves. What a useless bunch," she explained with disdain.
Desira released a breath. "Most of the nobles here are like that too."
"I'm sure not all of them are like that," Elena commented.
Lorelai shrugged again. "That's why I suggest eradicating the useless ones. I once proposed the idea to my father."
"And what did your father say?" Ren asked her out of curiosity.
Lorelai recalled what her father had said to her, and her face scrunched in displeasure. "He said that he would disown me to appease the nobles if I did that. Can you imagine that? Choosing those lazy, good-for-nothing nobles over his own daughter who's saving towns and villages from beasts?"
"He's a king before he is a father," Ren simply said. "And his priority is always the good of the country."
"And I understand him," Elena added, her sense of duty to the crown kicking in. "Though some nobles are useless, they're still one of the backbones of a country. If you destroy one because you simply don't like them, then the other nobles would rally, and a civil war would ensue. Your father would probably sacrifice you to prevent that from happening."
Evie nodded and seconded, "He has many sons and daughters, so you're probably not a loss."
She probably didn't have any malice when she said that, but Lorelai was struck and felt a pang of hurt.
"At a time like this, you should be on my side. Are you really my friends?" Lorelai commented. "Real friends don't patronize your wrongdoings," Ren commented and sipped some tea.
"Friends, huh . . . how nice . . ."
Everyone paused when an unfamiliar voice suddenly entered their conversation, and then their eyes bulged out from their sockets when they saw Lethargia on their side, casually sipping tea and indulging in snacks and desserts.
Lethargia's half-closed eyes stared at the others when it suddenly turned quiet. "Yo . . ."
"Lethargia?! You're already awake?" Vivi said, surprised.
"When did you wake up?!" Desira exclaimed.
Lethargia sipped her tea and said with her slow, low, and lethargic voice, "A moment . . ."
"Don't fall asleep mid-sentence!" Desira reprimanded.
