Lilith noticed his arrival, and Richard felt somewhat relieved—it meant her condition wasn't as bad as he had feared.

Paul escorted him to the entrance of the palace, which was closed, unlike how it usually was.

Paul pushed the heavy doors open slightly and gestured for Richard to enter.

Richard stepped inside without hesitation. After all, this palace had practically become his second home since his fiancée had ascended as the reigning Queen.

He passed through the door into the palace hall—spacious, enclosed, yet brightly illuminated by the light of numerous crystals.

The figure of a blonde woman sitting atop the throne immediately caught his attention.

She wore a long, tight-fitting dark blue gown, with lace wrapped elegantly around her slender waist.

Her face was still breathtakingly beautiful, untouched by age, and her aura still carried a youthful grace.

Richard saw no sign of weakness or suffering as Master Alex had described.

"Boy, you finally showed up," Lilith said from her throne.

Her tone toward him hadn't changed since he was a child, though Richard could tell from her eyes that she was quietly examining him from head to toe.

Even if her attitude seemed the same, he knew her view of him had changed—he was no longer the boy she once knew.

"Sister Lilith, what happened to you? I heard you wanted to see me urgently, and I also heard that your condition wasn't good," Richard said as he approached.

To him, the time when Lilith would truly become his was drawing near—but this wasn't the right moment. There were still too many problems to solve.

"This isn't even my real body," Lilith replied.

The moment she said that, Richard suddenly realized her form was faintly transparent.

"Is that… a manifestation?" Richard was stunned. He hadn't expected a manifestation to appear so vividly—almost like real flesh and blood.

Of course, if this was truly a manifestation, then Lilith indeed wasn't doing well.

"Do you remember the Werewolf Alpha I once told you about?" Lilith continued.

Richard instinctively nodded.

He had nearly forgotten, but her words brought the memory back.

Evan Moonshadow, his own uncle—that was the Werewolf Alpha she meant.

Richard had no idea what had happened afterward since Lilith hadn't involved him in handling the Werewolf.

All she had asked of him was help in mastering Mind Attack.

Lilith had explained before that Evan Moonshadow couldn't control the Alpha power within him—a natural problem, since even among the Werewolves, such control was incredibly difficult.

It was a serious issue, for the Alpha Bloodline was tremendously powerful—one comparable to that of dragons, still an Ancestral Bloodline, but among the strongest of its kind.

When that bloodline fully awakened, the Werewolf Alpha would instantly become unimaginably powerful.

Even in the initial stage of awakening, their strength was already equivalent to a Ruler, and that was only temporary before they grew even stronger.

"Sister Lilith, back then you wanted to save him using Mind Attack. Did it work?" Richard asked.

Lilith had never asked him to use Mind Attack on Evan Moonshadow himself—she had intended to do it personally once she mastered the technique.

By the time Richard began his training, she had already seemed confident in her control over it.

Richard assumed that confidence meant success.

The main issue with Evan Moonshadow had been his loss of sanity—Mind Attack was meant to reassert control over his mind.

Lilith shook her head at his question, causing Richard to frown slightly.

"I only managed to calm him," Lilith said. "For over nine years, one of my clones stayed outside his prison, continuously using Mind Attack, trying to help him regain control over his consciousness. But around six months ago, I discovered that his mind had grown so strong that my clone could no longer restrain it, so I had to convert that clone into my main body. As time passed, I began struggling to maintain control over my other two clones because I had to continuously use Mind Attack at full force. In short, the Alpha Bloodline has completely awakened. His power is terrifying. The only reason my Mind Attack still has any effect is that it had already infiltrated his mind long ago. I once tried using Heavenly Water to boost my strength, but even that didn't help."

It took Richard a few moments to process everything she said.

Of course, he understood—it wasn't complicated. He nodded twice thoughtfully.

"Then, what can I do to help?" he asked.

By his estimation, Lilith's mastery over Mind Attack was at least 1%, but the difference between hers and his was in scale—how many targets could be affected simultaneously.

Lilith was stronger than he was, so naturally, her Mind Attack was far more potent, especially considering she had used Heavenly Water to empower it.

That meant his own Mind Attack wouldn't be of much use, even if he boosted it with his own Heavenly Water.

'I wonder if the Blood Devourer could help…' Richard thought, an idea forming in his mind.

For now, though, he wanted to hear Lilith's thoughts first.

"Do you really think you can help me?" Lilith replied—a response Richard hadn't expected, making him roll his eyes slightly.

"Didn't you call me here to help?" Richard asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"No. I told you to come as soon as possible because there's something I need to discuss—but it has nothing to do with this," Lilith said. "I already have a plan for this matter. Since the Moonshadow Clan has entrusted Evan entirely to me, I can do whatever I want with him. My plan is to release him in the Holy Light Kingdom's capital."

Richard: "…"

"Sister Lilith, then what is this something you wanted to discuss?" Richard asked, now curious about the true reason for her summons.

"We'll discuss that later. Since you're already here, if you have any ideas regarding Evan, we can try them. You might even gain something from this," Lilith replied.

"Can I see him first?" Richard asked.

"Of course…" Lilith nodded.

"Go to the Empress' Village. Beneath that village lies a massive underground prison—Evan is being held there."

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