Patience Running Out

The atmosphere in Evernight City’s council hall was thick with tension.

Vivian sat at the head of the table.

Before her stood seven or eight nobles—the old guard of Evernight, families that had followed the previous Demon Lord into battle and earned their privileges through blood and fire.

Now those privileges were being stripped away, one by one.

“Lord Demon Lord, you’re driving us to our graves!”

Baron Dorek, a corpulent demon noble, declared loudly, trying to bolster his courage.

“Forcing us to surrender our slaves is the same as taking our lives!”

“Exactly, Lord Demon Lord!”

Another chimed in.

“Our families have owned slaves for generations. They are lawful property handed down by our ancestors!”

“One decree and you demand we give them all up? This is outrageous!”

“And why the sudden enforcement? Wasn’t there supposed to be more time?”

Vivian listened without expression.

Her fingers tapped a steady rhythm on the armrest—tap, tap, tap—each sound ringing clearly in the silent hall, amplifying the suffocating pressure.

“Outrageous?”

She finally spoke, voice cold.

“What I find outrageous is that you treat living people as property.”

Her patience was nearly spent.

She had already met with Marquis Victor and the five major noble houses.

The ones before her now were minor nobles—hangers-on to the great families, weaker yet far more conservative and stubborn, clinging desperately to their vested interests.

After Gulaim’s recent border probe, reports had come in of these lesser nobles making subtle moves.

The s*ave emancipation order they had been given? No progress whatsoever.

Pure insubordination.

So Vivian decided it was time to make examples.

“But Lord Demon Lord, those slaves are—”

“Enough.”

Vivian cut him off.

“I did not summon you to hear complaints.”

“I summoned you to deliver notice.”

“The emancipation decree will be carried out. There is no room for negotiation.”

“Within one week, every noble must free all slaves under their name and complete identity registration.”

“As compensation, for each s*ave freed you will still receive land, mana crystals, or other resources—exactly as I promised before.”

“Fail to comply, and I will enforce it myself.”

“And when I do, you will receive nothing.”

“Furthermore…”

Her eyes sharpened.

“Refusal will be treated as rebellion.”

Baron Dorek’s face turned purple.

“Rebellion? Lord Demon Lord, are you threatening us?”

“Over those lowly slaves?!”

“Not a threat. A final warning.”

Vivian said calmly.

“The new policies of Evernight will be implemented.”

“Anyone who obstructs them stands against me.”

“But Lord Demon Lord—”

“There are no buts.”

Vivian rose to her feet.

“I will say it once more.”

“All slaves must be freed within one week.”

“This is an order, not a request.”

“You may leave now.”

“Remember—you have seven days left.”

The nobles exchanged defeated glances.

Under Vivian’s overwhelming presence, they swallowed their rage and resentment, offered stiff bows, and shuffled out like whipped dogs.

Once they were gone, Lucia stepped to Vivian’s side, worry in her voice.

“Lord Demon Lord, pushing this hard… won’t it provoke an even bigger backlash?”

“Possibly even force them into desperate action?”

“There will be backlash, yes.”

Vivian rubbed her temples.

“But on this matter I cannot yield an inch.”

“Compromise once, and the authority of reform collapses.”

“Every future policy will be dead in the water.”

“This is a matter of principle.”

“Besides.”

She gave a cold smile.

“These fossils wallowing in the glory of a dead era, these parasites that only bleed the territory dry while contributing nothing—they should have been consigned to the trash heap of history long ago.”

“They hoard resources and block Evernight’s path forward. They are the greatest obstacle.”

“Keeping them only hinders our growth.”

“So you plan to…”

“Watch their reactions.”

Vivian said.

“Those who comply will be rewarded.”

“Those who refuse…”

A glint of ice flashed in her eyes.

“I’ll help them retire with dignity.”

Under Vivian’s intimidation, most nobles spent the next few days grudgingly beginning to free their slaves.

The compensation—land and mana crystals—was genuinely generous, enough to offset most losses.

More importantly, the returned Demon Lord’s iron fist and overwhelming power left them unwilling to gamble their lives and fortunes.

But a few diehards refused.

Marquis Victor was one of them.

“Bullshit! It’s all bullshit!”

In the lavish hall of his manor, Marquis Victor roared, hurling a priceless crystal goblet to the floor where it shattered.

“s*ave emancipation? New policies? They’re nothing but excuses for that girl to strip our power and line her own pockets!”

“Who does Vivian think she is?”

“A defeated captive, a stray dog that barely crawled back home—how dare she lecture us, the loyal retainers of generations?!”

“My lord, the Demon Lord’s command…”

His steward ventured cautiously.

“Command? I don’t recognize it!”

Victor slammed the table.

“My house served the previous Demon Lord, not her!”

“If she dares touch my slaves, I’ll dare to rebel!”

“But my lord, her momentum is fierce, and she is a Demon Lord in strength. We…”

“Afraid of what?”

Victor sneered.

“I’ve already contacted several other dissatisfied nobles. We’ll resist together!”

“I refuse to believe she’ll kill us all!”

“Nobles are the foundation of ruling a territory. Let’s see how the little Demon Lord girl governs without us!”

He lowered his voice.

“And I’ve reached out to Lord Gulaim of Molten Core.”

“He promised that if Vivian moves against us, he will provide support.”

The steward sucked in a sharp breath.

“You… contacted Lord Gulaim? That… that’s treason!”

“Treason?”

Victor laughed scornfully.

“Vivian is the real traitor!”

“She betrays demon tradition, betrays those of us who fought alongside the previous lord!”

“I am merely righting a wrong. Understand?”

The steward dared say no more and withdrew silently.

What he did not know was that the entire conversation had already been recorded by hidden watchers.

That same night, in Vivian’s office, Aria delivered the intelligence.

“Lord Demon Lord, Marquis Victor is indeed in contact with Gulaim.”

She handed over a recording crystal.

“Here is his conversation with his steward. The evidence is ironclad.”

Vivian listened, her expression darkening.

She had expected betrayal, but hearing the word “rebellion” still turned her mood foul.

“Colluding with a foreign power, inciting revolt…”

She said coldly.

“Victor, you court death.”

“Are there others involved?”

“Yes. Besides Victor, three more nobles refuse to comply, and they are in close contact.”

Aria reported.

“I suspect they are planning something.”

“No need to suspect.”

Vivian stood, killing intent flashing in her eyes.

“They want rebellion? I’ll grant their wish.”

“Aria, assemble the new army at once.”

“Surround the manors of these four nobles.”

“Victor’s especially—I will handle him personally.”

“Yes, my lord!”