In the resting area at the camp, all the people who were not giving tests or undergoing any kind of training were sitting in the circular row of beds and chairs, which was divided into three sections based on the three families: the Velmora family, the Keilname family, and the Holygrill family.
At the side of the Velmora family, Lucifer was sitting beside Veronica, munching on a spirit apple. In front of him was the group from the Holycross state, including Aria Holygrill, Delya Holygrill, and Paul Librator.
While munching on his spirit apple, Lucifer said, "Now, Lady Aria, tell us."
In response to Lucifer, Aria began telling him and the others around about Paul.
She said, "Young Master Lucifer, do you know what royal breeders are?"
To her question, Lucifer said, "Is it related to this matter?"
Aria replied, "Yes."
Lucifer said, "No, I don't know."
Then he looked at Veronica, who was lying beside him, and asked, "Veronica… do you know what royal breeders are?"
As Veronica heard Lucifer's query, she said, "Yes, Luci… they can be anyone… sometimes males and sometimes females. But mostly they are men. Actually, when some royal women want to have a baby and her own husband, father, son, or anyone in her family isn't able to successfully impregnate her, then the royal family calls upon royal breeders.
They are men with good virility and fertility along with high stamina. They have sex with royal women or noble women so that they can impregnate them, and in return they receive benefits in the form of money, land, and other advantages.
And just like men, some royal breeders are women as well, who try to get impregnated by other royals or nobles and give birth to their child. After the child's birth, they hand over the child to them and receive a handsome amount. Sometimes they even become their wives and spend their lives in luxury."
After listening to Veronica, Lucifer said, "So in brief, royal breeders are a bunch of people whom royals invite to have sex with them and expand their lineage?"
To Lucifer's conclusion, Veronica said, "Yes."
After getting Veronica's approval, Lucifer looked towards Aria again and said, "Proceed."
As Lucifer gave her permission to speak further, Aria said, "Young Master, actually you know… our Holygrill family isn't like the others. In our family, in our veins flows the divine blessings of Valkyrie Keria. You may not know, but according to the legends, Keria was the first human of this world.
And our blessings are very peculiar. Everyone in our bloodline has excellent fertility. Men have better virility and stamina compared to others, while women are more fertile and conceive better than others among those in the human kingdom alliance… not only in the Lustbound Kingdom.
Well, it is also true that with every generation, our bloodline becomes thinner and thinner… but it still holds high value on this land.
And thanks to this bloodline and Lady Keria, I have six kids of my own in my family.
So, the thing is… in the past, due to the popularity of our bloodline, the Lustbound Kingdom forced some agreement upon us. That agreement states that whenever the Lustbounds need us, our family men have to work as royal breeders for them.
This agreement ran for a long time… but after my coronation as matriarch of the Holygrill family, I abolished this agreement forcefully. As always, the kingdom couldn't kill its golden goose, so the Lustbound family started sending their men to us so that they could breed the women of our family. When a child was born, they would take it away with them.
But as matriarch, I refused the Lustbound family on this matter as well.
So in the end, they thought my disagreement was due to money being the problem and compensated us handsomely.
And after their compensation, I told them that the disagreement wasn't due to money matters, but because I didn't want to send my family's children over to them.
And due to my demand, the kingdom proposed another option. That was the way of political marriage, and they also proposed that they would not call the married couple back to the kingdom again so that they could live in Holycross.
And after this agreement, the kingdom sent Paul to us as a candidate for political marriage. At that time, Delya was about seventeen years old, I think… and she had no objection to marrying Paul… so both of them got married.
Some years later, when people from the kingdom came to visit Paul and Delya, they informed us that Paul was the son of Lady Jemly.
And Lady Jemly was the cousin sister of Peter Lustbound.
In Paul's early years of life, unfortunately, Lady Jemly passed away due to some chronic disease. After that, Peter Lustbound took great care of Paul, so he is still attached to him.
In reality, Paul hails from a sub-branch of the Lustbound family—the Librators—and his father is the viscount of Librator Viscounty, which is the mass of land sharing borders with the Hemis Kingdom.
So, Young Master… if we see from this angle, you did kill his uncle, Peter Lustbound."
When Lucifer heard all this, he sighed and then said, "Lady Aria, I don't know your relations with others, nor do I want to know them any further.
As you have willingly surrendered to our Westirifer Duchy, it is my duty to inform you this very seriously."
Lucifer's tone became grave and serious as he continued, "I plan to expand my territory even further… meaning I don't care about the Lustbound Kingdom or their royal family at all… they are already on my kill list.
You see… I don't think there is any problem in telling you my future plans. After this fertility ceremony festival… I will not stop at any cost.
My kill list includes some territories that I have to destroy at any cost… due to some wrongdoings they committed. They are: Herald County, Sable Duchy, Purefield Duchy, the Drakonista tribe of the Piccolo Kingdom, the orc and goblin tribes of the Remis Kingdom, and the Lustbound Kingdom.
This is the list of lands that I have to destroy and conquer… because I have some personal reasons behind this. And I will not spare anyone who has connections with them either… so I advise you to cut all ties with them as soon as possible. If not, then be ready to see your own fall… because I am sure about what I have to do."
When Lucifer said all this, Aria said, "Young Master… we have already surrendered to you and severed all our ties with the Lustbound Kingdom or their royal family.
Young Master… I plead with you to forgive Paul on my behalf… just one last time. I will take his responsibility myself… please heal his hands as you healed Lady Ruby's."
When Lucifer heard Aria's request, he said, "Fine… but let him live like this for about a month or two… till he gets to know that touching my women in the wrong way has consequences.
Or he can plead to my aunt till she is satisfied… after that, I'll heal him."
As Lucifer said all this, he stood up from there and walked toward the testing and training area without saying anything further.
Then he looked toward the soldiers who were trying their level best to overcome his test.
Out of 8,100 soldiers, some of them were what he would call good in his eyes. About 732 soldiers had passed his test with flying colors. They had already broken the octa-gravity barrier and were now lying dead on the ground.
About 600+ were still trying to swing their weapons on the barrier with extraordinary efforts. Some were just a step away from reaching the edge of their 10-meter-wide barrier, some were still struggling to even lift their leg up from the ground… and about 4,500+ were still struggling to stand up on their spot.
After observing the soldiers from the Holycross state, Lucifer turned toward the apprentice knights of Westirifer and the members of his own Velmora family who were training their bodies under his octa-gravity barrier.
• Graham had already broken the barrier with great efforts and was now sleeping like a dead man in his own grave. His hands and legs had turned a shade of red due to the extreme pressure he had survived and conquered.
• Eilin, Lina, Anna, and Edena… all four of them were still swinging their weapons inside their specific octa-gravity barrier… where the gravity was eight times stronger.
• Lysa, Nora, and Tara—all three of them—were on their last step to reach near the barrier.
• Jeff was still struggling to take his 5th step… covering merely 2 meters.
• Tristian, despite never having done any kind of physical activity, had high resolve and had already covered 1 meter inside that barrier.
• Jason was struggling to even stand up in there. He was feeling like the hard surface wasn't solid but a swamp pulling him underneath.
• Jasper was lying on the ground like a dead fish… not even trying to struggle a bit. Even lying flat chested against the ground had already overwhelmed him so much that he hadn't even stood up on his spot.
After seeing them for some more time… Lucifer announced, "The 1st phase of the test is concluded.
943 soldiers passed this first round within the given time phase out of 8,100 soldiers.
This time, men showed much more effort compared to women… out of these 943 soldiers, 386 are men and 557 are women.
And in total numbers… there are only 700 men but 7,400 women… so congratulations to you guys."
Then, after the 943 soldiers who had passed with flying colors, "1,056 are still considered as passed but not as excellently as those 943.
The remaining 6,101 of you failed it."
After saying this, Lucifer instructed, "Now those who passed will form another group from those who failed."
As Lucifer said this… all the candidates who had passed the first round stood up with dying efforts and slowly began creating another group.
Seeing their lazy actions, Lucifer burst into a loud, over-the-top theatrical voice, waving his arms dramatically like a circus ringmaster, "Why are you all behaving like this just after a little exercise? Are you that tired already? And you still dare to call yourselves with such fancy titles like paladins, Valkyrie knights, and holy mothers? Oh please!
Seeing you like this, all the paladins in heaven are probably rolling on the clouds, laughing their holy armor off and dying from laughter!
Valkyrie knights? Really, ladies? Your actual Valkyries up there must be crying rivers right now, covering their faces in shame at how you're dragging their legendary name through the mud like this!
Holy mothers? Go ask your ancestors… are they as pathetically weak as you lot look right now? I bet they're facepalming in the afterlife!
Why the hell are you all so ridiculously lazy… even after barely passing the first round? Shame on you all… you're absolutely soiling the good name of SS+ and SS- ranks! What a disgrace!
You only passed the first phase… and now you're waddling around like a bunch of bat-shit lazy turtles that just woke up from hibernation! The second phase is still waiting, you slowpokes! Move fast, you turtles… faster… faster… come on, waddle those shells quicker before I turn this into a comedy show!"
As Lucifer was shaming, taunting, and "encouraging" them all in his wildly exaggerated, comedic manner, complete with mock gasps and exaggerated gestures…
They were cursing him furiously in their minds…
'We aren't slow pokes, you motherfucker… you are the real monster here.'
'What kind of bullshit test is that? 8 times gravity… What are you testing us for? For candidates as successors of the demon lord?'
'Young Master… if you test us like this… we will definitely meet our ancestors before time.'
'Young Master… you shouldn't have shamed our titles… let's see if I pass this test or die here.'
As they thought all these thoughts and heard Lucifer's over-the-top "encouragement"… soon all 1,999 of them formed another group… and the rest 6,101 were still inside the barrier.
Then Lucifer glanced at those 6,101 and looked towards Isolde, Selene, Silva, Mia, Aria, and others who were munching on snacks and said, "Lady Aria… see these soldiers of your Holycross state… they are nothing better than B+ rank… so from now on their rank is B+ in our Westirifer's army."
After saying this, Lucifer snapped his fingers and that octa-gravity barrier vanished like it was never there.
Then Lucifer looked towards the apprentice knights Jason, Jeff, Jasper, and Tristian and said, "Tristian and Jason… both of you… face each other and start doing pushups.
Let's start with 100 pushups… for each of you… and you will do 3 reps of it… meaning 300 pushups in total… easy, right?
Now begin.
And Graham, come here with your friends except Anna.
And Anna, you… spar with Uncle Jeff… show him how to fight for real.
Now… Jasper, you… go and rest… you don't belong on the battlefield at all. I'll train you myself in the ducal palace."
As Jason, Jeff, Tristian, and Jasper heard Lucifer's voice… they all thought, 'We are your family or not… why are you torturing us?'
Their thoughts were clearly mirrored on their facial expressions. And seeing them, Graham consoled Tristian and Jason by saying, "How lucky both of you are… Young Master is lenient with all of you. Me and these seven apprentice knights started our training under Commander Vance and Lady Commander Artemis by climbing 'Resilience Peak' two times in 6 hours… which is 12,000+ meters high… and then doing 4,000 pushups, 4,000 squats, and 4,000 pullups."
While Graham was consoling Jason and Tristian… and Lucifer was sparring with—or more like beating—those 1,999 soldiers… all the spectators were watching this view like a very interesting action and thriller movie, munching on various snacks that Lucifer had pulled out from his space storage.