"This plan... yeah, it’s definitely worth a shot," Lilith said with certainty. "My Lord, do you remember the dungeon map I gave you?"
She leaned in slightly, her voice lowering just a bit. "That map shows a rough route that leads straight to the third floor of the dungeon. Back then, I was way weaker than I am now, and I still managed to escape. So this time, it should be even easier..."
She trailed off, a flicker of hope surfacing in her eyes. Something was stirring in her heart—a thought, a desire—but she didn’t dare say it out loud.
After all, the life she had now was everything she’d ever dreamed of.
She was content. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
And because of that, she didn’t want to ask for more. She couldn’t.
But Ethan caught the shift in her expression. He could tell what she was thinking, even if she didn’t say it.
"Lilith," he said, his tone thoughtful, "do you think Emerald Castle, as we are now, could take down your mother—Malenthia?"
He wasn’t just asking out of curiosity. As a lord, he knew Lilith didn’t expect anything from him, and she’d never demand it. But that didn’t mean he didn’t have a responsibility to his loyal followers.
If they were going to raid a dungeon anyway, it didn’t really matter who they fought. A battle’s a battle. So why not use this opportunity to help Lilith settle her old score?
Besides, there was something else—something important.
He had a gut feeling that Malenthia wasn’t all that strong.
Well, even though Lilith had once told him her mother was a Dungeon King, there were details that didn’t quite add up.
If he remembered correctly, Lilith had also said Malenthia was originally just a 12-Tier special hidden unit—a Shadow Matriarch.
And that was the problem.
It’s not that a 12-Tier Royal Unit couldn’t evolve into a Crimson Ultimate Hero. It was rare, but not impossible. Thalrun the Diamond Golem was a perfect example of that.
Even if it was possible, most Crimson Ultimate Heroes that evolved from 12-Tier units were on the lower end of the power scale. Bottom-tier, really.
Technically speaking, they were D-rank Crimson Ultimates.
So if that’s what Malenthia was...
He didn’t think she’d be unbeatable. In fact, they might actually have a decent shot.
"Malenthia..." Lilith echoed softly.
Her face tightened for a moment, a flicker of pain crossing her features. But she quickly pushed it down and looked Ethan in the eye.
"My Lord, to be honest, I don’t know the answer to that. Malenthia’s not on the same level as the Shadow Dragon Vorundar, that’s for sure... but she’s still a Dungeon King. She’s not weak."
Ethan nodded slowly, falling into thought.
She wasn’t wrong. But still...
"Master, I have a suggestion," Elynn suddenly chimed in.
"Go ahead," Ethan said, turning to her immediately.
"Why not have Lilith take the map and retrace her old route? Scout things out. At the same time, we could send a small force with her—or even a few more people—to test the waters and try capturing a few dungeon zones along the way."
"If anything unexpected happens, or if it gets too dangerous, they can just pull back. No harm done. Or, if things get really dicey, we could always ask Isaryne for help. With her strength—and her team’s—unless we’re up against another Dungeon King, there’s hardly anyone who could stop them."
Elynn’s voice was calm, but there was a quiet confidence in her words.
"Great idea!" Ethan’s eyes lit up as he nodded enthusiastically. Yeah, this could work.
Even though Isaryne had turned down his offer to officially join them, she was still a potential ally in his long-term plans. And the more chances he had to interact with her, the better. Let too much time pass without contact, and any connection they had would just fade away.
Elynn’s suggestion? Definitely a win-win.
"Lilith," Ethan said, turning to her with a decisive tone, "take Balthazar and the Behemoth army with you. Head into the dungeon and map out a full route to the third floor. While you’re at it, feel free to seize any territory you come across—gold mines, resource points, even creature dwellings."
"If you find anything valuable, take it."
"But your top priority is safety. Keep an eye on Balthazar and the others. Don’t push your luck."
"Yes, my great and noble Lord..." Lilith nodded quickly, her voice trembling slightly with emotion.
Deep in her eyes, a spark of gratitude and excitement flickered.
She hadn’t dared to hope for this.
But of course she wanted revenge.
And now Ethan was giving her the chance—no, he was offering it to her. That meant more than she could put into words.
"Go on," Ethan said, waving her off with a small smile.
Sending Balthazar and the Behemoth army with her wasn’t just a random choice—it was a calculated move.
The dungeon wasn’t like the surface world.
The ceilings were low, the paths narrow, the space tight. That meant ground-based units with raw power had a natural—and often overwhelming—advantage.
In tight quarters, brute force wins.
And when it came to brute force?
The Behemoths were the textbook definition.
If you were talking about raw combat ferocity, they were unmatched.
That wasn’t just his opinion—it was practically gospel in the world of Glory Lords X.
There were even rumors that in the dungeon, even the mighty Red Dragons and Black Dragons—the so-called signature Mythic Units of the dungeon factions—would rather steer clear of the Behemoths than pick a fight.
Maybe the Behemoths weren’t the strongest unit in the dungeon.
But they were damn well one of the strongest.
So yeah—sending them with Lilith? Absolutely the right call.
"Once Cicero and Seraphina finish sweeping Sylvanwood," Ethan murmured to himself, "we can move on to the next phase—taking on the Eight Grand Duchies..."
Before he could finish the thought, a voice rang out from the distance.
Auremax was flying toward him at high speed, his expression unusually serious—even tense.