Draven didn't explain in detail to Titus that he was actually the Demon Lord, nor did he feel the need to say much.

  Although Titus was a loyal goblin, such secrets weren't something to be casually shared. As long as Titus could report information on time, letting him have a meal was enough to keep him grateful for days.

  Incidentally, Draven mentioned to Titus that since some of the elderly and weak black wolf slaves in the village couldn't do heavy labor, they might as well be recruited into Titus's security squad.

  They could patrol the village or stand guard on the walls—at least that way, they'd still be useful. This arrangement would free up more manpower under Titus's command for hunting outside.

  Titus nodded eagerly while still chewing his food and promised to pick the team immediately after finishing his meal. Watching him busy himself, Draven suddenly remembered something, put down his chopsticks, and patted Titus on the shoulder with a somewhat serious tone:

  "Titus, you have to treat Black Flag Territory as your own home. Don't wait for me to remind you about everything. Be more proactive."

  Hearing this, Titus's face flushed with excitement. He immediately stood up from his chair, forgetting even to eat."The chief values me so much. I must work hard and never let him down."

  Draven couldn't help but smile, thinking that this kind of flattery really worked on these demi-humans—appeasing their hearts was quite effective.

  However, if Liliana hadn't been giving him a disdainful glare, he probably would have been even more pleased. Seeing Draven lightly tap Liliana's head, she clutched it and cried out in pain, while Viola softly scolded him, and Martha looked at him with a meaningful glance.

  The summer night was hot, and the three women and Draven fought with ever-growing enthusiasm!

  Martha's long legs entwined around him with nimble movements, her eyes full of provocation and amusement. Even amid the fierce struggle, her gaze never left Draven.

  Draven could hardly believe how quickly she dared to challenge him like this. Hadn't Liliana just rolled her eyes in arrogance?

  He quickened his pace to finish off the last opponent. Suddenly, a strong disturbance surged through his consciousness space.

  Gritting his teeth, Draven sat cross-legged. Martha, dazed, froze.

  Ignoring his pounding heart, he quickly steadied his mind and entered his consciousness space.

  He saw the contract aura that originally bound Selene's image begin to tremble slightly. Draven was shocked—he had never seen this before.

  He hurried closer, and as the trembling intensified, the contract aura actually spat Selene's image out.

  It felt as if the contract aura was rejecting her, deliberately throwing her off. The expelled Selene had undergone a huge transformation.

  Her body was entwined with dense rune chains that soon gathered into five thick black chains, brutally suspending Selene's image high above in the consciousness space.

  These chains extended endlessly, as if penetrating the depths of the consciousness space and disappearing into infinite darkness.

  Draven stared in amazement at the chained Selene, secretly thinking: This might be the true form of the Succubus Binding Oath—truly domineering.

  He floated over to carefully observe Selene's new form, feeling a strange sense of happiness.

  Who would have thought that the always cold and aloof Selene would become so pitiful and helpless in his consciousness space?

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Logically, since Draven had already been promoted to a high-level chief, he should be able to contract low-level lord-class beasts, and Selene should be under his control.

  But in fact, he had already tried and found that Selene's contract aura was isolated by some unknown force, completely unreachable by his consciousness.

  Combined with the recent disturbance in the contract aura, Draven guessed this was probably related to Selene's recent advancement in realm.

  After all, she had just defeated Clara and Freya, gaining tremendous growth and becoming the biggest beneficiary of the conflict, which didn't surprise him at all.

  What puzzled him was why the contract aura spat her out. Could it be that after her advancement, the aura recognized that she was no longer a simple beast?

  That thought was rather terrifying.

  Does this mean that the Contract Halo actually has its own consciousness?

  Draven stared at the Contract Halo that should belong to Selene, now appearing empty and hollow, and a strange sense of fear arose in his heart.

  After all, this was part of his own consciousness space. If there has always been another consciousness inside, what would that mean? Could someone be secretly watching, or even controlling it?

  He realized that ever since he was promoted to High Leader, the number of unexplainable things happening around him had been increasing, making him feel more confused and uneasy.

  His suspicion was not entirely wrong.

  ...

  Meanwhile, in Selene's secret chamber, she slowly opened her eyes. The two corpses placed before her had turned to ashes, and a faint aura of death lingered in the air.

  Selene felt the surging power filling her body, her eyes flickering with excitement.

  "Is this the power of a Mid-tier Lord?" she whispered, unable to hide her joy.

  The flow of energy inside made her feel much stronger than before. Had she possessed such power earlier, she might never have needed the aid of the Werewolf Leader, nor would she have feared facing Clara.

  But just as this joy filled her heart, she suddenly thought of that Werewolf Leader. Her expression immediately darkened at the thought of him.

  "Damn that guy!" Selene cursed, her voice low and fiery.

  She recalled Linda's report, which said the Werewolf Leader indulged in nightly revelries and lived recklessly.

  All this anger coiled around Selene's heart like a venomous snake, biting deep into her teeth.

  Gathering her composure, Selene tried to adapt to the newly acquired power within. She steadied her emotions and slowly left the secret chamber, returning to her quarters.

  At the door, Valeria stood respectfully, a black night raven perched on her shoulder. Clearly, new information had arrived again.

  Selene glanced at the gradually brightening sky, originally intending to rest, then untied the strip of animal hide tied to the raven's feet.

  "Get me some hot water. I want to take a bath," she said calmly.

  The bathtub and the habit of bathing were things she had secretly learned from Black Flag Territory. Thanks to Linda, the spy, Selene always knew about the good things from Black Flag Territory first.

  Soaking in the warm water, Selene felt her body relax and her mood ease considerably.

  Valeria's cheeks flushed slightly as she tried not to stare directly at Selene's impressive figure. She knew why Selene trusted her so much— it was because of that"friendship" with the Werewolf Leader.

  Even so, Valeria still held deep reverence for Selene, convinced that she was the true leader of the Succubi.

  Holding a horn cup, sipping wine, she leafed through a letter made from animal hide, which recorded the training methods sent by Linda.

  "Running, weight-bearing, formations..." Selene muttered softly, her face showing a thoughtful expression.

  "What kind of new trick is this?" she smiled bitterly, feeling this stuff was indeed novel.

  She gently clenched the animal hide letter in her hand, and it turned to powder between her fingers, drifting away with the wind.

  She secretly thought that since the training methods were so innovative, trying them might do no harm. After all, this bathtub was pretty useful.

  Selene leaned on the edge of the tub, her voice cold yet commanding:"Valeria, come here."

  Valeria cautiously approached and skillfully took the fur to gently wipe Selene's smooth, tender back.

  She knew that Selene's trust in her was tied to that delicate relationship with the Werewolf Leader. Yet despite that, Valeria still fully admired Selene.

  Selene casually asked,"How have those tribespeople who came with you from the south been recently?"

  Valeria's hand paused, her eyes flickered, then she answered in a sweet tone,"All is well. Everyone is grateful for your tolerance and care."

  Selene's lips curled slightly into a smile, but in her heart, she sneered at the word tolerance. Now that she had been promoted to Mid-tier Lord, it was the perfect time to reorganize the southern clans.

  Selene rose from the bathtub, her proud figure fully displayed. Valeria helped dry her off and dress.

  Selene's gaze lingered on Valeria's lips. Her expression suddenly turned cold, and her voice became stern and authoritative:"From now on, change your tone when you speak. Stop using that sweet, cloying voice."

  Valeria was startled but quickly suppressed that syrupy tone and began to imitate the cold, stern accent of the northern tribes."Yes, Lady Selene."