Amid the cheers, the demons cast smiling glances toward the demon pair, their eyes filled with satisfaction and pride.
Up on the dais, Fall Lord Caliera also finally revealed a satisfied smile.
Fulfilling the dreams of other beings was her favorite thing.
"Then according to the procedure, the creator of this painting is—"
She pointed toward the far-left seats of the Regency Hall, where the demon groom sat composedly, answering everyone's expectations.
"I must ask everyone to wait a moment."
From the Blood Clan seats at the far end of the hall directly facing the throne dais, the abrupt voice of Viscount Giovanni, standing behind the Tenth Progenitor, brought everything to a halt.
None of the demons knew what the Blood Clan delegation was planning.
"..."
Fall Lord Caliera was about to speak when, just as the dust was settling, the very thing she had anticipated occurred.
Earlier, she had already grown somewhat weary of this ostentatious Blood Clan viscount.
Her brow furrowed slightly as she looked toward the center of the Regency Hall's fan-shaped seating area, at the Blood Clan's seats in the far distance.
The Blood Clan's diplomat, Viscount Giovanni, rose to his feet with swift, decisive motions.
The Fall Lord knew that Eduardo, as a Progenitor, might try to disrupt things, and the method of stirring up trouble would likely be to have their lackey viscount speak on his behalf first.
"Lady Caliera, on behalf of the Blood Clan, I must raise an objection to the procedure."
Viscount Giovanni's shrill voice cut through the ceremony that was about to conclude normally. He looked toward Princess Hyperion on the sovereign side of the Regency Hall, a trace of mockery playing across his face.
He had no intention of allowing the demons to have what they thought was a happy ending for all.
"..."
Every demon's gaze in the hall shifted in an instant toward Viscount Giovanni, and many dignitaries' expressions darkened with wrath.
Earlier, when an Epic painting appeared on the Blood Clan's side, they had certainly rubbed it in everyone's faces; now that the demons had produced an Epic painting of their own, the Blood Clan was raising doubts once more.
Yet the problem indeed lay right there.
Was McCarthy truly a great demon?
After sensing McCarthy's magical energy upon the painting, Fall Lord Caliera, leader of the demons, had said nothing more.
This clearly signified that the Fall Lord considered McCarthy a great demon.
Yet, to be frank, the other demons could sense neither magical fluctuations nor a warrior's aura from McCarthy.
Perhaps McCarthy was concealing his strength, but if verification proved he was not a great demon, he would still be disqualified.
More than just the great demons present gazed in bewilderment at the Glow Demon seated beside the Thunder Lord.
"My friend..."
Even Thunder Lord Gareth, sitting right beside him, looked at his compatriot.
With his strength as a Tier 8 great demon, the Thunder Lord was completely unable to judge what level this wealthy merchant next to him actually possessed.
He was overjoyed for his dear friend, yet he also worried for him.
In the Thunder Lord's eyes, McCarthy was not a combat-type demon—one could even say he possessed virtually no martial power.
Perhaps a demon below Tier 8 could rely on unique mental capabilities to pass a trial of disposition, but when it came to a trial of martial might, the Thunder Lord was certain that anyone below Tier 8 had no hope of clearing even one.
Even so, he chose to trust his friend and the Fall Lord.
The Blood Clan was ever despicable.
Before signing the peace treaty with the demon race, they had been mortal enemies on the battlefield, and even now, the Blood Clan never missed a chance to suppress the demons.
The demon race was not one to remain subservient forever. Right now, whether the last royal princess stayed or went not only represented the race's dignity, but also served as the final key to opening the demon ancestral land.
Until a new Nine-Mark Demon King emerged, if war broke out while the ancestral land remained sealed, the demons would lose a major pillar of their confidence in war.
The supreme magical power of the ancestral land, the spirits of the ancestors, and the sealing formations within were all part of the ultimate barrier that could suppress the Blood Clan.
The Blood Clan had likely confirmed that in the current Demon Realm, the princess was the sole demon remaining who could open the ancestral land. They certainly would not concede defeat easily and forfeit such a precious opportunity—with their unscrupulous, bottomless tactics, there was no dirty trick they wouldn't stoop to.
The demons present began to whisper among themselves, sensing the ominous atmosphere.
Such conduct from the Blood Clan envoy could ordinarily be called quite rude.
Yet all the demons in attendance understood—this challenge was remarkably effective.
Beside the princess's throne, the Fall Lord nodded slightly, granting Blood Clan Viscount Giovanni tacit permission to speak with a cold gaze.
If she did not let him speak, the one to speak up next would soon be Duke Eduardo, the Fourth Progenitor.
This simple reaction immediately plunged the hall into silence once more, with the Demon Realm dignitaries fixing their gazes upon the Blood Clan viscount and the Fall Lord.
"Lady Fall Lord... you aren't intending to forge a great demon identity for him just to deceive our Blood Clan, are you?"
Viscount Giovanni took a deep breath, glancing sideways toward McCarthy on the right side of the hall's center.
"Are you questioning my ability to even identify a great demon?"
Fall Lord Caliera, resting her hand motionless as she looked at him, said coldly:
"Or are you questioning whether I, the exalted Fall Lord, would stoop to forgery just to win?"
Conversing with the unreasonably contentious Blood Clan sickened her.
The moment she touched the painting, she had been certain: McCarthy was a genuine, bona fide great demon.
Though she did not understand why McCarthy's magical energy bore so many mark resonances—including one that resonated extraordinarily deeply with her—she knew that every single one represented the supreme power of their demon race.
However, before a great demon bestowed their mark upon someone, they themselves would not know what form their mark took. Caliera had never granted her mark to anyone, so that mark on McCarthy naturally could not be hers.
"Hehe, is Lady Caliera angry?"
Faced with Fall Lord Caliera's curt response, Viscount Giovanni pointed at Lanqi.
"If I were in Your Ladyship's position, even if he were not a great demon, I would still declare him one. After all, you certainly wish to see the demon race prevail."
At that moment, not just around the Fall Lord, but across the entire hall, the atmosphere became smothered in a sudden surge of gunpowder.
Fall Lord Caliera raised her eyes, casting a glance toward Fourth Progenitor Eduardo behind Viscount Giovanni.
Although Eduardo merely kept his mouth in a straight, impassive line, for a mere Blood Clan viscount like Giovanni to dare be so insolent, he had undoubtedly received the Fourth Progenitor's authorization.
"Heh."
Caliera did not fall for the provocation, refusing to lower herself by losing her temper with a viscount and getting dragged into an argument over the matter.
She maintained an aloof demeanor, her eyes seeming to tell the Blood Clan that she couldn't be bothered to reason with them—justice resided within her own heart.
"..."
Tenth Progenitor Marquis Ulysses quietly rested his chin on his hand, wearing a faint smile.
From start to finish, he had the air of a spectator watching a play, disinterested in the disputes between the Blood Clan and the demon race; whoever won or lost mattered nothing to him.
The scene now appeared somewhat deadlocked.
Fall Lord Caliera chose to give the cold shoulder to the disadvantageous topic raised by Viscount Giovanni.
Viscount Giovanni kept a composed look on his face.
For someone of his rank, speaking freely with the Fall Lord was a win no matter what. After offering her a hypocritical bow, he once again surveyed the entire Regency Hall:
"I believe all the demons present can sense the faint magical power on this legendary demon painter. If he is truly a great demon, why not invite him to prove himself?"
The moment Viscount Giovanni's accusation landed, the air in the Regency Hall froze.
The entire hall fell into a brief silence, followed by a rapid crescendo of clamor.
"You bastard, that is an insult to Lady Fall Lord!"
Mist Lord Orion was the first to leap to his feet and roar in fury, his voice sounding as though he had endured the other party for far too long.
Regardless of whether McCarthy needed to prove himself, a mere Blood Clan viscount had no right to aggressively browbeat the demons into proving anything.
"What we require is a negotiation partner who is entirely honest and abides by the rules. If neither side can produce results convincing to the other, how can there be any foundation to speak of?"
Viscount Giovanni paid no heed to the great demon Mist Lord, keeping his spear pointed squarely at Fall Lord Caliera.
"If the Fall Lord has not committed fraud, might we ask this winner on the demon side to demonstrate his great demon strength?"
"Very simple. McCarthy, you don't need to hold back anymore."
Caliera looked toward Lanqi, signaling for him to simply display his great demon majesty.
That direct soul-strike was something demons could instinctively sense, and the Blood Clan would recognize it as well.
"Goodness, why must you insist on having me frighten my compatriots?"
Lanqi leaned back in his seat, murmuring helplessly to himself as the branch-like white markings on his face showed signs of igniting with a crackling radiance.
"Wait."
Before McCarthy could act, Viscount Giovanni raised his hand and spoke once more:
"How are we to know whether Lady Fall Lord used illusion magic to create a false impression of a great demon for him? If he merely displays a great demon mark, our Blood Clan has no way to genuinely verify it."
Having finished, he pointed at Lanqi.
Lanqi looked at the Blood Clan viscount with an expression of innocent bewilderment.
"As everyone knows, great demons are at least Tier 8. I would like to ask Mr. McCarthy to take a single blow from the Fourth Progenitor. If he truly is a great demon, he should be able to manage that, shouldn't he?"
Viscount Giovanni finally cast aside all pretense, voicing the Blood Clan's demand with a vicious gleam in his eyes.
On the left side of the hall, demons who were Fall Lord's confidants rose to their feet, their chairs scraping with a resounding clatter, clearly unwilling to tolerate such an insulting challenge.
The Blood Clan was questioning not just McCarthy, but Fall Lord Caliera herself!
Their glares served as a warning to Viscount Giovanni that their patience had limits.
In this explosive confrontation—
"Since when did you demons have a Tier 4 great demon?"
Fourth Progenitor Eduardo looked across at the Fall Lord in the distance, resting on his cane and leaning back slightly.
"..."
Fall Lord Caliera fell into a brief silence.
Other demons might not see McCarthy's true strength, but Tier 9 beings standing at the pinnacle of magic like herself and Eduardo could never be deceived by any trick concealing one's genuine tier.
McCarthy was indeed Tier 4; Caliera knew this.
And that fellow Eduardo knew McCarthy's tier just as well, which was why he had instructed his lackey viscount to play this open conspiracy.
If McCarthy lacked the strength of Tier 8, the Blood Clan would simply insist that McCarthy's identity as a great demon was a forgery fabricated by Caliera's illusions.
Even if McCarthy genuinely displayed the imposing majesty of a great demon, it would be useless, for the Blood Clan would maintain that Caliera had used illusions to fake it for him.
Although she also had no idea how McCarthy had managed to become a great demon possessing six marks at mere Tier 4, whether by factional standing or personal inclination, she would protect McCarthy this day.
"Princess Hyperion belongs to Great Demon McCarthy today."
Fall Lord Caliera tilted her head with absolute resolve, looking as though she were ready to personally step into battle.
"I have decided this on their behalf. Even if your First Progenitor were to come in person, it would change nothing."
She added, her eyes no longer concealing the ferocity inherent to her demon nature.
With her here today, this wedding was happening, no matter what.
Chapter 581