Everything clicked into place.
All the scattered fragments of information in William's mind suddenly connected, forming a complete picture. The outer circle Lamias believed their tribe had a guardian spirit. The middle layer lamias had no idea such a guardian even existed. Yet both groups had received their information from the same source, the queen.
The truth was painfully obvious now. This was a scam, an elaborate deception orchestrated by the lamia queen herself.
William didn't need to guess at her motives. Consolidating power, plain and simple. The inner layer atavists claimed noble status, but their numbers were pathetically small. If they ever lost their ability to suppress the middle and outer layers, there'd only be one outcome, rebellion. The old regime was overthrown.
That was the last thing any ruler wanted to see.
So the queen had constructed this lie. But something still didn't add up for William. Why was the queen so afraid of rebellion from the middle and outer circles in the first place?
According to what Serena had told him before, the inner layer's bloodline was supposedly superior to the middle and outer layers. Even if signs of rebellion appeared, that natural bloodline advantage should suppress it easily. Logically, the queen shouldn't need to worry this much about an uprising.
"Serena, when did the lamia tribe develop such a severe caste system?"
The question clearly stumped her. After a long pause, Serena whispered, "I... I don't know, Master William."
"Serena doesn't know. What about you, Alya? Does anyone here know?"
His question was met with exchanged glances and uncomfortable silence. Nobody spoke up.
Clearly, they were all just as ignorant as Serena. From the moment of their birth, they'd simply accepted the idea that atavists were nobles. It was just how things were.
Seeing everyone's clueless expressions, William nodded slowly. "I see. Well, I think I've figured something out. I've had this nagging question since I started interacting with you outer circle lamias. Why are there no elderly lamias among the outer or middle layers?"
He continued, "No matter what race you look at, there should be at least a few old folks with rich life experience. They're the living history of their people, witnesses to the tribe's rise and decline. But since entering the lamia territory, I haven't seen a single elderly lamia. That's extremely strange."
"Putting it all together, I can basically conclude that this so-called atavism isn't actually a manifestation of noble bloodlines at all. If I'm not mistaken, those people in the inner layer are actually even more lowborn than you middle and outer circle lamias. For them to have climbed to their current position, there must be a lot of buried truths about your tribe's early history."
The lamia girls' eyes widened as his analysis sank in. Sudden realization spread across their faces.
The middle-layer lamia who'd been frightened of William earlier now looked at him with curious fascination instead of fear. Maybe this unique young black dragon really could save what remained of the devastated middle layer.
While the lamias digested this revelation, William pressed forward. "You can process all this while we move. Right now, the priority is having this girl lead us to find all the surviving middle-layer lamias. If we unite everyone, we can get through this crisis together."
He turned his attention to the middle-layer girl, waiting for her response.
Under William's gaze, the girl suddenly tensed again. But this nervousness was different from before not fear, but the weight of responsibility being placed on her shoulders.
"I'll do it! I'll lead the way!" she said with flustered determination.
"Then let's not waste time. Move out."
With that, William dove back inside Serena's shirt.
The other lamia girls didn't find anything strange about it anymore. Only Alya, who understood the full truth of the situation, felt her face heating up again. At the same time, curiosity gnawed at her. Was doing that kind of thing really so comfortable?
But then she remembered seeing the size of it earlier. Her mind recoiled instantly. If that thing actually went all the way through, she'd definitely pass out on the spot!
Despite her curiosity, Alya forcibly stopped that line of thinking.
Following the middle-layer girl's guidance, William's group quickly located where the remaining middle-layer lamias were hiding.
The place resembled a sewer system beneath the middle layer a dirty, poorly maintained environment, but it served as a decent shelter.
When the lamias inside spotted Serena's group along with their companion, who'd gone missing, their expressions changed drastically. They immediately assumed she'd betrayed them and lured Serena's people here as a trap.
"You betrayed us, too?!" one of them accused.
The guide quickly tried to explain. "No! I'm trying to save everyone! If we join forces with the outer circle lamias, we can definitely overcome this crisis together!"
"Shut up! Don't you understand? Our middle layer has lost the queen's trust! These outer circle lamias are the ones the queen trusts most now!"
As they spoke, the middle layer lamias took aggressive stances, clearly prepared for a desperate last stand.
Serena listened to them repeatedly invoke the queen's name, and the anger building inside her finally exploded. "Shut your mouths! The one we serve now is Master William, not that lizard bitch and her so-called bloodline! If you keep speaking disrespectfully, don't blame me for what happens next!"
Serena's furious rebuke made the opposing lamias hesitate. They looked at each other uncertainly, recognizing something genuine in Serena's conviction. After a moment of internal debate, they slowly relaxed their aggressive postures and lowered their weapons.
"If what you're saying is true, then where is this master you serve?"
"Right here." William poked his head out from Serena's collar, his golden eyes immediately locking onto them.
The demon king's aura hit them like a physical force, the inherent pressure in his bloodline instantly suppressed every middle-layer lamia present. Before they realized what was happening, they'd all collapsed to the ground.
Only after William withdrew his gaze did they become aware of their humiliating position. Their faces flushed red with embarrassment, unable to meet Serena's eyes or those of the other outer circle lamias.
"We're sorry," they mumbled.
Now that the truth was confirmed, the middle-layer lamias abandoned their hostile stance entirely.
Seeing the matter resolved, William retreated into Serena's shirt. He had to admit, it was comfortable in here for this shota form.