Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill
Chapter 279 - 279: Royal Demon Palace (12) - Royal Confrontation

The room had a reddish tone to it, and it was impossible to see further ahead. Even William, with his improved night vision, couldn't see a thing.

"This room has a dark-like fog. It messes with our senses, so it's hard to walk around here," the woman explained.

William could already imagine the place was a maze—somewhere hard to escape from.

Since the two of them were working together now, William decided to ask her more about the mysterious room, just to understand what to expect.

"How could I improve my bloodline in this place? That's how Jhen lured me here," William asked. "Is it just the scripts?"

The scripts the woman had mentioned were scrolls and books containing powerful demonic techniques. Anyone who had access to them would certainly improve with enough practice.

But that wasn't the only thing inside the room.

"There are blood pools scattered around this place," she said, "and if you bathe in them, they'll improve your body and your bloodline. But they're rare to find. It's like the place chooses who can access them."

That was one of the reasons Jhen had come here. She wanted to get stronger, just like William did—but her main goal was to kill the royal family.

"Our focus is to find my family," the woman said. "We need to make sure they're alive and well. We can't let Jhen kill them!"

Honestly, William wasn't all that excited about saving the royal family. Sure, he wanted to stop Jhen and rescue Victoria—she didn't deserve any of this. But he also wanted to get stronger.

Still, he agreed with her. Deep down, William wanted to know more about the royal family. Maybe that could give him some answers about his own bloodline.

And besides, he didn't want to stay on the Demon Island for too long. If the royal family survived, then he wouldn't have to take control of the place like Jhen originally wanted.

"Do you have any tips on how to walk in this place? Is there a way for us to have a clear direction to follow?" William asked.

The woman with him was part of the royal family, and he hoped she had something that could help them in there. And she did.

He had noticed how confident she looked when entering that mysterious room.

"I do have something that can help us," she said. "It's a device that will lead me to my family."

The device she mentioned was a compass that pointed toward those who shared her blood.

"Then why aren't you with them? I mean, the whole royal family is there, right?" William asked.

They were walking through that strange room with nothing around them, so he took the chance to learn more about her. Jhen had just betrayed him—he didn't want to risk trusting the wrong person again.

"I was away from home, studying."

Judging by the way she said it, it felt like she had been really far from home. At least, that was the impression William got.

"So you were out of the Demon Island? Did you use the same portal I used to come here?" William asked.

That was the only portal he knew about, and everyone he had talked to only seemed to know that one too. The others had apparently been destroyed over the years.

"You mean the one in the city? No, I used a different one. The royal family has a few hidden ones," she said.

William frowned when he heard that. He hadn't expected her to share such a secret with him. Was she being kind to him just because they both had a royal bloodline?

To her, the only explanation for William having a royal bloodline was that he was related to her. They were family.

William had thought about that too—but he had been summoned to that world. So how could he be part of their family? It didn't add up.

"I see… And how big is this place exactly? How can your family survive in here?"

"This place was also built for protection. There's a house in here with food, water, and everything else a family might need. It's a safe haven in case things go wrong."

"Really?"

The woman looked proud as she spoke. "Not just that, but there's also a portal leading out. My family just didn't use it because they're likely still recovering their strength and preparing a plan to take back the castle."

When the attack happened, the royal family suffered wounds that would take a long time to heal. And beyond that, they didn't have the numbers to fight back against the noble family that had taken over.

The nobles had gained the support of other families, forming an army strong enough to seize control of the royal palace.

In that situation, the royal family had no choice but to activate the castle's traps—to stop anyone from stealing their treasures—and retreat to a safe place where they could regroup and recover.

While walking with the royal princess, William realized just how difficult it was to move through that mysterious room.

His senses were distorted, and there was nothing around—no landmarks, no distinct features. It was eerily silent.

It felt like he was walking endlessly, with no clear direction. If someone didn't have a way to orient themselves—like William had with the princess and her compass—they would be in serious trouble.

No food, no water, nowhere to rest. The only good thing was that there were no magical beasts inside. At least, that's what the royal princess had said. But what if that had changed?

She did mention she'd been away studying, so maybe she wasn't up to date with how things were anymore.

"Do you think Jhen has something like you? I mean, a device to help her find her way around this place?" William asked.

That was what worried him the most. If Jhen had a device like that, then she had a way to find the royal family—and with them, the scripts and the means to get even stronger.

She also had a few hours' head start, which only made things worse if she truly had such a tool.

When William said that, he noticed the concerned look on the woman's face, but she replied, "As far as I know, she doesn't. But I might be wrong—and that's why we're moving fast, just in case."

At that point, they were basically running. The room was massive, but now that they could walk without suffering from the messed-up senses and the complete lack of direction, everything became a lot easier.

After about an hour of running, they finally saw something—something that wasn't just dense fog and endless marble floor. It was beautiful.

Green vegetation spread everywhere. A river with crystal-clear water flowed gently beneath a stone bridge that led to the other side—where a mansion stood.

The house was made of wood, surrounded by farmland and cattle. It was the farmhouse where the royal family had taken shelter.

It was like they had stepped into a completely different place. The area looked more like the outside world, and that alone was extraordinary.

How did the royal family build something like this? William couldn't help but wonder.

"We're here," the royal princess said. "Let's move. She might already be inside."

They headed toward the house, but just as they were about to enter, a voice came from behind.

It was Jhen.

Victoria and Kier were with her, both bound by ropes made of demonic energy, ensuring they couldn't pull anything.

"I knew you'd have the compass," Jhen said, a smirk stretching across her face. "All I had to do was follow you. Pretty simple, right?"

She burst out laughing like a madwoman.

William had to admit—she was smart. Instead of blindly wandering through the maze-like room, Jhen had waited for the royal princess and William to go in first… then simply followed them.

And she wasn't weak. She had tracked them for an hour without them even noticing.

"And what are you doing here, Jhen?" the royal princess asked. "Why do you want to kill our family? After everything we did for you."

"Everything you did?" Jhen scoffed. "You mean how Father ignored my existence because I was a bastard? How he gave me some meaningless job in the palace just so I could be near him? My best days were when I was away in the army—far from all of you!"

She was yelling now, her voice shaking with years of buried resentment finally spilling out.

The royal princess looked down, guilt creeping into her heart. She had always known, deep down, that their father had treated Jhen unfairly. She had tried to reach out, to help, to be a sister—but Jhen had pushed her away every time.

Jhen had chosen distance, even from the ones who had truly cared.

"We should talk about this," the royal princess said, "it doesn't have to be like this."

Of course, Jhen didn't listen. She took out her sword, and slowly moved toward the house.

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