Chapter 65
Chapter 65
Chapter 65
Queen of the Psychics (1)
"It's been a while, Marbas."
In the glamorous yet secretive secret place exclusive to the Demon Kings.
Asmodeus waved her hand cheerfully toward the man who had appeared at the gathering after a long time
"The triumph ceremony preparations must be in full swing, is it okay for you to appear like this? Your subordinates will be looking for you if you suddenly disappear, won't they?"
"It doesn't matter. I left a doppelganger behind."
The man who received this greeting with an indifferent expression slowly opened his mouth toward Asmodeus, who was surrounded by numerous beautiful boys.
"...Your tastes remain the same, Asmodeus."
"You're one to talk, your steel-like body is still the same. Your face is my type, so if you were just a little more slender, I'd be more aggressive too."
The extremely trained physique hidden beneath the man's suit was not something that could be concealed by wearing clothes.
If Rigos had a hot and wild feeling, then this man was cold steel.
That was the unique atmosphere this man possessed.
The man, Marbas, opened his mouth.
"I heard about Rigos' matter. He was annihilated in the northern Leviathan's territory?"
"I'll tell you in advance, I did what I could. Even though we agreed not to approach that side until the gate opened, it was Rigos' fault for ignoring that and crawling in."
"I understand. But even so, that guy's vacant position is not at a level that can be filled. Do you have any countermeasures for this?"
Asmodeus frowned her beautiful eyebrows and grumbled.
"Countermeasures to fill the vacant position? There are none. Besides, do you know how much military strength that guy took with him? All that military strength was completely annihilated without leaving a single one behind. Moreover, because Rigos gave them an excuse first, it's difficult to hold them accountable."
It was several minutes later when Marbas, who had been silent for a while, opened his mouth again.
"Asmodeus, I think Rigos' words weren't entirely wrong."
"...Even you're saying such things?"
Behind her expression of disbelief, Marbas continued speaking.
"Whatever the situation may be, being dragged around blindly is not good. Even if Rigos was hasty, his course of action itself can be seen as correct."
"......"
A group that could plunge them into the abyss with a single word or piece of information.
Moreover, since even the depth of their military power couldn't be easily guessed, her cautious response, which could also be seen as passive, was certainly not a bad move.
However.
"The end is always the same for those who are endlessly dragged around just because their position is disadvantageous. In that case, it would be better to strike them first by linking up with Iblis, Valefor, and Barbatos."
"Wait. Marbas, don't tell me you're planning to abandon the Morian Empire?"
The three Demon Kings that Marbas mentioned were none other than the names of those who had seized control of the Kingdom of Rohans.
Certainly, no matter how strong the opponent might be, if five Demon Kings joined forces, they could sufficiently handle even archangels or gods.
But the moment they brought those three in, all the achievements they had made would turn to bubbles and disappear, and their status in the demon realm would also plummet.
"Asmodeus, you should think about the big picture. Wasn't the reason we crossed over to the middle realm, abandoning the demon realm's glamorous power and risking danger, for the sake of that very demon realm?"
'...Damn it, but that doesn't mean we can abandon the achievements we've built up until now!'
Asmodeus desperately held back to prevent this thought from coming out of her mouth.
In a situation where only the two of them remained, she couldn't go against Marbas' opinion.
Asmodeus desperately tried to persuade Marbas, thinking that at this rate, she might have no choice but to give up everything.
"If we endure for just a few more years, all our efforts will bear fruit, so we can't easily give up."
"So?"
"Besides, even if we eliminate those Adora guys by receiving help from those whose ranks are lower than yours, it'll be inevitable that your pride will be damaged."
"...What are you trying to say?"
Seeing Marbas' eyebrows twitch ever so slightly, she realized that her words had gotten through to him at least a little.
"Since we're going to overturn the board anyway, how about we do it like this instead?"
That was a plan with the gist of summoning only the highest-ranking Demon Kings in the demon realm, including Baal, to strike them down.
It was a method of abandoning the existing plan without the consent of the other Demon Kings, but the existence of the powerful enemy called Adora, who was currently blocking their path, could be used as a sufficient face-saving excuse.
Marbas considered the possibility of her plan for a moment, then slowly nodded his head.
"How long will it take?"
"One month. That should be sufficient."
Even though it was small-scale, it was still a matter of summoning the highest-ranking Demon Kings. Originally, it would have been a grand ceremony requiring more than 10 years of preparation, but thanks to already having sufficient preparations, they could sufficiently reduce the time.
"Good. There's nothing urgent for now, so let's go slowly and safely."
"The place where the core is located is being guarded by Amdusias, so it should be fine. Even if those guys sneak in, there's no way they could do anything to a core that even we couldn't activate."
"Probably so."
Her words were sufficiently reasonable.
The power of the security that operated from the core possessed tremendous might, enough to kill ordinary demons in one strike.
In fact, even Marbas, who had been sufficiently prepared, had suffered minor injuries, so there would be no need to worry about that aspect.
...Unaware of the fact that Rudian had already ransacked the dungeon where El Dorado was located, the two Demon Kings began preparing for a decisive battle with their invisible enemy while drawing hopeful futures.
***
"...Your expression looks very unwell."
It had been almost two months since Rudian last met with Maria.
During that time, they hadn't had occasion to meet due to their respective circumstances, but Maria's haggard complexion that he saw after a long time was something he couldn't get used to no matter how much he looked at it.
"Tell me about it. I feel like I'm dying...."
In Maria's appearance as she collapsed onto the cafe table, neither the dignity of a noble young lady nor the majesty of the next leader of Psychic Luminous could be felt.
"I heard from Senior Elvin, but it really seems to be serious."
"That's right. Especially after the magicians from the Four Great Magic Towers came down saying they would reorganize the organization, the conflict has grown."
Although Psychic Luminous had unified the underworld, for Delphione and Bellatrix, simply unifying wasn't enough to satisfy them.
When Rudian was about to respond, he heard a chattering voice from the seat next to them.
"Of course. If small things have been unified to become a huge organization, reorganizing the system is inevitable. The problem is that psychic groups who only know how to use force don't have the capability to efficiently operate such groups, so those above are intervening."
Maria's gaze turned to the side.
"...Rudian, who is this kid?"
The wrinkles on her forehead appeared slightly, as if she was bothered by Gray, who was chattering nonstop beside them.
But Gray ignored whatever expression the other person made and lifted his chin.
"Hmph, not knowing this super genius who will become a Great Magician in the future, your information network is also pathetic."
"......"
"And you, I heard that you're the next leader of the psychics? To think you're suffering because you can't control such guys, you have no leadership at all... ACK!"
"Be quiet, will you."
Rudian had no choice but to smack the back of Gray's head.
"What are you doing!"
"What kind of way of speaking is that? If you want to follow me around, tone down your attitude."
"I was just stating facts...."
Even if the concept of defamation by stating facts exists in this world, if Maria gets pissed off and takes action, you getting beaten up is guaranteed.
Having silenced Gray, Rudian hurriedly returned the topic to its original course.
"Anyway, the current situation is that the hardliners and the cautious faction are in sharp confrontation, and Bellatrix's magicians have also intervened, making it about to explode?"
"Yeah... That's right."
As far as Rudian knew, Bellatrix's magicians weren't particularly throwing their weight around at Psychic Luminous.
It was simply that their annoyance had exploded.
"Why don't you use force? Maria, you should be able to forcibly suppress anyone no matter what they say."
As soon as Rudian uttered these words, Gray, who had been keeping his mouth shut, nodded while making an "mm-hmm" sound.
"......"
Maria's expression rapidly darkened.
But even so, Rudian was resolute.
"Being too soft is also disqualifying as a leader."
In the first place, what Psychic Luminous expected from Maria was precisely her overwhelming military power.
If such military power lost its luster due to her soft personality, it would be inevitable for the organization itself to shake.
Of course, the current situation wasn't that, but the fundamental problem was the same.
Maria was tormented by anguish and barely managed to utter a word.
"I can't do that."
"Why?"
"They are... Not subordinates, but family...."
Yes, this is it.
This is Maria's decisive weakness that appeared in the original work.
For her, the strategy of discarding pieces doesn't exist.
Regardless of strong or weak, she considers each and every psychic as her family.
That's why she never hesitated to throw herself into any situation to save them.
Due to such tendencies, despite possessing transcendent power capable of handling the entire protagonist party alone, she got caught up in Luciella's schemes and had no choice but to retreat in defeat even after winning the battle.
'In the end, she couldn't prevent the protagonist's growth and met her end like Xiang Yu in the Chu-Han Contention.'
What should be done?
How can she truly stand tall as a leader?
For her future and for Rudian's own plans, this problem must definitely be fixed.
'I'll have to set up the stage even if it takes some time.'
A situation where everyone has no choice but to acknowledge Maria.
Whether hardliners or the cautious faction, to break all their opinions and make them rally under the name Maria Kepler, the best method would indeed be to use an external enemy.
'I'll have no choice but to take some risks, but it can't be helped.'
While Rudian was lost in thought about how to use Asmodeus to set up the stage, a single statement popped out of Maria's mouth that completely changed Rudian's thoughts.
"The biggest problem is... That Father is at the center of the hardliner faction."
"Huh...?"
What did she just say?
"Recently, Father has been gathering all the hardliner forces. At this rate, Psychic Empi... No, Luminous will practically split into two."
Maria started to say Psychic Empire but hastily changed her words, conscious of Gray.
Fortunately, Gray seemed not to have heard it as he was concentrating on the chocolate in front of him like Yev, but....
"Really? Matheus Kepler?"
"Yeah...."
At that moment, Rudian's expression brightened.
There was no way that Matheus, who had been leading Psychic Luminous well until now, would come out this aggressively just because the situation had improved a bit.
Matheus was a person who had devoted his entire life solely for Maria.
For him to act like this was none other than....
'Indeed, were you thinking the same way?'
If the situation was arranged like this, there was no need to newly set up a stage.
Rudian looked at Gray for a moment.
Then he immediately turned his gaze to Maria.
With this level of cards, it was sufficient to use them.
"Maria."
"Yeah."
Rudian put all his effort into persuading Maria first.
"At this rate, Psychic Luminous will split, and once it splits, it will never be able to heal without bloodshed."
"......!"
Maria's expression turned pale.
Because she herself could clearly see such a future.
"There's exactly one method. If it's now, there's a way to heal the conflict without spilling a single drop of blood."
"What... Is it?"
"It's a bit early, but you'll have to prepare yourself."
Understanding the word 'prepare,' Maria's expression hardened.
She too immediately understood what Rudian was talking about.
Rudian asked her with a serious expression.
"Do you know the phrase 'Succeeding your, Father'?"
"...Huh?"
Maria tilted her head as if she didn't understand.