Secily, I Did It!
Seere, who had fled from Nahen, headed straight for Rea’s office. When she told Secily, who had been waiting there, the fox-eared maid let out a light laugh.
“Really? As expected, everything went according to plan.”
“Yeah… Teacher is surprisingly weak to this kind of thing.”
In truth, the final push that had created that atmosphere had come from Secily’s advice. She hadn’t told Seere to corner Nahen with talk of “the end,” but rather had suggested something else entirely.
‘You need to create a mood where Lord Nahen can’t easily refuse Your Majesty’s advances, then press forward!’
Seere had followed that advice to the letter. The serious topic of the Heavenly Demon War had come up at just the right moment, allowing her to mention the possibility of it being “the last time” and plead for affection without seeming strange. Once that mood was set, she had charged straight at Nahen.
“Still, I think I was a little too hasty.”
“Pardon? I told you to take it slow.”
“I know, but…”
Of course, the real reason Seere had grown bolder was Nahen himself. She cupped her own cheeks with both hands.
“Teacher said he would protect me no matter what, so I’d never die…”
She looked exactly like a girl helplessly in love.
“Oh my!”
“Lord Nahen really is something. He has no idea how his words sound.”
“And then he tells me to hold back. He’s the one at fault, isn’t he?”
“Honestly, this could be considered Lord Nahen seducing you.”
“Exactly. At this point, isn’t he basically asking you to marry him?”
Rea and Secily eagerly agreed with Seere. It was bordering on pure delusion, but thanks to them, Seere felt completely justified in her actions.
“How did Lord Nahen react?”
“Teacher’s reaction?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… Teacher was… cute. Hehe.”
Just thinking about Nahen’s earlier expression made Seere grin like a fool. Rea and Secily smiled warmly at the sight.
They both knew Nahen found Seere’s behavior troublesome. Yet they supported her for simple reasons. They had watched how the young Seere lived after losing her father for two whole years. Their first reason was pity for that past and a genuine wish for her happiness.
The second reason was that they had once served the previous Demon King, Seir. The guilt of failing to prevent his death had never left them, even as their faction crumbled. In place of the happiness they could not protect for Seir, they hoped Seere, his successor, would at least find her own.
“Lord Nahen does seem rather weak to bold advances.”
After hearing Rea’s assessment, Secily spoke up as if she had just thought of something good.
“Then, Your Majesty, how about trying this next time?”
“Hm?”
Secily leaned in close and whispered into Seere’s ear. Seere’s eyes flew wide open.
“You want me to do that? Isn’t that going too far?”
“It might be a little embarrassing, but the effect will be certain.”
“How can you be so sure…?”
“Because it’s a method I’ve used before.”
“Eh?”
Seere stared at her with round eyes. Secily’s words meant she had actually tried it and seen results.
“Lord Nahen has that same stubborn, inflexible side as that blockhead, so it should work well.”
“The person Secily liked was like that too?”
Secily answered with a smile. It was an affirmative. Seere suddenly wondered who that person might have been—someone who shared traits with Nahen. It could even have been someone Seere had met. But if they were described as stubborn and inflexible, no one came to mind.
She was curious, yet she didn’t ask. Seeing no one beside Secily now, she guessed that particular relationship had not ended happily.
“…All right. I’ll try it.”
“A wise choice. I’ll help you prepare.”
“Okay. When would be best?”
“Hmm. Since you’ll be sharing the same lodging during the Demon Realm Assembly anyway, how about then?”
Seere nodded. And so, without Nahen’s knowledge, Seere began preparing something with great enthusiasm.
The next day, more people than usual arrived at Nahen’s office. The progenitor of the Blood Clan, Ersha Scarlet, whom he had taken as an aide, had come to work.
“Have you greeted them?”
Nahen was asking whether she had introduced herself to the Blood Clan members of the Eighth Legion under Devata’s command. Ersha nodded.
“This maiden has seen everything clearly.”
“Seen what?”
“My children living with proper treatment.”
“Then you thought I would use them as soldiers without even treating them well?”
“Oh my, Lord Nahen. There are surprisingly many people in this world who do exactly that.”
“That’s…”
It was an undeniable fact.
“On behalf of my children, this maiden offers her thanks.”
“…Say that to Seere, not me.”
“Pardon?”
“I haven’t been in this position for the past eight years. The reason your clan was able to establish itself like this is because Seere respected them.”
“A Demon King… respecting demons?”
“My disciple is a little unusual.”
Ersha looked surprised. The Demon Kings she knew were all tyrannical, cruel, and domineering. After a moment, she let out a small chuckle and spoke as if wanting Nahen to hear.
“As expected of Seir’s successor.”
“Sounds like Seir was similar.”
“You may not remember, Lord Nahen, but Seir possessed a kindness no other Demon King had.”
“The one called the Martial King?”
“That title was merely praise for his strength. It had nothing to do with his personality.”
So that was the kind of person he was. Nahen had never learned what Seir was like as a Demon King from the game. Seir only appeared in two important contexts: as Seere’s father, and through the secret surrounding his death.
“…I see.”
“More importantly, this maiden has a question about something you said earlier.”
“What are you curious about?”
“Why did you leave your post for eight whole years?”
“Ah.”
Nahen hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell Ersha everything he had experienced. He felt she might be able to explain why such a phenomenon had occurred.
After listening to the full story, Ersha spoke with a startled expression.
“…It’s impressive that only eight years have passed.”
“Is this a normal occurrence?”
“There’s a reason Hell and Heaven each created their own gates to the Demon Realm and the Human Realm. The Demon Realm and Human Realm are similar in nature, but Hell and Heaven are completely different places. So if you use a different passage instead of the proper gates, like you did, Lord Nahen, this kind of phenomenon can happen.”
He had suspected there was something wrong with his method, but never imagined this was the reason. Nahen spoke with a bitter tone.
“If I had used the first floor from the beginning…”
“You wouldn’t have returned after eight years.”
“Haah… I see.”
In the end, it had all stemmed from his own ignorance. If the developers had released a setting book, none of this would have happened.
“…Right. Anyway, let’s stop here. I have a lot to discuss with you today.”
“This maiden has been looking forward to it since earlier.”
“I already told you I brought the Martial Faction’s Demon King to our side.”
“Yes.”
“That’s where we start. I have a plan to handle the Plebs Faction, which opposes the Equites Faction, but the real problem lies with the others.”
Ersha spoke as if she had expected this.
“The Nobiles Faction led by Marbas, correct?”
“Yes.”
In the end, for any agenda to pass at the Demon Realm Assembly, a majority of Demon Kings had to vote in favor. The most important group in that regard was the Nobiles Faction. Their name literally meant “New Nobles,” and they consisted of Demon Kings who belonged to neither the Equites nor Plebs factions. Aside from their leader Marbas, they had almost no top-ranked Demon Kings, but what they lacked in individual strength they made up for in numbers.
So ultimately, the group with the greatest influence on the vote was…
“If we can’t secure the Nobiles Faction’s agreement, the agenda won’t pass.”
“According to what you said, Lord Nahen, you’ve already gained the support of both the Equites and Plebs Factions. Since the Nobiles Faction claims neutrality toward the two opposing factions, they’ll probably go along with it.”
“The problem is that this agenda directly opposes Beelzebub’s measures. In reality, what matters most is whether Marbas, the leader of the Nobiles Faction, will oppose Beelzebub—more so than the other Demon Kings in the faction.”
“If Marbas doesn’t vote in favor, it’ll be difficult to sway the rest of the Nobiles Faction who follow him.”
Ersha nodded, seeming to organize the information in her mind. After thinking deeply, she spoke carefully to Nahen.
“Then, though it may be a bit troublesome, there is a way.”
“What method?”
Ersha smiled faintly. Then, in a voice that didn’t match her gentle expression, she said something chilling.
“We simply need to replace the leader of the Nobiles Faction. After all, it makes no sense for Marbas to oppose Beelzebub.”
“…What?”
“We just need to make Marbas step down.”
“Wait, Ersha. Why do you think I never considered that?”
“Because there’s no way to make him step down, correct?”
“There’s no Demon King whose position is as stable as Marbas’s. You want to force someone like that out?”
“Hehe, Lord Nahen. Did you think this maiden would suggest something without a plan?”
Nahen’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“There’s a way?”
“You know that Marbas is also one of the Primordial Demon Kings, correct?”
“Of course.”
The Primordial Demon Kings who had lived in the same era as Ersha Scarlet. Several of them still ruled over the Demon Realm. Representative examples included Beelzebub von Deus, the eternal number one; Seir von Devata, once called the Martial King; Vassago von Deity, the pinnacle of the strategic Demon Kings and third in rank; and Marbas von Gart, fifth in rank.
“This maiden knows quite a few of Marbas’s secrets.”
“…Hah.”
The method Ersha intended to use was almost identical to the one Nahen planned to use on Paimon.
“Is it fatal?”
“Extremely so.”
“Good.”
Nahen spoke to Ersha.
“The Demon Realm Assembly is approaching soon. If we’re going to move, now is the only time.”
“Then, Lord Nahen, could you provide this maiden with what she needs?”
“What do you need?”
Ersha answered confidently.
“Paper and a pen. Those two will suffice.”
“…What?”
“Since this maiden has become Lord Nahen’s aide, she must prove her usefulness.”
Ersha’s lips curved upward slightly.
“This is that proof.”
Unlike Nahen, who possessed knowledge from the game, Ersha held knowledge accumulated since the era of the Primordial Demon Kings. Their respective knowledge complemented each other perfectly. Hidden settings were mostly known to Ersha, while things that only appeared in the game but were unknown to others were all known to Nahen.
That was exactly why Nahen had placed Ersha as his aide. But this was truly… beyond his expectations.
Two days after Ersha had asked for paper and a pen, Kain arrived with news shocking enough to make him fall over backward.
“Marbas has stepped down from his position as leader of the Nobiles Faction. The reason is unknown. There are many rumors circulating, but most are baseless speculation.”
“……”
“As a result, the twentieth-ranked Morax has temporarily taken over the Nobiles Faction, but… whether the faction can even survive after Marbas’s resignation is questionable.”
At Kain’s report, Nahen was so surprised he couldn’t respond.
“Lord Nahen?”
“Ah… No. Thank you for informing me.”
“Yes, then…”
After Kain bowed politely and left, Nahen looked at the woman standing beside him. Ersha was smiling leisurely, as if she had expected this outcome.
“Would you mind giving me a hint about what you said to Marbas?”
“Hehe, it was nothing special. Marbas is a Demon King with much to lose. If you lightly touch on a secret that could jeopardize his position… a man of his personality will naturally choose to protect himself.”
Nahen was curious what that secret was, but Ersha clearly had no intention of telling him. She had probably sent Marbas a letter stating that if he stepped down, she wouldn’t reveal the secret.
“You two were close, then.”
“Of course. This maiden and he are bitter enemies. Thanks to you, Lord Nahen, I’ve finally had the chance to take revenge. How delightful.”
Nahen’s eyes widened slightly before narrowing again. He spoke in a cautious tone.
“Could it be that the reason you fell asleep was…”
“Lord Nahen, you really do catch on quickly. That story is a rather unpleasant memory for this maiden, so would you mind stopping there?”
“…I will.”
They said a gentleman’s revenge was never too late, even after ten years. This one seemed to have taken not ten years, but several hundred.
‘Thanks to this, things will be easier to move forward for now.’
At least for the moment. There was a high chance he would become enemies with Marbas later, but there was no helping it. This was the only way.
Since Marbas had stepped down, Morax wouldn’t be able to oppose an agenda backed by both the Equites and Plebs Factions.
“I just need to do my part well.”
“Yes. This maiden also moved under the assumption that we could bring the Plebs Faction to our side. Lord Nahen’s skill will be crucial.”
“Right.”
Slanted sunlight cast shadows across the office. Within the shadow covering the desk, golden eyes gleamed.
“I’ll handle the rest myself.”