The Demon Realm Assembly - Part 4
Paimon von Vog’s expression twisted at Nahen’s words.
“…Don’t spout nonsense.”
“Was it nonsense?”
“I am a Demon King. Why in the world would I commit such an act? How utterly unpleasant.”
“Then why did you dismiss your confidants?”
“I only sent them away because you were making such meaningful remarks.”
“In that case, call them back. I need to share this story… with others. If it truly isn’t as Your Majesty Paimon claims, you can simply explain and refute it.”
Paimon no longer hid her emotions and snarled.
“Shut your mouth! If you intend to spread baseless rumors, I’ll deal with you right here!”
“Hah.”
At that moment, Paimon’s blood boiled. Nahen had let out a hollow laugh. And the timing of that laugh had been precisely when she said she would ‘deal with’ him.
“…So it sounds like a joke to you.”
“That’s not it, Paimon.”
The corner of Nahen’s mouth curved upward. A sardonic smile bloomed across his face.
“It was simply amusing because you cannot do anything to me.”
“What did you just…!”
“Right now, the only ones who know your plan are you and me. So when the time comes to revise and reconsider your future plans… who would be the most helpful person?”
Nahen pointed at himself.
“It’s me. Knowing that, you would still try to eliminate me? That’s absurd. At the very least, if you are truly Paimon von Vog, you could never do such a thing.”
At Nahen’s confidence, Paimon’s brows drew together sharply.
“…What exactly are you saying? You’ve joined the Equites Faction, yet you claim you’ll help me? Besides, there’s no way you could possibly know my plan in detail!”
“Who knows? Perhaps not. But doesn’t it make you suspicious from the start? How I came to know your plan.”
“As you said earlier, that’s no longer important. The fact that you know is what matters. But just because you know, how could you possibly understand the thoughts I’ve only kept inside my head!”
“Then allow me to guess.”
“Pardon?”
“First, let’s begin with why you wish to overthrow the Demon Realm. The ultimate reason is the reform of the current system.”
Paimon’s expression changed. Her slight panic was visible. For someone as skilled at controlling her face as Paimon to reveal such emotion meant she was truly shocked.
“You believe the Demon Realm’s progress has stalled. And you see the current system—where the seventy-two Demon Kings endlessly compete against one another—as the cause.”
The more Nahen spoke of Paimon’s plan, the more she could not hide her astonishment. It was impossible. She had never told a single soul about her scheme.
“That’s why you devised it. A plan to completely change the Demon Realm’s system. You gathered the Plebs Faction for that purpose. To them, you only spoke of ‘bringing positive change to the Demon Realm,’ but….”
The only one who knew the full truth was herself. A plan she had never shared with her subordinates, one she had pondered and built alone inside her mind.
Demon Realm Overthrow.
Paimon had not come up with this scheme because she hated the Demon Realm. As a Demon King herself, what she desired was solely the advancement and prosperity of their world. She saw the current ‘system’ of the Demon Realm as the reason it could not move beyond its present stage to trample both the Human Realm and Heaven.
“But that’s not all. No—in fact, no one in the Plebs Faction truly understands your plan. What you want isn’t some minor change, but a full-scale ‘reform.’ To succeed in that reform, you first had to erase the ancient beings who still reign over the Demon Realm’s system.”
Ever since the primordial Demon Realm appeared, the original Demon Kings who had come to rule it. Those who still held power among them were the greatest obstacles in Paimon’s plan.
“To achieve that, you sought to use Heaven. You believed that with Heaven’s power, even those old and formidable Demon Kings could be dealt with.”
Of course, that did not mean the Celestial-Demonic War had broken out according to Paimon’s will. Heaven was not a force that could be moved by a single Demon King’s influence. Therefore, when she spoke of using Heaven to overthrow the Demon Realm, she had not meant she had drawn the angels in, but rather….
“While the massive and powerful Demon Kings exhausted themselves in the Celestial-Demonic War, you intended to preserve your own forces as much as possible, didn’t you?”
Because Paimon had planned to take advantage of the inevitable ‘Celestial-Demonic War.’
“Then you would attack the weakened Demon Kings, absorb their forces, and seize real power over the entire Demon Realm. You would gain strength even Beelzebuth could not ignore. That would bring you one step closer to your ideal.”
And the reform Paimon sought through all of this was none other than….
“What you desire is to drastically reduce the number of Demon Kings and elevate the Demon Realm Assembly into the highest governing body.”
The current Demon Realm was ruled by seventy-two monarchs, each governing a layer equivalent to a nation. If one viewed the Demon Realm as a single great entity, it was essentially a federation of seventy-two small countries. That was the problem Paimon saw.
For the entire Demon Realm to advance, all seventy-two Demon Kings would need to work together in harmony. Yes. In theory it was possible, but in reality it was nearly impossible.
That was why Paimon had conceived her reform.
“Furthermore, you intend to completely swallow the Demon Realm Assembly with your own hands and bring prosperity to the Demon Realm through centralization.”
As she listened to Nahen, goosebumps rose all over Paimon’s body.
“This is exactly the plan you were thinking of, isn’t it?”
He had recited every single one of her private thoughts and solitary schemes with perfect accuracy.
“…How on earth do you know all of this? Can you read minds!?”
Paimon could not even begin to imagine how this man knew things only she should know. Nahen using mind-reading magic, or having come from the future—none of those were the case.
He was simply speaking based on the actions Paimon had taken in Evil Queen Maker.
Indeed. In truth, Nahen did not know the exact details of Paimon’s thoughts. He had merely gathered information from her behavior, actions, and dialogue as shown in the game, pieced the puzzle together, and spoken. And most of it had hit the mark.
In other words, Nahen had never used any magic to read her mind, nor had her thoughts been directly described in the game, so he could not have known them precisely. Yet having seen every ending, he had no trouble understanding what kind of person Paimon was, and he could infer her thoughts through abundant circumstantial evidence.
Some of the information had been slightly uncertain, but he had deliberately bluffed, acting as if he knew everything. He had completed the puzzle even though not all the pieces had been gathered.
The result was exactly as Nahen had predicted. Paimon’s attitude showed she acknowledged that he had guessed her thoughts correctly, and Nahen had gained the upper hand in their relationship.
Nahen was certain he had seized the initiative. He smiled leisurely and said,
“Didn’t you yourself say that how I know isn’t important? What matters is that I am the only one who can listen to your plan and think about it with you.”
The appearance of someone who could understand her ideals. It was something Paimon had always longed for.
But she knew it well. Her ideals could never….
“What a ridiculous thing to say. There’s no way you could understand.”
“Why not?”
“How could a demon who puts the Demon Realm first and hates Heaven possibly understand my thoughts?”
It was a fair point. Yet Nahen chuckled and replied,
“If that’s what you want to believe, then go ahead. If you see me that way, then I suppose I should act accordingly.”
“…What are you planning to do?”
“I will reveal your plan. At the Demon Realm Assembly.”
“Do you truly wish to die!”
“I have no choice, do I? I’ve learned a secret I shouldn’t know, and the attempt to join hands has failed. You will always try to eliminate me… Rather than live under such a threat, I might as well grab the lifeline dangling right in front of me.”
Paimon frowned deeply, but it changed nothing. If she were a reckless, hot-blooded Demon King, she might have tried to kill Nahen regardless of the consequences. But Paimon was not that kind of person. She was more calculating than anyone, always thinking about what would come after.
Paimon let out a sigh. She narrowed her eyes at Nahen.
“…What do you want?”
“There is only one thing I desire. If you grant me that, I will never speak of your cherished wish to anyone else.”
“Speak.”
“This time, we will present one agenda at the assembly. I would like you to support it.”
“Ha… I see. So that’s why you dragged the Equites Faction in.”
“With the support of both the Equites Faction and the Plebs Faction, the agenda should be able to pass.”
Paimon’s eyes widened slightly.
“Don’t tell me… even the fact that Lord Marbas stepped down as leader of the Nobiles Faction was also part of your…”
Nahen was slightly surprised. To think she would connect the dots so quickly. As expected of a Demon King with exceptional political sense.
“Who knows? I’m not sure.”
Paimon accepted Nahen’s proposal.
She knew better than anyone how much backlash and incomprehension her ideology and plan would provoke within the Demon Realm. Even if she dismissed it as nonsense, the mere existence of such rumors would greatly damage the image and influence she had built over the years.
Having concluded a satisfactory deal with Paimon, Nahen expressed his gratitude.
“I look forward to Your Majesty Paimon’s supportive fire.”
“Fine. You keep the secret as well.”
“Of course.”
“By the way, there’s one thing I want to ask.”
At Paimon’s words, Nahen tilted his head. She asked him frankly.
“You said that trying to change the Demon Realm by using Heaven was a completely wrong plan. Why?”
“…First, Heaven is not a place that will dance to your tune so easily. Second, if a Demon King who showed only lukewarm reactions during the war against Heaven suddenly begins conquests and declares reform, no one will easily follow.”
“I already know that much. Even taking that into account, I still intended to proceed. Only that way can the Demon Realm’s system truly change.”
“There is one more thing. Even if it goes that far, there is another reason your plan is bound to fail.”
“What is it?”
At Paimon’s question, the corner of Nahen’s mouth lifted slightly. After confirming that her barrier was still in place, he whispered quietly to her.
“The Great Ones are watching.”
“Don’t tell me… you came from Hell? On whose orders…?”
“Let’s leave it at that. So if you truly desire reform for the Demon Realm, you must resolve it from within rather than using external forces.”
“…But that way, we cannot topple the still-powerful Demon Kings.”
“No. There is a way.”
Nahen extended his hand.
“Take our hand.”
“…You’re telling me to trust Seere von Devata?”
“More precisely, I’m telling you to use us. After all, we… are going to ascend to the pinnacle of the Demon Realm.”
“Such…”
Paimon looked stunned by Nahen’s ambition. To her, he spoke simply.
“Believe it or not, that is Your Majesty’s choice. However, there is one thing I will state clearly.”
Paimon was slightly startled by Nahen’s expression.
“Seere will become a Demon King greater than Seir von Devata.”
Nahen showed his characteristic smile full of confidence.