The Stirring Conspiracy
“Belial is dead?”
The Demon King who heard her subordinate’s report opened her eyes with interest. The man who had been bowing loyally to her lifted his head and confirmed the news.
“Yes. Belial fought the forces of Seere von Devata and fell in battle.”
“By whose hand?”
“By Seere von Devata herself.”
“What!?”
Startled, the woman leaned forward so sharply that her beautiful red hair whipped around her. As her ample bosom swayed with the motion, the subordinate flinched and quickly lowered his head again.
“Seere von Devata… Seir’s blood has already grown that strong? How old is she again?”
“Twelve.”
“Hah! At twelve, already at that level…!”
The corners of the woman’s lips curled upward. The faint smile made her seem like a dangerous, venomous flower, yet she remained undeniably beautiful.
“…She certainly piques my interest.”
“There is one more thing I must report.”
“What is it?”
“It concerns the person most responsible for Seere von Devata’s rapid growth.”
“You mean the Demon King’s teacher?”
“Yes. Rumors say the Royal Tutor is exceptionally skilled and powerful. Though unconfirmed, there are whispers that he single-handedly subdued Andromalius on the 70th floor during the early days of the 72nd floor’s active involvement.”
The Demon King’s crimson eyes—slightly different in hue from her hair—widened. While one Demon King facing another was nothing unusual, the idea of a demon subduing a Demon King alone was astonishing.
“…Where in the world did such a person come from?”
“I do not know. His origins are extremely unclear.”
“……”
The woman seemed deeply troubled. After a moment, she called her subordinate’s name.
“Achiled.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Could that man help me rise higher?”
“I cannot say with certainty, but considering what Seere von Devata has accomplished in such a short time…”
Achiled raised his gaze slightly to look at the lord he had served for half his life—and to whom he would devote the other half. Even if he disliked the idea of his proud master reaching out to a lower-ranked Demon King, he could not lie to her.
“Yes, I believe there is a possibility.”
Hearing Achiled’s answer, the Demon King’s lips curved upward in satisfaction. Still, she pressed once more.
“Do you truly think so, Achiled?”
“Yes. She defeated Belial on her own. Even if that young Demon King carries the blood of a warrior king, this is no ordinary growth. Her teacher’s influence must be significant.”
Achiled judged the possibility real. Especially since the prideful Sitri had formed an alliance and never once broken it…
‘That means they possess sufficient value.’
And their actions seemed to prove it. He did not know their limits, but they were clearly worth contacting.
“…I will need to prepare a gift.”
“A gift, Your Majesty?”
“Since Sitri has already formed an alliance with them, suddenly inserting myself would only arouse suspicion.”
The beautiful Demon King smiled sweetly.
“I must prepare a proper gift before approaching them.”
#
“…What is the 55th floor doing?”
Nahen wondered if he had misheard. Yet the report came from Kain, who delivered outside news with near-perfect accuracy, so he had no choice but to believe it.
“They are waging war. They have launched a conquest against the lower floors.”
“…Why??”
Nahen was genuinely puzzled. Why would they target the lower floors instead of the upper ones? There had been no provocation either. The Demon King of the 56th floor, Ose, had been content to quietly manage his own territory… and lacked the strength to challenge the 55th floor. This had always been the case when Nahen played Evil Queen Maker. More importantly, upper-floor Demon Kings had no reason to conquer the lower floors.
Even now, as Nahen led the Devata forces in conquest, they had only been attacked first once—by Belial. There was a reason for this. As the number of ruled floors increased, administrative personnel naturally became spread thin. While upper floors might still be worth claiming despite the burden, lower floors offered far less value. Their economic scale, soldier numbers and quality, and territory were all inferior. Why bother conquering them when one could instead gather strength to strike higher?
Special cases like Sitri and Seere, whose ranks had plummeted due to unforeseen events, were exceptions. Most Demon Kings followed the standard logic. If one had the power, it was better spent targeting higher floors. There was another crucial reason as well…
“For the Demon King of the 55th floor, this will only bring harm.”
“Indeed.”
“The General Assembly will put considerable pressure on them.”
Conquering lower floors rather than upper ones was something the Demon Realm’s General Assembly condemned. The Assembly’s purpose was to resolve conflicts between Demon Kings through words rather than war. While conquering upper floors to raise one’s rank might be tolerated, attacking lower floors without provocation only weakened the Demon Realm’s overall strength—and thus drew censure. The Demon Kings needed to preserve their power for potential wars against the Celestial Realm.
‘That’s why even when conquering upper floors, it’s recommended to spare the Demon King…’
That was none of Nahen’s concern. Being told to spare hostile Demon Kings while climbing was like being asked to march forward with enemies at one’s back.
“The Demon King of the 55th floor… Gremory von Dieu, was it?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Gremory von Dieu. Like Seere of the Devata clan, she was a Demon King with a noble surname—the current head and last surviving member of the Dieu clan. Her position was similar to Seere’s. Yet Nahen knew little beyond that, for Gremory had little presence in the game. She was neither an ally like Sitri nor a powerful early-game boss like Belial. She was simply one of the many ordinary Demon Kings. Depending on the route, her name might not even be mentioned.
Why would such a Demon King suddenly begin conquering lower floors, knowing full well she would be condemned by the General Assembly? And why now, right after Seere’s forces finished subjugating the 67th floor?
Nahen was aware that his interventions to reach the ending had gradually diverged from the original game’s flow, but he had never expected an insignificant Demon King to create an entirely new development.
“She must have some purpose.”
“Perhaps she intends to absorb our forces.”
“Then it would be better to conquer upper floors to display her strength and slowly absorb us through alliances. That offer would seem far more attractive.”
Simple intimidation was far less appealing. Of course, Nahen had no intention of accepting, given his goal of placing Seere at the very top.
“It could also be a case of the weak preying on the weaker.”
“Hmm, perhaps.”
The possibility was high. After easily conquering lower floors, she might try to exert influence over those even further below—or…
“She might be aiming to merge us outright.”
“Wouldn’t that be rather dangerous?”
“It would.”
She was the Demon King of the 55th floor. Belial had been considered a mid-tier Demon King, and those ranked from 55th to 32nd were called mid-tier as well. If one considered Belial’s personal strength alone, more than half of them could be defeated… but ‘In terms of forces, there is no comparison.’
He had never measured the army of the 55th floor, but it surely exceeded three to four hundred thousand. Clashing Seere’s current army against that number was unthinkable.
“We need to find out what her goal is.”
“Shall I dispatch someone?”
“…No. There is a suitable person. I have been supporting him from behind for exactly this reason.”
“Ah, you mean Dane.”
Kain tilted his head.
“But is he not currently in the Human Realm?”
“Well, we will have to call him back. One person is enough to monitor the situation there.”
Eri had been performing her spy duties admirably and submitting reports diligently, so Nahen judged that even without Dane, they could still grasp the overall flow.
Just then, a light knock sounded at the office door before it swung open.
“Teacher!”
“Seere?”
It was time for work, yet Seere had come skipping lightly. With the distribution of the 67th floor and restoration of the 68th floor, she should have been buried in paperwork and war matters all day. He wondered how she had found the time.
“Have you already finished today’s work?”
“No? Rea told me to rest a little before continuing.”
Seere naturally approached Nahen and gently took his hand in both of hers. She placed it atop her head and said,
“I came to recharge my energy!”
“…Haha.”
Nahen let out a hearty laugh at Seere’s adorable display of affection. A paternal smile formed on his face of its own accord. The serious expression he had worn moments ago melted away as he softly stroked Seere’s hair.
“Very well. Go on, then.”
“Hehe~.”
Watching the scene, Kain smiled kindly.
#
Five years ago, Seere had been a timid child. Having lost her father at five and spent two years powerless, watching most of her forces slip away, it was only natural. She had been a young Demon King who clung to the doll her father had given her as his final gift, her bright eyes dulled.
If things had continued that way, Seere might never have escaped the 72nd floor.
Yet look at her now. Her expression was bright. Her eyes sparkled with intelligence, and her face radiated vitality. Her skills had grown splendidly—she had even defeated Belial on her own. She now ruled the 72nd floor, part of the 70th, and the 69th, 68th, and 67th floors. She had become a being who influenced five entire floors.
This had only been possible because of the man currently stroking Seere’s hair—Nahen. He had been the ray of light who extended a hand to Kain when he had been desperately searching for Seere’s teacher. Honestly, Kain had been skeptical at first. Nahen was not a famous demon, nor had he held any official position. Yet what convinced Kain was a single sentence Nahen had spoken the first time they met.
“I received a request from Seir von Devata.”
That was why he had come to teach Seere. Along with the claim that the previous Demon King had personally asked him, Nahen had shown Kain an item belonging to Seir—a pipe Seir had always smoked in his office. Seeing that, Kain had no choice but to believe.
And Nahen had proven that trust with results beyond expectation.
Kain knew—more through intuition than evidence, yet with certainty—that this man would not stay here forever.
‘Someday he will leave… but if Seere can smile happily until then, that would be enough.’
With that thought, Kain smiled and spoke.
“I will bring some refreshments, Your Majesty. It is about time for a break anyway.”
“Ah, please do, Kain.”
“Yes.”
After Kain left the office, Seere glanced at Nahen. Understanding her look, Nahen nodded. Seere beamed.
“Thank you!”
She offered her thanks and climbed onto Nahen’s lap. Watching Seere smile contentedly, Nahen chuckled softly and pulled the documents aside to continue reading. Seere peeked at the papers and asked,
“I heard the 55th floor’s army is on the move. Is that what you are reading?”
“Yes. It says Gremory is conquering the lower floors. It seems she has nearly finished subjugating the 56th floor already.”
“Why would she do that?”
“I do not know.”
Nahen shrugged as if he truly had no idea.
“I suppose we will have to send Dane to find out.”
“Even Teacher does not know everything.”
“There is much I do not know. I am not the perfect person you think I am.”
“Is that so?”
Seere carefully reviewed everything Nahen had done so far and reached one conclusion.
‘Teacher is far too modest.’
Nahen read through the report for a while before speaking.
“Seere, have you finalized the distribution of the 67th floor?”
“Ah, yes. I provided 70 percent of the soldiers to Lady Sitri as you instructed, and we split the territory 6 to 4. We took the larger share, including the Demon King’s castle.”
“Well done. And the treasures?”
“We still need to divide those. Negotiations are also required…”
These were tasks Nahen had once handled, but now Seere was managing them. Watching Seere count off the remaining work on her fingers, Nahen felt a twinge of guilt.
‘Did I give her too much?’
He wondered if he had burdened Seere, who was still just a child, with too heavy a workload. So he asked gently,
“Seere, if the work is too much, you can give some back to me for a while.”
“Ah, no. I am fine.”
“There is no need to overexert yourself…”
“It is not overexertion. I can really do it. I have already returned the military duties to you.”
Seere spoke with a firm attitude. While it would be easier if Nahen shared the work, she did not want that.
“Hmm, is that so? Very well.”
Nahen nodded and turned back to his own tasks. Watching him quietly, Seere thought to herself,
I cannot remain a child who only relies on Teacher forever. I need to get used to handling things myself and build my abilities. Only then…
‘…will Teacher see me differently.’
Since Seere was facing forward, Nahen could not see her expression. In her eyes was a thick, sticky emotion—like melted chocolate that clung and refused to let go.
‘I hate being treated like a little child forever.’