The Eye That Pierces the Truth
“Welcome.”
Kaya, the envoy dispatched from the 55th Floor, wore a rather satisfied expression. After all, she had been treated quite hospitably on the 69th Floor. While it wasn’t to the extent of a Demon King personally greeting a single envoy, the servants of the 69th Floor and even their master had come out to receive her.
“Are you Lady Seere von Devata’s master?”
“That is correct. My name is Nahen.”
Nahen offered a light bow in greeting. Kaya gave him a once-over. She sensed nothing particularly remarkable about him.
Now comes the real test.
All she needed to do was determine whether this man would speak lies or truth to her. Whether the favorable impression she had formed of the 69th Floor from their initial reception would rise or fall depended on it.
“I would like to speak with you right away.”
“Then let us move to the reception room. Kain, prepare some tea.”
“Understood.”
Kaya followed Nahen’s guidance toward the reception room. Along the way, she caught sight of one of the servants. It was a Kitsune maid with a fluffy tail, quietly cleaning the corridor. Kaya’s gaze lingered on her for a moment. Though the woman’s striking beauty was enough to draw the eye, that was not what surprised Kaya.
“…That maid.”
“Yes?”
“Why does Devata Castle employ combatants as servants?”
Kaya could see it clearly. She sensed what that mild-looking maid was hiding beneath the surface. She was no ordinary servant. At the very least, she possessed the strength of a high-ranking officer under any Demon King. Come to think of it, the butler who had been with Nahen earlier had also given off an unusual feeling.
Kaya briefly doubted her own perception, wondering if she was mistaken, but Nahen was quietly impressed by her sharp eye.
Impressive.
The fact that the servants who had protected Devata Castle since the 72nd Floor were actually highly skilled combatants had never been made public. Seir had arranged their placements in an unusual manner, and their true strength had never been openly displayed. That Kaya had noticed it meant her eyes were anything but ordinary. Her discernment went beyond mere sharpness.
For now, however, Nahen denied it.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
At Nahen’s denial, Kaya wondered if she truly had been mistaken. Since she herself lacked complete certainty, his negative response left her uncertain.
“Come, let us continue. You said you wished to hear our story, did you not?”
“Ah, yes… of course.”
Kaya could not quite hide her flustered expression as she followed Nahen. When they arrived, Kain was already waiting in the reception room.
“I have prepared the tea, Lord Nahen.”
“Ah, thank you.”
And in that moment, Kaya became certain. The suspicion she had been doubting only moments ago now felt confirmed. The instant she laid eyes on the middle-aged butler before her, she sensed an even greater power than she had from the maid earlier.
“See? I was right. Why does Devata Castle use combatants as servants…?”
“……”
At those words, Nahen too became certain. There was indeed something about Kaya’s eyes. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he explained.
“Our master, Her Majesty Seere, was only seven years old five years ago. Naturally, we needed to make the castle safe for a young Demon King to reside in, so those skilled in combat serve as our attendants.”
“Ah…”
“I would appreciate it if you kept this fact confidential.”
Of course, this was only half true. Seere had not even been born when Seir first placed them in the Demon King’s castle. Still, Nahen could think of no better explanation, and it had become truth ever since Seere’s birth. Kaya seemed to accept it without suspecting a lie.
More importantly, those eyes…
She had reacted the same way with Secily. If she responded this way to Kain as well, then it was certain. There was something in Kaya’s eyes. Nahen immediately thought of a Mystic Eye. The petrifying eye of the Basilisk tribe or Sitri’s captivating eye existed, after all. But he had never heard of an eye like hers. It must have been part of the game’s hidden lore. Since Gremory was not a character who appeared prominently in any route, the developers had likely seen no need to reveal her setting.
From what he had seen so far, Kaya’s eyes seemed capable of discerning an opponent’s true strength to some degree.
It’s not exactly a combat power scanner…
With that thought, Nahen took his seat across from her. She still looked as though she could not quite understand why such powerful forces were being used as servants.
“General Kaya, shall we begin our discussion?”
“Ah, yes, let’s.”
“What would you like to know first?”
“Naturally, I would like you to tell me exactly how Achiled died, and the full details of what happened.”
“I believe we already reported the facts accurately in our letter… Has the letter not reached you?”
At Nahen’s question, Kaya’s eyes widened. His words were not lies. He was speaking the truth.
“It is true that Achiled was killed by a human?”
“Ah… I understand. It must be difficult to believe.”
Nahen nodded as if he empathized. Then he continued.
“It is the truth. We informed you that a being called the ‘Hero’ has appeared on the human side, correct?”
Kaya’s eyes judged that everything Nahen was saying was the truth. This left her deeply unsettled.
“…Just what kind of existence is this Hero, that Achiled was defeated?”
“…To be honest, we were not entirely certain about this matter, so we did not mention it.”
Nahen regarded Kaya with an expression of grave seriousness. Without realizing it, Kaya found herself tensing up, drawn into his demeanor.
“We believe the Heavenly God is involved.”
“…What did you say!?”
“Did we not report in the letter that the Hero wielded a bow radiating divinity?”
Kaya nodded. She had certainly received that report.
“After General Achiled fell, we faced the Hero ourselves. The divine power we felt then… It would be reasonable to conclude that the bow belonged to an Archangel.”
All of it was true. Kaya’s eyes confirmed it. She had intended to doubt any lie, no matter how small. But there was none in Nahen’s words. Kaya accepted it at once. If Achiled had faced the Hero without knowing this, his death was inevitable.
“An Archangel…”
“There is only one Archangel who concerns herself with the human realm.”
“…That is true.”
Only one Archangel showed interest in humans, sought their worship, and tried to use them. The one called the Heavenly God.
“Archangel Metatron.”
“Yes. We also believe this is her doing.”
“But what could she possibly hope to achieve by using humans…?”
Kaya pondered for a moment before a sudden thought struck her.
“…Surely not.”
“There is only one thing an Archangel would desire enough to wage war on the Demon Realm through humans.”
Nahen spoke of a massive war that could engulf the entire world.
“The Heavenly-Demonic War.”
#
“…They’ve gone mad.”
As Kaya’s expression grew deeply grave, Nahen smiled inwardly. This was exactly the situation he had hoped for. It would allow him to steer events according to his plan.
“If the Heavenly-Demonic War truly becomes reality… every Demon King with middling power will fall.”
“……”
“Even mid-tier Demon Kings cannot guarantee their safety. I believe you understand well what kind of war the Heavenly-Demonic War is, General.”
She did. When the Heavenly-Demonic War broke out, every Demon King would suffer. The upper-tier Demon Kings possessed such vast forces that they could recover even after taking damage. But from the mid-tier downward…
“War must never happen.”
“But General, the Heavenly-Demonic War will occur.”
“What do you mean?”
“If the Demon Realm has already detected that the Archangel has begun to move, do you think Hell beneath us would remain unaware?”
“…!”
Hell had learned that the Archangel was moving. That fact meant…
“War is inevitable.”
Kaya knew Nahen spoke from the heart. Whether war would come or not, she was certain that he believed it would. And in her own judgment, given how things stood, the outbreak of the Heavenly-Demonic War no longer seemed like a far-fetched notion.
“Then we shouldn’t be sitting here having a leisurely conversation, should we?”
“That is why I have a proposal for you, General.”
“What is it…?”
Nahen extended his hand slightly.
“I heard that Her Majesty Gremory wishes to form an alliance with us.”
“…You mean to propose an alliance?”
“Whether the Heavenly-Demonic War breaks out or not, both sides will end up in similar positions. Would it not be better to unite from now on?”
It was not a bad idea. Kaya’s master, Gremory, had already wanted an alliance with them, and increasing their allies was certainly wise when thinking of the future. Yet Kaya did not respond immediately. She tested him, wondering if Nahen had some other motive.
“Though I was sent as an envoy, I was not granted the authority to make such a decision. I will need to consult with my master first.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Then our conversation ends here.”
“…Pardon?”
Nahen was not so easily swayed. He knew full well that Kaya had been dispatched as a “diplomatic envoy.” Claiming she lacked the authority to accept a proposal made no sense. Even if she needed to consult Gremory, Kaya possessed enough authority to make a provisional decision.
“There is no point in continuing discussions with an envoy who lacks decision-making power. It would be nothing but a waste of time for us. We will send an envoy to Her Majesty Gremory instead.”
“W-wait a moment!”
“What is it?”
Through their conversation, Kaya had grasped Nahen’s intentions in making this proposal. If she did not give some kind of answer now, he truly would refuse to speak with her further. That could not happen. Kaya needed to bring back good news to Gremory. If she returned empty-handed, Gremory might not reward her.
“I… I can make a provisional decision at least.”
“Hmm. That is acceptable.”
Nahen, who had been about to rise, sat back down.
“Then let us continue our discussion.”
“Yes…”
“First, in exchange for forming an alliance, we have conditions we would like to request.”
“…Hold on. Conditions?”
This was not a forced treaty. Kaya frowned slightly at the mention of conditions.
“We are forming an alliance on equal terms, are we not?”
“That is precisely why conditions are necessary. We are not on equal footing, after all.”
“Of course not! Her Majesty Gremory’s forces are far superior. Her rank is much higher as well.”
“That is why I am saying this.”
“Pardon?”
“The condition I propose is that Her Majesty Gremory transfer the floors she has conquered to us.”
Nahen explained his reasoning.
“Doing so would naturally increase our influence within the Demon Realm, which in turn would affect our rank. There is the Demon Realm Assembly in two years, is there not? If our forces grow stronger by then, our rank will rise, and naturally, the 55th Floor, which has allied with us, will also see its influence—and thus its rank—increase.”
Nahen referenced the signs of the Heavenly-Demonic War he had mentioned earlier. He emphasized that this alliance was essential in preparation for that time.
“A higher rank will distance us from becoming sacrifices in the Heavenly-Demonic War. Therefore, if we are to form an alliance, we ask that you transfer floors to us so that Her Majesty Seere’s rank may rise and we may stand as equals.”
“……”
Nahen thought Kaya seemed to be considering it. She remained silent for a while. But when she finally spoke, her words were nothing like what he had expected.
“That is your condition? That is all?”
“…Yes. That is correct.”
“What? I was nervous for nothing. Of course we can give you that.”
“…You can give it to us?”
Nahen was taken aback. He had never been surprised during negotiations with other factions before, but for the first time, he found himself at a loss. Kaya spoke with complete conviction, as though her words were entirely natural.
“Those are the floors we originally intended to hand over when forming an alliance.”
“…You were going to give them to us!?”
Nahen finally understood why Gremory had been conquering lower floors. She had already been thinking the exact same thing Nahen had proposed.
…I couldn’t have predicted this. There was almost no information about her in the game.
Nahen now realized just how generous Gremory was. Since he had already stated his condition, he could neither retract it nor suddenly change it. Kaya addressed him.
“Then I will consider the alliance formed under those terms. I will stake my name on this provisional decision, so let Her Majesty Gremory and Her Majesty Seere meet later to finalize the details.”
“…Understood.”
As Nahen reluctantly agreed, Kaya smiled brightly. She had expected him to weave lies throughout their conversation, but he had been remarkably honest.
It’s nice not having to deal with unnecessary complications.
As expected, her master’s judgment was impeccable. It had been a long time since she had encountered a faction with such integrity. There would be no need to strain her eyes looking at hearts filled with deceit. Kaya smiled in satisfaction.
“Please look forward to a favorable response. I am certain Her Majesty will view this positively as well.”
“…Understood.”
#
Kaya departed after receiving not only Achiled’s remains but also those of the other soldiers. Nahen stood by the office window, watching the departing carriage with a somewhat dissatisfied expression.
“Teacher, why do you look like that?”
Seere, who had been present in the office to hear the results of the meeting, tilted her head and asked. Nahen sighed and spoke to her.
“Seere.”
“Yes?”
“It seems I still have many shortcomings.”
“What?”
He had never expected Gremory to respond that way. If he had known, Nahen would have added other demands. But now that things had turned out like this, it felt as though he had simply given Gremory exactly what she wanted. Even if there had been almost no information available in the game… agreeing to every demand the other side wanted during negotiations was no different from a failed meeting. He had said it as a form of self-reproach, but Seere suddenly stood up and declared,
“Teacher is always the best teacher!”
“…Seere.”
“So please don’t say such things. I know. I know that Teacher is always working hard.”
Nahen felt his chest grow warm. His disciple, whom he had thought was still just a child, was comforting his heart. Tears threatened to well up without his realizing it.
What an ideal teacher-student relationship…
Nahen inwardly praised himself, thinking he had done quite well so far. But he did not know that Seere was not thinking of an ideal teacher-student relationship at all.
I need to become a woman who can comfort Teacher.
That was the only thought in her mind.