382. Snare (1)
382. Snare (1)
- 1 -
Velastella Lillis sat upon the Fate (緣) dais, which overlooked the party hall perfectly.
♩♪♪ ♩♪♪
A gentle melody flowed, and the laughter of nobles could be heard.
But it was not the nobles who filled her sight—only the figure of one woman.
'Rita...'
Black hair that resembled her own, yet cascaded down in softer waves.
Violet eyes deeper than her own, like amethysts holding the universe within, yet more tender.
Skin that held a dazzling, pure white light, as if jewel dust would cling to one's fingers upon touching it.
A gaze that glimmered atop a face bearing a delicate impression, holding a warmth gentler yet stronger than anyone else's.
Those arms, slender yet unbelievably strong, that had in a single breath lifted her own self, trapped upon the Queen Consort's throne.
[I am the Queen Consort. Rita.]
[I'm greedy, Unni. Whatever I want, I desire to have it all.]
That child who had dared to say she would possess her wholly.
A confession that was audacious, yet lovely.
Velastella's lips curled up without her realizing.
"Lilith?"
"Ah... my apologies, Asmodeus."
Awakened from the mire of her thoughts by the Duke of Lust's call, Velastella changed the smile that had risen into one 'befitting a Queen Consort.'
'I must compose myself.'
She was attending a party hosted by Asmodeus.
The matter of attending another noble's party.
It had been common before, but had become even more frequent recently.
It was all due to the immense influence of the new title she had acquired.
[To the 1st Demon Queen Velastella Lillis, who has been excellently administering state affairs on my behalf, I bestow the title of the Duke of Binding, offered by the Archduke of Paradox. I also grant you authority over personnel appointments for ranks of Marquis and below, so continue to show responsibility befitting the authority you hold.]
A few days ago, the Demon King had granted new authority and titles to his two Queens.
To herself, the 1st Demon Queen, he granted part of the personnel appointment rights and the title of the Duke of Binding, offered by Libertas.
To the 2nd Demon Queen Layanelias, he formally bestowed the title of 'Duchess of Dreams,' fitting the demon name 'Persephone' she originally possessed, and entrusted her with a portion of Pandemonium's accounting duties.
Personnel rights and accounting rights.
On the surface, a distribution that seemed fair.
But all the nobles knew.
In aristocratic society, where economic power and manpower were tied to titles.
In this society, personnel authority was a far more direct and powerful force than accounting authority.
The fact that the scales of power had tipped completely toward Velastella.
[Please continue to take good care of me, Unni.]
Layanelias, who knew this fact better than anyone, had come to her as soon as she received her title and bowed her head deeply.
She had shown with her entire body that she no longer had any intention of engaging in a power struggle.
Probably, the influence of her full-blooded older sister, Asmodeus, who maintained good relations with both Libertas and herself, had also played a part.
As a result, Velastella herself had been summoned to all sorts of parties and noble petitions even more frequently.
'A troublesome matter.'
Even as she unknowingly rested her head on her hand, Velastella smiled faintly.
This was, in the end, a thing that made her feel the weight of the power she held in her hands.
But, she did not dislike that weight.
'If I truly hated it, I would have gone into seclusion like before.'
While her personality preferred being alone rather than standing above others...
'Rita.'
Unlike the past. Because now, she had someone precious.
The position of Demon Queen was absolute as long as the Demon King existed.
Unless another Demon Queen schemed like before, there was no one in the current Demon King's castle who would commit such a foolish act.
There were exactly two who had, but her beloved younger sister had 'cleaned them up.'
'... This is a severe case too. Really.'
Feeling her thoughts flowing toward Libertas once more, Velastella wore a faint smile.
"Your Highness. In truth, my cousin has applied for the vice-captaincy of the knight order this time. Could you perhaps look into it just once? He is capable, but his lineage and title are somewhat lacking, you see..."
"That position... very well. If his ability is outstanding, is there any reason to refuse? Tell him to come visit one day soon."
She deliberately scattered her thoughts, skillfully showing a smile to the nobles who approached her.
Now was the time to further solidify her own power.
She didn't know when the 'time of need' that Libertas had warned about would be, or what would happen, but there was no way that child would speak empty words.
And even if it weren't for that, she now had a newly born desire for herself.
'I want to protect that child.'
Her beloved younger sister, who had swept into her heart and shaken it mercilessly.
A burning desire, felt for the first time in her life, to absolutely protect her from the pressure and threats of these treacherous Demon Realm nobles.
- 2 -
"Your Excellency! News of victory! Word has come that the Holy War Army and the Imperial Army have pushed deep into enemy territory from the Hilsa front!"
Pleasant news.
Anselm savored his tea laced with drugs and smiled with satisfaction.
"Ooh, Lord! At last, the hammer of divine judgment falls upon the heretics!"
"Brother Anselm's judgment was ultimately correct! It is a relief we were not swayed by the foolish mercy and corruption of the Saintesses!"
The continuous reports of victory coming in lately had greatly excited the Archbishops residing in the Holy Emperor's Direct Dominion.
They were driving out the 'heretics' and safeguarding the sole authority of the Holy Kingdom.
"Those Sun Church fellows can be cleaned up along with this opportunity as well!"
"We can execute both the apostates and the heretics!"
The news that a new 'true heresy,' the Sun Cult, had been spreading within the Alliance only came to light after the declaration of war had already been made.
Of course, that mattered little to them.
What had to be done remained unchanged; only the order was different.
In the end, the power of the Demon Tribe was an illusion, and they would fade away like the countless heresies that had appeared on the continent.
'In the end, the Paimon affair was merely an unforeseen accident.'
The unidentified Demon, Libertas, was indeed a concern.
Even though a being who had executed a former Archduke was within their territory, the Alliance had taken no measures whatsoever.
It was one of two things. Either they truly didn't know, or...
'This being called Libertas is also someone belonging to this "Alliance."'
An unpleasant possibility to contemplate.
No, an impossible possibility.
If that were truly the case, the Alliance wouldn't be being pushed back so helplessly right now.
This was a being who had executed a Monarch-level entity.
If a Dungeon Lord of at least High rank had joined the Alliance, the current war situation would have been far more difficult.
'The conclusion is clear. This "Libertas" is separate from the Alliance.'
But this was ultimately only conjecture.
'If only we could have properly read that witch's memories.'
Anselm deeply regretted that he couldn't confirm it with certainty.
Because the memories of the Witch of Mist, Ennasha, who could have been the most crucial clue, had been completely destroyed.
"Wicked Demon scum...! How could they so cruelly ruin the soul of the dead like this...!"
The traces of intentional destruction were vividly etched into her soul and memories.
Every cleric who saw it vented their fury, but it was something Libertas would have sneered at if she heard it.
Because the 'Passing On' that clerics performed on the Demon Tribe was, in fact, an act that completely 'annihilated' the soul.
If soul desecration was to be called a wicked act, then it was the same as calling both them and Libertas wicked beings.
Exactly what the phrase 'double standard' meant.
- 3 -
All wars are difficult, but for our Alliance, this war was an even taller order.
We had to minimize the sacrifices our allies made, minimize the sacrifices the enemy made, and amidst it all, we had to 'lose well.'
Because...
'A rat driven into a corner will always bite the cat.'
To prevent those Archbishops, mad with greed and frenzy, from doing something even crazier...
For instance, unleashing sealed ancient beings.
To make them lift their heavy backsides and walk into my trap on their own...
'The front lines must appear deadlocked, with us seemingly losing little by little, on a knife's edge.'
Therefore, I had subtly tied our forces' right hand on each front.
To Esther and Daniel in the North, I had sent orders to minimize casualties, treat prisoners humanely, and build the image of a 'righteous war.'
To the Hilsa front, where Shue and Orea were conducting a delaying defensive battle, I had sent the command to 'give ground and lure the enemy deep to hunt them.'
To the southern marshes where Echidna and Nirvana held the line, I had dispatched the directive to 'use this opportunity to clean up the remaining unstable elements within the Alliance through combat.'
And finally, to Leophere in the West...
- Master. It's Kamaya.
I had spread the rumor that Elena had collapsed from a sudden illness, and hid her away.
Her reputation as an 'Undefeated General' was too valuable to tarnish.
"Yes, Kamaya. You've worked hard."
- It is truly difficult, but it's manageable, Master. There are wounded, but no fatalities.
Because of that, my loyal Harpy Queen Kamaya and her daughter Serha were currently acting as the commanders of the Human-Demon Alliance Army in that region.
- However, this situation will be difficult to sustain for long. Even if it is an intentional defeat, a defeat is still a defeat. The monsters, armed with absolute loyalty to you, Master, are fine, but the morale of the human soldiers is gradually falling.
I nodded at Kamaya's loyal counsel.
"It's fine. It won't be much longer now."
I looked toward the east on the map spread out on the table, the direction where the Holy Kingdom and Rugnisah lay.
At the center of the Holy Kingdom, the Holy Emperor's Direct Dominion, several red flags were planted densely.
They were the flags of each Archbishop, especially those confirmed to be controlled by Astaroth.
"Soon, they will make their move personally."
I picked up a flag.
"The Saintess they branded a heretic."
With a simple application of mana, it soon transformed into the form of a winged Archbishop.
"My Ash..."
Murmuring lowly, I lifted the figure's body.
"They'll only be satisfied once they've placed her on the pyre themselves."
Slice!
The neck was severed, spreading a red stain across the map where my fortress Clarent was located.
As if prophesying their end.
- 4 -
"It seems the time has come for us to advance personally. We must completely extinguish the embers of those wicked ones."
Smiles rose to the corners of everyone's mouths.
The time they had been waiting for was approaching. The Holy Kingdom's 'personal intervention.'
The Archbishops belonging to Anselm's faction looked at one another.
To whom should they push the credit for this task?
In the end, all eyes turned to Anselm, who had led this holy war.
"We need to restore the prestige quickly. There's no point in dragging this out. Only Brother Sebastian, who will handle internal surveillance, shall remain here. The rest will come with me and personally stab the heart of heresy."
"Understood, Brother Anselm. May the grace of the heavens accompany everyone on the expedition."
Chief Inquisitor Sebastian nodded with earnest trust.
Greed simultaneously appeared on the faces of the Archbishops.
For them, this affair was merely an opportunity to seize achievements that were all but guaranteed.
None of them could know the truth: they were walking into a massive snare of their own accord.