Ch.22Meeting (2)

“Durin. I’m praying that what I heard is wrong.”

After finishing the disposition of Serphin and leaving the tower, a group was waiting for the Regent. They all stared at him with pale faces. It seemed the rumor about taking the Grand Duke’s daughter had spread faster than expected.

“It’s not true, right?”

The Grand Sorceress Ludmila asked while clutching her head. Amidst the commotion, she tried her best to stay calm.

It wasn’t easy. The blood staining Durin’s hands red was agitating Ludmila.

She feared the worst might have happened, but fortunately, the Regent’s answer was concise.

“It’s not.”

“Really?”

“Look over there and you’ll see.”

Ludmila raised her head stiffly, following Durin’s finger. In the distance, at the entrance to the punishment chamber, a corpse was hanging. It was the body of a succubus dangling from a pole. With its head smashed, it swayed limply in the breeze. Upon seeing this sight, Ludmila let out a sigh of relief.

“Whew. I really thought we were in big trouble when I heard you’d taken the Grand Duke’s daughter.”

“Even in these chaotic times, I wouldn’t make such an unsound judgment. You seem to lack trust in the Regent.”

“I was just worried. Acts of treason against the castle have always been dealt with harshly.”

“We don’t treat high-ranking demons that way. The East is a valuable continent that must stand with us.”

“Hmm… really?”

Ludmila glanced at Matheus. The old demon nodded with a smile in his eyes. After confirming the Chief Justice’s benevolent response, the Grand Sorceress could finally put her mind at ease.

“That’s a relief then. So are you planning to release the girl now?”

“No. I still intend to keep watch for a while longer. Istria will be imprisoned in the newly prepared prison in the eastern tower.”

“There’s going to be significant pushback. Even you won’t be able to handle the consequences of putting a high-ranking demon in a dungeon-like place.”

“No need to worry. I’ve already arranged for her to stay in a special room with adequate facilities. The Golden Guard will protect the surroundings, so there won’t be any security issues.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. Look over there. The nobles from the East are coming to find you.”

Ludmila pointed to the distance. At the end of her finger, green-horned demons were striding toward Durin. They were all elderly demons with white beards.

The veteran demons of the Senate. Among them were supporters of Serphin who favored the Demon King’s ascension.

Having grown powerful enough to divide national opinion, they walked confidently, worthy of facing the Regent.

Durin gestured to move aside the Durahans who were trying to block them.

“Regent Durin. We know you always strive for the normalization of the castle.”

They began with formal praise the moment they faced Durin. It showed remarkable patience.

They must have been seething with anger upon hearing the news of the Grand Duke’s daughter being taken. A younger demon would have spoken rashly and suffered the consequences, but these were nobles who had lived for over a hundred years. They never let emotions control them.

“We are truly grateful for your dedication. However, we must address this unfortunate incident properly.”

The experienced noble from the East asked Durin in a calm voice.

“Regent. Do you truly intend to turn the East against you?”

“Of course not. Haven’t we been the only two continents that avoided bloodshed in over 1,000 years of the unified demon realm?”

“Indeed. One could say we’ve maintained a relationship even stronger than a blood alliance. Yet the path you’re taking now seems to deny all those years.”

“You seem to think I’ve intimidated the Grand Duke’s daughter. Let me clarify that it was merely a simple investigation. Unfortunate incidents are happening not only to you but to us as well.”

“I understand, given how chaotic the times are. However, the current situation doesn’t seem like it can be resolved with the Regent’s excuses…”

“No need to beat around the bush. I’ll meet with the Grand Duke directly. I’ll have a communication channel set up through a sorcerer, but I’d like some time to send a letter first.”

Seeing that the conversation showed no signs of ending, Durin took the initiative. The Eastern noble, who had been preparing other words, finally dropped his flowery language. He looked into Durin’s red eyes and said:

“If the Regent says so, we’ll arrange a meeting. I sincerely hope this ends amicably.”

“I share the same thought. I’ll go ahead and prepare.”

As the conversation ended, the nobles from the East and Central split up. One group moved quickly to deliver information to the Grand Duke, while the others followed Durin toward the royal hall. Ludmila, who was at the front of the group, caught up with the striding Regent.

“What’s going on? Did you two plan this together?”

Ludmila asked with a puzzled expression. The scene was beyond her understanding.

She had expected them to vehemently protest after bringing someone in like that, followed by a warning from the Grand Duke. But their conversation was utterly bland, like old friends exchanging greetings.

“Why didn’t you explain anything to me? I always tell you everything before planning anything.”

“It happened on the spot. I truly didn’t have time to explain to you.”

“Huh? That doesn’t make sense. Later in the hall, tell me more about the letter you’re sending to the Grand Duke…”

“I need to write it right now, so I don’t have time. Let’s talk about the rest later.”

Durin went ahead without listening to Ludmila’s full statement.

As he moved away while she was still saying “Hey,” Ludmila hurriedly tried to follow, but a demon suddenly blocked her path.

“I’ll escort you to the royal hall. You need to help organize the chaotic castle.”

“The one who created that chaos is the Regent!”

Despite her pitiful cry, Berdia, his loyal subordinate, paid no heed.

She forcibly escorted the sorceress into the royal hall. Ludmila tried to come back out, refusing to give in, but in that brief moment, the flood of work that poured in held her back.

The aftermath of the rumors Durin had spread began to fill the royal hall.

Post-processing for the maid branded as a criminal, stabilizing the internal atmosphere, paperwork for handling various petitions from the reception room…

In the end, she couldn’t find the time to follow Durin, who had gone to meet the Grand Duke of the East.

#

The Regent has branded the Grand Duke’s daughter as a traitor.

Such provocative rumors quickly spread to the provinces. All the information arriving through magical communication channels was sensational.

-He tried to kill the Eastern heir by torturing her in the punishment chamber.

-Istria is already treated as a traitor in the Central region.

-The military reform was the foundation for an Eastern conquest. The Durahans, who have tripled in number, will all join the expeditionary force.

War clouds were already gathering. The tension between the East and Central regions made the borderlands suffocating. Troops on both sides were ready to spring into action at any moment.

A bloody war would begin at the command of the leadership.

“Your Excellency! Now is the opportunity. Sweep away the Central region!”

“Why fear those without a king? They are merely a rabble relying on a Regent.”

The Grand Duke’s palace also rode the wave. They couldn’t hide their excitement as they called for war. The number of people pleading with the Grand Duke kept growing.

“Please make a decision.”

“……”

If someone were to see this, they would fear that a great war was about to break out. But Lucifer Astasha del Istria, the sole Grand Duke of the Eastern Continent, was indifferent.

He knew. The scene unfolding before him was just a show.

-Lady Serphin is currently detained in the noble prison. Confirmed to be unharmed.

They already knew all the information properly transmitted from the Central region. Even though the relationship between the Central and Eastern regions had been in a delicate situation since the king’s disappearance, it wasn’t completely broken.

Unlike the South filled with barbarians, or the West and North with entirely different races, the East was a continent inhabited by demons most similar to those in the Central region. Their relationship couldn’t be severed, as they shared similarities in everything from politics to culture.

Yet they raised their voices for one reason only: to curry favor with the Grand Duke, a descendant of the Demon King.

A spectacle of exaggerated displays of loyalty.

Lucifer turned off his interest as usual. Once he confirmed that his daughter was alive and well, confined in an appropriate place, this incident was no longer of concern to him.

What mattered wasn’t these formalities.

“Your Excellency. A letter has arrived from the Central region.”

What they would put on the negotiating table. That was Lucifer’s only interest.

Sure enough.

-Let’s make a deal. I’ll give up land and power.

The words, written briefly in the Regent’s handwriting, caught the Grand Duke’s eye. There was nothing else. Only the magical bait that captured Lucifer’s interest.

“Khuhu. Yes. This is it.”

The Central and Eastern regions.

Their symbiosis had always been based on deals.

Even if it meant giving up his daughter, it didn’t matter if he received something greater in return. He could abandon a hostage anytime for the greater cause. That’s the kind of demon the Eastern Grand Duke was.

“If I give up flesh, I’d like to receive at least bone in return.”

“…Your Excellency?”

The nobles prostrating before him cautiously raised their heads. Wind escaped from their throats, cracked from shouting all day since morning. Lucifer, who had been ignoring them, finally looked ahead. The prepared nobles firmly planted their heads on the ground, ready to shout loudly.

“Tell the Central region immediately that I agree to a meeting.”

“Pardon?”

“The king has fled to the human realm, and angels are about to arrive. Should I consider anyone calling for civil war at this point to be their puppets?”

The Eastern nobles closed their mouths. The show they had been putting on for so long ended pathetically.

When all the green-horned demons wore expressions as if they’d eaten dung, only then did Lucifer laugh loudly, as if pleased.

“Hahaha! I jest. How could I think of your loyalty in such a way?”

“Y-Your Excellency. Indeed. We were merely thinking of the East’s welfare…”

“Then prepare. Gather the army separately from meeting with the Central region.”

Suddenly, the demons’ eyes turned to the Grand Duke. They couldn’t open their mouths hastily.

The curtain that had covered the stage was stirring and agitating again.

“I will also decide based on the outcome.”

“Y-Your Excellency. Have you made up your mind?”

“Not I, but I will make the Regent decide. Of course, I know he’s not that foolish.”

The end of a deal is extreme.

Whether to maintain the precarious peace as they had for 1,000 years, or…

“I hope he makes a good choice.”