By the ti I opened my eyes, the sun had already set.
"……."
I was lying on the floor of Brother Zepar's room. I could hear an owl hooting from the slight opening in the window. I stayed there motionless for a while as I listened to the sound of birds crying out to the night sky. It almost felt like my entire sense of hearing was being occupied by their cries.
"Ugh."
My sense of sight and touch gradually pushed my hearing away. For starters, there was a prickly sensation pressing against my cheek. It was probably because I passed out with my face shoved into the carpet as there were acutely visible marks left on my face. I rubbed my cheek with my right hand as I pulled myself up. After coming this far, the first thought to go through my head was simple.
'……Everything is going according to plan up to this point.'
That's right. This was all a part of my plan.
As soon as that thought went through my head, my thoughts chained one after another like catching multiple fish with one hook. Mountain Faction, Sitri. Plains Faction, Barbatos. Internal conflict and instigation…….
A sacrifice.
But this was the perfect amount of ssiness. There was a need for everything to be a ss right now.
The script I had planned out was simple and effective.
First, eliminate the traitor Belial to ensure the unity of the Mountain Faction. This was to prevent the Mountain Faction from weakening due to Paimon's death.
Next, sacrifice Zepar, one of the wings of the Plains Faction. His downfall would signify the weakening of the political power within the Plains Faction itself.
Strengthen the Mountain Faction's power while narrowing the influence of the Plains Faction. This would establish a new balance within the Demon Lord Army…….
However, relying solely on Zepar would be insufficient. Think about it, the Mountain Faction lost Paimon. They didn't lose a limb or a tail, but their entire head. Stripping Brother Zepar of his political life alone wouldn't balance the scales.
"All right."
I put my hand mirror away.
If the Mountain Faction has lost its head, then the Plains Faction must also lose theirs.
What is there to hide?
"Let the ga begin……Barbatos."
Barbatos will have to pay the price for crossing the line herself.
Ο* * *Ο
Barbatos wasn't in her chambers; instead, she was in the back gardens of the palace.
She was idly sipping on her wine, her gaze unfocused as she peered out at the garden pond. As I made my presence known with the sound of my footsteps, Barbatos glanced in my direction for a mont before turning her gaze away again.
"It seems a man who has been rather elusive lately has graced
with his presence."
Barbatos muttered with a hint of boredom in her voice.
"What kind of change of heart does a gentleman who's been constantly enjoying dates with another woman at an enshrinent chamber have to go through to seek out an old fla of his? Did he finally realize he can't have sex with a corpse?"
"I ca here to see Barbatos, not you."
Barbatos chuckled and lightly swirled her glass.
"Oh, that's strange. I've lived my entire life thinking my na was Barbatos. For more than two thousand years now. If I've been mistaken, I hope you'll correct it."
"I am here to see the leader of the Plains Faction and regent of the Empire."
Barabtos glared at . Her golden eyes were clearly tinged with fatigue. Yet, they were as sharp as ever.
"Is that all? You show up after a whole month and that's all you have to say?"
"Barbatos, I was not avoiding you on purpose. I have not t with Gamigin either."
"Hah. Don't you dare compare
to that insane pair of tits."
Barbatos snapped with a threatening tone.
"Do you even have any affection toward Gamigin in the first place? You only banged her so that you could use her, you son of a bitch. Are you seriously trying to put that bitch on the sa level as ?"
"……."
We glared at each other.
Since Paimon's death, our encounters invariably devolved into fights. What started as trivial argunts would inevitably escalate into shouting matches, each of us fiercely defending our pride. Our familiarity with each other had grown to the point where a re glance was enough to almost discern the other's thoughts.
"Do you want
to prove to you again that I hold you above all else?"
I continued.
"Was Paimon not enough? Will you only be satisfied if Gamigin dies as well? Might as well kill Sitri while we're at it so that I can beco a man who only looks at you, right? Is this really what you want?"
"Don't talk to
like that."
"Oh, of course. I should be respectful when speaking to you, Your Excellency Barbatos. If it were not for Your Excellency, the absolute head of the Plains Faction, I would be crawling in the gutters."
I smirked.
"Do you want
to speak formally like I did when we first t? Would that make Your Excellency feel better? My apologies. I never would have imagined that Your Excellency's ears were so delicate."
"……."
Barbatos clenched her teeth. This was still mild. There were often days when we would hit each other and shout at the top of our lungs. Our relationship was gradually losing any semblance of dignity.
"I don't want to argue with you. So let's only talk politics, Barbatos."
"……Fine. What do you have to say, Count Palatine?"
"You can't make Commander Zepar apologize."
Barbatos furrowed her brows.
Brother Zepar had likely explained the situation to her. He probably admitted that he inadvertently angered the Mountain Faction due to his own careless mistake and that he intended to take responsibility and apologize.
However, he must have left out that I was the one who advised him to et with Belial. He omitted that my advice was the decisive factor in his decision and that I was involved in this at all, as he wanted to handle it on his own.
So from Barbatos' perspective, it was only natural for her to be suspicious of how I knew the full details of this incident. Just a few hours ago, Brother Zepar must've reported, 'This was all an accident caused by my unilateral actions done in secret
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