Sitri's face twisted. He was shouting that this was absurd, but Paimon himself remained composed. He probably already knew which way the wind was blowing. There was no point protesting here — it would only shift the scales further against them. Or perhaps he had some other card to play.
Sitri erupted.
"This is outrageous from the start! What, did we come here to attack the Plains Faction from behind? You there. Yeah, you — Dantalion or whatever you're called. You're the one who filed that ridiculous accusation based on fabricated lies? If you've got proof, let's see it."
Oh dear. The arrowhead had turned toward me. Did he think I would be an easier target than Barbatos?
Whether in a game or here, Sitri was never a Demon Lord with any silver tongue. He was a pure martial type. And it seemed this martial type had me thoroughly underestimated.
The Demon Lords arrayed around us like titans were watching with keen interest. In truth, they had been moved by my secret letters. Of the lot, only Marbas had attended Walpurgis Night. In other words, from their perspective, this was none other than Dantalion's debut.
Well, fine. If Marbas was the host of this gathering, then I was the shadow host. As master of the house, it was my duty to entertain the guests. Time to dangle some bait.
"I have ample proof. The letter your side sent to our Plains Faction alone makes it crystal clear."
I pulled a letter from inside my coat and waved it for all to see.
"'Negotiate a ceasefire with the forces of the Human Realm, your mortal enemies of the Demon Realm — or we will attack.' This is nothing short of treason. What more proof could you need?"
"Hmph. That was not a betrayal at all."
Sitri snorted, as though he had expected this.
"We were acting solely for the greater good. To secure territory on the continent where the Demonkin could live. That is our purpose as Demon Lords. If we had reached a ceasefire back then, we could have occupied the entire northern Habsburg region without spilling a single drop of blood!"
"Without spilling a single drop of blood."
I let out a bitter laugh. This wasn't acting. I was expressing exactly what I felt.
"Whose blood, exactly?"
"What?"
"We fought through the mountain fortresses of the Black Mountains. We drove back Margrave von Rosenberg. We pacified the entire north. And in the end, we prevailed against 50,000 Imperial troops. Do you really think not a single drop of blood was shed in that process? Countless Demonkin fell to the earth."
I, too, had taken an arrow to the thigh at the Battle of Austerlitz. At the very least, this ground still held even my small drop of blood.
"Sitri, by 'us' you must mean the Mountain Faction. There isn't a single mention of the countless lives lost in the Crescent Alliance Army's Sixth Corps. For a Demon Lord to view this from the perspective of a single faction rather than the entire Crescent Alliance Army — that's dereliction of duty. Absolutely absurd."
I shrugged. A few of the Demon Lords nearby laughed. Barbatos and Gamigin. The greatest sadist and masochist in the Demon Lord's army, apparently. It seemed I had more Affinity for perverts than for normal people. Come to think of it, the old saying about birds of a feather flocking together wasn't quite right after all.
"That's not what I meant!"
Sitri's face flushed red. But that was all. He said it wasn't true, but after that, only a stream of feeble self-justifications followed. I couldn't help but sigh. Conversations like this were no fun.
At the very least, Paimon, who stared this way with an expressionless face from behind, had nearly killed me for real during Walpurgis Night. If I hadn't used a kind of trick — mobilizing my game knowledge to win over Ivar Lodbrok — I almost certainly would have been done for. I would have liked to see that kind of skill on display, but... it was too much to ask of a brute fighter whose head was made of muscle.
"At any rate, there's no evidence for your claims!"
"The Mountain Faction and the Habsburgs never conspired with each other. Is that what you're saying?"
"Of course. Our Mountain Faction acted solely for the Demon Realm."
I went "Hm," and pretended to deliberate.
"Then the members of the Mountain Faction must also consider our Plains Faction to be true comrades, correct?"
"Obviously. We're all part of the same Crescent Alliance Army."
"Mm, very well."
I conceded readily.
Sitri furrowed his brow. I had backed down far too easily compared to my aggressive opening, so he must have been suspicious. But the thing was, I had already reeled in the bait beautifully. And on that hook, the Mountain Faction — a great big fish — hung with its belly fat and swollen.
"I, too, hope the Mountain Faction is innocent. However, there is a problem. It's how others will perceive this."
"Others?"
Sitri's expression grew even more hostile.
"What do you mean?"
"Regardless of your intentions, the Mountain Faction threatened the Plains Faction. Had the esteemed corps commanders gathered here not arrived, the Plains Faction would truly have been destroyed. In the Demon Lord's army and Demon Realm society, Lord Paimon is already being treated as half a traitor."
"Hah? What bastard dares..."
I cut her off mid-sentence.
"Gamigin. I'd like to ask your personal opinion. Do you believe Paimon and the Mountain Faction betrayed the Demon Lord's army?"
"Yeah. Sure do."
The blond Gamigin answered immediately with a grin on her face.
"Sorry about that~ I'm that kind of bastard, you know."
"……."
"But here's the thing — there are probably plenty of people who don't think it was a betrayal, right? You can slap whatever justification on it you want, but at the end of the day, it was the Plains Faction that got their face smashed into the dirt. They yap on about protecting the Demonkin or whatever, but this still amounts to weakening the Crescent Alliance Army's fighting strength."
Sitri was left speechless. Gamigin shot me an obvious wink. The look on her face practically screamed, 'I did good, right? Praise me!' The way she acted, she really did look like a giant golden-furred puppy.
"Well, that's the gist of it. No matter how much Sitri recognizes or refuses to recognize the evidence, if a hearing is held, the Mountain Faction will be found guilty. Excluding the plaintiff and defendant — that is, the Plains Faction and the Mountain Faction — roughly twenty-five Demon Lords could attend the hearing. How many of those would believe in the Mountain Faction's noble and righteous cause?"
Demon Lords are selfish. There wasn't a chance in hell they'd pass up an opportunity to weaken the opposing side's strength without lifting a finger. Without a doubt, the Mountain Faction would be convicted by an overwhelming margin. Sitri seemed to realize this too, and spoke in a slightly deflated voice.
"So if you don't request a hearing……"
"No deal. You said there's no evidence that the Mountain Faction is guilty, correct? I'll return the question. Is there any evidence that the Mountain Faction is innocent?"
Sitri couldn't answer.
"With no evidence on either side, let's settle it by vote at the hearing. How fair and pleasant."
"……."
The hall went quiet. Gamigin and Barbatos were whispering to each other, and since nobody else was speaking, their conversation was perfectly audible.
"I like that one~. Can I have him?"
"Get lost, you masochistic bastard. I've had my mark on him for a hundred and forty million years."
"Whaaat. Barbatos, you're so mean."
……Stop talking about people like they're objects to be traded.
Marbas, the head of the Neutral Faction, heaved a sigh. His wrinkles were well-placed, giving him the look of a distinguished middle-aged man.
"Dantalion, Demon Lord of the Other Face. I myself believe there is merit to your words. However, should that come to pass, the Mountain Faction and the Plains Faction will be separated by a river they can never cross. The Mountain Faction and the Plains Faction are the first and second great powers of the Demon Lord's army. In truth, the entire Demon Lord's army would be split in two."
"Isn't it already split in two?"
"It's a matter of degree. Dantalion, everything in the world is a matter of degree."
Marbas removed his monocle and polished it with a silk handkerchief.
"Whether we should wage war against humans, or bide our time and withdraw… there is no absolute answer as to how we ought to act. It differs depending on the situation and the timing. Yet even though we may be immortal, we do not know everything. It is impossible to assess the situation and timing with perfect accuracy."
What should be done, he asked himself.
"That is precisely why factions are necessary. One side argues why war is the right course. The other side argues why war is wrong. Each will gather the evidence they need to support their case. In doing so, our Demon Lord's army will possess a comprehensive set of opinions and evidence. You might call it a division of labor. Do you understand? The purpose of struggle is not the struggle itself. It is through struggle that we achieve harmony."
"……"
It was a befitting remark from the leader of the Neutral Faction. What he was saying was this: factional conflict is fine. But if it goes too far and becomes a zero-sum game where one side must die for the other to live, that becomes a problem. Stay within the proper bounds.
"A bird that loses one wing will never take flight. Dantalion, if the Mountain Faction was wrong to attack the Plains Faction, then wouldn't the Plains Faction now trying to annihilate the Mountain Faction entirely be equally wrong? I am looking for an appropriate compromise, of course. If the Plains Faction shows clemency, the Neutral Faction will extend its active support in return."
In other words, he was offering political and material compensation.
Hmm.
I never had any intention of destroying the Mountain Faction. That would only benefit the humans. Even if I nominally belonged to the Plains Faction, my ultimate goal was survival, and beyond that, conquest. To achieve that, the Human Realm and the Demon Realm needed to maintain a rough balance of power.
The problem was how to persuade Barbatos.
If a hearing was convened, the Neutral Faction would likely side with the Mountain Faction on purpose. They would steer the pro-and-con debate along a tightrope and then, at the last moment, propose a reasonable compromise. That was when I had planned to persuade Barbatos to back down, saying, "Let's call it here."
But wait. Marbas had proposed a compromise from the very start. To my ear, it sounded quite persuasive. With something like this, I might actually be able to convince Barbatos.
How many people here had picked up on the nuance behind Marbas's words? I wasn't sure. But at the very least, I understood. It was hopeless to expect the Neutral Faction's support at a hearing. Out of roughly twenty-five Demon Lords who held voting rights, the Neutral Faction held about ten seats. This was where I needed to take a step back.
I spoke calmly, without so much as batting an eye.
"Lord Marbas, I appreciate your wise counsel. A hearing is certainly a pressing matter. And as you say, before the Neutral Faction is the Neutral Faction, it is a member of the Demon Lord's army — and likewise, before I am of the Plains Faction, I am a Demon Lord."
Actually, Marbas had never once said that "the Neutral Faction, before being the Neutral Faction, is a member of the Demon Lord's army." And yet, I fabricated those words entirely for deeply political reasons.
First, I placed a statement that sounded like nothing more than diplomatic courtesy—"a hearing is certainly a pressing matter"—right up front. I positioned the word "hearing" like a road sign planted along the path, then stitched the context onto it afterward.
By doing this, I signaled that I had understood their intent: that you of the Neutral Faction would attend the hearing with the entire Demon Lord army's position in mind.
Words that, on the surface, look like simple agreement with the other party—when examined in context, become a splendid political transaction. Marbas had spent over a thousand years mediating between the Mountain Faction and the Plains Faction. He would grasp a nuance like this easily enough.
Sure enough.
[Demon Lord Marbas's Affinity increases by 10.]
A notification window appeared with a sound effect. Marbas was satisfied that his intent had been sufficiently conveyed and that he had received what he wanted in kind.
"Of course, the Mountain Faction is the one at fault. There is no doubt about it. I simply wished, as the host of this gathering, to cool down a conversation that had grown too heated. The matter of the hearing can be discussed a bit later without any rush."
How should I put it? I didn't dislike the old Demon Lord in front of me. Out of consideration for the Plains Faction, he had nailed down firmly that "the Mountain Faction is the one at fault." And to obscure the real conversation that had passed between us two, he laid down smoke with "I simply wished to cool down the conversation."
After saving face for the other party and hiding the secret negotiation, look—he naturally added, "the matter of the hearing can be discussed a bit later." In other words, go consult with Barbatos and come back.
"Now then, let me first welcome all of you who have graciously accepted my invitation."
Marbas gave a light round of applause.
From between the tents, beautiful women and handsome men emerged in single file, dancing as they advanced. Their bare skin glistened with oil. Some wore clothing, while others were nude—apparently catering to diverse tastes, since there were plenty of people in this world who preferred the suggestion of nudity over full exposure.
The musicians beyond the tents enthusiastically raised the volume of the music. The Demon Lords, excluding Paimon and Sitri, enjoyed the banquet in high spirits. I savored this lavish feast while exchanging whispers with Barbatos.
"What do you think? Should we hold the hearing, or not?"
"What kind of bullshit is that? Of course we're holding it."
Hmm. Barbatos hadn't caught the underlying meaning of the earlier exchange. When I quietly explained, Barbatos muttered.
"Oh my, damn."
With a bright, pleasant smile. He had to manage his expression—we couldn't let anyone see what kind of conversation the two of us were having.