Up until now, I had placed a great deal of trust in the information I'd obtained from the game.
It was unfamiliar, sure — information about how the Demon Lord's army, which had appeared to be a single unified force, was in fact divided into multiple factions: the Plains Faction, the Mountain Faction. But it was only unfamiliar. It didn't contradict what I already knew from the game.
What appeared in Dungeon Attack, and the knowledge I had firsthand acquired in this world — the two sets of information didn't conflict with each other. Thanks to that, I had been able to leverage the Black Death and provide Empress Elisabeth with the cure.
Paimon was different.
Looking back, it was strange. The hero protagonist and Paimon first met in a city in the Human Realm. The ninth-ranked Demon Lord had stopped by a city, and by sheer coincidence, the hero happened to be there. Then the two of them ran into each other by chance and built a rapport. Just how much coincidence was involved? Was it really just chance...?
I hadn't questioned it. It was a game, a scripted scenario. That level of coincidence was perfectly acceptable. But this world wasn't just a game to me anymore. It was reality. Would such a coincidence happen so easily in reality too? The leader of the Mountain Faction and one of the most prominent Demon Lords just happened to venture out for a night on the town in a human city and, of all things, just happened to run into the hero?
Paimon had intended the meeting. She had deliberately approached the hero... This hypothesis was far more plausible.
A chill ran down my spine once again. The words Paimon had spoken to the protagonist in the game came back to mind, roughly as they were. Just how sweetly had she whispered to the hero.
— Yes, this girl is a Demon Lord. She deceived you, Hero. But what of it? This girl loves you. She loves you straight and true, transcending race and status, enemy and ally, every bond and grudge. Just as she did from the very first moment she laid eyes on you. And just as she always will.
— Good grief, really. If not for this girl, you'd already be dead, Hero. Humans really are a sorry sight, aren't they? You are the Hero. The one who saved the continent. And they try to kill someone like you... Humans really are hopelessly foolish. We Demonkin, at the very least, do not betray our own kind.
Every last word of it had been a deception.
— Humans are truly wonderful! I heard there's a Republic on the continent? Over there, humans, elves, and dwarves live together in equality — no discrimination, no prejudice. Equality that transcends the boundaries of race... Someday, the day will surely come when Demonkin and humans can live together like that too.
— This is your final moment... Could you at least grant this girl a kiss?
In the end, she had claimed the hero's first kiss. It wasn't the empress, his liege. It wasn't the childhood-friend mage either. It was the hero's enemy — the Demon Lord.
Right up to the moment of death, Paimon had begged her enemy for love. The last thing she must have felt as her breath faded were the hero's lips. What could she possibly have been feeling?
Confessions of love and adoration, the shy flush of her cheeks, a final kiss — a hundred phrases and a thousand gestures. While performing all of those, what had one Succubus been thinking? What had she been feeling? As of now, I could never know...?
"But no matter how I think about it, the Habsburg Emperor is the real problem. Even if we managed to recruit that powerful human to our side, or somehow managed to kill him, the problem itself wouldn't disappear. We need to drive a wedge between them somehow... Honestly, this girl may be confident in matters of political strategy, but she's not so sure about cunning plots. It's a problem."
Paimon kept talking with a serious expression. She probably had no idea what I had been lost in thought about.
I smiled.
"Yes. Paimon certainly seems dull when it comes to scheming."
"...Are you teasing me? I went out of my way to give you a serious answer."
"No. I'm being sincere."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"You established a republic. Impressive. But what's with that clumsy approach? You caused far too much friction with the surrounding nations. If it were me, I would have thrown the continent into chaos first. For example, if you had timed it to when the Crescent Alliance Army war broke out, founding the nation would have been much easier."
"B-But."
Paimon furrowed her brow.
"If we did that, we'd just become targets of the Human Alliance Army."
"You seize control of the human army's purse strings. Amstel provides the human army's war funding. Paimon, you were able to command the Mountain Faction. You drag the war out endlessly. The human army will face increasing financial pressure. In exchange for funding, Amstel gradually acquires various rights."
"..."
Indeed. If Paimon cooperated with Bael, this was a perfectly viable scenario. A revolutionary war? Why bother with something so tedious? One should use the war instead.
"In particular, the knightly orders are powerful but money-grubbing. Put them in debt so they comply with our demands to a reasonable degree. Oh, right. It seems Paimon has connections with the temples of the Human Realm as well. You should use those!"
Oh my, I was getting into this now. Paimon's position, so to speak, was much closer to a player's than mine. She had plenty of power in the Demon Realm, influence in the Human Realm, abundant funds, and solid connections. She could truly enjoy life as though it were a game, couldn't she?
"The temples also support the Crescent Alliance Army's war. But they too will suffer financial pressure. That's what you target. You make the temples issue indulgences."
"Indulgences...?"
"It's a certificate that grants absolution for your sins. If you purchase one, it means you've been faithful to God to that extent. Stopping the evil Crescent Alliance Army is God's will, and participating in that is also serving God. That's roughly how you'd advertise it."
Paimon's lips parted.
"The temples... they couldn't possibly be that corrupt."
"Humans will be as corrupt as you want, so long as you give them a proper justification. 'This is for humanity. For the continent. We're certainly not doing this because we covet money...' Well, it's simple, isn't it? You have to start that way for things to go smoothly at first. But they'll gradually fall deeper, once they realize how easily they can make money by selling God's name."
"..."
There was divine power in this world. The stronger one's faith, the stronger the divine power became. People could directly experience the authority of God. Perhaps that was why they never doubted God's existence. The priests wielded immense authority.
The more powerful they were, the easier it was to turn them into fanatics.
Protecting humanity from the evil Demon Lord—could there be a nobler cause than that? Without hesitation, the priests would demand war funds from the nobles and the common folk alike. Before they even realized it, they would slowly succumb to the allure of money...
War truly was an excellent business.
"Even selling indulgences won't cover the ongoing war funding. There's a limit to it. That's where Amstel steps in. We purchase indulgences in bulk. Whether it's a million gold or ten million gold, we pour it all in. The temples would probably praise us like this: 'You, Amstel! A city that devoted itself selflessly to humanity! May you be blessed for eternity!'"
I laughed.
Hmm, it seemed like my manic streak was flaring up again. My spirits were soaring. I couldn't help being a fan of <Dungeon Attack>. Out of countless players, I alone had learned the true workings of this world. Honestly, I was overjoyed.
The War of Independence. The Revolution War. What was the other one again? Was it the Liberation War?
"That settles everything. It's all done. Waging a Racial Liberation War to accept demi-humans as citizens? That's the worst possible approach. Just buy the second batch of indulgences from the temples in bulk and say this: this time, the demi-humans within the city voluntarily gathered funds and made a donation."
"......"
Yes. That would work perfectly. The longer a war dragged on, the more of a tyrant money became. This would be the perfect opportunity to buy the rights of demi-humans with gold coins.
It would provide the justification of having helped humanity and served God. In reality, the knight orders would owe Amstel enormous debts, and the temples—the spiritual pillars of the continent—would come to recognize demi-humans. With justification and power as twin wings, nothing in the world would be impossible.
"Finally, near the end of the war, we launch a diplomatic offensive. By that point, the human leaders might actually fear the war ending—because the time to repay all their debts would be approaching. And that's when we whisper: just let a few cities go independent, and all debts will be forgiven."
Ah, it was done. Amstel must have belonged to some nation after all. The Frank Empire? The Teuton Kingdom? I wasn't sure which, but it was one nation regardless. If numerous knight orders and temples relentlessly demanded independence, that nation would have no way to resist.
Well then, let's just lobby the national power structure extensively... We'd have to give them a chance to save face too. What if Amstel donated all the previously purchased indulgences to that nation for free? They were nothing but scraps of paper anyway. But the symbolic significance would be enormous.
A nation that willingly sacrificed its own territory for the sake of humanity and God. Even they would feel tremendous pressure.
Look at that. Everyone gets a happy ending. The temples accumulate their money, the nations and knight orders see their war funding decrease, and most importantly, Amstel's relationships with every power on the continent become excellent. They would wield tremendous diplomatic influence. Sure, it would cost an astronomical sum... but whether you wage an independence war, a liberation war, or some decades-long conflict, the funds consumed would be about the same.
Once you started, it was simple. The Crescent Alliance Army had been formed several times already. Each time, they would use war funding as a pretext to set another city or two free. Thirteen cities would be filled up in no time.
Perhaps history books would call Paimon's Republic by a different name: the most noble republic in the world, the guardian of humanity, the servant of God—the great Batavian Federal Republic. Let everyone else fight among themselves. You, blessed Batavia! Buy everything with money!
"This is magnificent... Truly splendid. No, we can't stop here. We plant seeds of envy and resentment across the continent. The jealousy of nobles and commoners alike will be immense. 'We bought the same indulgences. We sacrificed to protect humanity. Why should only Batavia become independent? Why should only Batavia's citizens enjoy freedom?'... Magnificent, truly splendid."
The more the Crescent Alliance Army repeated its actions, the more humanity's unity slowly crumbled. There was no doubt about it.
"There's no fertilizer more effective at growing republicanism than envy and jealousy. We appropriately win over some republicans and have them instigate a revolution. Chaos will sweep the continent. The kingdoms of the Human Realm will never tolerate a revolution... The nobles will feud, and the people will rise up. Ah, we shouldn't launch a Crescent Alliance Army expedition here, right? A rare internal conflict is happening; it would be troublesome if an external enemy interfered..."
"Dantalion."
Cold palms gently cupped my cheeks.
"Huh?"
I snapped back to reality. Paimon was holding my face with both hands. Our gazes met in a straight line. Her eyes were somehow dazed.
"Do you know? This happened when Barbatos and I were still friends. As you know, Barbatos is a terrible homosexual. I'm closer to that orientation myself. So the two of us would occasionally have a pleasant time together."
That was a shock! Barbatos and Paimon were a couple in the past!
I was twenty-six times more shocked than when I found out Paimon was a republican.
"I-I see? How should I put it... it's quite, very, unexpected."
"Rather than lovers, we were more like friends. When we craved warmth, we comforted each other. Back then, we joked about it. If, by some utterly absurd chance, I ever liked a man, what kind of man would he be?"
Paimon smiled sweetly.
Huh.
For some reason, I was getting déjà vu...
"When I heard the rumor that Barbatos had a male lover, I thought, 'The great Barbatos, of all people...' Haha. To think we'd be rivals even in a place like this. Truly, I'm curious what relationship Barbatos and I must have had in a past life. I don't think there's a stranger destiny than this."
"Pardon?"
"Close your eyes, Dantalion."
There was no chance to close my eyes.
Paimon raised her back leg swiftly and kissed me. I couldn't resist. She was no amateur. Her movements were incredibly natural.
I stared at her closed eyes and inwardly recoiled. No, were these Demon Lords seriously disregarding my consent? They bicker like enemies, yet their actions are identical! You lot, your relationship isn't secretly not that bad, is it?
At least Paimon didn't stick her tongue in. She seemed content just savoring the feel of my lips. Compared to Barbatos, she was practically a saint. If that was supposed to be comforting, then fine — I'd take it……
No wait, Paimon was a Succubus Queen. Just as Barbatos had cast a lewd magic spell on me, this one could be up to something too. Damn it. Please, just give me a shred of dignity back…… Without any real resistance, I could do nothing but wait for time to pass……