At that moment, a blue notification window popped up.
"Demon Lord Gamigin has been 'Intimidated' by you!"
"Demon Lord Gamigin is resisting the status effect based on her Intelligence and Charm stats!"
"The Dice of Fortune has been fixed at 6 by some miraculous probability! Despite the 'overwhelming' stat difference, you have successfully inflicted the status effect!"
Loud sound effects rang out.
"You have cleared a miraculous mission!"
"As a mission reward, 1 skill has been enhanced."
"Congratulations! Skill <Acting> has been enhanced into Skill <Two-Faced Diplomacy>!"
It was quite unexpected. How long had it been since I last gained a skill?
Two-Faced Diplomacy — even if I couldn't remember the details exactly, it was a skill that granted bonuses when executing diplomacy and intrigue in the game. Unlike Acting, a junk skill you had no idea where to use, this one was actually quite handy.
Good lord. It took three years after the start of the playthrough before I finally acquired something halfway decent. Even hellish difficulty had its limits. If this were a real game, players would be storming the developer's offices wielding flamethrowers.
"Dantalion…"
Gamigin opened her lips, then closed them again. Something like a sigh slipped out through the narrow gap. She stared directly into my eyes and spoke again.
"Dantalion, you've lost your mind."
"Oh. First, could you please define what you mean by 'lost my mind'? By that standard, practically everyone in the world could be called a lunatic."
"…You've already crossed the line. There are always a few nutjobs like you among the Demon Lords."
Gamigin let go of my right hand.
"You know? A Demon Lord who takes pleasure in watching that kind of thing is one of two types. Either a risk-taking adventurer who lives life on the razor's edge, or a gambling addict who wants to die every hour of every day. Either way, they're a madman who hopes someone else will hurry up and kill them — not me."
"So?"
I tilted my head.
"Sure, let's assume I'm crazy. So what? You dismiss everything as meaningless except survival — doesn't that make you crazy too? And Barbatos, who wants to slaughter hundreds of millions of humans for the sake of nothing but Demonkin — is he sane? We're all crazy."
I looked around.
A few Demon Lords had been glancing our way, apparently bothered by our conversation. The majority, however, were busy socializing within their own factions. The sounds they made were blocked out, never reaching my ears.
Even though we were all in the same place, I felt as though we existed in completely separate worlds. I spoke.
"The only Demon Lords who do this are the crazy ones. It's crazy work, every bit of it. Gamigin, you pointed out that I gained nothing by helping Barbatos. You're absolutely wrong. I feel perfectly content just watching Barbatos from the sidelines."
"……."
"Ah, of course, Lady Gamigin. You enjoy it too. I'm amazed that you've lived a life that allowed your expression and your true feelings to become so perfectly detached from each other. Let's have a proper conversation sometime."
Gamigin stared at me through half-lidded eyes, her gaze cold and sharp.
"……Fine. If there's an opportunity."
Gamigin turned her back without ever losing her smile. She walked back to where she had been standing.
Since there were no Demon Lords here who were particularly friendly toward me, I was left alone naturally.
Sitri looked at me with sorrowful eyes, but the Mountain Faction Demon Lords surrounding us kept her from approaching. It seemed she was catching an earful from her companions for having gotten too chummy with me.
─ Help me out, Dantalion!
Sitri's gaze pleaded with me. I answered with a shrug. It was worth taking the scolding. Now that she, not Paimon, was the leading representative of the Mountain Faction, she needed to learn some self-restraint.
─ Give it up. Besides, you could use a scolding or two.
─ Traitor! Liar! I'll resent you for the rest of my life!
Sitri shot me a look of utter despair, but I paid no mind. They say growth comes through pain, after all.
Beyond that, a few other Demon Lords glanced my way from time to time, but none approached.
The position that Demon Lord Dantalion currently held was a rather delicate one. Everyone acknowledged the war record he had achieved with the Crescent Alliance Army. There were surely quite a few Demon Lords who would have liked to build a rapport.
The problem was that getting too close carried far too much risk.
A key figure of the Plains Faction. Moreover, rumored to be Barbatos's lover. If anyone got too familiar with Dantalion, they'd be suspected of trying to cozy up to the Plains Faction. The Plains Faction was infamous throughout the Demon Realm as uncontrollable radicals. Not exactly appealing company.
On top of that, I had played a decisive role in Paimon's downfall. From the Mountain Faction's perspective, I was a thorn in their side. Unless someone had the nerve to pick a fight with the Mountain Faction, they wouldn't dare approach me.
*Well. A banquet enjoyed alone has its own kind of comfort.*
I made my way with light steps to a corner of the ballroom. There, an extravagant spread of delicacies was piled high like a mountain — luxury goods that were almost impossible to taste. Splendid.
I accepted a glass of wine from a attendant, then checked my stat window. Sure enough, under the skill section, <Acting> had been replaced by <Two-Faced>.
With a heart thumping in anticipation, I examined the skill's detailed effects.
─────────────────────────
<SKILL>
1. Two-Faced (outwardly compliant, inwardly opposed).
A-Rank Personal Debuff Active Skill.
When the target's Affinity is below 20: Player's Politics +10%, Charm +10%.
When the target's Affinity is 20 or above, and the target is attacked: Target's Command -20%, Force -10%, Intelligence -20%, Politics -20%.
(* An enhanced version of <Acting>. The effects of <Acting> are maintained upon activation.)
─────────────────────────
"Hm. Not bad."
I nodded and took a sip of wine.
For an A-rank skill, the effects were rather underwhelming, but beggars can't be choosers. The Acting skill had only had a single line of description: "Increases the probability of persuading the target." That was it.
I had made peace with my stats a long time ago. A 10% boost to both Politics and Charm was enough to make me grateful for the world. Ah yes — the key to everything was gratitude. A person had to be humble, after all.
Music echoed through the hall.
A band composed of dark elves played their instruments with striking flair. Incidentally, dark elves were the most artistic race in this world. Surprisingly, most pure-blooded elves looked down on most music as "vulgar art" and kept their distance from it.
"Hey. What are you doing, moping around in the corner like that?"
As time passed, the Demon Lords filed in one after another. Among them, of course, was Barbatos. The moment she entered the ballroom, she swept her gaze across the assembled Demon Lords, spotted me, and approached without hesitation.
I answered coolly.
"As you can see, I'm savoring the banquet."
"You've got a lot of nerve. The supposed star of tonight's show is off in a corner acting like a social outcast. Really playing your part well."
Barbatos placed both hands on her hips.
"Didn't I just tell you the other day that when you mope around like that, it embarrasses me too?"
"Heh heh. Barbatos, you're under one misunderstanding. I am lonely, yes, but that loneliness is never the loneliness of a sailor lost at sea in the vast ocean. It is merely the solitude of a captain who must alone decide where the bow shall point..."
"Shut up before I rip your tongue out."
Yes, ma'am. Shutting up now.
Barbatos picked up a snack. The crunching sounds as she chewed were impressively loud. I almost pointed out that she should maybe worry about her own dignity first, but since I had no desire to have my tongue ripped out, I obediently kept quiet.
She was wearing a pure white dress, unlike her usual style.
When one thought of Barbatos, the first colors that came to mind were black and red. Whether on the battlefield or at a ballroom, she was famous for wearing only black and red attire. But whatever wind had blown her way, today of all days she had shown up in clothes white as snow.
It suited her white hair beautifully. It was like gazing upon a snow-covered white field beneath low-hanging skies. It also matched the purity she harbored within, and personally, I would have given it a perfect score.
"Why are you wearing something you normally wouldn't?"
"I dressed to match you, you blockhead."
Barbatos snatched the wine glass from my hand and gulped down its contents.
"Hah. You're always wandering around in depressing black rags. I figured you'd do the same today, so I went ahead and coordinated in white. Happy now?"
"Oh my, oh my. I am deeply honored and most humbly grateful."
I extended my hand to her.
"Beautiful fairy of the snowfields. Would you grant me the honor of the first dance?"
"That's exactly why I came, you dense gentleman."
Barbatos smiled and placed her hand on my palm. Her hand was much smaller than mine. I held that delicate, soft thing like a fragile glass sculpture, treating it with utmost care. We made our way to the center of the hall and began a light dance.
"Your dancing's improved since last time."
Barbatos said cheerfully.
"Have you been practicing with some other woman?"
"There's a lady who mercilessly roasted me for not being able to dance a single step properly, so I had to work pretty hard to avoid getting my shoe stepped on."
It was, needless to say, a dig at Barbatos.
"Hmph. You're all talk."
"A little while ago, Gamigin approached me. He offered to negotiate — asked what I wanted from him."
Barbatos's eyes lit up with interest.
"So what did you tell him?"
"I honestly replied that I prefer a children's taste, so a lady with unnecessary fat like you isn't really my thing."
"Ahahaha."
Barbatos burst out laughing. Of course, it was a lie. I actually found someone like Gamigin's physique closer to my taste than Barbatos's. I'd said it just to put her in a good mood.
"You know what? You're really something."
"Don't act all surprised now."
We traded jokes back and forth as we danced in good spirits.
"Oh my, look over there. That's Barbatos and Dantalion."
"There were rumors that they weren't on ordinary terms, and it turns out it's true!"
The female Demon Lords whispered among themselves. The ones gathered around Gamigin were unaffiliated factions—they had no interest in political rivalries and instead focused on enjoying life as Demon Lords. Nothing excited them quite like a romance.
"They look like a little fairy and an elf dancing together!"
"Well, Lady Barbatos is certainly beautiful, but her partner is..."
"Oh my. I actually prefer that type."
Gamigin quietly watched Barbatos and Dantalion. They were smiling at each other. Between the two Demon Lords, there was an inexplicably inaccessible air—a wall, like a line drawn between their side and this side.
It must be trust. The two of them trusted each other.
*I'm worthless beyond measure.*
Gamigin took a long drink of wine. It was a sweet vintage.
A female Demon Lord spoke to Gamigin.
"Lady Gamigin, what about you? It seemed like you were having a conversation with Dantalion earlier."
"Mmm."
Gamigin wore her usual beaming smile. She thought to herself. How should she respond here? Should she hint at a deeper connection with Dantalion, leaving a subtle aftertaste? Yes, she liked that direction.
The female Demon Lords were, so to speak, the heart of high society and the epicenter of gossip. If even a rumor spread that Gamigin and Dantalion were on particularly intimate terms, it could cause a fair amount of upheaval within the Plains Faction.
"Well, embarrassing as it is, I suppose you could say I'm a little interested~."
"Oh my, oh my. Is that really true!?"
"Are you saying you have Affinity for him?"
The female Demon Lords descended on her like hounds. Gamigin skillfully navigated her political calculations while talking to them, not forgetting to blush as if embarrassed. She didn't forget to flash an awkward smile either.
She glanced sideways at Barbatos and Dantalion.
Over there still looked so far away.