We held a grand victory parade in Niflheim after crushing Bael's remnants.
For this event, we had already begun constructing a triumphal arch two months in advance. Time was tight, so the arch ended up slightly smaller than originally planned, but once the dwarf craftsmen set to work on it, the result looked quite impressive.
"Long live Lord Barbatos, the Immortal!"
"Long live Lord Paimon, the Pure! Long live Lord Marbas, the Noble!"
Citizens poured out from across Niflheim, showering endless bouquets of flowers.
The army of pride marched with magnificent bearing. Cheers erupted from every direction. Even though it was broad daylight, fireworks streaked into the sky, sending plume after plume of multicolored smoke ceaselessly upward. The atmosphere was that of a festival. We mounted our warhorses and waved to the citizens.
A close look at the leaders at the very front of the grand procession was quite revealing.
First came the three who had risen to become the undisputed top dogs of the Demon Lord's Army through this affair. Barbatos of the Plains Faction, Paimon of the Mountain Faction, and Marbas of the Neutral Faction marched at the very front.
From the start, each faction had wielded formidable power. However, Bael and Agares possessed a strength that transcended factions—the ability to single-handedly conquer a battlefield. For that reason, the faction leaders were always treated as "second" within the Demon Lord's Army.
Now that Bael was gone, no force existed that could curb the factions' dominance.
The era had truly changed.
Even the Demon Lords who had remained unaffiliated until now were seized with anxiety. Some of them joined the Neutral Faction, while others went searching for a powerful patron who would protect them. Those who joined the Neutral Faction likely judged that, politically speaking, the Neutral Faction was the safest bet.
Three leaders marching side by side. That sight alone must have been deeply moving for the Demonkin.
Even in the Second Crescent Alliance Army—the most successful in its history—those three had stood at the forefront. At a time when pessimistic voices were growing louder, warning that the Demonkin would eventually be driven out by humans and face extinction, the three leaders had once again united.
Yet the one who had struggled to make this scene a reality was none other than me…
"Long live Lord Vassago!"
"Aaah, Lord Gamigin! Look over here, please!"
The next Demon Lords leading the procession were Vassago and Gamigin.
It was an interesting arrangement. If rank had been the priority, then Vassago, ranked third, and Gamigin, ranked fourth, should naturally have led the way. Yet they were placed second in the order. Vassago and Gamigin were returning the citizens' greetings with smiles plastered across their faces, but… well. What were they truly thinking, I wonder?
"Long live Lord Dantalion of the Mask!"
And then me, Dantalion.
In total, six banners symbolizing the Demon Lords fluttered throughout the city. For reference, the banner representing me depicted a face with seven masks. Since the domain happened to be composed of seven hills, it was reasonably fitting.
"The world's been going to hell for a while now, but this takes it to another level."
Vassago murmured from my left. His face was beaming with a smile, yet his voice dripped with displeasure. What a remarkable talent.
"An insect of a Demon Lord who's nothing but a low-ranking nobody, walking side by side with us. In the old days, that would have been unimaginable."
"There are no 'old days' anymore. I believe that's the point."
Vassago let out a derisive snort.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, you impudent worm. You're nothing but a parasite riding on Barbatos's coattails, so where do you get off acting high and mighty? At Walpurgis Night, you merely survived a surprise ambush — against me, the Four Elemental Kings are—"
"The Fire Elemental King, the Water Elemental King, the Earth Elemental King, and the Wind Elemental King, I presume. It's not publicly known, but I'm aware that you've also contracted with the Shadow Elemental King."
Vassago's expression froze. Oh dear, better put that smile back on. Countless citizens are watching. If you don't grin a little wider, your political appeal will take a hit, you know.
Vassago is a Spirit Master. His personal combat power isn't all that impressive, but commanding a whopping five Elemental Kings makes him extraordinarily difficult to deal with. If you'd built your player character along the Mage or Spellblade path, you could consider him virtually unbreakable.
For some reason, Spirit Masters have this image of being "pure of heart." And the top of that very class is Vassago, who is in fact a pitch-black schemer through and through. That's just how the world works, I suppose.
"How… I've never summoned one anywhere…"
"Oh my. Did I not clearly state in my speech that lies inevitably lead to ruin?"
I chuckled softly. From a distance, it would look like we were having a pleasant conversation. How absurd.
"Lord Vassago, the same applies to you. I do hope you'll come to realize that no secret lasts forever in this world. Perhaps the lesson wasn't quite sufficient?"
"……"
"In today's victory speech, Barbatos will declare that the Demon Lord army's ranking system is to be abolished immediately."
Vassago's face contorted. He could no longer even maintain his smile.
I had thought about this for a long time, but ranks one through three are simply too politically immature. The fact that factions formed around Barbatos and Paimon rather than around them is proof of that. Perhaps when one is overly powerful, one becomes less politically mature.
"Abolish it? What do you mean…"
"It means exactly what I said. The ranking system was overseen by the traitor Bael. It was a system that assigned ranks to Demon Lords who were originally equal to one another, disrupting the unity of the entire Demon Lord army. Such an evil practice must be swept away as quickly as possible. Wouldn't you agree?"
Vassago's face turned white. The ranking system involved not just Bael but Vassago himself on a deep level. To deny that system meant that Vassago himself was now a target of the purge.
I let out a "well" as though I had only just realized something.
"The reason you, Lord Vassago, were called the Demon Lord of Fairness… come to think of it, that reputation stemmed from being known for assigning ranks fairly. This is a difficult situation. We had planned to deny the ranking system itself, but…"
"Isn't that a different story from what was promised?"
Vassago said in a trembling voice.
"You promised that everything would be forgiven if I participated in taking down Bael. I was even the one who struck the final blow at Bael's neck. Why am I being subjected to guilt by association?"
"Yes, that's correct. Of course, 'I' made that promise."
I put on an apologetic expression.
"But the other comrades seem to think differently. Can we truly believe in Lord Vassago's sincerity based on nothing more than having stabbed Bael once with a blade? Unfortunately, that is the prevailing opinion."
"Th-That can't be…"
"The argument the comrades are putting forth is this: Lord Vassago stabbing Bael could, frankly speaking from another perspective, be seen as you betraying Bael. There is no reason someone who has already betrayed once cannot betray us again. That's their reasoning."
I smiled sheepishly.
"Well, it's not entirely wrong, so I'm afraid my defense fell flat. I'm sorry."
"……."
"Please don't be too hard on me about it. After my passionate defense all the way to the end, the other comrades have decided to give you a chance, Lord Vassago."
"A chance…"
I nodded.
"As you know, we are now setting out to suppress the traitor Agares. According to my personal intelligence network, there is a high likelihood that Agares is secretly colluding with the Frank Empire. This will not be an easy enemy."
They called it the Frank Empire, but in reality it was a nation manipulated by Queen Henrietta de Bretagne.
The chances of Queen Henrietta and Agares working together were quite high. No—it would be better to assume that they definitely were. The strongest ruler of the Human Realm and the strongest ruler of the Demon Realm forming a secret alliance. There was no way to describe it other than terrifying.
"Agares must be brought to justice. For the new Demon Lord's army—an army that upholds peace and harmony—Agares is nothing more than a troublemaking seed. In this historic war, Lord Vassago, you must take the lead."
"……."
Vassago's shoulders trembled violently.
"In a war against Agares… you want me to take the lead…?"
"Yes. If you do so, the other comrades will never doubt Lord Vassago's sincerity. I guarantee it with my name on the line."
"You've lost your mind… Don't be ridiculous! It's Agares! That Agares!"
Vassago gritted his teeth and shouted.
"To deal with that boar of a beast, even Bael had to mobilize an entire grand legion! And your precious faction—didn't you barely manage to drive them off by begging the Neutral Faction and the Mountain Faction for help? No, 'drive off' isn't even right. Agares escaped unscathed! This is out of the question!"
I gave a wry smile.
"You seem to be misunderstanding something, Lord Vassago. This is not a request. It is a final recommendation."
"What?"
"Everyone and their grandmother knows how powerful Agares is. We who fought her three years ago know better than anyone. That is precisely why we intend to put forward Lord Vassago, who is known to be the next strongest after Agares."
To put it bluntly, I was saying we would use him as a shield.
Whether he caught on to my meaning or not, Vassago's face flushed red, then pale, then red again.
"You dare to mock me?"
"You still don't seem to understand. This is a final recommendation. If Lord Vassago refuses, then regrettably, I will no longer be able to protect you. I won't be able to hold the other comrades back."
"You smooth-tongued little snake…!"
Vassago raised his hand as though he were about to seize me by the scruff of my neck at any moment.
But he could no longer move. Gamigin, marching alongside me on my left, had subtly thrust his head forward to glare at Vassago. Vassago grimaced several times before reluctantly lowering his hand.
"Lord Vassago. Of course, you are free to refuse. Surely you are afforded that much freedom. If you wish, you may return to your Demon Lord's Castle right now and hole up inside."
I whispered as sweetly as I could.
"But I wonder just how long you'll be able to hold out. Bael was also slain by our comrades. Public opinion in the Demon Realm has already swung in our favor. During the speech scheduled for today, Barbatos may even formally declare you a public enemy……."
"……."
If it came to it, you could always flee and join Agares instead. But Bael's grand legion had melted away in a mere two months. Having witnessed that, would you really have the nerve to turn your back on us? Would you have the audacity to make an enemy of the entire Demon Lord's Army and Demon Realm society?
I patted Vassago on the shoulder.
"Don't think of it as being so uncomfortable. Surely we wouldn't be foolish enough to discard Lord Vassago once he's served his purpose? Agares is a formidable enemy. He will support Lord Vassago with his full strength. You can look forward to that."
"……."
After a brief silence, Vassago gave a feeble nod.
I immediately sent a messenger to Barbatos. It didn't particularly matter, but it was a gesture to put Vassago at ease.
These kinds of gestures needed to be shown as quickly as possible to avoid any fallout. You showed the gesture and made the other party think, 'Yes, I wasn't wrong. This is the best option.'
I said with a smile.
"I told you that I'm parasites with Barbatos, but hasn't Lord Vassago been parasites with Bael all this time as well? Both you and I are distinguished parasites. From now on, we'll both be parasites to the same faction."
"……."
"Let's get along, shall we? Actually, you know, I've liked Lord Vassago for a long time."
Vassago stood trembling in silence until the event ended.
That day, the rank system was officially abolished within the Demon Lord's Army.
Under the banner of <Harmony and Equality>.