The Emperor seated upon the golden throne gave a slight nod, uttering an "Mm."
"I am well aware of the utmost loyalty you have all shown in rebuilding and maintaining the Empire. Among you, there are those whose contributions have been particularly great — and so I wish to bestow upon them fitting titles, in the name of the Empire."
His body movements were as natural as those of a real human, but upon closer inspection, his expressions were simplistic, with little variation. This, however, only reinforced the expectation that an emperor ought to carry himself with dignified restraint, making it easy to overlook.
Poor human — Rudolf von Habsburg. To prevent his organs and flesh from rotting away, the alchemists applied all manner of reagents to the Emperor's entire body every single day. And lest any scent of the potions linger, they sprayed him with strong perfume.
People often complain that the living hardly seem alive — but what of Rudolf? Even in death, he was not truly dead. To have one's death dishonored is far more cruel than to have one's life dishonored.
I had no choice but to stifle a secret laugh. How could it not be comical? He had murdered and violated his own kin, all for the sake of ascending to the throne — and in a way, his wish had come true.
"Barbatos."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"To you, the exalted, I bestow the Crown of Bohemia."
Several Demon Lords drew sharp breaths.
Under the Habsburg Empire, there were four kingdoms. However, two of those were merely ornamental appendages of the Emperor, and in practice, only the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Kingdom of Pannonia had been truly subjugated to the Empire. This meant that the King of Bohemia held the highest rank after the Emperor himself.
As Barbatos knelt on one knee, the Emperor continued.
"Furthermore, I appoint you as Grand Duke of Austerlitz and the Empire's Eternal Deputy-General. The King of Bohemia shall govern the Empire's affairs in my stead — and thus you are worthy of bearing the title of Caesar. Henceforth, my subjects shall call you Caesar-Barbatos."
"I am most humbled."
Barbatos replied flatly. She received the crown and sword from the Emperor. Rising to her feet, Barbatos turned around and surveyed the court. A mocking smile curled the corner of her lips.
In that moment, even the most clueless of the independent Demon Lords could not help but realize.
Being part of the Empire was nothing more than a matter of principle — in reality, the one they would truly have to submit to was not that puppet Emperor, but the girl who had come to reign as both the King of Demons and the King of Humanity, unique in all of history.
Barbatos rose and stood beside the Emperor. The Emperor called the next name.
"Marbas."
"Did you summon me, Your Majesty?"
Marbas bowed politely, strands of white threaded through his dark hair. There was not a shred of genuine respect in his voice, yet his gesture was so elegant that it almost made it seem as though Marbas were truly submitting to the Emperor.
"I bestow upon you the Crown of Pannonia."
"I shall endeavor not to disgrace this undeserved honor through faithful service."
With yet another royal title bestowed, the atmosphere in the throne room grew distinctly more animated. Apart from it all, Marbas calmly lowered his head even further.
"I, as your sovereign, shall regard you as a father figure wherever and whenever I may be. In private, you shall be addressed as my 'honored father,' and in official matters, you shall be venerated as an elder of the imperial household. As befitting such an exalted station, you are hereby granted the title of Sebastokrator."
Had any Demon Lord versed in the politics of the Human Realm been present, they would have felt a shiver run down their spine.
Barbatos had become the Emperor's Grand General and seized real power, while Marbas, by being honored as the Emperor's father, received the most prestigious title of all. In the hierarchy of the Empire, even the rank of Caesar was a full step below Sebastokrator.
The Plains Faction and the Neutral Faction had smoothly divided the spoils between themselves.
"Henceforth, the subjects of the Empire shall praise you as Sebastokrator-Marbas."
"Your Majesty's grace is overwhelming."
Marbas completed his bow and rose to his feet. Barbatos stood at the Emperor's right, and Marbas took his position on the Emperor's left.
Everyone gathered in the hall already knew who would be called next.
"Paimon."
"Your servant Paimon answers the summons."
Paimon walked to the center of the throne room. With delicate grace, she lifted the hems of her lavishly red skirt with both hands.
Unlike the two Demon Lords who had been summoned before her, Paimon was flawless in both tone and etiquette. And yet, rather than feeling summoned by the Emperor, she somehow gave the impression that she had been invited to a masquerade ball.
"I bestow upon you the Duchy of Luxembourg, and furthermore, I raise the Duchy of Luxembourg to the status of a Grand Duchy. In addition, the Electorate of the Palatinate shall be incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg."
"I am humbled. I shall aid Your Majesty above and protect the subjects below, thus safeguarding the Empire."
"Very well. The administration of the imperial palace shall be entrusted to Grand Duchess Paimon, and you are hereby granted the title of Pro Phorakeumenos."
The titles were assigned in order.
The positions were distributed strictly according to the logic of factional politics, which became immediately clear upon listing those with the highest ranks.
King of Bohemia, the Emperor's vicarious general, Barbatos of the Plains Faction.
King of Pannonia, the Emperor's stepfather, Marbas of the Neutral Faction.
Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the Empire's Grand Chamberlain, Paimon of theMountain Faction.
Duke of Moravia, the Empire's naval commander, the independent Gamigin.
Elector of Saxony, Zepar of the Plains Faction.
Elector of Mainz, Sitri of the Mountain Faction.
Elector of Cologne, the independent Vassago.
Seven in total. Since the Emperor was nothing more than a puppet, these seven were now, in name and in truth, the ones who could command the Empire as they pleased.
These seven electors were even granted the right to elect the Emperor through a vote. This was the position known as Elector. Who would become Emperor now depended entirely on these seven Electors.
Looking at the factional breakdown, the Plains Faction held two votes, the Mountain Faction held two votes, the Neutral Faction held one vote, and the independents held two votes. At a glance, the titles appeared to have been distributed quite fairly… but in reality, things were different.
Vassago was a lone wolf who stood apart from the crowd, an old hand who walked his own path — so his label read "independent," but he did not represent the Demon Lords of any particular group. He sided with whichever way the wind blew, attaching himself to one side or the other as the situation demanded.
Put differently, the independent Demon Lords who currently wielded almost no power were of no appeal to Vassago whatsoever. He would sooner align himself with the Plains Faction or the Neutral Faction. In fact, Vassago was outright hostile toward the independent Demon Lords.
In other words… the conclusion was that the Demon Lords banded together in factions held a staggering six out of the seven votes.
It bears repeating once more at this juncture.
The era had changed.
The days when the independent Bael and the equally independent Agares could manipulate the Demon Lord army were over. The apex of this new era belonged, without question, to the faction leaders who followed the chain of Barbatos–Marbas–Paimon.
And yet, the atmosphere in the throne room was better than expected.
'This is still fair enough' — that was the sentiment among the independent Demon Lords. They were relieved by the equality that was visible on the surface. Perhaps they were grateful that Gamigin had received a single vote. They were infinitely foolish.
"I hereby ennoble Hagenti as Baron Kniphauzen."
"...I am grateful."
"I hereby ennoble Alocer as Baron Martinits."
"I am deeply honored."
One by one, each was called by the Emperor and bowed in reverence.
They all knew, of course. In truth, they weren't kneeling to the Emperor — they were submitting to the three Demon Lords standing on the dais: Barbatos, Marbas, and Paimon. If you looked closely, there was something amusing about it.
The Demon Lords affiliated with the Plains Faction subtly bowed their heads toward Barbatos, while those in the Mountain Faction discreetly inclined theirs toward Paimon. The independents, on the other hand — neither here nor there — performed their obeisance with visibly awkward reluctance.
"..."
"..."
With each Demon Lord called and returning, a strange silence wrapped around the throne room. They would steal furtive glances in my direction, wearing puzzled expressions. Without exception, their eyes were filled with doubt. I ignored their stares and watched the investiture ceremony at my leisure.
That's right. My name was never called.
The moment Brother Zepar was appointed Elector, dozens of Demon Lords had stolen glances at me all at once. Brother Zepar was, without question, Barbatos's right hand. But the one who had recently achieved overwhelmingly the greatest service for the Plains Faction was — beyond any room for dispute — me, Dantalion.
The man who had made the ten nations of the continent diplomatically recognize the Empire was also me. There could be no one more fitting for the title of Elector. And yet my name was never mentioned…
The more Demon Lords were called, the fewer remained, and imperceptibly, the gazes converging on me grew ever more numerous. No one dared to voice this strange phenomenon aloud.
At last.
Every Demon Lord had received their title, and only I remained, conspicuously alone.
From the center of the silence, the Emperor spoke.
"Among those here, there is one who not only defended the Empire but also labored tirelessly for peace between Demonkin and humankind. I wished to bestow praise and a great reward, but that person humbly and persistently declined the honor, citing modesty. …Dantalion."
"Yes."
I straightened my back and stepped forward. I could feel all eyes converge on me. A tangle of emotions was woven into those gazes — warm approval, grudging admiration, suspicion, hatred, envy. All of it enveloped me and swirled around my body like a cloak.
There would never come a day when this cloak would be taken off.
"I hereby appoint you as the Empire's Minister of Law."
"I shall devote my soul and body to the sake of every living soul under the Empire."
That was it.
The Demon Lords murmured at the excessively terse exchange.
I turned around and slowly surveyed the throne hall. Barbatos, Marbas, Paimon, Gamigin, Brother Zepar, Sitri, Vassago. I locked eyes with each of them in turn, then cast my gaze downward.
Barbatos was my ally. In terms of Affinity, he stood at fifty. That meant half of the single vote Barbatos possessed could reasonably be considered mine.
Zero-point-five votes.
Marbas's Affinity toward me had nearly reached fifty. Moreover, we were bound by a political alliance. Half of his single vote was likewise mine.
One vote.
Gamigin also held an Affinity of fifty, and—perhaps because of her flame-like possessiveness—she was even more fixated on me than that number suggested. Regardless, half of the single vote she held belonged to me.
One-point-five votes.
Brother Zepar was subordinate to Barbatos. In practice, he was a puppet. Just like Barbatos, half of his voting rights operated according to my will.
Two votes.
Sitri required no elaboration.
Three votes.
Paimon's Affinity toward me had exceeded fifty, and in reality she had no choice but to exercise her rights according to my intentions. That would only grow more pronounced over time. Therefore, her single vote was wholly mine—bundled together with the rights of her right hand, Sitri.
Four votes.
—Out of seven votes, four.
A precise, outright majority had fallen into my hands.
This is the true essence concealed behind the ennoblement ceremony held today.
A new era is dawning.
That era signifies not merely a time ruled and orchestrated by three Demon Lords and three factions, but the unfolding of an era manipulated by a single Demon Lord who had long remained at the rank of seventy-first.
I, Dantalion.
Not anyone else — I am the one who will execute this era.
The Empire will maintain the facade of being an alliance between the Demonkin and humanity, meaning it can intervene on the continent at any time under the banner of the Demonkin or under the banner of humanity. The Habsburg Empire will without doubt dominate the continent's history henceforth.
The one who rules that Empire is none other than myself.
But not from the forefront — from behind the scenes. Not in the light — in the shadows.
Thus, the position befitting the Duke of Custos, a Court Count of the Empire, and one who once held the rank of seventy-first could only be the last of the last. I have always been the final figure, and I shall remain the final figure for all eternity.
I bowed my head respectfully toward the Demon Lords.
A single clap rang out — probably Barbatos applauding. One by one, the rest of the Demon Lords began to voice their acclaim. Listening to the downpour of applause, I quietly smiled.
I am the Empire.
============================ Author's Afterword ============================
I referenced Byzantine-Roman official positions and titles as well as the territories of the Holy Roman Empire, which took more time than usual. As for Byzantine-Roman offices, Latin and Greek are intermingled, so in the story, sometimes Latin was used and sometimes Greek was used. This too is due to insufficient research, and I can only apologize. (In particular, I should have handled feminine nouns separately, but because my knowledge of Latin is far from perfect, a few remain in the masculine form.)
I will revise the various titles at a later date.