"I... it might be possible, but... won't that cunning bastard also guard against Memoria magic?"
"Tsk tsk. That's exactly why it might succeed or might fail."
Even as the surrounding Demon Lords watched with anxious gazes, Gamigin leisurely picked up a grape from the table, rolled it around her tongue, and swallowed. The strangely sensual gesture made the Demon Lords gulp.
"If I can seduce Dantalion before he has a chance to deploy his anti-magic, we win. If no matter how hard I try I can't make Dantalion let his guard down, we lose. Where in this world is there a scheme guaranteed to succeed? It all depends on the situation and on luck."
"......"
The Demon Lords exchanged glances with one another.
Among them, Valefor spoke cautiously.
"But... wouldn't that mean you'd be sacrificing yourself alone, Gamigin?"
"No. There's a plan I'd like to propose from here on."
Gamigin narrowed her eyes and raised the corners of her lips.
"First, I'll enter the imperial palace and apologize to Dantalion. Judging by Dantalion's personality, the moment we say we're here to apologize, he'll probably tell me to start by stripping. To prove whether the apology is sincere or not."
"......"
"You all wait just outside the imperial palace. If I successfully cast Memoria, I'll send a signal with magic."
Gamigin moistened her mouth with a sip of wine and continued speaking.
"Right. When the signal comes, you burst into the imperial palace and kill Dantalion."
"But what justification do we have to kill him?"
"We came to collectively protest being excluded from the Empire's management, and by sheer chance we happened to witness the sight of Dantalion raping me. That's all you need to say."
"......"
The Demon Lords looked at one another once more. In their eyes, there was visible hesitation—wondering whether this would really be alright.
"The Demon Lords who were already being subjected to unreasonable treatment got excited after witnessing an absurd sight and committed murder. Well, there's room for controversy, but as long as we secure the Memoria footage, it'll be fine. He raped a duchess of the Empire — what are they gonna do about it~?"
Gamigin giggled softly.
While the Demon Lords were gauging the feasibility, Valefor spoke up.
"What if the Memoria magic doesn't work?"
"Simple. I just don't send you a signal, and you don't enter the imperial palace."
Gamigin answered immediately.
"A single day passes with nothing happening. It'll be the same yesterday as always, and the same tomorrow."
"But then you would suffer the humiliation for nothing……"
"I saw plenty of humiliation long ago."
The smile faded from Gamigin's face. Instead, she spoke with a cold gaze.
"I want to get revenge on Dantalion, and I've proposed a plan that has a chance of success. The probability isn't that high, but conversely, even if we fail, the risk is minimal. If all I have to endure in exchange for taking that kind of risk is about five hours of humiliation — huh? It's not too expensive, is it?"
"……."
The Demon Lords were unsettled by the hint of killing intent flickering in Gamigin's eyes.
Valefor sank into deliberation. A trap with low probability of success — if it failed, they would simply go as far as the imperial palace entrance and turn back…… The risk could truly be described as nonexistent without exaggeration.
The issue was how far they could trust the Demon Lords gathered here. Among unaffiliated Demon Lords, there existed no bond of loyalty or affection. They were simply a group of wretches who happened to find themselves in similar circumstances.
There was more than enough possibility that someone could report this plan to Dantalion or Barbatos and secure their own benefit. In other words, how well they maintained secrecy would be the crux of the matter. A magical oath was indispensable……
"The real problem isn't when we fail — it's when we succeed."
While the Demon Lords were each lost in their own deliberation, Gamigin spoke. Valefor snapped out of his reverie and asked back.
"How is success the problem? What do you mean?"
"Think about it. Barbatos's beloved pet just died — there's no way he'll just sit still. He'll come after us to kill us right away."
Gamigin hummed again, his tone turning playful once more.
"If we succeed in killing Dantalion, everyone here becomes an accomplice. We spread the Memoria footage as evidence in every direction, then we have to stand united against Barbatos. It's definitely not going to be easy."
"……."
"So I'd only like people who are fully committed to agree to the plan. People who truly intend to kill Dantalion and make an example of him. People willing to shoulder the risks that the plan's fallout will bring."
Gamigin looked at the Demon Lords with a gaze that seemed to ask whether any of them had that kind of resolve.
At this point, Valefor's suspicion toward Gamigin had diminished considerably.
A schemer who wants to pull you in downplays the probability of failure and inflates the probability of success. Gamigin, on the other hand, had consistently emphasized the odds of failure — and furthermore, the risks one would have to bear even in the event of success……
She was genuinely testing them. Whether they would continue living as fattened pigs, stripped of political power by Dantalion, or whether they would protect their Demon Lord pride even at the cost of danger……
"I will participate."
There was no need to deliberate. Gamigin had sacrificed her own body. He could not sacrifice his Demon Lord pride here.
The other Demon Lords turned to him with startled expressions.
"Valefor……."
"However, I will join only if every person gathered here is in agreement. This plan demands the strictest secrecy above all else. It's all of us together, or nothing — there are only those two options."
He looked toward Gamigin, as if to say, Isn't that right?
Gamigin wore a satisfied smile.
"Mm. Valefor's right. We need to be of one mind."
"Would it not be better to enlist the aid of His Excellency Vassago?"
One of the Demon Lords spoke.
"I am aware that he, too, harbors hostility toward Dantalion. If we could borrow His Excellency Vassago's power, carrying out this endeavor would become far easier."
"Mm. That would be difficult."
Gamigin gave a slight shake of his head.
"Vassago basically sides with the stronger party. He goes with the flow, so to speak. If we tried to share our plans with him, he'd immediately report us to Dantalion or Barbatos, and we'd all end up appearing in court together."
"I am opposed to that as well."
Valefor chimed in.
Valefor had originally intended to invite Vassago to this gathering. But Vassago had dismissed it as a pointless endeavor and refused. He felt no sympathy for the predicament of the unaffiliated Demon Lords. That was the judgment Valefor had reached.
In the end, Vassago was a dog that wagged its tail for the strong. Valefor had grown deeply disappointed in him.
"As I said earlier, this plan lives and dies by secrecy from start to finish. The more people we recklessly pull in, the greater the risk of exposure."
"And furthermore," Valefor continued.
"Let's be blunt. The seven of us are more than enough to kill Dantalion, wouldn't you agree? Adding more people on top of that would be like using a butcher's cleaver to slaughter a chicken."
"Your Excellency Valefor speaks the truth."
The Demon Lords nodded. After all, what was there to fear about taking down the seventy-first ranked Demon Lord?
"Right, persuading Vassago is something we do after we've killed Dantalion. By then, we'll have strong evidence and justification on our side, making it far easier to bring Vassago on board. And not just him — there are plenty of Demon Lords who secretly despise Dantalion who'd fall in line as well."
"I see. Everything hinges on succeeding first, then…"
"It won't be easy. To put it bluntly, it's a gamble."
Gamigin grinned broadly.
"But it's not impossibly difficult either. Isn't that right?"
"Mm," Valefor murmured, tilting his chin upward.
He had now completely shed his doubts. Gamigin wasn't focused on the scheme itself — she was worried about what came after its success. That was the clearest proof that she was genuinely confronting this plan head-on.
If Gamigin had said that things would get better as long as this plan succeeded — if she had dressed it up as a single scheme that would magically improve everything — Valefor would have suspected her.
But Gamigin had emphasized that even in the event of success, a thorny road still lay ahead of them. In other words, what she truly desired was not the scheme's success itself. It was a comrade who would stay by her side until the very end.
"Even if the plan fails spectacularly..."
Valefor's eyes gleamed with gravity.
'The seven of us here will be reborn as comrades who have entrusted our resolve to one another. The numbers are few, but the result will be a group with a solid core. Building such a group may well be the true purpose of all this... No, it would be worthwhile even if that were all.'
External enemies drive internal unity.
That age-old truth would apply just as well to the unaffiliated Demon Lords who now faced the threat of Dantalion.
"I will participate."
"As will I. I would rather take my chances in a gamble than continue living with my rights trampled upon as they have been."
Were they drawn to this cool-headed, pragmatic proposal rather than some grandiose bravado?
The desire to have revenge on Dantalion shed its vague, nebulous shape, and in its place arose all manner of concrete considerations — what to do after assassinating Dantalion, how to exploit evidence and justification as efficiently as possible.
And the Demon Lords judged it possible.
One by one, after deliberation, they each declared their agreement to Gamigin's plan. Of course, there was also an element of relying on the fact that the former Fourth and Sixth Seat would be standing alongside them.
At last, all seven Demon Lords had committed to the endeavor.
Gamigin smiled with satisfaction.
"Good. This makes my sacrifice worthwhile enough. I said the odds of success aren't high, but personally, I intend to do everything in my power to make sure we pull this off. Let's show Dantalion that Demon Lords are beings who will not tolerate oppression."
The Demon Lords nodded solemnly.
Gamigin unfurled the magic circle. It was a spell that enforced a binding oath.
"Do you swear never to reveal the plan to assassinate Dantalion to any person or entity for all eternity?"
"I swear it."
"I so swear."
Each Demon Lord pledged their own heart and mana, swearing to speak of it to no one. Gamigin had reached the realm of an archmage. The coercive power of her magic was more reliable than anyone's. Should they break their oath, their hearts would burst and they would lose all their mana.
And so the conspiracy was born.
The Demon Lords refined their assassination plan through sleepless nights. Since such a critical matter could not be entrusted to subordinates, they had to wring every detail from their own minds from start to finish. Most of the planning was shouldered by Gamigin and Valefor.
The operation was set for three days later.
Swift and decisive.
While Gamigin's rampage at the imperial palace was still a burning topic of discussion, they resolved to finish everything before the fervor died down.
They obtained the patrol schedule of the imperial palace guard and bribed several sentries. A few handmaidens were bought as well. Should the plan succeed, these accomplices would quietly be disposed of in the back alleys of the city.
And three days later.
"Gamigin has just entered the palace."
Valefor fixed the Demon Lords with a steady gaze. They met it in kind, their eyes hardened with resolve.
"Let us all go to the imperial palace together."
The assassination of Dantalion had begun.