We drained the wine and smashed the glasses to the floor.
This long-held tradition of the Crescent Alliance Army signified an "irreversible choice." You could not piece the shattered glass back together into a drinking cup again. We had crossed the Rubicon. There was no turning back.
That's right. I stood at the point of no return.
My footsteps would not stop, would not rest, would continue trampling over something and pressing forward. Whether that meant advance or retreat—it didn't matter.
"I will issue orders to the Grand Dukes."
"Command us, Your Highness."
I ground the scattered glass shards underfoot. The coarse grit ground against the soles of my shoes.
"There are still traitor elements lurking within the palace. Root them all out and execute them."
Today's banquet had only been attended by the Demon Lord and the Grand Dukes, but the original plan had been to receive the Grand Dukes' families and subordinate nobles the following day. They were currently staying here in this palace. They had no idea what had happened in the banquet hall.
"There will be no mercy. Regardless of race, gender, or age—kill them all. Start from the old who look as though they might die tomorrow, right down to the unborn children who have never seen sunlight. Every last person with traitor blood in their veins is to be put to death."
This was a war disguised as a purge.
There were several reasons the seven Grand Dukes of the Demon Realm had followed me, but if I had to pick one, it was the enormous profit. As of today, the other Grand Dukes—who would be relocating their residences to the Netherworld—would have all their former territories handed over to the seven Grand Dukes.
The Demon Realm would no longer be governed by twenty-six Grand Dukes.
From now on, only seven Grand Dukes would rule the Demon Realm.
"Understood."
The Grand Dukes raised their right fists to their chests. A military salute. The Grand Dukes led their assassins and departed the banquet hall. Whether the massacre had already been scheduled before I gave the order, faint, blood-soaked screams drifted from somewhere far down the corridor.
"Ivar. Execute the mission as written here and return."
"Yes, Master."
I took a folded note from my sleeve and handed it to Ivar. Ivar read the note, and his eyes went wide. He looked at me. His amethyst-colored pupils were asking, "Is this real?"
"This palace has a wide-range anti-magic barrier deployed. You'll need to fly high above to carry out the mission."
"…Understood."
Ivar bowed his head, then smashed through one of the long windows lining the banquet hall and soared into the night sky. Now the only people remaining here were me, Paimon, and Daisy — though that was if you excluded the several dozen corpses.
The banquet hall fell quiet.
Paimon gently placed her hand over mine.
"I was truly surprised, Dantalion. What on earth happened…?"
"This and that. Just this and that."
I gave a bitter smile and glanced sideways at Daisy. I was signaling her to leave on her own — Paimon and I wanted to talk privately — but Daisy played dumb.
"I am Father's bodyguard. Since Miss Ivar has disappeared, I cannot leave my post as well."
"Then if you insist, go stand guard at the entrance to the banquet hall."
"That's unexpected. Isn't the place where I should be always right at Father's side?"
She was making a silent protest: You're the one who used me as a witness, so grant me the right to stay close.
"…."
Fine.
I hesitated for a moment but soon nodded. Daisy had every right to be present. Perhaps wanting to spend time alone with just Paimon was asking too much of myself.
"I already knew in advance that Barbatos would make contact with the Grand Dukes."
"How?"
"I leaked the information that I was going to meet the Grand Dukes, and that I would be visiting with you, openly and everywhere. From Barbatos's perspective, that would have been more than enough to be considered a betrayal. It was inevitable that Barbatos would reach out to the Grand Dukes."
Paimon focused intently on what I was saying.
"So you made your move first, Dantalion."
"Yes. That's correct. I had seven Grand Dukes of the Demon Realm whom I could trust in particular. Before Barbatos could make his move, I contacted them first."
Before long, Barbatos would relay some conspiracy to those Grand Dukes of yours.
That conspiracy would be a deception.
Our true strategy was to purge eight unreliable Grand Dukes from the fifteen. And to entrust the remaining governance of the Demon Realm to you.
I smiled.
"Just as expected. Barely two days after I reached out, Barbatos attempted to contact the Grand Dukes. From the perspective of those seven Grand Dukes, they could only find my words credible."
The seven Grand Dukes I had recruited, including the Duke of the Viper.
They had witnessed Barbatos and me in the act of sleeping together in the past. They knew better than anyone that the relationship between the two of us was anything but ordinary.
Therefore, the seven Grand Dukes found it more believable that "Barbatos and Dantalion have prepared yet another rigged script to play together" than the scenario that "Barbatos is outmaneuvering Demon Lord Dantalion to scheme on his own."
"Even now, the Grand Dukes firmly believe that tonight's events are a purge that Barbatos and I orchestrated together."
"Dantalion... you're incredible."
Paimon beamed with a radiant smile across her entire face.
She drew me into a deep embrace. Paimon's soft body wrapped around me warmly. Our positions settled into her resting her chin on my shoulder while I rested my chin on hers.
It was cozy.
Quite a few women had embraced me before. Barbatos, Laura, Sitri, Ivar. But it was warmest when Paimon held me. Paimon was a woman like sunlight. I liked the feel of her.
"But it won't be long before the Grand Dukes catch on to the truth. That's the only thing I'm worried about."
Paimon whispered right against my ear. Her voice itself was like a piece of serene music. An unaccompanied cello piece swelling at a steady tempo.
"When that time comes, whether the Grand Dukes will choose Dantalion over Barbatos... as a young lady, I'm not entirely confident... Ah. Of course, it's not that I don't trust you, Dantalion. You'll handle everything perfectly on your own, won't you? Fufu."
"Don't worry, Paimon."
I drew a dagger from my waist and gripped it.
"Because it's all the truth."
"What?"
Paimon tilted her head — and.
I seized the hilt and drove the dagger into the back of Paimon's neck with all my strength.
Red blood sprayed through the air.
In that instant, Paimon let out a scream. At the same time, the arms wrapped around my body tightened with desperate force. Finger by finger — all ten of them pressed vividly against my spine. In a voice trembling beyond control, Paimon let out a faint moan.
"Dan... talion...?"
I wrenched the dagger and sank it into Paimon's back. The blade bored deep into her body. *Hagh* — Paimon let out another agonized groan. The blood gushing from inside her soaked my glove until it was drenched.
It was no ordinary dagger. It was coated with a deadly poison.
I drove the blade into the back of Paimon's neck once more. At that, she who had barely — truly barely — been standing finally lost her strength and collapsed.
I caught her crumbling body with my left arm. Paimon sank to the floor in slow, drawn-out motion. Cradled against my left arm, she gazed up at me with hollow, vacant eyes.
"Hauh... hckup, puhk..."
Paimon moved her lips as though trying to say something. Her words were cut short by the blood pouring ceaselessly from her throat, never forming into speech. She could only cough up endless mouthfuls of bloody foam.
"Slavery will be abolished in its entirety. No exceptions — not for demons, not for humankind, not for anyone. In exchange for Barbatos agreeing to the abolition of slavery, the price he demanded was your life."
"Hck, haphuhup... kehkh..."
"The moment you cherished that one person above the liberation of all, Paimon — you were already dead."
I looked down at Paimon.
"You shouldn't have said that earlier. That was your last chance, Paimon. Your very last chance. There's no turning back now."
"Dant...alion... kughk... Dan... talion..."
"Then I will take your place. Just as I promised that night. Forever."
Paimon slowly raised her right arm.
She pressed her palm against my cheek. Paimon's blood-stained palm was hotter than usual. Her hand was trembling ceaselessly.
"I... love you..."
"..."
"I love you... Don't... cry... Dantalion..."
And then Paimon's hand slipped gently downward.
It traced a long, red trail of blood across my cheek as it fell, drifting down endlessly.
Everything stopped.
The weight I had felt in my arms, the heartbeat, the touch — everything had changed. What remained there was no longer Paimon, but a kind of lingering vibration she had left behind, like an aftershock. Status Window, I murmured softly, but there was no response.
"..."
I pressed my lips to Paimon's.
The scent of blood wafted up. I didn't care and kept kissing her. It was warm and red.
How much time had passed?
"Your Grace."
Ivar's voice reached me. When I turned my head, Ivar had at some point climbed through the window and was approaching me. He met my gaze and flinched. His steps halted.
I spoke flatly.
"Report."
"...I delivered the message to Demon Lord Barbatos. The incident is concluded. Barbatos replied that he would immediately raise his armies and ravage the territories of the traitorous Grand Dukes."
The note I had passed to Ivar contained instructions to contact Barbatos. That was the reason Ivar, who knew nothing of the incident's inner workings, had been so startled. Ivar had no idea that I had been conspiring with Barbatos all along.
That Barbatos had issued the false order to the Grand Dukes to "capture Dantalion and Paimon."
I had also given completely different secret orders to the seven Grand Dukes.
All of it had been a script planned and orchestrated by Barbatos and me.
"Well done, Daisy."
"...Yes, Father."
"Go out into the hallway, grab any assassin you find, and bring them back."
Daisy left the banquet hall and returned in less than three minutes, dragging an assassin dressed in a maid's uniform. With a sharp nod of my chin, Daisy cut the assassin down without a moment's hesitation. The assassin collapsed without so much as a scream.
I placed my dagger into the assassin's hand.
Then I pulled off the gloves I had been wearing and burned them.
"Daisy. You had temporarily left your post on my orders to check for nearby assassins. In your absence, an assassin infiltrated and attacked me. Paimon shielded me from the blow and took the hit in my place. Understood?"
"...Yes."
"The one who killed Paimon was the assassin, and ultimately, the ones who hired the assassin were the other Grand Dukes."
That was how it would officially come to be known.
The Mountain Faction demon lords would be outraged. They would certainly fly into a rage against the treacherous Grand Dukes. Some demon lords might suspect that I was behind it, but the problem was who held influence over the Mountain Faction's opinion.
With Paimon gone, the only figure left to lead the Mountain Faction going forward was Sitri. Sitri trusted me more than anyone. He would dismiss any suspicion of me in an instant. Even if he harbored a sliver of doubt, all I had to do was deceive Sitri, and that would be that.
Once the traitorous Grand Dukes were all dead—along with their families, who would all be killed before the night was over—every third party who knew the truth would be buried six feet under.
My power would be preserved.
Backed by the support of Barbatos, Sitri, and Marbas, everything would remain unchanged, continuing on as before. Aside from the fact that Paimon was dead, the balance among the factions would remain stable.
Everything would remain unchanged.
"Let's go."
I lifted Paimon into my arms.
"To the Imperial Palace."