Phase Four.
I needed to come away with the certainty that Father would inevitably face destruction if this kept up.
"I should have realized it sooner... Why was I... You weren't looking at the other person. The only thing your eyes could fix on was their face — that's all there was to see, and I..."
"If anyone around here has lost their mind, it certainly doesn't look like me — it's you."
"How many are there!? How many of them are there!?"
I had already subjectively foreseen Father's destruction well enough. But I needed stronger evidence. I needed an unshakeable conviction — the certainty that if I simply left things as they were, Father could not escape destruction.
For instance, since killing Paimon, Father had not once shared a bed with any of his lovers. This was a prelude to destruction. That was why I had tried to provoke him with the claim that "Father never loved Paimon" in order to obtain evidence, but it still felt slightly insufficient.
In that regard, Demon Lord Barbatos had been very helpful.
"You fool, Dantalion... In that corner over there, there are torture tools lying around... What on earth is blocking your line of sight...?"
Father had been suffering from hallucinations.
It was astonishing. Even I, who guarded Father nearly all day long, had failed to notice. Father had concealed his secret with such composure. I was so struck by his impregnable mental fortitude that I nearly became entranced on the spot.
Fortunately, it was still working hours. My acting was still holding. As Father emerged from his conversation with Barbatos, I posed one final question.
"Just tell me one thing, Father. The people who lived in my village — the people of my village whom you killed... do they appear as well?"
"Oh yes. They appear quite clearly. With their eyeballs gouged out and their mouths pierced through with blades, cursing me. What of it? Are you satisfied now?"
Splendid.
From a king's standpoint, slash-and-burn farmers were nothing but trash. Yet Father had remembered even those people. Demon Lord Barbatos had been right. There was no way Father could have kept his sanity after killing her.
And then.
At last — Phase Five.
— Commence operations.
It was the day of the public execution.
First, I waited until all the Plains Faction Demon Lords had been executed. There was no helping that.
The Plains Faction Demon Lords would never forgive Father for purging them. With the Mountain Faction all but annihilated, the Plains Faction had no further use remaining—only the potential for harm. It would be best if they all quietly died.
Watching the heads of the Plains Faction Demon Lords fly from their shoulders, I sighed inwardly. Good. Father's throne had been reinforced once more.
Now, only Barbatos remained.
I heard Father and Barbatos exchanging tearful words. And before taking a step forward, I briefly looked up at the sky.
"......"
A beautiful sky.
The breeze gently caressed my cheek.
Occasionally—very occasionally—Father treated me kindly. Every time that happened, I feared my performance would crack. What corroded a person was not hatred, but soft comfort. I was most wary of the latter.
Our stage could only exist when both of us strictly upheld their roles. Father made me hate him. I hate Father. A person can only live within the world. Just as that was so, Father and I were beings who could only live upon the stage.
We do not act in order to breathe; we breathe in order to act.
It is not because we can do something that we do it, but because we must do something that we are able to.
The earth as our stage. The sky as our curtain.
We shall bewitch this world with our performance.
What is needed for that is an iron will.
Until now, however, the play had consisted entirely of Father deceiving the audience. Act One was over. The clouds in the sky had parted, and Act Two now took the stage. Here, even Father—the leading role—would be deceived by something. Upon the facade of tragedy, yet another tragedy was layered on top.
The title of the play was—A Symphony for One Alone.
The certainty that Father would be utterly destroyed resided here.
And the certainty that the only person who could save Father was none other than myself—that too resided here.
Two beliefs upheld me like arching pillars. Through them, I broke free from the commands etched into the Slave Brand—that demon of gravity that crushed me—and rose into the air. Now Father could no longer stop me with any command.
Self.
Let's go.
With steps that could not skip a single one.
Father's blade fell downward. The instant the heavy greatsword was about to sever Barbatos's neck, the tip of my foot struck the back of Father's hand at precisely the right angle with precisely the right force. The greatsword deflected away.
Father's face twisted with shock. The shift in his expression seemed strangely slow. I suppose I was staring at Father with the utmost concentration right now. That must be why. I spoke without expression.
"I'm sorry, Father."
"How dare... you wench, how dare you...!"
"I agonized over this countless times."
Father was tasting the bitter depths of betrayal. It was only natural. In a sense, I was the person Father trusted most. He must have believed that no matter what happened, I would never betray him like this.
That was precisely why I had seized the perfect moment.
"Through countless nights. For a time so vast it could not be counted."
Was it truly all right to stop Father like this?
Even if Father crumbled under the weight of guilt and destroyed himself—wasn't that a legitimate ending too? Wasn't it the final outcome he chose for himself, the end he brought upon himself? Even if I twisted and distorted that of my own accord, was that really okay?
But.
"Now I'm certain."
I do not accept it.
What is there to hide? I am every bit the wretched egotist that Father is. Just as he selfishly pursues shouldering his own sins and falling, I selfishly crave shouldering Father and falling with him.
Therefore.
"I will stop you."
I summoned the great sword into my grip. The black blade that had once belonged to the Demon Lord Bael submitted entirely to my will. For some reason, this artifact acknowledged me as its master. Well, if anything, that was only natural.
"My name is Daisy von Custos."
Because I am my father's one and only successor.
"With every drop of my life, Demon Lord Dantalion — I will stand in your way."
With the sole exception of one person, I am the most extraordinary human being alive.
The stage fell silent.
The audience was overwhelmed by the arrival of a new lead actor. A heavy silence descended, and people stared this way with the mute gesture of something ominous. Even without looking, I could feel it. Something was happening. What was about to unfold here……
Father fixed me with a piercing glare. He first offered a few words of apology to the Elector Demon Lords, then turned to face me without hesitation. His pupils, dark as the depths of a well, reflected me with naked clarity.
"You wretched girl. Do you wish to die here?"
"I have never once wished for suicide."
From here on, it mattered.
I needed to plant a misperception in Father's mind. I had to unleash an uncontrollable rage within him, one that would cloud his judgment. To that end, I deliberately let a mocking laugh slip. Sure enough, Father bellowed with fury.
"I issue a new command! From this point forward, Barbatos alone shall be excluded from all subsequent orders! Do not treat Barbatos as my consort in any command! Now hand over the great sword immediately, you witless fool!"
My heart clenched with pain.
But it was not unbearable pain. I could endure it. The convictions I had prepared in advance withstood Father's command. The judgment that 'if I put the great sword down now and abandon the plan, there will be no stopping Father's destruction' dulled the pain.
Good.
I can do this.
I let contempt settle into my gaze and taunted Father.
"First, there was the Farnese Military Secretary."
"……What utter nonsense."
"Laura de Farnese. The lady you hold so dear, Father. Have you already forgotten?"
I completely transform what actually happened into an entirely different scenario.
However, no one can prove that what I'm saying is a lie.
There is no evidence. There are no witnesses. Nothing exists anywhere that could expose the falsehood. Both the truth of what actually occurred and the lie I am now weaving are constructed in perfectly opposing ways.
A perfect script.
Now, if only Father believes my words, my lie will eventually overwrite the truth and usurp its place entirely.
So I deceive Father.
"Didn't you find it strange? The Military Secretary originally looked upon me favorably. But at some point, she began to grow wary of me, to shun me, to seize every opportunity to find fault. Did you perhaps think the Military Secretary would torment me—Father's adopted daughter—without any reason whatsoever?"
I deceive her.
"Forget such a simple fact—I am almost ashamed I had to be reminded. The Laura de Farnese Military Secretary who was screaming before my very eyes is the lover of Demon Lord Barbatos."
I deceive her.
"Barbatos received an urgent warning from someone. To beware of Demon Lord Paimon—if things continued as they were, Paimon would almost certainly kill Father. It was precisely because Barbatos heard this warning that he moved to eliminate Paimon."
I deceive her.
"That is correct. The Military Secretary warned Barbatos. She asked him to be cautious, as it appeared Paimon had attempted to kill Father."
Father.
I deceive you—the one I respect and revere above all.
I raise the great sword high and roar to the world.
"Here and now, I declare: you did not destroy Laura de Farnese. That was your misconception. The person who caused that collapse was not you but I, Daisy von Custos, and therefore you have neither the qualification nor the right to bear responsibility for it!"
Please, believe my words.
No more self-blame—direct all of Father's fury, resentment, and curses at me instead.
Chapter 478. If Father Wishes to Become the World's Demon
Should Father wish to become the demon of this world, then I shall remain a demon for Father and Father alone.
"……."
And I witnessed a massive surge of hatred rising from Father's eyes. In this very moment, without a doubt, Father despised me more than anyone else.
—My chest constricted.
It wasn't because of the Slave Brand. Something else had gripped my heart in a light but firm squeeze. Yet I ignored the pain entirely and, with meticulous precision, maintained my mask of composure and mockery.
"Your final choice still remains. Kill the girl."
"……."
"If I do that, I can once again take full responsibility for everything."
Once more, my heart pounded violently.
It felt as though my facial expression would crack at any moment. That couldn't happen. Everything would be ruined. I twisted the corners of my mouth to hide my expression, but I couldn't suppress everything, and my lips trembled ever so slightly.
"I believed that Father would say exactly that. That is precisely what I have wished for. At last, I have succeeded in reaching this point. All of my humiliation and suffering can be said to have existed for this very moment."
And just as planned, Luke caused a commotion in the plaza.
The Neutral Faction demon lords had their attention stolen by the plaza, if only for an instant. I seized that opening and neutralized the Neutral Faction demon lords in a single blow. Exploiting the pre-arranged chaos was not difficult at all.
Father screamed in anguish.
"That is my command! Take your own life, Daisy!"
My heart shrieked in agony.
But once again, I endured. It hurt enough to buckle my knees, but I held firm. Tears were about to spill, but I forced them back. I wanted nothing more than to confess the truth to Father and beg for forgiveness, but I ruthlessly cut away every ounce of sentiment from my heart.
Absolutely not.
I could never surrender here.
I could not accept my death, nor Father's ruin.
And so I desperately put on a smile and spoke to Father.
"I'm sorry, but — I cannot obey that order. Father."