"You..."
I clenched my teeth. My face was probably twisted into something ugly.
I wrapped my right hand around Laura de Farnese's neck and squeezed. The Minister of War let out a faint, pained whimper. It wasn't enough. It was nowhere near enough. Compared to the suffering Father had endured, this was nothing. I wanted to snap her slender neck right then and there.
"You, you're the one who..."
That was when it happened.
A searing agony pierced my heart. My vision swam. The sudden pain made my grip loosen of its own accord. Laura de Farnese gasped and choked, hurriedly drawing breath.
I clutched my chest with my left hand.
"Hah, ngh..."
My heart still trembled with the aftershocks of pain. I stared down at my right palm, dazed. Father's Slave Brand had stopped me.
Why.
Why can't I kill this woman?
No, I know the reason. I know it all too well.
If Laura de Farnese dies, Father will fall into despair. He'll curse the world. I know that fact all too well—that such a future would harm Father—and so I cannot kill this woman...!
But it doesn't stop there.
What Laura de Farnese has done—I can never tell Father. Because he would curse himself. He would take the entire blame, claiming it was his fault for making the Minister of War into what she is.
Ah.
Ahh, ah.
"..."
I rose from my seat, powerless. Laura de Farnese was glaring at me, but I no longer cared.
I left the Military Affairs Minister's bedroom like a corpse drained of all life. Behind me, the Military Affairs Minister shouted something. But I couldn't hear a word of what was being called out. I retreated silently to the corner of my room.
What should I do?
The die had already been cast. Father had no choice but to select either Barbatos or Paimon. But that wasn't the heart of the problem. Regardless of whom Father chose, the balance of power within the Demon Lord's army would collapse.
The Plains Faction, the Neutral Faction, the Mountain Faction. The newly formed Demon Lord's army, built on these three competing factions, would crumble on the spot. Father's power originated from that very balance. Whether he killed Barbatos or killed Paimon—either way, he would lose his power!
A dilemma with no way out.
"…"
I tasted blood at the tip of my tongue. When I looked in the mirror, blood was already dripping from the corner of my mouth. Without realizing it, I had been clamping down hard on my lip with my teeth. My face remained utterly expressionless.
…Nine times out of ten, Father would dispose of both Barbatos and Paimon.
That was the only answer. If only one was killed, the Mountain Faction or the Plains Faction would monopolize the Demon Lord's army's power. Kill no one, or kill them all. Those were the only two options. Since Barbatos had begun to fiercely antagonize Paimon, the option of killing no one had already vanished.
They all die.
Both of Father's beloved lovers would be killed.
"That can't happen."
The words slipped out as an involuntary murmur.
I know Father well. If he had to murder his two lovers, Father would most certainly kill them "with his own hands, personally." That much was certain. Father would commit the act deliberately, to brand the magnitude of his sin deep into his own soul.
Could he endure it?
Even for Father—could he possibly bear that much guilt?
No. Father would not endure it, and he would be destroyed. He was the kind of person who suffered nightmares simply from having slaughtered humans who had nothing to do with him. There was no way such a man could bear the death of his lovers as well.
Even if, by some miracle, he somehow managed to endure it, Father would no longer have anything resembling humanity left.
In truth, the fact that Father hadn't been broken apart until now was nothing short of a miracle itself. If he killed his lovers, all that would remain would be a puppet wearing Father's skin…nothing more than a machine that moved solely according to ethical and rational judgment…
Could I forgive that kind of ending?
Father. The most noble father of all, crumbling under the weight of his own burden in the end? That's the conclusion of the path Father has been pursuing—that it was inevitable? That this is the only ending left?
Don't make me laugh.
I want Father to win. Between this entire world and Father, the one who deserves victory is without question Father. What has the world ever done for him? What business does the world have with any of this?
As if tossing suffering at Father wasn't enough, they now intend to gift him defeat as well?
That kind of ending—I will absolutely never allow it.
What should I do?
How can I protect Father's throne while also protecting his soul?
Think, Daisy.
There has to be a way.
Nothing in this world is impossible. If there were something truly impossible, it would be something like the seventy-second ranked Demon Lord defeating the first ranked Demon Lord. Father actually pulled that off. The escape route I'm searching for now is nothing compared to that.
Think.
I devised twenty-seven strategies, but every single one turned out to be a failure.
Think.
I came up with nine countermeasures, but they were all judged woefully insufficient.
I thought and thought again. Before I knew it, a whole night had passed.
Yet I hadn't moved an inch, sitting bolt upright in my chair the entire time. My eyes stared into the void as if they had forgotten how to blink. I turned my head slightly and looked at the mirror. A girl with pitch-black pupils stared back at me.
There is one way.
—I sacrifice myself.
Let Laura de Farnese's mistake be buried as it is. In its place, I fabricate a story suggesting I was the one secretly orchestrating the military administration affair from behind the scenes.
This way, Laura de Farnese is absolved of all responsibility. Father no longer has any reason to be tormented by guilt. Even if Father goes on to kill Barbatos or Paimon in the future, the root cause of it all is me. Not Father's responsibility, but fixed entirely as my own wicked deed.
Father will curse me to the depths of his soul.
He will condemn me for daring to destroy his beloved—no, for driving her to death. And so, in Father's heart, I will be remembered as a human being utterly beyond forgiveness. And I, Daisy, will forever remain a synonym for the devil in Father's memory.
But that doesn't matter.
As long as I can save Father.
If it's possible to save Father from a catastrophic ending, then I don't care what becomes of me.
I had long since resolved to save Father from this world.
I had known for a while now. What Father needed was not someone to love, but someone to hurl his hatred at. This time, that hatred would simply become a little grander. 'My role' would not change in essence.
I sat in my chair and slowly wove my plans together.
More than ever before, my thoughts were crystalline and perfectly clear. What I needed to do. How to patch every gap in the plan. Every directive fell into place without a single flaw, as though an magnificent edifice were being erected brick by brick.
I seized a bottle of wine and left the Demon Lord's Castle behind. The night had ended, and the glassy twilight of dawn draped the land in its pallor. I drew the sharp morning air deep into my lungs. By now, even my heart had surely been stained with that cold, glassy hue.
Good.
From here on, I will deceive history.
An ordinary person, even if they devised a plan, could never execute it perfectly. That is because they bear a thousand intentions and ten thousand purposes on their shoulders. With so heavy a body, they can never reach their destination.
I, on the other hand, am different. My sole purpose is for Father's sake. To deceive the world and all of history for one single person……
I took a swig of wine. A piercingly bitter fragrance flooded my mouth. With it, I washed away the blood that had pooled on my lips throughout the night. Then I hurled the glass bottle to the ground. The glass shattered in a brilliant burst.
For Dantalion alone.
No—for my beloved Father.
I will sacrifice every last life and soul.
First, I set the first phase into motion.
I let Father kill Paimon. In any case, both the Mountain Faction and the Plains Faction needed to fall. Saving both factions was simply not possible.
Moreover, it was evident to me as well that Paimon would sooner or later pose a threat to Father in one way or another. It was unlikely that the balance between the Plains Faction, the Neutral Faction, and the Mountain Faction would last forever. In that sense, Laura de Farnese's suspicions were not entirely wrong. Of course, she was still a staggeringly stupid blonde.
Sure enough. The moment Father moved to kill Paimon, he gestured with his eyes for me to leave. But I answered calmly.
"I am Father's bodyguard. With Lady Ivar gone, I cannot afford to leave my post as well."
"If that is the case, then go stand watch at the banquet hall entrance."
"That is surprising. Wasn't the place I am always supposed to be right at Father's side?"
Father fell silent. He had tacitly permitted me to stay.
Father wanted to kill Paimon all by himself, purely on his own. He intended to bear the sole responsibility for her death. But I had a duty to witness the evil acts Father committed. And he acknowledged that……
Paimon spoke, knowing nothing at all.
"I wonder 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 Dantalion. I'm sure you'll handle everything just fine, fufu."
"There is no need to worry, Paimon. It is all the truth."
"Huh?"
Blood splattered through the air.
After killing Paimon, Father pressed his lips to hers for a long time. Then he tore a small piece from the hem of her clothing. He soaked it red with her blood and tucked it inside his robes, as though keeping a handkerchief.
It meant he would carry the grief of her death in his heart for eternity.
"……."
Confirmed.
In this moment, I was thinking of something entirely different from Father.
The commands Father had branded into me numbered six.
Do not harm me.
Do not harm those I hold dear.
Do not turn away when I or those I hold dear are in danger.
Obey my commands.
Prioritize my life over your own.
Always comply absolutely with the above commands.'
Just now, Father had killed Paimon. An act that directly violated the command 'Do not turn away when those I hold dear are in danger' had been carried out right before my eyes. And yet my Slave Brand did not react.
This carried deep meaning.
When Father voluntarily chose to kill a 'person I hold dear,' my Slave Brand did not activate. In other words, the Slave Brand perceived 'Father' as far more important than 'those Father holds dear.'
This was what I had been trying to determine in the first stage.
The first hurdle had been cleared very smoothly, fortunately. Father had not the slightest idea of what I was thinking right now. He would simply chalk it up to having played the role of a bystander. A good start.
Next, the second stage.
I commenced the experiment using Luke as a sacrificial lamb.
I deliberately hid Father under my bed and then called Luke in.
To Father, it must have appeared to be an impulsive and reckless act. In reality, it was a thoroughly premeditated crime. I unleashed such cruel words and deeds that they would shatter my brother's mind to its very roots.
"So that's why you've decided to tell me the truth today. Luke. My dear brother."
"A-Ah... ah... ahhh..."
"You're a bastard who spent five years raping your own sister over and over without a shred of remorse."
My delicate-hearted brother could not endure it and crumbled. Even as all of this unfolded, my Slave Brand did not react.
Therefore, I had succeeded in reaching two conclusions.
First. Luke was a 'person I hold dear.' I had directly defied the command and hurt Luke. Yet the Slave Brand did not respond. Meaning, as long as Father held the highest priority, I was free to harm Father's loved ones.
Second. Even when Father watched me commit such acts from mere inches away, the Slave Brand still did not react.
Even Luke knowing the truth and falling into corruption went directly against Father's plan — the plan to raise Luke as the Hero someday. But I had ruined my brother despite going against Father's wishes.
Even if Father disapproved, even if it contradicted Father's plan, once I judged that something was necessary for Father... I could act beyond the Slave Brand's control.
In short, the Slave Brand didn't operate based on Father's judgment — it operated entirely based on mine.
Success.
Following the first stage, the second stage was also a success.
I was sorry to my brother. But it was important for him to realize what he had done. Whether he was aware of it or not, my brother had been indirectly violating me. He needed to start bearing that responsibility now.
And so, the third stage.
"I'm sorry, brother."
Some time later, I confessed the truth to Luke.
About Laura de Farnese's mistake. About Paimon. And about the truth that if things continued as they were, Father would be destroyed. I told him everything. Luke listened to my story calmly from start to finish.
I looked Luke straight in the eyes and made my request.
"For Father's sake, fall into hell with me."
"...Then."
Luke's lips parted with difficulty.
"If I do that, Daisy — will you forgive me?"
"I never resented you from the beginning, brother. So there's nothing to forgive."
"..."
Luke closed both eyes. Silence settled over us for a long while.
Luke opened his eyes and looked at me. My brother's jaw shifted slightly.
"My life was granted to me by Father and by you. Then it's only natural that my sword also moves for Father and for you. Daisy. I will follow your orders."
Phase 3 was also a success.
My brother and sister embraced each other lightly. I stroked Luke's back, and Luke held me, shedding silent tears. There was guilt there. Forgiveness. But above all, it was a steely will, for the one and only person in this world.
With this, half of the plan was achieved.
My script charged onward without hesitation toward the remaining half.