"No. I merely offered advice, that's all."
I raised my gaze to look at Brother Zepar. He was shaking his head.
"In your eyes, do I look like the sort of man who would shirk responsibility onto an adviser? The decision was mine."
Of course, he wasn't that sort of man — which was precisely why I had used him.
If it had been Brother Beleth, he would have said, "Well, the one who gave the advice should naturally bear the responsibility," and cheerfully run off without a care. Worse, he'd probably snicker at my failure. That would have been a real problem. This time, I needed the somewhat rigid, aristocratic temperament of Brother Zepar.
"Of course not. But it is only right that I bear the responsibility—"
"There now. Before you go on about responsibility, why don't you come up with a countermeasure first? Finding a way to smooth things over — that is what truly taking responsibility means."
Brother Zepar cut me off. Even his gray beard seemed to carry a hint of severity. Rather than answering, I bowed my head even deeper as a show of respect. From above me, I heard Brother Zepar's voice.
"The Dantalion I know is not the sort of man who comes begging for forgiveness without so much as a single solution in hand. Brother. I wonder if I've lost my eye for people."
"...There is one thing that this situation has proven."
I paused briefly, then raised my head. Once I opened my mouth, I continued in a clear, confident voice.
"Right now, the Mountain Faction is extremely on edge. They have neither evidence nor witnesses to prove that Demon Lord Belial betrayed them. They executed Belial solely on the grounds that he had contact with you. The Mountain Faction is taking this situation far more seriously than we might imagine."
"Mm."
Brother Zepar's expression darkened.
"Is the entire Mountain Faction on edge, or is Sitri driving the sentiment?"
"It's not yet clear. What is certain is that the remaining Mountain Faction Demon Lords have closed ranks tightly around Sitri. The fact that they jointly dealt with Belial this time was probably also—"
"To share a sense of vigilance across the entire faction..."
"Yes. That intention is almost certainly behind it."
Brother Zepar let out a low groan.
"I underestimated him. I didn't expect Sitri to have that kind of political instinct."
"It's less political instinct than pure animal instinct. He senses danger, so he bares his teeth excessively to threaten those around him. His nature is that of a wounded beast. But fittingly, the Mountain Faction right now needed a leader like Sitri who would step to the front."
"A wounded beast... How troublesome."
Brother Zepar stroked his beard and sank into deep thought.
It was Sitri who had executed Belial, following my advice.
There was no reason to tell Brother Zepar the truth.
"If this is driven by political instinct, there's more room for compromise. But if it's just raw instinct, it becomes difficult. His vision doesn't extend far — he can only see what's right in front of him..."
"The fact that Sitri trusts me is a blessing in disguise. Normally, they would have issued an ultimatum to our Plains Faction the moment Belial was killed. At the very least, I can serve as a bridge."
"Ah."
Brother Zepar nodded.
"Dantalion. What exactly does the Mountain Faction want?"
"...They believe that certain members of the Plains Faction schemed to incite infighting within the Mountain Faction. Their demand is to identify those ringleaders and have them publicly apologize. That is what the Mountain Faction is asking for."
Brother Zepar let out a quiet sigh.
"Don't tell me that 'certain members' refers to me?"
"To be precise, they suspect His Grace Bael."
"What?"
I put on a sorrowful expression.
"It is common knowledge that Brother Zepar is His Grace Bael's right hand. If Brother Zepar made a move, it must mean His Grace Bael was pulling the strings behind the scenes. That seems to be how they see it."
"What an absurd misunderstanding!"
At last, heat entered Brother Zepar's tone. He was always calm and composed in everything, but there was one area where his composure slipped — anything involving Bael. A loyalty so absolute it left no room for ambiguity, one might say.
That very loyalty had established Brother Zepar as the Plains Faction's co-leader. But every strength, when viewed from a different angle, could just as easily become a weakness.
"Then, Dantalion — could it be that the reason they specifically emphasized 'certain members'..."
"Yes. They determined it would be too difficult to extract a direct apology from His Grace Bael. For our Plains Faction, His Grace Bael is our spiritual pillar. He cannot simply bow his head. That is why they attached the condition of 'certain members.'"
I spoke in a serious voice.
"'We won't go so far as to demand Bael's apology — just create a suitable scapegoat on your own.' That is the Mountain Faction's thinking. In their minds, they've already done us a favor by stepping back to preserve our dignity."
"Foolish..."
"Brother. The Mountain Faction is looking for someone to blame."
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Now, even Brother Zepar had no choice but to take the situation extremely seriously.
The only ones who could apologize on Bael's behalf were Brother Beleth or Brother Zepar. Brother Beleth had no involvement in this incident whatsoever. That meant, by position, Brother Zepar would have to bow his head.
Or...
"Please understand why I said I would take responsibility."
As the Plains Faction's chief advisor and Bael's lover, I, Dantalion, was the only one.
"You bear no responsibility for this incident, Brother. Not a single fraction of blame falls on you. I was the one who advised you. I am the root cause. Therefore, I will formally apologize to the Mountain Faction."
"Wait. What about your political standing?"
Brother Zepar frowned.
I shook my head lightly a couple of times.
"That is a secondary concern."
"..."
"Brother. I'm sorry, but I've already made up my mind. I'm going to go to His Grace Bael and tell him directly. I only came here because I felt it was only proper to explain the situation to you first."
I rose from my seat.
"Excuse me."
I turned my back without hesitation and walked toward the door. I had perfect faith in my own acting. Stepping on the soft carpet, I counted my footsteps.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps—
"Stop right there."
I froze. When I looked back, Brother Zepar was standing with both hands planted on his desk. He was leaning slightly forward, staring straight at me. A heavy aura surrounded him — as though gravity itself pressed down on his body with far greater force than on everything around it.
"I asked you to come up with a solution, not ordered you to shoulder the blame. I will not tolerate you acting on your own."
"This is the best course of action."
"You're the only bridge connecting our Plains Faction and the Mountain Faction. No — you're the passage that gathers the entire Demon Lord's army in one place. If you lose the trust of those around you by admitting fault, who will take your place as that passage?"
I answered without hesitation.
"Marbas can easily fill that role."
"Marbas is an excellent mediator. But he is already the head of a faction in his own right. He shines in the light, but he's not suited for the behind-the-scenes work of quietly adjusting each faction's positions in the shadows. Try and deny it if you can."
"..."
"Dantalion."
Brother Zepar pierced me with a cold gaze.
"The Demon Lord's army needs you."
"..."
"Sitri had lost all reason, yet he still turned to you. That alone already makes you more valuable than anyone else. And it's not just Sitri. His Excellency Bael, Gamigin, Marbas — in any critical crisis, they would all entrust negotiations to you. That is a talent I do not possess."
Brother Zepar seemed to convince himself with his own words, as he gave a firm nod.
"I will take on the role of formally apologizing to the Mountain Faction."
"Brother, you mustn't!"
"Don't take me for a fool. I didn't make this decision out of personal feelings. Looking at it objectively, if I step forward, the damage will be the least."
The corner of Brother Zepar's mouth lifted slightly.
"I am nothing more than a soldier who spent his entire life on the battlefield. Honestly, even governing the territory entrusted to me is a headache. At this point, losing some political standing won't make the slightest difference to me."
"Ha! Political standing is not the issue here!"
I marched up to Brother Zepar. My face was almost certainly contorted with unmistakable anger.
"This is a question of who made the mistake and who bears the responsibility! Just a moment ago, Brother said it yourself — 'Do I look like the sort of man who would shirk responsibility onto an adviser?' I'll throw those same words right back at you. Do I look like the sort of person who would shift my responsibility onto you?!"
"I know why you're doing this."
I had closed the distance until we were practically nose to nose, but Brother Zepar didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow.
"You're always cool-headed, always able to calculate politically. But when you yourself make a mistake, you refuse to accept it. And you — you believe Paimon's death was your fault."
"What... Paimon has nothing to do with what we're talking about!"
"No. You consider Paimon's death your own responsibility, which is why you also see the Mountain Faction's overreaction as your fault. You're trying to punish yourself — to atone for Paimon."
For a single moment, I stopped breathing.
In that gap, Brother Zepar raised his right hand and patted my shoulder.
"Dantalion. You don't need to atone for anything."
"Don't jump to conclusions... That's baseless speculation. I'm simply the one who committed the error, taking responsibility. This is no place for grand talk of atonement or anything of the sort."
"Ah. Perhaps so. In that case, it means my eye for people is lacking."
"Your Excellency!"
Brother Zepar's lips curved into a small smile.
"It's been a long time since you called me that."
Then, he raised his right hand and struck my neck. It was clearly a blow imbued with aura. I let out a pathetic "Gack" and crumpled to my knees. As though an electric shock had surged through my brain, my vision went white in an instant.
I collapsed to the ground and opened my mouth.
"Fool...ish..."
But that was all I managed to get out. I couldn't form another sentence. Just holding onto my fading consciousness took everything I had.
From somewhere far away, I faintly heard Brother Zepar muttering.
"Sacrificing His Grace Bael's one and only male lover as a scapegoat... I can't tell if they're speaking out of their minds. Brother, are you trying to send me to an early grave? You need to be a bit more aware of your own position."
There was a hint of amusement in Brother Zepar's voice.
Shortly after, my vision went completely dark. The sound of footsteps receded, and I heard a door close. That was the last thing before my consciousness faded. With the relief of knowing my plan had succeeded perfectly, I let go and passed out...