"It's a lie! That disgusting traitor——!"
"Revenge for Lord Paimon!"
"Kill them now——!"
The shouts cursing the Grand Duke and the voices slandering Barbatos merged into a deafening roar. At last, the square became one enormous cacophony, so chaotic that no one could make out what anyone was saying.
Everything was overheated and agitated. People screamed with flushed faces. Thick forearms pumped like pistons without pause. And so the cries devolved into a meaningless vortex of emotion, echoing only "Aaah" into the air.
Anger.
Jealousy.
Simple amusement.
Suspicion.
Raw emotions drifted through the air like ingredients bobbing in an underboiled pot of stew. In the past, being in this state would have tormented me. Now it was different. If emotions were complex, I simply had to judge based on reason. I had learned that.
"Silence."
Marbas commanded order. The square quieted noticeably.
"Barbatos issued you orders to assassinate Paimon. You testified as much. Is that correct?"
"I am certain Your Excellencies know better than anyone that I have not spoken a lie."
The four judges nodded slightly.
"But that was not all. Lord Barbatos also issued orders to every Demon Grand Duke, not just myself. We gathered together and conspired on how to assassinate Lord Paimon."
The citizens in the square stirred in commotion. But the Viper Grand Duke pressed on regardless. He knew this was the moment to seize the initiative.
"Paimon is the worst of all villains — the one who sought to abolish the slave system that has been passed down for thousands of years, a nightmare that would lead every city and village in the Demon Realm to ruin. That is what Lord Barbatos told us, ordering us to execute Lord Paimon without hesitation."
With each successive revelation, the citizens could not catch their breath. The Viper Grand Duke looked steadily at Marbas.
"...However, the seven of us Grand Dukes, myself included, simply could not accept it. Lord Paimon was the one who had fought harder than anyone for the Demonkin. Assassinating such a person was simply impossible."
"Indeed. So you revolted."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Listening to their exchange, Zepar narrowed his eyes. He too must have sensed that the Viper Grand Duke was telling the truth. I judged the atmosphere was ripe enough and opened my mouth.
"Fellow judges. As you have just heard, Barbatos assassinated Demon Lord Paimon. We must impose the harshest punishment upon Barbatos. But before that, I question whether this horrific assassination involved only Barbatos alone."
I stared directly at Zepar.
"Demon Lord Paimon was not simply a single Demon Lord — she was the leader of the Mountain Faction. In other words, it was not Barbatos who assassinated Paimon, but rather the Plains Faction launching a systematic campaign to exterminate the Mountain Faction... that is the more fitting narrative."
"Do you have evidence?"
"First, we have compelling circumstantial evidence."
I surveyed tens of thousands of Demonkin. It felt as if a certain atmosphere was settling into my grasp. This was it — the conviction that I could control myself and command the masses. Whenever I sought to incite people, I was always seized by this feeling.
"Immediately after the assassination of Demon Lord Paimon — just three days ago — the Plains Faction moved to exterminate the entire Mountain Faction. During this process, eight Demon Lords belonging to the Mountain Faction were killed. Assassinating the leader of one faction and then cleaning up the remaining remnants... it is far too elegant to call a coincidence."
"Hmm."
Marbas nodded.
"In truth, one of those eight — Demon Lord Morax — displayed suspicious words and actions. Morax spoke as though Barbatos had given him some prior assurance."
"That is correct. Esteemed comrades. Barbatos's plan was as follows."
I raised a finger.
"First, assassinate Demon Lord Paimon to destabilize the Mountain Faction. This has been proven true by the testimonies of the Grand Dukes. Second, taking advantage of the Mountain Faction's instability, recruit traitors. We have strong circumstantial evidence for this."
A malicious deception was unfolding.
Before long, the reason Barbatos assassinated Paimon had solidified into "to eliminate the Mountain Faction." If a skilled lawyer had been present here, they would have immediately exploited the weak points — but sadly, there was no lawyer for the Plains Faction. Under the tacit performance put on by Marbas and me, the truth was being buried bit by bit.
"Finally, third. Including the traitors, exterminate the Mountain Faction entirely. This is the event that took place three days ago in the building where Demon Lord Paimon's body lay. Barbatos, in her viciousness, even purged the traitors to prevent any possibility of her plan leaking out..."
I put on an expression of sorrowful anger.
"Everyone, even children, knows that the Plains Faction and the Mountain Faction are opposed to each other. However, no matter how fiercely one might wish to crush the opposing faction, Barbatos's methods were excessively cruel. She assassinated Paimon. She incited the opposing faction's companions to kill one another. And furthermore, she brutally murdered eight Demon Lords."
I looked out across the square.
"I declare: if there is one criminal in this world who can never be forgiven, it is Barbatos. And to mention Lady Sitri, who appeared here as a judge..."
I pointed to Sitri with my right arm.
"She demanded an apology from Barbatos until the very end. To honestly and sincerely apologize for killing Paimon. That was all Lady Sitri asked. But, esteemed comrades. What did Barbatos say in response? How did she treat Lady Sitri, who only wanted a single word of apology?"
I pressed my lips shut, then scowled. And I spoke as though exhaling my very breath.
"She called her a lowly pig."
Following my cadence, the citizens of the square held their breath. In the eerily silent square, my quiet anger settled.
"She cut off Sitri's limbs. Even then, Sitri wept, screaming, 'Apologize — apologize for killing Paimon!' But Barbatos — this assassin who may have once been a warrior but had now been blinded by her lust for power, reduced to a contemptible politician — stomped on Sitri's hand, tore out her hair, spat on her, and tortured her."
Anger was more powerful the quieter it was.
In a low voice, I enumerated Barbatos's crimes one by one. What flashed through my mind in this moment were the countless laughs I had shared with Barbatos. Pushing those light laughs to one side, I continued speaking.
"I witnessed that scene with these very eyes."
"..."
"Comrades. You too must have seen it. Someone must punish this evil. I request the execution by beheading of every Plains Faction Demon Lord involved in this assassination and purge."
Execution by beheading — for all.
The square erupted once more. But it was not as raucous as before. Above all, the citizens choked on their breaths from the ominousness, the gloom, and the weight of the exposed truth. Marbas left them to it.
Next, the Demon Grand Dukes other than the Viper Grand Duke took the witness stand one by one. They spoke with one voice, testifying that Barbatos's orders had indeed been carried out. With this, Barbatos's guilt became undeniable.
"Zepar."
"..."
"You are a key executive of the Plains Faction and Barbatos's close confidant. The possibility that you did not know Barbatos was systematically planning to exterminate the Mountain Faction is exceedingly slim. I will ask you this: were you aware in advance of the plan to assassinate Demon Lord Paimon?"
Here, Zepar had two paths to choose from.
One was to tell the truth — that is, to confess that he had never heard of any assassination plan and had not been involved in the slightest. In this case, Zepar would be released for lack of evidence.
The other was—
"Ah. I was aware."
To confess to a crime he had not committed.
I smiled to myself.
—Caught.
Zepar had walked straight into the web I had spun.
"Being aware, in other words, means you participated in the crime?"
"That is correct. I was deeply involved in the assassination of Demon Lord Paimon more than anyone, and I was essentially the mastermind behind the plan."
The square stirred.
It was truly a simple trap. Zepar would never want Barbatos to die in a situation like this. Leaving Barbatos to die while saving himself alone was even more impossible. In circumstances like these, there was only one path a loyalist like Zepar could choose.
"But the Grand Dukes' testimonies contain an error."
"An error? What would that be?"
"The one who issued orders to the Demon Grand Dukes was not Lord Barbatos. It was I, Zepar, who gave them their orders."
Taking all of Barbatos's sins upon himself in her stead.
Zepar chose the path of self-sacrifice, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
I frowned.
"That's difficult to accept. The Grand Dukes clearly testified that they received orders directly from Barbatos. How can you claim that you issued the orders?"
"I employed polymorph magic. It was simple enough."
Zepar spoke matter-of-factly.
"While Lord Barbatos was briefly away from the palace, I used her audience chamber to summon them. The fools wholeheartedly believed I was Lord Barbatos himself. Deceiving them was easy."
"...Do you have proof that your claim is true?"
"None."
Zepar grinned.
"This was the assassination of Paimon. I exercised caution upon caution. I wouldn't have left any evidence behind, would I? But then, there's no proof that my claim is wrong either. Is there not?"
"..."
I was silent for a moment.
"I don't understand. Why did you need to impersonate Barbatos to relay the orders? Whether Barbatos herself issued the secret orders or you did, there's no significant difference."
"No. There is a very great difference. Because I was the one who conceived and planned the assassination of Paimon!"
Zepar looked out at the square and shouted loudly.
"Lord Barbatos was never involved in this plan. Everything was carried out under my, Zepar's, direction."
"What are you saying..."
At Zepar's provocative declaration, the citizens murmured. I too feigned an expression of shock. All the while, Zepar continued without pause.
"I never liked Paimon — that utterly incompetent harlot. Despite being a Demon Lord, she went out of her way to value human lives and distribute charity, trying to abolish the slave system. What a lowly, stupid woman!"
Zepar burst into laughter.
"When I heard that harlot was heading to the Demon Realm, I instinctively knew this was my chance. Ah, yes — so I summoned the Demon Grand Dukes. Impersonating Barbatos, I ordered the assassination. It was a brilliant plan. If only you too had died there, Dantalion, it would have been absolutely perfect!"