Chapter 20: Breaking Point
An excited chatter broke out amongst the nobles in my hall, before a round of applause started up for my victorious Peerage who walked behind me. I had promised them one thing that they wanted for their excellent performances. They didn't need that reward to feel accomplished, but it made me feel better about what they had to go through.
I would have preferred them to have been much more powerful and well trained before they were forced into a fight like this, but fate is rarely so kind, I suppose. They did superbly all the same, hopefully dissuading any other idiots from trying something similar in the future. The fact that most of the fights were over so quickly was advantageous, as it did introduce a degree of uncertainty.
They were not forced to go all out, or backed into a corner, so what did they hold back? Was likely what many were thinking after watching their bouts.
I stepped onto the stage in the main hall, sweeping my gaze over the audience as the applause died down, "Thank you all. I am glad you enjoyed the unexpected entertainment."
I somehow managed to keep the venom from that statement, but it was a close thing. My temper, something that plagued me in both lives, was bubbling at a low simmer. These fuckers were opportunistic, hedonistic vultures. The disdain that the majority of the midnight world had for our kind was well deserved by the older specimens.
I was tempted to just eradicate them all.
Pushing the bloodlust to the back of my mind, I hid my murderous thoughts behind a small smile, "Well, now is as good a time as any to do this, I suppose. Now that I have you attention, I would like to announce something exciting."
Flourishing my arm, I produced a sample case that I had prepared with a teleportation rune beforehand. Giving the case to Kasane who placed it on a table in front of the stage, I spoke so that all could hear me, "I have in my brief time back, managed to open up dialogue with a rather intriguing partner."
Kasane opened the case, causing several of the closer Devils who could see the contents clearly to gasp in surprise. I continued, "Yasaka, the Leader of the Western Yokai of Japan, has graciously agreed to allow me to be the intermediary between them and the Underworld. This is an honour, one that was granted solely to the Sagan, which I am extremely grateful for."
I made sure to emphasize that point. Yasaka was not trading with them, she was trading with me. I don't think anyone would fuck with me for a while considering what just happened, but better safe than sorry.
"So that you know I am being honest with you, My Lords and Ladies, this case will be available for your perusal. You may inspect the various reagents, to see what you can expect to be for sale soon. Please do note however, to not touch the merchandise. I am a generous host, but a merchant should never give something away for free."
Especially to parasites like you, was the unsaid thought. My joke did get a few chuckles, but most peoples attention was locked onto the sample case.
"I will happily answer any questions you have, we do have some time left for tonight. Thank you for indulging me, now please, eat, drink and be merry!"
Taking my own advice, I offered my arm to my Queen, not letting her or any of my peerage out of my sight for the rest of this farce. She looked exasperated, but I saw her give a slight smile and take the offered limb. I grabbed a drink and stood next to Kasane at the sample case, ready to answer questions and continue the meet and greet. Shiro and Naomi followed along, both watching the passing nobles like hawks.
Most seemed to pay more attention to Kasane than them, though. Perfect.
As I took a sip from my glass, savouring the liquid after the night I had, I was approached by two people I did not expect to make an appearance.
"Lord Sagan, Lady CC." The older woman curtsied, while the bespectacled young girl beside her did the same, "I wish we were meeting in better circumstances."
"Lady Sitri, Heiress Sitri. It is a pleasure to see you both." It wasn't. I really did not want to deal with Serafall's mother and Nuclear Button right now.
"I just wanted to thank you for accepting my offer to meet next week, Lord Sagan. To ensure that there are no miscommunications, I also wanted to assure you that Heir Astaroth's actions were not appropriate in the eyes of House Sitri."
Now that was a surprise. I had gotten several missives for various lords and ladies to meet me in the weeks after this Reveal, something that was fairly common. To have Lady Sitri condemn Diodora to me was not expected however. What was her play here?
"Thank you for words, Lady Sitri. Heir Astaroth's actions were abhorrent to me as well, but thankfully the matter is resolved." I stayed careful with my words.
"I wish to compliment you Lord Sagan." Sona spoke, getting a fond but disapproving look from her mother, "Your Peerage is excellently trained for how long they have been Devils. Would you be amenable to scheduling a session to share your methods? Anything that can get Reincarnated Devils up to speed quicker is very valuable to me."
I hid my grimace. She wanted to know that for her school, presumably, but spending time with Serafall's little sister alone when I had no idea what her mother was playing at was like navigating a minefield while blindfolded.
"I appreciate your praise, Heiress Sitri, but the training that my Peerage undergoes is a private House Sagan matter. Maybe in the future we could discuss a way to standardize some basic concepts for the Reincarnated Devils?"
She smiled, "I would appreciate that, Lord Saga..."
She was interrupted by a loud, familiar voice bellowing out across the hall, "DAMOCLES SAGEN, YOU ARE A CHEAT AND A FRAUD!"
All eyes turned to the entrance of the hall, where Diodora Astaroth stood. He was red faced with rage, eyes locked onto me. My stomach twisted as a familiar monster reared it's head within me.
"You could not beat my Peerage, so you resorted to breaking the rules? I will have recompense!"
My blood started pounding in my ears.
Sirzechs, who had been in a furious discussion with Serafall, stepped from the side of the Hall and spoke to the enraged Heir, "Diodora? Are you accusing Lord Sagan of cheating?"
"Yes!" Came the snarled response, "The medics tending to Jean say that she in unrecoverable. The attack from the charlatan's Queen damaged her psyche beyond repair, bypassing the Recall Wards!"
I felt heat course through me, both acidic and familiar, like an old, toxic friend.
Mutters broke out in the hall from that, as the news of an attack that was able to bypass the wards was a rather serious thing for all of them. Sneering, Diodora continued, "I would expect nothing less from a coward. I declare the result invalid, I do not accept it! I have lost a Queen, and demand recompense!"
Sirzechs frowned, "Diodora, there is no rule..."
He was stopped by the sound of shattering glass and creaking wood. I noticed in my peripheral vision CC looking at me in concern and the two female Devils I was speaking to backing away slightly. Belatedly, over the pounding sound of my heartbeat in my ears, I noticed the glass in my had shattered, causing my hand to bleed slightly.
The table next to me was bending to an invisible force, bowing as it's structure failed and splintered. Frost was spreading from my feet, even as the tiles underneath me cracked. My peerage's breaths started to fog, the temperature around me dropping as the heat within me rose.
My mouth moved, anger spiking, eyes locked solely on the green haired trash that held my ire.
"Enough."
She had seen this before. Juliana Sitri was a veteran of a civil war, so she was used to feeling bloodlust. What she wasn't used to, however, was to feel it so refined from one so young. She grabbed her daughters hand and led her quickly out of the path of the dangerous beast that had replaced the young Lord she was just speaking to, watching with bated breath as he took a step forwards.
The floor beneath him cracked, as the table next to him finally gave in and collapsed in on itself.
"Enough." Contrary to the baleful aura that flickered around him for those with the experience to sense it, his voice was deceptively calm.
"You come into my House. You disrespect my hospitality. You covet that which is not yours, then when you lose you come citing worthless rulebooks? No."
She realised, his eyes were glowing red. Had he implanted a spell circle into his eyeballs?! Those red eyes were showing a deep anger. This was not the tantrum of a child, however, no. This killing intent flooding off of him was polished, mature. This was the bloodlust of some one who was not only perfectly willing to kill, but knew exactly how to do it.
"You should have been grateful, Astaroth. You got to escape relatively unscathed. That won't be happening now, however. By my blood as Lord Sagan, I Challenge you to a Duel to Surrender." Damocles' voice was level, almost conversational, but it carried easily throughout the silent hall.
Juliana sucked in a breath. This was something that had not happened in centuries. The Duel to Surrender was fought with the Recall Wards deactivated, and was basically a replacement for the outlawed Duel to the Death. Indeed, Damocles had basically just admitted his intent to kill the Astaroth Heir in front of almost the entirety of Devil Nobility.
While concerning, however, that was not the worst part. By invoking his Bloodline in his challenge, Damocles had basically declared Diodora an enemy of his House. Should Diodora refuse, it would not be the end of it. Any who sheltered him, any who helped him, all who counted themselves as Diodora's friends would earn the ire of the Sagan House as a whole.
It might just be a Barony now, but with his trade with the Yokai that will likely change within a month. Even without that, Devils are long lived and hold grudges closely. Many would happily take a stab at the Astaroth with the given excuse of supporting the Sagan, even disregarding the fact that this would gift the Sagan to one of the other political factions on a silver platter.
Even worse, however, is if House Astaroth stood with Diodora. That could start something that could ignite the underlying tensions of the Underworld into a another potential civil war.
A Blood Feud.
Realizing this, Sirzechs stepped forwards, in between the two young devils, "That's not necessary, Lord Sagan. Your victory is acknowledged by the judges, no need to go that far."
"Thank you for your advice, Satan Lucifer." Damocles had not taken his eyes off the suddenly unsure Diodora, "But this is a matter between the Sagan and the Astaroth. Unless you are taking him under your aegis?"
Juliana sucked in a breath. This kid was ready to go to war against the Satans too? 'Serafall you idiot.' She thought to herself, 'Just how far did you push him?'
Sirzechs chewed his cheek, before stepping back, "Of course not. I apologise for interfering in House business."
Diodora had used this time to gather himself, still much less confident than he was earlier this night, "Fine! If you want to face the indignity of losing to me yourself, I'll oblige you. In fact, I'll force you to give me your Queen before making you surrender."
Damocles, his eyes shining still that bight red, smiled widely. It was not a happy expression, but one of aggression and teeth. His voice however, sent a shiver down Juliana's spine, the raw, primal satisfaction it held reminding her of battles from the past.
"You can certainly try."
"What do we do?" Serafall's voice was drained, sounding tired.
She was slumped in a stately couch, arm over her eyes, speaking to the room.
"Nothing." Came the response from her mother, who had immediately made a beeline towards the Satans as soon as the challenge was accepted.
"Nothing? So we just let a Pillar House Heir be killed in front of us?" Serafall asked, incredulous, "Ajuka's Nephew?"
"Yes, that is exactly my advice. Diodora brought this on himself. His actions would need to be addressed publicly anyway."
"She's right, Serafall." Came the surprising support from Sirzechs, "Damocles called me out for interference in front of the entire hall. Should we wade into this now, after supporting Diodora's initial challenge, it will set us firmly against the Sagan and be a PR disaster. Especially considering Damocles' supposed monopoly on the Yokai trade."
"It's real. My sources within the Yokai confirmed it just now." Serafall sighed, "What if Diodora wins? Should we be worried about the Sagan House ending?"
"He won't." Juliana Sitri said, getting resigned nods from both the Satans.
"You noticed it too?" Serafall asked her mother.
"The fact that the Lord Sagan has near perfect control over his magic? Or that his usage of Gravity Magic like his knight hardly dented his reserves?" Was the dry response, "That boy has been training himself into the ground. One would even think that he is preparing to go to war. Or that he is worried that he will be forced to fight for his life soon, for some reason."
Serafall winced, the jibe not going unnoticed, "Be that as it may, I need to try and open up a dialogue with the Yokai again. I've been focused on the Angels and the Fallen for a while, but Damocles having a total monopoly there is dangerous."
"Perfect, I'll go discuss these events with Lord and Lady Astaroth. I need to make sure that this doesn't snowball any further." Sirzechs paused and looked to the Sitri Matriarch, "Was Diodora telling the truth about his Queen?"
"He was." She confirmed, "The medics are completely unable to revive her. She's conscious, but her mind... it's completely unrecoverable. We've called in some Mind Magic specialists, but the Doctor's are not confident."
"CC is more dangerous than we thought. In fact, the entire Sagan Peerage are much more powerful than they should be. They've grown at a phenomenal rate." Sirzechs put his chin on his hands, looking off into the distance, considering.
"We need to put a lot more focus on them. Something tells me they won't slow down after this."
"Be careful." His friend's mother cautioned, "He's already poisoned against you, by your own actions. It is not unrecoverable, a working relationship can still be formed, but it must be taken slowly and with care. I will do what I can to lay the ground work when I meet with him next week."
"Thanks, Mom." Serafall smiled, but inside she was still incensed. The Yokai wanted nothing to do with Devils, they made that very clear. So what's so special about Damocles where he just strolled in and established trade with them again?
Sure, he's cute she objectively noted, but this Sera-Tan is way cuter!