Post release AN: Did not realise people would care so much about the infertile bit, that was quite literally a throwaway line. As a result of that, I've decided to get rid of it.

I'm going to kill him. I can't let him walk all over me and allow it to go unpunished. He didn't even hesitate to try and isolate me for my power, the longer he survives, the longer he has a chance to get the right strategy down.

I have to kill him. Not just for the sake of my safety, but because I won't fucking stand for what he's tried to do to me. I don't even know fully why he's done it, or the nitty gritty of his plan, but the spark notes are there.

He wants my faux Clan Trait, the System, for himself. He wants my ability to siphon power either to try and breed into his own personal army of unstoppable Devils or so he can winter soldier my ass and turn me into some weapon for his own gain, if that's actually something that's possible.

Even now, he's no doubt thinking of ways to get around Sirzechs, to sway the Clans to his side again and convince them that I am untrustworthy threat despite Sirzechs' words. I can already see it now.

A false flag, maybe he'll have his own men launch a pathetic attack on some territory in the sticks, claim that Bidleid was seen amongst the attackers to force Sirzechs into leaving just before the next meeting, leaving me entirely exposed.

I swear, if he tries to cuff me again I'll shoot him where he fucking stands.

"You can't kill him, Demi-fiend."

Did I say that out loud?

"No, I can see it written all over your face. You look like you want to butcher him."

"Forgive me for harbouring a grudge against the man who tried to turn me into a baby-making machine for his own sake."

He sighs, head in his hands as we both stand outside of the temporary residence of the Gremory family, the sky now full of rain. Thankfully a canopy above the door stops us from getting wet.

"We don't know if that's what he wanted, Alistair. We don't know nearly enough about this in general. The only concrete thing we know is that he's acting strange about your Clan Trait."

"Come the fuck on, General! How wilfully ignorant do you have to be to not see the writing on the wall here? He's acting strange because he's either afraid of it or wants it more than he wants the Satanship!" Feeling the momentum, I continue.

"How many more times is he going to try this before you realise he needs to die? How many more schemes is he going to pull behind your back before you wake up?"

Sirzechs suddenly turns on me, a finger raised near my chest as he shouts, frustration across his features.

"I am not going to entertain the idea of killing the First Devil, especially not before we have any evidence of his misdeeds!"

He stops himself, taking a deep breath and regaining his composure before he continues in a much calmer manner.

"If we find any evidence of wrongdoing on his part, we will not kill him."

He seemingly notices my frustration quite quickly, a stern hand on my shoulder stopping any complaints I might back.

"I am not going to allow you to engage in savagery like the monsters we now fight a war against, Alistair."

I can almost feel myself starting to get angry. I understand why he feels this way, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. As the rain continues to pour, I brush his hand aside.

"I am grateful for you helping me, General. For not allowing me to be taken away on a phony charge. But I assure you, my hatred for Lord Bael far exceeds my thankfulness towards you. I want nothing more than to kill him and the rest of that useless council, and your words won't change that."

"Stop doing that! Stop acting like he's already guilty! This could all just be a big misunderstanding on our part, we don't have any proof of wrongdoing!"

My head quickly finds itself in my hands as I groan, dragging them down my face.

"Again, you're letting your trust in him blind you to the shit he's doing behind your back!"

Just as Sirzechs is about to retort, looking far more frustrated than I've ever seen him, the door to the small mansion we've been standing outside for the last few minutes finally opens, revealing Venelana Gremory with an oven mitt and an apron on.

"Oh, isn't this a pleasant surprise! You didn't tell you made a friend, Zechsy!"

And the tension that bad been slowly building deflates in an instant, my frustration quickly turning into amusement as her words register.

"How shameful of you, Zechsy. Your mother deserves to know these things!" I say, folding my arms as I do.

"I'm glad you've abandoned your homicidal aspirations, but I'm not sure the cost was worth it." He mutters to himself, turning to his mother a second later.

"I'm sorry for the sudden drop-in, Mother. Something happened, and we needed a place to talk. Do you mind?"

She smiles, pulling him in for a one armed hug as she looks at me over his shoulder for a moment, ruffling his hair afterwards as she speaks to us.

"Oh, I'd never say no to you! You can stay for however long you need. Lucky for you, I was just baking a cake! The maids have been teaching me all sorts of things these days!"

Though he's embarassed, he's also incredibly grateful, enough that he sighs in relief and smiles, eyes shining with warmth. Then, he goes silent.

And nobody says a word.

I'm almost concerned something has gone wrong, that maybe I've been in a simulation and it's broken, but Sirzechs quickly elbows me in the side and clears his throat.

Barely a fraction of a second passes before I realise he wants me to introduce myself, and I've just been stood here like a tree.

"Oh, fuck, sorry." I start, brushing my vest down for any dirt or grime, before I place a hand on my chest and bow slightly.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Gremory. My name is Alistair Mammon, but you can call me any-"

He elbows me in the side once more, looking slightly disgusted as he cut me off from trying to make a move on his mother. Venelana clearly understood my intentions though, as she raises a hand to her mouth and giggles at our antics.

"Aw, what a well-mannered young man! It's a pleasure to finally meet you as well, Alistair. Serafall spoke of you quite a lot."

Suddenly feeling quite a lot of pressure, I hold my hands behind my back and try to ignore the rapidly building embarrassment as I see her coy smile.

"Only good things, I hope?"

She giggles yet again, her head now resting in her hand, arms folded beneath her chest.

"She told me all about your time together! The training you did, the meals you shared, the way you writhed and bucked beneath her in the gardens of-"

"-That's so kind of her! Thank you very much for your hospitality, Lady Gremory, now how about we go inside?"

"No, no, I think you should continue, Mother. I don't believe she ever told me this story." Sirzechs chimes in from beside me.

"How about we don't? Am I alone in feeling this way? I feel like we have far, far more important matters to be attending to!"

And finally, the reminder of just why we came here seems to stop the imminent teasing I was about to be subject to, much to Venelana's disappointment.

"Right. Sorry to cut the fun short, but we'll need the study for ourselves. Is Father in?" She shakes her head.

"No, the mansion is all yours. Use whatever room you wish to, for however long you want. If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask." She says, stroking his cheek before turning and making way for us to enter the building.

As we walk inside, Sirzechs holds a finger to his ear, the transmission Circle quickly appearing on the side of his head. Intrigued, I ask him of his intentions.

"I'm getting Ajuka involved." He says quickly, "If there's anyone I can trust to look at this with some pragmatism, it's him. He'll be able to help us investigate this."

Lovely. We'll be a regular old set of three musketeers as we conspire against the most powerful political figure in the Underworld.

The three of us now sit around a desk in the center of the room, various sheets of paper scattered across the table alongside a plate I'd used after Venelana had offered me to try some of the cake she'd baked.

In the blanket of silence that has formed between us, Ajuka holds his fingers against themselves, covering the bottom half of his face as he thinks for a few moments.

The papers are a mix of things. A list of pros and cons for killing Zekram, one I'd penned myself, a list of possible reasons why he acted so strange when my 'Clan Trait' was brought up, a timeline of events leading up to the war. Almost everything we could write.

"I struggle to see why exactly you've decided killing him isn't a good idea." He says after a long silence, and I throw my hands in the air as he does so.

"Thank you!"

"Oh, for fucks sake."

"Even if we discount his incredibly suspicious behaviour in relation to the War's initiation, his actions alone in this instance warrant some form of concern."

He takes a sip from a cup nearby, his hand gesturing to the scattered paper across the table as he begins talking.

"All logical signs point towards one truth. He wants Alistair's 'Siphon' for himself, and while we can't discern his plans for it, we can absolutely understand why."

"The truth of the matter is, I've long since been suspicious of his actions, but my own disassociation from the political aspect of our society has stayed my hand. Now, I can't help but wonder if I'd made a mistake."

"He clearly has no fear of repercussions if he's acting so brazenly in regards to Alistair's Trait. Either his ego has blinded him, or he believes he's got a leash tight enough to stop anyone from intervening. I personally believe it to be both."

Sirzechs holds the bridge of his nose, an annoyed sigh escaping his lips.

"You may be the smartest Devil to ever live, but even your word is just speculation Ajuka. We have no hard evidence! All you people are doing is fantasising about killing the speaker of the High Court!"

"For good reason." I chime in, now brandishing the Thorn in my hand. "All you need to do is say one word, General. One word and we can start to cleanse the rot that poisons this Underworld."

He looks at me, mildly disappointed but also incredibly concerned as to just what Thorn is supposed to be.

"For the last time, No! Now calm down and think about this logically... And put that thing down, Alistair!"

Before Sirzechs has even finished speaking, Ajuka has damn near teleported, his hands poking and prodding at the hand cannon in several places as he stands inches away from the barrel.

"Don't listen to him. Keep it steady. I wish to inspect it further."

Not wanting to risk Ajuka shooting Thorn by accident, I dismiss it and lean back, much to Sirzechs' relief and Ajuka's chagrin as he walks back to his chair.

"Okay. Let's just... let's go back to the drawing board here." Sirzechs says as he runs a hand down his face.

"Lord Bael is no doubt doing something nefarious. Something we can't yet prove. As one of the most, if not the most well respected and revered Devils currently alive, he has the trust, the faith, and most importantly the worship of all the Clans in the High Court." He crosses his arms and leans back against the seat.

"If we want to try and make a claim against him, it will need to be irrefutable. We need pure, undeniable evidence of wrongdoing on his part, and most importantly we need to prepare."

I can't help but raise an eyebrow at this.

"Prepare for what, General?"

"Prepare for how exactly the rest of the Clans will function without Lord Bael. Much as it pains me to admit it, the High Court is far less a gathering place for the Clan Heads as it is the domain of Lord Bael." He quickly elaborates on this.

"The Clans all want his approval, his favour, more than they want to do their jobs properly. He essentially has full control. Without him, I fear the incompetence of the Clan Heads will shine through greater."

He rubs his chin, mulling his words over.

"Then again, perhaps Lord Bael's exposure would kick them back into gear out of fear of their association putting them at risk. I suppose schooling the Clans is something that we can prioritise after the initial fallout."

He quickly comes up with another point.

"Furthermore, not only would it be flat out wrong to kill him, it would also only make your life more difficult, Alistair. The Clans are all thinking about whether or not you are a trustworthy man, if Zekram dies out of nowhere in the next few days there will be a witch-hunt for you. You'd be hung for your crimes."

Ajuka suddenly chimes in after another sip of his drink, eyes skimming over another piece of paper strewn about the desk.

"They wouldn't. They'd certainly want to, but as we've already established your ability to 'Siphon' is one of, if not, the most valuable we've seen in centuries. Wars have been fought over less among our people. You'd no doubt be consigned to a forced breeding programme, chained up to avoid resistance as they send in woman after-"

"-Okay, thank you Ajuka, I get it! Can we not talk about my possible enslavement ever again, please?" I interrupt, not wanting to hear his hypothetical any further.

"Would you rather talk about your plan to kill the First Devil over basic suspicions?" Sirzechs pipes in from across the desk.

"Don't go playing the contrarian, General. He's up to something, that is a guarantee. It's as you said, we just need to prove it."

"...At least you aren't solely intent on killing him anymore. That's an improvement." He sighs again, fingers rubbing the bridge of his nose before he continues.

"You're right though. There's little doubt left in my mind that he's innocent. The only problem is that we have no idea just what these 'crimes' he's committed are, we only know there's something unnatural happening in the background."

He gestures to the desk in front of us, full of nothing but utter speculation and scribbles.

"In terms of actionable evidence, we have nothing. We are little more than a group of conspirators, fumbling around in the dark for anything we can cling to."

"Good. I love an underdog story." I say, already thinking of several ways we can get him on something, the foremost idea being one I'm admittedly against.

"There is nothing good about this!" He shouts, exasperated. "How are we supposed to even find anything without stalking him for days? Something we can't even do because there is a war going on outside, might I remind you!"

And yet again, Ajuka chimes in from behind his newest sheet of paper.

"Why not give Lord Bael what he wants?" Sirzechs merely gives Ajuka a flat look after.

"Give the shady, corrupt political leader a power that would allow him to raise an army of infinitely developing soldiers, one that would inevitably grow in strength enough to destroy any possible opposition? That's your brilliant suggestion, Ajuka?"

"Well, not quite, but I'm glad you realise the risk leaving him alive presents." Sirzechs groans in frustration as Ajuka continues.

"All we need to do is send Alistair to Lord Bael's doorstep and see what follows afterwards. I could use the Kankara Formula to implant a scrying spell in Alistair's body, though it would only last a short while."

I think I hate this plan.

"Theoretically, we should find all evidence we'll need once Lord Bael starts trying to enact his ambitions using Alistair's blood."

"I'd hate to shoot you down so quickly, Ajuka, but I'd rather fucking not. At the end of the day, he's going to realise I'm worthless and kill me once he tries something with my DNA and sees that it can't be replicated."

The both of them look at me with intrigue, though Ajuka is the first one to talk.

"Your DNA can't be replicated? How would you even discover something like that? How does that work specifically?"

He starts, looking almost saddened by the news before something tugs at his mind and he asks another question.

"How does that affect propagation? Are you even still capable of producing a child?"

That's actually a good question, one I've admittedly not thought of before.

"Sorry to cut the research short, Ajuka, but we've been here for half an hour and we're no closer to having any sort of plan for how we can expose Lord Bael's crimes!"

"I gave you a plan. One that would work quite well, especially now that Alistair is capable of defending himself long enough for us to intervene if his life were to be put at risk. He merely chose otherwise."

Fuck. He's got a point. No. Actually... this is a good thing.

I hate to sidestep Sirzechs' own wishes in this way, but if the whole point of this plan is to get me alone with Zekram, then it gives me exactly what I want.

Ample opportunity to kill him. A free shot at the man who wants nothing more than to take control of me. Fuck the consequences. The Clans can handle themselves, Zekram has a son anyways.

"I'll do it."

Sirzechs looks almost worried at how quickly I've changed my mind, but he knows as well as I do that this is the best way to prove he's got some shady plans. He sighs one more time.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm certain. We don't have the luxury of waiting for a better opportunity given we still have a War to fight outside of this. Either we do this now, or we let him fester for the next several centuries in the background."

"...Okay. I'd rather not have your name dragged through the mud in front of the Clan Heads in that faux-trial he's got planned, so tomorrow night I'll bring you to Zekram under suspicions of being a double agent."

Ajuka looks at the watch on his wrist before picking up all the sheets and organising them into a pile, finishing his drink after.

"Sirzechs and I will be following after you, to the best of our abilities. If something goes wrong, if we can't intervene for any reason... I give you full authority to defend yourself. No matter what may come of that decision."

Sirzechs looks as though he wants to speak up, add something else to the discussion, but he decides against it soon after, instead choosing to give me some advice.

"You probably won't need to worry much, I'll be there after all, but... it doesn't hurt to be prepared for the worst, Demi-fiend."

His initially cocky smile quickly turns into concern as he places a hand on my shoulder, moving away shortly after he finishes talking to see Ajuka off.

I never thought I'd be wishing for something to go wrong as much as I am right now, hoping desperately for fate to leave me alone in a room with Lord Bael and no possible interruptions.

If the stars align, I just might get that. I simply cannot fucking wait.