{Present, Devils Meeting Assembly of Lucifaad}
This damned old devil…
Everything until now was a setup. He didn't care about me being an Ultimate Class. He didn't even care whether Katerea lived or died. His whole goal had been proving that I could have gotten Ingvild out of there without using my Evil Piece.
"Sure, you went there looking for a lost artifact of your family, but finding a devil hidden in the Leviathan estate was enough clue that the person was of political interest." Zekram's voice was stern, though beneath it, I could clearly feel his taunt. "Instead of getting her out of there, you took the time to heal her. Isn't that quite amusing?"
I had to specially request Serafall not to report our visit to find Ingvild. She was bound by rules as a Satan, and while she broke them often, situations this serious couldn't be twisted.
Even so, she lied and stated we went there looking for a lost artifact of my pillar. A piece of information acquired from Katerea, and I went there—alongside a Satan—to check its validity.
But he did catch me to some extent. Something I didn't really think through, since I never expected Mephisto Pheles to lead me into this situation.
And the Phenex too. I guess sometimes even the weakest pawns can push you into a corner.
"So, tell me." The old devil looked at Ingvild, who immediately grabbed my hand. "How do you explain this? You clearly caused the last true descendant of the Leviathan to end up in your peerage, and heirs or heiresses of pillars do not serve in peerages."
That was technically true. Most devils who join someone else's peerage are not in line to inherit any pillar. Considering Serafall is a Leviathan in name only, and with Katerea dead, Ingvild—despite being a half-blood—has the right to claim the heiress title.
But I knew for a fact he was pushing this agenda just to make me look guilty and lose credibility before everyone.
He's a blood supremacist. It wasn't Lord Bael who shunned his wife and son for lacking the Power of Destruction—it was Zekram's order that Lord Bael followed.
This old man is shrewd, and he'll do anything to win.
And the problem was, I couldn't mention that either. Everyone knew Ingvild wasn't a Pure-Blood, but if I said it outright, I'd be the villain and Ingvild would be crushed. On top of that, the Satans don't support blood supremacy, so I'd be triggering them as well.
This damned old devil was playing me from every corner.
"As the rule states, if a devil is in line to be the heir or heiress of a house, their servitude in a peerage can be nullified." Zekram's nasty smile widened. "And considering she isn't just in line to any of the 72 pillars, but to one of the original Satans, it's only right you give her up. You cannot have a true descendant of the original Satan serving under you."
I felt Ingvild's grip tighten around my hand. She was terrified of being tossed around by the Devil Lords and Elders. Politics was a filthy game, and she knew it.
Then he drove the final nail.
"And needless to say, all of us are aware that the Devil Sleeping Disease has no cure," he said. "So, it is not believable that you cured her with an Evil Piece. What makes sense is that she was under a curse, or was put to sleep using a method that the Evil Piece broke."
"That's right!" Lord Phenex jumped in to back Zekram. "Devil Sleeping Disease has no cure!"
"Thus, I urge the Satans to consider Ingvild Leviathan's servitude under Faiser Valefar-Barbatos void, and remove the Queen piece inside of her."
Serafall sat biting her lip, unable to help me out of this mess. The other Satans were the same, helpless.
"Please…" Ingvild whispered. "Please, I don't want to be alone again."
The situation was against me, by a ridiculous margin. And there was almost no way out of it.
The old devil was without a doubt superior to me in politics, far more shrewd.
It was my loss.
At least in terms of politics.
"But it was the Devil Sleeping Disease," I said, confidently.
He may have me beat in cunning, but unfortunately for him, he didn't have what I had.
"And I can prove it to you."
I had a certain card no one else had.
"Preposterous!" Lord Bael yelled, losing his patience. "Everyone knows the disease has no cure! Not even the Satans, the Elders, or the top medical professionals have been able to produce a cure! How dare a child claim the impossible?!"
His anger wasn't without cause. He might have shunned his own family, but it was still family. And his wife had been suffering from the disease.
Misla Bael, his first wife, had been comatose for years because of it.
"Faiser…" Sirzechs spoke hesitantly. "Don't make risky choices."
The Satans were backing me up. Anyone could see it. If I lost face, it would reflect badly on them too.
"But it is not a lie, Lord Bael, Lord Lucifer," I said with confidence. "I can prove it to you all."
I softly rubbed the back of Ingvild's hand with my thumb, making sure no one noticed. I was with her, and I wasn't going to let anyone take my Queen away.
"The Valefar treasury," I said. "You must be aware I visited the treasuries of both Barbatos and Valefar. Contrary to belief, they still exist, although hidden." I looked directly at the old devil. "And forgive me, but I cannot give away their locations. That is my right."
"What are you getting at?" the impatient Lord Phenex asked.
"Neither Valefar nor Barbatos had healing arts," Mephisto Pheles said, raising an eyebrow. "And you didn't mention using any potion either. Not that such a potion exists. Otherwise, we'd have seen it used in the past."
So quick to jump to conclusions. Hah.
"There were no potions, Lord Mephisto Pheles," I assured him. "But there was a technique. One that neither Barbatos nor Valefar could learn. Yet my grandfather discovered it, hoping one day it would be possible."
"A technique?" one of the quieter lords, Lord Agares, asked. "Then how did you, possessing both Valefar and Barbatos blood, learn it?"
I was happy to see more participants. I needed to win a few of them over. Lord Sitri and Lord Gremory had already told me they wouldn't speak during the meeting. They were bound by rules, and they didn't want to openly help me or oppose me.
But Lord Agares was good enough. Even if I couldn't win Lord Bael, gaining favor with his successor was worth it.
"That is precisely because of my blood," I said. "My grandfather, the former Lord Valefar, discovered that Valefar and Barbatos blood have a unique synergy. When they come together, they produce a rare effect."
By now, everyone was engrossed in my lie.
"What I found in the treasury was a guide written by my grandfather, meant for the heir who hopefully possessed both Valefar and Barbatos blood. It described how to awaken this property of my blood."
Even Serafall was looking at me with curiosity.
"I followed the procedure—a hellishly painful one—while inside the treasury. But because of that, I was finally able to awaken my blood." I raised my voice. "That ability is also why I was found uninjured after my fight with Katerea Leviathan."
The devils began murmuring among themselves, doubtful but curious.
"What is the ability?" Mephisto asked.
And I was happy to finally show it.
"My blood became medicine," I said, slicing my palm with a blade I formed from my bracelet. As the blood dripped down, the wound began to close.
Sure, it wasn't actually the blood healing me, but they didn't need to know that. And besides, to heal others, I did need to use my blood.
After all, I couldn't reveal my Asura Heart. I didn't even know what it truly was.
So, calling my blood magical was the way.
"That?" Many lords gasped. Even the Satans looked amazed. I could see Ingvild staring too.
"How!" Lord Phenex shouted the loudest. "How can you heal your injuries so instantly?!"
Of course he'd be the most shocked and furious. That was the whole gimmick of their pillar—healing.
"Turns out, Barbatos blood has a unique trait which, when mixed with Valefar blood in the perfect proportion, turns into a healing potion." I spewed whatever came to mind. "But since the proportions were almost impossible to perfect, as the potency of demonic power in each individual's blood was different—even among the Valefar and Barbatos pillars—the potion could never be made."
Phenex heals with tears. I heal with blood. Though I wonder… are Phoenix Tears just a term, or do they actually cry in a vial?
"So, my grandfather found that the only way to create this synergy was by having a child with both Valefar and Barbatos blood. The body would naturally merge the two." I pointed at the blood on the table. "And the result is me. My blood, capable of healing any injury or disease."
If there had been murmurs and whispers earlier, now there was only silence. Shock and disbelief.
Even Zekram, who had been relentlessly going after me, was quiet.
"That… is quite something." Zekram finally spoke, though nothing else followed.
"I knew your grandfathers, from both sides, spent a lot of time researching. But I never expected them to discover something… so valuable."
I didn't want to resort to this, but I had no choice. I had to turn myself into eye candy, something they wanted. I bet many of them were already thinking about experimenting on me.
Hell, even Ajuka was probably the same. Thankfully, I was too valuable for them to try anything reckless.
The one most affected was still Lord Phenex. He stood silent with a pale face. And trust me, for how annoying he'd been, I wasn't about to let him off so easily.
"Does that…" Lord Bael looked at me with something close to hope. "Does that mean your blood can truly cure Devil Sleeping Disease?"
I smiled. "The proof is right next to me."
His eyes shifted to Ingvild, then back to me.
"H-How much blood does it require?" he asked, almost desperately. "For the disease to be cured?"
I could've said an astronomical amount and shut them up. But after everything I'd gone through in this farce of a meeting—what was basically harassment—I deserved to get something out of it.
"A decent bit, though not enough to harm me."
Even a few drops worked… which I wasn't going to reveal.
His face lit up at my answer. He nodded heavily. I could guess what he was already planning, and I was looking forward to them.
"That… still doesn't change the fact that Ingvild Leviathan can take the position of the heiress of Leviathan." The damned old man was persistent. "If she wants, and it is for the betterment of the devil world, she can become the heiress and stop being your Queen."
Thankfully, since his earlier plans to blame me had fallen apart, his pull was weaker now.
Sure, the Leviathan name was important. But the revelation that a disease thought incurable could now be cured because of me put me on equal ground—if not higher.
This meant I was a lifeline to many of the Lords sitting here. And since my blood wasn't limited to curing just one disease, I had become a prized possession—even compared to the Leviathan name.
And if that wasn't enough, Ingvild finally found the courage to speak.
"I… I don't want to," she said at last. "I don't want to be an heiress. I don't want to stop being Faiser's Queen. And I don't want to be used in politics."
"You are not going to be used in politics, Ingvild." Surprisingly, it was Ajuka who spoke. "You have the right to choose."
"Every devil has the right to choose for themselves," Serafall added.
The crowd erupted in agreement.
"That's right!"
"Every devil can choose for themselves!"
Zekram's plan had fallen apart, and just like he tried to nail me to a cross—Ingvild did the same to him.
"A-And I heard that L-Lord Zekram despises half-bloods. Then how can I become an heiress when I have human blood mixed in mine?"
That statement was the nail in the coffin, sealing his loss and confirming my win.
He was quick to deny it, but no one believed him. So he tried to salvage—
"Your… case is different. Leviathan blood is special."
That was a stupid thing to say.
"So, does that mean the blood of the Lords sitting here means nothing compared to hers?" I asked, and that made the old devil scowl at me.
But while he scowled at me, the rest of the devil lords were glaring at him.
He had messed up. No—he fucked up.
"I believe," Falbium said, looking to his sides, "the Satans have come to an agreement."
"We, the Lords, have reached a conclusion too," added Lord Bael, who had possibly gone against his ancestor for the first time.
Except for Lord Phenex, everyone seemed to agree with Lord Bael.
Zekram could only clench his fists and remain quiet.
"Then it is decided," Sirzechs said. "Since Faiser Valefar-Barbatos has not lied to us, nor used the situation knowingly for his benefit, and only helped Ingvild Leviathan—waking her from a sleep that was said to be unbreakable…" He gave me a short smile. "And since Ingvild Leviathan refuses to take the heiress position of the Leviathan name, it is decided she will remain Faiser's Queen."
"The other ordeal was also not in his control," Lord Bael added. "The death of Katerea Leviathan was necessary and has helped our community by eliminating a known terrorist. That matter is also closed in Faiser's favor."
It was my win, and Zekram's loss. But while losing face was enough of a punishment for him, it wasn't the same for Lord Phenex.
So…
I raised my hand.
"Yes, Faiser?" Ajuka asked. "Do you have something to add?"
What was the Phenex family's greatest asset?
Their immortality? Maybe.
Their Phoenix Tears? Certainly.
And they had to maintain a limited flow of Phoenix Tears in the market. If they flooded it, the tears would lose value. If they made too many scarce, the price would bloat beyond reason and purchase would decline. So, they had to make up the rest of their income another way.
And that was through potions.
"In the treasury, I found documents detailing the creation of potions that could boost health, strength, demonic power… and even fertility."
That last word made everyone's ears perk up. Fertility. And I wasn't exaggerating—there really had been a document on a fertility potion that I'd previously ignored. But considering the devil fertility crisis, it was basically a gold mine.
I had already confirmed with Serafall that most pillars had their own potion formulas. Which meant most of the potions in my treasury were unique to my houses. Barbatos and Valefar were among the few pillars known for producing raw materials. And after the war, most of those herbs had gone extinct.
"My treasuries hold both male and female species of many extinct potion herbs," I said. "I can regrow them and restore their population. Then, I can recreate the potions mentioned in those records. Since some of the potions require those herbs, it'll take time to grow them first, but eventually, I can produce potions for a wide range of ailments and enhancements."
I was going to break the Phenex potion monopoly.
"I will need some help preserving the herb species," I added, "but I believe these potions will be a great help to the devil masses."
"Lord Valefar and Lord Barbatos were experts in potion making!" Mephisto Pheles exclaimed. "This was one of the subjects they bonded over. These potion formulas are more precious than any gold or gemstone!"
"We can help with providing laborers," Lord Bael and Lord Agares stated. "If there are fertility potions and potions to increase demonic power, it would be a great help for devilkind."
"T-That—" Lord Phenex wanted to say something, but how could he?
"You will guide me too, right Lord Phenex?" I asked, keeping a smile on my face. "After all, you are the potion expert, so I hope I can learn from you about the process and how the market works."
"I—" He was shaking in his boots and bit his lip. "O-Okay."
Got you, fucker!
"Great!" Lord Bael laughed. "Then I will have some people reach out to you. I believe this meeting is adjourned?"
"Yes," Serafall groaned, "I'm tired, get me out of here!" Whispering this last bit.
Some laughed, some didn't. But if anyone felt the worst—it wasn't even Zekram, it was Phenex.
And I loved that.
"Thank you," I heard Ingvild whisper.
[Congratulations! You have completed a hidden quest!]
[Quest Completed: Political Parkour!!
Condition Fulfilled: Deflect and win against all traps thrown at you during a political event twice in a row.]
[Reward Obtained: Golem Core]
[Golem Core: A core containing the sample of a thousand golems, can be used to create golems with different functionalities. Golem level ranges from Low Class to Middle Class]
I had only just begun. The devil world was going to change, and I planned to be the architect of it.
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{A/N:A/N: Got a pat reon named RedLamp01 with 30+ chapters.}