Currently, there were six people around me besides Ingvild.
The four Satans stood there, each holding something in their hands. Papers, to be precise, though I had no idea what was written on them.
Lord Bael held a wooden box, while Zekram stood across from me with his arms crossed.
"Being a lord is no easy task," he began, his voice amplified by magic. "The responsibilities feel more like a burden than power. As a lord, you will be held accountable for events even if you had no part in them. You will be forced to work even when you wish to rest, and you will have to care for others more than you can care for yourself."
The heirs of many pillars were lazy or uncaring, but I had never seen a single lord just laze around. Every time I visited one—even Lord Phenex—they were always busy.
So, he wasn't lying.
"As a lord, you will be one of the decision makers—the committee of the seventy-two pillars just under the Satans," he continued. "As a lord, you will have people under you. Not just your blood family or your peerage, but everyone who swears loyalty and fealty to you will become your family. And as their lord, as the patriarch, you will have to look after them, care for them, and protect them, even if it costs you your life."
I didn't say a word, letting him carry on.
"Once you become a lord, no one will see your mistakes as simple mistakes—they will be seen as failures. You will be held responsible, and you will have to pay for them, whether in money or in power. As a lord, no one will see you as a youngster, but as someone who stands beside them—or above them. You will not have the leeway heirs get. You will not have a comfortable time. And as the lord of two pillars that long since fell, you will be starting from the ground, needing more effort and work than even the hardest-working lords."
Was he asking me to step down? Or was he actually worried?
"Even with all these difficulties, do you still accept lordship over not one, but two fallen pillars, Faiser Valefar-Barbatos?"
That was a no-brainer. I was more of a workaholic than a hedonist—opposite of what Faiser was supposed to be.
And if I worked hard now, rebuilt the pillars, I'd still have thousands of years ahead of me to be exactly that—a lazy devil.
Work hard now, retire with everything later.
"I do." For once in my life, I didn't have to serve a powerful person just for the chance to sit at the powerful table. I was at the table now.
"Then let me explain the requirements of being a lord, which you have met," the old man said, surprisingly less bitter than usual. "A devil can be a lord if he possesses the blood of the seventy-two."
Valefar and Barbatos—two strong houses.
"They must also either hold the title of heir, or be the last surviving successor of their house."
Well, I was definitely the heir of Barbatos—and the last survivor of Valefar.
"You must have an estate to your name, to your family's name."
I had both—the Barbatos estate and the Valefar estate. Massive lands. And I was still supposed to get more of it back. So far, only Lord Bael had handed me the papers.
"You must have awakened the bloodline ability of the Pillar, though that rule no longer stands."
He glanced toward Lord Bael, didn't he?
"You meet all these requirements," he said. "There are more, but they aren't rules—just necessities once you have more people under you."
I knew what he meant.
"When your peerage grows and more people serve you, you'll be responsible for looking after them, protecting them, and providing for them." He looked toward the Satans. "Though the Satans seem willing to help, it will not be enough. You will still need to work for it."
With more people serving me, I would be obligated to provide work for them, giving them chances to settle down in houses built on my lands. And with people under me, I would need to protect them—and my land.
I would need an army. Legions. Every devil pillar had legions.
"Are you willing to make the effort?" he asked. I nodded without hesitation.
"I am. I am willing to do whatever it takes to protect my pillars, my devils, and my territories," I said with confidence. "I am willing to work for it."
He finally seemed satisfied and gave a faint, approving smile.
"Then," his voice rose, echoing all the way to the farthest edge of the crowd, "I, Zekram Bael, the oldest living devil, one of the Elders, former Lord of Bael, announce—with the permission of the Satans and the lords of the Seventy-Two—that from this moment onward, Faiser Valefar-Barbatos shall be referred to as Lord Faiser Valefar-Barbatos, not heir. He has been granted lordship over the pillars of Barbatos and Valefar, and the responsibilities that come with it."
His head turned toward Mauris Bael and then back. "Congratulations, Lord Faiser. You now stand equal to everyone here, barring the Satans."
Applause broke out around me. I heard the enthusiastic claps from Ingvild, the Gremorys, the Sitris, the Baels, and many more houses. Some clapped reluctantly, and others seemed conflicted—Phenex being an example.
But none of that mattered. What mattered was Lord Bael walking toward me with the wooden box he had been carrying.
"Lordship is signified by many things, but as official proof, you will receive the documents very soon," Zekram explained, reminding me just how buried in bureaucracy the devil world was. They were absurdly formal when it came to status and power. "But aside from papers, these sigils signify your lordship."
The box opened, revealing two brooches—circular, with black outer rims. The rims carried the sigils of all the houses in tiny detail, with the symbols of Lucifer, Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus glowing brighter than the rest. But the brightest part was the centerpiece.
The Barbatos brooch had a purple centerpiece, with the Barbatos sigil larger than every other, set in the middle and shining with a faint glow.
The Valefar brooch was the same, but with a golden centerpiece and the sigil of Valefar.
"Accept it, Lord Faiser."
And I did, picking them up as the crowd applauded again.
"You don't need to wear them all the time—it's not a necessity. But whenever you represent your houses, or devil society as a whole, you should wear them."
The brooches were nice enough that I'd probably wear them most of the time anyway, but I still nodded and let Zekram pin them onto my coat.
"Congratulations," he said again. "On becoming lord."
He said it softly, and for the first time, I realized he wasn't as bitter as before—or at least he hid it well.
He stepped back, leaving space for me to deliver my speech. It wasn't much. I didn't like speeches or long talks, but I still thanked everyone.
With that done, I felt Ingvild step closer, slipping her hand around my arm, playing her part as my queen.
As the event wound down, only the gift-giving remained.
First came the pillars. Each presented something of value—potions, gold, jewelry, or keepsakes tied to their house. They were nice, but the true gifts came from the great pillars.
The Baels and the Agares, for example, each granted me portions of their land, a few structures, and antiques of importance. Lord Bael even presented me with a fragment of the Original Leviathan's Trident.
[Storing the Broken Piece of Leviathan's Trident in the Inventory.]
Finally, the Satans stepped forward with papers in hand.
"As the Satans, we four are responsible for looking after the pillars, just as the pillars must look after the devils they protect," Sirzechs declared. "The houses of Barbatos and Valefar—especially Lord Faustus Barbatos and Isolde Valefar, the eldest daughter of Valefar—gave everything to Devil society, even their lives. We can never repay that debt. We failed them, as we could not protect their pillars. Even Lord Faiser suffered for it."
They were building me up, validating the gifts.
"Lord Faiser endured five hundred years of suffering because of our failure, yet he never blamed us or Devil society. He even brought down Katerea Leviathan, a major figure in the Old Satan Faction," Serafall added, smiling softly at me.
"And as such," Falbium continued, "we four Satans shall grant the pillars what they deserve."
"Firstly," Ajuka announced, "Lord Faiser's estate will be safeguarded by the magic of the Satans, as well as protective creations I have prepared—tools and weapons that will defend him and those under him."
Zekram didn't bother opposing me this time. He stood leaning in a corner, silent. The murmurs from the crowd carried, but with neither Zekram, Lord Bael, nor even the other Lords like Phenex speaking against me—he couldn't, after all—no one else had the weight to object.
"Secondly," Sirzechs said, "he will be provided with the most skilled workers—maids, butlers, and estate staff—chosen from among the best."
"Thirdly," Serafall added, "we will establish factories, trade routes, and other commercial hubs for the Valefar and Barbatos territories." That drew more murmurs. Lord Phenex clenched his fists but still held his tongue.
Finally, Falbium revealed the last gift. "And lastly, to protect him and his lands, we shall provide several elite legions, while he raises the rest himself."
The hall erupted in whispers, but still, the powerful devils stayed quiet. I even caught Mephisto Pheles smirking and shaking his head, while Zekram remained in his corner, unmoved.
As for me?
I couldn't be happier.
[Hidden Quest Completed!]
[Quest (Completed): The One That Rules
Objective (Cleared): Earn the Lordship of both Valefar and Barbatos Pillars]
[Reward: Pendant of Resistance]
[Pendant of Resistance: Grants 500% resistance to fire, freeze/slowness, poison, paralysis, and confusion. Also grants full immunity to these effects for ten minutes. Immunity is an active effect that can be triggered with a thought and has a three-hour cooldown.]
I was now a Lord.
Lord Faiser.
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{A/N: Got a pat reon named RedLamp01 with 30+ chapters. }