The Underworld.
It was noon, and the portal spit me out at a mansion that was large by the standards of humans, but not demons. It was fairly plain and spacious, with lots of windows, rooms, and so on, but inside I could sense only two unfamiliar signatures, one of which was definitely Sairaorg's mother.
- "I can feel my blood," the voice of a mature woman suddenly said the demon Valupa, who had the appearance of a lion with griffin wings.
- "Oh, so Sairaorg's mother is from your clan? Interesting, interesting," I thought, "Now I see why Nemean Regulus, one of the Longinus who had the form of a lion, recognized him as his master. But still, why did Misla fall into a coma so abruptly? Clan Bael, I presume?"
- "I'm sure it was. Not the best solution, but not the worst. Any tool can be used, even if it is fragile and weak," I heard the voice of the demon Bael.
- "Your colleague is calculating and cunning, as we have already learned. He must have had some plan for them," I shrugged and headed for the front door that lay across the small garden and stone fence.
- "Perhaps he wanted to marry him off to the child of some clan to try and gain more power and connections. After all, he's already infiltrated mine," Gremory spoke up.
- "I doubt it's that simple. Our observations and your colleague's words indicate his preference for long-term planning," Agares interjected.
- "How long have you had this new hobby?" Listening to their discussions, I asked.
- "They are children, Romany. And when children are bored, they tend to look for new entertainment," Sitri replied.
- "Trying to sound cool, Sitri?" Gremory said indignantly.
- "Just ignore it," said Phenex, "They just can't get over the fact that Sitri and I liked your offspring better than theirs."
- "Slander!" Bael parried.
- "That's right!" Gremory supported him.
- "I'm fine with it," Agares said indifferently.
- "Goetia, the love of my life, would you be so kind as to subdue your children?"
- "Hey!" Gremory exclaimed.
- "Your Majesty, you won't let the Magician..." Bael was about to say when Goetia interrupted him.
- "It is time for the children to go to bed," he said in a stern tone that silenced the demons, but he sounded tired, "Romani, I offer the same as I did then. You don't touch me, and I don't touch you."
- "Of course. Get some rest," I grinned.
Apparently, the demons of the Nasuverse had become more human-like under the influence of this world than they had been before. They looked like the same children that, again, were looking for something to do. Goetia, on the other hand, as a father of many children, was watching them and was obviously tired, and so was looking for a moment of peace. Poor guy.
With these thoughts I reached the doors of the mansion, and before I could make any indication of my arrival, they opened, revealing Sairaorg and his entourage, as well as some demon in a butler's uniform.
- "Oh? I feel like I'm some sort of incredibly important guest," I grinned.
- "You are," Sairaorg smiled.
- "That was irony, my lord. You should learn to recognize it, but you refuse," said the girl closest to him.
- "Come on, Quisha! I can spend that time practicing," he laughed, "And we've already tried, but it didn't work, right?"
- "Because you always fall asleep," she shook her head, which made him laugh.
So, this was Quisha Abaddon, Queen of Sairaorg. She had the same attractive appearance as other demons with the sounding surname: blonde hair, green eyes, and dark clothes with open shoulders, belly, and cleavage, and was apparently used to her king's honest character.
- "Lord Archiman, this is..."
- "Let's skip the introductions and head straight to your mother, I'm not here for long." I interrupted him.
- "As you wish," he nodded, not taking my words for rudeness, unlike the butler.
We walked through the long corridors and found ourselves in front of a closed door. Sairaorg opened it carefully and almost silently and stepped into the room, and I followed.
The first thing that caught my eye, of course, was the large bed where Misla lay. She had medium-long black hair, the same color as Sairaorg's, that is, but her body looked weak and skinny, which is expected of a human, at this moment a demon in a coma. And the sunken cheeks, painfully pale skin, and bones peeking through the skin were also present.
And as we approached her bed, I took a quick look around the room.
The room was clean, but... empty, I suppose, when compared to the ones I'd seen, of course. Minimal furniture and almost no decorations, just a bed, a closet, a chair, and a dresser, which again was empty. No, there were fresh flowers, carnations of some sort, and I assumed Sairaorg had brought them here. And he must have done it regularly.
While Sairaorg stood patiently waiting, I put a finger to Misla's forehead and ran my mana through her body, then raised an eyebrow.
One interesting fact about Misla's coma had come to light, but Sairaorg didn't want to talk about it just yet. After all, they needed to allow some time for a touching moment.
My mana did its job, and a few seconds later Misla slowly opened her eyes, which turned out to be purple, again, just like her son's. And at this point I silently walked through Sairaorg, barely containing my emotions, and left the room. However, I was met there by that butler, and I also sensed the presence of another demon in the mansion.
- "The shadow of demons wants to meet you, reincarnation of King Solomon. Follow me," he said coldly, to which I smiled sweetly.
- "Oh? Are you trying to order me around? Well, well, well, how important we are. You really think you can get away with it, huh?"
-0-
- "May I ask you to let him go, Mr. Archaman?" Zekram Bael himself, as primal as Runeas, asked. He looked like a late middle-aged man with black hair and purple eyes. Everything about him screamed of his high status and a follower of the old traditions, which matched what was written in the wiki, "You have my word, he will be punished for disrespecting you."
- "Come on, as if you care about his life, old Zeki," I said, sitting on the couch in one of the living room-like rooms of the mansion.
The butler who had insulted me was currently hovering to the side of us in an extremely awkward and ridiculous pose. Imagine a cat with one leg up and ready to lick itself, and it will become clear to you. He was in no pain, but the discomfort and shame were still there.
- "More use is made of the living than the dead, Mr. Archaman. I thought you knew that."
- "I didn't, thanks for the tip," I waved my hand, and he still maintained his polite and calm demeanor, "You know, your words are strikingly similar to your coworker. And yes, I'm well aware of what you know."
- "About the fact that you are not of this world? Of course," Zekram said, "I also know that you have discovered the cause of my son's wife's affliction. What do you think of that?"
- "Nothing surprising. A poison that disrupts the flow of mana in the demon's body, causing it to put its host into a coma in an attempt to keep him alive but not kill him," I grinned, "I suppose you wanted to give your offspring an extra incentive when you noticed his progress and see what happens, didn't you? Too much like humans, if you know what I mean."
- "And what makes you think this is my doing and not the current Lord Bael's?"
- "You've practically admitted outright that this butler serves you. I'm not much of a schemer, but I can pick up on subtleties like that."
- "That's gratifying. My son should learn from you, for he never makes decisions on his own," he nodded, referring to the current Lord Bael, Sairaorg's father and Misla's ex-husband, "And your answer is very accurate. Misla though she gave birth to a child without the Power of Destruction, but she is still the blood of Valupa. And my grandson is now the strongest in the current generation at the moment and is the heir to the clan, even though my son is displeased."
- "You're taking credit for him?" I grinned, "Anyway, why did you call me here?"
- "I know about your deal with Sirzechs, and I'm willing to give you information about the Mother."
Hmm, now that's interesting. That Sirzechs had asked for his help was not a surprise to me, after all, the archives could have gotten damaged over such a long period of time. However...
- "Oh? For free? That's not very noble."
- "Of course not. In return, I want you and Sirzechs to be debt-free. Is that acceptable?"
Yeah, that's it. Except it indirectly indicates that my playing with the heirs, well, with Sairaorg before Rizevim intervened, was Zekram's idea, not Sirzechs's. An old demon like Zekram was unlikely to do anything for free and without profit to himself, and there must have been some sort of arrangement between them. The business of nobles was trade, in word or deed, and right now Zekram was simply overcharging.
- "That will depend on what I get, because we both realize that my position is far superior to yours, right?" I smirked, to which Zekram still nodded calmly and agreeably, "So, I'm listening."
-0-
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