Chapter 719: True Demonlord [50]

December, the month of holidays, the month of vacations, and the month of fun. The significance of said time of year is partly to do with the Empire. Their culture, mostly acquired during the age of conquest, was notorious for absorbing the best of most and vanquishing the worst of all. In recent years, a global understanding through the use of the Arcanum has shown a greater impact on the overall intelligence and acceptance, like all else, there are limits to the rule. 

The cold, a pleasant companion to the festive season, was either loved or hated. Alphia's northern end didn't much feel the cold as opposed to the south. Winds blew harshly from the southeast, Carter Lake and the surrounding forestry kept the cold to the lowest possible temperature. Located farther up compared to the other towns, snow was prone to Fuda mountain – rare was it for the white flakes to stick and visit the town. 

9th of December galloped till 19th, '-same old, same old,' a gentle melody vibrated, '-guess I didn't sleep one bit. December always makes me weird,' he slithered to the bed's edge, '-how can I forget the 1st of December, what sort of friend forgets to pay respects to the fallen. Dorchester's so far away. Looking back, how many deaths have carved to my current station. Without the curse of misery, I wonder how many would have died instead. Ten-day went in a single breath…'

*Brr, brr,* [Notification from Julius Haggard] '-what's this about?' a video loaded, "-HELLO COUSIN!" yelled across, confetti canons, decoration in form of letters plastered across a poster filled wall, "-Julius, stop hogging the camera," said a drunken voice from the side, "-listen here," the camera sharply turned to the right, Aceline cupped it to her chest than was pulled back from efforts by Suga, "-don't get close, he won't see anything," he added nonchalantly.

"Give me the camera," ordered a noble lady, "-I apologize for their drunkard stupor," it moved back to show the entirety of Apexi, "-listen here, cousin. Apexi's thrown an end-of-year party, the idols and workers will leave on vacation. I haven't heard anything from Alphia, what are you even doing?"

"Don't forget about us," fired Aceline, "-you promised… I'm working my ass off here, better come back soon."

"Stop crowding the camera," a mild dispute stole what little inkling of sense remained.

"Nona speaking," spoke from outside the shot, "-Alphia must be a rough place for it to take so long. Julius wanted to shoot an update video, would have worked if the alcohol was kept far from their mouths."

"Everyone takes breaks, you should too. Don't forget about the lady," added Aceline, "-the little girl you so heroically rescued from Alphia. She's working hard to live up to expectations – it feels wrong, a hefty burden on the feeble shoulders."

"WAIT, WAIT!" echoed around the room, "-focus the camera here." It panned to a bare-chested Julius stood seductively atop the table, whatever seductively meant to a drunkard – half-dead eyes, drool down the face, sauce on the tailored trousers and a flushed expression, "-the reason I called is this, I haven't told anyone, you're the first, my loveable cousin. Malley and I have decided to get married!"

"HUH?" 

"HELL YEAH, I'M GETTING MARRIED," he danced and flailed the shirt, "-I'm getting married. Better get your ass home, cousin, I'm serious, you need to get back as soon as possible. It's happening in December, no idea on the date – there's the reason to return."

"Did I miss somethi-" the video ended the same time the sun rose.

'Julius is getting married, a world-class superstar turned husband material. What will the fans think?' phone to the pocket, '-I guess it's about time.' The morning routine shuffled along subconsciously. 

"Good morning master," echoed along the hallway.

"Good morning Starix," they turned for the stairs, "-we have similar sleeping patterns."

"Yes," she smiled.

"Bearing the persona of a lady today, what's the occasion?"

"Cora's asked me for a date, the man returns to the Shadow Realm later tonight. I thought I'd reminisce for my sake." Sizzling intruded the nostrils without mercy, "-good morning, Éclair and Midne."

"Good morning master," they replied, "-breakfast is just about ready."

"I'll set the table," added Starix. 

"The manor sure is lively," commented Igna, "-Midne, how's adjusting to the new life going?"

"Pretty good," she smiled, "-I received news from Brvya earlier, they're loving the life."

"Master," interjected Éclair, "-about the curse of Akina, the prince of Greed will join us at the Casino later today."

"We should discuss business." 

Since the acquisition of the assets, most of the valuables were stashed into the Shadow Realm's vault. "-today's a big day," added Éclair, "-the reopening of the casino, a private party, and auction."

"Yes, today's a big day for our company, Ravens," the car pulled out the De Costel stripe.

"Can it be any more blatant," he chuckled, "-an underground organization using the same on the surface; a bluff."

"More of a statement than anything." 

The recently cleaned brick wall stood magnificently. The block letters of Oathtall were replaced by Von, a name chosen at random from Asmodeus's arsenal of games. Lovely carpet went up the stairs inside, countless retainers went to and fro, the decoration sparkled in the coldish outside. 

"Master," hailed Kul in the distance, "-the interior's ready for inspection."

"Right on," he nodded. Éclair excused himself to tend other matters.

"Amazing," professed she, "-I never imagined us to own such a grand complex. The ground floor, a place of light-hearted gambling prominently harboring machines, lit melodically. The outside gave but a glance – naught could compare against the actual feel of the layout. It seemed to carry on forever. The tall ceiling bore various shapes, lights, and symbols of status and luxury. After the first area, a curve on the left side cut across the hall to the right. The separation created two levels, climbing the three simple stairs spoke volume for the customer – here, the games intensified. Dealers were scattered about. Among the popular were; roulette, poker, blackjack, just to name a few. Familiar faces from the gambling den watched the tables. What would a place of entertainment be without a bar – the latter sprawled immensely to the side, shimmering bottles and darkened hue. Sane folks already had a hard time figuring the layout, imagine those tipsy and without care, a trap to seep money, the house never loses. Ground floor, complete. The first floor stood sternly. Guards stationed atop the stairs, well-muscled and bearing firearms. 

'This must be the host part of the building,' they entered. A stage in the top right corner and seamlessly partitioned rooms. 

"We've repurposed the club for the party," added Kul, "-the stage will host the private auction." Fountain of drinks, tables filled by food on silver wear dispersed to the left side, seats were readied before the large stage. The extravagant show cost a pretty penny, everything looked to be in excess.

"And the second floor?" 

"The chefs are ready to welcome the guests," said she proudly, "-the restaurant's amazing," no-cost was spared in the preparation. 

Lifts to the top floor opened, "-master, the auctioning team has arrived," said a retainer. 

"I'll be there in a minute, have Kul handle the arrangements."

Trucks carried the items via a heavy-duty lift at the back, "-greetings," hailed Kul.

"Greetings, my name's Sophie Mirabelle, I'm in charge of tonight's auction. I must admit, I never expected the young noble to host such a party."

"Will there even be spenders?" scowled a younger man.

"Meet Candice, the auctioneer."

"Lovely to meet you," returned Kul, "-I wouldn't worry – my lord has arranged for interesting guests to be present."

"Master," a flustered Éclair scurried up the stairs.

"What's the matter?"

"The guest list keeps on growing," he panted. 

"The party is privately open, the guests are free to bring along whoever they want."

"That's the problem," he held the tablet, "-the guests are of high-caliber, we're talking multimillionaires, collectors, nobility, stars, starlets, politicians, the favorable electoral candidate, are among those we've never met. Even the Godfathers are paying a visit to the newly opened casino; tis a recipe for disaster."

"I invited them," said Igna, "-Igna Haggard is the name of a Viscount in Hidros. I've invited the imperial family to visit," cigar lit, "-everyone will be present. Security needs to be on point, I've already summoned veterans from the Shadow Realm, they're on patrol. I wouldn't worry, if matters go south, Vengeance's already on the prowl." 

Éclair watched," he's not even bothered." 

'The domino effect?' light skips against the carpeted stairs led to the ground floor, '-I invited the Imperial family, Thomas Edson from Stiol, Sophie Mirabelle from the auctioning faction, the police chief, don't remember talking to any stars nor nobles. The centerpiece for tonight is a painting from the goddess of Arts and Craft, she made two identical copies. Jean Frank, Calious Bagard, and Julia Dahli have sent their pieces to be sold. Three heavy-hitting names in the world of arts. Oathtall sure had a thing for rare books, among which are the Grimoire of Youth and the Necrolaon by Kieoa.'

"Lord Igna."

"Lady Sophie, good to see thee in good health. Have the pieces been taken upstairs?"

"Yes, they have," she smiled, "-the guest list is very impressive."

"I only recently learned of it myself," he chuckled, "-there's plenty to go around. Candice is here as well."

"A hello would have been nice," he refuted.

"Still holding a grudge from way back then, how very admirable. There's plenty to go around, have a look after the preparations are readied."

"Sure," came a reluctant nod, "-lady Sophie, why did we accept to host the auction?"

"Connections are what pushes a man forth; the viscount knows how to make an impression."

Time flashed 15:00, preparations were in full swing downstairs. Black mist fell quietly across the tiled floor, "-MAMMON!" a portal shut.

"ASMODEUS!" 

"Good to see you, brother," they tightly embraced, "-you truly were reincarnated from the curse, I never thought the day would come."

"Same here, you've grown in the centuries, how big's the harem now?"

"Words won't do them justice," a snarky grin foretold of a bad idea.

"-Not now," quick to pinch his ears, "-Prince of Lust, best keep the libido in check till later."

"I'm sorry," side-stepped, "-why be so forceful… Kul."

"Mammon," thundered across the room.

'The renowned watcher of the Shadow Realm, if brother's taken to the man, I wonder how impressive he looks,' the view cleared onto the desk, the chair rotated to a slender man bearing a pretty visage and a nice suit. 

"Huh?" escaped, "-who's the kid?"

"Shut it," gritted Asmo.

"No, this has to be a joke, come on brother, the prince of lust couldn't have bowed to this…" large strides to the desk, "-are you really the watcher of the Shadow Realm, the man who's subjugated gods and demons alike?"

"Yes," smoke puffed, "-the generals must have recounted the stories. Mammon, Prince of Greed, tell me, what makes a man strong?"

"The aura," returned immediately, "-the aura of oppression and power."

"Aura?" fingers to Mammon, "-Kneel," a burst of energy forced him onto the ground, "-lower thy head." 

'What is this,' the body cowered under pressure, '-I can't even look him in the eye, is this…'

"Should I continue or?"

"I y-yield."

"Fine," jumped to the front, "-Mammon, Prince of Greed and wealth, I'd like to welcome thee to the family."

"-I apologize for the insolence. That was foolish of me," he accepted the helping hand, "-what are my orders, sire?"

"Work with Asmodeus, twins need to be together. Greed, Lust, Gambling, and Wealth; a perfect combination for tonight's party. Head into town and purchase appropriate attire." 

Chatter escaped, the room dulled, '-the view onto the stripe sure is nice. The Crescent Mall, a marvel of architecture. Hopefully, the families won't cause trouble.'

"Master, preparations are complete. Princess Loftha's arrived earlier than predicted."

"Send her up; have the staff take a break, there are three hours before the event."

"Yes, master."