Chapter 421: Fall of Gold (5)

Chapter 421: Fall of Gold (5)

Barbatos’ hand was as cold as ice.

“Dantalian, you’re playing dumb on purpose, aren’t you?”

I turned only my upper body to look at Barbatos. It seems she had no intention of letting me go as she continued to glare at me while holding on to my wrist. Due to our height difference, she had to look up at me.

“Playing dumb? What for?”

“We can just absorb the Mountain Faction while we’re at it. That’d be the simplest and most certain solution. This way, you and Zepar won’t have to bow your heads. All our issues will be solved if we use this chance to erase everything that bitch Paimon left behind.”

Her lion-like golden eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

“You said they’re all gathered in the palace, right? Perfect. This is our chance. We can wipe them out all at once.”

“.......Are you out of your mind, Barbatos?”

I was so taken aback that I let out a hollow laugh.

“All they want is a simple apology. You don’t even have to apologize yourself. If I bow my head, everything ends happily and safely. But no, you can’t bring yourself to bow your head, so you’d rather start a war?”

“We haven’t done anything wrong. Zepar did nothing wrong, you did nothing wrong, and I certainly did nothing fucking wrong either. Dantalian, I fail to see why we should apologize to that filthy dog.”

It seemed Barbatos was completely serious.

“That’s what politics is.”

“Politics is a means established among at least seemingly equal individuals. I’m the most powerful Demon Lord, you know?”

Barbatos’ grip on my wrist tightened.NewW novels updates at novelhall.com

“We no longer need politics.”

“........”

“There was only one reason why I hadn’t been able to crush the Mountain Faction until now. It was because that bitch Paimon was popular among the demons. People are naturally drawn to women who giggle like some whore. But now, Paimon is dead.”

Barbatos’ lips twisted into a smile.

“And Sitri proved just how foolish she is. She slaughtered nearly a hundred thousand demons, innocent people. She forgot that her faction’s lifeline is the demons and instead killed them herself. What an idiot.......”

“Thanks to her, the Mountain Faction has united as one.”

“A bunch of weaklings banding together isn’t enough to scare even a passing dog.”

Barbatos was hitting the nail on the head.

Thanks to Sitri’s reign of terror, the Mountain Faction had come together as one even in such dire times. But the problem was public opinion.

Currently, the demons were mourning Paimon’s death. The atmosphere was one where even tearing apart the archdukes, who assassinated Paimon, limb by limb wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the masses. However, in regard to Sitri’s massacre, which indiscriminately wiped out civilians unrelated to the archdukes, the sentiment was......naturally, very negative.

Bloody Sitri, this was Sitri’s new nickname.

However, no one could raise their voice to complain.

Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t.

The most powerful figures in the demon world were killed off so easily. One hundred thousand citizens were buried in just over ten days. In such a situation, there was no demon bold enough to curse Sitri. All of them had already been buried, after all.

So, in other words:

“Sitri is digging her own grave.”

If it were a Demon Lord and not just a demon, since fellow Demon Lords are the only ones who can oppose one another, it would be possible to criticize Sitri even in this situation.

“Demon Lords are responsible for demonkind. Sitri, who has forgotten this duty and rampaged out of personal vengeance, no longer deserves to call herself a Demon Lord. For the sake of demonkind, I have to eliminate Sitri.”

This was probably the decisive reason for Barbatos.

She had been waiting quietly because she wasn’t able to seize a golden opportunity. From her perspective, Sitri purging Belial was exactly what she had desperately been hoping for. Eliminating the Mountain Faction and having the Plains Faction represent the will of demons had been her long-standing ambition. This was the opportunity to achieve that goal.......

“Dantalian, I told you in Bruno. You can’t be a brat now. You must become a Demon Lord who carries the consensus of all demons on your back. If there is ever a moment when we must become kings—this is probably that exact moment.”

“.......”

“Eliminate the lunatic who massacred one hundred thousand of her own people. There is no room for personal feelings like guilt here.”

Barbatos lightly tapped my chest with her fist.

“I’ll persuade that geezer Marbas. You go persuade Vassago and Gamigin. It shouldn’t be hard since they’d both dance naked in the middle of a desert if you asked them to. The only hurdle is convincing that old man.”

Barbatos then began to walk past me. The white-haired Demon Lord slowly trod the stone path in the back garden, which had darkened as clouds obscured the moon.

“If you absolutely can’t kill Sitri......come and tell me directly. I’ll respect your decision if you tell me that you can’t partake in this. Though I’ll be very disappointed in you. Very much so.”

The sound of her footsteps grew fainter until it eventually disappeared into the air.

I was left alone in the garden.

Barbatos had a tendency to force me to choose between two options, and this time was no different. Paimon or me. Sitri or me. She made the vague and unclear situation become distant. However, the responsibility for the choice was mine to bear.

I didn’t resent that.

I didn’t want to blame Barbatos.

From the beginning, it was my fault for trying to have everything. I thought I could control and manage the Plains Faction, the Mountain Faction, the Neutral Faction, and even the unaffiliated Demon Lords. You could call this immature confidence. Naturally, the factions and individuals who had been at odds for thousands of years weren’t going to shed their long-standing grievances just because of me.

Even if it hadn’t taken this form, I would have had to cut off either Barbatos or Paimon eventually.

I figured it would happen at least ten years later.

But Paimon and Barbatos judged it to be an immediate issue.

That was why Paimon made the bold move with the republican representative meeting, and Barbatos utilized the archdukes in the demon world to assassinate Paimon. Both believed that if it was inevitable, they should strike first. They thought that if they didn’t act first, they would be the ones to suffer.

“.......”

In the end, was it me who was clumsy?

Did I make a mistake somewhere?

Barbatos, whether intentionally or unintentionally, pointed it out very accurately. I had to forever bear the responsibility. This was something I felt thoroughly when Paimon’s warm blood soaked my palms......

I turned and walked in the direction of Gamigin’s bedroom.

I was now going to persuade Gamigin followed by Vassago. It was impossible to stop now. Neither Barbatos, nor I, nor Sitri could stop.......

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Things really feel like they’re falling apart for Dantalian. I wonder if he’ll actually be able to salvage things somehow. Tho, considering everyone’s personality, that might be difficult.

In any case, I was a bit busy with family stuff over the weekend. Went to see my dad again cause he wanted to see me and my mum this time. His voice sounded okay, but he’s struggling a lot more to walk. He’s at least making sure to eat his meals properly, so I guess that’s a good sign.

In any case, life stuff happens, FFXIV stuff happens, distractions distractions. I wonder if I’m feeling less motivated cause of how things are progressing right now in DD... Maybe...

Welp, I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.