[244] The Schemes Behind The Back

[244] The Schemes Behind The Back

Chapter 244: The Schemes Behind The Back

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His mansion was as grand as the Satans’ castles, but it always felt suffocating. The fact that it was only this little land that he ruled, rather than all of the underworld, Rizevim found this place suffocating. Yet today, the yard of the mansion felt even more suffocating than usual as Rizevim Livan Lucifer landed with a thud, his boots sinking slightly into the dark soil.

He was annoyed.

The sky above this part of the underworld was perpetually covered in a thick, ominous haze, a constant reminder of its bleak existence. Lilith followed closely behind him, her expression blank as ever, but Rizevim didn’t spare her a glance.

“O-oh, your highness! You’re back,” the devil servants stationed at the entrance immediately bowed deeply upon his arrival. Their postures were stiff, almost mechanical, and their faces showed fear, but he didn’t care enough to even acknowledge them.

His mood was soured, and the groveling of lowly devils was the last thing he wanted to deal with.

Annoyance bubbled under his skin as he stormed past them, his pace quick and deliberate, heading straight for the dark interior of the mansion. The heavy doors creaked open as if sensing their master’s foul mood, and the dimly lit halls welcomed him with an eerie silence. He clicked his tongue, and his footfalls echoed sharply, the only sound that accompanied him into the depths of his home.

Things were getting out of hand up there.

Rizevim clenched his fists as the thought gnawed at him. He had been too occupied with matters in the Underworld – the current Satans, the Ogdoad Pantheon, and other things that came with the surge of Icons – to personally go after Gasper Vladi. That had allowed the little vampire brat to stay safe all this time, somehow surviving all the mercenaries he’d been sending after him. And now... Aquamarine was back.

Aquamarine. Just the name made him grumble in annoyance. That damned bastard, who was nothing but a mere doctor in his past life, was the one complicating everything. How dare a mortal mess all his plans like this? The most frustrating part was that that brat likely didn’t even know what he had done.

If he hadn’t returned from wherever he’d disappeared to, Gasper would have been an easy target for Fenrik Stormclaw. Now Kuoh was crawling with powerhouses. It would’ve been risky enough with just him and his stupid sect, but now Yasaka, and more importantly that damned snake, Quetzalcoatl, had joined forces with him too. The mere thought of it all made Rizevim’s blood boil.

He sighed, his footsteps slowing as he reached the mansion’s grand hall. T

he air here was thick with the stench of sulfur and brimstone, remnants of the last ritual he’d performed to secure his hold on the lower realms. Everything about this place annoyed him. Rizevim grumbled.

Lilith, who had been trailing behind him, finally spoke up, her voice soft but curious. “What’s wrong?”

Her question, innocent and direct, made Rizevim’s jaw tighten. He almost wanted to growl at her like a petulant child, but what would be the point? Lilith wouldn’t understand his frustrations. She was just a tool—useful, powerful, but ultimately lacking any true understanding of the intricacies at play here.

Still, the temptation to vent was strong. He swallowed the urge, suppressing the urge to lash out. Instead, he allowed a frustrated sigh to escape his lips, running a hand through his silvery hair.

The many mercenaries he’d hired—he’d paid them in advance, handsomely so—and what had they done? They’d failed, every last one of them. Not only that, they’d died miserably. It had been a massive waste of resources, and now, with Aquamarine and his allies patrolling Kuoh like military, any future attempts would be even harder.

He gritted his teeth. “What a mess...” he muttered, more to himself than to Lilith.

“What mess?” she asked, tilting her head. Her blank eyes stared at him, her innocence almost mockingly out of place in this dark mansion.

Rizevim glanced at her, holding back another wave of irritation. What was the point in explaining? Lilith wouldn’t care about the politics, the underhanded deals, or the complex web of power plays here. And yet, something about her question sparked a thought in him. Maybe talking it out loud would help his head clear up.

With a deep breath, he turned to face her fully. “It’s Aquamarine, called the White Tiger Sage or something, I cannot bother,” he started, his voice dripping with frustration. “As well as his band of powerhouses in Kuoh. They’ve made things... difficult.”

Lilith blinked as if waiting for him to continue.

“I can’t leave the Underworld right now, and neither can you,” he admitted, his tone almost begrudging. “Then again, even if we did, getting to Gasper would be hard, not with those three guarding him. Quetzalcoatl, Yasaka, and Aquamarine? They’re too much to handle in one clean mission. You might be able to defeat them together, but then the mission wouldn’t be clean.” He clenched his fists, his mind racing through the obstacles standing in his way. “I don’t wanna cause a mess I don’t want to clean up.”

Lilith said nothing, simply staring at him. “Hmm.”

He scoffed, shaking his head. “I need... scapegoats.”

“Scapegoats?” Lilith echoed, blinking again. “What do you mean?”

Rizevim’s eyes shone. He smirked. Indeed, talking out loud helped. His mind finally found some clarity. Yes, that is the solution. If I can't do it cleanly, then I’ll just make someone else dirty their hands. He needed vanguards, ones who could stand in front of him to distract Aquamarine and the others long enough for him to get what he wanted.

As she pondered, blowing another bubble, she suddenly heard a voice behind her.

“Huh, this is the same hill we were peeking from, remember Irina?”

“....!”

Her entire body tensed, her tail puffing up in alarm. She spun around on instinct, kicking out at the source of the voice with a speed most couldn’t match. But her feet met resistance—someone had blocked her strike with ease.

“What the hell?!” Kuroka hissed, leaping back and landing in a crouch, her eyes narrowing at the two figures in front of her. She knew those faces. “Irina... and Xenovia?”

The two of them stood casually in the moonlight, looking at her like they hadn’t just blocked her attack like it was nothing. Irina was grinning, her arms crossed over her chest, while Xenovia looked as serious as ever, her sword gleaming at her side.

Kuroka’s mind raced. There had been old bounty missions out for these two in the Adventurer Guild—they had gone missing and had to be found. A few had tried taking the mission, but they didn’t find them anywhere.

What were they doing here, of all places?

She didn’t have time to think. She needed to get out of here now. From what she knew they weren’t that strong, but they had just blocked her attack with ease. It was a strong attack that she launched in nervousness, the strength wasn’t controlled, but they looked just like. There was no way she was sticking around to fight both of them!

Turning on her heel, Kuroka darted away, her feet light and fast as she tried to make her escape. But before she could get more than a few steps, Irina appeared in front of her, cutting off her path with a speed that made Kuroka’s eyes widen.

How is she this fast?!

Gritting her teeth, Kuroka tried to slip past her, but Xenovia grabbed her by the collar, yanking her back before she could even blink.

“Oh, come on!” Kuroka growled, her claws flexing instinctively. She wanted to fight, but she already realized it would be pointless. They were stronger than her—each of them. Just enough to make a fight a bad idea to fight them one-on-one, but they were two. She couldn’t win, fighting would only bring pain.

So, instead of lashing out, she chuckled nervously, raising her hands in a gesture of surrender. “Oops! I don’t think you ladies plan to kill me, do you? Haha...” Her laugh was weak, and her ears flattened against her head in an attempt to appear less threatening.

Irina raised an eyebrow at her, unimpressed. “That’s up to our Lord,” she said, her tone sharp as she stepped forward and slapped Kuroka’s wrists.

A bright, holy light flared to life around Kuroka’s wrists, binding them together in glowing shackles. The sudden sting of the magic made her flinch, making her lips twitch, and she stared at the glowing binds in disbelief.

“Holy restraints? Seriously?” she muttered under her breath, more annoyed than anything. She wasn’t even a full-on bad guy anymore!

But the two girls didn’t give her a chance to argue. Xenovia and Irina each grabbed an arm and started pulling her toward the Hoshino household. That made Kuroka blink, as she grumbled under her breath. So when she said ‘lord,’ she meant him.

In that case, she didn’t have to fight them. This was better, no? Maybe this isn’t the worst thing that could’ve happened. After all, she was being taken directly to the person she’d been trying to find all this time.

Maybe I’ll get to meet Aquamarine sooner than expected...

Starting now, she had to play nice.

[Image Here]

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