Chapter 307: Importance of Diplomacy!
In the background, Kan paled visibly.
The old patriarch had expected many possible outcomes from this conversation. What he had not expected was Damian smiling.
Jugra had practically announced that the Sin of Gluttony viewed him as unworthy of his inheritance and intended to drag him back half dead. Such words would have enraged most princes. Yet Damian simply sat upon his floating throne with one leg crossed over the other, studying the Ifrit with the same expression a merchant might wear after discovering an unexpectedly valuable item.
There was even a hint of delight hidden within his eyes.
"After everything that has happened so far, do you still feel the same way?" Damian asked calmly.
Jugra nodded without hesitation.
"Our initial intent was to secure you quietly so that the other princes could not trace your disappearance back to us, so we with held our strength. However, our cover has already been blown. There is no longer any need for subtlety."
His voice remained respectful, but there was an unmistakable confidence beneath it.
The situation had changed.
Originally, Rah’s rescue had been a convenient excuse. Now it was merely a secondary objective.
According to Lord Gluttony, they were to assist the Kosaks in recovering their princess if possible. However, their true purpose had always been Damian.
At this point, Rah’s survival was no longer guaranteed. But Damian’s capture remained valuable. That alone made the risk worthwhile.
Buzz!
The violent storm surrounding the battlefield intensified. Damian’s smile never faded. Instead, his presence expanded further.
The remaining cloaked figures finally moved. One by one, they seized their robes and tore them away.
The first was a towering Djinn standing nearly ten feet tall. His reddish skin glowed faintly beneath the blood moon while two massive scimitars rested comfortably in his hands. Upon his forehead was engraved a blazing symbol resembling the sun itself.
"Mudhhib."
Rin’s expression darkened immediately.
His attention shifted toward the next figure.
The second resembled an ogre more than a traditional demon. Crimson skin stretched across a mountain of muscle while a grotesque spiked mace rested upon one shoulder. The weapon seemed alive, expanding and contracting like it was breathing.
"Ibaraki-dōji."
Rin’s voice grew noticeably colder.
The final figure stepped forward. Immediately, the atmosphere shifted.
The creature was colossal. Its blue skin resembled hardened stone while its bloated frame radiated frightening physical power. Wild strands of burning hair hung from its head like living flames. Slit-like yellow eyes stared forward with predatory intelligence while razor-sharp fangs protruded from a mouth far too large for any normal humanoid.
Its fingers ended in venomous talons capable of tearing through steel. Yet despite its monstrous appearance, it wore royal jewelry, a golden crown and silks. Treasures worthy of kings.
"Bachi."
The name emerged from Rin’s memories like a warning.
For the first time since their arrival, genuine alarm surfaced within the fox’s thoughts.
Damian felt it instantly. These were not ordinary demigods or hired killers. These individuals occupied the same position beneath Lord Gluttony that Hazel, Ruby, and Racheal occupied beneath him.
Core retainers.
People who represented the foundation of a prince’s military power.
"I see..." Damian nodded slowly.
The smile on his face remained unchanged. If anything, it grew wider.
Everyone underestimated him. They always approached him with the bare minimum necessary to kill a newly ascended prince.
His brothers, however, were different.
His brothers never underestimated him. Every attempt made by the Sins involved significant resources. In a strange way, Damian found that refreshing.
It felt like recognition.
His violet eyes moved away from the four retainers. Then they settled upon Kan. The old Kosak suddenly felt uncomfortable.
"Now I understand the situation better."
Damian smiled pleasantly.
"I can sympathize with you."
Kan frowned.
Before he could speak, Damian snapped his fingers. A trail of violet fire appeared before him. The flames twisted and expanded, then unfolded into an ancient scroll suspended in midair.
The contents began writing themselves, each word burned brighter than the last.
[Faustian Bargain Initiated]
The sight caused every demon present to tense instinctively. Damian’s grin became vicious.
"Since your daughter has been abandoned by my brother, is there still a reason to remain loyal to him?"
The question struck like lightning and Jugra’s expression stiffened.
Mudhhib narrowed his eyes. Ibaraki-dōji tightened his grip upon his mace. Even Bachi’s monstrous face darkened considerably.
Meanwhile, Kan and Kor stared in open disbelief. Neither had expected this.
Damian ignored their reactions.
"At this point, I am the only one capable of saving your daughter."
The burning contract drifted slowly toward Kan.
"I demand nothing more than the loyalty my brother already demands from you."
His smile widened.
"In exchange, I release your daughter and I will help her become a demigod."
Buzz!
Kan’s eyes widened while Kor’s breathing stopped momentarily. The implications were enormous.
Another demigod within the Kosak bloodline was like another pillar supporting their clan. Such a gain would transform their position among the Marquis families.
The four retainers immediately understood the danger.
Their expressions darkened further. The value of a demigod could not be measured. Such opportunities appeared only once in generations.
"Are you willing to take her as your concubine?"
Kan’s question came without hesitation.
The battlefield became silent. The four retainers snapped their heads toward him.
Jugra looked genuinely stunned, yet Kan ignored them all. They could not save Rah, Damian could. The value of the Sin of Lust was known throughout countless worlds.
Three women whose clans had risen through their association with Lin Qui. Rah’s future could be transformed similarly.
Since the wife positions were already occupied a concubine was more than acceptable.
"Ooh?"
Damian raised an eyebrow.
The idea had not crossed his mind. His original plan had been much simpler. Yet the more he considered it, the more reasonable it sounded.
"Very well."
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
Snap!
The contract vanished in a burst of violet flames.
A moment later it reappeared directly in Kan’s hands.
Pa!
To everyone’s surprise, Kor seized his father’s wrist. The younger Kosak looked horrified.
"This human is about to die at Lord Gluttony’s hands!"
His voice shook with urgency.
"Do you truly think this is the right time to betray them?"
Kor pointed toward the four retainers.
He genuinely believed Damian would lose.
No matter how impressive Damian appeared, these were elite servants personally chosen by a Sin.
If Damian died tonight, the Kosaks would be left isolated.
"What if he wins?"
Kan’s response came instantly.
Buzz!
The battlefield fell silent. Even Jugra stared at him. Nobody expected those words. Especially not from the man who had arrived intending to kill Damian.
Kan simply looked at his son.
Everyone else underestimated this prince. Kan no longer did.
Everyone who underestimated Damian died. Even Duke Haborym had fallen to this boy when he was still human. His resemblance to Sol had been discussed endlessly throughout the Underworld.
His rise had become impossible to ignore.
More importantly, he had already reached the demigod realm. He could have returned to Valemora. He could have hidden behind walls and armies. Instead he remained here.
To Kan, that revealed something important. Damian intended to challenge his brothers for ownership of this planet.
A man like that was worth investing in.
Without another word, Kan pulled free from Kor’s grip then he sliced open his palm. Blood flowed across the contract and the ancient scroll absorbed every drop greedily.
[Faustian Bargain Successful]
The purple flames surged violently as the contract vanished and with it, the Kosak Clan’s allegiance changed forever.
Damian’s smile widened into something openly sinister.
"I like decisive people."
His eyes gleamed brightly.
"Old man, I am certain we are going to get along."
