Chapter 119: Chapter 119: The 4 Maous
Underworld, Lucifer Castle.
Currently, the four Maous were gathered in one of the castle’s private rooms. Sirzechs Lucifer was sitting in the main seat, wearing his usual calm smile, although his eyes made it clear this was not a casual meeting. To his right was Ajuka Beelzebub, reviewing several magical documents; the Maou was always buried in his experiments unless something else managed to catch his attention.
Serafall Leviathan remained seated with her arms crossed, maintaining her bubbly attitude, although she was a little more serious than usual because of the topic of the meeting. Falbium Asmodeus, for his part, was simply sleeping in his seat, much to the amusement of his fellow Maous.
Even so, it was clear that the atmosphere required seriousness.
It was not rare for devils to disappear. After all, the supernatural world was dangerous, and there were always young devils who believed themselves invincible simply because they belonged to the upper class. However, this situation had caught the Maous’ attention for two reasons.
The first was that several recent disappearances had occurred near Greek territory, a territory that had just passed into the hands of a new leader almost no one knew. The second, and much more important, was that among the missing was a pure-blooded devil belonging to the House of Agares, one of the important pillars of devil society.
Lucien Agares was not exactly someone important. He was not the main heir, nor did he possess any true influence within the Underworld aside from being an upper-class devil. But he was still a pure-blooded devil, and in a society where pure devils were becoming fewer and fewer, that was enough to cause some alarm.
"So," Sirzechs said, looking at Ajuka attentively. "There is no trace?"
Ajuka moved his hand slightly, making one of the magic circles in front of him show absolutely nothing. "There is nothing useful. It seems whatever happened to Lucien was not a simple death. I can’t even track his piece, which means it was completely destroyed or his body ended up in a place I cannot reach. Aside from what we know from his family about his trip to the Greek pantheon, we have nothing. We also cannot prove that it was truly the Greeks who killed him. It could have been someone else."
Falbium opened one eye lazily. "In short, he’s worse than dead."
"Basically," Ajuka replied. "If he had died by a sword, common magic, or something similar, I would have been able to trace at least part of the king piece’s energy. But in this case, there is not even enough left to confirm his death with certainty."
Serafall frowned. "That sounds a little scary," the Maou said thoughtfully.
"It is," Ajuka murmured.
Falbium let out a yawn at both of their reactions. "I don’t know why you’re so worried. The supernatural world is full of monsters capable of doing strange things. It’s obvious the boy got involved where he shouldn’t have. The idea of reincarnating half-bloods as devils sounds nice and all, but Lucien wasn’t prepared for that. That’s all."
"Yes, but the Greek pantheon is one of the pantheons where I would least expect something like this," Ajuka replied to the bald man’s complaints. "If this had happened with the Hindus, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation."
The room fell silent, processing what the green-haired Maou had said.
Sirzechs maintained his calm smile, although inside he let out a small sigh. Honestly, he would rather be spending time with Rias right now instead of dealing with another political problem. His dear little sister was much more pleasant than all of this. He hoped she had liked her new nekoshou piece. He had thought about killing the neko at first, but in the end, he decided that using her to gain his sister’s favor was a better idea.
Even so, he could not simply ignore the matter before them. Lucien was not important, not really, but he was still a pure-blooded, upper-class devil. If the Maous acted as if his disappearance did not matter, the Devil Council would not take long to use that against them. Worse still, someone like Zekram Bael could take advantage of the opportunity to pressure them and prove that the Maous were incapable of protecting even the little political power they still had.
Not to mention that he would probably demand explanations, or even try to turn the matter into a demonstration of authority in front of the Greeks. And in that case, there was little Sirzechs could do. It was unfortunate, but that was the reality in human terms: Zekram was the true political leader, with the support of a large part of the Devil Council, while the Maous were closer to generals with impressive titles. If the nobles’ opinion turned against them, they would have no choice but to move with the masses. And devils were not exactly pragmatic when it came to proving their pride.
Sirzechs did not need another headache of that size.
The redhead let out another sigh. "As much as Falbium is right and I would like to leave it at that, I believe each one of us understands why we cannot allow ourselves to ignore the situation, correct?" he finally said, drawing the others’ attention. "It is true that Lucien put a noose around his own neck by himself. However, we cannot allow his disappearance to go unanswered. It is vitally important to find a scapegoat."
Serafall narrowed her eyes. "Sirzechs, you’re not suggesting that..."
"I am saying exactly that, Serafall," the redhead replied kindly, although there was nothing kind about his words. "As much as I feel bad about this unfortunate situation, regrettably, the Greeks are the best example to use as our scapegoat."
Ajuka closed one of the documents in front of him. "If Lord Agares feels we are not taking the matter seriously, the Council could take advantage of it."
"Exactly," Sirzechs replied. "Some will want to use this as an excuse to demand compensation from Olympus. But we also cannot entirely blame them. The disappearance of a pure-blooded devil can become a rather convenient political tool if handled correctly."
Serafall set aside her bubbly attitude, her brow furrowing with clear irritation. "That would be stupid, Sirzechs. We literally just had enough problems with the nekoshou matter. While we came out relatively well with the Kuoh territory and avoided Amaterasu-sama’s direct wrath thanks to her pacifist nature, that does not mean Yasaka or the Shinto are on good terms with us. If we continue down that path, it will look like the Underworld cannot keep its own devils under control. Besides, we will earn the displeasure of another faction. Is that really what we want?"
Falbium rolled his eyes, looking toward the ceiling. "So what, Serafall? Are you really so stupid that you can’t see the opportunity this gives us?"
Serafall shot him a furious glare. "Of course, you make it sound easy because you’re not the one who has to go out every time to mediate matters with other factions. Your lazy ass spends all its time sleeping while I actually have to work and try to clean up our shit," the black-haired woman growled furiously, while the atmosphere in the room cooled slightly.
Sirzechs placed his fingers on the table. "Alright, calm down a little, both of you." His voice was still kind, but it was enough to end the discussion. "Serafall, I understand your concern. But whether we want it or not, this is going to happen. That is why we need to act before they do. We simply have to get ahead of them so we come out in a better position."
Serafall did not respond immediately. She knew perfectly well how the world worked. Many times, it was nothing more than a board full of resources, territories, and opportunities others could take if they were strong or influential enough. That was the mentality of many factions: either you were strong, or you bent the knee. In this case, she could not do much to stop it. The only thing she hated was knowing, perfectly well, that if everything went wrong, a large part of the shit would fall on her.
Sirzechs interpreted her silence as acceptance of the matter and smiled at Leviathan for her understanding.
Serafall, for her part, only rolled her eyes at Lucifer’s attitude. "And what happens if Lord Agares is not satisfied with what we do?"
"He will have to accept it, Serafall," Ajuka replied calmly. "We will simply remind him that his relative entered territory that does not belong to us without authorization. He knew, or at least should have known, what he was getting into. If he insists too much, the matter could end up hurting his house more than helping it."
Serafall nodded, understanding what was said, and looked at Sirzechs seriously. "I’m only warning you that I hope this does not get out of your hands, Sirzechs. I do not want another stupid mess associated with devils. We cannot always get away unpunished."
"I know," Sirzechs replied.
A sepulchral silence fell over the room. He truly knew it. The Underworld’s image was not at its best. Provoking another pantheon would be a questionable move, but against the Greek pantheon, they had everything to gain.
The Greeks had history, yes. Some powerful god here and there, like Hades, and now a god named Damon, who seemed to be quite capable. But even so, did they really have the power and authority to stand against them?
I don’t think so.
After all, Olympus’s authority in the supernatural world was not clear. Their shaky situation makes them look weak in front of everyone. There was no way they could stand against them, right?
"For now," Sirzechs said, his smile returning softly and breaking the silence in the room, "we will issue an internal order between the Council and us. No devil will enter Greek territory without direct authorization from the Maous. Any noble who disobeys will receive no political protection."
Ajuka nodded. "That should give us time without having to act recklessly."
"That’s right," Lucifer replied. "It also gives us time to gather information about the Greeks."
"Then, should I contact them?" Serafall asked.
"That would be best," Sirzechs replied. "We will see if this Damon understands how the supernatural world works."
Serafall said nothing, but her expression made it clear she did not entirely like that. "I just hope we don’t end up biting our own asses later," the black-haired woman complained.
Sirzechs brought a hand to his mouth, letting out a small laugh. "Oh, come on. How could that happen? You must understand that I am a man of peace. You know that very well, Serafall."
"Hm, hm. Whatever you say, Sirzechs," the black-haired woman replied, although her expression made it clear she did not share his enthusiasm.
Before the conversation could continue, the door to the room opened softly. Grayfia Lucifuge entered the room carrying a silver tray with several perfectly served cups of tea. Her expression was as flawless as always.
"Excuse the interruption," Grayfia said with a slight bow before placing the tray on the table. "I thought you might need some tea."
Serafall accepted a cup with a small smile. "Thank you, Grayfia-tan."
Grayfia did not react to the nickname, although Falbium let out a small laugh from his seat. Meanwhile, Sirzechs watched his wife with a kind smile. "Perfect, Grayfia. Just in time," the redhead said, standing from his seat with energy. "Then, if there is nothing more urgent, I believe we can end the meeting. I will go visit Rias. Surely my dear little sister already misses me."
Grayfia placed a cup in front of him, her cold gaze locking onto the redhead. "No."
Sirzechs froze halfway through his step. "Huh? What do you mean, no?"
"Just as you heard, Sirzechs-sama. You cannot," Grayfia repeated professionally. "You still have pending documents, Council reports, and three meetings you have been avoiding since this morning."
Sirzechs’s smile tightened slightly. "Grayfia, dear, I’m sure all of that can wait a little. Rias—"
"Rias-sama can wait," Grayfia interrupted sharply. "You are the Maou Lucifer. Please act like it."
Serafall covered her mouth with her cup to hide a smile, witnessing how Grayfia literally accepted none of Sirzechs’s nonsense, although she was sometimes the same with her Sona-tan.
Sirzechs lowered his shoulders like a child who had just had his favorite toy taken away, while crocodile tears ran down his cheeks. "You are so cruel to me, Grayfia-chan."
"It is my job," Grayfia corrected.
Sirzechs gave her a betrayed look, but the white-haired woman did not even flinch before turning to arrange the last cups. From the outside, her face remained perfect: the ideal maid and wife...
But inside, it was another story. Why the hell did I marry this man? the white-haired woman wondered. Sometimes she grew tired of her husband’s attitude. The answer came almost instantly. Ah, yes. Because if I hadn’t, I probably would have died.
Letting out a sigh mentally, Grayfia lowered her gaze to the empty tray, hiding any trace of emotion before straightening again. "Your office is waiting for you, Sirzechs-sama," she said with an impeccable bow. Sirzechs let out a sigh, walking toward the door with dramatic steps.
And so, with Sirzechs being dragged back to his responsibilities, the meeting finally came to an end.
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I don’t fck with Sirzechs ngl😂😂 lol drop stones
https://discord.gg/gqAXKPnbTw
P@treon: Brotato up to Chapter 131
