Chapter 40
'Free time' was nothing short of a ludicrous concept for someone like Demiurge. It was only natural that a servant would want to spend every moment of their existence in the service of their master. He was not the only one to think this as Diablo too shared his superior's sentiments.
But to the both of them, orders were orders. Refusing to follow them was a far worse scenario than reserving discontentment, and even that was considered intolerable.
Both of the cunning demons, however, quickly realized that they could incorporate their planning into a game form. This way, regardless of the outcome, each could subsequently gain more knowledge on how to handle larger-scale affairs outside of Tempest.
Diablo and Demiurge sat opposite to each other at a small table, with a board game of their own making between them.
It could be argued that the board resembled the map of the world and the various figurines were shaped like country leaders, influential figures, and real-life armies, but both would argue that it was a mere coincidence and what they were playing wasn't hypothetical scenarios of events to come but just a recreational activity.
The goal of the game was for the side who controlled the central nation, called Nazar, to conquer the world, or for the opponent who played the rest of the world to hamper Nazar's righteous claims of lordship over the lesser beings.
Their usual place for this activity was the ninth-floor recreational area, and as it often happened, the off-duty maids and manservants were gathered around them and watching with interest.
No one else, besides the two demons, was able to grasp the rules of the game whose manual was about eight hundred pages long.
It could be argued that there were people within Nazarick who could learn it, namely Pandora and Albedo, but neither frequented the game room. And silly games were beneath the notice of the Supreme Beings who could effortlessly master such a simple concept.
'That surely must have been the plan all along behind this seeming farce of free time. This rest and relaxation was actually designed to be a versatile application of one's own skills in the difficult art of rulership. Lord Momonga's insight knows no bounds!' thought Demiurge.
"Hm…have you resolved the situation about the rank within the server and cleaning staff?" Demiurge asked while making a move.
"While I didn't get the position of Lord Momonga's personal butler, I was included in the servant rotation. My attempts at tackling Sebas were rendered unsuccessful. Besting him in either direct combat or servant duties was out of the picture as well since the butler is quite remarkable at both of those fields," Diablo replied, making a move of his own to counter Demiurge's expansion plan.
As it was with most times they played, he had to take the role of the rest of the world. They would switch around only when Diablo was victorious. The last time the Primordial etched out a win against Demiurge though was when the latter slightly faltered at a critical stage of the game.
This mistake was later ratified as Demiurge unlatched all the restraints that previously held him back from ensuring a domineering victory over Diablo.
"As capable as you are, competing with a direct creation of a Supreme being is a foolish endeavor. Even without bearing the status of a floor guardian, Sebas's strength is able to rival that of one," Demiurge remarked, once again countering Diablo's move.
"Is that so? I was under the impression that you did not hold Sebas in particularly high regard, Lord Demiurge." Diablo didn't give in and quickly switched to another tactic and set another nation in direct conflict with Nazar.
"You are not wrong. I have never told you this before, but our creators were often feuding over even minute disagreements."
Diablo stopped moving and looked up at Demiurge with a mildly surprised look on his face, silently prompting the scheming devil in front of him to continue his story.
"While we do have our differences, I would never look down on the creation of a Supreme Being. Even you, by being named by Lord Momonga, are now an indirect creation of his."
"This is all new to me. I cannot help but find my interest piqued at this new revelation. Would you mind me asking where the rest of the Supreme Beings are? My knowledge of other worlds is rather limited, I'm afraid."
"To my knowledge, they chose to leave Nazarick, each having their own reasons. Only the Supreme Ones themselves know where their peers went." Demiurge replied with both awe and frustration.
"I see. It seems that any changes in the hierarchy are unlikely unless another Supreme Being decides to return. Tempest as a whole has been undergoing massive changes, but I am starting to see the unchanging factor regarding the ranks of our superiors."
"Yes, the constant expansion of Tempest and even Nazarick itself is giving way to a new age. New positions are being created left and right, prompting the need for competent people to fill in those ranks. As for the Supreme Beings' case, Lord Veldora joining the guild makes him a Supreme Being in making. This means other candidates for the status of a Supreme Being may be found in the foreseeable future." Demiurge explained.
"How fascinating. Our masters creating more of their kind? As their loyal servants, would we not only seek ways to increase the number of their followers, but also look out for potential candidates to become Supreme Beings as well?"
"While increasing Nazarick's forces can be left to us, we are only mere servants, and our words are guaranteed to hold less weight for important matters such as these. And for all we know, we might not be able to recognize what sort of properties are needed to be turned into a Supreme Being. I need not tell you anymore as to why these matters are better left to our superiors, Diablo."
"Yes, the information you have already provided to me is sufficient enough as it is."
"Indeed it is. I can only imagine the excitement that comes from you and I when expecting another golden age of the Supreme Beings."
"When it comes to servants, I could gather all worthy demons to join the forces of Nazarick; provided enough bodies are available." Diablo said as he made a sneaky move in hopes of deceiving his fellow demon in the game.
"I will make sure to put up the proposal with Albedo. You have done a satisfactory amount in your own work, so your request will be prioritized more compared to others around you. If she deems the plan fit to be brought before Lord Momonga and he sees merit in recruiting demons, golem bodies could be used for various applications."
"I have already considered the prospects of advancing this certain branch in Tempest's research. No doubt it will easily fulfill the issues of a lack in both quality and quantity of our forces."
"I can see for myself how it would be useful. I should not forget to mention also that Lady Buku has made successful experiments in granting elementals such bodies."
"If Lady Buku has achieved success in this field, then only good can come out of it…wait-when did you…?!"
Diablo straightened his posture, attempting to hide the look of frustration on his face. Demiurge only offered a warm smile as the onlookers started to murmur louder, seemingly fascinated by what just happened.
In a surprising turn of events, Demiurge had made a counter move that on the surface looked careless. But Diablo knew better, which was why he could not help but slouch in defeat.
For the past dozen moves, Diablo had been masterfully weaving a plan which primarily went for causing instability, akin to throwing a wrench in his opponent's own stratagem. But while he did his best at weighing the pros and cons, his impatience got the better of him at a particular move.
Diablo had realized his errors too late, and now his mind was frantically racing with any opportunities that could still be present for him to halt Demiurge's advances.
In the end, there was nothing. No matter what he would come up with, Demiurge had beaten him to the punch at his own game. He should have known by now that his opponent was too a master of causing political instability.
Using |Thought Acceleration|, Diablo replayed several hundreds, if not thousands of hypothetical scenarios in his head, trying to see where exactly he had slipped up.
Then a moment later, it hit him. How this simple tactic managed to slip past him, he could not figure out in the slightest. Most of his forces from differing nations were in Nazar's line of sight.
To make matters even worse, they were rendered immobile due to Demiurge's cleverly hidden maneuvers that had not been making any tactical sense to Diablo for quite some time up until now. But that was exactly the reason for his downfall.
If Diablo moved any of his pieces anywhere else, they would soon become ensnared by intentionally weaker forces who would be able to perform devastating pincer maneuvers. If he tried to play the waiting game, he would soon find himself slowly being choked like an anaconda strangling its prey.
In the end, he could not find a way to change his opponent's course. In approximately forty-five moves, Diablo's hopes of mustering up any resistance against Nazar would slowly crumble. It was a perfect recreation of Demiurge's own approach at taking meticulous care of his own opponents.
Thinking all the way back to the start of the game, it was a predictable plan. His cautiousness and overthinking got a hold of him however due to the last few matches being wildly unpredictable. This allowed Demiurge to seize the reins of victory at a critical moment.
The onlookers continued to watch with growing fascination. Seeing how the initially dominating Primordial demon reacted at his opponent's moves, some already started to switch up their bets on who would win this time.
Diablo may have already established himself as an underdog with his surprisingly cunning moves, but it seemed that there was more he needed to learn about the art of war.
'The floor guardians are not to be underestimated, it seems. If the servants are as intellectual as Demiurge, then that just goes to show the infinite wisdom oozing out of Lord Momonga! I must continue to work harder if I am to impress my master.'
Reigniting the fiery determination in his heart, Diablo began to work towards the chances of salvaging his situation. He made sure to let the spectators watching him know that he would not go down without a fight.
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It was time to have another guild meeting, which in reality was them gathering for casual drinking with an off chance that something official would be discussed.
Veldora, as the one with almost no duties, had volunteered to set up the place, which mostly involved him bossing around the maids.
Of course, that wasn't all he did. He may have been considered a slouch, but this was a special occasion where he could revel with his closest friends. Going to great lengths for the preparations was a worthwhile endeavor.
While Leviathan filled decorative ceramic vases with ice, Veldora used |Creation|, which he had acquired by simply requesting Pandora to give him the skill.
Veldora used this powerful ability, which could topple a nation's economy in one fell swoop, to make beer cans.
'I told Pandora he would have given me the skill in exchange for a good reason. All I had to do was tell him that it was for the sake of Tempest. Indeed, this skill is a solution for all problems, is it not?' Veldora mused to himself as he dropped the beer cans in ice one by one.
Getting the delicious brew from the shop on the ninth floor wasn't hard, and by all means, could have saved precious time. But if he was to learn how to recreate the most precious commodity that was chocolate, a time for practice was needed.
With this in mind, Veldora thought he nabbed just about everything that could make this setup go awry. But a faint sense of anxiety lingered back in his mind. It was not as though he went through with this without considering the repercussions.
There was a slight chance for the whole plan to backfire, and if his newly given |Creation| ability were to be exposed, Momonga or Buku could force him to make some rare ore or metal as a new form of punishment. Not that it was difficult to manage; his massive magicule reserves were more than enough. But the possibility still made Veldora seriously consider having a backup plan for when he messed up too much.
His concerns traced back to when he made a slight miscalculation upon entering the banquet. He was aware of the fact that Buku just gave the warning to run creative ideas by her first. How was he supposed to know that a party with five demon lords present would muddy the waters so soon?
Grumbling from thoughts about that particular fallout, Veldora closely inspected his finishing touches. One by one, he could see with a growing satisfaction on his face seeing the large vases being filled to the brim with various kinds of alcoholic beverages. The table was filled with appropriate snacks as well.
When Veldora was about to do another series of final checks, he saw that Buku was first to arrive here.
"Oh my, someone has gone all out," Buku remarked as she quickly glanced over the room, letting out a small whistle. She then sat down on the sofa, stretching her legs.
"That's right. I'm the best, after all!" Veldora said, finishing off his self-gloating with his trademark laugh. Buku only rolled her eyes at the Storm Dragon's gaudy display.
"That's debatable, but I can at least see you put your back into this set-up," Buku remarked. She then extended her hand towards Veldora; a hand gesture which seemed to say: "Hit me with one."
Veldora fished out Buku's favorite beer and tossed the can at her. With the maids already giving him scornful gazes, he hastily picked a can for himself and sat down as well, letting the maids do their jobs.
Seizing the opportunity, two of them filled up plates with various snacks that went well with beer and stood by Buku's and Veldora's side.
"So do we have anything specific to talk about?" Veldora asked.
"Yeah, there's a couple of things I want to go over with all of us. I won't give full details until the others arrive, though. In short, there is the Yuuki situation, and what was it…right, there's also the long-term approach we are having with the demon lords. And I can't forget to mention whether or not it's worth tearing the bird brain a new one for so casually accepting one of Frey's daughters as his concubine." Buku said, dropping her voice a bit towards the end.
"Typical Pero…but understandable. Still, I don't get why he bothers with this at all. It's not like he plans to create offspring." Veldora said, opened the beer can, and took a sip.
"Do you seriously not know, or are just saying that because you are afraid that you would have a similar fate as your older brother if you did it?"
"I mean, I know it's supposed to feel good, but there are many other things in life to enjoy." Veldora said dismissively. "He may have walked down that path, but for someone like me, it would be wrong to ignore the otherworldly desires before resorting to those carnal acts."
"You're not wrong about that. But you know, there are not many things that are better than getting laid, especially if the guy knows what he is doing." Buku said with a giggle.
"What about chocolate? Surely nothing can rival that."
"Nah, chocolate doesn't come close to getting laid."
"I am beginning to think we are operating on different wavelengths here…"
"Working hard on our next project, sis?" Pero asked, appearing beside Veldora who gave a slight smirk to the new arriver.
"Someone has to. I thought you would be here before me as always." Buku said.
"Gathering Charybdis parts is such a hassle. I overdid it a bit when killing him and now his remains are scattered all over the forest. Some locals are hostile and need to be cleared out before workers can come in. On top of that, Kagali is on my neck to get the resources for the guild before we can sell them off elsewhere." Pero ranted while accepting a beer can from a maid.
"You're a big boy, so you'll manage," Buku said teasingly. "Just don't think with your dick when dealing with Kagali."
"And we are in full bitch mode again. I'm not that stupid. If I wanted elven girls for my collection, I could visit Dwargon and pick up plenty." Pero shot back and then looked around. "Momo is late again?"
"As usual, but he promised to be here soon. He is discussing something about decrypting Yuuki's communications with Demiurge."
"Chief surely doesn't know how to kick back for a while." Veldora gave his opinion on the Overlord.
"That's for sure." Pero let out a laugh just as Momonga appeared in the middle of the room. "Speak of the devil, you're finally here. I would ask what took you so long, but you're probably just overworking yourself again, huh?"
"I'm sorry for being late, but Demiurge had some insights on how to decrypt the messages we are intercepting," Momonga curtly replied, ignoring the avian's jab towards his work ethics.
"Any luck with them, Momo?" Buku asked, perking up at the newcomer.
"We're currently down to about fifteen different codes. What we both could gather was that Yuuki was planning something and Kagali was suggesting caution regarding us." Momonga replied.
Same as the others who arrived before him, a maid gave him a beer can the moment he sat down and proceeded to stand beside him, holding a plate of various snacks. Momonga instinctively went for one of his thoughtful poses, but in a more relaxed demeanor as he was now surrounded by his friends.
"We need to find a way to deal with that prick and fast," Buku said with a hint of annoyance, "Maybe we can capture one of the clowns and use them as a bargaining chip. That girl, the one Demiurge has running in circles, is in our lands unlawfully."
"It may work, but didn't you conclude that Yuuki is a psychopath? There is a large chance he would not care about his subordinates and the moment we capture one of them, he goes off the radar to conspire against us from an unknown location." Momonga said.
"Why not just capture all of them?" Veldora asked. He was met with several shaking heads, much to his confusion.
"If it fails, we instantly make the entire human world our enemies. Remember, someone is still holding on to Chloe's other self which is a real threat," Buku rebutted, immediately shutting down his idea.
"From what I could gather observing her, she is a threat to Tempest but we could overpower her. I do agree it's better to exercise caution just in case. Some of the more powerful demon lords and the Eastern Empire could use the opportunity and strike us while we are busy dealing with human nations." Momonga said.
"Who? Wait, you mean one of the kids? What other self?" Veldora was confused by what appears to be new information to him and began to assault Buku with a slew of questions.
"Calm down! I'll catch you up real quick. Chloe is the same hero who imprisoned you, but there are two parts of her right now and one with most of her power is hidden somewhere, and where it is even Chloe doesn't know. Her best guess is that the body is kept in some sanctuary deep within Ruberious as her friend, to whom she always entrusts her body, is ruling it from shadows."
"Oh, that vampire girl, what was her name… Lub... Lim… bah, I can't remember. Anyhow, she is one of the demon lords," Veldora finally said, scratching his chin.
To his immediate confusion, Buku's body lurched towards him, startling the dragon.
Her glare was not among the ordinary ones Veldora had witnessed many times in the past. There was a hidden rage being barely concealed behind the woman's gaze.
"A vampire girl ruling over Ruberious? That doesn't sound right. Veldora, please tell me it's not the same vampire girl whose kingdom you burned down long ago?"
Veldora gulped and leaned closer to Pero and whispered. "Be a bro, please."
"Buddy, that is your fuckup that might bite us in the ass someday." Pero said, pushing the aghast dragon away. Buku's older brother knew better than everybody else in Tempest when getting on her bad side.
"You can't do this! Chief, help your nation's guardian out!" Veldora turned to the next target in the vain hope of being protected from Buku.
"Can you stop acting like a fucking child and own up to your fuckup?!" Buku screeched. Once Veldora shut his mouth, she went back to a normal speaking voice, though it was still laced with irritation. "None of us give two shits what kind of carnage you have done in the past. What we do care about is how it can affect us in the future. This is no longer a 'you' problem, after all."
Veldora only answered back with a meek nod, with Pero putting a hand on his shoulder in understanding. Suddenly, Buku's face lit up in surprise.
"Wait a minute, does that mean that the church that considers all monsters an enemy to be eliminated is controlled by a demon lord vampire!?"
As soon as she asked herself this question, Buku suddenly jumped to her feet and held two fingers next to her head. A second later, Chloe teleported into the room, confusion marking her face.
"Why didn't you tell us that Ruberious and the church are run by the same vampire whose kingdom was burned down by Veldora?! Your other self is in the hands of our enemy!" Buku hissed.
She got into her face as Chloe assumed her adult form, taking a step back. The new arriver was clearly alarmed by her own personal space being invaded by Buku.
"W-wait, I can explain! She can be turned into a friend. Luminous has befriended Rimuru many times, so she can be reasoned with and I do not know where she keeps my other self." Chloe said.
"But why is the church working with her? I thought they hated all monsters."
"Luminous is the Goddess humans worship not knowing her true nature. She runs the Holy Empire with the help of her subordinates." Chloe explained.
Veldora, meanwhile, stared at Chloe for a good ten seconds and then started to laugh. "So you are the one who imprisoned me."
"You can chat with her about your fight later," Buku said, stepping between them. "Tell us right now what other critical information you are withholding."
"There isn't much else. I already told you that the main threat is the Eastern Empire." Chloe said, being much more quiet this time. "The only other thing is that demon lord Leon is looking for me."
"Why?"
"Because we were childhood friends on Earth and he… he is weird about it. He has some sort of obsession to protect me."
"So there's not only one, but two demon lords who can be a major pain in the ass for us. That's just great," Buku groaned. She sat back down and took back the beer can, exhaustion becoming apparent on her face. "Momo, what do you think about all this?"
"Personally, I think we should deal with one problem at a time. We should however find a way to monitor those two demon lords in case they start to plan something without us knowing."
The undead's words received nods of approval from his friends. Knowing where he was going with his, Chloe snapped her head towards him with a frantic look on her face.
"Wait! If confrontation ever happens, can I be present to try talking with her? If she can't be reasoned with, I will not stand in your way, but please give me this chance," Chloe pleaded to the undead.
"I can at least offer you the opportunity to initiate peace talks. No one here wants to start a war right away. But I will not risk any of Tempest's citizens over the assumption that Luminous can be befriended. If she shows hostility, we are taking her out. It is as simple as that," Momonga said with finality.
It seemed there was more Chloe wanted to say, but she refrained after facing the brunt of Momonga's piercing gaze. Her face was cast down on the ground with no one being able to see the turbulent emotions running within her head.
'The Church will get hostile towards us at some point, and a monster who leads them has a justified reason to hate us because of Veldora. This means at least one of the demon lords will be against us and on top of that is running the church from the shadows. Talk about irony. That means there are eleven demon lords with one being hidden from the public eye.'
Every time a complicated situation was unraveled, there were more webs for Momonga to untangle. But he knew something smelled off about this particular information being divulged from Chloe.
He would have liked to ask for more, but seeing Chloe's anxious look on her face made him rescind his need for straight up interrogation. It might lead to a breach of trust if he asked for too much.
For now, all that could be done was to fully prepare for the inevitable conflict with humans and see if some seeds of division could be sown between their nations before they united.
'There may be some connection between Luminous and Roy, but I don't want to make myself look like I'm in desperate need for more intel,' Momonga mused.
He took a sip of beer as he and the others listened to Veldora and Chloe reminisce about their fight as old friends. Despite the dragon's long imprisonment, he clearly held no ill will toward his imprisoner.
As a matter of fact, he clearly had a certain amount of admiration for her judging by the conversation Momonga was hearing between Veldora and Chloe. The old yet reliable idiom "Do not judge a book by its cover" began to surface within the undead's mind as he watched the old enemies share a laugh over a particular moment of their past fight.
Edited by Zirmeister
Proofreading by Sad_Smiles, I AM THE STRING CUTTER, Alassandro, SwissChocolatess, Ethal07, and Visur Nyxan.
AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (Link is in my profile) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader.
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