Chapter 245
As such, Thirty-Four walked out of the base with an imperceptible, but nonetheless triumphant smile on his face. His mission was complete and the subsequent set of events would ensure that no matter what, the Peerage Overhaul Policy would not pass.
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|DxD|
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Outrage. Fierce outrage resounded throughout the Underworld. News of the death of the esteemed Professor Sullivar and a secretary was broadcasted repeatedly. He was a man of repute and had some historical inventions and breakthroughs accredited to him long since before Ajuka was born.
What had the devils in sheer outrage was not of his death, but of how he died. It was known that he was killed by a member of his peerage, a Nekoshou now on the run. The fact that his death coincided with the avenue of the Peerage Overhaul Policy was not lost on the populace.
Unfortunately, rumours had surfaced that Sullivar was one of the first who gave the Nekushou free will…and she killed him.
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Comments:
EvilUser3000: "He was killed by his peerage member! His PEERAGE!!!"
LordLuvizan: "If a researcher like him could die, then what about us?"
MeatySera: "I knew this shouldn't have gone through!"
ScrambledEggs: "Who's to say we won't be killed?"
…
Similar voices shared the same sentiments. They were rampant and voices of outcry were common on the Devilnet. Those who tried asking questions were immediately overwhelmed by the flames of anger and rage that was sired by the loss of such a figure.
Be it public forums or the streets, devils were calling for the execution of the Nekushou girl. Some of the more radical ones were calling for the death of all Nekomata as penance for the loss of such a well-known figure.
This feeling was like a weed that spread as the hours trickled by. Sceptics were crushed by the tsunami of devils calling for the death of the Nekushou. The voices calling for the deaths of all Nekomata were being curbed by Serafall who was furiously coordinating with Ajuka to crush all the radical outcries.
They were alone in her office. They both were working tirelessly to change the distorted public opinion that was making the rounds. They were in the highest part of the tower, but they could still hear the voices of protests amidst the whirring of their computers.
Serafall could do nothing about the outside protests for the time being. Her brows trickled with sweat as she typed comment after comment urging the public to think things through logically via a secret account she had.
"Tch!"
Every once in a while, she would click her tongue when infuriating replies to her comments labelled her a "false devil" or a "Scum Sympathiser". But no matter how calm she might try to remain, there were limits to her tolerance.
*BANG!*
She banged her desk with her fist. Her anger was not at the comments, but at how hellbent the Old Satan Faction was on promoting radical views. She might not be a technical wizard, but she knew a bot account when she saw one.
There were so many of them with generic names, sentences, and obviously fabricated backgrounds that she wished she could find the owner and crush their skulls!
"..."
Ajuka did not comment on Serafall's outburst. As the creator of the Devilnet, he could help her by subtly silencing the worst of the dissenters. Through his magic and a special computer, he could manipulate the entire Devilnet and ban certain accounts, though his methods were limited.
He was already doing the best he could given the situation. If he was more overt in his attempts to stop them, the Old Satan Faction could use this as "proof" that the Peerage Overhaul Policy was a sham since the satans were trying to cover it up.
Because of how those people could turn black into white and make water mix with oil, he was very careful in his manipulations. Serafall was already hard at work dealing with the crux of the matter. Her tower which was dedicated to handling foreign affairs was now completely focused on internal affairs.
Thousands of her best workers on their computers fought tooth and nail with 'flamers' who were constantly trying to sway public opinion to a more radical reaction. Ajuka worked alongside them to crush the bots and multiple fake accounts, but it wasn't easy.
The Old Satan Faction truly was prepared this time. It was only fortunate that while all of devilkind was indeed outraged, they still retained some logic in their heads.
Serafall could only temporarily give up defending the Nekushou who killed her master. What she needed to do was silence the cries of killing the entire village of Nekomata as compensation.
Under no circumstances must that be allowed to happen. The Yokai Faction and the Shinto Pantheon by extension were already one of the extremely few organisations willing to trade with devils.
The Nekomata were one of their topmost suppliers of precious herbs that only they could cultivate, lifesaving herbs that were very important for those who could not afford phoenix tears. If they were eliminated, not only the citizens, but their troops that relied on these herbs would take a massive hit and they would have to 'rely' on the Phenex once more.
"Damnit! How are you fairing, Ajuka?"
"My team and I are doing our very best to ban their accounts under the pretext of rule violations. But as you can imagine, we are having a rather hard time."
"Tch!"
Serafall hated this political landscape to the core. The Old Satan Faction had dozens of clans under their helm and each clan had thousands of people under them. Them? They couldn't even get their own clans to give them full support, especially for this issue concerning peerage rights.
"Do you know what Falbium is doing?! Or is he sleeping again!"
"Last I heard, he was mobilising a pursuit squad to capture the escaped Nekushou and her younger sister. It stands to reason that this…Shirone, will be executed alongside her sister too."
"Damn old fogeys…"
Serafall truly and utterly wished she could kill them all, especially Zekram. There was no one else she knew who could create a scheme as convoluted as this. They were attacked from all fronts, a scenario that was rarely, if ever welcomed.
It was either the massacre of the Nekomata Village, the death of the rare breed of Nekushou, or the forfeiture of the Overhaul Policy. All of them had their losses, but Serafall was forced to choose to fight the first case.
She could only temporarily leave the second case to Falbium and the last case to Sirzechs. As it stood, the public needed to be addressed and strings had to be pulled to make sure that no matter what, everything went well.
Still, it was times like these that Serafall even questioned why they even did all of this, why they tried so hard for such ungrateful people who changed allegiance like underwear.
"Ajuka. Is what we are doing…right?"
She couldn't help but ask herself this simple question. The amount of negative comments she read…
"Is this even worth it?"
…made her truly realise how difficult it would be to press for change. She was trying to use logic, but the death of Sullivar made people genuinely believe peerage members should not be granted free autonomy.
Whether the satans were at fault or not, Sullivar's death proved that peerage members could kill their masters if nothing held them back.
"..."
Ajuka could not provide an immediate answer. The arguments posted by the opposition made him, the creator of the evil pieces waver. What does that say about normal devils?
"We should trust Sirzechs, Serafall. Remember that what we do is for our future generations."
He continued to type on multiple spectral keyboards.
"We've had five-hundred-years of no progress. Perhaps if we change our focus, we shall see positive changes in the next five centuries."
His voice was ever-calm, his expression the definition of unfazed.
"What we need to do is remain faithful to our narrative, Serafall. For if we don't, those without voices will continue to suffer."
"..."
For a moment, Serafall ceased typing. Ajuka's words struck a chord in her.
"You're right."
Ta Ta Ta Ta Ta Ta Ta Ta
She began typing once more with unburdened zeal.
"If we don't do it, no one else will."
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|DxD|
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"Those damn bastards…"
Sirzechs sat at his desk with piles of reports informing him of the recent happenings. Were it not for his wife, Grayfia, he would've stormed off to the Bael Manor and demanded an explanation from Zekram.
"They've ruined everything. They've RUINED everything!"
"Please calm dow-"
Sirzechs lashed out.
"HOW CAN I CALM DOWN?!?!"
Silence…
The only sound that could be heard were piles of papers falling to the floor, further aided by the vague shouts of "KILL THEM ALL" that came from the window.
Sirzechs was rightfully angry. They were so close…so close. They were so close and now everything was THIS close to being ruined.
He was angry, but he couldn't take out his anger on his wife.
"I'm sorry, Grayfia. I know you're trying to help."
He was reaching the end of his rope. Not even three hours had passed and he was pushed into a corner. The rumours that this Nekushou was the first experiment of the Overhaul Policy had spread and cemented themselves so firmly that just denying knowledge wouldn't suffice.
What they needed was hard evidence that could absolve them of responsibility. Sadly, minor evidence like alibis wouldn't be enough, not with the existence of teleportation magic.
[Even if I did find evidence, so what?]
Sullivar's death awakened the fear of what peerage members would do to their masters without fear of becoming stray.
"What do I do?"
Sirzechs sank into his chair and buried his face in his palms. His fellow satans were counting on him to issue a statement that would set things right. But what could he say?
Patriotism? He could implore the devils to trust in their comrades.
"..."
He immediately scrapped the idea. Such a weak defence would be easy pickings for their enemies to poke through. Stalling was also not optimal. That would give enough time for the flames to grow.
[Damnit.]
They were trapped on all fronts. Sirzechs could see all sorts of political issues that could arise just from this one event. The narrative had changed. Whereas before it was about the benefits that would arise, now it was about whether it was safe.
The worst part, Sirzechs couldn't truly argue that it was safe. The only option he could think of was to screen each peerage member, but that could be used to push back the passage of the law by weeks or even months.
Time was not something he wanted to give his opponents. It had to happen this Sunday. It had to! But he had no viable defence that could give it enough momentum to still pass.
[Damnit. Damnit, damnit, damni-]
He was brought out of his thoughts when soft hands landed on his shoulders. Grayfia was standing behind him, her gentle smile looming over him.
"You can do it, husband. I trust you."
"..."
If Sirzechs had a confidence meter, it would be seen rising to one-hundred in an instant. Grayfia's words, his wife's sincere words made him regain confidence in himself. If she faithfully believed in him like this, then he would do his best to pull himself and his friends through this.
"Thank you, my wife."
His turbulent emotions calmed down as he allowed himself to think things through. Grayfia was silent and gave him a minor massage on his shoulders. In such a stressful situation, it was important he relaxed his mind.
Her husband was smart, smarter than he knew. Without a shred of a doubt, she knew he would surprise everyone. He did it before and he would do it again. She just had to give him the support he needed, and…
[...he will show miracles.]
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AN
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Grayfia is a good wife. Prove me wrong.