"Revenge...But at what cost?"

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Welcome back, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. Two weeks away, if not a little more, but don't worry, I'm back now and will publish regularly as usual on Sundays. I hope you enjoy the chapter, as a small apology I made it a little longer. Have fun.

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Zesshi Zesumai pov

It remained quiet around the table; no one spoke. It was as if the news had left them all speckless. Well, maybe all except for one person.

~The Re-Esdize Kingdom?~

~What an interesting choice, still...Why did you choose specifically this kindom? There are many more to play with~ Elisabeth inquired curiously.

"Well..." started the demon, seemingly thinking about his next words.

"One of my spies in the kingdom has found out that the local criminal organization, called the Eight Fingers, has received a shipment of stolen magic items. One of them is not only extremely powerful but seems to be demonic too. It is said to be able to summon vast quantities of us. Such an item is indescribably valuable to me; because of that, I am going to claim it." The demon spoke with conviction in his voice.

~So the only reason you are going to invade the kingdom is because you want that item? IHIHIHHIHIHIHIHI you are more ruthless than I thought, Jaldabaoth~ the little vampire giggled.

"That has nothing to do with being ruthless; it's just business, nothing more, nothing less," answered the red-clothed Demon, fixing his tie, which Zesshi had to admit looked pretty stylish.

"So, you are only interested in that item, then? Does that mean you are going to leave all the other valuables behind?" asked the egghead known as greed

He sounded concerned, but she was not sure about that. The unknown had not talked much after all, and his pale, empty face displayed no emotions whatsoever.

"Of course not; who do you take me for? This operation promises to be costly already; even if the kingdom is weak, low-level demons are going to be slaughtered in the hundreds, that I am sure of. It is in my best interest to help myself with the spoils of war, to compensate for the losses I will suffer," said the red-clothed businessman, his voice sounding offended.

"Hrmgf Greedy Demon," commented the blonde lady.

"I was not talking to you, pride," said the demon with venom in his voice.

"Whatever"

"Back on track, since the item is probably housed in one of the many warehouses in the store district, I suggest we simply lock the whole area off and take everything that is in that district, be it food, valuables, or humans; everything can be useful later on," exclaimed the Demon.

taking...people?

"Wait what? For what reason are you going to abduct humans?" She asked, confused.

"Well, you see, 'Lust, even if you don't believe me, humans are quite valuable. There are many ways to put them to use properly. They can be used in sacrifices and experiments. Some of my acquaintances would even consider them food, but lately I have had this grand idea about breeding powerful half-demons with the help of human females. It has not yet shown results, but I am certain that it will bear fruit sooner than later," said the demon. He sounded incredible agitated, and that made her fall silent.

They were still talking about humans, right?

~Very well then~ her thoughts were interrupted by the squeaky voice of the childlike vampire.

~You have made your intentions clear, 'Wrath.' I will now give anyone the opportunity to speak up. If you want to take part in this operation, I, for my part, am quite excited about it and happy to give you a hand. Ihihihihihihihihih~Ahhh, the thought about it makes me sooooo giddy~ exclaimed Elisabeth happily.

"I would be happy with your assistance, but still, a question remains: what do you want in exchange for your help?" the demon asked.

So that's what Marie and Elisabeth had talked about. One hand washes the other; since Jaldabaoth got help from her, it is expected of him to give something in return. But what could this ancient vampire in the form of a small child want? She thought

~Maaaaaah, I dont really care, I just want to go and strecht my wings a bit, spread a little caos here and there, and maybe play a little with these mortals, that reminds me...

If 'he' shows up, I expect you to let me know immediately and leave it to me. 'he' is mine to play with~ said Elisabeth with madness in her voice.

"Well, alright, as long as you are not going to get in my way and the item I am not going to get into yours and your plaything. What do you say, Do we have a deal?" The demon asked and offered a handshake.

~You are as sensible as ever, Jaldabaoth~ said the vampire and answered the handshake enthusiastically.

But enough of all the boring stuff. I almost fell asleep. We should really go and have some fun~ whined the little girl.

~If no one has anything more to say, I am going to break up our little meetup...

Nothing more to say? Gooooo hooood one, two, threee the last who leaves is a smeely troll~ Elisabeth anounced and disappeared in a red light.

"Haaah, my lady, you really are a special case sometimes... Excuse me, Gentelmen." Marie said and followed the little girl.

"I guess these meetings are going to be like that, aren't they?" The Undead said with his raspy voice and shook his head.

"Ohh, you have no idea," said the egghead.

"Isn't that right, 'Pride'? ...'Pride'? Hah, she already left; talk about manners," he said, and disappeared in a red light, as did the undead.

Still sitting in her seat, she looked around. Almost all the members had retreated; only the red-clad demon and the slime were still present.

"Zesshi Zetsumai was it, right?" asked the sin of wrath.

"That is correct, 'Wrath'" She answered and looked him into the eyes, or at least where his eyes should have been since they were covered by a mask.

"Call me Jaldabaoth, please.

all these titles, at some point it becomes too much to remember them all. Which reminds me, you were called the elf princess, isn't that right?" asked the demon, and she swore she could see the outlines of a smirk behind the mask.

"Why do you care?" Her answer was sharp—much sharper than she wanted it to be.

But if the demon was offended, he didn't show it. Instead, he stood up and moved towards the bar.

"Could I offer you a drink? Unfortunately, our dear Marie is not here to serve us, but I am confident in my ability to prepare any drink that would come to mind," said the demon, and started working behind the bar.

"I ahm... I don't know..." She started. Of course she had drunk before, but that had just been an ordenary wine, and since she knew nothing else, she chose to remain silent after all. She didn't want to say something embarrassing.

"I will just prepare the same as me then," said the demon, and he continued his work.

"That sounds good," she answered.

"..."

"Back to the topic... started Jaldabaoth and broke the uncomfortable silence.

"...You asked why I care about your title. To be honest, I have heard about you..."

"...and your father" finished the demon.

"What do you know? And why are you so interested in it?" She asked with anger in her voice.

"Well, it is quite simple," said the sin of wrath, and he returned to the table with two filled glasses in his hand.

"But first, let me also ask you a question. What would you say if I offered you my help?" The demon said that, and he placed the glasses on the table.

"What for?" she asked, taking a sip from the offered drink.

"...To kill your father, of course," the demon answered wickedly.

Her eyes budged out, and she almost spilled her drink.

"What?" she was able to bring out

"Resources, troops, information, intellect, and pure power. These are the things I can offer you. My influence among the sins is also not small; it would be easy for me to support you. IF you take my offer, your father is as good as dead," bosted the red clothed arch fiend.

On the outside, she was calm, but on the inside, she was completely in turmoil. Why not? Here, she was offered a solution to the problem that she had been looking for all these years. All the years she had spent in Slane just for the tiny chance of possibly killing her father at some point were now meaningless.

"Mmmmm, what do you say?" asked a deep voice right behind her.

The frightening closeness of that voice behind her snapped her out of her thoughts. Her heart was racing, and adenaline was pumping through her body. Her gaze fell on the place where the demon had just sat; the empty glass was the only thing that seemed to attest to his brief presence on the chair.

When did he finish drinking? When did he get up? And more importantly, how did he get behind her?

"Why would you help me?" Was the question she decided to ask in the end

"Haaah, now you are asking the right questions, little princess," whispered the demon into her ear. It was uncompetable to have a strong individual behind you.

"I have nothing besides my armor and my weapon, and I will not give them away," she stated firmly.

"You know, you are much more valuable than you think. There are many things that you have that could interest me, but I guess the thing that I really want is...

...your rightful claim to the elf throne," finished the demon.

"You want to marry me?" She brought it out.

"Hahahahahahahahaha as amusing as that would be, no," laughed the arch fiend.

"If I help you kill your father, I want you to claim the throne. It is as simple as that. This will also be good for you; the resources and riches, as well as the elfen labor, will be yours. The only thing that I want is that, above all else, the kingdom will answer to me and me alone," said the demon.

"So you want me, as a pupet queen, to reign over the elf kindom?" She asked again.

"That's pretty much it; you will be allowed to do as you like with the kingdom, but if I make a call, it is absolute." 

sin of wrath stated

"Why all the shinenegans? Why can't you just take the kingdom by force?" She was confused.

"Of course I can, but isn't it easier like this? I would lose much more if I attacked head-on, and I could even clash with Slane. No, it is much more efficient that way. I was looking for someone who could reign the kingdom for me regardless since I have much more important things to do than drown in politics," explained the demon.

"How can I trust you that you dont betray me after you killed my father?" She asked with suspicion in her voice, After all, demons were known for their wicked nature.

"Aren't you an interesting one? But rest assured, as members of the 'Sins', it is not allowed for us to fight, and besides, why should I kill the golden goose?"

"Alright, I understand the point you are trying to make. Can I think about it?" she asked.

"Mmmmm, that would unfortunately not work; it is a vital part of my future plans, which I want to secure as soon as possible," the demon stated.

"I-I don't know," she stutterd. What was this? She was not normally this nervous.

"Now come on, 'Lust', what I'm offering you here is a once in a lifetime chance; agree to my terms, and I promise you that I, Jaldabaoth, will help you kill your father as soon as I'm done with Re-Esdize," promised the Demon and offered her a handshake.

She hesitated, she thought, she argued with herself, and then...

She took the offert hand.

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