The Red Hand

Chapter 321 – The Temptation.

"Things are never simple, are they? Bathrumd continues his saber-rattling against the Empire, and we've gotten word that the Demon Lord cult is making moves throughout both our territory and Northwind." Ariel sighed as she sat at her father's bedside, her hand resting on top of the gray and withered hand of the Demon King. He was barely recognizable as the once proud and strong King that she'd come to admire, and was little more than a shadow of his former self. Gone were his proud features, replaced by a withered husk, barely clinging to life. "We... We need you... Father. I... need you..." King Lockheed's condition had gotten to the point that he could barely speak or move, and at this point, every day that passed could easily be his last. The once mighty Demon King who could duel Emperor Hadrus to a standstill was little more than a distant memory at this point.

{No matter what, we can't allow Bathrumd to become the next King. I don't care what I have to do or who I need to bribe, but that man CANNOT be allowed to lead our people, or I fear he shall bring about our downfall. He embodies everything wrong with our kind and our ways, and I know what kind of leader he will be...} (Ariel)

After staying at his side for a bit and speaking to her father about current events, Ariel departed the King's bedchambers and returned to her office. Even this late in the day there was much work to be done, and Ariel was always one to burn the midnight oil.

"I still need to look over that report that Delora gave to me. It seems that we need some extensive reforms in the Military Academy, and she may be right that opening up enrollment to commoners like the Empire recently did will be necessary in order to keep our forces from stagnating." Ariel sighed as she poured a glass of black liquor and took a sip of the thick liquid. "But I suppose that will have to wait until Duke Boze's meeting is over..." She leaned back in her chair.

{Why on Earth did Edeowin schedule a meeting this late at night? He said something about it being urgent but...} (Ariel)

"This better not be something stupid." Ariel placed her glass down before rubbing her face in frustration. The last thing that she wanted to do was entertain some lowly Count, but she had no choice but to do what was required of her as his acting liege.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

{And I don't even get a moment's rest, huh?} (Ariel)

"Your Highness, Count Boze is here." A maid spoke through her office door. “Shall I let him in?”

{You have no idea how much I want to say no...} (Ariel)

"Yes, please send him in..." Ariel sighed as she knocked back a shot of liquor as 'Count Boze' entered the room. “This better be both important and quick.” She said under he breath as the door slowly opened.

"Lady Ariel, please forgive my intrusion." Count Boze stood in front of his desk and gave a polite bow. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me this late in the evening. I know it was a sudden addition to your schedule, and I am grateful for your courtesy."

"A Noble of the Kingdom used their legal right to request a meeting with the current Sovereign, something quite unusual in the modern era. I hope whatever you need to speak with me about is so vital that it merited using something so antiquated." Ariel locked eyes with him. As per ancient Demon law, Nobles of the realm could effectively force a meeting with the current King/Queen. However, doing so was considered unwise unless the reason was of dire importance and misuse would see said Noble quickly disfavored, depending on their reason.

"Rest assured that I can guarantee you that my use of your most ancient of customs is of vital importance, Your Highness." Nima's voice startled Ariel, whose eyes went wide as the Catgirl, Shimari, and Nemino appeared from Boze's shadow, flanking him.

"Intruders?!? What is the meaning of this, Boze?!?" Ariel jolted up from her chair, ready to do battle. "Answer me now, and pray that what you have to say dissuades me from taking your life!" She figured that sudden appearances like that were either an assassination attempt or had something to do with a major incident.

{The Boze family is a relatively insignificant family from the East, so why would he even risk something like this?!? Is he a fool?!?} (Ariel)

"I'm sorry, but this was simply too important to do things any other way, Your Highness." The Copy Boze smiled. "Recently I received messengers who simply wouldn't take no for an answer when they asked me to act as an intermediary with the Kingdom." The copies were planning on keeping themselves hidden since it was better to think that the Demon Kingdom had traitors than to realize that some of its Nobles had been replaced. Though the Copy Boze was also going to do his part to weasel his way into Demon politics for the second part of Akagi's plan, one that required great care and a deft hand.

"Messengers?" Ariel's eyes scanned over Nima and Co. "If they wanted to speak with me, then they should've gone through proper channels. What you've done here was highly inappropriate, Count. I may even be tempted to strip you of your title and lands for pulling such a brazen stunt."

{The only messengers I want to see are those coming to deliver surrender or those of the Gods, and I'm not very interested in that second one all that much.} (Ariel)

"I understand and will gracefully accept any punishment that you decide to meet out Your Highness." The Copy played his role perfectly, and Akagi had taken great care to see that he was turned from a hapless and decadent fool into a master of political maneuvering, the exact opposite of his 'real' counterpart.

"I suppose that since we've already come this far, I should at least hear you out.” Ariel said. “So, who are you, and what do you want?" The Princess-Regent reduced her magical energy but didn't let her guard down. "I have little patience for fools, so I hope that what you have to say is truly important, lest I vaporize you for wasting my time."

{Something tells me that she's done just that before.} (Nima)

"Seeing as how busy you are, and out of respect for your time and grace, let's get right to it." Nima cleared her throat and bowed slightly. "My name is Nima Dumetor, and I am an Ambassador sent on behalf of the Kingdom of Dumetor to negotiate with Your Highness on a matter most important."

{Kingdom of Dumetor? Is that a Country from the Southlands? Or perhaps the Western Continent? I don't recognize that name from my readings.} (Ariel)

"I see, and tell me why did you not approach us via official channels? We have a robust diplomatic Corp that handles interactions between the Kingdom and other nations. Doing something like this seems suspicious when there is a proper way to establish communication between our two nations." Ariel got the sense that something was wrong, as back channel interactions like this tended to never be a good sign.

{None of them seem to be a threat, and it would be easy to overwhelm them if they tried anything, so what's their game? Why go about this in such an illogical manner? It makes no sense.} (Ariel)

"Forgive me, but while I would've ordinarily gone about things the correct way, we are a bit pressed for time." Nima replied with another polite bow. "I simply could not wait for the formalities to conclude before bringing my Master's offer to you, so please forgive my haphazard arrival."

"We will discuss forgiveness for your actions later, but tell me, who might this 'Master' of yours be?" Ariel expected it to be a King or Queen of the nation in question. “I would like to give them my most strongly worded of criticisms for this stunt.”

{Well, knowing her, she more than likely want to scream at them.} (Copy Boze)

"Demon Lord Akagi Dumetor." Nima smiled, getting the exact reaction that she was expecting as Ariel lunged for her throat, only to be blocked by Shimari's shield.

*BANG!*

"Get out of my way, dog!" Ariel allowed her power to flare as she punched Shimari's towershield, and was stunned when she was easily repulsed.

{How can a mere beastkin stop me so easily?!?} (Ariel)

"Cultist bastards!" Ariel growled as she leaped backward and channeled her power, causing green wind to whip around her. "I'll have your heads before I even think of negotiating with you! How dare you set foot in my home after what you've done!" She was moments from going off and causing a massive scene, only barely holding herself back.

{I'll summon everyone in the Capital to crush them. We've already been planning to attack the Cult, and a large portion of the Royal Army is already encamped outside of the City. It might be a bit early, but it's time to crush these bastards once and for all!} (Ariel)

"I would advise you not to go calling for reinforcements." Nima sighed, reading Ariel's intentions. "We are not here to fight you, and I am simply here to discuss a deal between our nations. Not to mention that we have no affiliation with Vikes' cult, nor are we responsible for its actions, so please don't conflate us with such people."

"You said that you serve a Demon Lord! What else could you be but Cultists?!?" Ariel growled, not about to be lied to so brazenly.

"While we serve Demon Lord, we serve Lady Akagi Dumetor, not Vikes." Nima clarified her alliance.

{That name... I've seen it in a report from my spies in the Empire. Something about an assassin wounding Tahena and fighting Hadrus. If I'm not mistaken they called out that name and declared that this 'Demon Lord Akagi' was declaring war on the Gods.} (Ariel)

"Well, regardless of whether you worship Vikes or this Akagi, you are still enemies of my people if you serve such a person!" Ariel began to channel more magical power as she prepared for a fight. "A Demon Lord once tried to destroy this world, and I doubt that your Demon Lord has anything else in mind! Never mind what you've done to my Father!"

"Oh? But what would you say if I told you that my Master is the only way to save your people?" Nima's question caused Ariel to briefly pause, not considering Nima's words as true, though she was admittedly curious to hear what she had to say. "And that the only way for the Demon race to continue is by working with her? After all, this world has no future."

"Well, if you told me that, then I'd say that you're a liar!" Ariel laughed at Nima's claims. "Stop trying to buy time, Cultist. I'm sure that my guards are already preparing to storm this room as we speak, so I'd advise saying your last words before we tear you and your fellow fanatics limb from limb!"

{Well, perhaps they would be on their if they had any idea what was going on in here. Imp's suppression device is quite handy at keeping things quiet within a certain area and I'm so glad that we brought it!} Shimari had been given on by the mad scientist, as had Nemino and Nima, the item in question was a small metal ball clipped to her waist, but its effect would completely silence all noise in an area and block out external methods of spying or divining what was happening inside a certain area.

"Okay, then what would you say if I told you that my Master was the key to saving your Father's life?" Nima decided to bring out her trump card.

"Save..." Ariel shook her head, trying to throw away those thoughts. "No! I will not be deceived! You're nothing but liars! I will not listen!"

"Oh, but there were no lies in my words." Nima smirked as she moved around Shimari and faced Ariel head-on. "My Master is the only way to save not only your people but also your Father. Think about it, if a Demon Lord's power is the reason that he's fallen ill, then it would be simple for a Demon Lord to heal him, no?"

{She knows about that?!? But the cause of my Father's illness is only known to a select few!} (Ariel)

"No... That's..." Ariel was paralyzed with indecision. She'd never dream of selling out her country, but the idea that her Father's salvation was possible couldn't be ignored. Ariel loved her Father dearly, and after the passing of her Mother, the two only grew closer as she dedicated all her effort to studying Kingship him in hopes of one day succeeding him. Her father's power was unmatched, and growing up, he was her Hero, so the idea of bringing the once mighty Demon back to his former glory after ten years was too tempting to dismiss without a thought.

{Father... I...} (Ariel)