Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

Chapter 945- The Shadow Lurks (8)

What's more, by someone so far beneath him.

"I ask you, Dukes—do you truly believe Lord Belial will come to defend that Demon Earl?"

There was no need to even answer as it was clear.

"He may even be hoping for someone to remove that thorn from his side. Not only is Belial unlikely to defend the Demon Earl, but if the two of you—strong, established Demon Dukes—were to challenge him in a Fate Game, the Demon Lord might welcome it"

"What's more Lord Belial is currently focused on securing his territory. His enemies are closer to home. There is no way he'll abandon his priorities just to crush a Demon Earl. As for Lord Procell, he won't act. The Demon Lord of Greed hasn't lifted a finger in centuries. He won't interfere. He never does".

 Avrox's words did have some backing, Gelford and Arctaurus were forced to give his suggestion another thought. But what he was asking was for was still dangerous.

Initiating the fate game was itself a risk that they could not bear. Seeing the two dukes still hesitating, Avrox clicked his tongue stealthily.

He added "Of course I am not telling you to initiate the Fate game. the truth is, we don't have to invoke it directly. We could apply pressure, and create a situation where the Earl is forced to act recklessly"

"We make him the aggressor, make him overreach. Then, it will be him who violates the laws of demonkind, and the Fate Game can be called upon as a justified response."

Gelford and Arctaurus leaned forward. A justification… that's right, If the other party is the aggressor, then it will make complete sense to invoke the fate game and no one would blame them.

Better what, they would have a very good excuse, the pretext that they need to paint themselves as the victim. That said, something like this was too good to be true there was no way it could be achieved.

"What makes you so sure the Demon Lords won't see through this ploy? They're not fools, Avrox. They will know what we're trying to do."

Avrox chuckled darkly.

 "Ah, you overestimate how much they care, Duke Gelford. The Demon Lords are far too busy with their own schemes and intrigues. They have wars, territories, and rivalries with other Demon Lords that span millennia"

"Do you really think they'd waste their time on the disappearance of a single Earl? In the grander scheme of things, an Earl's disappearance is nothing but a flicker in the abyss."

Gelford crossed his arms, considering the risks and rewards. True, the Demon Lords rarely involved themselves in the affairs of lower-ranked demons unless something threatened the stability of the entire continent.

 The current political landscape of the Demon Continent was anything but stable. with the new Demon Lord of Envy looking to consolidate his power and challenge the long-standing authority of Lord Procell, the Demon Lord of Greed.

Both Lords had much bigger concerns than a minor conflict between remote demon nobles. But still, even if the Demon Lords ignored their plot, there was the issue of getting the Demon Earl to act as the aggressor.

How were they going to achieve that?

Arctaurus spoke, "Even if the Demon Lords ignore our actions, we still need to provoke the Demon Earl into attacking us first. We need a solid pretext for war—something that will make it seem like he's the one pulling the trigger."

At that mention, Avrox's grin widened, bordering sinister "How do we get the Demon Earl to strike first? To create the spark that will ignite the fire...?"

 His eyes trailed off towards Gelford as he slowly added "Don't we already have the perfect excuse?"

For a moment, there was silence as Gelford processed Avrox's ambiguous words. His brow furrowed, confusion swirling in his mind.

The perfect excuse? His gaze flickered to Arctaurus, but his fellow Duke looked just as uncertain.

At this, Avrox's smile widened, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Ah, it's been so long since I've seen the next generation of the Blood Moon," he said casually, turning his gaze toward Gelford's children seated beside him in the hall.

 "I trust your children are in good health, Sir Gelford? They've grown into fine demons"

Vargel and the others caught off guard by the sudden shift in conversation, exchanged puzzled glances. They didn't know why Avrox suddenly directed the topic of conversation towards them.

"Hmph, we are well, there is no need for you to be concerned about us" Delphyne answered on behalf of everyone.

 "Good, good. It's important to keep track of one's bloodlines, isn't it? After all, family is such a precious thing, losing one would be such a shame wouldn't it" Gelford's eyes narrowed.

What is he getting at? He studied Avrox, sensing something deeper lurking behind those words. The tone of his voice was far too suggestive, as if Avrox knew something personal.

Slowly, the pieces began to fall into place. Without missing a beat, the latter added "I wonder though… How are you all coping? It must have been difficult after… certain losses. Sometimes it can be hard to keep the family together when one member is missing."

Delphyne blinked in confusion "Losses…?"

 "Ah, yes. I seem to recall a certain absence. It's hard to move forward when a brother doesn't return, isn't it? You must miss him dearly."

At those words, The room grew cold. Gelford's crimson eyes sharpened, and the realization finally dawned on him. He knows... he definitely!!!

Avrox's gaze flicked back to Gelford "Ah, but of course, I'm sure it's nothing too troubling. Just something that might… spark a fire."

"What are you implying, Avrox?"…

"Sir Gelford you know as well as I do, the Demon Earl has already crossed a line, hasn't he? The death of a certain individual… a young, ambitious demon who belonged to your bloodline. Gelgar, was it?".

The Demn Duke froze, a pit began to form in his stomach.