«This situation is much more complicated than it seems, Emeric," the red-haired beauty who was displayed in the magical mare across from him shook her head at his many questions.
Aldis Lucifer, as many knew his sister to be, was as enchanting and seductive as ever. A long and luxurious mane of hair as red as blood itself, the same shade as his own. Numerous jewelry in her hair and clothes that emphasized her magnificent figure.
His sister had long been the face of all Hell and was a prize for which many supernatural factions were willing to start entire wars. There was no telling how many offers of marriage she had received in her lifetime. They offered everything: entire kingdoms, armies, untold riches, but she kept this particular aspect of her life under strict control. Aldis had given practically her entire life in the service of Hell, had sacrificed and would continue to sacrifice a great deal, but she had never given her heart to anyone. When he asked her how that had happened, her sister smiled enigmatically and remained silent.
But it doesn't matter at this point.
Having somehow recovered from Irina's revelation, Emerick ordered that Akeno hand over the key to the promised information to the trio of exorcists. They had fully satisfied his information hunger, so Emeric didn't puff them up in any way. Fully deserved.
He left for his home at the fastest pace possible, and afterward contacted his sister. That's who should have the answers. Emeric even somehow managed to walk home on his own, that's how focused he was on the problem. Yeah, sometimes that happens!
Aldis herself wasn't too surprised that he'd gotten to the bottom of the incident, though she didn't know how. She didn't even ask questions, she just knew her favorite brother's nature.
«Sister," Emeric pressed his lips together, suppressing the childish urge to be naughty. First of all, he wasn't a child anymore, and secondly, it wouldn't work. The topic was too serious for his sister to backpedal. Aldis had always indulged him, but there was a limit to everything, and Emeric felt like he was already actively pounding on that very limit with his cast-iron head. - That things were complicated was already clear enough. - He sighed, trying to gather his thoughts. - "It can't be that Cleria was killed without someone's 'special' orders..."
Claria, as Belial had found out an hour ago, was apparently Dichauser's favorite and only sister, the Emperor. She wasn't some low ranking demon that you could just pick up and kill. Behind her stood one of the most respected demons in their society. Who also, judging by his 'visions', loved her very much. You can't just take out a person like that, even if the law is clear. And yes, Cleria's "love" can be fully classified as a betrayal of Hell. But that doesn't change the fact that something unimaginable happened here. Nepotism in the society of demons was practically a folk tradition.
Aldis was the demon who could give such an order, and even shut Dichauser up. Emeric would be happy to start justifying his sister, she was not like that, she would not do that, but he would not do it. Aldis Lucifer was the ultimate ruler of a society that had power and selfishness at its foundation. She could give such an order and most likely had already done such things, no matter how bitter Emeric was about it.
He didn't even know what he would do if Aldis took it to his face right now.
Dichauser Belial was his idol and role model. A goal to which he aspired. And Emeric, even if he tried hard enough, couldn't think of anything bad to say about him.
But Aldis was his sister, whom he had loved dearly all his conscious life. She brought him up and always tried to indulge his many "desires".
Of course he'll choose Aldis, but he just needs to know the truth.
Aldis sighed and fixed her already perfect hair.
«My star," she called him by her long-standing diminutive. It was a nickname he had even given to his favorite queen. He associated this "star" only with good and warm things. - Please, just leave this story alone.... You're not at the age and "weight" to change anything here yet....
She had given him an option and practically a promise in which he would find out everything, but only in the future. It was not a subtle hint that this story had deeper and more dangerous roots than he realized.
Emeric won't fall for it. He doesn't know why he wants the truth. He just realizes he can't sleep at night without it.
«Sister," Emeric began to speak in a soft voice. - I'm not as young as you want me to be....
«You're right... - Aldis smiled slightly, but then looked him seriously in the eyes. - The Great King is personally involved, that is, Zekram Bael asked me at one time not to "get involved" in this case....
Zekram Bael. Shadow of the Devil. The Great King. The most powerful demon in all of Hell.
When some people wonder who exactly is the most powerful and influential demon in all of Hell, the vast majority will name the New Lords, i.e., Lupitzer, Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus. And those few will be mostly right, but only the very "top" knows that the most powerful individual is Zekram Bael.
Zekram Bael is currently the oldest demon among all of Hell. He is the only surviving "son" of the original Lucifer and Lilith. This old-timer has survived all the wars and redistributions of power, and still remained the most powerful demon in the political realm. He was not the strongest, no, that was far from it. Zekram was the most cunning and experienced.
After the Great War, when all the Biblical Factions were healing their wounds, the Old Lords, the rulers of that time period, had not had enough. They were about to start a new war, but it was Zekram who stood up to them and gathered a force of resistance. It was through his tutelage that the new Lords were able to gain influence. Aldis was the formal leader, but without the support of the Great King nothing would have been possible.
Despite his disagreement with the Old Lords' course of action, Zekram was a true traditionalist. He just didn't want to die in another pointless war.
Therefore, when the defeat of the Old Lords came, the new ruling party split into two parts. The factions of the New Lords and the Great King.
Formally, it was the New Lords who were the most powerful, but most of the "votes" were in the hands of the Great King, so any major change of course in society could not do without his permission.
Yes, Aldis Lucifer could in principle always go and crush most of the Great King Pillars, but what would happen afterward? Despite the Evil Figures system, which allowed the population to rebuild at a blistering pace, most of the resources were in the hands of the Pillars. Aldis Lucifer never wanted to become the queen of the Ashes, so the power option was never a possible outcome. Even the war with the Old Lords had happened because of fundamental differences in views, if there was a more peaceful option, Aldis would have chosen it.
Aldis became Lucifer not for absolute power, but to lead the demon race to prosperity and keep it from crashing on the rocks called "stupid rulers".
That was why Zekram was a more powerful demon than the four Lords. He wasn't an implacable enemy after all, but a full-fledged ally who stood up for his own interests. It should not be forgotten that without Zekram, the New Lords most likely could not have won.
Emeric sighed tiredly as he realized that this really wasn't his level.
«Why?
«I don't know, Emeric," Aldis shook her head negatively. - I have some guesses, but I won't tell you them. - She admitted to him frankly. It would probably pique his curiosity again. To be honest, he wasn't going to leave the case anyway. - He just asked me to, and I stayed out of it.
Aldis frankly confessed to him that she had "sold" Dichauser's sister when Zekram had promised her something for it. A monstrous act, in fact. She didn't favor some young demoness she didn't know, but agreed to future concessions from the Great King.
Emeric had never given himself unrealistic illusions about his sister's "kindness," but to hear her say such a thing was painful. No, objectively speaking, under Aldis's rule, demon society had changed beyond recognition. There was no longer the lawlessness of the past, which made the whole world afraid of them like lepers, but that didn't mean she was all white and fluffy.
Zekram Bael wanted to "mess" with Dichauser somehow, so he took advantage of the weakness of a young fool in love and killed her to spite the Emperor. Aldis could have intervened, but didn't, thinking that some "benefits" from the Great King were more attractive.
Emeric swallowed the tight lump in his throat and tried with all his might to hold back his nausea. He didn't consider himself a hypocrite, and he realized that if Cleria had been some other unknown and naive fool, he probably wouldn't have even bothered. At the moment, he just felt humanly resentful of Dichauser. He had already seen in his visions how much Dichauser had loved his sister, but she had ended up a victim of intrigue on the part of the Great King. This is not a fairy tale where everything turns out well, all by itself. In real life, there will always be victims, and in this example, it was Cleria and Dichauser who were the victims.
He did not often meet his idol, but the latter always listened to his successes and gave advice with sincere interest. Emeric had always considered Dichauser his goal and role model. He imagined challenging the Emperor when he grew up. And the Emperor would put his hand on his shoulder after his loss and tell him he was proud of his success....
And now he found out that his sister had "yielded" to his scheming.....
He loves his sister, but this was too much.
He'd always known that Aldis wasn't an angel, but right now that very "need" had hit right at his good acquaintance.
Aldis seemed to realize that Emeric was uncomfortable with her revelation, but said nothing. Sooner or later he was bound to find out that side of things. She too was sad that her brother would see her other side, but such was life. She just hoped that Emeric would forgive her.
If Emeric had heard such thoughts, he would have just laughed. He held no grudges against his sister, and would likely never be able to truly hold a grudge against her. It was just... He needed time.
«Thank you, sister," Emeric's voice trembled slightly. - I'll call you later...
«Bye, my star.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but he seemed to see a glint of tears in his sister's eyes.
Emeric had never brought his favorite sister to tears, but apparently everything happens the first time.
---
patreon.com/posts/eminence-in-dxd-129508530