Free Web NovelChapter 866: Behind a Demon’s Smile
The moment Asmodeus pushed Valena toward Nerim, the heat clinging to his chest faded.
It felt strange.
It could have been because he missed her warmth, or maybe the tiny pulses running through their bond had not settled. Valena tried to bury them, yet each glance toward the covered box sent another shudder through her blood.
Her knees weakened, and she almost collapsed.
Asmodeus almost reached for her again, but Nerim stepped in first and caught the dragoness against her chest.
"Stand properly, lizard."
"Shut up, fish..."
Valena’s voice lacked its usual bite.
Asmodeus noticed the change in her immediately.
The proud little dragon who loved arguing and acting fearless could barely lift her head. Her fingers clutched Nerim’s sleeve while her tail curled tightly around her own leg, trembling as though it wanted to wrap around him again.
Nerim also tried to hide her reaction as she glanced at Asmodeus, who gave her a bitter smile. Valena’s face seemed to change every second until, finally, it came close to her usual self as she sighed.
It appeared she’d finally grasped Asmodeus’s advice.
Asmodeus turned away before Albrecht could read too much from his face.
’Endure it, Valena.’ frёewebηovel.cѳm
Her answer came weakly through the bond.
’I want her back...’
He knew.
...
After Valena left his sight, Asmodeus became settled, his chest stopped, and the weird feeling from earlier vanished.
But he was still following Albrecht and Caelith.
’I can’t stand these fuckers...’
Asmodeus followed towards the captain’s quarters, a larger and more lavish space created by Brando for whenever he travelled with them. It was a little strange, but the bald knight insisted that he stay on another ship and Asmodeus enjoy the lush, air-conditioned room spanning five metres on either side.
It even had a polished table, velvet-lined chairs and a brass cooling device humming quietly in the corner, pushing cold air through a vent carved with the Golden Hare Merchant Group’s crest.
’This bastard really enjoys wasting money.’
Of course, the moment Asmodeus entered, he sat in the largest chair without hesitation.
The two imperial dogs both glanced at him strangely.
But he didn’t care.
This was his boat, his Empire.
"Sit," Asmodeus said.
Albrecht lowered himself into the seat opposite him, elegant and calm, his sleeves never touching the edge of the table. Caelith remained standing behind his right shoulder, one hand near her sword, her molten eyes fixed on Asmodeus as though he were something rotting in a temple.
Asmodeus leaned back.
"If you keep staring at me like that, Lady Caelith, I may misunderstand."
Her jaw tightened.
"Then gouge out your eyes."
"Tempting, but my wives enjoy them."
"You—"
"Caelith," Albrecht said softly.
The knight stopped, but the anger remained.
"Your Majesty, could you please refrain from teasing her? She doesn’t know any better..."
Asmodeus glanced at Albrecht, resting his face in his palm when curiosity got the better of him. "Is she your woman?"
"W-What!? How could that be?"
"Disgusting!" Caelith spat.
Albrecht’s smile finally twitched.
"See?" Asmodeus said. "That sounded a little too quick."
"Your Majesty, Lady Caelith is a knight of the Radiant Creed. Her devotion is to the Empire and the Creator’s doctrine, not to me."
"That’s a long way to say no."
"It was a necessary clarification."
Caelith’s face tightened, though her ears carried a faint shade of red as she turned her gaze toward the wall. Though she showed a slight hint of embarrassment, Asmodeus guessed that her true sights were lightly higher than even Albrecht.
Asmodeus almost laughed.
’So she’s easier to bully than Serena.’
Serena would’ve climbed over the table by now and licked his cheek to make the other side uncomfortable. Caelith, however, tried to hide behind her anger and short insults. It made her simple to read despite the dangerous aura wrapped around her sword.
Albrecht placed the parchment on the table and unrolled it with two fingers.
"Shall we proceed?"
"That depends on whether this is worth my time." freёwebnovel.com
"The Holy Empire proposes a temporary maritime accord until Leviathan is dealt with. During this period, both fleets will avoid hostile action, maintain distance from each other’s formations, and refrain from seizing civilian or merchant vessels found in the affected waters."
Asmodeus looked at the parchment.
The words were neat.
But they were far too empty; there wasn’t any trace of desire or demand from an Empire that prided itself on being the "Holy Empire." Asmodeus thought for sure they would have some issues, especially when he was a huge, tanned demon with giant horns.
’No mention of dragons, or even the fact they brought the box.’
"The terms and offer are quite generous," he said.
"It benefits both sides."
"It benefits you more."
Albrecht’s gaze did not move.
"In what way?"
"You came late. Though you offer a truce and help, you are offering much fewer ships than we are deploying, not to mention that there are countless priests now swarming my decks with a disgusting fake religion. Let’s not forget your attempted attack on the southern parts of my territory a few weeks ago. Now you ask for peace while I deal with the monster your Empire ignored until it reached your border."
Caelith stepped forward.
"His Imperial Majesty did not ignore—"
"Sit down."
"I am standing."
"Then stand quietly."
Her fingers tightened near her sword.
Albrecht raised a hand before she could go further.
Asmodeus noticed the rhythm of it. Caelith was not merely his guard; she was a weapon he had to keep from falling out of its sheath. That meant the Empire trusted her strength but not her judgement.
Useful.
’She is much like my dear Velvet or Erika...’
Because he knew women with a similar temperament, Asmodeus didn’t become nervous and just faced her with a smile.
If she wanted to fight, he would remove her head in seconds.
And yet thanks to her outbursts, he’d managed to get better terms or an advantage over Albrecht during their negotiation.
"Your Majesty," Albrecht said calmly, "the Empire has no desire to quarrel over who acted first. The sea is changing. Villages along the southern coast have begun evacuating. Trade routes have collapsed. Even the Empire cannot pretend Leviathan’s movement is harmless."
"But your Emperor only moved once Lumeria’s fleet dealt with the main cause of the rotting disease and gathered for combat, huh."
"That is when our interests became aligned."
"Liar."
Albrecht’s smile remained, but the air between them cooled.
Caelith’s molten eyes narrowed.
Asmodeus leaned back in Brando’s expensive chair, resting his cheek against his knuckles.
"Your interests are not aligned with mine. They merely happen to face the same direction for now."
"That is enough for diplomacy."
"Well, you’re not wrong, I won’t deny it."
Asmodeus didn’t have any significant training or abilities in diplomacy; he just went with his gut. Though a primative and foolish way, from the moment he came to this world, it’d saved him several times.
That answer made Asmodeus pause.
For the first time, Albrecht’s voice lost a little of its polished softness. Not enough to sound angry, but enough to reveal something beneath the noble mask.
He wasn’t here because he trusted Lumeria.
He wasn’t here because he respected Asmodeus.
He was here because his Emperor had ordered him to stand near a monster and bargain before another monster rose from the sea.
’At least he understands danger.’
Asmodeus tapped the table once.
"Fine. Temporary non-aggression. Your fleet stays behind mine. If you cross my line without permission, I sink you and the rest of your fleet myself. Not a single Imperial will survive once I am finished with you."
"N-Naturally."
At first, it seemed Caelith might speak or complain, but the moment Asmodeus released sharp bursts of his true power, the human knight instantly became overwhelmed. Albrecht seemed oblivious, only taking a sudden deep breath and stuttering.
However, the eyes of Caelith opened wide as her pupils trembled.
Albrecht glanced at him.
"The priests are necessary for our rites."
"They can pray from far away."
"That may diminish their effectiveness."
"Human... I don’t care." Asmodeus leaned forward, and for the first time, maybe the duo realised that he wasn’t human like them. Albrecht’s eye traced the thick bronze muscles of his body before reaching his thick black horns, while Caelith’s eyes wandered south. "Keep the bastards away from my people; we are not humans."
Albrecht spoke first.
"Accepted, provided they remain aboard this ship under guard."
Asmodeus smiled faintly.
"You trust Brando’s hospitality?"
"I trust your desire not to start a war today."
’Fool, I would crush you where you stood if Leviathan weren’t so tricky to deal with...’
"Hmmm, okay then."
But Albrecht couldn’t know Asmodeus’s mind, and just sighed with relief when Asmodeus accepted his request.
"As for observation," Albrecht said, touching the parchment again.
"There it is," Asmodeus muttered.
The envoy’s smile returned.
"The Empire merely wishes to witness Lumeria’s method against Leviathan."
Asmodeus leaned back.
"No. You can watch from behind my fleet, like frightened children."
Albrecht looked at the parchment, then slowly folded it.
"Then we shall observe from behind your fleet."
"Yeah, so you should."
Caelith’s lips tightened, but this time she did not speak.
Asmodeus rose from Brando’s ridiculous chair and walked toward the door. "Brando will handle the written details. If you try to sneak anything past him, he’ll charge you for wasting ink."
Albrecht also stood, his smile polite and thin.
"Then we have an accord."
"For now."
Asmodeus opened the door with the flick of his wrist as the smell of salt and water returned, and his smile vanished.
"Now leave my room."
