Kaelgor did not look up from the hide he was reading.
His massive, gauntleted hand traced a column of numbers, his mind still strategizing. The silence stretched for a long, uncomfortable moment, broken only by the crackle of the brazier. The demon was uncomfortable, but dared not speak unless questioned.
Then, without raising his voice, without even a hint of questioning in his tone, he spoke.
"She left, didn't she?"
It was a statement, not a question.
The berserker demon did not flinch, though a flicker of unease passed through his glowing red eyes.
"Yes, Lord. The young deviless departed an hour ago. She moved with haste… towards the basin."
Kaelgor finally lifted his gaze from the hide, his eyes fixing on his subordinate.
The corners of his mouth, barely visible beneath the helm, curled into a slow, knowing smirk.
A master strategist seeing a piece move exactly as predicted.
He knew her mind.
A century of existence, of navigating the treacherous currents of hellish politics and warfare, schemes that spanned multiple worlds, had honed his understanding of psychology to a supernatural degree.
He had watched his daughter grow, studied her pride, her ambition, her cold, calculating nature. He had known, with absolute certainty, that she would not meekly wait until morning to be delivered.
Instead, she would take the initiative.
She would seek out this unknown variable, the unknown devil, on her own terms, with time to spare; to assess, to scheme, and, he suspected, to attempt to turn the situation to her own advantage.
He had practically predicted her every move.
The berserker, wisely remained silent, simply awaiting his lord's will.
Kaelgor turned his attention back to the hide, his clawed finger resuming its path down the column of numbers.
"Let her run ahead," He murmured, more to himself than to his subordinate, the smirk deepened.
He had let Saphira go, allowed her to rush headlong into the unknown, for a very specific reason.
It was a test.
Not for her, but for Adam!
A mid-tier devil, newborn but anomalous, wielding a nexus point of devastating power.
Desire still burned in his heart for this treasure, and he had an afterthought on how to obtain it still.
Saphira was a high-tier devil; powerful, cunning, and driven by her own ambitions.
If Adam could be manipulated by her, if he could be controlled or killed, then the problem solved itself.
The question lay in how?
He could not risk him activating the nexus after all.
Another display of its power, another beam of energy slicing through the first layer's atmosphere, would be like lighting a bonfire in a powder keg.
It would attract unwanted attention.
Direct assault and force, his preferred solution, was now a catastrophic risk he could not take. The potential reward of seizing the nexus was utterly eclipsed by the danger of the attention its use would bring.
Thus, a new, more elegant strategy had been necessary. A strategy that did not involve his armies or his own direct involvement, while also kept his 'deal' intact.
A strategy that, if successful, would solve his Adam problem.
Thus, it started with the deal he had made, to help Adam subdue the stronger deviless, his own daughter, Saphira.
He knew of Adam's nature now.
The newborn was a creature of lust, similar to many he had seen before; and they were all the same!
He would see Saphira's beauty, her power, her untapped primal yin, and he would disregard all danger to possess her.
It was a predictable weakness, a lever Kaelgor Knew he could pull with confidence.
And he knew Saphira.
He knew the training he had subtly encouraged, the lessons in manipulation, in emotional control, in the art of seduction taught to devils and demons alike as a fundamental survival skill.
He knew just how good she was at donning masks, at suppressing her true intent, at using her body and her words as weapons to get close to a target.
Furthermore, he knew of her exceptional combat capabilities, of her strength.
The plan was simple, elegant, and required no direct orders, only a deep understanding of his pawns.
He had given her a command to submit, knowing full well her pride would rebel.
He had created the circumstances, and then stepped back, letting nature, or rather, hellish nature, take its course.
He had gambled that she would seek out Adam on her own, that she would attempt to use seduction to get past his defenses, perhaps even through the barrier, and deal with the newborn herself.
Furthermore, he wasn't overly hopeful.
Adam had proven unexpectedly resilient.
But the possibility existed.
The true beauty of the scheme was its plausible deniability and its adherence to the letter of his agreement.
He had made a deal with Adam, a verbal agreement sealed with a devil's word.
A devil's deal is not a casual promise; it is a subtly binding law, a fundamental aspect of their ordered nature.
To openly break it would invite consequences he could not predict or control; the nature of the consequences vary from case to case.
But if Saphira, acting on her own ambition, sabotaged Adam and ruined his plans… well, Kaelgor hadn't ordered her to do anything of the sort!
Adam had asked for a deviless as part of his deal, and he found a deviless, Saphira, to fill the role!
He had publicly, verbally told her that they would leave in the morning, but she had gone out by herself!
He had plans to help her submit, should she have waited, but that was now delayed!
Likewise, he didn't mean to set the stage, but it just turned out that way…
Therefore, he would be keeping his word, technically, even as his daughter acted as his unwitting agent of chaos.
In the end, it was a casual bet.
It was a consequence free roll of the dice, in a game where the stakes were immeasurably high.
Either Saphira succeeded, and Adam was neutralized, or she failed, and Adam obtained what he asked for.
Either outcome was acceptable, and neither required him to activate the damned attack rune.
As long as that beacon of forbidden power remained dormant, all else was manageable.
Now, Kaelgor just had to wait patiently for the results.