- Arthas -
"The Civil War was quite traumatic for everyone and to prevent another repeat of that, it was decided to restrict the power of the Satans so they couldn't do whatever they desired. Even the current Satans agreed to prevent them from going despotic. There was also the fact that all the surviving houses had participated in the war and deserved a say in the new future they had created. Among these laws were provisions that a Satan cannot interfere in the businesses of any houses until they have definite proof that they are a danger to the Underworld and the devil race. This particular law is something all Pillar House adheres to quite ardently."
Rose looked a bit confused and asked her question.
"I have a question."
"Yes?"
"I remember that your son, Sirzechs Lucifer, was the strongest devil ever born, right? I have even heard rumours that he is several times stronger than the original Lucifer."
"Yes. He and his best friend Ajuka are Super Devils, just like Rizevim, although stronger. Back during the Civil War they teamed up to defeat Rizevim but over the years, they have individually grown stronger than Rizevim Lucifer too."
"Then why don't they push for investigations in such cases? I mean Lord Odin can do that if he doubts someone in Asgard and we follow his orders. I doubt with their power anyone could say anything?"
"Hmm, well you see, there are several reasons for this. The original Satans were the actual kings of the devil race as Lucifer had created the entire devil race with Lilith. The current Satans however don't have any such claim over the devil race. They are also just like any other Pillar Devils, albeit with a large amount of power. Just the fact that they still have to use the titles of the original Satans to continue their rule is an example of this fact. The difference between Odin and Sirzechs is that the former is the actual King of the Norse while the latter is… similar to a President of a country, a representative chosen by the Pillar Houses due to his strength and his contributions in the Civil War. It's the pillars who have made him a Satan. Am I clear up to this point?" She asked and Rose nodded.
"Second point is that the Satans don't directly control the Underworld. They do so through the Pillar Houses, each of whom control a large territory. This means that the Pillars also control the economy of the Underworld, giving them a very large power over the people. This was done to secure the domains of each Pillar Houses and prevent any Satan from unfairly promoting their own houses while interfering in the businesses of other houses who might not be aligned with them or their own houses because remember again… the current Satans are actually the members of the Pillars too. No one wanted to fight out of the control of one tyrant and fall into the hands of another."
It was like the restriction on politicians to promote their personal businesses and crushing their business and political opponents with power. Although knowing what I did, this hardly prevented them from misusing their powers.
Remembering memories from the light novel, Sirzechs interfering in the whole engagement thing was actually showing off his power which showed that although he was restricted, that was only until he wasn't forced to.
If I had to guess, none of the houses wanted to poke him on such a small matter, especially when the Phenex themselves backed off.
Sure things could have been different if the Phenex had actually pushed but that wasn't the case so who knows?
"Lastly, and this is quite a secret in the Underworld so don't speak of it outside." Veena continued however her words made us look at her in shock and curiosity. "Super Devils, except maybe Rizevim… were not naturally born."
"Huh?"
She shrugged. "I told you, didn't I that we planned for hundreds of years to resist and rebel against the tyrants? This was one of them. My House, the Bael and the House of my husband, the Gremory were the top houses among the resistance due to having two of the original Pillar Devils created by Lucifer himself. Due to this, alliances were formed. Believe it or not, my marriage with my husband was also a part of this plan to unite both the houses to form a political faction capable of resisting the Satan descendants. There were similar things done between the Astaroth and the Agares. Several of these houses conducted experiments to create devils which were stronger than normal devils, devils capable of standing up to even Rizevim… and among hundreds of these experiments only two were successful and even that was through sheer luck and through some other… extreme factors. You already know which two."
Rose had her mouth open at the news while even I was a bit shocked by this.
"Umm, are you sure you should tell this to us? I mean this is some big secret of the devils, right?" Rose asked.
In reply, Veena just shrugged. "I don't think you will reveal this secret to anyone. Call it an instinct. I have been known to have pretty sharp instincts."
My eyes twitched at her words. She is totally planning to seduce her in this game.
She was however unconcerned and continued. "These researches were however banned completely due to the number of casualties they caused. In fact, the survival rates of the newborns were less than 1% and even among them, only two were successful. Such actions… if it hadn't been for saving our race from a gruesome end due to war, is not something that could ever be allowed. In fact, even now, if these things were to come out, it would cause extreme outrage."
"Due to the low fertility rate of the devil race?" I asked and she nodded in agreement.
"That's why all houses collectively agreed to remove all research and data. Sure there were some who didn't want to agree and that's where the current Satans flexed their muscles to make them agree."
"Oh, that much." I asked.
"I don't think you understand the true power of a Super Devil. Both Sirzechs and Ajuka are two of the strongest beings in the world. A fight between such beings… is not something anyone wants… not even them. The last two beings like that who often fought each other were killed during the Great War and sealed by the Father of Angels."
"The Heavenly Dragons…" Rose said while I kept quiet. I wasn't supposed to know about these things.
"Yes. The destruction caused by such beings is just too great. So great that people often just avoid forcing them to fight if they can prevent it by any means just to avoid collateral damage. Now if a race started creating such beings, it would instantly become a target of all factions in the world and… while Super Devils might be strong… there are far… far stronger beings in this world. They just don't like to interfere in the affairs of the world much. Even the so-called Top Ten Strongest Beings list… is nothing but a sham. The actual list is far different from what common people know."
"Isn't Lord Thor also a part of that list?" Rose asked.
"He is… but Odin isn't… Can you believe that? Even now, that old God King has more than enough power to put his son in line. He is just retired. Similarly, many of the older Gods are… retired and thus are no longer counted. In fact, there are some who are not included because they just don't participate in the affairs of the world. We cannot afford to provoke them and till now everyone has been following these laws. But the condition for that is that the Satans have to keep their side of the bargain too and maintain a balance in the Underworld."
The topic was quite heavy but Veena looked unexpectedly calm.
We had finished our dinner and decided to go back to the room too.
- Shiroe -
"Great. With this you are also a T5 and our Guild has four T5 players now."
"Hmm. Even in the town we were at, I don't know any others who have reached even near this level. The Guild Blessing is helping us more than we had thought."
Shiroe agreed and checked the Guild Menu and found that the Guild would be levelled up in two to three more weeks at this rate. Then they could add more members.
That will come in handy when they move to Alverton.
He had asked some members he was close to if they wanted to move to Alverton but didn't receive much support. There were some who agreed but some who were more comfortable in Llyne where they had more or less established a livelihood.
It also made Shiroe realise a point he had been missing all this time.
Not all players in the town wanted to progress and some were just content with what they had as long as they could survive. As for clearing the game? Leave that to the fighters who were hunting regularly.
In fact, their Guild's majority members were craftsmen and most of them had chosen that route because they didn't want any part in the dangers that hunting brought with it. So it would be hard to convince them to move to Alverton until they find something useful there.
They couldn't even kick the members out of the Guild when they moved as they had actually paid to join the Guild and that would earn them unnecessary enemies. Moreover, the Guild business was actually flourishing and made for a great passive income of the Guild. Kicking members was out.
Ultimately, they could only rely on the Guild levelling up to free more space for new members in the new town.
Right now all the team members were trying to convince other Guild members to move with them. They would probably have more success if Veena was here. She had a way with words.
Even Arthas had a way with people but that was mostly due to him being a symbol of the Guild, the strongest player in the game. His words carried weight.
It wouldn't have been so difficult if they were just moving to the nearby town because that was the natural course of action but Alverton… was quite a distance from Llyne.
Moving was going to be costly. Thankfully, the funds from the Guild Hostel could be used to facilitate the move.
Veena was saying something about a million Gold as a reward too.
For now, Bina and Elaine were working together on the order which Veena and Rose had secured in Greenfrost.
The profits from that would greatly help their funds.
"Alright now, since we are done with Star's Class Advancement quest, let's move to the next matter. The next one to advance Classes will most likely be Suikazura-san or Whistler but even that will take a while. So, let's focus on other matters for now. First, we need to send some people to Greenfrost to bring the order. I have talked to Arthas and according to their plans, Rose and Arthas will be going to the Capital while Veena and the new members will wait there for us to arrive. We will complete the deal and return back to Llyne. In the meantime, Arthas will also return from the Capital and we can plan our next moves. Now, who will go to Greenfrost?"
"Umm, I can go." Elaine came forward, surprisingly. "I am the one managing the order for Greenfrost and know the details so it would be better if I did." She explained.
"Hmm, quite reasonable. Alright. Star, you go with her then. Take Damon with you. That would be more than enough for anything you can encounter on the road."
"Okay."
"In the meantime, we will all keep leveling up so we don't fall behind the rest of the group either. The field bosses have respawned and we can go on a round of boss hunts again. I will make plans."
They talked about a few more things and ended the meeting.