As for whether Katerea would agree or not, Rod felt that once he laid everything out properly, any intelligent person would know what choice to make.
As for the rest of the Old Maou faction, they weren't part of the people he intended to persuade. In his view, the more people involved, the more chaotic things would become. And people like Shalba or Creuserey, those descendants of the Old Maous from the original story, were never going to abandon their unrealistic ambitions just because of a few words from him.
At least from the way Katerea had behaved so far, she didn't seem completely impossible to reason with.
Of course, as someone this stubbornly orthodox, there was no way she would ever accept the current Maou government as one big happy family.
Nor was she as shameless as Rod, casually joining the opposing camp even while being one of the leaders of the Old Maou faction.
So Rod planned to complete the mission in another way.
As long as he could win Katerea over, not only would he complete the mission smoothly and get the rewards, he would also gain a trustworthy ally for his own side. It was simply a win-win.
If he really couldn't win her over, then he would just have to reluctantly give up on the mission.
After all, it wouldn't cost him anything.
Hm?
You're asking about dignity?
What even was that?
Rod had his own flexible moral bottom line: a double standard for himself, strict with others, lenient with himself.
The moment he thought of that, Rod's spirits lifted immediately.
And seeing him suddenly smile, Katerea's expression turned a little strange.
From the time she had spent with him so far, this man definitely had courage. Even after seeing the might of the rightful Maou faction, he remained completely calm.
It was just that his brain seemed a little questionable.
"Rod, what exactly are you thinking?"
"Katerea, I fully support your ideals, but your plan is full of holes. It has absolutely no chance of succeeding."
"To be blunt, the army you're so proud of is complete trash in front of the Three Factions."
Rod spoke without the slightest restraint, not caring in the least whether she might try to kill him for it.
Katerea froze the moment she heard that.
Then, once she recovered, the entire room's demonic power surged like a tidal wave. Decorations all over the room were swept up and sent flying by the violent storm of magic, and Rod had to quickly form a layer of Ki around himself to avoid getting his head smashed in by random objects.
"You dare call my army trash?! Do you have any idea what I've endured all these years?! My army is a hundred times stronger than the cowardly forces under Serafall!"
Katerea was absolutely furious.
During all these years of exile, she had secretly trained troops nonstop, and even swallowed her pride to join Khaos Brigade, begging Ophis for Her power.
And yet this man, whom she had only just met, was saying her plan was full of flaws and her army was trash.
Katerea unleashed all of her demonic power, trying to force the man in front of her to submit and kneel before her.
But Rod remained completely unaffected. In fact, the corners of his mouth even curled into a smile, and he outright laughed.
That reaction nearly made Katerea lose control.
Still, Rod didn't continue provoking her.
In another setting, what he was doing right now would've been seen as a reckless act, like a advisor openly defying a king. The only time that ever worked was when the ruler's authority was absolute.
Katerea didn't even touch true Maou-class strength. She had only briefly attained power beyond the Old Maous after using Ophis's snake.
And even then, Azazel, with his Sacred Gear activated, had driven her straight into a mental breakdown and forced her to self-destruct.
With strength like that, she barely qualified to sit at the same table as Kokabiel.
"I know you're upset, but try not to be upset just yet."
Rod's leisurely tone only made Katerea angrier. Her two Mt. Fujis rose and fell violently with her emotions, so much so that Rod's eyes behind his sunglasses were starting to struggle to keep up.
"I'll give you one chance. Otherwise, don't think you're walking out of here alive."
Katerea forced herself to calm down.
Rod, meanwhile, treated her threat like a fart in the wind. She wasn't even Maou-class, so what exactly did she plan to use to keep him here?
"If you don't believe me, then go over your own plan."
"My plan… Hmph! Are you trying to trick me into revealing information?!"
Katerea had almost begun to state the plan she had long since prepared, but she caught herself in time. Rod might very well be an infiltrator from another faction, deliberately trying to coax out the details of their perfect operation.
Good thing she reacted in time.
"Fine. If you won't say it, then I will."
Rod could only think that Katerea was all chest and no brains.
What kind of spy tried to get information like that?
If anyone actually used that method, then either they were obviously baiting you, or the person getting tricked was an idiot.
Then, right in front of Katerea, Rod laid out their planned operation in full detail.
The Old Maou faction had already learned that the Three Factions' meeting would take place at Kuoh Academy in Kuoh Town.
That wasn't all. He also stated that they had already contacted Vali, the White Dragon Emperor, who was staying at Azazel's side, bought him over to their camp, and had him provide the spatial coordinates inside Kuoh Academy.
On top of that, they had arranged for witches led by Walburga to secretly infiltrate the academy and look for the peerage member under Rias who possessed the Sacred Gear capable of stopping time.
Once Time Stop was activated, they would transfer in their army all at once and launch the attack.
To put it simply, there was a mole inside the Three Factions. The Old Maou faction had bribed that mole and planned to attack from both inside and outside.
In the end, it would be soldiers against soldiers, kings against kings, a battle to the death.
To be honest, even while explaining all this, Rod still couldn't get over Rias's decision-making.
Even knowing full well how dangerous Gasper's Sacred Gear was, she had still left that shut-in peerage member living alone inside Kuoh Academy without a care.
And the key point was that everyone already knew Gasper possessed a Time Stop Sacred Gear.
In normal circumstances, whatever. But during a Three Factions summit, leaving that walking time bomb at the school was just asking for trouble.
If Rod were Rias, even if he didn't have the heart to throw the shut-in away, he would have sent him to the safest place in the Underworld.
Just give him three meals a day and enough games to keep him entertained. What more management was needed?
And while Rod was internally speechless over Rias's choices, Katerea, after hearing him recite their operation plan in exact detail, was completely dumbfounded.
Because only a few top leaders from the participating factions knew that plan.
The real operational details were only supposed to be revealed to their subordinates right before the action began.
And Katerea had never met Rod before this.
So how in the world did this man know their plan?!
Could it be…
Had the rightful Maou faction been infiltrated by a traitor from within?!
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Read 40 Advanced Chapters
p(a)treon.com/Shalltearr
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!