After waking up, I quickly got ready for my meeting with Viscount Rose. I was worried there would be more pranks from Lia, but it seemed even she knew when to stop.
He wouldn't be here for a few more hours, so I spent that time meditating in the library which was the place I was most accustomed to in this tower.
"Sir Elios."
"Mmm."
At the call of a maid I woke up from my selfless state, I changed into my fancy clothes and headed to the reception room for guests. When I got to the clear white room, there were no other people.
In the center of the room was a table covered in sweets and pastries as well as a kettle and teacups.
If it wasn't for the bird's eye view you could get by looking out the window, this room would seem to fit perfectly for a traditional small tea party for nobility.
According to the customs of Lambda, the host would usually wait in the reception room for the guests to arrive, but since I was the one who was supposed to be the leader of our rebellion, Lia would take the role of the escort who would lead Viscount Rose here.
Since I was called, Viscount Rose should have arrived and would soon be here along with Lia, so I focused on entering the mindset of a true noble demon.
"Viscount Rose has arrived."
After hearing the notice by the maid at the entrance of the room, the door was opened soon after. From behind the door, the one who caught my attention first was Lia.
She was in simple light crimson dress with a single strap, and wore only a dull pair of earrings. Her straight hair was now curled at the ends and rested over her right shoulder. Unlike usual, I could slightly detect the use of makeup on her face, but it only improved on her naturally mesmerizing features. Her curves weren't as obvious as usual however, just the change in style had me speechless.
As Lia gave me a polite nod I was finally able to pull myself out of my fascinated state and quickly adjusted myself so that Viscount Rose hopefully didn't notice.
Just like in his picture, the Viscount looked like a frail, pale-skinned man in his late twenties with droopy eyes. His formal wear was duller than mine, however the blue flower that sprouted from the left side of his head made all of that seem trivial.
Watching him, I wondered how he wasn't affected by the charm of Lia, who I had to keep out of my eyes' range, but then I realized the simple answer.
Though Lia's charm could affect both men and women, I never saw insects and bugs gather around her, nor would plants bend their necks as she walked by. However, using other succubi as references it affected demons that looked more like animals such as orcs.
If my guess was right, her charm could only affect those who could find the human appearance beautiful. Similar to how I wouldn't feel my heart race over a flower, he likely wouldn't feel any sexual attraction towards Lia.
But if my guess was correct,
'Then is her outfit just to tease me?'
It was something I was curious about but unfortunately this wasn't the time.
When Viscount Rose was three steps away from me, both of us raised our right hands to height of our heads, and put our left arms behind our backs. Then, we shook right hands while tilting our heads forward. This was the ceremonial first greeting, which I managed to finish perfectly.
"It's an honour to meet you, Viscount Rose."
"The honour is mine, Viscount Elios."
I wasn't actually a viscount since I was only Bony's master rather than the one awarded the title, but minding that detail would be a little hypocritical for rebels.
After a firm handshake, I showed my completed polite smile while he returned a gentle expression.
"We're both well aware of what this meeting is for, but I hope you don't mind a light conversation over treats and tea before we move on to that topic?
"That would be fine."
"I agree."
"Well then, Viscount Rose-"
"Ah, you may refer to me more comfortably if you'd like."
"I shall take you up on that offer then. Please do the same."
"Very well."
"Sir Rose, I hear you manage an orchard."
"Indeed, I'm quite proud of it Sir Elios."
Even though this was her home, Lia took the supporting role and limited her involvement. Due to my studying I was able to hold a proper exchange between two nobles, but she would subtly aid me whenever I was having trouble.
'It's as if I'm the King to her Queen.'
But this idle time had to be short since we couldn't be sure when the Demon King faction might make a move.
"Okay, I suppose that's good enough for an introduction," I paused until I detected the barrier that Lia activated around this room, "Sir Rose, how do you feel about the current Demon King's reign?"
"Well I was only a sprout when the previous Demon King was alive so I can't really compare it to anything. However since this Demon King isn't very proactive in politics I imagine nothing has really changed."
The Viscount carefully avoided giving any direct comments but he did insinuate that the current Demon King wasn't a factor that positively impacted the functioning of Lambda.
"Mmm, and I believe I already know the answer but, what are your thoughts on the war likely to break out with the lower races."
Before answering, Sir Rose pursed his lips and extended roots from beneath his shiny dark blue hair. I wasn't completely aware of how it worked but I knew that his roots were super sensitive to magic and life presences, so he could use them to detect any eavesdroppers.
Considering that his personality, it was natural he wouldn't want to say anything incriminating in a potentially dangerous space.
Once he had his roots float around the room for around ten minutes, he withdrew them and sighed briefly before turning to face me directly.
"I believe you're already aware but, similar to yours my land is rather close to human territory so I have a decent understanding of their way of life. And because of that I'm sure that my people won't have proper deaths if we wage war."
"Elaborate please."
"Yes. Among the races under the dominion of the God of Light, humans are the most numerous and hold the most territory despite their average strength. However, the height that a single human can reach is unimaginable. The perfect example of this would be the heroes that have been proven to exist throughout history. While not all of them have been humans, the ones argued to be the strongest are."
"Yes, like the First Hero who fought against Lord Demon Progenitor."
"Exactly. Now I don't believe a hero will definitely appear if we wage war and even if one does appear, it will likely be after the war has gone on for a few years, but even without a hero their side is much too dangerous."
"Do you think we might lose?"
"Overall we might be able to snatch victory, but I predict that this will only be after great sacrifices. Knowing the nature of our kind I predict our strongest will head straight for the front lines, leaving the weaker ones who remain at the mercy of the forces that will seek to ambush us."
"Hmm, not an opinion those excessively prideful demons would like to consider but I see your point."
"I'm pleased. But the thing that worries me the most isn't the deaths of my people, it's what could happen to the ones who aren't given death."
As a noble it is expected that one must hide their true emotions, but I could still sense the anger in Sir Rose's tightly clenched fist as he continued.
"There was a time I received notice that there was a series of kidnappings involving plant demons occuring at the border of my lands. With our ability to converse with nature it was easy to find the criminals once we heard the news, but it was much too late.
The men, killed and made into medicine and food.
The women who were still alive had their minds broken by special narcotic substances and intense sexual interaction.
And the ones who could no longer be used to satisfy their lust, were, skinned so that they could be made into clothes."
As his story continued, the trembling of his fist went down but I didn't doubt how overcome by anger he must have been at that time.
"You must have hated them."
"I did. Even if it would cause a war, even though the assailants had been killed I wanted nothing more than to have vengeance. But I was saved, by the birth of my child.
The moment I saw that soft leaf, I felt my hatred being purified by warmth. If the Elder Council asked for my head I would gladly offer it, but for his sake I decided that I couldn't push my people through war, and so I can't allow anyone else to force them on a war path."
'Kuku, and he's supposed to be submissive?'
I didn't think the other reasons that Lia told me were lies, but when I saw the strong look in his eyes I had the thought that maybe those reasons were just a front.
"That's right. We're demons, so we respect the strong. But even our king can't force us to his bidding with just strength."
As I stretched out my hand and shook hands with him once more, I gained confidence that together with the allies we would gather, we could stop the Demon King's faction.