"And that will be enough for today," I said, eyeing the boy covered in blood, sweat, and tears as he lay broken and beaten: Bones protruding from almost every limb. He only moaned as I signaled to the butler to carry him to the medical bath.
It was so weird how innocent kids are. They are so easy to mold that they don't even realize it. Not once did the boy beg or ask for a break, it was almost like he didn't even know what it meant, and I wasn't one to allow him any form of reprieve. I sort of respected Zanta a bit. A shame he is but a pawn.
Wiping my hands clean of blood with a handkerchief, I turned and took note of the icy look Valice held as she stared at her child.
"Must you be so hard,"
"No, but if you want results, this must happen."
Valice released a long strenuous breath as she turned to me, "I heard of what happened with Osirus. Are you so in a rush to meet with my husband you would—"
"Your husband and I have many things in common, but that is for later. Warn the Second Consort; I am not one to be messed with; I counted seven Assassins acting as guards, using the darkness of all things to hide. I will kill her if she acts against me." I gently warned, not to threaten her, but as a precaution.
Belphegor is right. The more I thought about it, the more I started to think of the sins, and the more I began to understand how little I understood.
This little slave game Loki thew me in was a wake-up call.
The amount of divinity I gather from acts such as entertaining people far outshines what I would gather from wars. War required time for those to hate me, to feel anger towards those that sent them to war, and those they had to fight.
When I ruled, it was usually through fear, which was sustainable, but fear wasn't a sin. The people I governed didn't hate me; they didn't feel Wrath, Lust, or even greed towards me. They felt fear.
I was wasting the potential of Noctem. Although I wasn't ruling right now, I needed to change a few things. I don't plan on being a Lord of Sloth, but all of them. It's ironic, but Sloth is the fuel of my actions.
I need to find a way to sever Noctem from the Exalted Wheel. Once I reach the peak, I want my people to grow with me. Like how Belphegor created Genisis, I wish to build up my land, right beside the people of the Abyss."
I may or may not always be in this perfect state of mind, so I must act quickly. I need to get into contact with Lilith and Mimir.
"Mr. Blackwater, are you alright? You just zoned out," Valice remarked, snapping me out of my plans for the future.
"Sorry, where was I?"
"I was just telling you that Jessica Black, the Second Consort, is furious. It seems she is petitioning the king as we speak. Although nothing will come of it."
I smiled, " And that's where you fail to see the big picture. Worry not of some whore; think of the future. My tournament is coming up soon. If you were to spread the word of my humiliating the kids of the second consort—"
"I could maximize the audience! Sales would be through the roof."
And I would garner the Wrath from the people and the Lust of those on the opposite side. Gambles will spread fueled by greed, and even if they are not my subjects, my actions fuel them.
And the more they follow their sin, the more I grow as a god—such an interesting system.
"It would, especially if you, a woman who owns sixty percent of the arena, were to, let's say, broadcast a live stream to everyone who pays when the colosseum is too filled," I suggested watching the glow in her eyes light up. Just like that, she, too, would be under my spell.
And what leads a businessman or woman if not ambition? And what is ambition without greed? The more she listens and follows my ideas, the more she—
Devils are scary monsters, aren't they? Zax had told me that during Zariel's era, the devils now and back then acted completely different. I didn't understand it when he said it, but I think I do now."
"You have a mind for business," Valice said to me, arching her lips, and leaned in a little closer. "I'll spread the word, but you need to survive. I need evidence that someone tried to kill you. Kill the Second Consort if you wish; she is just a High God my husband had managed to get pregnant after one night."
"Have you ever heard of the Gentleman thief, Arsene?" I asked as she shook her head.
"Well, he usually tells the owners of what he's trying to steal before actually stealing it. If I am to kill the Second Consort, I will send a letter of death to her first."
Valice Black stood shaken for a moment and backed away, staring at me with a particular gleam, 'You're a heartless one, aren't you."
"Arent, all cultivators?" I responded, a little taken back by her words. It wasn't every day I got called heartless, not that she was wrong.
Lady Black shook her head, "I can't say what you see or think as everything is twisted by how we see the world, but I've met many humble people. Sure there are plenty that is bastards, but it's not fair to call them all heartless. But what you said tells me a lot about you."
I couldn't deny Valice words, but I was surprised to see that she was still analyzing me. It will seem she didn't become a paragon without getting her hands a little bloody. If all the Realm's wives or husbands are like this, then I may require some more preparation if I wish to take all of the Exalted Wheel under my wing.
By the time I head to Acadia, everything will be mine.