Sirzechs Lucifer was not only the strongest Devil in history – but he was also one of the strongest beings in the world. A position that might be contested somewhat by Ajuka, who might not be as powerful in a direct fight, but was certainly no less dangerous an opponent. A fight that Sirzechs would win, if not without some great difficulty, cementing Sirzechs position as one of the strongest beings in the world. That is – generally speaking.
He was definitely not the strongest being in the entire world.
Ophis, the Great Red, the Trimurti of the Indian Pantheon, Sirzechs were below those. But considering that most of them were literally living cataclysms of apocalyptic proportions, to be included in the top ten of the strongest among such beings, was an achievement in itself.
Even from a historical perspective, at a time when the Gods of antiquity were at the height of their power, shaking the earth with their battles from the heavens. So much so that there was still no consensus even on whether Atlantis and Hyperborea had once existed, or whether it was really nothing more than the fiction of misguided explorers of the human world. Sirzechs would not be outmatched among the other pantheons of the past.
No, even during the Age of Gods Sirzechs would have stood at the head of great pantheons, fighting on equal terms with the might of Odin or Zeus.
So now, when the old great pantheons had weakened so much that the ancient hierarchies of deities and pantheons existed only on paper, with Thor having long been stronger than his father, and Hades than his brother?
That's right, Sirzechs Lucifer was at the absolute pinnacle of the fighting power of the creatures of this world. And everyone knew it.
Enemies who needed a show of might to dissuade them from futile attempts to pressure the demon faction. Allies, finding comfort and hope for the future in the incredibly powerful figure of Sirzechs. And even the neutrals, forced to dance around the fact that Sirzechs Lucifer, formerly of Gremory, could single-handedly destroy half their pantheon before they could even react. And Sirzechs Lucifer was the strongest but not the only trump card in the Devils' hands.
But it was Sirzechs who knew it best.
Clinging to modesty was both from his natural character and his political title, Sirzechs nevertheless didn't let his modesty devolve into trite attempts to solicit compliments. He knows full well that he was powerful, and that this fact had to be not only recognized, but used to his advantage. And Sirzechs was now using it, even when he preferred not to.
Responsible for the internal policy of the Devils, Sirzechs did not use his combat power to suppress the dissatisfied Devils and destroy the opposition. If not, there's no way that the Old Satan Faction would be around. So, even when his opponent was someone much more annoying, he did not pressure them with his personal power, the less he wanted to do with some Humans.
He knows full well that that path only leads to the radicalization of his opponent.
He's wise enough to know that, sometimes, the soft touch is enough. After all, a simple mention that the strongest Devil supported this candidate or disapproved of that decision, usually led to the Devils doing what he wanted. And if all else fails? Well, he's the strongest Devil.
So, it was strange, very unusual even, for Sirzechs to be on the back foot, forced not to act and showing his strength, but to await the actions of his opponent, trying to prepare counter plans instead of acting first.
Of course, Sirzechs was not naive enough to think that the current era of 'eternal peace' was the time of pacifism, where all conflicts were solved solely through treaties and discussions. But it was certainly incomparable to past eras, such as the Devil Civil War, where every day was a battle that could put an end to hundreds of thousands of lives. Where each battle could decide the future of the world.
And Sirzechs always believed, at least on the level of his inner conviction and desire, that the past era of powerlessness, constant anxiety, conflict and hard decisions, was a thing of the past. And, strictly speaking, the current situation shouldn't have led him to think otherwise.
For even in the worst case scenario, which Sirzechs preferred not to think about, thanks to his strength, of his closest associates, and the Devil faction, even a god appearing out of nowhere was just a nuisance. A worry to be sure, but not a deadly crisis that could call into question the very survival of the Devil faction.
Still, something was bugging Sirzechs.
A tugging, aching feeling in his stomach that made him involuntarily furrow his brow and crinkle his face every few minutes, to ask if Serafall was all right at the moment, or to get another report from the Devil scouts. His worry was so apparent, that every so often, the small warm hand of his wife was placed on his shoulder soothing Sirzechs' worry, allowing him to push that sickening feeling away for a few minutes.
Really, it was just his nerves speaking, but dealing with a god was never simple, especially one with so many unknowns about him. The fact that his sister was so close by probably also didn't help matters. But, in fact, logically speaking, there's no reason for him to worry at all.
Serafall, for all her eccentricity, was not a foolish girl who was rightfully entitled to the title of Leviathan. With himself, along with Ajuka, being only a few kilometers away from Satoru, barely a second's journey away if necessary, Sirzechs had to say that the situation would be in control.
With all his experience, he should be confident in saying that nothing bad would happen, that Satoru poses no threat, that he in fact would be trapped should he do anything nefarious…
He should have, but he couldn't.
He had a feeling that something was wrong. And what worries him so much is that he couldn't tell where that feeling was coming from.
Having an unknown god descend in a small town in Japan was in itself a far from ordinary event. But as if that wasn't enough, each step that followed from the beginning of this situation seemed to only deepen Sirzechs' suspicions more and more.
When Sirzechs first heard that his Rias was in danger, he almost rushed to be the first to protect her from the unknown god. But Ajuka was able to hold him back then, dissuading him by the simple fact that without a plan, Sirzechs could cause such a danger to materialize, especially being blinded by concern for his younger sister.
However, contrary to Ajuka's explanations, after Sirzechs himself agreed, the situation didn't get any better, only becoming even more confusing.
The Devils stationed in Kuoh as security, and even Serafall, had to retreat in order to reassess the current situation, to gather information about Satoru… Easier said than done. If he didn't know better, he would categorize Satoru as some kind of god of secrets, finding any information about Satoru was like squeezing blood out of stone.
All magical ways of establishing observation failed. Even roundabout ways, like inconspicuous familiars or indirect signs, not of Satoru himself, but of magical fluctuations in the air of Kuoh, simply could not detect him! If they didn't have eyes, it would be as if Satoru didn't exist at all! The Devils had to stoop to the most basic level of surveillance, literally sending people untrained at all, since the 'normal' way of doing things is impossible, to personally observe Satoru…
And what did they get in return? Nothing!
Satoru isn't out of place from a human that was just settling into the modern world. Which confirmed his status as a god that had recently escaped from his forgotten pocket of reality into this world, very unhelpful information since they already knew that. Other than that?
The Devil spies would note that he would go to school, ignore the teachers, and then return home, to a house that was sealed off by several defenses against information gathering. Defenses that could not be breached by the spies without alerting Satoru.
Perhaps Ajuka could accomplish the feat, but then again, Ajuka appearing anywhere near the vicinity of Kuoh would be alarming enough! With Serafall there, the appearance of another Satan would just be taken as a declaration of war. Why would the Devil need so much firepower, after all?
And without Ajuka's personal presence, the Devils could only rely on what the spies saw with their own eyes. But, in the world of the paranormal, invisibility and changing appearances, evading detections, are basic skills, which effectively meant that the Devil basically had no actionable information at all.
And so, when Serafall had finally determined that Satoru could no longer be studied from afar, that another meeting with him was required. Satoru had suddenly appeared with a proposal for negotiations, just right before the Devils would suggest the same, where they could control the situation. It was a direct loss for the Devils' side, they now were forced to abide by the negotiations set by Satoru.
And if that weren't another source of headaches!?
Negotiations in the territory of Fallen Angels in what's supposed to be the Devils' territory!
Such a spit in the face could only be seen as a mockery. While Kuoh was indeed the territory of the Youkai originally, the Devil had bought it and had made it their own. To then be forced to negotiate on the 'territory' of the Fallen Angel, territory that they had illegally taken over, and for them to act as the mediator?
If Sirzechs had known that the Fallen Angels would eventually cause such an agreement, he would have killed them all personally when they first appeared in Kuoh's territory!
Sirzechs had known that the Fallen Angel periodically visited the city, but in the end, seeing that they didn't cause any problems for the new masters, had let it pass. Considering that Kuoh was already intended to be a training ground for the Rias and Sona, the presence of fallen angels was even considered useful in a way.
In the sense that they could serve as good training dummies for Rias. And Sona too, Sirzechs suppose. Minor adversaries for the two sheltered Heiress, but real ones. A real live opponent, ready to confront the two heiresses, but also completely harmless. The whole team of Fallen Angels posed no threat to the two Heiresses, even if they caught them by surprise.
In recent months, after rumblings about the creation of the so-called 'Khaos Brigade' under the leadership of Ophis, overtures of peace started between the three Biblical Factions. And so, even when they are nothing more than small fry, the Fallen Angel that had trespassed in Kuoh, are now suddenly under the protection of Azazel. Of course, if they were to do any overt action against the Devil faction, their life would be forfeit, but, without any hostile action, they are to be left alone. Even if it was a small thing in faction relations, any bumps, no matter how small, in creating the peace between the three Biblical factions are best avoided.
It was simply easier to endure these few months until the peace negotiations were finalized and then, after, ask Azazel to simply remove his subordinates from the territory of the Devils. It would be an easy ask, especially since Azazel were the foremost in asking for peace in the first place, and it would be a simple way to show that the Fallen could make concessions. An uncomplicated win for future peace.
Especially since the fallen were useless in this city anyway.
But instead of such happening, the Fallen Angels had suddenly become a third party, in the negotiation between Satoru and the Devils! It was such a slap in the face! It was like vagrants barging in on a residence secretly, and then demanding a cut from when the owner started renting the rooms!
Something that had put the Devils between a rock and a hard place.
Agree to the negotiations, and the Devil would be implicitly agreeing to the illegal occupation by the Fallen Angels. Something that would not only complicate further relations between the two factions, but also open the door to future illegal occupations. And with the rather obvious hand that Satoru was playing here, it was rather obvious that Satoru was supporting the Fallen Angel,
Agreeing to the negotiation would basically force the Devils to concede territory to Satoru.
Refusing to negotiate, on the other hand, was completely unacceptable – it would mean a breakdown of dialog, inevitably leading to conflict with Satoru. Failure to recognize the Fallen's de facto control of the abandoned church meant failure to recognize Satoru's control of the part of Kuoh he had captured. At the same time, failure to recognize the Fallen Angels as a neutral party, meant complications in the framework of dialogue with the Fallen and an agreement with them to end the Great War and mend relations.
In politics, there was nothing more terrible than precedent.
And it was carried out hours before the demons themselves could provide their plan for the ongoing negotiations and their vision of neutral territory. That is, Satoru had chosen the most ideal moment for his strike. When the Devils had already decided that they would turn to the Kyoto Youkai, wanting to find a truly neutral party, in addition to the original owners of Kuoh, Satoru had cut them off. At the same time, by inviting the Kyoto youkai, the Devils hoped to gather more information about the Satoru who had said that he had come from Kyoto.
Sadly, contact had not yet been made with the Youkai.
Could this have been a coincidence? No, no way, absolutely not, Satoru knew. Knew both the demons' plans and the time frame in which he had to make his move, he had once again outwit the Devils.
To the negotiators' consternation, they had to go with Satoru's 'demands' for negotiation, conceding the first victory for Satoru. It would cost them too much to escalate hostilities with the Fallen on the eve of signing the final agreement to end the War. As for Satoru… At least Sirzechs had hoped that by looking as closely as possible at Satoru he would be able to understand his divine nature, analyze it, and make sufficient arrangements to protect his sister from the threat.
However, Sirzechs' heart was still troubled, causing his wife, insisting that she was first and foremost his wife and not his maid. It was a rare occasion for Grayfia to act out of character, following her husband to Kuoh, wanting to support him.
But even her presence couldn't soothe Sirzechs from the simple fact that Satoru knew. He knew both the Devils' plans and their time frame… At least, from this, the Devils had learned that he's a skilled politician and manipulator. Which was only confirmed by what Serafall and Rias had said.
Sirzechs felt that he, that the Devils as a whole, were playing a dangerous game by making contact with Satoru. Or, given that it was Satoru who had made contact with the Devils first, arriving in Kuoh and even flagrantly showing his presence by enrolling in Kuoh Academy, that Satoru posed a great danger to the Devils. A danger that should, and could, not be underestimated.
The small, warm palm on his shoulder squeezed slightly, making him remember that he wasn't alone at the moment. The light squeeze reminded him that he had involuntarily creased his brows again, with a severe expression on his face, which would surprise the new denizen of the Underworld, so used to seeing their leader carefree and full of smiles.
But lifting his gaze to his wife, always so calm and detached, but in the depths of whose eyes lurked worry about her fool of a husband, Sirzechs felt his anxiety recede for a second.
Unable to hold back, Sirzechs reached up and placed his palm on his wife's, smiling slightly, causing her to now frown slightly and shake her head faintly at her husband' antics.
Grayfia, as usual, was trying to compensate for her husband's laxity with her strictness, Sirzechs was literally on the level of telepathy to catch his wife's thoughts and visualize her voice.
'How on earth, Lord Sirzechs, what kind of example are you setting for your subordinates by allowing such behavior with your maid…' Grayfia would say, once again continuing her ineffectual charade as if she were actually only a maid. Though, such behavior pleased Grayfia herself, and it was a very tasty spice for their love life, so Sirzechs was fine with it.
He was enjoying the normality, his tender moments with his wife even in such unpleasant situations.
But, he was worrying about nothing, the main thing was to deal with Satoru now, and all his unpleasant feelings would be a thing of the past…
These were the words that Sirzechs used to convince himself before he heard the expected and yet trembling words from the messenger.
"Lady Leviathan is awaiting your arrival."
Sirzechs let out a deep exhale at those words, and glanced at his wife, and then at his silent friend, Ajuka. Who had shown that he could handle the nervousness of the moment better than Sirzechs himself. Nodding to himself as if to confirm the messenger's words Sirzechs, the Satan, Lucifer, has prepared himself.
Now was the time to act and deal with this matter once and for all.
***
Momonga was glad that negotiations with Serafall were going… Pretty well, actually.
That is, after receiving consent to meet from the demons, Momonga was worried enough about the content of the negotiations. What and how exactly was he supposed to discuss with the Demons? It's not like he could ask his subordinates the details of the negotiations that he had 'asked' for, after all.
That is, of course, some issues became instantly clear and obvious to Momonga. In any case, first, he at least needed to apologize to the demons for his intrusion into their territory.
After all, it was still his side's transgression to barge in on someone else' turf. It was like in the days of YGGDRASIL where a hunting group would stumble upon someone else's hunting ground, unless they want a fight, an apology would probably be expected. So Momonga should probably do that first, it's not like it would cost him anything to say some simple sentences. So, if he could earn favor from the demons just by saying a few sentences, why not take that chance?
Any advantage, no matter how small, was always worth at least a second thought, and if that advantage would only cost a few spoken words? Why would Momonga even bother thinking about it?
That is, if it would actually only cost a few words.
While Momonga would have no trouble admitting fault, if he were to do so now, the next step that the demons would do seemed obvious – asking Momonga to leave, and he could not do that. Given the fact that Momonga planned not just to gather information about the demons, but also to legitimize some of his decisions, it would be a fatal mistake. Such as future patronage over the Church of Fallen Angels and establishing a permanent base of operations in Kuoh, Momonga could not afford to look weak.
Not out of any excessive pride, but simply because offering an apology would weaken his position in the negotiations. Apologizing, even though it would be the simplest way to make negotiations smooth, would reduce the chances of the demons agreeing to his demands. Lowering his head, if figuratively speaking, would show the demons that he lacked the strength to impose his demands if necessary, which would only lead to future conflicts, something Momonga was most anxious to avoid under the current circumstances.
He had even organized negotiations with the demons precisely to resolve any existing conflicts with them!
He had learned from the strategist of Ainz Ooal Gown, Punitto Moe, and reading some random books on negotiation that he had managed to find in Nazarick's library in the past few hours – total concessions doesn't necessarily mean peace. In fact, peace is achieved by maintaining a certain amount of pressure between two sides.
At least he hoped that was the correct conclusion, as he was trying to fit as much knowledge of diplomacy into his head as possible in one night, worried about the meeting with the demons.
Even if he had to borrow the idea, what did it matter who originally came to that conclusion? Right now, it was Momonga who was using that knowledge to the benefit of all of Nazarick, and thus all of Ainz Ooal Gown.
In any case, the issue of trespassing on the demon's territory was just one of the issues that Momonga immediately wanted to be brought to the forefront of the negotiations. The Church occupied by the Fallen Angels, Miki, his kinda-sorta-son, Pandora's Actor that in this world played the role of Issei Hyoudou, his other acquaintances like Katase or Saji… There's actually quite a lot of things to be negotiated on.
All in all, Momonga had a lot on his agenda, and while he could easily sacrifice certain positions in case of bargaining, for example, he didn't know what exactly to do with Saji. He was ready to get rid of him at any time during negotiations, of course, while pretending that Saji was very important to him. Artificial price inflation and false positive qualities were the bread and butter of his profession as a sales manager in the past, some things like Issei remaining above suspicion had to be preserved by all means. And with that, Momonga was not allowed to show his interest in Issei until the very end. Pretending you're not interested in it at all, and you're taking it on top of other requirements, was also another bread and butter of his past profession.
Yes, Momonga was not a professional diplomat and negotiator, but after many years in his past position, he did learn some tricks of his past trade that could come in handy at the moment.
In addition to all these things, Momonga needed to deal with a few other things, the most essential of which was information. Without information, Momonga could only negotiate as cautiously as possible, without betraying his ignorance of the local political landscape, and the force that the enemy could amass.
Second, but almost as important, was the school. With all his might, Momonga had to force the demons of this world to force Momonga himself to leave the school in Kuoh. Ideally with some sort of material compensation for Momonga himself, but he was willing to do the unthinkable and, overstepping his cheapskate nature, even pay extra for the possibility of not going to school in the future. What was he thinking, actually wanting to go to it in the past!
And after that, Momonga's personal passion for collecting, echoing his need for new information, was next in importance. That is to say, Momonga understood that the demons of this world would probably not agree to part with local artifacts or members of their species so easily. But Momonga somehow also counted on the next, third strategy of his past employment. Demand too much initially in order to give up excessive demands in the bargaining process.
In other words, Momonga certainly didn't count on, though he hoped, that he could be provided with the secret artifacts of the demon race, but he could at least hope for some collectible trinket from this world.
And with those goals in mind, Momonga's negotiations… Are going quite well at the moment.
More specifically, the first part of Momonga's negotiations with Serafall Leviathan herself had gone well. The first part, during which he had 'apologized', without actually apologizing, for his past actions, received Serafall's response of understanding and complete lack of complaint about his behavior before moving on to the actual 'meat' of the meeting. The part that required the presence of two other demons in the negotiations… The two probable 100th level demons from this world.
Of course, Momonga had gathered, thanks to the Demiurge and Pandora's Actor, as much information as possible about the potential level 100 opponents that Momonga himself was to meet. Demiurge said something about a gesture of 'openness and goodwill?
It is the reason he continued to wear a ring that completely concealed him from all means of gathering information about him, transformed thanks to his new spell instead into underwear. And why he was alone at the negotiation table, with Demiurge, Pandora's Actor, and Albedo were somewhere else. Actually, they are a floor beneath him, in the basement below the church, completely concealed, and ready to act should negotiations break down.
But even with all that preparation, with a fighting force that outnumbered the enemy two-to-one, he was still worried about facing two likely opponents of the hundred level at once. Moreover, not just any hundred-level opponents, but a hundred-level opponents from a new, uncharted world.
Who knows what kind of new and unexplored abilities his opponents possessed!
Lucifer, that is, Sirzechs Lucifer, judging from the information gathered, possessed something called 'the power of destruction', while Ajuka Beelzebub could 'analyze any ability'. Which in both cases sounded extremely dangerous. Especially in Ajuka's case, since information was the key to victory in all battles.
Dealing with an opponent who could freely operate such a valuable currency as information was extremely dangerous for Momonga.
Therefore, he was certainly very nervous, but he was also interested in at least getting a close up look at his likely opponent. And so, when he heard the soft footsteps of the approaching demons, he involuntarily turned his gaze, not paying attention to Serafall, which is a rookie mistake… Which he didn't blame himself much for, for a battle between hundred-level creatures, Serafall was at best a scout or a disposable meat shield, nothing more.
The demons that had appeared, however, deserved his full attention.
The first to appear in the small room of the church, that had been hastily converted into a small meeting room, was a rather young guy with a luxurious mess of scarlet hair. His hair seemed to cascade down his shoulders, accentuating the expensive suit he's wearing. Using [Arcane Sight] showed that every detail of his clothes was an enchanted artifact, and he himself, which was highly expected, appeared to have magical abilities.
For a second, Momonga even considered using his new favorite spells, [Life Essence] and [Mana Essence], but in the end, he decided not to provoke his opponent, Sirzechs Lucifer, whom he had only known about through stories until now.
The so-called 'strongest demon of all time', 'Lucifer's heir' and the unimaginably named 'Red Satan'. He was the possessor of the 'power of destruction', as well as the older brother of Rias Gremory, whose acquaintance with Momonga was quite unfortunate, if not 'catastrophic'. It was only by chance that their meeting didn't turn into a full-fledged battle, or, to be more precise, into the killing of Rias. And thus into a war with demons, if even a tenth of what Momonga knew about Sirzechs' love for his younger sister was true.
Following him instantly was a second figure, shorter and less conspicuous, also a young man with short, slicked-back green hair and piercing blue eyes, Ajuka Beelzebub, 'the only rival for Sirzechs Gremory', 'Beelzebub's heir', and 'chief analyst of the demons'. Despite his lackluster titles, perhaps an even more dangerous opponent for Momonga himself than Sirzechs.
And the first thought that ran through Momonga's mind the moment he saw both of his demonic opponents was…
'Why do they look like models from the pages of fashion magazines?!' Momonga's surprise, and even a flash of jealousy, was so strong that it was instantly dispelled by his suppression of emotion. But, even so, the surprise from realization that the supposed leaders of the demons looked like they belonged more on the front of a boy band, still lingered.
Of course, Momonga was not one to spend a lot of time looking at men and analyzing their beauty, he had long resigned himself to the fact that his appearance was 'average' at best.
But, the sight before his eyes, for a moment, made him forget that the both of them were dangerous enemies, and instead of wariness, he felt a childish envy of the men's beauty.
Thankfully, Momonga could catch himself before he could make a mistake, and he was able to return to his current role as a diplomat and negotiator.
Rising from his seat, Momonga nodded gently, trying to balance the respect due to the high ranking demons across from him with maintaining his own displayed high status as an unknown god. A gesture that did not go unnoticed by Ajuka's momentary glance at him.
"Good afternoon, honorable Sirzechs Lucifer, honorable Ajuka Beelzebub… And, as was established a little earlier during negotiations, with the honorable Lady Serafall Leviathan, I am a guest and resident of this city. My name is Satoru Suzuki – and it is my hope that our future interactions and relationships will be full of mutual respect and equal partnership with you. Nice to meet you."
Unfortunately, Momonga had not been able to see how the other gods, which he was supposed to be one of, behaved in this world at the moment. Therefore, he had little idea how he was supposed to speak as well. So, without any other ideas, Momonga instead copied something between Ulbert Alain Odle's role-play and various replicas of Yggdrasil's NPCs.
But, for all his worries, apparently he was more or less acting appropriately for the moment, for after his introduction, the still standing Sirzechs and Ajuka also gave him a small respectful bow without showing a hint of subservience. As the two sat down an appropriate distance so as to not crowd Momonga, he could only mentally pump his fist at the successful introduction.
Sirzechs, who appeared to be the one in charge between the two demons, responded with a disarming smile at Momonga's words. "It is a pleasure to meet you, honorable Satoru Suzuki. I also hope with all my might that our future communication and interaction will take place in an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual respect, excluding any possible troubles and unexpected excesses…"
Momonga, having heard Sirzechs' words, tried to analyze them, however, not finding any problems in those, smiled back with a small smile that he kept on his face as a standard expression. "Absolutely, Mr. Lucifer…"
A moment later, a silence descended upon the room and Momonga's brain immediately went to work, hastily organizing the ideas and topics that he should be discussing at this moment.
What topic should he bring up first, control of the church? Maybe Issei? No, the first topic brought up should be to bring up a minor topic of negotiation… Or at least a topic that Momonga would want to show to the other side as a minor topic. For example, perhaps, his presence at the academy!
A perfect topic, suitable to crack the ice. Surely Sirzechs was interested in getting Momonga himself as far away from his little sister as possible, no? It would be an easy 'win' for the demons, and a concession from Momonga. He certainly was interested in not attending the academy in the future! That said, Sirzechs would probably consider Momonga's possible non-attendance at the academy to be an unimportant topic, while Momonga himself was extremely interested in it. In other words, a win-win for both sides!
Looking at the two demons seated next to the leviathan, Momonga felt a little more confident after his mind had fully formalized the idea of further conversation. "I think we can start with the all-important issue of your little sister's safety and my presence on the academy grounds…" Momonga started the negotiations.
Momonga had prepared himself to give a reasoning from his side that he was ready to give up his continued attendance of Kuoh Academy to them, but expected to be compensated for his great sacrifice.
But suddenly, before he could hear the counter-offer, the whole thing went off track.
"I apologize, but I'm afraid we have to postpone these negotiations to a later date. Sirzechs, Serafall, we're leaving."
The sudden announcement from Ajuka caused Momonga to shift his gaze to him in incomprehension. Instantly, Momonga noticed the way his gaze turned steely, his eyebrows shifted in a heavy frown, as his knuckles turned involuntarily white as his hand suddenly clenched into a fist.
Momonga's brain instantly flashed with panic, which was immediately replaced by a rational readiness to start a battle, but instead of attacking, Sirzechs and Serafall instantly shifted their confused gazes to Ajuka. It seems that Ajuka's actions were also a surprise to them.
"We're leaving," Ajuka said quickly, but clearly, with serious pressure, and immediately looked up at Momonga with a frown, "I'm sorry, but we have to break off these negotiations for the moment. We will be prepared to compensate you for this in the future."
Serafall and Sirzechs looked at Ajuka's expression, clearly not fully understanding his strange turn of mood, but nevertheless heeded his words. Then, with a quick nod, they rose from their seats and walked away from Momonga, leaving him puzzled at what had just happened.
"But… What about… the Academy…?" Momonga, whose plan had just been broken by the most unexpected of happenings, out of nowhere, said in a hollow and almost childish tone of resentment.
Moments later, as if in response to Momonga's words, the incredible primal roar of a wounded beast was echoed by a huge red-black flash in the distance which Momonga could see through a small window nearby. And, as Momonga's internal rangefinder told him, judging by the approximate range of the flash, it was somewhere within the territory of the said Academy.
'And what are the chances that, just now, this problem has solved itself?' Momonga raised long-suffering eyes to the ceiling, imagining yet another day filled with boredom, before exhaling and frowning.
'But still… What exactly just happened with the demons?'