"That's a foolish question. Do you really believe that I'll tell you just because you asked?" Damian questioned her, his once polite tone now full of boredom and his expression entirely indifferent to the world around him.
After all his emotion control training under his father, he had found his own mask. His father chose a polite and serene mask however Damian couldn't do that, it just wasn't possible for him to replicate. Instead, he took a mask of indifference.
"No, you aren't that naive." Sona began, a calm glint in her eyes. "I am not demanding anything from you… I am making an offer." Everything about this was suspicious. Sona Sitri was a cautious person, she should know better than to make deals with potential enemies.
"I'm listening." Damian agreed to at least hear her out. He wanted to see what she was offering to get a glimpse of why she would even consider making a deal with him. She had the upper hand, she had the card known as Serafall.
Then again…
'Ajuka huh.' Damian thought to himself, belatedly realizing that the solitary Beelzebub also had a social life. He had only ever seen Ajuka in his lab making various things so the idea that he had talked to Serafall about him didn't even cross his mind. It was a potentially fatal oversight.
"If you can tell me your source then I will give her to you." Sona began slowly, a hint of regret in her tone. To the wider world, Invild Leviathan was the only remaining descendant of an original Satan and she was giving that up.
"Political ramifications huh?" Damian muttered quietly, more speaking to himself than her as he thought over the decision. While it wasn't what he originally had planned it would make sense for Sona to not accept his 'offer'.
If the Sitri held two Leviathans then they would have more power than even the Bael clan and that would cause obvious issues. The Old Satan Faction would begin to support the Sitri while the current Satan Faction would support Serafall and the Sitri clan by proxy.
That would place too much power in the hands of one clan. Damian was confident that the Sitri wouldn't do anything foolish however fear can erode even the most steadfast of individuals. Eventually, the devil society would be forced to war.
It was a risky move for the Sitri family however Damian had originally believed that with the Sitri's impressive status, they would have the ability to create or perhaps even already have an artifact to hide Ingvild's heritage. At worst, Ajuka wouldn't mind creating something for Serafall.
But it seems that the Sitri clan, or rather Sona and Serafall are more cautious than he expected them to be. It was a reasonable choice however he expected Serafall to deem it something well worth the cost.
'Oh. They don't know Ingvild's personality.' Damian finally put the pieces together, the puzzle finally making sense. Serafall was a member of the Devil Civil War five hundred years ago, she knew the danger of a descendant of the original Satans and their boundless pride.
From the 'canon' he understood that Ingvild was a person he could place his trust in however Serafall did not have the same knowledge. He had assumed that she would believe that Ingvild would be a good bodyguard for Sona but to Serafall it was similar to giving his sister a live explosive.
Evil Pieces were miraculous tools however they did not induce obedience, it was a large part of why stray devils even existed. If Sona was to be given Ingvild as a peerage member there was no guarantee that she would be safe.
"That is correct." Sona acknowledged without hesitation. She knew from the moment she gave up the chance he presented her with that he would understand her intentions. She was basing her plans on the assumption he would discover her intentions without fail. It was difficult to work around in a field where schemes ran supreme but it was oddly enjoyable.
"I will tell you my source." Damian began, his golden eyes glancing at his shockingly formidable opponent. In the past, he had the advantage with every step but now she was pushing him back even if only slightly.
Hearing his words Sona couldn't help but reveal a portion of her interest in her violet eyes, not even her glasses capable of hiding the shine within them. The location of such a hidden individual that hadn't been discovered for at least six decades was not something a normal source could find. Yet his had. She wanted to know the origin of such a dangerous person or group.
"However, in return, I will hold onto your eight pawn pieces for five years." Damian continued, his words causing a deep frown to appear on Sona's face. The pawns were the pieces with the least yet most importance in a peerage.
A queen was everything, she was the last bastion, a knight was fast, a rook was strong, a bishop was wise, and a pawn could become all three. The pawns were essentially lesser versions of the queen pieces.
Yet it was only for five years. To a devil that was nothing and she was confident that she wouldn't find a suitable pawn within five years. After all, there were many, many, many steps towards having a strong peerage.
In reality, his condition was hardly something to even think about. She would give up a potential bomb, learn his source of information, and all that she would need to do would be to give up her pawn pieces for a measly five years.
"I agree." Sona agreed without hesitation, her thoughts allowing her to make the decision in a mere instant. She will admit that it was a somewhat rushed choice however she was confident it had not been the wrong choice.
Sadly, she was unaware of what the Evil Pieces were. In fact, most people were. But Damian knew and he would use it to his advantage. During his 'internship' with Ajuka he had the privilege of learning about many things and the Evil Pieces were one of them.
While the Evil Pieces took physical form they were actually a construct formed purely of the King's demonic energy. This served many functions however the main reason was to form the connection between master and servant as well as utilize the energy as a catalyst to transition another race into a reincarnated devil.
This intrinsic connection formed by the King's energy creates a sort of corridor between the master in the servant that loosely connected the two's souls together. It was similar to a string connecting the master and servant together no matter the distance. It was too weak to be used for anything but it was undoubtedly present.
That was when it was inside another person of course. When it was still a mere chess piece it was a different story altogether. It had yet to be muddled by the presence of another being so its connection with the King was much stronger.
In short, by taking temporary possession of Sona's eight pawn pieces he has eight ways to access her soul at will. Naturally, somebody with his level can't do much with such a thing but he could make her suffer pain worse than death at the very least.
"Perfect. Then I'll tell you after we receive our pieces." Damian declared, a dark look in his eyes that made Sona's instincts scream. She didn't know when she had danced in his palm and she certainly didn't know how she had fallen into his trap but it didn't matter.
She knew instinctively that she had lost.