Chapter 29: Back Home (4)
Azrail Astaroth Pov:
'History does repeat itself…'
My previous life flashed before my eyes, from how everything perfect went downhill out of nowhere, and in this situation, where I was about to lose all that again, I couldn't help but remember them.
Unlike the last time, when everything was out of my control, like my or my brother's illness, it was something I couldn't do anything about, but now, the lies I had built up were like sand held in my fist.
The sand stayed atop my open palm without any difficulties, but the moment a sudden gust of wind approached it, I closed my wrist, squeezing tightly to hold on, which caused the sand to start trickling through my fingers, and all I could do was watch.
At that moment, I realised.
The life I had built up was so fragile.
Even the slightest gust of wind could ruin it beyond recognition.
If I had known, I would've done a better job at protecting the life I made up based on lies, but alas.
I was confused. I couldn't even understand if the love I felt towards my family was a lie, too. Even in a situation like this, the ones I thought of were my old family.
Maybe I thought of Sebastian, Celis, and Sebas as mere replacements for my original family, lying to myself about accepting the new family I had.
And even if it was a lie, I didn't wish to lose this life, but it was too late.
Either way, understanding something like that won't help. After all, everything had already fallen apart.
'Great Sage, activate the self-destruct sequence of all three laboratories and prepare to transfer the explosions to the banquet hall. Make sure to teleport Elmenhilde out of the lab before that…'
[Notice. The attack will endanger Master's family and—]
'I know, but we have no choice…'
I could deal with as many regrets as possible if I survived.
[Answer. Understood.]
My eyes moved away from my father's face, and soon, I looked at Ajuka.
Our eyes met, and his expression never changed, staring at me with an expressionless face.
Was he that happy about the situation?
I wonder how accomplishing it felt, destroying the life of his younger brother.
Ajuka brought the mic closer to his mouth, and his lips curled up into a small, mocking smile.
"Azrail..."
What more did this bastard want me to say?
My final words?
Sorry, I didn't believe things like that.
'Great Sage, activate the self-destruct sequence and—'
"Don't you think we've taken this joke too far?"
The banquet hall, which was in an uproar, became dead silent the moment Ajuka's words finished, and he chuckled a little as everyone turned their eyes towards him.
My father released my shoulders, slowly turning towards Ajuka with a mixture of joy, hope, anger, and annoyance on his face.
I see.
Even though he knew of my capabilities and sneak trips, he would rather believe that it was a joke rather than learn about his son being a criminal.
But what surprised me was Ajuka's words.
Was this guy trying to play this off as a joke we prepared together?
No, it was too late for that.
Even if we accomplished it, there would always be individuals sharp enough to understand that this wasn't a performance.
Was I supposed to play along with him?
What if he was simply mocking me, wanting to see if I'd still cling to the chance of keeping the life I had built?
But...
What if he was serious?
{Play along, will you?}
Ajuka's voice rang inside my head.
A telepathic message? That came off as a surprise.
'Great Sage…'
[Answer. Taking over Master's physical body until further instructions.]
To think I'd be in such a vulnerable state where I'd need Great Sage's help to even react to a situation, much less take advantage of it.
Now, all I needed to do was sit back and watch Great Sage doing its thing.
The expression on my face changed at a drastic rate, returning to the one I usually used with my normal poker face, and I looked at Ajuka.
"I told you this was a bad idea. Now look at the mess we've created."
Ajuka just chuckled at those words, and our father turned towards me.
"Azrail, what are you..."
"Don't look at me, Father..." I pointed my index finger towards Ajuka. "He was the one who planned this whole situation, and all I did was play along."
My father, Sirzechs, Zeoticus, and Rias looked confused, exchanging glances between me and Ajuka.
The same was happening with everyone present at the banquet.
Some looked relieved, and confused, while some were, as I had previously guessed, suspicious.
"Wait..."
I smiled at Rias, who was looking at me with a confused expression, and just as Sirzechs was about to say something, I continued.
"Please don't tell me you fell for it, too, Lord Lucifer?"
"You believe that Sirzechs would've fallen for such an act? He was only playing along with us to not ruin the moment."
Ajuka gave Sirzechs a knowing, meaningful glance, and the latter coughed a little before answering.
"There's no way I'd be fooled by that. After all, the criminal responsible for all those disappearances has already been dealt with a few days ago… In actuality, Ajuka was supposed to announce our success in the matter regarding that, but instead, he used this moment to present such a crude joke."
With that, my suspicion was confirmed.
It became apparent that the Four Great Satans now knew that the criminal behind all those disappearances was me and that I'd have plenty of questions to answer once the banquet ended.
And for how it looked, the majority of the crowd looked convinced, but of course, the suspicious ones didn't just disappear, and I could still feel their gazes analysing every one of my actions.
Ajuka's acting was perfect, and so was Great Sage's, so they couldn't find flaws in any of our acts.
"Ajuka, I thought you had grown up from playing those ridiculous pranks."
If we weren't at a banquet, Ajuka and I would have heard a long, mind-numbing lecture from our father.
My eyes moved around in the audience, scanning through the faces of people I was close to.
Alice looked relieved, but I was sure she had an idea that this wasn't just a simple prank. It made sense, though.
Anyone with high enough status would know that no one had caught the criminal behind all those disappearances recently, and regardless of how good of a cover was prepared, an incident like this was bound to be suspicious.
While it was hard to point fingers at a child for something like that, it wouldn't be wrong for them to believe that I had some connection to the disappearances, no matter how minor it was.
Several individuals had an opinion like that; however, I couldn't do anything about it.
Next to Alice was Latia, who looked both relieved and angry. I have been with her since birth, and even if she didn't understand the situation now, she wasn't dumb enough not to understand the truth in the future. As for how she'd react to the truth, I could only wait and see.
Next to her was my mother, and the moment our eyes met, it became clear that I was about to receive a very well-deserved beating, along with Ajuka.
But even then, I was happy.
Noticing that the audience was about to go into another uproar, Ajuka continued.
"My fellow Devils, even if the part about Azrail being the criminal was a joke, what I had previously said still stands. As Sirzechs stated, we have already dealt with the criminal responsible for all those disappearances, and once again, the Underworld is at peace. Regarding that matter, further details about the criminal will be disclosed at a later date, but for now, I'd like to use this banquet and my younger brother's engagement as an occasion to raise everyone's spirit and morale."
"If anyone here felt offended by the situation I prepared, I'd like to apologise as my intentions weren't to hurt your feelings but to mark this moment as the Underworld—along with us Devils, move forward towards a brighter future, with a rather 'Devilsh Joke' to make it a bit more memorable than the plain, boring and stale banquets that everyone here is accustomed to attending."
Ajuka ended his words with a smile, which, if it weren't for the situation, would have seduced several female devils instantly.
Not to mention, he had a way with words even better than me, but despite his talents, there was a deep silence within the banquet hall.
After a few seconds passed, Sirzechs continued from where Ajuka left off.
"My fellow Devils, let us step into a brighter future for our Devil Race with the engagement of two of the most promising and talented Pure-Blooded Devils of their generation, the younger siblings of Satan Beelzebub and Satan Lucifer, Azrail Astaroth and Rias Gremory."
Silence.
No one even moved, as if they were still in great shock.
Honestly, it made me wonder if Sirzechs and Ajuka's words were a bust or not, but...
Clap!* Clap!* Clap!*
I turned towards the single person who was clapping, and the moment our eyes met, he smiled, and I smiled back at him.
Of course, it was none other than Sairaorg.
I knew that although Sairaorg looked stupid and acted like a brute, he knew how strong I truly was, and if anything, he wasn't dumb enough to fall for such obvious lies like most people, so I didn't doubt that he'd figure out the truth in due time.
Sairaorg knew that the reason I visited his mother with him wasn't out of kindness, but because I was interested in her Sleep Disease. I promised him that one day, I'd cure his mother, so he didn't mind if I checked the readings on her life-sustaining system every month or so.
As if taking Sairaorg's lead, the number of people clapping started increasing, and in mere moments, the crowd was in an uproar of cheers and praises.
"I knew that it was a joke, but man, you were completely fooled!"
"Oh, please! Weren't you the one calling a ten-year-old child a monster after hearing Lord Beelzebub's words?"
"We all played right into Lord Beelzebub's hands."
"Even if it was a joke, I am still happy about the fact that the criminal behind all those kidnappings has been dealt with."
"And it is just as Lord Beelzebub and Lord Lucifer say, we must look forward towards the future of Devils."
'The underworld is full of NPCs, huh? Even their dialogues seem AI-generated…'
[…]
No offence, Great Sage.
.
.
.
Following that, the crowd's flow went in a very positive direction, much to Sirzechs and Ajuka's pleasure.
I wanted to let out a very long sigh of relief, but my body was still under Great Sage's control, and I had no plans of taking it back until after the banquet ended.
Ajuka waved his hand before a wine glass appeared in his hand, and the same happened with our father, Sirzechs, Zeoticus.
Apart from those who were standing on the stage, everyone else had already been served drinks even before Rias and I arrived.
Father glanced at me for a second, smiling slightly before stepping forward and raising the glass in his left hand.
"With the unplanned events and crude jokes out of our way, I'd like to conclude the start of this banquet by saying a few words."
"To my son and his fiancée, I offer my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for a happy and fulfilling life. May your love continue to grow and flourish, and may your future be filled with happiness, success, and all the blessings that life has to offer."
"So please, join me in raising a toast to my son and his fiancée, and to their bright and beautiful future together! Cheers!"
After my father's words finished, there was another, and probably the loudest, round of applause I heard today.
Maybe Ajuka's way with words was a heredity trait.
While I was looking at my father, Ajuka tapped my shoulder from the side and leaned forward.
"Let's have a long conversation after the banquet ends, okay, brother?"
"...Yeah."
"Good work in pulling yourself together, though. I didn't need to use the [Illusion Magic] I prepared just in case."
Ajuka gave me a satisfied smile, straightening his back, and after a minute, we made our way down the stage. While we were walking towards the crowd, Rias squeezed my hand lightly, causing me to turn towards her.
"Why didn't you tell me about the prank? I could've helped."
Rias looked a bit mad as she was puffing her cheeks, and her footsteps were a bit louder than usual.
"My brother told me not to tell anyone. I couldn't do anything about it."
"You could've at least told me about it."
"If I did, Ajuka would've summoned a hundred camels to the banquet."
Rias' steps suddenly came to a halt the moment I finished, and she looked somewhat pale face, clearly scared.
"I'll let it slide this time, so don't worry about it..."
Looking at how well this idea worked, I decided to use it on Latia, as well.
All I needed to do was replace Camels with Books.
From then on, the banquet went as it was planned without any difficulties, be it the exchange of rings, the dance performance, or the toasts made by various members of the Astaroth and the Gremory Clans, everything went perfectly.
"That was quite the performance, Azrail."
While standing with Rias, Latia, Sona, Sairaorg, and Seekvaira, someone approached me from behind.
"Lord Belial, it's been a while."
I turned towards the man who had just called me out, and surprisingly enough, it was none other than the Emperor, Diehauser Belial.
"Indeed it has." Diehauser turned towards the group that was accompanying me. "Would you guys mind if I borrow Azrail for a few minutes?"
'Like those brats are in any position to refuse him…'
After a second, I looked at the group with a smile.
"If you'd excuse me for a bit."
With that, I walked away with Diehauser, and on our way, asked a rather interesting question.
"Lord Belial, I wonder which performance you were talking about… because if it was the dance performance, you should've complimented both Rias and me."
"The dance performance was indeed magnificent, and there is no doubt about it, but I was talking about the performance you gave with Lord Beelzebub, as it almost seemed a bit too real, even to me."
In other words, he was suspicious of me, like some others at this banquet.
Well, in Diehauser's case, he might try to link me to Cleria Belial's death since the timings were a bit too convenient, but I wasn't worried about that because I had no connections with her murder, not even a little.
"After all, I prepared that performance more than the dance performance."
I chuckled lightly, and since Diehauser wasn't hiding his suspicion about me, I decided to poke him in the most painful nerve.
"By the way, Lord Belial, were you able to find anything related to Cleria's death?"
Diehauser's mouth slightly twitched, but he still replied politely.
"I found a few leads, but nothing groundbreaking."
"I see."
A part of me wondered if I should have a private chat with Diehauser later on.
My current situation turned out to be a little complicated.
From now on, I'd most likely be monitored by different factions within the Underworld, so moving freely would be a bit difficult, at least for a few months or so.
However, at best, one would conclude that I was somehow related to the disappearances rather than being the actual culprit, which made the situation somewhat manageable.
As long as I build up some impressive achievements in the future, this incident will get buried beneath them.
'It's like someone raised my life's difficulty from Easy to Hard...'
But this time, I'd make sure not to leave any loose ends.
The banquet soon came to an end, and all the guests left.
Our parents were busy with the closure of the banquet, so Rias and I were sent to our rooms since they'd be staying here for the night.
When Latia was about to follow me, she was taken by Vanessa to sleep with her tonight.
My poor niece was against it, but her complaints were overruled when I agreed with Vanessa's proposal.
I knew why Vanessa was doing it, and I had no reason to reject it.
Standing outside my room, I turned towards Amy, who was next to me.
"Amy, you can go back now. I can change out of these clothes on my own."
My tone made it clear that this wasn't a proposal, but an order.
"Very well, Lord Azrail. Please rest well, and good night."
My beautiful maid bowed, and I smiled slightly.
"Good night, Amy."
After Amy left, I slowly opened the door of my room, and honestly, I had never felt this pressured while entering my room.
Just as I walked inside my room, the door automatically closed, and I turned towards the chair at the centre of my room.
I was pretty sure that wasn't supposed to be there, but it could be thanks to the man sitting on it with one leg resting above the other, looking at me with a small smile.
"You're late."
"Because I knew I'd see you here, brother."
Hearing my words, Ajuka chuckled lightly.
"So, how about we get straight to the point?"
That didn't sound like a suggestion to me, but there was only so much I could do about it.
"Yeah, that'll save both of us some time."
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Words: 2,983
A/N: Most of you would probably hate this kind of development, but well—I wanted to write a chapter with stakes (more like emotional or mental consequences) other than simply death in a battle, so here we are.
I won't blame you for dropping if you do, but this is an important part of Mc's character growth. He needs to realise his life is over with one wrong step, and with how he's taking things in a rather relaxing manner (he was having a field trip since birth), something had to be done to fix that.
He isn't as evil, dedicated, or power-hungry as I want him to be, and the only way to fix that is by making sure he realises what's at stake if he fucks up.
The reactions and other things might not be perfect, but well, I can't improve with our writing things that I normally don't.
Discord link: https://discord.gg/ADpke5DWdF
The server's mostly dead, though.