"Well, they work for me."
...And just like that.
With a tone of boredom in his voice and a wave of his hand, all the knights surrounding Landrose suddenly turn on him!
Taking out their lances for the first time and arching them toward the man in the center who once marshalled them!!!!
"..."
-silence-
"..."
"I fail to see how."
The young lord, still perched atop the steps, is met with a growl from the encircled Landrose.
"..."
*sighs* "Is this really necessary?"
"Don't forget yourself! Boy."
Landrose lashes out at the haughty Kasper again.
"Hm."
Who then decides to gradually begin his descent down the steps...
"... What part of all this makes it difficult for you to understand? Minister of Ashgate..."
Kasper asks softly with each stride down. His silent stepped loafers standing out in stark contrast to the heavy armour that came before, resulting in a whole new distinct atmosphere.
"Because, from where I stand, you appear to believe you had the cloth firmly wrapped around everyone's eyes."
The young lord speaks just before reaching the bottom.
"And are you suggesting I didn't?"
Seeing the young lord directly, Landrose poses the question with a serious expression on his face.
"...was that rhetorical?"
Kasper responds in the most haughty manner imaginable, making reference to the predicament Landrose is currently in.
"..."
Landrose takes another look around.
"Fooling the royal court is one thing... But did you really believe you could avoid 'my'-- pardon, my father's eyes?
"Minister of Ashgate, I believe you may be underestimating the Demon-Lord Supreme."
Before returning the accusation to Landrose, Kasper takes a quick glance back at his father to gauge his reaction to his slip of the tongue.
"Landrose, the Demon-Lord Supreme is all-knowing."
"And he sees futures that are beyond our comprehension."
Kasper says sternly for the first time since entering the court, his gaze tightening on Landrose.
"..."
-Two Weeks Ago-
[Royal Court, Ashgate]
"I'm telling you all!!!"
"If Xhaka remains in power, all that awaits the demon realm is destruction!!!!"
In the Royal Court of Ashgate, at the dead of night, a secret meeting of the highest officials in the demon realm is currently ongoing.
The subject of this meeting, unknown to even the Demon-Lord Supreme himself, is... well... the Demon-Lord Supreme.
And whether or not he is still qualified to hold his position.
The head of this contentious assembly? The esteemed Minister of Ashgate, naturally.
"Lords!!!"
Frustrated, Landrose yells across the round table to the other ministers seated around it.
Counting clockwise around the table to his left are;
{Minister of Marina.}
The Demon-Lord in command of Fort Marina, a holding consisting of two towers on either side of the border, is known as the Minister of Marina.
In charge of recruiting and training the realm's common soldiers, engineers, and scientists, as well as overseeing technological advances... Fort Marina is the realm's largest space and is led by Demon-Lord Amenadiel.
Being one of the Demon-Lord Supreme's closest allies, he is regarded as having a solid understanding of the Great-Lord's desires.
Dark in complexion... The six-foot seven Amenadiel is a frightening figure with bushy eyebrows, a massive, muscular build, and long, red horns spiraling around his bald head in opposing directions.
{Minister of Brazier.}
The Minister of Brazier is the Demon-Lord who oversees the 'Den of Brazier'. A holding located just outside the demon realms' borders.
An elite commando holding, the Den of Brazier is tasked with preparing the elite of the army of the Demon-Lord Supreme. Assassins, black knights, the Calvary—you name it. The fires of Brazier forge the elite of the Demon-realm.
The Minister in charge of the position is commonly referred to as the 'Knight of Brazier,' and the current lord of this post is Nero.
Compared to the powerful Amenadiel, Nero is a diminutive yet somewhat menacing character.
He has white hair, short white horns that slick back to the middle of his head and curve, distant blue eyes, and stands five feet nine. In all fairness, if you had assumed that the Knight of Brazier was just another respectable-looking nobleman in the Demon-realm, no one would have thought any less of you.
However, beneath those glistening eyes and that light armor is a warrior thought to be the only one in the world capable of fighting the Demon-Lord Supreme to a standstill.
With years of experience gained even prior to Xhaka's rise to power, everyone in the Demon-realm can rest easy knowing that he only has Ashgate and the Demon realm's best interests at heart.
{Minister of Hatchett.}
The center of worship for everyone in the Demon-realm is Hatchett Cathedral. And here one can find a faith that credits the 'War God, Brazier,' and the 'Healing Goddess, Hatchett Vita,' for its blessings and victories.
Situated in the heart of the Demon-realm, the cathedral is the perfect place for everyone to come and worship.
To appease the gods, the holy site's mission is to increase the number of priests and devotees.
Beneath the blinds, however, lies a further task: preparing the next wave of dark mages who will advance the dark arts. Apart from that, there are spies who monitor the public, gather intelligence, and torture anyone found to have violated the beliefs of Demon-Lord Supreme and the Gods.
At the moment, Samael fills the role. A priest who rose to power following Xhaka's ascension to the throne.
Standing at a measly five feet two inches, Samuel has a scrawny build, almost no hair, and a hunchback.
But do not be fooled by his appearance; this scrawny old man with massive horns that begin at either ear and meet in the center is one of the oldest demons, and he is thought to have been plotting his way to this position for hundreds of years.
His current task is to elevate Demon-Lord Supreme Xhaka to godhood.
{Minister of Ashgate.}
And last, but certainly not least, is the Minister of Ashgate.
Directly responsible for administration and foresight. Landrose is located within Castle Ashgate itself. His job entails advising the Demon-Lord Supreme on future moves and effectively governing the realm and other ministers in accordance with the Demon-Lord Supreme's desires.
All things considered, this minister is the highest ranking among the group.
But this information is not acknowledged, because all ministers are considered to have equal standing before the Demon-Lord Supreme.
As the most trusted advisor to Xhaka, Landrose was present for all of his exploits prior to his rise to power, having joined his camp the moment Xhaka entered the Demon-realm.
His aspirations to the throne are still... Unknown.
"..."
"Lords!!!"
"We heard you the first time, Landrose."
Amenadiel answers, scratching his bald head incoherently.
"So, why are not you answering me?!?"
Landrose snaps
"Because Landrose..."
"The Demon-realm was only able to kill the last hero because of Xhaka's leadership."
"Yes, and the reason we have been in this impasse with those hoarding bastards for more than seventeen years is also due to Xhaka!"
Landrose pushes back Amenadiel's rebuttal.
"So bloody long that his 'friends' in the capital had enough time to conjure up a new hero."
"..."
*Sigh... "My fellow Demon-lords, let us set the past behind us."
Landrose begins...
"Xhaka is not the beast he once was, and I know this better than most."
"He.will.not.lead.us.to.another.victory.over.the.new.hero!"
The Minister of Ashgate speaks to an increasingly silent table when...
"..."
-silence-
"..."
"Lords--"
"-- I agree with Landrose."
A relaxed Nero grabs everyone's attention with his raised hand.
"Ah, Knight of Brazier.--"
"--Aside from successfully killing the last hero two decades ago..."
"What else has Xhaka accomplished, anyway?"
Nero poses the question to the table in a tense tone that quickly thickens the air in the room.
"..."
"Demon-Lord Xhaka's former affiliation with the 'Kingdom of Per Sempre' may be influencing his decision-making abilities, in my opinion."
"NERO!!!"
A sudden shout from Samael interrupts the Knight of Brazier, causing the room to fall silent once again.
"..."
-silence-
"..."
"I know... Okay, Minister of Hatchett. I know."
"But still..."
Nero begins again.
"Even if we celebrate his prior successes, which we all acknowledge have never been witnessed in the Realm of Demons before."
"Can we truly commend the state of the Demon-realm since the final battle at Everdale?"
He asks...
"Wars of attrition, stunted growth, and inadequate funding..."
"It appears to me that Xhaka is content with the current state of 'peace' that we are experiencing."
"N-nero..."
Sinking into his chair, Samael slowly retracts his interjection.
"..."
"...heh."
"Now that is more like it, Knight of Brazier!!"
Landrose shouts, pumping his fist into the air...
"And you, Amenadiel??"
He asks in the same breath.
"..."
*Sigh... "I will concede that Fort Marina has recently lagged behind her adversaries in the technological war."
The bald demon says uncertainly and saltily, shifting his gaze uncomfortably around the table.
"We have lagged behind in more than just that, Amenadiel."
Nero chimes in.
"What are you talking about, Nero?"
"..."
*Sigh... "I suppose now is as good a time as any..."
The Knight of Brazier murmurs quietly to himself before sitting up and opening his distant blue eyes for the first time since the meeting began.
Bringing an entirely new atmosphere to this meeting.
"This... This new hero."
"..."
"Yes... What about them? "Knight of Brazier."
Landrose inquires, his tone much more serious and interrogatory.
"Well... Believe it or not, Landrose."
"I do not believe Castle Ashgate will be successful a second time."
Nero says, fixing his gaze on everyone seated around the table, who all give him stern looks in return!
"..."
"..."
-To Be Continued-