Chương 10: Chapter 9- Interest

Cleria suddenly gasped. Her hands covered her mouth as a horrifying thought sank her stomach into the pits of despair.

"T-T-T-Treason?" … |DxD|- Chapter 9- Interest …... The town of Kuoh was divided into different districts based on a very loose radial ring. There were the residential districts roughly forming the town's outer circle and inner boundaries. The streets were clean, immaculate, and every house had trimmed lawns and flowering gardens. Igor watched the houses below from the overpass, silently counting them in his mind. Most streets below were deserted entirely.

There was barely anyone on them aside from the occasional gardener and other workers. Modest two-storey family homes were the staple households that formed the majority. Large silos, scrapyards, and warehouses popped up alongside the main road. As the town drew closer, smaller shops became more frequent, eventually leading to the outskirts and the town itself. The Central District was largely occupied by businesses and government administrative facilities.

The roads were larger and wider to accommodate the influx of transport from both private and commercial vehicles. There were a great many businesses, illustrating Kuoh's prosperity. On their way here, Igor had counted three of what he learned to be shopping centres. Shuri was pulling into one and he was awed by the beauty of it. Many neatly trimmed trees and shrubs dotted and lined the massive parking spaces. There weren't a lot of cars and the sun had yet to erase the smell of wet tar.

The breeze was cool against his face, just strong enough to shift a few loose strands of his hair. A tall building formed a semi-rectangular arch around the parking lot. Large billboards and flashy storefront signs had him rooted to the spot in wonder. That and the fact the little girl he held in his arms covered his eyes with her palms.

"Hihihihi~. Iga~ Iga~." Her hands were soft and chubby. They felt like small pillows on his face. And her giggles…so full of innocence.

"Akeno. Stop teasing Igor like that."

"Iga~!" Shuri's tone was a soft reprimand. She locked the car and walked over to grab Akeno when Igor took a step back.

"I don't…mind." Shuri froze and he quickly reiterated.

"I can still see." If he focused enough, he could still see even with his eyes covered. [See? Could it be…?] Shuri softened her steps and walked around them. The whole time, Igor's head followed her until his body turned as well and soon, he followed. [He really can see.] It was another discovery. His senses were evolved to a level where he could navigate the world with his eyes closed. Shuri walked from the parking to the cluster of stores and Igor followed behind her like a duckling.

The sudden thought almost had her chuckling just like her child. It reminded her of how just this morning, Igor had been averse to wearing the trainers she gave him. His walk still had a sense of awkwardness. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. [He's used to walking barefoot.] The callouses on his soles and the extensive muscular development were a testament.

He was uncomfortable having them enclosed in shoes, but it wouldn't exactly be normal if he walked without them. [I'll start with the clothes and get him some sandals first.] There were great mysteries surrounding Igor, but there would be time to explain them. What he needed the most was not someone to interrogate him, but someone to give him a sense of normalcy for the first time in his life. An abandoned child like him would have his unique circumstances. But right now, her goal was to take care of him.

Everything else could wait.... … |DxD| …... The politics of the Underworld were rarely, if ever, clear-cut. Devils lived for ten thousand years, or at least were presumed to. To date, no devil has ever lived to reach the end of their lifespan. Wars happening one after another could be designated as a reason, but the main cause was political intrigue. Who is to say said wars were not begun by politics? Diehauser had long since realised their world held far darker secrets than commonly believed.

The higher one went up the hierarchy of devilkind, the sooner they would come to learn a smiling mouth could release dreadful accusations the next day. A tongue that sang praises could be hiding a blade underneath. The Underworld was ruled by interest. Relationships could begin and prosper, or dwindle and end through interest alone. Lives born and lives torn hinged on interest. Devils were widely known as prisoners of their own desire. They would embody one of the seven cardinal sins.

This has been the truth acknowledged since the Abrahamic Pantheon split into three, and part of the reason his people were universally disliked. The devils of old did embody and actively embrace their instinctive desires. And those very same devils perished with time's countenance. Devils were intrinsically attuned to their desires, but it did not mean they were incapable of adapting. Since the dawn of their race, Devilkind had been led by their emotions. It made it easy to appeal to them, easy to instigate them.

However, the fragility of their minds made them dangerous, unstable, and costly to deal with. This was the history of devils, and a history they learned from. After the war involving the Heavenly Dragons, a war that enabled the possibility of extinction, they adapted. Their desires never disappeared. They became more controlled. With fewer numbers, the possibility of other races conspiring to eliminate them rang like a death-knell. This became more prevalent after the Civil War.

Devils mastered their desires, and with mastery came enlightenment. What if the emotions of others could be controlled? That one singular notion led to the gradual conception and acceptance of emotional manipulation, the founding father of devil politics. Force was seen as inelegant. Humans were treated as practice grounds. Contracts secured by appealing to emotion were more powerful than contracts acquiesced through force. Diehauser watched his little cousin shift through her thoughts.

Cleria knew how to manoeuvre politically. She'd learned to notice patterns by mingling with humans for the past several decades. Becoming overseer was a deliberate arrangement on his part. It was a safety net that kept her far from the bonfires of the Underworld, but just close enough to feel its heat. Everyone in the Underworld's core had falsities and dared not trust. They were experienced in lies and manipulation. Cleria was not ready to walk in that web of deceit. It was far too easy to find oneself entangled…

and the others would be quick to weave a silk thread around her.

'Interest' did not care for emotions.

'Interest' only sought common ground. Be it allegiances or circumstances, 'interest' was the rope that bound devils together and forged alliances. For devils, 'interest' was more trustworthy than 'trust'. The pillar clans of the devils were considered exalted existences. In the new era, being part of a pillar clan meant a wealth of privileges even the wealthiest and most influential of merchants could not enjoy, but they too were divided by interests. Not all the clans were the same.

Some stood high, and some knelt below. The clans that were below were considered low because at some point in their history, a single wrong step in direction led them there. The Belials were such a clan. A single misstep by his ancestor led them to be considered lowly by the other clans, worthy only to be servants and dogs on a leash. The memories still made him gnash his teeth. It was in the best interests of those upper clans if lowly clans remained the same as their namesakes.

However, Diehauser was never one to accept fate. He was young, younger than the current satans. A century or two meant nothing to those millennium-old devils. When he became patriarch, it was expected he would fall in line. How wrong they were. He bowed to no one, nor swore fealty. His actions disturbed the status quo and if left unchecked, would become a crack in a dam, one that would continue to spread. Lower Pillar Clans saw him as their spearhead, a weapon they could use or discard if necessary.

They quickly learned their honeyed words could not sway him nor could he be controlled by anyone. But what about his cousin? It was in the best interest of the upper clans if his momentum was curbed and they would use any means necessary to 'chip' the spear of Belial, even if that meant targeting him through his weakness.

END