Calm had returned to Aeneas's face as he sat down on a luxurious couch and took out the medal that had been blinking all this time. He had a sufficient period to think and prepare before having this very dangerous conversation.
Mana flowed into the medal and it shone briefly, a strong voice coming out not too long after.
"What happened?"
Hearing this voice, Aeneas's eyes turned into thin slits as the next words rolled out of him calmly.
"I underestimated someone I thought I had full information of. None of the plans we previously discussed have been disrupted."
"...Your underestimation was the cause of the death of an EPIC ranked powerhouse?"
Slight anger could be felt in the voice, causing a similar reaction to the listening Aeneas.
"Is it my fault that you sent me such a weak powerhouse? You boasted that as long as she wasn't besieged by multiple EPIC individuals, she would be a pillar I could rely on."
"Tsk. She was a powerful mercenary, and even used a treasure I provided her before she died. She should have been at her most powerful when she fell, so I need to know which enemy you made that has so many individuals who likely besieged her to take her life."
At these words, Aeneas stalled as a dangerous light shone in his eyes.
"The enemy is not one you have to worry about. You just have to keep your side of the bargain. I do not want any deaths for the common people in this kingdom, and my father...as well as my siblings will be left untouched."
Yes. He had struck a deal with the devil for the preservation of his home. Months back, he had received a memory stone that showed terrifying things. Multiple Demon Legions under the commands of powerful Demon Kings that had powerful and unknown magic.
The Mythical Beast Kingdoms were the ones receiving the brunt of the attention of these Demon Kings as they held many powerhouses. But what about the small kingdom in the north? The safe haven that housed humans without persecution only had a single LEGENDARY individual in the lead.
How could they stand against a force that took down the strongest Draconic Kingdom in the span of a few months? Under such immense strength, would it not be better to swallow their pride and just wipe their chins?
His father knew they would fall as time passed, yet he did nothing. He fought a losing war, with soldiers continuing to die as time passed. He was a staunch man who considered honor and honesty, and they would all die because of it.
Honor. Would such a thing give them the sudden strength to withstand a rampaging Demon King or the many horrors that will come before it? This was why he both hated and loved his father. He was a powerful man that created a beautiful place for all people to live in, but he was a 'good man'.
Good men never win. It is not good men that conquer kingdoms and build legacies. It is merciless people that wage war and kill millions before they etch their name for the dynasties to come. With them in the rule, history is theirs to write.
The genocides they caused to obtain the lands and their resources? Erased and forgotten.
The natives they conquered to enslave them to work under them for hundreds of years? Just backward people who needed to be led to the prospering direction. This was how history always went. History was written by the victors, and it did not matter how cruel they were as long as they obtained victory and made the world what they wanted.
That was why he shook hands with the devil. To preserve the lives of his family and the many people that would face death at the hands of these demons. He would not be one of the droves of good men that valiantly die upholding some stupid beliefs.
He would not watch as the kingdom his father has created these past decades goes up in flames. Even if a few people had to die to achieve his goals, history won't remember that. During all this, if he can also get his hands on someone he's wanted all this time...well that was a thought for later.
The voice of the stern Demon King rang out once more.
"The terms we agreed on will certainly be adhered to. You just need to make sure that you continue administering the poison so that...unexpected casualties do not occur."
At the mention of this, a difficult expression showed on the Crown Prince's face. Feelings of shame and sadness could be seen on his face as he thought about his actions. He was weakening his own father.
This was something he found hard to do in the beginning, but as he continued to hear about the demon's continuing victories as they tore down more defenses of the beast kingdoms, he affirmed his beliefs.
'I will apologize to you later, but at least we will both live to see another few decades after this.'
He fought back against the feelings of shame and weakness as he replied to the waiting Demon King with a strong voice.
"I will keep my end of the deal, period. When will your forces be arriving?"
A few seconds of silence passed before a reply came, "A week at most, a few days at least."
The Crown Prince nodded as he confirmed this, rising up from his seat and preparing for the oncoming assembly as he cut off the communication medal.
---
Demon King Gremory had a wicked smile on his face as he finished conversing with a pitiful prince.
This was what he loved to do the most! A gleeful m.o.a.n escaped him as he was lost in his own fantasy. Yes, they had strong forces that would easily take over this small kingdom in the North. His power was equivalent to three LEGENDARY individuals because of his Unique Skill {Primal Conjurer} would be more than enough to take down the kingdom's forces, and yet he still made plans to lessen his work even more.
He created a play by showing a prince of this kingdom the deadly power that was coming for them, and making them fold into weakening their own forces on the promise that they would all not be killed or enslaved, leaving him to rule in the end.
The memory stone the prince received was tampered with long ago by a powerful Demon King who was a master of illusions and emotions. While the prince thought he was just watching the scenes of powerful Demon Legions, his mental defenses were torn down as he became completely susceptible to the communications after that.
A measly prince that was ranked S, how hard was it to put one under your influence? All that he did after was place a guard to watch him, but this guard had unexpectedly fallen.
There was still a question that many people would have asked this Demon King who went through all of this trouble when he had the power to easily take down the target. Was any of this necessary?
The answer was...No!
Gremory gleefully thought of the faces he would see at the end of this play. The encroached prince could only believe in a promise as they would face destruction anyways,and the lives of his people depended on it. Gremory couldn't wait to see their faces at the end of all of this!
He imagined the face of the king. Would he be saddened and depressed by his son's betrayal after the poison in his body is activated and he finds his power reducing? Would the prince be filled with despair when he finds all the promises made being broken? Even better, what expression would he have when he sees his family humiliated? Ah!
The Demon King had to cool himself down as he was getting too heated thinking about the conclusion of his play. The only thing he had to keep in mind was the possible disruption from an enemy that the prince chose not to mention.
After that, he could just sit back and watch the drama he created to play out.
No, he didn't have to do any of it. No, it would not affect the eventual end result. Yet, he did it anyway. Why?
Because it was fun!