Dungeon Defense (WN)

Chapter 349: Neutral Nation (2)

“I-I think it might work…… but wouldn’t that cunning man have measures to prevent memoria spells from being cast?”

“Tsk tsk. That is why I said it could succeed or fail.”

The other Demon Lords gave her nervous gazes, but Gamigin casually savored the taste of some grapes that were on the table. The strangely sexually appealing gesture made the other Demon Lords gulp.

“If I manage to seduce Dantalian before he can cast any anti-magic spell, then it would be my victory. If I am unable to make Dantalian lower his guard, then it would be my loss. Plans are not always guaranteed to succeed. The result can vary depending on the situation and one’s luck.”

“…….”

The Demon Lords exchanged glances.

Valefor carefully spoke up among them.

“But……would that not mean you would be sacrificing yourself?”

“No. There is a plan I want to suggest here.”

Gamigin narrowed her eyes and raised the corners of her mouth.

“For starters, I will go to the palace and apologize to Dantalian. Considering Dantalian’s personality, he’ll most likely tell me to strip in order to show my sincerity.”

“…….”

“You all will wait outside the palace. If I manage to use the memoria artifact successfully, then I will send you a signal with magic.”

Gamigin quenched the inside of her mouth with wine before continuing.

“Once I give you the signal, you will enter the palace and get rid of Dantalian.”

“But what cause will we have to kill him?”

“You will all be here to complain about being excluded from the management of the Empire and coincidentally witness Dantalian rape me.”

“…….”

The Demon Lords looked at each other again. It was clear in their eyes that they were hesitant about this plan.

“Demon Lords who were already being treated unfairly happen to witness an absurd scene and committed murder due to the heat of the moment. Well, this will undoubtedly start a debate, but there’ll be no issue as long as we have the memoria recording. What can they do when he raped a duke of the Empire~?”

Gamigin chuckled.

Valefor asked a question while the Demon Lords were mulling over the success rate of this plan.

“What will you do if the memoria artifact does not work?”

“Simple. I won’t send you a signal and you can remain outside the palace.”

Gamigin immediately answered.

“Another day will go by uneventfully. The same yesterday as tomorrow, and the same tomorrow as yesterday.”

“But that means you will end up being insulted for no reason…….”

“Being insulted is a common occurrence already.”

The playfulness in Gamigin’s expression faded slightly and was replaced by a cold gaze.

“I want to get revenge against Dantalian, so I proposed a plausible plan. The chances of success aren’t that high, but if you look at it from another angle, it means that there is little to lose even if we fail. Being insulted for about five hours is all that I have to endure to attempt this plan? That isn’t a bad price.”

“…….”

The other Demon Lords couldn’t help but feel shaken by Gamigin’s ghastly gaze.

Valefor fell into deep thought. A trap with a low chance of success, but even if it fails, he would only be going to the palace entrance and leaving……. The risk was basically non-existent.

The problem was how much he could trust the other Demon Lords who were currently present. There wasn’t a firm sense of loyalty or bond between the independent Demon Lords. They had simply gathered since they happened to be in similarly miserable situations.

It was more than possible for one of them to go and inform Dantalian or Barbatos in order to obtain a better standing for themself. Therefore, the greatest cause for concern was how well this will remain confidential. A magic vow would be essential…….

“The bigger issue is if this plan succeeds.”

Gamigin spoke up while the other Demon Lords were still busy in thought. Valefor came out from his thoughts and asked back.

“What do you mean by it being a bigger issue if it succeeds?”

“Think about it. There’s no way Barbatos will stay still if her favorite pet dies. She’ll immediately try to kill us.”

Gamigin went back to speaking in a playful tone.

“If we succeed in killing Dantalian, then we will all become accomplices. We’ll have to spread the recording on the memoria artifact as soon as possible and come together to oppose Barbatos. This won’t be easy.”

“…….”

“So I would like it if only those who’ve resolved themselves properly took part in this plan. Those who genuinely wish to kill Dantalian and are willing to take on the aftermath.”

Gamigin gazed at the other Demon Lords with a smirk as if she was questioning whether they actually had that kind of resolve.

At this point, Valefor’s doubt in Gamigin had diminished considerably.

When scheming, people tend to downplay the risk and exaggerate the chances of success. On the other hand, Gamigin fully detailed the chances of the plan failing and the risks that would follow even if it succeeded…….

She was genuinely testing them. Were they going to keep living as pampered pigs that had their political powers stripped from them by Dantalian, or were they going to keep their pride as Demon Lords even with the potential risk……?

“I will take part in this.”

There was no need to think this over. Gamigin was sacrificing her physical body. There was no reason for Valefor to not sacrifice his pride as a Demon Lord now.

The other Demon Lords turned to him in shock.

“Valefor…….”

“However, I will only participate if everyone here also agrees. This plan requires absolute discretion. We are all either in this together or none of us at all. These are the only two options before us.”

“Isn’t that right?” Valefor turned to ask Gamigin with his gaze.

Gamigin showed a pleased smile.

“Yup. Valefor is right. We have to be unified as one.”

“Should we not involve His Highness Vassago?”

A Demon Lord asked.

“I heard that he also holds animosity toward Dantalian. If we are able to borrow his power, then that would make handling the aftermath much easier for us.”

“Mm. That might be a problem.”

Gamigin shook her head.

“Vassago is fundamentally on the side of the strong. I guess you could say that he moves with the times. I’m sure that he’ll immediately snitch to Dantalian or Barbatos if we reveal our plan to him. We’ll all receive a pleasant summon to court.”

“I am also against that idea.”

Valefor also shared his opinion.

Valefor had originally tried to invite Vassago to these meetings, but he refused, saying that it was pointless. Vassago didn’t sympathize with the state the independent Demon Lords were in, this was the conclusion that Valefor came to.

In the end, Vassago was a dog that wagged his tail for the strong. Valefor was greatly disappointed in him.

“As I mentioned before, this plan requires absolute discretion from start to finish. Adding more people to the plan thoughtlessly will only increase our risks.”

Furthermore, Valefor said as he continued.

“Let’s be honest here. Are the seven of us not more than enough to kill Dantalian? Any more than this would be like killing a chicken with a knife meant for cows.”

“His Highness Valefor is right.”

The other Demon Lords nodded in agreement. What could they possibly have to be afraid of when they were only trying to deal with a Rank 71 Demon Lord?

“Yes, convincing Vassago can come after we’ve killed Dantalian. We should be able to bring Vassago into our cause a lot easier since we should have strong evidence and a cause at that point. Not only him, but we might get the support of other Demon Lords who happen to dislike Dantalian.”

“I see. We only have to consider these things after we have succeeded…….”

“It won’t be easy. To put it bluntly, this is a gamble.”

Gamigin beamed brightly.

“Either way, it isn’t so difficult that it’s impossible, don’t you think?”

Mm, Valefor thought audibly as he nodded.

He now had no doubt whatsoever. Gamigin wasn’t concerned about the plan itself. She was more concerned about the aftermath once the plan succeeds. This was the most evident proof that she was facing this plan seriously.

If Gamigin had spoken in a way that sounded like things would get better after the plan succeeds, or if a single plan would somehow magically improve all of their situations, then Valefor would’ve doubted her.

However, she emphasized that the path ahead of them would still be thorny even if they succeed. Therefore, the success of the plan itself wasn’t what she genuinely wanted. She wanted comrades who would stick with her til the very end.

‘Even if the plan fails miserably.’

Valefor’s eyes glimmered with a serious light.

‘All seven of us here right now will become comrades that can rely on each other. It won’t be a lot of people, but their internal stability would be outstanding. Creating this sort of group might be her actual plan……. Yes, this alone has enough value.’

A common enemy strengthens bonds.

This ancient truth applied directly to the independent Demon Lords who saw Dantalian as their common enemy.

“I will join.”

“I will also take part in the plan. I would rather take this gamble than let my authority be taken away from me like this.”

Were they convinced because of the realism behind her words? Gamigin didn’t try to sound pointlessly pompous.

She stripped the ambiguous desire of wanting to get revenge on Dantalian and laid out a detailed plan about how to assassinate Dantalian and what must be done to use the proof and cause effectively.

The Demon Lords thus concluded that it was ‘possible’.

One by one, the Demon Lords voiced their desire to take part in Gamigin’s plan after they finished deliberating. Of course, the fact that they had the ex-rank 6 and ex-rank 4 with them also helped influence their decisions.

Finally, all seven Demon Lords agreed to participate.

Gamigin displayed a satisfied smile.

“All right. This is enough to make sacrificing myself worth it. I did tell you that there isn’t a high chance of success, but I plan on doing my utmost to make sure it works. Let’s teach Dantalian that Demon Lords are beings that cannot stand being oppressed.”

The Demon Lords nodded seriously.

Gamigin created a magic circle. It was a spell that created a solemn pact.

“Do you all swear to not reveal our plan to assassinate Dantalian to another individual or object?”

“I swear.”

“I swear.”

Each Demon Lord cast a spell on their heart as they swore to secrecy. Gamigin had reached the peak as an archmage. She was more trustworthy than anyone else when it came to the enforcement of magic. If anyone goes against their pledge, then their heart will explode and they will lose all of their mana.

Thus, the scheme began.

The Demon Lords stayed up several nights as they planned out the assassination. As something as important as this couldn’t be left in the hands of their subordinates, the Demon Lords had to come up with a plan on their own. Gamigin and Valefor did most of the planning.

They decided to carry out their plan in four days.

Time was of the essence.

They decided to end everything while the uproar that Gamigin caused in the palace was still a hot topic.

They got their hands on the palace’s patrol schedule and bribed some of the guards. Several of the maids were also bribed. If their plan succeeded, then they were going to take care of the ones they bribed in the back alleys of the city.

And then, four days later.

“Gamigin has entered the palace.”

Valefor gazed at the other Demon Lords with a steadfast expression. The other Demon Lords also returned his gaze with resolved eyes.

“Let us go to the palace.”

The plot to assassinate Dantalian had begun.

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. A classic “whoopsie I forgot to upload this yesterday,” moment. There was a national holiday yesterday, so I sort of got distracted doing other stuff. It’s not often that I get holidays… It really isn’t.

In any case, excuses aside, I’ll try to upload the next chapter sooner like I usually do when I upload late.  I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.