Dungeon Defense (WN)

Chapter 351: Neutral Nation (4)

Dantalian struggled as much as he could to get away.

His shadow wavered as if the death knights were trying to come out, but they never did. Was it because a single Demon Lord’s power of control couldn’t beat that of six?

“Kuh……huahh!”

Dantalian took out his dagger. He swung it down on Valefor who was holding his right arm. His show of vigor was so unexpected that Valefor released Dantalian’s arm in a panic, which allowed Dantalian to run away.

Ah, Valefor let out a shout.

“Catch him! All of our efforts will be pointless if we do not catch him here!”

The Demon Lords quickly chased after Dantalian. Several of them cast spells, but the clothes on Dantalian’s body must’ve had a fairly strong anti-magic enchantment on them as their spells would disperse powerlessly.

“There’s anti-magic!”

“Let’s stab him to death!”

Dantalian was still cornered in an instant despite the size of the room. Right as it seemed like Dantalian had nowhere else left to run, he managed to slip out onto the terrace.

They were three floors up. There was no foliage at the bottom to cushion one’s landing, but, without any hesitation, Dantalian threw himself off the terrace.

“How pointlessly persistent……!”

“Don’t let him get away!”

The Demon Lords clicked their tongues as they jumped down from the terrace.

—Broad daylight.

A sudden chase scene was unfolding in the palace courtyard.

The noise attracted the attention of onlookers. Numerous housekeepers and servants were walking about the palace. All sorts of individuals turned to see what the ruckus was all about.

Dantalian was being chased by Demon Lords on a plaza that was fancily made of marble. It was evident that he didn’t land safely as he was limping severely. In the end, he was caught by his pursuers before he could take more than a few steps.

At first, the onlookers had no idea what was happening.

The scene before them felt somewhat surreal.

The early spring sun was shining down radiantly on the marble plaza. Dantalian was grabbed by the back of his neck in the center of this radiantly shining square. Dantalian reached his arm out to shake the hand off, but it was at that moment that the second Demon Lord to arrive swung their dagger.

The blade just barely scratched Dantalian’s neck.

Red blood scattered in the air under the bright light of the sun.

It was then that the onlookers realized what they were watching.

“Kyahhhh!”

“Oh my goddesses!”

The onlookers were shocked.

All of the maids and butlers working at the palace were trained warriors who were ready for most situations, but what about a situation where a group of Demon Lords are trying to kill another Demon Lord? —This was too much for even them.

The hunt then started.

“Execute the tyrant!”

“You traitor to demonkind and lapdog of humans!”

The independent Demon Lords rushed in like a pack of starving wolves. Dantalian screamed as he tried to retaliate, but he wasn’t strong enough. Six Demon Lords surrounded Dantalian and took turns as they attacked him.

A blade stabbed into Dantalian’s back. Dantalian turned around as he struggled, but the Demon Lord standing on the other side swung their blade once he did. The blade penetrated deeply into Dantalian’s waist.

“Guahh……huagh……!”

Dantalian slowly collapsed.

He did his best to not let go of the dagger in his left hand, but Valefor skilfully took it away. He then stepped onto the back of Dantalian’s hand. Dantalian was now completely collapsed on the ground. Six Demon Lords stabbed their blades into Dantalian dozens of times like a pack of crazed dogs.

The entire area was lit up by the sun except for Dantalian. He alone was enshrouded by a shadow. The shadow cast down by the Demon Lords surrounding him.

The marble plaza which was almost as white as the skin of a maiden was now dyed red with blood. The blood flowed from between the legs of Demon Lords and reached out to the corners of the courtyard.

“Ha……ha…….”

“…….”

The assassins breathed heavily as they looked down at the corpse.

Demon Lords may have an impressive regenerative ability, but these were undeniably lethal wounds. The accomplices turned to look at each other and nodded. They had succeeded. The chances seemed slim, but they managed to take out Count Palatine Dantalian.

The situation didn’t feel real. The assassins were closer to a dreamy state than anyone in the palace. It was a common sensation that people would go through after accomplishing something that they thought was impossible. The six Demon Lords were struggling to come back to their senses because of the adrenaline pumping through them.

“Our next moves from this point forth will be crucial.”

Valefor was the first one to compose himself.

“Go and escort Gamigin here. We must turn this plaza into a court of law and show everyone the reason why Dantalian rightfully had to die.”

“I will go.”

Ex-rank 22 Ipos volunteered. This man with pure white hair despite his young looks was actually the first person to grab Dantalian by the back of his neck.

He had participated eagerly when Agares started an internal war, but he had lost the land that was rightfully his due to Agares’ death. Most of the Demon Lords who took part in this killing were in similar situations.

Valefor nodded.

“If you do not mind.”

After sending Ipos off, Valefor swung down at the corpse’s neck. The magically enhanced dagger took two swings to separate the head from the body.

Valefor grabbed Dantalian’s head by the hair and lifted it into the air.

“D-Dear Lord…….”

“What have they done……?!”

Screams erupted from all around. Onlookers gazed at the plaza in utter shock. There was no one who dared to approach.

It was around this point that the palace guards arrived on the scene.

The guard captain froze in place. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The people he had let pass earlier had killed the actual master of the palace. The guard captain could tell that his days were numbered.

Valefor enhanced his voice and shouted from within the turbulent air of shock and terror.

“My dear people! I ask that you calm your hearts and listen to what I have to say. This man here, this criminal once known as Dantalian has died today!”

Valefor slowly turned his body and gazed at each of the buildings around the palace plaza.

“I was once known as the Rank 6 Demon Lord, but I am now a civil servant to demonkind like you all. O wise people, if you respect my character and honor, then do not doubt my words!”

Valefor let out as much of his Demon Lord authority as he could.

Rank 6 was by no means a position that could be obtained through a game of cards. He may have been uninterested in worldly affairs, but he also possessed enough authority to control an entire army like Barbatos and Paimon who were once ranked 8 and 9 respectively.

“I am sure that some of you here had once liked Dantalian. However, allow me to ask you this. Can the love for a single person possibly come before the love of demonkind as a whole?”

Valefor mentally ordered the demons to calm down and it worked to a certain degree as he managed to make the onlookers at least hear him out.

“Dantalian vested our honor as demons into an empire made by humans. Even if we fight honorably on the battlefield, that honor will no longer be the honor of demonkind but the honor of an empire. Even if we work together to accomplish a great feat, that will go down in the history of the empire and not demonkind. Therefore, our sons and daughters, our descendants will be taught that we are simply the subjects of an empire. They will not learn about how we are honorable and wise warriors of demonkind.”

Valefor made a fist.

Valefor’s bronze skin tone stuck out immensely above the pure white, marble plaza. This made drawing the attention of onlookers even more effective.

“Demonkind will die if Dantalian is alive and Dantalian must die for demonkind to live! My beloved people, please answer me honestly! Do you wish to spare Dantalian and willingly live as pathetic slaves to humans? Or do you wish to live freely through Dantalian’s death?”

No one could answer that question.

“If there are those of you who wish to live as pathetic slaves, then fine. If that is the case, then I admit it. I, Valefor, committed a crime.”

Valefor picked up his momentum and followed up by shouting.

“However, if you all yearn for freedom. If you do not wish for your honor to be changed into the honor of humans—then I dare to declare. What I did to Dantalian is what I did as your representative!”

Valefor raised Dantalian’s head higher.

“O demonkind! Do not love the empire and love our pride as demons! My fellow people! Save yourselves by killing Dantalian!”

It was at this moment that the Plains Faction Demon Lords started to pour in from the entrance.

The approximately dozen or more Plains Faction Demon Lords instantly encircled the plaza. The palace etiquette must’ve not mattered now as they were all wielding weapons. The six independent Demon Lords could be wiped out in an instant considering that the only equipment of sorts they had were their daggers.

“It seems you did something horrendous to my little brother, Valefor.”

Demon Lord Beleth stepped forward. He had a smirk on his lips, but even that was unable to hide his rage.

“I assume you must have thought out your last words.”

“Count Palatine Dantalian has committed high treason!”

“Hm. That is pretty awful to be your last words.”

A battle of nerves unfolded between the Plains Faction Demon Lords and the independent Demon Lords.

“Have you resolved yourself, you losers?!”

“Hmph, you’re rather spirited for people who were nothing more than Dantalian’s puppets.”

“Let’s sweep up these mooches once and for all!”

The six independent Demon Lords pressed their backs together and held up their daggers while the Plains Faction Demon Lords glared and growled menacingly at them like a bunch of hounds.

Valefor spoke with a sharp look in his eyes.

“I will announce Dantalian’s crime once all of the Demon Lords and archdukes have arrived.”

“It seems like you’re misunderstanding something.”

Beleth spoke threateningly as he spun his axe above his head.

“The toothpick you’re holding isn’t the reason why I haven’t split your head in two yet. It’s so that I can let our commander have that honor. You’re a dead man once Barbatos gets here, you blackie!”

“Hah. It is ridiculous to see an entire faction be shaken this much because of a single Demon Lord. Barbatos must have also lost her wit. How could she have fallen for a man who raped a woman in the palace in broad daylight?!”

Beleth furrowed his brows.

“Rape?”

“That is correct. Dantalian threatened Gamigin and committed an unspeakable act!”

Beleth growled in a low tone.

“Are you trying to play off the current situation with a baseless accusation?”

“We have undeniable proof.”

Valefor spoke clearly so that everyone could hear him.

“Dantalian’s heinous crime has been recorded on a memoria artifact, and one of my comrades has gone to retrieve that evidence and bring back a witness. The head maid of this palace is also a witness. There is absolutely no way you can possibly cover for Dantalian’s crime!”

“Kuh. Spouting nonsense is something that even a child is capable of.”

The two Demon Lords glared at each other.

Ipos soon returned while supporting Gamigin. Valefor asked that they wait until more than enough people had gathered. Beleth let out a snort, but, in the end, the two groups stood face to face until the evening. It was then that Barbatos arrived.

All of the Demon Lords and archdukes who were going to participate in today’s meeting had gathered at the plaza.

Nearly a hundred people had crowded together. The archdukes couldn’t hide their unease because of the unprecedented situation of a Demon Lord being assassinated. No matter how this situation concluded, they could tell that it was going to end with a bath of blood.

“Now then.”

Barbatos, who had arrived last, spoke in a chilling tone.

“Care to show us that evidence you keep prattling about now?”

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. I know I kept using the word “assassin” in this chapter, but that’s what the author kept using. I’m not sure if you can consider a group of people killing someone in broad daylight to be an assassination, but yeah. Maybe there’s some implicit meaning behind the usage of this word.

Welp, in any case, nothing much to say. I hope you guys have a good weekend. I have to meet my grandparents this Sunday, so there’s that. This weekend feels like it’s going to feel very short… Please save me.

I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.