The Whale and the Shrimp (2)
"Anyway, one thing's for sure."
Selena spoke.
Her face was that of an assassin.
"The human who made a deal with Baal. It must be Charon."
Frondier nodded.
Baal was intentionally instigating a war in the Palma Empire.
And he was even using devils disguised as Gods to do so.
To carry out this operation, he would naturally need help from the human side.
And Charon would be the one to provide that help.
Lily tilted her head and asked.
"What's Charon thinking? What good would a war within Palma do for Paladin?"
"He probably doesn't actually want a war to break out. He's already building up his position enough as it is."
"Position?"
"Charon is the one mediating the fight between the two factions that support each Goddess. In other words, to the people in the capital, Charon is the most trustworthy person who wants peace. A Paladin at that."
Simply put, what Charon wanted was to increase his political support.
And in that regard, Baal and Charon's opinions aligned.
Baal, who was encouraging deals with Satan while raising the risk of war, and Charon, who wanted the current state of civil unrest to continue for the time being.
As long as they didn't actually want a war to break out, it was a situation where they could cooperate.
"However,"
Arald stroked his chin and opened his mouth.
"Baal aside, Charon is being far too naive."
"I agree."
Frondier nodded.
Baal was at least prepared for war. If the timing was even slightly off, God would attack them.
Baal already knew that this operation was extremely dangerous. Otherwise, he wouldn't have abandoned everything and headed to Falind as soon as Belphegor withdrew from Palid.
But Charon was not like that. He had neither the preparation to stop a war between Gods and devils nor the resolve to face one if it broke out. He was making light of God's wrath.
"What is Charon thinking?"
Frondier tilted his head. He couldn't understand Charon's reckless behavior.
But Lily and Arald seemed to think differently.
"This is truly..."
"He's been possessed by a devil."
The two of them seemed to understand Charon's situation very well.
"What do you mean?"
Frondier asked.
"There's a devil claiming to be Poseidon dwelling within Charon using his divine power, right?"
"Charon himself is a Paladin, said to be the strongest human on this continent. And a devil is dwelling within him. It's entirely possible that he's underestimating God."
Frondier thought for a moment at those words and then asked again.
"So, you're saying he's equating the power of the devil dwelling within him with Poseidon's power?"
"Even if they're not exactly the same, he probably believes there's not much difference."
The devil currently dwelling within Charon, though his true identity was unknown, could pretend to be Poseidon. When Charon used his divine power, he'd be able to do things similar to Poseidon.
And after witnessing such things, was Charon underestimating Poseidon's true power?
Then Lily spoke.
"Frondier, you know this too. Devils are especially strong in mental powers. Not just eloquence, lies, and deception, but the possibility of the devil itself possessing such power is high. The devil dwelling within Charon could be that kind."
"Like your 'Charm'?"
"...No need to spell it out, but yes. Like my Charm."
Frondier had personally experienced the powers of several devils.
Belphegor's 'Sloth', Lily's 'Charm', and even Satan's 'Wrath' just now.
He might have more inner strength than others, but he was definitely affected.
'Belphegor was surprised to see me move even after receiving his Sloth. And Lily’s knights didn't find it strange that they were so loyal to her.'
In other words, if an ordinary human were to be affected by a devil's power, that's how they would become.
Charon might be a strong Paladin, but how much could he resist the power of a devil that even Frondier was significantly affected by?
"...Indeed. Possessed by a devil. That's very persuasive."
At that moment, the crow that had been sitting quietly on his shoulder spoke.
[Frondier. I told you earlier, but Charon isn't at the mansion right now. It seems he went this way.]
"I know. What about Pielott?"
[I have a crow I'm controlling nearby, so don't worry. There are no enemies in the vicinity.]
Frondier nodded.
He spoke.
"Gregory. It's good that you came."
[...]
The crow did not answer. It just bobbed its head.
Elodie, who was standing next to him, finally asked what she had been wanting to ask.
"By the way, Frondier, why do you call this crow Gregory? Didn't you tame it?"
"Ah, well. Actually..."
Frondier tried to explain, then chuckled.
"First, let's go get Pielott."
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