When Frondier declared himself the King of Devils,
Satan's leisurely smile vanished.
He brought a hand to his mouth.
‘This makes it seem like there are two Kings of Devils from God’s perspective. That is, if they believe Frondier’s lies.’
Satan hadn’t anticipated things reaching this point.
He hadn’t predicted Frondier would do such a thing in the first place, but the important thing was that Frondier wasn’t a Devil.
Many Gods knew this. It was common knowledge among the high-ranking Gods of Olympus.
Therefore, the possibility of Frondier being a Devil shouldn’t even be considered.
But was that actually a blind spot?
‘……Among them, the only one who has ‘directly’ seen Frondier is Athena. The rest have only heard about him from Hephaestus or Ares.’
Too few Gods had seen Frondier in person, especially among the Olympian Gods.
Among those with Divine Power, the only humans who were relatively close were Elodie and Aster. Neither of them had any connection to the Olympian Gods.
Hephaestus had left Edwin, and Renzo, who possessed Ares' Divine Power, had only ever fought Frondier ‘one-on-one’.
In other words, the Gods present faced several obstacles in seeing the truth.
First, was Frondier truly human?
Due to Hephaestus and Ares’ testimonies, they would mostly believe it, but Frondier was currently using Demonic Energy. It was statistically more likely that a Devil was using Demonic Energy than a human using ‘Eclexis’.
And the most crucial problem was, was the man in front of them really ‘Frondier de Roach’? This was impossible to know.
Even if they believed Frondier was human, it was useless unless they believed this man was Frondier.
“That woman over there, the one called Carla, is actually Athena, right?”
Mammon spoke up from beside him.
“She’s called the Goddess of War, but she’s incredibly afraid of Frondier.”
“Yes. That’s what’s fueling the Gods’ anxiety.”
From the Gods’ perspective, Athena must have seemed out of her mind. According to Athena herself, she was simply afraid of a mere human and was trying to stop everyone from attacking.
Ironically, that made Frondier seem even less human.
“But isn’t it just a matter of time?”
Lucifer said.
“Zeus has left this place and is heading to Palma with the Gods who were by his side. Of course, they’re also possessing humans. Zeus heard what Satan said, so he’ll know that Frondier’s declaration is a lie. The truth will come out soon.”
“……You’re right.”
Satan nodded.
Lucifer wasn’t wrong. It was a lie that would be exposed soon. Frondier was walking a very dangerous tightrope.
……However.
“……‘Soon’.”
That was another reason why Satan’s smile had vanished.
“Why haven’t you arrived in Palma yet, Zeus?”
* * *
Frondier’s declaration.
And even more shocking than that, the obedience of the two Paladins.
Of course, they were possessed by Devils, but they looked no different from ordinary Paladins.
Everyone froze at the sight. The other Paladins, the Gods, even Athena and Aphrodite.
Caw─
In that silence, a crow flew down and landed on Frondier’s shoulder.
[Frondier, two reports.]
“Hold on a moment.”
Frondier raised his head. His gaze shifted to Selena and Elodie.
They met his eyes, and when Frondier raised a hand and clenched it into a fist, they gathered around him.
Weaving, Obsidian.
Workshop.
A building rose up, enveloping Frondier, Sybil who was originally nearby, Selena and Elodie, and the two Paladins. Only then did Frondier look back at the crow.
“Speak.”
[Baal is heading this way. About half of the 72 Devils are following him. The rest are still gathered at the meeting place, anxious. A few more are following Baal belatedly.]
Half, plus a few more. Frondier nodded. It was a better result than he expected.
‘Most of the 72 Devils have never even seen me. They’re probably not following me, but rather, they believe in Baal.’
Frondier spoke to Gregory.
“Keep an eye on the remaining Devils.”
[What am I looking for?]
“Any Devils leaving alone. If you find any, follow them discreetly.”
[Oh ho. Interesting orders.]
The crow nodded, seeming quite pleased.
That’s right.
Frondier was considering the possibility of a traitor among the 72 Devils.
‘Astaroth’s subordinates came through a gate. Since Gregory can’t find it, it’s highly likely it’s hidden magically. But even with all the 72 Devils searching, it hasn’t been found.’
Each of the 72 Devils commanded their own forces.
Therefore, it was highly likely that each force was responsible for a specific area in the search for the gate.
The fact that so many Devils couldn’t find it was strange. Perhaps it was more logical to assume it hadn’t been found on purpose?
‘Knowing the gate’s location from the start, hiding it with magic, and not reporting it. If there’s a Devil among the 72 who fits that description, it all adds up.’
There was already a precedent: Marchosias, the Devil who had become Satan’s subordinate.
And knowing the gate’s location would guarantee their survival if the Gods attacked. It would be a very tempting bargaining chip.
‘……If I had to guess,’
Frondier looked down at one of the two figures still kneeling before him.
‘Purpur, you’re the one who bothers me.’
Purpur, the Devil who had formed a contract with Charon.
Charon hadn’t acted according to Baal’s will. He had needlessly provoked Frondier and injured Pielott. Was that Charon’s own will, or Purpur’s whisper?
It was wise of him to kneel before Frondier so quickly, but what expression did that bowed head hide?
Just like when Selena had bowed before him, Frondier could read nothing from this posture of loyalty.
[Frondier, the second report.]
“Yes.”
[Multiple entities have been detected approaching Poseidon.]
Frondier’s eyes narrowed.
They were finally here, the Gods coming from the Falind continent. It was highly likely that Zeus or other Gods had joined them.
However, Frondier had left a message with Poseidon, so he would buy them some time.
[And, well. Among them.]
The crow tilted its head.
[Aster is there.]
“What?”
[I don’t know how he managed it, but.]
The crow’s eyes narrowed.
Frondier wondered if birds could even make such an expression.
[He seems to be riding on the back of one of the Gods possessing a human.]
(T/N: Lmao these protagonist’s keep one-upping each other in absurdity)
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