Dungeon Defense (WN)

“That’s a lie! Those vile traitors—.”

“Avenge Her Highness Paimon!”

“Kill them—.”

Shouts condemning the archdukes mixed with insults directed at Barbatos resonated noisily. The plaza became a cacophony so chaotic that discerning individual voices or words was impossible.

Everything had overheated and spiraled into a frenzy. People shouted at the top of their lungs with faces flushed red with intensity. Thick arms moved ceaselessly as they pumped like pistons. The clamor dissolved into a whirlpool of raw emotions, echoing as nothing more than primal cries.

Rage.

Envy.

Sheer amusement.

Doubt.

The raw emotions hung in the air like ingredients floating in an undercooked pot of soup. In the past, being surrounded by such emotions was distressing for me. But now, it was different. When my emotions were in distress, I simply had to rely on reason to make judgments. That was what I had learned.

“Silence.”

Marbas commanded. Immediately, the plaza fell quiet.

“Barbatos gave you the order to assassinate Paimon. That is what you testified. Is there no mistake?”

“I trust there is no one who knows better than Your Highnesses that I have spoken no lies.”

The four adjudicators nodded slightly in agreement.

“But that was not all. Barbatos also gave orders to every archduke of the demon world besides me. Together, we gathered to conspire on how we might assassinate Her Highness Paimon.”

The citizens in the plaza erupted in uproar once more. However, this time, the Serpent Hell Archduke pressed on, fully aware that now was the moment to push forward.

“Paimon was the villain of villains, seeking to abolish the ancient institution of slavery that had been passed down for millennia—a nightmare that would bring ruin to every city and village of the demon world. Those were the words Barbatos used as she resolutely commanded us to execute Her Highness Paimon.”

The citizens had no time to recover from their shock as the revelations came one after another. The Serpent Hell Archduke stood firm, meeting Marbas’ gaze.

“……However, neither I nor the seven other archdukes could bring ourselves to accept it. Her Highness Paimon had fought harder than anyone for the sake of the demons. To assassinate such a person was utterly unthinkable.”

“Indeed. So, you chose to rebel?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As Zepar listened to the conversation between the two, his eyes narrowed. He must have realized that the Serpent Hell Archduke was indeed telling the truth. Judging that the atmosphere had ripened enough, I finally spoke.

“Fellow judges who have graciously taken up this role. As you have just heard, Barbatos assassinated Demon Lord Paimon. It is only right that we impose the severest punishment on Barbatos. However, before that, we must ask ourselves—was Barbatos truly the only one involved in this heinous assassination?”

I turned my gaze sharply toward Zepar.

“Demon Lord Paimon was not merely one Demon Lord but the leader of the Mountain Faction. In other words, this was not just Barbatos assassinating Paimon—it was the Plains Faction systematically orchestrating the annihilation of the Mountain Faction. This scenario is far more fitting.”

“Do you have evidence?”

“For now, I have strong circumstantial proof.”

I surveyed the tens of thousands of demons gathered around me. It felt as though a certain energy was slipping into my grasp. This was it—the assurance that I was controlling myself while simultaneously manipulating the masses. Whenever I attempted to incite people, this sensation always enveloped me.

“Immediately after the assassination of Demon Lord Paimon, just three days ago, the Plains Faction moved to annihilate the Mountain Faction as a whole. In this process, eight Demon Lords affiliated with the Mountain Faction lost their lives. Assassinate the leader of a faction and then sweep up the remaining remnants…… quite a coincidence, wouldn’t you say?”

“Hmm.”

Marbas nodded.

“One of the eight, Demon Lord Morax, exhibited suspicious behavior. Morax spoke as if he had received some form of prior assurance or promise from Barbatos.”

“Exactly, esteemed comrades. Barbatos’ plan was as follows.”

I raised a single finger.

“First, assassinate Demon Lord Paimon to destabilize the Mountain Faction. This has been proven as truth through the testimonies of the archdukes. Second, take advantage of the chaos within the Mountain Faction to recruit traitors. On this point, we hold compelling circumstantial evidence.”

A malevolent scheme was currently unfolding.

Before anyone could realize, the reason for Barbatos assassinating Paimon had been firmly established as “to eliminate the Mountain Faction”. If an exceptional lawyer had been present, they would have immediately exploited this logical gap. Unfortunately for the Plains Faction, no such advocate existed. Under the tacit theatrics between Marbas and myself, the truth was systematically concealed.

“Lastly, the third step: annihilate the Mountain Faction entirely, including the traitors. This was the incident that occurred three days ago in the building where Demon Lord Paimon’s body was laid to rest. Barbatos, in her deviousness, even purged the traitors to ensure her plans would never leak…….”

I crafted an expression of sorrowful indignation and displayed it for all to see.

“The fact that the Plains Faction and Mountain Faction oppose each other is common knowledge, even to children. However, no matter how desperately one wishes to crush the opposing faction, Barbatos’ methods are excessively cruel. She assassinated Paimon. She incited members of the opposing faction to slaughter one another. Moreover, she brutally murdered eight Demon Lords.”

I turned to face the square directly.

“I declare this: if there is one person in this world who must never be forgiven, it is Barbatos. On this matter, I invoke the presence of the honorable Sitri, who stands here as one of our judges…….”

I raised my right arm to point toward Sitri.

“She demanded one thing from Barbatos until the very end: an honest and sincere apology for killing Paimon. That was all the honorable Sitri requested. And yet, esteemed comrades, what did Barbatos say in response? How did she treat Sitri, who only wished for a single word of apology?”

I pressed my lips together firmly and narrowed my eyes. Then, as if letting out a gasp of air, I spoke.

“She insulted her as a ‘vile pig’.”

The people in the square seemed to match their breathing with mine as they collectively held theirs. My quiet fury settled into the eerily silent square.

“She severed Sitri’s limbs. Even then, Sitri wept and pleaded—pleaded for an apology, begged Barbatos to admit to killing Paimon. But Barbatos, who may have once been a warrior but has now fallen into a wretched state as a power-hungry and dishonorable politician, trampled Sitri’s hand, tore at her hair, spat upon her, and tortured her.”

The quieter the fury, the more potent it became.

In a low, deliberate voice, I continued to accuse Barbatos of her crimes. At that moment, fleeting thoughts of the countless times Barbatos and I had laughed together crossed my mind. I pushed that laughter aside and pressed on with my words.

“I witnessed that scene with my very own eyes.”

“…….”

“Comrades, you must have seen it as well. Someone must bring justice to this atrocity. I hereby request the execution by beheading for all the Plains Faction Demon Lords involved in this assassination and purge.”

Execution for all of them.

The plaza grew noisy once more, though not as chaotically as before. Above all, the crowd was overwhelmed by an air of dread and gloom, the weight of the unveiled truth leaving them breathless. Marbas, too, allowed them to stew in that moment.

Next, the other archdukes of the demon world took turns stepping onto the witness stand after the Serpent Hell Archduke. They unanimously testified that Barbatos’ orders had indeed been issued. This made Barbatos’ guilt undeniable.

“Zepar.”

“…….”

“You are a key figure in the Plains Faction and a close aide of Barbatos. It is highly unlikely that you were unaware of Barbatos’ systematic plan to annihilate the Mountain Faction. I ask you, did you know in advance about the plan to assassinate Demon Lord Paimon?”

At this point, Zepar had two choices.

One was to tell the truth—to admit that he had never heard of nor been involved in the assassination plan. In this case, Zepar would likely be released due to insufficient evidence.

The other option was:

“Indeed. I was aware of it.”

Confessing to a crime he did not commit.

I smiled inwardly.

―I got him.

Zepar had fallen right into the web I had spun.

“When you say you were aware, does that mean you also participated in the crime?”

“Correct. I was more deeply involved in the assassination of Demon Lord Paimon than anyone else, and, in fact, I was practically the mastermind behind the plan.”

The plaza stirred.

It was truly a simple trap. Zepar, more than anyone, did not want Barbatos to die here. It would have been impossible for him to let Barbatos die while he survived on his own. In a situation like this, there was only one path to take for a loyal subject like Zepar.

“But there is a mistake in the testimony of the archdukes.”

“A mistake? What may that be?”

“The one who issued the orders to the archdukes was not Her Highness Barbatos. It was I, Zepar, who gave them the orders.”

To take upon himself all the blame in place of Barbatos.

As expected, Zepar chose the path of sacrifice.

I furrowed my brows.

“I find that hard to believe. The archdukes clearly testified that they received the orders directly from Barbatos. How can you claim that you gave the orders?”

“I used polymorph magic. It was a simple matter.”

Zepar said flatly.

“While Barbatos was temporarily away from the palace, I used her reception room to summon them. The archdukes foolishly believed I was Barbatos herself. Deceiving them was easy.”

“……And what evidence do you have to support your claim?”

“None.”

Zepar smiled slyly.

“This was the assassination of Paimon. Of course, I was cautious. I made sure to leave no evidence behind. However, this means there is also no evidence to prove my claim is false. Is that not right?”

“…….”

I fell silent for a moment.

“I do not understand. Why did you have to impersonate Barbatos to give the orders? Whether Barbatos herself gave the orders or you did, it would not have made much of a difference.”

“No. There is a huge difference. Because the one who conceived the idea and planned the assassination of Paimon was none other than me!”

Zepar shouted loudly, gazing at the crowd.

“Her Highness Barbatos had no part in this plan. Everything was done under my leadership, by me, Zepar.”

“What are you saying…….”

The crowd murmured at Zepar’s provocative declaration. I also feigned a shocked expression. Meanwhile, Zepar continued to speak relentlessly.

“I have never liked Paimon, that worthless whore. Despite being a Demon Lord, she was foolish enough to spare human lives and tried to abolish slavery. She was a vulgar, idiotic woman!”

Zepar laughed uproariously.

“When I heard that the whore was heading to the demon realm, I immediately knew it was my chance. So, I impersonated Barbatos to gather the archdukes and ordered the assassination. It was a brilliant plan. It would have been perfect if you had also died there, Dantalian!”

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Life never really goes the way you expect. This chapter would’ve come out last week, but I suddenly had to go visit my dad last weekend. I’m honestly not sure how true this news is since my dad was sort of half-asleep and droning when he told me, but he said that the doctors think he’ll have only until spring. I don’t know what else to say. My mind is sort of just… yeah.

I’ll definitely keep translating to sort of distract myself, but uh, yeah, maybe my thoughts will be more sorted by the next update… I’ll see you guys then.

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