Serafall Sitri
"I can't stand going to these boring meetings anymore! Hpmh! What more do they have to show for us?"
I can't stand it anymore! There's a meeting every week! They're always long, boring and end with the same political speech.
It's crazy that they repeat the same act every time and keep expecting me and my father to change our minds. These old men have lived so long that they've forgotten that other people have more to do than give them attention.
If you want attention so much, complain to your grandchildren!
My time is precious, you know!
My father could have simply rejected these many invitations or at least gone alone instead of forcing me to accompany him, after all, even as the Sitri heir, I'm still a long way from having anything.
This damn old man doesn't look like he's going to die any time soon!
What are you afraid of?The Great War is over!
Even so, once again I was summoned along with my father, Lord Sitri.
"Calm down, Serafall, I know it can be... tiring sometimes…but it must still have some importance. From what I hear, even your friend Ajuka Astaroth was surprised by what Agares and Bael found out this time." I get sick just remembering those damn names.
They were both part of a movement opposing the heirs of the Satans, and as it concerned the fate of hell, they were very serious about it.
Doing everything they could to recruit some forces for themselves.
But still, what strength did I have that they wanted? What the hell does my family have to do with this?Sitri may be rich and powerful, but we are not the big shots!
There are the strong and powerful.
And There are people who are simple and clearly beyond that.
The satan faction and the anti-satan faction leaders are the true powerhouses
How the fuck are we?
Sitri, Gremory, Astaroth and Glasya-Labolas are all noble but compared to then?We have nothing to do with the future of devils!
We can do a lot, but to this extent? To define the fate of all of us?
I understand that the situation is hard, but to this point?
Hell could be... well, a hell right now, calling it the underworld is nonsense right now. Most of the big clans were on the verge of bankruptcy and many were on the verge of complete extinction...
but still...
Who were the descendants of the Satans for me to question? Those bastards were terrifying! It was stupid how strong they were from birth, I could almost understand how humans felt when they saw us.
Training for decades to achieve what others had as a birthright. It discouraged anyone, especially when these hotheads thought that strength was all it took to have the right to rule.
It couldn't be worse! That was the worst-case scenario!
In the end, Bael might even have the power to speak, the Power of Destruction and enough wealth to get some privileges, but what about my friends? what about my family? what about me?!
I'll tell you what happens if we rebel, I'll even lose the rights of my own ass!We will fight to the death and be executed as traitors in the end. And you know what happens to Bael and Agares? economic sanctions!
No matter what they do, they get away with it, while everyone else is hunted down even in their next incarnations.
If it's so bad that any idiot can dictate the course of things, maybe it's better to start looking for humans, give them wings and call them devils, and then give the government to them.
Actually…
I think Ajuka was working on something like that, apart from the last part of course.
"And what is it this time?"
My father could read every thought going through my head and yet he continued with an elegant smile, letting me process the situation.
"The time travel study has made progress." I sighed again at this topic. Having the ability to live for thousands of years was starting to become a curse. I've barely lived a few decades and it's already torture.
"I thought they'd given up on this topic, it's been a few decades since they started and there's never been anything new." Despite my apparent discouragement, it was a really interesting topic.
In fact, what could be cooler than time travel? being able to change the past or know things about the future before they even happen.
As they had explained to me before, there were a number of inherent paradoxes and problems, but if they succeeded, life would be simple and easy.
But, from their point of view it was clearly good for war, one with perfect informants. One that they could try multiple times until they got a perfect result. Or at least make it easier.
With infinity as an ally, any project became an instant success. However, the inherent difficulties made it a childish and unsuccessful project.
"The process has always been slow on this topic, but we were promised that It wouldn't be a waste of our time. Lord Bael himself said that he'd let you slap his face in front of everyone if it was a lie."
"Not that that's the big question..." He gave me a worried look.
"The bottom line is that we need to have strong roots, no matter what the future holds.Things haven't been good recently, many houses are suffering because of the end of the Great War at the moment and new problems don't await us to settle down."
"The government is very unstable, many people want power but generally don't have the chance, unlike now.And eventually we're going to have to choose a side, and we want the one we choose not to like us, but to love us no matter what it takes."
I sighed at his words of great wisdom.
"You talk as if getting them to like you is the same as watching a race of their warm, freshly produced sperm after you personally helped them participate with your hand. And still cheer lively at the end." He was shocked by my words. Again I tried to explain myself
"Just saying I wouldn't do it for them... the handjob part... I still have some decency." I coughed, looking away. Sometimes I forgot who I was talking to at the moment. "I mean, we still have some dignity left… I guess…"
"Those friends of yours... I need to talk to them later..."
Anyway, time was a curse again. How long had it been since the Great War? I never saw that war, I just heard about it from a lot of people for a long time.
The possibility of a civil war was always there and never happened.
These discussions about a possible break-up of the government had also been going on for a long time! I remember hearing the same thing as a child...
Speaking of which, why is my father looking at me like now?
Why is he stroking my head?
"I hope it's just a phase... in any case, you're still too young to understand. Many things are only understood later."
"Living a long life means having many chances to learn and many chances to realize that things are slower than we would like, or not in this case. Time doesn't care too much about us."
"Just study and learn from your father for now. See how amazing he is at his job!" I pretended not to hear, while he activated the teleportation magic.
As usual, we were greeted by the Lords and after a lot of tiresome and political talk in their case and a lot of buttery cookies and tea for me, we were then guided to the experiment room.
This room was always peculiar, filled with all sorts of complicated and imaginative state-of-the-art apparatus that could easily excite even the dullest creative mind.Lots of shiny crystals mixed with alchemy equipment and gears making rhythmic, satisfying noises.
"hehehe I see someone like what they see. Impressive, isn't it?" One of the scientists pointed at me. My eyes lit up at the sight of each of those strange machines.
"Nothing much, I guess." As it was quickly pointed out, I snorted and looked away.
However, as Ajuka once told me, much of this was either just for show in order to raise more funds, or so highly theoretical that they didn't even know if it really worked.
He always said how ridiculous this study was, how it was looking for something they didn't even know what it was or if it even existed in the first place.
The whole argument about the study was simple and even ingenious: if time travel were possible, as long as they tried long enough, time travel would be created. But not only that, but if it were possible they wouldn't even need to finish it since it would already exist in the future.
At some point a traveler from the future could come directly here and teach us about its wonders.
A spark was all that was needed.
That's what they want you to think.
"Ehhh... what a shame and here we are looking forward to introducing you to our friend..."The stars in my eyes flickered on and off quickly
"As if!don't try to fool me again. I know you very well! Hpmh!"
"Hahaha alright miss."
But easier than that was having a way of receiving information and sending it back, as well as deciphering the message, no matter what format it came in.
So the biggest concern wasn't exactly being able to make people travel, but anything that could transmit a message to start everything and quickly change the world!
Which was rather dull and unsavory, but feasible for them. Or not according to the rest of the academic community...
A time machine, it was just a fancy, complicated courier then.
But what would their letters look like? What would their messages be like?
Space has sounds and light, or rather waves, for conversations and writing, which is already quite a big science. What kind of message spreads through time?
What kind of device do we need to interpret that message?
Ajuka said it was the biggest waste of time to even start thinking about this when we still have so many unsolved problems. It's unprecedented arrogance to try to tame time before we even understand space or the matter that fills it.
Accustomed to this atmosphere and scientific charlatanism, only one thing caught my attention...
"What is this all about? Why is there a silver mirror here?I didn't see this last time." Tied to its sides with chains, a full-length mirror was positioned in the middle of the room.
"Hehehe Does that interest you, little girl? Well, this is our friend we wanted to introduce you to. But since it's no big deal, we can leave it for another time.We're just charlatos, aren't we?" It seemed out of place with everything else, we went from a scientific drama to the field of mysticism in one magical pass.
I approached him slowly, unhindered. My reflection in him looked ordinary... until he unexpectedly disassociated and waved at me with a smile.
"It's good to see a new girl around here."