The meeting was over, and the various rulers and envoys were gathering their documents, preparing to depart. I leaned back in my chair, letting the tension ease for just a moment—until an irritatingly familiar voice cut through the hall.
"H-hey you! What's the meaning of this? What in the world is going on!?"
I sighed. Of course. I had forgotten about *her.* If I didn't deal with Ramiris soon, she would end up crying or causing another scene. She had fainted after seeing Veldora earlier, then spent her time chattering with him about manga, as though the fate of nations meant nothing. Only now, noticing the room clearing out, did she suddenly remember her reason for barging in.
The envoys paused, exchanging wary glances, then slowly reclaimed their seats. Ramiris puffed out her chest—though she had none to speak of—and nodded dramatically, satisfied that she had everyone's attention.
"I'll say it again! The nation of Eterna will be destroyed!!!" she declared.
I gave her the bare minimum of reaction, my tone flat and unimpressed. "W-what…?"
"Hehem!" she grinned smugly. "Well, I don't *want* that to happen, of course. That's why I flew all the way here, to warn you. You should be grateful, Atem!"
Her posturing grated on me. I folded my arms. "Enough games. Explain yourself. Why would Eterna be destroyed?"
The room quieted instantly. For once, Ramiris's expression sobered. She scanned the assembled leaders, as if weighing whether they had the right to hear what she was about to say. Finally, she spoke with uncharacteristic seriousness.
"This concerns humans as well, so it's fine if you all hear it. The demon lord Clayman has called for Walpurgis—the feast of demon lords. His proposal has already been approved by Frey and Milim. With three signatures, it cannot be denied."
Her words sent a ripple of shock through the chamber.
"The theme of the feast," she continued, "is 'Revenge against the one who killed the demon lord Karion.' And the name of the culprit proposed is… *Atem, the false demon lord of Eterna.*"
The weight of her words struck the hall like a hammer. Murmurs erupted, eyes widened. Even the most hardened envoys looked shaken.
I narrowed my gaze. "I have indeed declared myself a demon lord," I said evenly. "But I know nothing of Karion's death."
Before I could continue, a voice rang out, desperate and anguished.
"Please wait! Is it true!? Has Karion-sama truly been killed!?"
The shout came from Grucius, his face pale, fists trembling. Of course. He was Karion's subordinate.
"O demon lord Ramiris, please tell me!" he pressed. "Was Karion-sama really defeated!?"
"Hey! Don't cut me off like that!" Ramiris huffed, flailing her tiny arms. Then she shrugged. "Anyway, Atem didn't kill him, so clearly there's something else going on here. And this is where *Detective Ramiris* shines! In mysteries like this, the one who names the culprit is always the most suspicious! So obviously—the true culprit is Clayman!"
Her deduction was childish, but the frustrating part was that it matched perfectly with the analysis Solarys, Sovereign of Wisdom, had already presented to me. In Ramiris's case, she was probably just parroting lines from the manga she had read with Veldora earlier.
I leaned forward, voice sharp. "Ramiris. Speculation aside, answer Grucius's question. Was Karion truly defeated?"
The room held its breath. If a demon lord had been slain, it meant a fracture in the balance of power—a threat that concerned every nation here.
"Eh?" Ramiris blinked. "I don't know. I was just told he wouldn't be attending Walpurgis. That's all."
Her casual tone made some officials scowl, but I could tell she was being truthful. For all her foolishness, Ramiris wasn't lying.
I studied her carefully. "Then why come to me with this?"
"Mm? Ah, well…" She scratched her head sheepishly. "Honestly, I was worried about Beretta. If you got killed, what would happen to him? Since I decided to be your ally, I figured I'd give you the warning. Oh, and—since we're allies now, I'll be opening an entrance to my labyrinth here. That's fine, right?"
My eyes narrowed. "No. That's not fine. You came here to deliver a warning, and I'll acknowledge that. But do not speak of Beretta as if he belongs to you, and do not assume you can expand your labyrinth into Eterna without my consent."
"Ehh? Don't sweat the small stuff! It'll be fine!" Ramiris waved off my words like they meant nothing. "Oh! Speaking of Beretta—Oi! Come over here and greet Atem already!"
Her carefree tone grated against the heavy silence still hanging over the room. Walpurgis had been invoked. Clayman had named me his enemy. The balance of power among demon lords was about to shift—and Ramiris, in her reckless way, had just lit the fuse.
The meeting broke up and everyone began to clear the room. I felt like I'd forgotten something — and sure enough, the chaos started before I could move.
"H-hey you! What's the meaning of this? What in the world is going on!?" a familiar shrill voice demanded.
Ramiris hadn't listened to anyone; she'd just said what she wanted and assumed the matter closed. Typical. She'd fainted earlier seeing Veldora, then perked up only when she realized the room was emptying. Carefree to the last, she'd been chatting with Veldora about manga as if the conference never happened — and only remembered why she'd come once everyone started to leave. She'd padded back in, dramatic and breathless, and the envoys obediently sank back into their seats when she announced herself. She loved the attention.
"I'll say it again! Eterna will be destroyed!!!" she crowed.
I gave the standard response, flat and unamused. "What did you say?"
She turned patronizing, preening as if she'd done us a favor. "I don't want that to happen, of course. I came all this way to tell you. Be grateful, Atem!"
Taking her seriously would drag everything out, so I let her speak. Once she felt the stage was hers, she shifted into a brief, oddly serious explanation.
"This involves humans, so listen. Clayman wants to call Walpurgis — a feast of demon lords. He's already got Frey and Milim's approval. Three signatures mean it's real. The theme is 'Revenge for the death of Demon Lord Karion.' And the named culprit is… Atem, the false demon lord of Eterna."
Heads turned. The conference attendees went still. That was not a trivial claim. If a demon lord had been killed, it could tilt the balance among demon lords — and a Walpurgis with that theme could mean a concerted vendetta.
"I have declared myself a demon lord," I said evenly, "but I know nothing of Karion's death."
Grucis' shout cut in like a blade. "Please wait! Is Karion-sama truly dead!?" His voice trembled — a man whose master might have been slain.
Ramiris waved him down. "Don't cut in! But also… it looks like Atem didn't kill him. Detective Ramiris' opinion: the one who names a culprit first is the most suspicious. So naturally — Clayman is the most suspicious."
Her deduction was childish, and infuriatingly it matched what Solarys, Sovereign of Wisdom, had shown in prediction: Clayman was a likely suspect given the limited data. Ramiris was probably just repeating lines she'd picked up in some manga or gossip; but the coincidence made it worse, not better.
"Answer Grucis," I said. "Was Karion defeated?"
Ramiris shrugged, casual as ever. "I don't know. I was only told he won't attend Walpurgis. That's all."
She truly was a child in many ways. Still, even a child's report mattered when the stakes were so high.
"Then why come here?" I asked.
Ramiris blinked, then smiled. "I was worried about Beretta! If you got killed, what would happen to him? So I came as an ally. Also — I'll open an entrance to my labyrinth here. That's fine, right?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Do not speak of Beretta as if he were your possession. And do not assume you may expand your labyrinth into Eterna without consent."
She waved it off in that careless way of hers. "Don't worry about little things! Beretta, come greet Atem!"
Her levity grated against the tension. Clayman invoking Walpurgis and naming me as the culprit was a fuse lit under every power in the world. Ramiris had merely thrown another spark.
——
We dispersed and I gathered my executives. Youm, Myuran, and Grucis joined us in a small chamber. Fuze had already briefed me: Walpurgis was a summit of demon lords that required three approvals; attendance was effectively mandatory. Refusing took a rare kind of resolve. Records on earlier Walpurgis gatherings were scarce among humans, but one clear datum remained — the last time Walpurgis coincided with catastrophe, it spiraled into the Great Angel–Demon War a thousand years ago. The name itself meant calamity.
"If Walpurgis is really aimed at you, Atem-dono, you could be facing up to eight demon lords," Fuze said quietly. He looked worried. "That would be…dangerous."
I kept my face calm. "Then we prepare. We must assume worst and act accordingly."
We opened the meeting to opinions.
"Kill them all!" Shion shouted cheerily, raising a hand like it was a school exercise.
My temples throbbed. "Shion — be practical. How do you propose to kill all demon lords? Give specifics."
Shion slumped, embarrassed but undeterred. Her enthusiasm was unbecoming in this context.
"Milim being among those who approved it troubles me," Souei said, steady and measured. "That smells like intrigue."
That was the sort of practical reading I needed. Benimaru nodded, adding his gut feeling: "I don't think Milim would betray Atem-dono. It doesn't fit. My instincts say she hasn't."
Solarys' logic — which I trusted — also suggested Milim's betrayal was unlikely unless some other factor had intervened. I chose to believe Milim's loyalty until evidence proved otherwise.
"Kufufufufu. If this comes down to all-out war with the demon lords, then it's settled when they're all dead. One demon lord against many? No problem! Atem-dono alone is more than enough," Shion said, grinning like a berserker.
People around the table, surprisingly, chimed in with similar bloodlust. Even Veldora seemed eager. Only Gabil and Geld kept a cooler head. When had everyone turned into battle junkies?
"Hold." I raised a hand and the room quieted. "Don't be carried away. We shouldn't assume betrayal without proof. If Milim truly sided with Walpurgis, then something extraordinary changed. Clayman as culprit is a plausible hypothesis. Assume it for planning — but do not act recklessly."
The conversation cooled and returned to practical measures. We talked reconnaissance, diplomatic channels, fortifying borders, and contingency plans. We assigned scouts to trace Clayman's movements and tasked Solarys with refining the predictions based on new intelligence. We prepared defenses and contingency evacuations for border towns. We tightened Eterna's internal security and reminded our allies that diplomacy would continue while we prepared for the worst.
The meeting shifted from fevered cries for revenge to hard strategy. That was the path that kept people alive — measured action, not temper.
Outside, the world had shifted toward a new tension. Inside, we had started turning fear into plans. Whatever Walpurgis would bring, we would not be unprepared.