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On the day the Wicked Witch was due to visit Diablo’s fiefdom, he made sure his manor was spotless and fully stocked with all the finest food and liquor he could find, regardless of the expense. The servants he’d hired were the most gorgeous men available, and he made sure they were positioned around the manor in places where they would be most visible. The servants were also under strict orders to do anything the witch asked of them without question. Diablo made all the arrangements he could think of to please the Wicked Witch, and when the appointed time came, he made sure he was standing at the front entrance of his manor, ready to receive his guest of honor flanked by servants, who were all wearing new suits.
“It appears she has arrived...” Diablo said, nervously swallowing his saliva. From where he was standing, it looked like a flock of migratory birds had appeared on the horizon, but as the throng drew closer, it became apparent they weren’t birds at all, but dragons. As soon as they were bigger than specks in the distance, the fire-breathing lizards proved to be far too large to be mistaken for birds, and they projected such fearsome force in the air, any painting of their arrival would be considered a work of high art. And it wasn’t just a few dragons the Wicked Witch had brought with her, but the whole hundred-strong swarm. The sheer numbers alone made it a breathtaking sight worth seeing at least once as a spectacle.
As the dragons drew closer, Diablo and the servants gulped as one. The biggest dragon in the swarm, the Red Dragon, made a completely vertical descent right in front of Diablo’s manor and touched down with barely a tremor despite the size of the creature. However, that treatment wasn’t for Diablo’s sake, but to ensure a soft landing for its two hooded passengers. The Red Dragon then knelt down to allow the Wicked Witch of the Tower to disembark, followed by Dark, the boy adventurer.
“You have done well, my pet,” the Wicked Witch said, rubbing the dragon’s snout, and the Red Dragon grunted graciously in reply. Dark, the leader of the adventuring party known as the Black Fools, was wearing a mask to obscure his facial features and remained silent.
Wh-Why is Dark with the Wicked Witch? Diablo wailed inwardly, but he still had the presence of mind to keep a businesslike smile plastered across his face. Although he had only met Dark once at the summit, he would never forget him due to his striking resemblance to Light. Diablo once again tried to convince himself that there was no connection between the two.
I-It simply defies logic that this Dark character would be Light in disguise, he thought. First of all, we left Light in the Abyss three years ago, meaning if he’d survived, he would be fifteen years old now. Humans at that age are much taller, whereas this Dark looks to be around twelve. In any case, that baseborn inferior could never have become powerful enough to incapacitate several elite assassins!
But try as he might to convince himself that he had nothing to worry about, Diablo couldn’t shake the ominous feeling he had on seeing Dark and the Wicked Witch arriving together. But since he was in no position to ask questions about the arrangement, Diablo maintained his salesmanlike smile and elected to impart words of welcome to the pair instead.
“I am most honored you would journey such a long way to visit me,” he said. “It is a rare privilege to be able to host the Great Witch of the Tower at my abode.” He swallowed his pride and folded his hands together ingratiatingly like a menial would when addressing a supervisor.
“Anyway, I wouldn’t dream of keeping you out in the elements to chat, so if you’ll kindly follow me inside,” Diablo suggested, acting like a tour guide. “Now, you may find my manor to be but a humble residence, but please feel free to make yourself at home—”
“Your hospitality is unnecessary,” the Wicked Witch said tersely.
Skipping all of the niceties, the witch produced a sheath of documents from her cleavage and read aloud the contents of the first page. “As regent for the royal house with the authority granted to me by Prince Voros’s proxy letter, I declare your territory confiscated by the Demonkin Nation and all of your authority as a lord hereby revoked, Mr. Diablo.”
Although the Wicked Witch’s face was hidden by her hooded cloak, her tone was disturbingly scathing. Diablo was momentarily confused by what was happening, and so were his servants, the shock constricting their pupils into dots.
He quickly recovered, though, and laughed in a jocular manner. “Surely you jest, Great Witch of the Tower? But I’m afraid your attempt at humor has gone a little overboard for my tastes. I’m aware you were at odds with my nation over some minor misunderstanding, but surely further interaction between the two of us will resolve any lingering enmity—”
“I assure you this is not a joke,” the Wicked Witch cut in icily. “This is an official notice from the Demonkin Nation itself, and all of the required documents have been signed and ratified.”
She waved the documents in Diablo’s face as if to prove it. “It’s tragic, really, since this fiefdom has been in your family for generations. But as of today, your ownership is dissolved. You will spend the rest of your days as a simple commoner.”
Diablo finally snapped. “D-Don’t you mock me! Why must I be subject to this patently ridiculous treatment? I won’t stand for this arbitrary, one-sided farce!” He didn’t care that he was blowing his lid at the all-powerful Wicked Witch of the Tower; he wasn’t about to accept the repossession of his domain as an official act. He knew if he backed down, all of his efforts driving out his brother, taking over the fiefdom, and attaining a peerage would have gone to waste. However, the witch didn’t even flinch when confronted with Diablo’s fiery protest.
“Do you really not know why you’re being punished, Mr. Diablo?” the Wicked Witch asked.
“I honestly do not!” the demon cried out. “I have no idea what I’ve done to deserve having my peerage removed. Whatever the accusation against me, this penalty is disproportionate and unjust!”
He was putting up a rigorous defense, but his servants were starting to wonder whether their lord wasn’t actually responsible for the dispossession.
“I believe you are aware that you handed down direct orders to soldiers in your domain to take part in unauthorized raids, with the intent being to massacre and pillage villages in the Human Kingdom?” the witch put to him.
“O-Oh, well, that I can explain,” Diablo said, suddenly looking a bit more flustered. “Prince Voros asked me in no uncertain terms to lend him some soldiers for a mission, and I was powerless to say no to him. I’m only a simple viscount, after all! If the crown prince tells me to do something, I have no choice but to comply!”
“You also hired assassins from the Bourreaux to murder a certain high-profile figure, did you not?” the Wicked Witch continued.
“No, please!” Diablo pleaded. “Those malicious rumors are completely without merit! I believe someone’s spreading that kind of outright slander to bring about my downfall...”