Dungeon Defense (WN) - Chapter 433

Chapter 433: Pride of Existence (5)

“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.”

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.