Abertha glanced around the meeting room.
Beside her stood Protector and Her Highness, Theresa.
The rest of the room was quiet.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
They were all waiting.
After a moment, Abertha broke the silence.
[Abertha]: So... who exactly are we waiting for?
Theresa folded her hands before her.
[Theresa]: We're waiting for Logos to escort my brother and the other Lords to the meeting.
Almost on cue, the doors opened.
A man with messy green hair and perpetually lazy eyes stepped inside.
His gaze swept across the room.
It paused on Protector.
Then shifted to Abertha.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
[Damazti Cluster]: Good morning, Your Majesty.
He inclined his head politely before looking back at the two newcomers.
[Damazti Cluster]: By any chance... are you aware that an angry, rage-fueled beast is standing right beside you?
Silence settled over the room.
Theresa and Abertha both turned toward Protector.
The massive Wendigo was quietly staring at a battered pocket watch resting in his palm, seemingly fascinated by it.
Theresa smiled softly.
[Theresa]: There's no need to worry. Protector is remarkably gentle.
A small pause.
[Theresa]: As long as no one gives him a reason not to be.
The Damazti Cluster looked at her for a long moment.
Then slowly shook his head.
[Damazti Cluster]: Your Majesty...
He raised a finger.
[Damazti Cluster]: I wasn't referring to the Wendigo.
His finger shifted.
Toward Abertha.
[Damazti Cluster]: I meant the fire-breathing, rage-fueled Diαblo standing beside you.
For the first time that morning—
Theresa looked genuinely surprised.
She blinked once before turning to Abertha.
A thoughtful silence followed.
Then, with complete sincerity—
[Theresa]: ...Abertha, do you happen to have a twin sister?
A small pause.
[Theresa]: Preferably one with a rather alarming temper?
Abertha tilted her head.
[Abertha]: Your Highness...
A brief pause.
[Abertha]: I believe he's referring to me.
Theresa blinked again.
Her gaze moved from Abertha...
...to the Damazti Cluster...
...and back to Abertha.
Her expression remained as gentle as ever, but there was unmistakable confusion in her eyes.
[Theresa]: ...Really?
She looked at Abertha's calm, composed expression.
Then smiled apologetically.
[Theresa]: I admit that's difficult for me to imagine.
[][]][][][][][][][][][][][][]
The Damazti Cluster stared at her in disbelief.
Then at Abertha.
Then back at Theresa.
[Damazti Cluster]: But... she's a Diαblo.
A small pause.
[Damazti Cluster]: I remember what they were like long ago.
Another.
[Damazti Cluster]: Their tempers, their pride... the way they solved problems.
Abertha answered without the slightest hesitation.
[Abertha]: I'm also a doctor.
A brief pause.
[Abertha]: My duty is to save lives.
Silence.
The Damazti Cluster froze.
Completely.
The smile on his face slowly vanished.
His eyes lost focus.
For several long seconds—
He didn't move.
He didn't blink.
It looked as though his mind had simply... stopped.
[Damazti Cluster.EXE has stopped working.]
Contradiction detected. Diαblo = Doctor = Pacifist
Theresa covered her mouth with a small laugh.
[Theresa]: I believe you may have surprised him a little.
Abertha looked at the motionless Damazti Cluster.
[Abertha]: Is he ill?
A pause.
[Abertha]: Should I examine him?
Both women turned toward the bewildered shapeshifter.
Then—
Footsteps echoed from beyond the chamber doors.
The conversation fell silent.
The heavy doors slowly opened.
A tall man stepped inside.
Long white hair flowed over dark robes, and two white horns curved from either side of his head.
His eyes swept across the room.
They paused on Protector.
Then settled on Abertha.
He said nothing.
Even after taking his seat, his gaze never left her.
A brief silence lingered before more figures entered one after another.
At their head walked Theresis, the Regent of Kazdel, his expression as stern and unreadable as ever.
Beside him came Nezzsalem, the Nachzehrer King, his towering frame carrying the quiet dignity of an ancient monarch.
Following him was Duq'arael, the Sanguinarch of the Vampires, known throughout Kazdel as the Prince of Blood.
Near the rear walked Logos, successor to the Banshee Lord and mistress of the Convallis, his calm expression betraying little of what lay behind his eyes.
Behind him came Scareye, master of Kazdel's largest and most infamous mercenary guild—the Scar Market.
Finally, Ermengarde, messenger of the Lich King's Court, entered the chamber with measured, silent steps.
Within moments, every seat around the great table was occupied.
Logos remained standing at Theresa's side, his place making his allegiance unmistakable.
Across from them, the Confessarius took his place beside Theresis, silent and watchful.
The remaining Lords settled into the seats between the two siblings.
Officially, they were neutral.
Yet the arrangement spoke louder than any declaration.
Most had chosen seats closer to Theresis's side of the table.
Not openly declaring support—
But not hiding where their sympathies leaned, either.
An uneasy silence settled over the chamber.
Only the Damazti Cluster remained standing exactly where he had been.
Completely motionless.
His eyes were still unfocused.
His mind was, by all appearances, still processing the impossible concept of a pacifist Diαblo who practiced medicine.
The silence was eventually broken by the Nachzehrer King.
His deep voice echoed through the chamber.
[Nezzsalem]: So...
His crimson eyes rested on Abertha.
[Nezzsalem]: Inheritor of vengeance and flame.
A brief pause.
[Nezzsalem]: Why have you returned to Kazdel?
Abertha answered without hesitation.
[Abertha]: To join Babel.
Silence.
A single, ordinary sentence.
Yet it landed like a war horn echoing across the battlefield.
Several of the gathered Lords stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Even the Damazti Cluster abruptly blinked back to reality, as though the words had forcibly restarted his thoughts.
His head slowly turned toward Abertha.
[Damazti Cluster]: ...I'm sorry.
A pause.
[Damazti Cluster]: Could you repeat that?
The chamber remained silent.
The implications of her answer had everyone's full attention.
Even the Damazti Cluster—one of the oldest beings present—looked genuinely surprised.
Abertha parted her lips to answer.
She never got the chance.
A crimson spear screamed across the chamber.
It flew straight toward Abertha's heart.
Not a warning.
Not a bluff.
A test.
CLANG!
Protector caught the spear with one hand.
The steel bent beneath his grip.
Silence.
Nezzsalem rose slightly from his seat.
[Nezzsalem]: Duq'arael...
His voice was calm.
Dangerously calm.
[Nezzsalem]: Explain yourself.
Duq'arael remained seated, his expression unchanged.
His crimson eyes stayed fixed on Abertha.
[Duq'arael]: ...I see.
A brief pause.
[Duq'arael]: So the last Diαblo requires another to protect her.
Disappointment flickered across his face.
[Duq'arael]: Then the Diαblo Flame Court truly has fallen.
Before anyone could respond—
Protector moved.
There was no roar.
No warning.
One moment he stood beside Abertha.
The next—
Protector crossed the distance in an instant.
BOOM!
His fist crashed into Duq'arael's face with enough force to tear him from the floor.
For the first time in centuries—
The Sanguinarch's eyes widened.
Not from pain.
From surprise.
The ancient Vampire was launched across the chamber, smashing through stone pillars before disappearing into the opposite wall in an explosion of rock and dust.
The explosion echoed across the palace.
Only then did Duq'arael understand.
The one he had misjudged...
...wasn't the Diαblo.
It was the Wendigo.
Before the debris had even begun to settle—
Protector was already moving.
He leaped after him without a single word.
Another thunderous impact echoed from outside the chamber.
Silence fell.
No one moved.
Even Theresis remained silent, his eyes fixed on the ruined wall.
The Damazti Cluster slowly turned toward Abertha.
His expression had become oddly thoughtful.
[Damazti Cluster]: ...When you said you were a doctor...
A small pause.
He glanced toward the hole where Protector had disappeared.
Then back at Abertha.
[Damazti Cluster]: Are you the kind who heals people...
Another pause.
[Damazti Cluster]: ...by making sure they no longer feel anything?
The chamber remained deathly quiet.
Somewhere outside—
Another explosion shook the palace.
No one volunteered to check on the Sanguinarch.
[Chapter End]
[Special Scholar note]
[The Scholar created the ARKHAMs to guide new Great Oath bearers, helping those worthy of their Oaths while identifying and eliminating those who sought to abuse them. They existed because he could not personally watch every corner of the world while saving it.
But someone slipped past even the Scholar's notice.
The ARKHAMs were sabotaged.
Their purpose was twisted.
Instead of judging each Oath bearer individually, they began marking every new Oath bearer they encountered as a target for elimination.
Protector was one of their victims.
A newcomer who had only just inherited his Great Oath, he unknowingly followed the guidance of an ARKHAM that had already been corrupted.
It led him into a massacre.
By the time he realized the truth, nearly all of his companions had been slaughtered, and most of his own body had been destroyed.
The guide created to protect him...
...had tried to kill him instead.
This is why he hates ARKHAM and the one who made them.]
[Oh god, the royal court is a pain to keep them from being out of character]