Dungeon Defense (WN)

The Emperor gave a nod from his golden throne.

“I am well aware of how much dire loyalty you have all displayed for the sake of rebuilding and preserving the Empire. There are those of you who have contributed considerably compared to others. Thus, I intend on bestowing these individuals with the appropriate titles.”

His body movement was natural like that of a human, but if you looked carefully, you would notice the simplicity of his facial expression. However, this could be overlooked as him simply being disciplined in managing his facial expressions as the Emperor.

Rudolf von Habsburg was a sad human being. Alchemists have been applying all sorts of regents on his body every day in order to prevent his guts and flesh from rotting. A strong layer of perfume was also applied to subdue the scent from the regents.

People complain about how they never feel alive, but I wonder how Rudolf compared to them. He wasn’t dead even though he was dead. Having an undignified death was far worse than having an undignified life.

I couldn’t help but chuckle under my breath. Was this not comedic? He went as far as to kill his kin and rape his sisters for the sake of taking the throne, and he finally has.

“Barbatos.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“I present you the Crown of Bohemia.”

There were four ruling positions within the Habsburg Empire. However, two of them were attached to the Emperor like accessories, so the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Kingdom of Pannonia were the only two kingdoms subjected to the Empire. This meant that the ruler of Bohemia was the second highest position within the Empire.

The Emperor continued once Barbatos got down on one knee.

“In addition, I appoint you as the archduke of Austerlitz and as the permanent deputy general of the Empire. Not only does the ruler of Bohemia have the task of handling state affairs in my stead, but you also have the honor of being able to use the honorable title of Caesar. The people will refer to you as Caesar Barbatos.”

“I am honored.”

Barbatos gave a curt response. She received a crown and a sword from the Emperor. Barbatos then got up and turned around to face the crowd. A smile that almost resembled a smirk pulled up the corners of her mouth.

It was at this moment that the dazed, independent Demon Lords came to a realization.

They realized that becoming a part of the Empire was nothing more than a justification. The person they had to obey wasn’t the puppet emperor—but the girl who, for the first time ever in history, had become the unprecedented ruler of both demons and humans.

Barbatos returned to her position at the Emperor’s side. The Emperor announced the next individual.

“Marbas.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Marbas, who had white patches of hair, bowed courteously. Although there wasn’t even a speck of respect in his voice, his body gesture was so graceful that it almost looked like Marbas genuinely obeyed the Emperor.

“I bestow upon your noble self the Crown of Pannonia.”

“I will do my utmost to not bring shame to your decision.”

The atmosphere within the room became more chaotic the moment another ruling position was given. Marbas appeared unfazed by this atmosphere as he bowed his head further.

“I will always treat the Ruler of Pannonia as my sworn father. In private, I will refer to you as my stepfather, and in public, you will be treated as an elder of the imperial family. You have the right to use the title of Sebastokrator.”

Any of the Demon Lords who were well-versed in the official positions of the human world were most likely in complete shock now.

Barbatos obtained power as the Emperor’s general while Marbas was given the most honorable title by being accepted as the Emperor’s father. In the Empire, the position of Caesar was one level lower than Sebastokrator.

The Plains Faction and the Neutral Faction had pleasantly taken their share of rights.

“The people of the Empire will now praise you as Sebastokrator Marbas.”

“I am honored.”

Marbas courteously stood back up. Barbatos stood at the Emperor’s right while Marbas stood at his left.

Everyone knew who was going to be called next.

“Paimon.”

“Paimon answers the Emperor’s call.”

Paimon walked forward to the center of the hall where she courteously lifted the ends of her elegant red skirt.

Compared to the last two Demon Lords, there were no flaws in Paimon’s tone or demeanor. However, it strangely felt like she was accepting an invitation to a masquerade instead of answering the Emperor’s call.

“I bestow upon you the Duchy of Luxembourg and I shall elevate Luxembourg to that of a grand duchy. Additionally, the Electoral Palatinate will be incorporated in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.”

“I am honored. I shall support Your Excellency above while protecting the people below.”

“Mm. Grand Duke Paimon, you will be given the task of managing the imperial palace. You have the honorable right to use the title of Parakoimomenos.”

Roles were given one by one.

Ruler of Bohemia, Emperor’s Deputy General, Barbatos of the Plains Faction.

Ruler of Pannonia, Emperor’s Stepfather, Marbas of the Neutral Faction.

Grand Duke of Luxembourg, High Chamberlain of the Empire, Paimon of the Mountain Faction.

Duke of Moravia, Naval Commander of the Empire, Independent Gamigin.

Elector of Saxony, Zepar of the Plains Faction.

Elector of Mainz, Sitri of the Mountain Faction.

Elector of Cologne, Independent Vassago.

A total of seven people. As long as the Emperor remains a puppet, these individuals are the actual ones who have control over the Empire.

These individuals were also given the right to elect the next emperor. In other words, their titles as electors. These seven electors had the power to choose the next emperor.

If you look at the group composition, then the Plains Faction has 2 votes, the Mountain Faction has 2 votes, the Neutral Faction has 1 vote, and the independent Demon Lords have 2 votes. At a glance, this might seem quite balanced……but that wasn’t the case.

Vassago is like an old, stingy man that acts like a lone wolf, so he may be a part of the “independent” group, but he doesn’t actually represent any of the Demon Lords. He could switch sides whenever he wanted.

In other words, the independent Demon Lords who don’t have any actual power wouldn’t be appealing to Vassago. If anything, he’d probably team up with the Plains Faction or the Neutral Faction. Contrary to what one might think, Vassago is actually hostile to the independent Demon Lords.

Therefore……the Demon Lords that have grouped into factions have a total of 6 votes out of 7.

It should be fine to emphasize it here once again.

The era has changed.

The age where the independent Baal and the independent Agares would puppeteer the Demon Lord Army was over. No matter how anyone looked at this, the individuals leading this new era were the faction leaders: Barbatos, Marbas, and Paimon.

Despite this, the atmosphere within the hall was surprisingly peaceful.

The independent Demon Lords seemed to believe that this much was still fair. The Demon Lords with no affiliations were feeling relieved by the immediate fairness they could see on the surface. Did they think it was okay since Gamigin had 1 vote? How foolish…….

“Haagenti, I ennoble you as Duke of Knyphausen.”

“……Thank you very much.”

“Alloces, I ennoble you as Duke of Martinice.”

“I am honored.”

One by one, Demon Lords came forward and knelt before the Emperor after being called.

These individuals most likely knew that they weren’t actually kneeling before the Emperor but the three faction leaders standing around him. If you watched carefully, you’d notice something interesting.

The Demon Lords that belonged to the Plains Faction would bow slightly to Barbatos while the Mountain Faction Demon Lords would bow slightly to Paimon. On the other hand, the independent Demon Lords would just bow awkwardly with no clear direction.

“…….”

“…….”

A strange silence would fill the hall every time a Demon Lord was called forward. They would all sneak a glance at me with a look of confusion. I ignored their gazes as I casually watched the ceremony.

That’s right. My name hadn’t been called yet.

Dozens of Demon Lords had turned to look at me the moment Brother Zepar was appointed as an elector. Brother Zepar was definitely Barbatos’ right-hand man, but the person who contributed the most to the Plains Faction as of late……was undeniably me.

I was also the one who got our Empire acknowledged diplomatically by the other nations of the continent. There was probably no one better to be appointed as an elector. Despite this, my name hadn’t been called yet…….

As the number of Demon Lords that had been called out increased and the number of remaining Demon Lords diminished, the number of people staring at me increased. No one spoke up to point out this strange situation.

Finally.

All of the Demon Lords were ennobled and only I remained.

The Emperor spoke up from within this curtain of silence.

“There is one individual here who not only protected the Empire, but dedicated themself to the peace between humans and demons. I wished to offer them my greatest praise and reward them handsomely, but this individual modestly refused to be rewarded graciously. ……Dantalian.”

“Yes.”

I straightened my back and stepped forward. I could feel everyone’s gaze focus on me. There were all sorts of emotions behind these gazes. Gleeful, praising, doubtful, hateful, and jealous. All of these emotions wrapped around me like a cape.

I will most likely never be able to remove this cape.

“I hereby appoint you as the Attorney General of the Empire.”

“I will devote my body and soul for the sake of all living beings within the Empire.”

Just like that, it was over.

Several of the Demon Lords started to stir because of the shortness of the exchange.

I turned around and slowly looked around the hall. Barbatos, Marbas, Paimon, Gamigin, Brother Zepar, Sitri, and Vassago, after meeting the eyes of each of them, I looked down.

Barbatos is my ally. If you consider the fact that her affection is at 50, it should thus be fine to say that half of her 1 vote belongs to me.

0.5.

Marbas’ affection towards me is also almost at 50. Furthermore, we have a political alliance, so half of his 1 point naturally belongs to me as well.

1.

Gamigin’s affection is at 50, and her obsession over me goes beyond her affection points because of her disgusting possessiveness. In any case, half of her vote belongs to me.

1.5.

Brother Zepar obeys Barbatos. He is quite literally her subordinate, so, like Barbatos, half of his vote also belongs to me.

2.

There’s no reason to even mention Sitri.

3.

Paimon’s affection towards me has exceeded 50 and, in truth, she can only do what I say now. This will further be the case as time goes on. Therefore, her entire vote belongs to me. She comes together with Sitri like a package deal.

4.

—4 votes out of the 7.

More than half of the voting rights were in my hands.

This was the true picture behind today’s ceremony.

A new era has begun.

An era that’s controlled by three Demon Lords and three factions, but, underneath the surface, an era where everything is controlled by a Demon Lord who was once ranked 71.

By me, Dantalian.

It was none other than me who had started this era.

The Empire will maintain its stance as being an alliance between demons and humans, and, with this badge, the Empire will be able to get involved in matters related to the continent under the name of demons or humans. I am certain that the Habsburg Empire will have a hold over the future events of this continent.

I am the one controlling that Empire.

However, not from the front, but from the back. I will move in the shadows.

Therefore, as the Duke of Custos and the Count Palatine of the Empire, the position that befits the former Rank 71 Demon Lord is not the front or the middle, but the very end. I have always been the last individual and I will always remain as the last individual.

I respectfully bowed toward the Demon Lords.

Clap, I heard someone applaud. It was probably Barbatos. The other Demon Lords soon followed suit as they clapped as well. I smiled as I listened to the applause.

I am the Empire.

***

Author’s Afterword

This took longer than usual because I took references from the official posts and titles of Byzantine-Rome and the Holy Roman Empire. In the case of Byzantine-Rome, they use both Latin and Greek, so it swaps around often. I can only apologize for my lacking research. (I should have separated feminine nouns, but due to my complete lack of knowledge in Latin, there are cases where I used the male versions.)

Titles will be revised in the future.

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. This also took me a bit to translate because of the titles. Trying to find Byzantine-Rome titles through the Korean source wasn’t as simple as I thought it’d be. I’m not sure if the author had already revised the titles in this chapter, or if they revised them in future chapters. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. Also, I kept saying the ‘new Demon Lord Army’, but it turns out it was actually a reference to the Holy Roman Empire, so I’ll be changing it to Holy Demon Lord Army.

As an additional note, this entire week has been pretty nice for me and I actually got to spend an entire day just translating DD chapters while at work, so the next chapter will probably come out much sooner.

I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.

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