News of Lord Charron's arrival traveled through Aidenhall fast. After all, the man himself was strutting through the palace like a child in a candy store. Fortunately, the Grand Eye had announced ahead of time that Radevic intended to form an alliance with Artaggon.

Hopefully, today was that day.

Kanae sent Meidina flying to inform Grand Eye Analise and King Turren. The entirety of Amethyst Hall served to escort the new visitors. Students, knights, and faculty pressed their backs to the hall as they passed by. Many were understandably unsure of how to react. Leaders of an enemy nation, whom they had fought for centuries, were strolling through the most sacred halls of Aidenhall.

The doors to the tribunal chambers were already open when they arrived. Kanae led the way inside. Both the king and Grand Eye weren't sitting on their high seats this time around since it wasn't a trial. Instead, they sat on regular seats at ground-level. An empty third and fourth were a mere stone's throw away from them. Six of the eight Saint Priests stood guard behind them, every single one was stiffer than a statue. Camilla Rudoux and Vestrid were the only ones missing.

"Ah, my old nemeses! Greetings! I know we've been lifelong enemies, but how about hugging it out today?" Lord Charron threw his arms out, putting the Saint Priests on edge.

Kanae put a hand to her face and sighed.

"My predecessor, the previous Grand Eye, did say you were more theatrical than pretentious. I welcome you, Charron Ehmvier, the Demon Lord of Artaggon." Analise rose to her feet and King Turren followed suit to bow together.

"I'll take that as a compliment!" Smiling from ear to ear, Charron returned their politeness with the same gesture.

The three took their seats, then turned to Kanae.

"Amethyst, that fourth seat is yours!" Turren laughed, lightening up the mood that even a few Saint Priests chuckled quietly.

"Oh! Sorry!" Kanae quickly scooted into the chair adjacent to Charron, and the Amethyst Hall haphazardly fell into formation behind her.

Likewise, Minestra and Lady stood behind Lord Charron. Both were very tense, being in what was supposed to be enemy territory to them.

"Let us not beat around the bush," Grand Eye Analise began, "Per your condition of an alliance, we will release Roshasha to you. However, we have taken precautions of our own. The Knight of Amethyst and her hall has subdued her, substantially weakening her to prevent any mayhem that may result from this decision."

"Weaken her? How?" Charron asked.

Analise nodded to Danito, who created a short-ranged portal and entered it. He appeared at the tribunal entrance, beckoning to someone down the hall. That wasn't just someone. Vestrid and Camilla came around with Roshasha struggling on the drakeling Saint Priest's shoulder. She was being carried like a sack of potatoes.

"I'm gonna tear your throat out with my bear teeth and fuck esophagus! Arrghh!" Roshasha yelled.

"Oh, gods… That's Roshasha alright…" Charron shuddered.

As soon as they laid eyes on each other, Roshasha lit up and gasped.

"Hey, you little rascal! Whatcha doing here?" the rhyleth asked, playfully kicking her feet.

"I'm here to free you! What does it look like? I conquered Aidenhall without an army?" Charron rolled his eyes.

Vestrid brought Roshasha right up to Lord Charron and Camilla cut her restraints before rejoining the other Saint Priests. Kanae shifted uncomfortably in the seat. So did members of the Amethyst Hall. The rhyleth flashed a toothy smile at Kanae in particular.

"Charron, Charron! Look. They cuffed me! All my stats dropped down like a rock in water. Can you take it off?" Roshasha asked.

Everyone on the side of Aidenhall reached for their weapons— until Charron shook his head.

"That's a Debilitating Band. So, that's how they 'weakened' you. Unfortunately, I don't have the power to un-curse you or the item. For the sake of us all, it's probably better that stays on you anyway," Charron said, much to his former master's dismay.

"We're glad for your understanding, Lord Charron." Analise sighed heavily, hand to her chest in relief. "Amethyst defeated her in order to—"

"Wait. Did you say defeated?" he asked.

"Is… that a problem?" Kanae turned to him.

Grand Eye Analise gasped. It seemed like she recognized something first that the rest of them hadn't.

"Roshasha is deified?" she asked.

"Close, but not quite." Charron shook his head. "She has been on the path to deification. However, this battle-hungry little monster has no interest in becoming a living deity. It's partly why she handed me the crown to Artaggon."

"Teehee~" Roshasha shrugged.

Kanae jumped to her feet as it dawned on her. "If Roshasha's a candidate for deification, then does that mean—"

"You're a step closer to fulfilling a condition to becoming deified! That was my intention all along! Ha-ha!" The demon lord guffawed.

There was only one way to find out. Kanae brushed her sigil and brought up the character sheet.

[Deification: (In progress) Spread the word of your name and attract more followers. Elevate to the status of Deity to raise all stats to S-rank and gain new skills. Conditions to achieve Deification:

 

• Obtain at least 100,000 worshipers. (Achieved)

• Reach level 200. (Achieved)

• Defeat and subjugate three contenders in the progress of Deification. (In progress, 2/3)]

 

"Oh, shit. Forget one step closer. I've fulfilled the minimum number of worshipers and have been level 200 for a while now! I only need to defeat a third contender to achieve Deification!" Kanae exclaimed excitedly.

"And that was my intention all along!" Charron repeated, all proud and smug like his sister.

"What an incredibly irresponsible thing you did. If Amethyst had been the one defeated, what then?" Analise folded her arms and glared.

"You should know as a deified entity yourself, Grand Eye. One does not achieve Deification by being overly cautious. Someone I was acquainted with in the past tiptoed so much that he failed horribly. Deservedly so, I might add. We need Kanae Toyomi to achieve Deification, and I need Roshasha— though weakened now she may be. What is a greater deterrent than an alliance between three living deities? No time in history has two, let alone three, ever allied with each other!" he exclaimed.

Kanae and Analise exchanged glances, then nodded.

"Why do you need Roshasha?" Kanae asked.

"I'm glad you asked! Your Queen-regent poached one of my Lights of Capillis captains. The others are considering leaving their post to travel south and serve her… Gods, that makes me so angry… I need to shore up Artaggon's defenses in northern Hellfire Badlands," Charron explained.

Oh. Kanae gulped. Arenade did make a vassal out of Wendy Ironspear. The other captains and high elves probably want to return to the service of an actual high elven leader, rather than a demon. Charron needed Roshasha's strength to repel the undead threat up there. Now, she felt a little bad for weakening her.

"Well, now that Roshasha has returned to Artaggon, shall we take this as an alliance forged? It would be disappointing if you could not make it to Kanae and Arenade's wedding," Analise said, rising to her feet.

"Ha! I wouldn't miss it for the world." Charron got up to shake the Grand Eye's hand.

Their eyes turned to Kanae next.

"You, too. You're the Demon Queen of the Commonwealth," Analise added.

Kanae joined the two and couldn't believe she was standing amongst the highest powers on the continent. It was a hard pill to swallow to accept her own status by their side. The Demon Three's Alliance was a thing of the past now, no longer necessary following the end of Ortesia's invasion. A new era had come, and that was heralded in by the historical joining of Artaggon, Radevic, and the Commonwealth.

Following the end of the meeting, King Turren and Lord Charron went off in private to discuss the economic future between their nations. Everyone had been dismissed from the tribunal chamber, and only Delayn and Vestrid remained as the Grand Eye's guards for the day.

"We did it. Thanks in large part to you." Analise slumped back into her seat and heaved a sigh.

"Why do you look so tired? You killed it during the meeting!" Kanae exclaimed.

"Did I? I've grown up with stories about Demon Lord Charron being the fearsome master of Artaggon. Even with so many by my side, including Petyr, I was having a hard time keeping my composure. I think it eased my mind a lot to hear his voice. He sounded a lot like my boisterous, rapscallion of an uncle." She laughed quietly to herself.

That much was true. Charron didn't carry himself like a demon lord Kanae had imagined from manga and anime back on Earth. Thank goodness for that.

"Since you're allies now, what about Copper? Sylas Briarborn?" Kanae asked.

"Charron has his secrets, and we'll have ours." Analise smirked.

Having a spy all the way up in Hellfire Badlands did have its advantages. Copper could also continue monitoring the undead situation over there.

"What's next? You want me and my hall to keep an eye on Charron while he's here? Or Roshasha?" Kanae was prepared for more work, but the Grand Eye shot her a judging look.

"You've done plenty. Enough that Radevic will thank you well into the centuries. Leave the hospitality to us. Don't you have a wedding soon? We're nearly finished with the decorations in the cathedral. Goodness, Arenade was so strict with her instructions… Anyway, go on and enjoy yourself! Be with your loved ones. Work can come later," Analise insisted.

"In that case, you won't see me complaining!" She smiled.

Free from work, Kanae flew back to Amethyst Hall to see what everyone else was doing. Perhaps unfortunately, she ran into Minestra and Alicia confronting each other in the main hall. The herzulith had one pair of arms folded and another pair with hands on her hips. The succubus, however, stretched her wings to their limits to block the way in.

"You and your lord may have been invited to Radevic, but no one gave you permission to enter Amethyst Hall," Alicia said.

"I'm telling you, Kanae and I are lovers! She's completely fine with me coming in if I want to! If you won't let me through, it's only going to take one pair of hands to make you," Minestra threatened.

"If you didn't catch the memo, we're supposed to be allies now!" Kanae landed between them. "Also, Minestra… how many times do I have to tell you, we're not lovers!"

"You're saying that after we've made sleep lo—"

Kanae clamped Minestra's mouth shut with her tail-pussy.

"So, you two really are acquainted. It's honestly difficult to catch up on what's what and who's who." Alicia sighed.

"I appreciate you nonetheless. Anyone else would've just let Minestra waltz right in. On that note, you're not seriously just here to see me, are you?" Kanae peeled her tail away from the herzulith's mouth.

"I really am! But also, Lord Charron recalled that orc blacksmith working with felmetal. He asked that I lend whatever knowledge I have to him. Be nice to give that high elf cunt a piece of my mind, too…" Minestra glowered.

"Who did you call a cunt?" Petyr asked, emerging from the west wing.

"Haha! Look at you. So high and mighty during the war, now you're just Kanae's bitch!" the herzulith taunted.

Kanae didn't need to be a fortune teller to see danger. She grabbed Alicia by the arm and slowly pulled her away to safety. Petyr and Herzulith stomped up to each other with fire in their eyes.

"Did I knock some amnesia into you? I beat the shit out of you every time we met," Petyr fired back.

"What are you going to do without your armor or your shapeshifting weapon?" Minestra laughed in her face.

"If I try hard enough, anything can be used to smite with." She reached for a nearby chair.

Both of them were on the verge of fighting. If that were to happen, they might dismantle the entire hall.

"Do you still have basilisk venom?" Kanae whispered.

"Leave it to me." Alicia doused a steak knife with venom and went into magical invisibility.

Two stabs later, Petyr and Minestra were petrified on their feet while staring at each other.

"What… happened… I'm so… stiff…" Minestra squealed.

"I need you two to cool your heads and seek forgiveness." Kanae patted both of them on the back.

"Ka… naaeeee!" Petyr growled past gritted teeth.

"Worry not. The effects of basilisk venom wears off in half an hour," Alicia assured the two.

Kanae and Alicia raced down a wing at random. They paused half-way into a corridor and doubled over from laughing so much that tears welled up. As they caught their breaths, Alicia pressed her back to the wall beside Kanae to wipe clean her blade.

"We might need to find someplace to hide before they have control of their bodies again. Specifically from Petyr," Kanae said, brushing a tear away.

"I'm sure we can handle it when the time comes. We defeated Roshasha together." Alicia sheathed her temporary weapon away and accidentally brushed her knuckles against Kanae's hand.

Kanae flinched away until Alicia grasped it, pinned her against the wall, and pressed a knee between her thighs.

"I hope this isn't considered insubordination, Knight-Commander." Alicia stared deeply into her eyes.

"That depends…" Kanae whispered in a seductive drawl. "How far do you plan to take this?"

Their lips drew closer until a door creaked open. Edina came out, yawning into her hand and stopped abruptly upon seeing them.

"Oh. Hehe. Don't let me cockblock ya." Edina flashed a grin and slinked back into the room.

The moment the door closed shut, Alicia backed away and cleared her throat.

"Another time, perhaps?" Alicia smiled before vanishing from sight.

"Mysterious as always—"

"KANAAAEE! WHERE ARE YOU AND THAT ASSASSIN BITCH?" Petyr roared from the main hall and stomped this way.

"That's nowhere near half an hour, Alicia!" Kanae ran up to Edina's room and pounded on the door. "Edina, let me in! Edina? Best friend?!"

"What's the matter? Your new sexy succubus girlfriend ain't enough, so you gotta get it on with me? Sorry, buddy. I just got busy with a ritual. Can't leave the circle without potentially releasing thousands of wraiths!" Edina explained from within.

Petyr kicked the corridor doors open. She wielded Minestra like a weapon, who was still stiff from the basilisk venom.

"Paladins have a natural self-Detoxify skill that cleanses us after a few minutes. Didn't know that, did you?" Petyr growled.

"W-What are you doing holding Minestra like that? Put her down, Petyr!" Kanae took a step back, tail tucked between her legs.

"You heard me earlier. Anything can be used to smite if I try hard enough. I'll hunt that other succubus down after I'm done with you!" She charged down the hall swinging, and Kanae had nowhere to run but to accept punishment.

When night fell, Kanae awoke in the Knight-Commander's bedchamber tucked up to her neck. The back of her head was still sore from the beating Petyr had given her. Well, there went the whole day. Something next to her shifted. In a brief shimmer, the invisibility subsided from Alicia, who was sitting upright beside her in bed this entire time.

"Thanks for leaving me hanging," Kanae groaned.

"A little excitement in the hall is much needed, don't you think?" Alicia teased in return. "We're allied against my mother and sisters now. Officially. It feels so surreal."

"It must be hard to reconcile, right? They're all pretty much your family," she said.

"Actually, it's much easier to reconcile because Ambrosia hypnotized me for centuries. What's hard is that I can't stop wondering if there is a better way."

Kanae rested a reassuring hand atop Alicia's and squeezed. The succubus clenched back, then leaned down until her jet black hair draped down one side. Not wanting a repeat of last time, Kanae grabbed Alicia by the back of her head and pulled her down for a kiss. It seemed to last for an eternity.

"So many people are smitten by you for good reason." When Alicia pulled away, her crimson complexion had taken a deeper shade of red.

"What about you?" Kanae asked.

Alicia chuckled and got up from the bed. She wandered over to the balcony, pushing open the doors to let a cool gust of wind in. Kanae thought to follow Alicia, but a strange stiffness spread throughout her body. It took a second to notice the subtle pain. A very small cut on her right hand oozed with a bit of purplish venom.

"Really?" Kanae pouted.

"You know the answer already. See you, Knight-Commander." Alicia winked and unfurled her wings to fly away.