Chapter 60
“Byron? This is a surprise.” Lilac stepped back and held the door so I could come in.
“I hope I’m not imposing.”
“Never. Tea?”
“No, thanks. I can’t stay long.”
“Tad’s down for a nap, but he should probably get up soon if you want to wake him and say hi. If I let him nap too long, he stays up all night.”
“No, that’s okay,” I replied. “I wanted to apologize.”
Lilac screwed up her face, confused.
“Like many of the people I’ve encountered as Byron, you were sucked into the chaos of my life, beholden to forces you either did not understand or were wholly ignorant of.
You are a good person, Lilac. You lived a hard life, but you were a survivor.
You didn’t give up. I want you to know that I am sorry for all the pain I’ve caused you.
You did nothing to deserve it. You suffered because of my choices. ”
“You always bring interesting conversation, Byron, but you don’t owe me an apology. You have been good to me. You gave me a better life than I could ever hope for. That’s not something to be sorry about.”
“Actually, I’ll take that tea if you don’t mind,” I said.
“Of course. I’ll put the kettle on.”
As soon as Lilac turned away from me, not even halfway out of her seat, I beheaded her.
I decided some time ago that this was the most merciful course of action. I didn’t want her last moment to be one of fear, panic, and pain. She had endured enough of that, and she had been unwaveringly loyal to me.
Quick. Clean. So fast she didn’t feel it or have time to think about her coming death.
Just dead.
She wouldn’t have to live with the memory and knowledge of what came next.
Not long ago, Ashley’s own mother sought to have her killed. A new prince had been born, and the Queen was aware that the system would pit her daughter against her son. If Ashley were dead, that conflict could never come to pass, and it could never threaten the life of her precious prince.
As retribution, Ashley asked me to slay her entire family when we stormed the Capital palace. That request included the prince as well as the king and queen.
But he was a baby. Helpless and powerless. Nothing he did or chose led up to that moment, so I took him instead of killing him.
Lilac fell in love with the boy the moment I put him in her arms, and she took to motherhood so naturally that I believed it was a shame she never had kids of her own.
When she cared for him, a whole new warmth entered her eyes, like his presence rejuvenated her and made life beautiful and worth living.
No one but me knew that the prince still lived. He could live a normal life with Lilac and grow up to decide for himself who and what he wanted to be.
In the end, the sovereign class was still his undoing. I put a sword through him while he slept and set the house on fire on my way out.
Plague Master Quest Complete: Abaddon’s Bane added to disease options for Plague Bearer.
-5 Progress to Your Fall.
Progress to Your Fall: 9 / 100 (Abaddon, King of the Abyss)
“When do we deliver the disease to Abaddon?” Purity asked as I sketched out my plans for revenge.
“When the moment is right.”
“When will that be?”
“Soon, I hope.”
This part of my scheme had never been spoken aloud. It existed only in my mind, where it couldn’t be stolen or overheard.
“Shouldn’t you rest a bit then? You haven’t taken a break in months.”
I shook my head. “We’re not done. If we don’t follow through, then we will have to do this all over again when our enemies have had time to rebuild. Even a tree stump can keep growing. You have to destroy it completely to be certain a new sapling doesn’t sprout.”
“I understand. Is waking the Goddess part of that process?”
“No,” I answered. “We’re going to leave the sleep spell in place until this is over. She could be thankful we rescued her, but she could also be pissed. Between you and me, I don’t know if I’ll ever wake her. I’ve had my fill of deity-level threats, thanks.”
“That’s probably smartest. My curiosity would get the better of me if you weren’t here to temper it.”
I chuckled. “I’m barely holding the curiosity back myself. I want to know what happened to her and how long she’s been locked up. That’s a mystery that will likely unlock a few hundred more questions and motives to ponder. How about the plans for rebuilding the temples? How are those coming along?”
“They are complete and ready for your approval. I can fetch them for you.”
“Do you like them?”
“Yes.”
“Approved. Please get that work started right away.”
“Of course, Master.” Purity kissed the back of my head on her way out and added, “I love you.”
Abaddon was on his heels. Even the King of the Abyss needed time to regroup after a resounding defeat of that scale. Thousands upon thousands of his soldiers died, and if I understood the minds of demons, at least a few powerful beings in the hells debated the stability of Abaddon’s position.
I weakened him. That was obvious, but was he weak enough? If he were, they could slay him and claim his kingdom.
Conflicts and politics in the hells could delay his counterattack by a few hundred years, if I was lucky.
Saying that most celestials liked me was probably a stretch, but the majority were appreciative that I made ascension possible again. The ones who weren’t knew that I fried a seraphim champion with one spell. If I didn’t give them a reason to attack me, they wouldn’t.
The seraphim themselves would definitely attack when the treaty expired. I had 1,000 years to prepare for that eventuality.
As for threats on the material plane, only one paladin was left alive, and she was my prisoner.
Now that Abaddon’s army had been defeated, the kingdoms of the world were more receptive to working with me.
A trade hub that included wares from the hells and the heavens could be incredibly lucrative for the right noble with the right plan.
I suspected that six months from now, every kingdom would have a gate tying their capital to Sanctuary.
Dungeons were technically a part of the material plane, and I knew at least two Dungeon Lords despised me.
I had the resources to survive any offensive they might mount with a lone dungeon core, but the Frozen Fiend and the Forgotten One both tried to fuck me.
I could leave them be and hope they avoided me for the rest of time, but I wanted them to die.
Fuck me? Fuck you. It was a basic law of nature.
A week from now, when my TP and DP had had a few days to recover, I would place a gate directly in front of the Capital Dungeon entrance and flood the labyrinth with my soldiers, for months if need be.
If I could overwhelm Abaddon, then I could overwhelm a Dungeon Lord hiding in his hole. Two dungeon cores and seven tower cores made that a foregone conclusion.
I’d clean out the Lopav dungeon after that.
“Abby?”
The liluti appeared before me. “Have we heard from Mistress Mammoni yet?”
“We have not.”
“Thank you, that was all.”
Mammoni promised to secure me a romp with one of Abaddon’s wives but hadn’t responded to any of my messages for the last 3 weeks. Her minions conducted business in Sanctuary on a daily basis, so I didn’t believe we had become enemies, nor did I expect her to have control over demon queens.
She couldn’t force one of his wives to lie with me, but she could reply to one of my fucking messages.
I ended up waiting another 4 weeks for Mammoni to reply, but she did deliver on her promise. Though the uncertainty was agony, I stayed productive to pass the time.