Chapter 7: Deal and Fiancee
Dagruel leaned himself onto the table, looking my father right in his eyes. "So then Dankaiser, what sort of terms are you offering this time around?" The Gigantos chieftain asked.
I knew what he was talking about.
Every time my father and Dagruel meet he offers him terms for peace. Reparation's for our clan attacking their people, and also increased incentives not to attack us.
This is still a business deal after all. Dagruel is trying to do all he can to better the lives of his people.
I can respect him for that.
But if he thinks he can take us for a ride, then he is very wrong.
My father took a deep breath. He then turned to look at me. "I will let my son explain the terms of this particular deal. So long as that's ok with you Dagruel?"
"Hell no!" A giant roared.
"Chief these devils are looking down on us!" Another yelled.
"Don't trust them! Let's just leave and be done with them." Another suggested.
Dagruel paid them no mind. He simply exuded his aura and they shut their mouths. All the while looking me in my eyes.
I won't lie, he is intimidating, but I am not going to back down. I stared at him head down without breaking contact.
After a few moment Dagruel broke contact and then he smiled. "I like you kid. You got some balls to look me down when you're barley out of your mother's womb. What's your name?"
"Asterius Belial." I said.
"Ok then Asterius, what kind of deal do you have for me?" Dagruel said.
"It's a simple one actually." I began. "We would like you sign a peace treaty between the Gigantos clan and the Belial clan. No more violence between our two groups. In addition to that we would also like your clans help mapping the various mountain regions in our territory, and if we find something of value help us mine it out as well. We would also ask you provide security for our workers in the event that something along those lines does occur." I explained.
"What are you offering us in return for doing all this?" Dagruel asked me. "Because it sounds to me like you want us to be your slaves?"
"Not at all." I said. "We want you to be our partners. That's why we are offering your clan 15% of whatever we discover in the mountains, whether it be gold, jewels, or anything else. In addition to that we would also not be opposed to the Gigantos clan setting up villages across the Belial territory if you want to." I explained.
Dagruel looked shocked as I spoke. But like a true leader quickly composed himself.
"Kid, are you serious right now?" Dagruel asked me.
"Deadly." I said. "In deals like this trust is necessary. And seeing as this is my first deal like this if I go back on my word then I would never be able to convince anyone to work with me again. That's why I mean every word I've said. So, do we have a deal or not? Also, this is the only time we'll be offering this deal."
"Such impudence!" A giant shouted.
"Kid, are you trying to get your ass beat!" Another giant roared.
"I think you need to taught a lesson." Another giant said.
Seeing our guests get rowdy our guards prepared for battle. Which also set the giants on guard. But I paid neither group much attention and focused completely on Dagruel.
His face isn't giving anything away, but I can see the gears turning in his head.
He didn't say a word for five minutes. Then he just sighed. Right before he reached his hand out to me. "Asterius, you have yourself a deal." He said.
"Thank you." I said, shaking his hand.
"Chief!" An older giant shouted. "I know that it is wrong to speak out of turn like this and I will accept any punishment you give me, but I must protest to this deal. After everything the Belial clan has done to us over the centuries, how can we trust the word of one of their children?"
I completely understand where this guy is coming from so I'm not angry at all. There is a lot of bad blood between our clans, but this is the first step in fixing it.
Dagruel turned to the older giant. But he wasn't angry. He just has a look of understanding on his face. "I get where you're coming from, and I understand the feelings of you all. But this is for the good of the clan. Aren't you all tired of living in the Barren wastelands of the mountains, to scared to step foot into the forest for fear of being attacked by devils? I know I am, and that's why I accepted this young Belial's deal. It's time to make a change, and this is the first step. So then, do you trust me?"
The giants looked at their chieftain and then nodded.
They might not trust me, but they certainly trust him.
Which is all I need them to do.
After Dagruel accepted my deal I stepped aside and he and my father worked out all the details. Which only took an hour.
Once it was over the giants party left.
Then my father walked up to me and slapped me on the back. "Good job son." He told me.
"Thanks." I winced. Although I am stronger than most that still hurt. My old man needs to learn to hold back on his strength a bit.
Rubbing my back Angelica came up to me. "She's awake." She told me.
The girl we saved earlier.
Hearing that I moved over to the carriage with Angelica and my father in tow.
The moment we arrived we saw Diablo sitting inside and the strange girl sitting across from him. Along with something seriously strange.
The mysterious girl was eating a chicken at least three times her size all by herself.
My jaw dropped while witnessing this sight. Angelica and my father were the same.
Things got even crazier when the girl finished the chicken in 15 minutes and then asked for me.
What is she, a Heavenly King from Toriko?
Actually she might be.
No, no, it's better not to go down that road.
Disregarding that thought I waved at the girl and she looked at me.
"Thank you for saving me." She spoke.
"No problem." I said. "I am Asterius Belial. And you are?"
"Zest." The girl said.
She then started telling us her story. Which was a short one.
Apparently her parents abandoned her on the streets at the age of four after her recessive devil traits appeared. Since then she has been struggling to survive.
I got angry at those parents. In devil society children are precious, but more than that any parent who abandons their child with a super serious reason is scum.
Everyone else felt the same way as I could feel anger coming off them.
"Zest, do you remember your parents at all? Angelica asked.
She shook her head. "No, not at all." She said. She then got a nervous expression on her face.
"Sorry for making you remember something bad." Angelica spoke up, after seeing Zest reaction.
Despite her blunt look she can read the room and act accordingly.
"No it's fine." Zest said. "Anyway thank you again." She said. "Well I should be going now." She mused.
"Nonsense." My father and Diablo said at the exact same time.
"As the lord of this territory I cannot allow a child of your age to wander unattended." My father spoke.
"Yes, lord Belial is correct." Diablo said. "You are not going anywhere. You will come back to the mansion with us. There you will train to be a maid of the house." He spoke.
"Eh?" Zest shouted in surprise. "Am, can't we talk about this?" She asked.
"It has already been done. As the head butler I officially welcome you into the service of the Belial clan." Diablo said with a smile on his face.
Completely ignoring Zest's protests on the matter.
I sighed.
Zest should just give up. Once Diablo makes up his mind there is hardly anything capable of changing it.
She's going to become a maid of the Belial house no matter what.
But in doing so she'll be cared for. Diablo will take excellent care of her, like he does for a good number of the devils who work for the Belial house.
Mostly its the generation who lost their parents during the Great War. He's kind of like a surrogate parent to them.
I actually asked my mother why he is like that once and she told me Diablo once had a wife. But in trying to give birth to their first child she and the baby died.
Since then he hasn't remarried. He's just been doing his duty and taking his time to heal. Losing both his wife and unborn child at once, that will break just about anybody.
Once I learned this I understood why he is such a mother hen at times.
But it really does suit him.
---------------------------------------
We arrived back at the mansion just as night began to fall.
The moment we did Diablo took Zest to settle into her new life and introduce to all the maids of the house.
Meanwhile Angelica went to see her parents.
As for my dad and I we went to see my mother and little Diehauser.
After playing with my baby brother for a while my parents took me to my fathers study. There my father and I explained the terms of the deal we made with the Gigantos clan.
"Good work." My mother said as we finished our explanation. "I knew my boys could do it."
"Thank you dear." My father said. "It's all in a days work."
"Yes, I know it is." My mother said, moving closer to my father.
*Ahem*
I faked coughed before they got any farther into their pink zone. I didn't want to be scarred for life after all. If I saw anymore I would definitely need to bleach my eyes.
Anyway, as soon as they realized I was still in the room they split apart and got blushes on their faces. Just like two high schoolers caught in the middle doing something in a car.
I gave them a deadpan expression.
"Sorry son." My father said.
"Yes, sorry." My mother said.
I shrugged my shoulders.
I then got up, but before I could my mother placed her hand on my shoulder. "Son wait a moment there is still a matter we need to discuss with you."
"What might that be mother?" I asked.
"Your betrothed, she's been decided." My father said.
'Oh, so its finally time huh?' I thought.
But it's not like I didn't see this coming. Even in this time, young devils are engaged to each other this early. I think Rias was the same age when she got engaged to Riser. But I can't be sure since they never made it clear in the novels or anime.
Bottom line is, so long as my betrothed isn't a total bitch or some 100 year old shotacon looking to have her way with me I'm fine with whoever I get paired with. Unlike Rias I will do my duty and marry this girl for the honor of my clan.
Of course if my betrothed is worse than Lucifer himself I will deal with that bitch swiftly. Who knows, during the Civil War she might "accidently" get killed. A lot of things can happen on the battlefield you know.
But before any of that can go down I need to know her name.
I looked at my parents. "What is her name?" I asked them.
"Her father and I are actually old friends." Mom spoke. "We thought you two would be a good match, since his daughter is a lot like you. Smart and headstrong. She's also from an Extra Demon house. Her name is Ryogun Belphegor." Mom said.
The moment she did I am glad I was not eating or drinking anything, otherwise I would have spit it out from the utter shock of hearing that name.
Ryogun Belphegor. During canon she was the head of the Belphegor clan and one of the top ten members of the Rating Game. And even though she used the Illegal King Piece she wasn't like the others who used it. She just wanted to have fun in the Rating Games which she loved from the bottom of her heart.
She even turned herself in without a fight when it was exposed.
I really admired her for that.
I also remember her having a spoking hot-body. So if she is my fiancée then I say hell yes.
"When are we going to meet?" I asked my parents.
She is going to be my future wife after all.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone