The Duchess and the Devil - Chapter 34.1

Derrick sat in his chair with a very relaxed expression as he considered Carmen’s words. He was familiar with the situation in the world of devils, having learned everything from the raven, a kind of male alter ego, but still did not understand how to proceed. While he slept, the Hundred Years’ War ended and the King died.

And the absence of a head of state always leads to confusion and unrest.

“Because we need a new King!”

People in the world of devils were screaming, wanting to put an end to all this and wanting to find a worthy one.

The demonic world is divided into twelve parts, each of which had its own commander, who was in charge of everything that happened. And each of them tried to nominate themselves as the next Great Demon King. To become one, a person must prove skills and status. And each of the commanders was considered the commander in chief, which made it possible to claim such a desired title.

And now, after such a long war, civil strife ensued, in which the regions fought over who would become the King. If one of the commanders takes this position, the zone will immediately rise above the others. Therefore, everything that happens is more like a new fierce war.

And it was obvious – sooner or later his subjects would come to him with a request to nominate their candidacy for the Kings. And this is not surprising, because Derrick had every right to do this, being the perfect find for this role. He did not hate his colleagues, but the new war could not help but anger him. In addition, the demon did not want and simply could not part with Judith now. And if other demons come to this world to talk with Derrick, they will certainly feel her aroma, which is too appetizing for everyone.

– And why do you smell like that? – he lamented displeasedly.

Derrick had already asked Carmen to hold back, but this might not work with other subjects who were more rude and defiant. And this could not help but worry, because now I didn’t want to worry about it at all. Derrick wanted to focus all his skills on Hannibal.

Due to Judith’s investigations, the scope of the search has narrowed noticeably. In fact, everyone she named was unfamiliar with the demon, but Derrick guessed that these were close people of the real Duke. After all, he judged by the serious face of his wife.

“Headache just thinking about it,” Derrick said to himself again, taking a cigarette into his mouth and exhaling acrid smoke that immediately drove Judith’s scent out of the room, filling the space with it.

The demon would never have thought that Hannibal himself would want to become a recluse, remaining for some time in a human body, because he hated people more than anyone.

Of course, this is not uncommon among such creatures, but it is not uncommon for half-breeds or hybrids to be born – from a combination of demons and other species, where humans are no exception. And Hannibal himself was born from just such a union.

Typically, devils born from humans and lacking magical powers were classified as inferior beings, causing Hannibal to live with this disdain from others throughout his life. The purebloods behaved around him as if he were nothing, an empty place that could not stand up for himself. No matter how well the hybrid coped with magic, it was always not enough in the opinion of others, because the label of “half-breed” already hung on them like a shadow.

It was enough to make Hannibal grow up with a sense of inferiority. After all, his childhood, life and environment helped in this.

However, Derrick, even knowing that the guy was a half-breed, remained very loyal, seeing his abilities. This, as the demon now realized, was a fatal mistake. After all, this only provoked Hannibal’s internal conflict, developing greater envy and darkness in the heart that accompanies hatred. Most likely, he regarded kindness as condescension.