The Devouring Dragon-Chapter 59: The Council of Elders

Bael Estate

"Did you hear about the Astaroth Clan?" A voice asked, belonging to one of the many ancient devils sitting in the large open room.

"Yes, it seems this new 'Beast King' fellow destroyed their territory, killing both Lord Astaroth and his heir." The devil next to him responded, shaking his head sorrowfully, "It's such a shame."

"And what did those brats in charge do about it?" A third voice hissed, leaning forward as they interjected themselves in the conversation, "Nothing! One of the Pillar families has been wiped out, and they did nothing!"

"Well, not nothing," The first voice chuckled, a mocking tone in his voice, "The Leviathan went and got herself kidnapped. Apparently, she went to meet the Beast King alone after the Sitri Heiress was taken hostage."

"This is why that bitch with more boobs than brains should've never been given the position!" The third voice huffed, "Miss Katerea is much more competent, and easier on the eyes..."

"Well, she disappeared over a week ago without a trace," The first voice chuckled again, "I don't know if I'd call that 'competent.'"

"All of you, be quiet! Sir Zekram is about to begin the meeting!" A fourth voice intervened, hushing the group of men as someone stepped forward.

The group of devils were sitting in a large theater-esque area, with exactly 32 different extravagant thrones seated in a circle all around each other. Two of them were notably empty, one having belonged to Lord Astaroth while the other belonged to the most powerful devil in the room.

There was a small set of stairs in the middle, which led to a circular stage in the middle.

The room was dark, with only a couple of torches illuminating the grandiose architecture of the room. Marble pillars extended upward between the thrones, separating each of the clan elders by a few feet.

In the middle of the stage stepped forward a figure that every devil in the circular room knew very well. He had short black hair, a square and regal-looking face, and a tall and muscular body. Despite looking middle-aged, this man was one of the eldest devils alive.

"I believe the reason I have called the Council of Elders into effect today is obvious," Zekram Beal spoke clearly, his voice sounding deep and authoritative as he glanced up at the circle of thrones.

The Council of Elders was one of the oldest groups within any society, as they were the group that had governed even the original Maou. They were the ones who had thrown out the Old Maou, instated the New Maou, and were the ones who had their hands in nearly every matter within devil society.

While calling the Maou 'figureheads' wasn't exactly accurate, it wasn't far off from the truth. They were the powerful figures who held authority over all of devil society, but the ones who held authority over them were the elders.

As the eldest member of the Bael Clan, Zekram had been the director and head of the Council of Elders for millennia. The Bael Clan stood as the first amongst the seventy-two pillars, holding the title of 'Great King.'

Of course, Zekram was far too intelligent to put any weight into the title his clan carried. If he was prideful enough to demand the respect that came with being the eldest Bael, then he would've built the theater to have the stage elevated above the thrones instead of below.

But Zekram was known as the only man in devil society with more authority than even the Maou for a reason. He had not only power and intelligence, but also an unparalleled understanding of politics and relationships.

He knew who to be prideful in front of, just as he knew those who loved to have their egos stroked. He knew how to act in front of certain groups, and depending on where you saw him, the man could have a variety of different personalities.

All this had led to him having not just authority over the Council of Elders, but also their loyalty. While the Maou were the figureheads that ruled devil society, Zekram was the one who controlled the strongest families within their race.

Something the Maou were about to get a firm reminder on.

"The appearance of the Beast King, the kidnapping of the Gremory and Sitri Heiresses, as well as the destruction of the Astaroth Family. As per the order of ranking, I call upon Elder Belial to give their opinion." Zekram finished, nodding up to one of the large thrones that were shrouded in darkness, the figure sitting in it only being visible through the flicker of a torch's light.

"...I think the action we must take is clear," Elder Belial started - not to be confused with Lord Belial.

While many of the devils in the Elder Council were the head of their respective clans, it wasn't a requirement. With some of them, such as Elder Belial, they were simply the eldest living member of their clan.

His situation was also rather unique, as the Belial Clan itself was one of the lowest-ranking clans amongst the seventy-two pillars, sitting at number 68 and the second-lowest ranking non-extinct pillar. Despite that, Elder Belial managed to hold an immense amount of power within the Council of Elders.

Which was solely for one reason - despite being the eldest of the Belial family, the man had left the rest of his family to rot as he clung to the side of Zekram. His reason for going first within the Council of Elders was officially because his clan's title was 'King' despite their low ranking, but every devil in the room knew it was because Zekram favored him.

And, whether they liked it or not, no one was willing to tell the Bael Elder otherwise.

"The Beast King has made his goals clear through his actions against the Astaroth Clan. He intends to drive our race to extinction, and destroy devil society as we know it," Elder Belial, whose real name was Zekrel Belial, continued.

His name wasn't where his similarities with Zekram Beal ended - their last names sounded the same, their first names sounded the same, their clans were the two highest-ranking amongst the Council of Elders - with Beal being known as 'Great King' while Belial was known as simply 'King' - and they even looked similar, as Zekrel had a square handsome face, short black hair, and a tall muscular body.

"We cannot let this threat continue. It is only a matter of time until he targets the rest of us," Zekrel finished his short speech. "We must kill the Beast King, and take back the Familiar Forest as devil territory."

"We must not do anything," Another voice rang out, belonging to the equally as towering figure of Lord Agares, though he looked much softer and kinder than the intimidating Zekrel and Zekram, "You just said it yourself. This is not a threat to an individual clan, but to our race as a whole. The Maou are responsible for matters such as these."

Lord Agares stood as a minority within the room of ancient devils, as he was both one of the younger and one of the more open-minded participants. While the majority of the Council of Elders looked at the New Satans as nothing more than children and figureheads, with most of them having played a part in giving them their positions, Lord Agares was one of the few who stood in support of them.

He was also a man who made a lot of enemies with the way he acted, as it wasn't a well-kept secret that Zekrel Belial acted as a mouthpiece for Zekram himself. By disagreeing with Zekrel, you were disagreeing with Zekram, and the second-ranked Agares Clan was the only one who could do so and get away with it.

In this way, the Council of Elders managed to maintain an outward image of fairness. Each Elder could voice their opinions, and the one figure who no one would dare to argue against - Zekram Bael - would stay silent.

In reality, it was simply an echo chamber for the ancient devil's machinations.

"The Maou that are sitting on their asses after one of their own was taken prisoner?!" The same upset voice from earlier, belonging to Lord Naberius, called out, "If we leave it to them, then we'll all be dead in a year's time!"

For most devils, you would never be able to tell their age from their outward appearance. One could be thousands of years old, and yet look like they were merely in their 20s.

However, in the case of Lord Naberius, his age most certainly showed. He had thin gray hair, looking as if he were balding, along with wrinkly skin. He was also far from an intimidating sight, as he was hunched over, fat, and had next to no muscle on his skinny arms.

"Do not speak out of turn, Naberius!" A stern voice called out, belonging to Lord Sitri. The man was tall, with a handsome, bearded face, short blue hair, and a thin frame.

As the father of one of the Maou, Serafall Leviathan, Lord Sitri had been forced into an uncomfortable spot. His family had acquired tons of power during the Devil Civil War, which was all because of Zekram.

The ancient devil was largely responsible for the downfall of the previous Maou, and Serafall Sitri being one of his best pieces during the war was what allowed the Sitri family to grow in power.

Now, it was evident that the very man who had put his daughter into power was intent on tearing her down.

"No, I think Naberius was quite right, Sitri," The voice of Lord Vassago called out, the sly-looking man smirking as Lord Sitri bristled at the counter, "Your former daughter has gotten herself captured, and the Maou are simply sitting around doing nothing! Even if she's no longer a part of the Sitri Clan, it's quite cruel for you to leave your daughter to rot, Sitri."

"Watch your words, Vassago," Lord Sitri hissed back, glaring at the mouse-like man, "Even if your clan is higher ranking, I will not accept such insults to my name!"

"Quiet, both of you," Both Lord Sitri and Lord Vassago stiffened as Zekram spoke again, "Before we discuss more, it is apparent that a vote is needed. A vote of confidence for the Maou."

Lord Sitri's hand clenched on his throne, but he didn't dare say a word.

"This vote will pertain to the subject of the Beast King, not to the Maou's positions overall," Zekram continued, which was expected.

If the millennia-old devil wanted to, he could hold a vote that would set off a chain reaction of events, eventually leading to the toppling of the current devil government. But, as per usual for Zekram Bael, the man always played both sides.

In reality, this vote was more about applying pressure to the current Maou than actually overthrowing them. If they mishandled this situation, then they would find themselves being pushed out of their positions.

If they handled it well, then Zekram would spin the situation as him overstepping them in order to save one of their own in the form of Serafall. No matter what the situation was, Zekram ensured he would never lose.

"Belial, make your vote," Zekram spoke again, looking at Zekrel, "Do you have confidence in the Maou to retrieve Serafall Leviathan, Rias Gremory, Sona Sitri, Ravel Phoenix, and handle the Beast King?"

"I do not," Zekrel said, and the rest of the vote was simply a show. Zekrel's vote was Zekram's vote, and voting against Zekram never ended well for anyone.

In the end, after roughly five minutes of each devil voting, a decision was made.

"That settles it. In a majority of 28 to 3, the Maou have been deemed unfit to handle this situation."

Zekram's face was blank and emotionless, but underneath the surface there was a large smirk threatening to break out.

"Now, the Council of Elders will take over the handling of the Beast King."

The meeting would continue on for countless hours into the dead of night, but no matter how much Lord Agares, Lord Sitri, or Lord Gremory tried, it was all simply a formality. frёewebnoѵēl.com

The next day, Ajuka Beelzebub would wake up with a smile on his face, his excitement rising despite the impossible situation he was forced into. A situation where he was no longer just dealing with the Beast King.

In reality, the Council of Elders had not taken over.

Zekram Bael had.

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