First meeting

Past

Emeric exhaled slightly and once again adjusted his dress suit.

It was important to create a great first impression and Emeric had to use all his trump cards and opportunities.

Numerous doubts have gnawed at him in recent months, is it right to just wait until he can officially participate in the Ranking Games?

At this point, he's only nine years old. So he won't get his Evil Figures until he's a year old, and he won't officially "play" until he's ten. It's just unbearable torture for Emeric's active nature. It's understandable that this time is given to the king so that he can get some sort of entourage and just grow up, but does that make the wait any kinder to him?

So Emeric had been thinking lately about how to get around this stupid rule. That is, neither his sister nor his parents wanted to allow him to play in any way. If a nine-year-old kid came up to you and asked you to pee with adult demons, what would you say?

But finally, he found a solution to this stupid dilemma.

Emeric will join someone else's entourage, as an ordinary figure, and will be able to participate in the real Ranking Games!

Yes, even high ranking demons like him could ask to join another, more experienced demon to gain experience and knowledge. It was not considered shameful, but only if you join a really strong and "glorious" king. It is true that this sort of thing is practiced by older demons, not young children.

So he, as Lucifer's younger brother and heir to the Pillar, doesn't have many options left. If he joins the retinue of the first king he sees, Emeric may tarnish his reputation, and if he joins his sister's figures, who also have their own figures, then everything will be meaningless, because they have no right to participate in the games.

In short, his path is reserved only for the top ten, and no other way! And Emeric was agreeable to only one king who was allowed to teach and guide himself!

Dichauser Belial!

Absolute Top One! The wargaming guru of all demons, a true icon and his idol!

He couldn't count the number of times he had reviewed all of his games and various interviews. Emeric absorbed all the information generated by the Emperors like a man possessed. After all, Emeric simply adored Ranked Games. Could there be anything cooler than a hardcore brawl between supernaturals!

And who could be more deserving of his help than the top one?!

Emeric had his own pride, and initially he had no intention of becoming part of anyone's entourage. But, for one thing, he was eaten alive by the thought that he wouldn't be able to participate in the "fun" for another ten years, and for another, Dichauser Belial was his idol, as were all the children in Hell.

With each passing month, the idea seemed more and more ingenious, so he finally couldn't bitch and came to the king's office.

Naturally, his family doesn't know he came here, and certainly didn't agree to that scenario. But Emeric figured that if he got the Emperor's consent, he'd get his family's permission somehow. Probably.

Emeric, gathering his thoughts and making his most serious face, knocked on the door.

«Come in," the Emperor's voice instantly gave him permission.

When he opened the door, he could see a plain, uncluttered office. Dichauser, for all his fame and income, had always been rather minimalist in his decorating and disliked excessive luxury, though all demons seemed to suffer from it. Emeric knew that such was formed from an uneasy youth, for the Belial clan, before Dichauser's rise to glory, had many debts and were almost below the poverty line. The Emperor had long since rectified his situation, but the habits of a rather humble lifestyle remained.

Emeric even tried to imitate his idol, for example, the coachman who brought him to Dichauser's office, he gave only one bar of gold! Normally, he would have added many more gems on top of the "tea", but, with his heart, Emeric had to "limit" his generosity a bit. Of course, it was a little embarrassing to watch the coachman almost die of shock, probably from his "stinginess", but times were hard!

Dichauser Belial arched his eyebrows slightly in bewilderment as he watched Emeric stride confidently across from his desk.

The emperor was dressed in his daily attire, that is, a red ceremonial uniform, which was thrown right over his bare torso. On his hands were white gloves, the same color as his hair. Dichauser's size inspired respect, almost two meters and hard musculature. In short, Dichauser looked just like he did in his Ranking Games. Despite his rather high-profile reputation, the Emperor didn't give the impression of being 'inaccessible' or 'towering'. Just an ordinary upper-class demon who performed daily duties.

Emeric confidently raised his chin as Dickhauser was amused by his antics.

«Hello, Dichauser Belial! - Emeric added maximum severity to his voice. - My name is Emeric Gremory, heir of the Gremory family, and from this day forward I will be part of your retinue!

Take a grenade, fascist! How's that, Emperor? I guess you're used to everyone trying to suck up to you, but this is not Emeric's style. You think he's going to fucking grovel?!

It had somehow slipped his mind that he was the one who had come to ask, not the other way around, but when had such a thing ever stopped him?

«Ah," he looked around perplexed. This really threw him off a bit. - How did you get here?

«Ha ha," Emeric grinned smugly. - You are not bad Emperor... I knew you'd try to get all the secrets out of me, I can tell you're an experienced king! But since I've officially become part of your retinue, I'll tell you....

Dichauser raised his hand, thus stopping his train of thought. It was obvious that the Emperor didn't understand what was going on here at all. He exhaled slightly, scrutinizing his features, and began to answer carefully, as if trying not to scare him off:

«Emeric," he tried not to jump for joy when he realized that the Emperor had remembered his name. - I haven't recruited anyone to my retinue in, like, ten-something years....

«So I'll be the first... - Emeric shrugged his shoulders lightly. - I'll agree to a pawn in principle...

«Whoa, whoa, whoa. - Dichauser ran a hand through his hair a little wearily. - You don't quite understand, I'm not going to take you in. You're too young.

Any other demon his age would have been upset, but Emeric was completely confident in his abilities!

By the young demon's inner intention, numerous clots of the power of destruction began to appear in the room. These same clots, which had already begun to manifest their destructive nature, under the will of Emeric began to flow quietly into images, and later into full-fledged silhouettes, in which the features of some of Dichauser's figures were perfectly traceable.

«How's that? - Emeric tried his best not to show how difficult it was for him to hold his power. The slightest hesitation, and a small demonstration of his talent would turn into a full-blown assassination attempt....

Dichauser shifted his gaze to the familiar figures with widened eyes:

«How old are you?

«Nine! - Slightly strained, he replied. It was getting harder and harder by the second, but he wouldn't pull any punches. It helped, too, that his demonstration had by all accounts really surprised his idol.

«Impressive...

That was still putting it mildly. Dichauser was truly incredibly surprised at this young demon's current level and understanding of his power. Due to his ancestral ability and professional experience, Dichauser spends a fair share of his time learning as thoroughly as possible about all available powers and abilities. It was one of the metaphorical pillars upon which his victories are held.

And it is no surprise that the Emperor is well aware of all the clan powers and their peculiarities. Especially the power of destruction, the hallmark of the Great King's house. In fact, there is no active king with such a power in the current ranking, and hasn't been for a long time, but that didn't stop Dichauser from studying the power of destruction in his time, because at the moment the strongest demon in history was just its wielder. And the younger brother of that most powerful demon now stood before him.

The power of destruction was chaotic and incredibly difficult to control. According to him, the representatives of House Bael needed many years to begin to "tame" it. But in front of him there was some unicum who, at nine years old, a paltry age by demon standards, controlled it perfectly. He wouldn't even bat an eye if Emeric destroyed a building, the power itself suggests that, but to create something "non-destructive" out of that power? Going beyond the concept of his power, or somehow 'getting around' something like that was an incredibly difficult task for a noble demon. Your instincts simply get in the way of something like that. This Dichauser knew from his own experience.

Emeric finally dispersed his "phantoms", while making as relaxed a face as possible, but the large drops of sweat that formed on his forehead, gave away the complexity of this demonstration.

«Why would you do that? - Dichauser finally got serious and looked Emeric in the eye. - Why would you want to be part of my entourage?

«What do you mean? - Emeric furrowed his eyebrows. - Wasn't it obvious? For glory!

«That's it?

«Ah," he shrugged his shoulders in confusion. - Did... Need anything else?

Dichauser inhaled and began to rise from his chair. This was a very important moment in the young demon's mind, and the Emperor understood that. He had come to see his idol, and any rejection could be taken very painfully. Dichauser always tried to inspire as many people as possible with his experiences, so he was especially sensitive to young talent. Many people assumed that his image of the "good" king did not fit in any way with his total domination of the rankings, but he had no masks. Dickhouser was just trying to do the right thing.

The Emperor knelt down in front of him so that he was on the same level as Emeric. The hand he placed on his shoulder visibly strained the young demon, not in a bad way, just that the young demon was trying not to scream with delight.

«Emeric," the Emperor began to choose his words. - I have a younger sister, she'll be older than you, but I'll tell you the same thing I told her once. - Dichauser looked him in the eye as calmly as possible so that he would remember the lesson. - Fame, honor, and respect are not the motivation that elevates kings. It's a momentary impulse that most demons are driven by, but most will never reach the top. You've always had a prime example in front of you. I realize you're too young, but did you ever think that it was the desire for glory that elevated your sister?

«No," Emeric shook his head. - Definitely not that...

«Right," Dichauser nodded. - Aldis Lucifer was driven by something much grander and more important than a basic desire for self-assertion. You're not likely to understand it all, but try.... - Dichauser sighed and shook his head, roughly realizing that this example was too complex for the young demon. - Emeric... I spent my youth in not the best of conditions. Certainly much better than the average lower class demon, but constant humiliation from my peers accompanied me all this time. At first, I just wanted to get rid of the constant ridicule, but then I realized that I could inspire others by my example... - Dichauser smiled at him. - Great young demons like you....

Emeric was simply at a loss for words at the Emperor's revelations. It was clear that Dichauser's speech was beginning to echo somewhere inside him.

«I'm sorry, Emeric, but you're too young to be a member of my retinue. You don't quite know what you want yet... - The rejection was not so painful for him. In fact, Emeric began to feel an unprecedented sense of elation. - Tell you what, come back to me in ten years, and I'll take another look at your application....

«Hmm," Emeric's smugness returned to his eyes. - In ten years I'll be coming for your place, Emperor! You'll wish you'd had me in your entourage when you could have!

«Ha-ha-ha," laughed Dickhauser heartily. - I can't wait, young Gremory, I can't wait! Ha-ha-ha-ha...

Emeric echoed his idol's laughter. They laughed, the young demon and the legend of the Ranking Games.

First meeting with the Emperor. This memory will always echo warmly in Emeric's chest.

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