Temporary bride for the demon overlord-Chapter 25: Peace and the other

Peace was a concept that Alphonse wasn’t really used to. But sometimes, dealing with humans required quite a lot of it. Patience too. Logic in abundance, honestly, dealing with humans is something akin to torture.

Torture that he had to go through everyday.

What he’d done today would instill fear into the wise, and it would fuel the anger of the foolish.

Perhaps put even more idiotic ideas into their brain.

He wasn’t a man who reveled in violence, but he wasn’t above using it to reach his goal.

He really wasn’t afraid of using anything as long as his own goal would be met.

The day had lost it’s sunlight, yet the whole company was pulling an all nighter to counter act the scandal.

His secretary knocked tentatively and Alphonse called out for him to enter.

His steps faltered when he saw Alphonse. Suit discarded, ties were no longer a thing and his table was packed with files.

Neatly packed, mind you. Nothing about him could ever be out of place.

Not even when his hair was sticking out on it’s end probably from tugging at it. The confidence that rolled off him in huge waves give all his actions air of deliberately.

He hates to be the bearer of bad news, but what choice did he have?

None, if he wanted to continue working here. He plucked into his reservoir of rapidly diminishing courage.

"Sir, I um..have news." His voice was steady but his fingers trembled against his thigh.

Alphonse looked up from his laptop, he fixed him with such an intense stare that the words babbled out of his mouth.

"Some of the media outlets are refusing to take on our stories."

Alphonse sighed. Really?

"Fine. Which one is the most popular? With most audience outreach?" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The question was bizarre, but his secretary was well accustomed to the way of his boss. Sharp, straight and logical.

"The national TV." He supplied.

"Buy it." He commanded.

His disbelief rendered him momentarily speechless. He gazed at his boss dully, wondering if his hearing was intact.

A minute passed, no words came out.

"What else do you need?" Alphonse growled.

"_buy what?" Were the words that came out.

Alphonse sighed, and shook his head. As one would when confronted with a dumb five year old.

"The national TV or whatever the blazes their name is," he gritted his teeth.

"I fear it’s quite impossible sir. Our funds you see...the company’s fund...and the national TV.." he babbled on.

Alphonse stared at him with bemusement.

"Who said anything about the company’s fund?"

"I assume_"

"You assumed wrong."

"Now that’s settled, do you mind?" He asked, pointing to the door.

His secretary scrambled out, eyes wide as saucers.

Buy a whole company? Just because they needed to get some media coverage?

He had entered the office, fully prepared to argue about bribing or some soft threatening. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought his boss would suggest such a thing.

Alphonse grabbed his phone and dialed a number. The receiver picked up on the last ring.

"Benjamin." A name called in such a hard voice was enough to make a lesser man quake.

"Alphonse, my dear boy. How do you like my present?" Benjamin chuckled.

"Self destructive much?" The casual tone belied the raging inferno inside him.

"You’re the one on the verge of getting destroyed. Why don’t you sit back and enjoy? Let me show you how to issue a threat."

"If you think this crass_not to mention unoriginal _farce would phase me?" Alphonse laughed. It was laced with the deadly combination of equal part amusement and anger.

"We’ll see won’t we?" He cackled madly and ended the call.

Alphonse threw the phone away and watched in satisfaction as it landed on the wall with a crunch and splintered.

He had a nice time imagining the things he could...the things he would do to Benjamin.

But right now, it really was up to him to clear this mess.

With a soft hiss, he muttered a spell under his breath, already massaging his brow in anticipation of the coming headache.

He created an invisible air bubble that allowed them to talk without getting overheard.

Anyone who tried to come into his office while the bubble was intact would get distracted and leave before entering.

The air warped, creating a shimmering distortion.

The creature was once again summoned without an ounce of warning.

He sent Alphonse a smothering glare and bowed resentfully.

"Your everlasting cruel lordship." He whispered.

Alphonse shuddered at that awful earful.

"Never ever in your unworthy life, call me that again. Understood?" His soft voice fooled no one.

"Yes master." A baleful stare followed.

Marlutz was annoyed that Alphonse had once again cornered him. He was mad that he could niggle him with the little things that’ll bring him satisfaction.

"What do you have for me?" He inquired.

"Nothing...your holiness." He muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Uh..the security is really much more tight than I thought it’ll be. I’ve been working on imitating one of the servants but I can’t! A non-replaceable spell had been placed on them." He was frustrated.

No matter what it may seem like, he was a competent servant and he revelled in it. Now his reputation was also at stake.

"I knew it was going to come to this." Alphonse mopped his brow.

"I guess you’re equally useless in that regard."

Marlutz fumed, his eyes bulging with anger. His honor had just been insulted.

"But no worries. I have another job for you," Alphonse muttered another spell and a crystal orb appeared from thin air.

"You know what this is?" The question caught marlutz off guard.

His boss was asking him a question in what could be considered a civil voice? No biying comment about his intelligence?

That was new.

He examined the orb and was baffled. It wasn’t like anything he had ever seen.

Warm to the touch, it reeked out death and destruction. It’s jagged face shone, the liquid inside was bubbling and frothing with malicious content.

Yet it was stunning. He shuddered from the dark aura.

"I’ve never seen anything like this." His voice was disgusting yet reverent.

"This is what Benjamin had been trading with the dragons. I need to know what it is, and why there’s constant supply of it in the palace."

His master was sending him on yet another futile errand. But he was determined to prove himself this time around.

He would really get into the root of his.

Alphonse dismissed him with a smirk, confident he was going to be a failure with this too.

Alphonse dismissed the air bubble and let out a sigh. Things were really getting out of hand.

Benjamin was colluding with dark forces. He shuddered at the thought. This, the whole chaos and scandal thing, seem to be part of a bigger picture, painted by The enemy.

Yet, he couldn’t for the life of him, find out why.

The door opened and Alphonse groaned. His secretary poked his head inside, an apologetic smile on his lips.

"What is it this time?" he barked.

His secretary swallowed, his eyes flicking to the retreating shadows on his boss’s neck.

Alphonse frustration bled into his anger, his head throbbed violently from the futility of all his effort.

Yet here was this puny man, with another complain ..

"They’ve agreed to meet you. Seems like such a...erm.. unnecessary deal to me. The price is quite exorbitant." He trembled, barely perceptible but a tremble nonetheless.

"Here," Alphonse withdrew a black card.

His secretary swallowed and muttered vile epithets when he saw the card. Sleek and black, outline with golden edges. On it was a single golden emblem of the single letter "A"

This card only belonged to seven people on the whole surface of earth.

The wielder of this card is part of the top...top...his throat bobbed just thinking about the implication.

"Yes sir." His fingers shook badly as he collected the card.

He wished to hold the card inside his kidney, or perhaps liver. Somewhere where anything can’t happen to it.

This card is worth more than his life. He bowed and stilled his hand on the door knob to stare at his boss.

Who would have thought?

"Get my car ready. I need to be somewhere." Alphonse called out, aware of his eyes on him.

"On it sir." He croaked.

Yet his feet refused to move an inch.

"Do I need to bodily drag you out of my office?" Alphonse’s amusement jolted him out of his reverie.

He bowed low, almost reaching his waist and exited the office.

Alphonse

snapped his laptop shut. He took a deep breath, and another, then some.

Anger was a useful emotion, extremely valuable. But not in situations such as this.

He needed his head to be level, his thoughts to be aligned with his plans.

The plans he’d been hatching since he was exiled from the demon realm.