The Demon Saint is Missing, so I Ran to Another World

Schemes (Part 1)

***Gaius' garden***

For a long while now, the former god, Gaius, had intoxicated himself with beer he brought from his old world. He was drowning his sadness and frustrations, for news about the cessation of hostilities between the warring demon clans finally reached him. The demons united under one ruler—with a system of government superior from those of Chersea's human kingdoms. And, as if to add insult to his injuries, his most trusted servant, Seirna, betrayed him and went to side with the saint, Natasha Bellingsen.

"..."

Gaius' eyes turned towards the skies of his garden, now dark and sullen because of the thick, heavy clouds. His plan to come back as Chersea's God was in tatters, and his future was uncertain.

"How long will you keep on wallowing in your sorrows, Gaius Julius?"

The former god, brought back to his senses by the speaker, turned towards the direction of the voice. Out from the shadows came a figure of a woman, surrounded by thick, dark miasma. It was his former wife, the Lady Arame, the Seductress of ancient days. "And what do you know of suffering, wench?" he asked, his voice growled as he stared daggers at her. "You stripped me of my divinity!"

"Ah! Ah!" Lady Arame chuckled at his accusations, as she gently wrapped Gaius with her cold, dark miasma. "Correction, my dear husband. I only helped in removing your godhood. If you're looking for someone to blame for your misfortune, isn't it your champion Cassandra David who used her powers, bestowed by you, against you?"

"Aagh! Damn it!" At that moment, Gaius could not contain his anger any longer. He hurled the beer can he was drinking, narrowly missing Lady Arame's head. Those ugly memories of the fight between him and Cassandra David made his frustrations worse.

However, like a faithful adviser, Lady Arame consoled her partner, all the whispering, "It's not too late, Gaius Julius. The path to divinity is still open."

"What are you saying? My schemes had all failed!" he muttered.

"Yes, your schemes. The plans that you made are all failures," the Seductress caressed his face. "However, as I need you, I'll help you achieve success this time. My failures in controlling my daughter have made me stop and rethink. So, I created my own plans; let me just borrow some of yours and put it on a grander scale."

"What are you—"

"What do you think of a twelfth Human-Demon War?"

"It's futile and stupid."

"All conflicts start as futile and stupid arguments," Lady Arame countered. "Then, the hot-heads escalate it, and the fools follow their guidance, up to their own deaths. Well, it's not like I care; in fact, conflicts, deaths, and suffering are a boon for myself."

"No, you misunderstood me," Gaius opened another beer can. "I mean, it's futile and stupid because you'll be dealing with someone wise and powerful."

"A wise and powerful enemy, you say?" the Seductress asked, "Are we talking about my daughter, the Human Saint, here?"

The former god shook his head, "You haven't heard or met that human from my old world, Kuro?"

"Oh? Him?" Arame chuckled. "Alright, let's say we acknowledge his intelligence. But see, all his ideas came from other people from his land. Nothing new or ground-breaking. Besides, he's too weak to even fight the lowest of knights!"

"I'm not talking of his prowess in battle, nor the originality of his ideas," Gaius pointed out. "The mere fact he knows when and where he should apply those concepts is a skill in itself, not to mention, he can convince people to agree to him. Because of his words, he threw my plans off course. I underestimated him; he's a dangerous opponent."