Danmachi Familia from Hell

*

Hades didn't force himself to smile anymore. Since everyone already knew his identity, he didn't intend to pretend to be someone he wasn't. Together with Belakher, they sat in the places of honor at the main table to the left of Ares.
King Matías, sitting on the right hand of the god of war, bowed his head to his patron's uncle, who returned the gesture. The courtesy indicating mutual respect was fulfilled, but no one showed weakness. The King of the Underworld did not kneel before the mortal as a divine being, and the ruler of Rakia did not bow to the other god than his own.
Then there was warm food, a few toasts, and conversation about nothing. The words from the monarch were devoid of a sincere desire to establish a relationship with Hades and his servant, but merely a way to keep the conversation going. His wife Cristina did the same. Only Ares seemed genuine in his attempts to ensure his uncle had a good time. He knew how terrifying the golden-eyed man could be, but he also knew that his relative wasn't evil incarnate. During the feasts on Olympus, where Hades decided to appear, he drank with Zeus, smiled, and after gaining some relaxation of mind, he even allowed himself to joke. Except that Ares was not his father and Hades had no intention of allowing himself the same behavior towards his nephew. Especially since, due to his undeniable imbecility, the god of death's stay in Valua was no longer a secret.
The red-eyed man tried to force some wine into his uncle to lighten the mood, but he only sipped the drink lazily throughout the feast and by the end of it had only drunk two glasses.
Landgrave was paid much less attention. He was here as a bodyguard and servant, not an honorary guest like Hades. Matiás only turned to him once, to ask how he found the Rakian cuisine. Belakher replied that it was definitely fattier than the dishes from his homeland, but much more filling because of that, and then he put a large beef steak on his plate.
The king's descendants, however, expressed real interest in the necromancer. Both of them, kept locked behind the palace gates, had never met an elf before. They had only heard stories about the wars waged by their father and grandfather against the nations inhabiting the forests. In fact, the only thing they knew about them was that they liked nature and knew magic.
Belakher himself, unlike the soldiers guarding the gate to the city, was not a racist and believed that a person's behavior was due to their upbringing, not their species. That is why he was very polite to the two little blonds. If one of them was to sit on the throne of the land of war in the future, it would be better if they remembered elves as good and friendly people, not rude and hostile. If I don't want the Rakians to have prejudices against my race, then I can't give them a reason to, the elf thought.
He told the children about the customs prevailing in his nation. That in his homeland although everyone paid homage to the ruler, each king had to earn the love of his people by himself. He happily shared memories of Aurelion, who in his wisdom filled positions at court according to the skills of his subjects, not their status. He also passed on to them the knowledge that the people, out of love for their ruler, would even attack a horde of monsters. On the other hand, a tyrant, both in war and peace, day and night, in the castle and outside of it, would have to watch over his own life. If they showed kindness to their nation as Aurelion did in the forest of Rasa Sill, they too would gain a society loyal to themselves.
The older of the brothers, named Robert, listened attentively to the elf. He was the one being prepared to wear the crown in the future and had already been instilled in him to absorb wisdom, and not let it slide around his ear. Ares himself would have preferred a great warrior as the future king, but Matiás wanted to leave his legacy to someone who could manage it, rather than to the world's greatest swordsman, who would know nothing about setting taxes, war strategy or conducting diplomatic relations.
Meanwhile, the younger brother, called Nikolas, did not show as much interest in Belakher's stories due to the fact that no one instilled in him the ambition to become a ruler, so that the pretender would not rebel in the future. He was given more time to play than his brother, and his education, although high by modern standards, was poorer in relation to the heir to the throne.
Instead, the boy asked to be shown magic tricks. After all, as an elf, the Landgrave must have known a lot of them. The purple-eyed man froze for a moment when he heard the blond, whose eyes sparkled at the thought that he would see real magic for the first time.
Belakher may have known three spells, which was the limit for most mortals, but none of them were used to provide entertainment. He certainly didn't know any juggling tricks like pulling a coin out from behind his ear or a ball moving between three cups.
He could refuse the boy, but it would probably break his heart knowing that he, the former knight of the forest Rasa Sill, had made a small child cry.
By casting Ghostcrowd he could have killed, or at best maimed half the hall. Leaf of light in that situation would do literally nothing. So only Void remained, that had given a significant part of the palace staff a near-heart attack just a few hours ago.
Landgrave was saved from his predicament not by his patron, but by a jester who had just entered the middle of the hall, beginning his silly dance in a costume full of shiny bells. The comedian did somersaults, cartwheels, arched and twirled on his own head, which gave the long-eared man an idea.
When the jester finished his performance and made some place in the room, Belakher lightly nudged the younger prince's shoulder.