-True evil is antithetical to good; anathema to it.-

Astaroth was in a pleasant mood, so he smiled as he watched his peons scavenge the village from his palanquin. Despite the festivities ending early, he had gained a lot this time. More slaves, resources from this village, land and territory, and even a Warlock.

Due to his undeveloped form, Astaroth’s current abilities were limited, but the power he had accumulated over the millennia still existed. Hundreds of billions of mortal souls were bound to his own by contracts, pacts, and deals; feeding it power. That ocean of energy was always present, even if his current self could only channel as much as a well bucket without breaking.

The idea he had to work around that limitation was to allow warlocks to channel the unused power for him.

Using a human child to test whether he could still create a warlock pact in this state was the correct move. The burden was low enough to be safe, he was able to estimate his limits, and he had turned a useless slave into a valuable pawn. After a day of rest, he estimated that he could forge a pact with a slightly stronger individual as well, such as one of his beasts.

This is by far the fastest way to expand my power here, he applauded himself.

Ah, not that he should bloat his troops with inept warlocks. They ultimately still used his power, so he should always move to get a good return on his investment.

While pondering these things, Astaroth glanced to the side, watching Cassius show off his new mystical powers to his sister, in the name of practice.

Since it was just a boring display of familial love, he didn’t watch for long.

“My prince,” Rahashik trotted over, a thick wooden chair propped up on his green-scaled shoulder, “how do you like this?”

“Hm…” Astaroth stroked his chin and examined the workmanship. “It’s a step above everything else in this filthy place, isn’t it?”

“Do I win?” the lizardfolk hissed his laughter.

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“Yes, you win.”

As something like a game, Astaroth had told his monsters to find something nice to decorate his palanquin with. He would only pick the best out of all the options, and the beast who found it would get their pick of the food tonight. He wasn’t surprised that the clever and food-minded lizardfolk was the winner.

In a moment, the polished wooden chair was situated securely on Astaroth’s palanquin. He tried it out and was reasonably satisfied, though it would suit him better if he were closer to his adult size.

Rather lazily, from atop his petty throne, the Devil asked, “Say, Rahashik, what do you think I should do?”

The lizardfolk blinked “What?”

“Ah, I apologize,” Astaroth chuckled. “I was being vague. My intention is to rise up and claim the Infernal Throne which all the Princes of Hell are fighting for. Yet here I am, in this backwater world on the material plane, away from the fight.”

The monster shrugged, “Then you should find a way to return.”

Astaroth drummed his fingers on the arm of his wooden throne. “And yet, if I do simply return, I’ve done nothing but waste time and fall further behind.”

“Then you should find a way to return while gathering strength here, my prince. More strength than your rivals.”

Astaroth nodded. “Yes, now we’re on the same page. So, Rahashik, how can I exploit this place? How can I grow faster than the other Devil Princes in such a weak land?”

The lizardfolk scratched his scaly cheek. “By pillaging?”

The Prince of Hell chuckled and shook his head. “No, Rahashik, pillaging has its limits. Someone with a short lifespan like you may not realize how vital sustainability becomes, but it is key for an immortal being to secure it in every place possible.”

Astaroth stood up from his throne and walked to the edge of his palanquin, looking out at the vast green plains with a faint smile on his face.

“But, petty though it may be, this is an unclaimed world. And that alone offers one very important thing.”

“And what would that be, my prince?”

Glad for the prompt, the small Devil spread his arms wide, grinning. “Souls! Hundreds of millions of mortal souls!” He laughed and lowered his arms. “And maybe even more than that. If I play my cards right, a world like this can become a gift that keeps on giving. An endless slave farm.”

He turned around and showed a cheeky smile to his lowborn assistant. “Now what do you think I should do, Rahashik?”

Again, the lizardfolk shrugged, this time with his lips pulled back in a nasty grin. “You would need to conquer absolutely everything here, my prince.”

Astaroth nodded with a smile plastered on his face. “Find out about the surrounding towns and villages from the prisoners. And anything else you can gather that’s of use to us. I’ll see what Cassius can tell us myself.”