The DDS Volume 3　　　　　　Chapter 1 No4　

That night.

This is Nagatacho, where the National Diet Building is located and is the center of Japanese politics.　

The sound of crickets is surrounding the eight-story building adjacent to the official residence of the Senate President.

The private office of Mr. Ota, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Party, was on the second floor of the building.

“Mr. Ota, this is a unique opportunity to pass a Peace Preservation law in the name of countermeasures against the devil. I ask you to persuade our party and the opposition.”

Isomura, an influential politician, said in a thick voice.

“Just do what you want., I don’t care.”

Ota responded with an apathetic attitude. His breath was smelling strong of whisky and faint smell of something rotten.

 With the help of Apeps the viper, released by Set, Ota has beaten down many of his political rivals.　

But ironically, when Ota assassinated Foreign Minister Hamano, his biggest rival for the prime minister's post, he himself was possessed by Apeps.

Although after Set died, Apeps’ activities weakened. However, anyone possessed by Apeps would sooner or later be poisoned and die.

The decomposing corpse of Foreign Minister Hamano has been burning into Ota's eyes.

Ota's mental toughness in clinging to his position as secretary-general despite the fear of death is rather admirable.

However, in the past few days, Ota could not help but admit that his ambition was beginning to fade.

 “Mr. Ota, listen seriously！"

Isomura bang his fist on the reception table. The impact shook the whiskey glass.

“Hamano and Fujita are dead!　You think you're next Prime Minister, even if you keep quiet, but you're naive.

If you don't show any willingness, Prime Minister Nakauchi intends to serve another term as prime minister himself.

If my faction backs him up, Minister Kanomata, who was Hamano's partner, could become prime minister too!"

While appearing to be excited, Isomura was casually promoting himself. Politicians are indeed devious creatures.

Ota, however, without saying anything turns his clouded eyes to the darkness outside the window.

Seeing Ota like this, Isomura also seemed to lose his motivation.

“You look tired," he said. “Now that the devil is gone, why don't you take rest for the time being?”

Isomura left his seat with a sarcasm.

As Ota listened to his footsteps moving away, “The devil is gone?　What nonsense! They are actually possessing me! “

Ota, who had finished his glass of whiskey in one gulp, heard a regular tapping sound on the glass window.

He turned his head suspiciously then he saw a white dove was perched on the outer frame of the window even in the middle of the night.

Its two red eyes are staring intently at Ota.

Ota got up from his seat and opened the window.

But instead of flying away, the dove entered the room and clung to Ota's face as if to make fun of him.

“Damn it!"

Ota staggered, grabbed his whiskey glass, and tried to hit the dove with it. But,

"Quiet, if you don't want to die." The white dove landed on the table and emitted a human voice from its tiny beak.　

“Oh, you devil!"

Ota's kneecaps were beginning to tremble, despite his bravado.

“Don't worry. I've come to save you.”

The dove stared at Ota and said in a muffled voice.

“Save me?”

Ota leaned forward toward the dove, it suddenly soared up, dipped its toenails into Ota's protruding belly and thrusted its beak deeply into his chest.

“Aargh!”

Ota screams, unable to move.　

After a while, the white dove pulled out its beak and showed Ota an Apep. It was a small snake with its head bitten off and its body wriggling in dove’s mouth.

The dove swallows the snake, and without a moment's pause, it plucks another Apep out of Ota's throat.

Ota slumped to the floor in shock. But there was no trace of the screwed-in beak, anywhere on his body.

“How long are you going to slump to there in shock?"

The dove spoke arrogantly from the table.

“I suppose I should say…thank you.　

Ota patted his throat, where the Apep was lurking a moment ago. and muttered in a muffled voice,

"If you are feeling grateful to me, You should work for me from now on.

Ota, realizing that this dove has frightening power, thought for a moment, then asked in a mumbled whisper.

“What do you want me to do?"

““All you have to think about to became Prime Minister and to strengthen your political power. I’ll give you instructions as needed.”

“Who…who are you?”

“I’m not a devil. I’m a messenger of God.”

The reverberations of the white dove's voice as it flew off into the darkness were muffled by the sound of crickets streaming in through the open window.