The intervention did not arrive as punishment.
It arrived as clarity.
In the southern continent, the council's device pulsed again—quiet, confident. Reality bent just enough to favor their decisions. Accidents avoided them. Rivals failed conveniently. Records rewrote themselves in subtle ways.
They smiled.
"It works," one whispered. "The Demon King doesn't interfere."
That was the lie's final form.
---
Inside the tower, the Demon King watched the distortion settle.
"Begin," he said.
The tower answered.
Not with force.
With exposure.
---
The device's influence spread outward—and then reflected.
Outcomes amplified instead of hidden.
A diverted aid convoy vanished from records entirely, leaving towns starving without explanation. A falsified succession produced an heir no one recognized. The mage experiment stabilized briefly—then collapsed in public view, injuring no one but revealing everything.
Confusion followed.
Not fear.
Accountability.
---
Elowen watched, tense. "You're not stopping them."
"No," the Demon King replied. "I'm letting the truth finish the work."
The assistant nodded slowly. "They cannot accuse gods. Or fate."
"Only themselves," the Demon King said.
---
The council met in panic.
"Something's wrong!"
"Our protections—"
"—are showing everything!"
They tried to shut the device down.
It refused.
The tower had mirrored its logic perfectly.
Cause.
Effect.
No cover.
---
Across the continent, people demanded answers.
Documents surfaced.
Witnesses spoke.
The lie collapsed under its own weight.
The council dissolved within a day.
No executions.
No divine fire.
Just exposure.
---
The observer noted the result.
INTERVENTION TYPE: NON-DESTRUCTIVE
OUTCOME: STABILIZING
Interest adjusted.
---
Elowen exhaled shakily. "That was… gentle."
The Demon King looked at the world.
"Education is," he replied.
The tower dimmed back to passive observation.
The lesson had been delivered.
And the world learned something new.
Freedom did not mean invisibility.
It meant responsibility.