Under these circumstances, Bel's pressure became immense. As mentioned before, although Bel was the Archduke of Avernus, his position was actually extremely awkward. He had no allies in Baator, and his archduke title was only temporary. In truth, he was merely a Pit Fiend and did not possess the authority of a demon archduke.
All of this made him understand that the Blood War was the foundation of his position. Only by winning victory after victory in the Blood War could he ensure that his status would never be threatened.
Unfortunately, the situation was moving in the opposite direction. He was losing the advantage upon which he depended for survival. In the Blood War, the devil army he commanded was inevitably slipping into a disadvantage. This made Bel extremely anxious.
But only anxious. If this had happened in the past, Bel would probably have gone mad with panic by now. But now...
Ever since he had obtained the means of "redemption" from Mystra, the importance of the Blood War had steadily declined. It was not quite dispensable, but it was no longer everything he had. He had already obtained what he had dreamed of.
The true title of Archduke of Avernus!
When he received it, Bel had once believed it was a conspiracy, because the deal was far too pointed. Just as he was preparing to attack Malcanthet, someone suddenly came to him with a method of "redemption," demanding that he change targets and not attack Malcanthet.
Such an obvious implication made Bel suspect, for a time, that it was Malcanthet's scheme. Yet according to the rules of the Abyss and Baator, demons and devils could not conduct private transactions. That left Bel deeply puzzled.
Puzzled as he was, his desire for the title of Archduke of Avernus still made