Ch.167The Demon Lord Belphegor (6)
by fnovelpia
Demon Lord Belphegor (6)
Around the time the hero’s party was battling First.
“Since things have come to this, let’s hear about what kind of person the Demon Lord is.”
Lug, who had been standing blankly in the cave, suddenly muttered.
“Pardon?”
“There’s nothing we can do right now. So wouldn’t gathering information be better than just standing around until we find an answer?”
“Y-yes, that’s true. But when you say information, I’m not sure what to tell you. I can’t reveal His Majesty’s weaknesses or anything like that.”
Seeing Lug boldly demand information about the Demon Lord, Lilith drew a clear line with a sour expression.
She knew that Lug had come to speak with the Demon Lord.
Since he said he would persuade the Demon Lord, she could only believe him.
Wouldn’t that be much better than coming to kill? That was Lilith’s unilateral decision after seeing Belphegor’s seemingly anxious appearance.
Of course, it was inevitable that the emotion of love was sprinkled like seasoning in that judgment.
After all, when you’re blinded by love, you can’t make proper judgments.
“Even simple personal details would be fine. It would be ridiculous to go have a conversation without knowing anything about the other person.”
“Hmm, where should I start? Ah! That’s right. I should definitely start with this story…”
Lilith and Lug naturally sat down with their backs against the cave wall.
Though inwardly displeased at their natural behavior, Tina likewise sat down beside the two.
Right now, Hero Esmeralda was probably fighting while coughing up blood…
But this was clearly important business too, so what could she do?
Tina decided to comply.
“When I was young, I was extremely frail and because of that, I nearly died several times.”
“Given the environment of the demon realm, that must have been difficult for you.”
“Yes, but… Actually, my aunt wasn’t always someone who lived so slothfully.”
Demon Lord Belphegor.
This was the story about the beginning of the woman who came to be known as the Demon Lord of Sloth.
“Perhaps I might be the cause of that slothfulness.”
Lilith said, scratching her cheek.
“Whenever I got sick, my aunt would work incredibly hard for me. There was a time when I thought I was really going to die.”
She would have died originally.
Lilith might not have existed. That’s how precarious her condition was.
“My aunt did absolutely everything to save me. Hehe.”
Lilith smiled as if recalling happy memories.
Belphegor did everything she could to save her.
It was probably then that fragments of her power were revealed. She entered the territories of other races to find medicinal herbs and resolved all the resulting conflicts with force, putting in tremendous effort.
It was no small feat for her to go three days and nights without sleep to save Lilith, and she barely took any rest even sitting down.
“But despite all my aunt’s efforts, I just got up one day as if nothing had happened.”
“…”
“…”
At this unexpected conclusion, Lug and Tina kept their mouths shut. What should they say? They felt like they indirectly understood the cause of Belphegor’s slothfulness.
“She must have felt empty. After doing everything possible with no effect, I suddenly got better. Did she feel betrayed by her efforts? After that day, my aunt started spending more time resting and doing nothing.”
There are many stories of efforts going unrewarded. Belphegor experienced the aftereffects as slothfulness.
That’s what Lilith said.
“No, it might be different.”
However, Lug, who had been listening to the story, shook his head.
It seemed like a casual memory, but it was a story mixed with inner guilt. A happy story but with an unsettling ending that one would rather not mention.
This wasn’t that kind of story.
“The Demon Lord might have realized it then. That you were no longer a child who needed her protection.”
“…”
“So she was able to put down her heavy burden. Wouldn’t it be much better to think of it that way?”
No one knows the truth.
But how you think about it can change your mindset.
Guilt tends to transform into resolve.
Lug was offering a new answer to Lilith’s concern.
“Well… that could be true.”
Lilith buried her face in her knees and smiled broadly at Lug’s words.
She knew it was meant to comfort her, but she couldn’t help feeling happy.
Lilith took a moment to hide her embarrassment by rubbing her face.
With her face half-hidden and flushed red, Lilith continued her story. If the first story was about the cause of Belphegor’s sloth, the next reason revealed an aspect of Belphegor that others couldn’t see.
“My aunt is stupid.”
“…”
It was the kind of statement that would surely hurt Belphegor if she heard it. But Lilith continued matter-of-factly, unconcerned.
“And she’s slothful. To the point where she lies down for about 20 hours a day.”
“Well, I figured as much since she’s called the Demon Lord of Sloth.”
Lilith grumbled that the throne seemed to have become part of Belphegor’s body.
“But she thinks a lot.”
“…”
At this assessment that contradicted her first statement, Lug and Tina remained silent.
They decided to listen until the end since she hadn’t finished speaking.
“To others, it might look like she’s just staring blankly into space, but most of that time she’s thinking about something. My aunt is more careful than you’d expect. Because she’s stupid, she spends more time thinking than others to reach conclusions.”
Lilith’s expression had become serious at some point.
“So when she ordered this expedition, she must have been certain. My aunt may be stupid, but she knows her shortcomings well and is the kind of person who fills those gaps.”
Why the Demon Lord’s army moved now. How Belphegor had anticipated La•Pa’s attack.
It was because she had been thinking much more than others, considering many more possibilities.
She was compensating for her lack of cleverness with time.
Belphegor became the Demon Lord following Lilith’s suggestion. It took five years for her to become the Demon Lord.
But it took less than a year for her to single-handedly conquer the Demon Lord’s army.
That meant she had spent four years quietly reviewing her plans.
And this expedition was the same.
“It’s strange for me to say this when I’ve decided to help you, Lug…”
Lilith said, staring into space with sunken eyes.
“If you underestimate or let your guard down, you’ll die. Most people who have died by my aunt’s hand died that way.”
***
Belphegor, who had disappeared from the demon realm.
She was now in the human world.
And at that…
“Wow, this is really delicious. Is this what they call a feast? Anyway, it’s absolutely divine.”
“I’m glad it suits your taste, Demon Lord Belphegor.”
In the imperial palace at the heart of the human world.
Yes, for Belphegor who had usurped the divine power, crossing spaces was nothing. The reason she hadn’t done so until now was only to draw in beings like La•Pa.
And now that even that was resolved, she had nothing to fear.
Thus, confident in this, Belphegor had caused a commotion in front of the imperial palace, requesting an audience with the Emperor, and having been granted it, she was now invited to this banquet.
“Wow, was pork always this tender and delicious? Demon realm pigs are tough and have a strong smell.”
The sight of Belphegor crunching even the bones gave the impression of someone with poor manners.
“Emperor Belus really is broad-minded, isn’t he? Welcoming me, the king of a country at war with you, so hospitably. I should learn from that magnanimity.”
“We couldn’t turn away someone when dialogue might be possible. I still believe peace with the demon realm is possible, so why not share food and drinks like this?”
“Ah, wonderful! Human world alcohol! It’s a bit weak, but the aroma is excellent.”
Belphegor laughed heartily as she accepted the drink poured by Emperor Belus von Letaria.
“I know that you’ve mobilized your soldiers, Lord Belphegor.”
“Hmm? I suppose so. An empire would have that level of intelligence.”
“Won’t you reconsider? Haven’t you always desired peace with us? We’ve been in continuous dialogue for that purpose.”
“Peace is good. Yes, I wanted that. I’ve always wanted it.”
Belphegor laughed with a “Pahaha!” staggering like someone drunk.
Her eccentric behaviors until now—changing her personal pronouns, pretending to be solemn—were all learned from the Emperor before her.
Rather than learned, it would be more accurate to say she imitated him, but inherently, imitated authority tends to be ridiculous.
Belphegor clicked her tongue as if recalling a bitter experience.
“But what can I do? At this rate, we’ll all die. If we don’t do this, everyone will die, I tell you.”
“…It seems the situation in the demon realm is much worse than I thought.”
“That’s right. We’re literally dying of starvation.”
Belphegor said with a grin.
Emperor Belus nodded at Belphegor’s expression, as if understanding.
“But isn’t war too extreme? We still know too little about each other. I only just learned how dangerous the situation in the demon realm is. But now I know. So can’t we still work to understand each other?”
“Understanding… We don’t have time for such thoughts right now.”
“Then how about this? The Empire will take responsibility for distributing food. If we start with such exchanges, won’t the day come when we understand each other?”
Belphegor listened to the Emperor’s proposal, sprawled across the wide table like someone completely drunk.
Distribution of manpower and food. That way, they could survive in the demon realm.
It sounded considerate and even merciful, but…
“Why do you make sending food to a prison sound so grand?”
Belphegor knew well that it was an attempt to put a leash on them.
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