Ch.70Transcenders (1)

    # The Transcendents (1)

    Before everything was resolved.

    That is, what happened at the ruins.

    Lug met Mara-papiyas and showed his explicit displeasure at that time.

    Perhaps feeling hurt by Lug’s attitude, Mara-papiyas sighed and said,

    “To say that all of this was my doing is quite an unfair assumption, no matter how you look at it.”

    A girl who pretended to be ordinary.

    A shadowy figure who gathered information and operated covertly using the <Eye of Truth>.

    “I merely adapted to the situation. Isn’t the real cause of all this your naivety rather than me?”

    Papiyas sneered at Lug, who was looking at her with disgust.

    “And in a way, it’s correct to say that I’m helping you. Because you’re so stubborn. If you run your mouth to the current Demon Lord without any power, like you did before me in the past, you’ll end up dead.”

    “That’s not for you to judge. You know that.”

    “Know? Well, if you put it that way, I suppose I don’t know. I can’t possibly know.”

    She knew well what kind of person stood before her.

    Someone who doesn’t yield to violence and doesn’t bend his beliefs even when his life is in danger.

    It must have been because of such firm convictions that he reached a place far beyond her and saw something there.

    “You never told me a word about what you saw when you climbed ‘up there.’ So I don’t know. But, because you didn’t like what you saw there, you came back ‘down here’ and received the three poisons and five defilements from me, didn’t you?”

    “……”

    “Don’t glare at me like that. I was merely keeping what you had discarded and abandoned for your transcendence. I have no intention of returning it now. And…”

    Mara-papiyas was an evil deity.

    She was one who kicked away ladders, actively hindering those who tried to climb to higher positions than herself.

    But what if there was someone who surpassed her despite her interference?

    Weak, unremarkable, and powerless.

    What if a being no different from a child had surpassed a dragon through sheer mental strength alone?

    And what if the one who had trampled over her to climb up then asked her for a favor to come back down?

    “It was quite enjoyable for me to watch you fall from grace of your own accord.”

    She gladly granted that request. She even gave him the title that had originally been hers.

    Because she wanted to watch his struggle. Because she wanted to see the results of that foolish choice.

    So she paid a great price and pulled down the transcendent.

    For the sake of one who immersed himself in the five defilements to sully his purity, she entrusted him with the evil karma she had accumulated.

    “And… ascetic of Capilla, this is no longer a matter that concerns only you. It has now become something that involves me as well.”

    Yes, that’s why she decided to help. So that he wouldn’t die stupidly trying to uphold his beliefs. So that he could build power befitting those beliefs.

    Using Extra to forcibly infiltrate him from the Demon Lord’s army into the hero’s party. Feeding him the karma that others had accumulated to grow his existence.

    “That idiot born from your mistake has become a monster that even I can’t handle.”

    It was because the already powerful current Demon Lord Belphegor had now gained power beyond anyone’s control.

    ***

    The center of the demon realm.

    The Demon Lord’s castle, Pigritia.

    At the regular Demon Lord’s army meeting. Belphegor, who had attended despite finding it bothersome, was sprawled on her throne as usual.

    But what was different from usual was that she looked quite displeased.

    “So, not only did you lose, but you also ran away like a coward?”

    Twelve… no, Haona had nothing to say even if he had ten mouths.

    Wasn’t it truly a shameful defeat?

    Not only had he lost, but he had also begged the enemy for mercy and fled.

    If she decided to execute him for that reason, there was nothing he could do.

    Haona had returned to the Demon Lord’s castle with that possibility in mind.

    ‘If I die, so be it. But if I can survive, I can look for another chance…!’

    Even if it meant being a coward, he would survive.

    For that reason, Haona maintained a dignified demeanor.

    Even if one wants to survive by being servile, one shouldn’t show such behavior before the Demon Lord.

    Haona knew how chaotic Belphegor’s personality was.

    It had been that way until just recently.

    A being who prioritized personal feelings over rules and regulations.

    She acted like a child, true to her appearance. Rather than irritating her, it was better to remain dignified, even if it seemed insufficient.

    “Ha…!”

    And Belphegor let out a hollow laugh at Haona, who was looking directly at her without avoiding her gaze.

    As Haona had expected, his dignified demeanor was able to somewhat suppress Belphegor’s anger.

    “Ha…! Look at yourself. To return in such a state, you must have found me quite amusing.”

    She was thinking of forgiving Haona with a generous heart.

    Of course, there would be some scolding.

    If she didn’t do at least that much, the hierarchy would be shaken.

    Yes, this was the moment to show the image of a king with experience.

    She attempted to change her form of address, which she had sealed away for a long time, but…

    “…Honestly, I did.”

    “Huh…?”

    Haona was perceptive, but unfortunately, he couldn’t recognize that part.

    “And honestly, I still don’t quite understand. Actually, I only lost to the hero’s party, so I don’t know…”

    “What the hell?”

    So the hero’s party isn’t amusing, but I am?

    Belphegor was so angry she was speechless as she grabbed Haona by the collar. Due to her small stature, Haona was being pulled down rather than up…

    ‘Why? Didn’t Her Majesty prefer honesty and dignity!’

    He hadn’t acted pathetically like before. He hadn’t interrupted her words, nor had he clung to decisions; he had simply stated the facts plainly and honestly.

    But even with such insight, there was something he didn’t know.

    ‘Insubordination? Is this guy also being insubordinate? No, really…’

    Belphegor’s sky-high self-esteem could tolerate others being insulted but not herself.

    Was she really that amusing?

    She knew she lacked the dignity of a Demon Lord.

    But how could she tolerate being mocked every time she changed her first-person pronoun?

    “Ten!”

    “…Yes? Me?”

    Belphegor, who had been glaring at Haona as if she would kill him, suddenly turned her head and called for Ten, the 10th Legion Commander.

    “What do you think of me?”

    She had made a somewhat rational deduction. Following Eleven, Twelve… no, Haona also seemed to look down on her.

    For some reason, feeling that the lower-ranked legion commanders were looking down on her, Belphegor called for Ten, who could be considered next in line.

    They had something in common: they weren’t present when Leviathan was pulled down.

    Yes, they didn’t know how powerful Belphegor really was.

    “What do you think of me? Speak honestly.”

    Of course, if he honestly said he found her amusing, Belphegor had no intention of forgiving him.

    She had told him to speak honestly, not that she would forgive him if he did.

    And Legion Commander Ten was a socially aware person who could clearly recognize that point.

    “O-Of course, Lug is special! Lug is an extremely special being.”

    “No, what’s with this guy now?”

    But the most important part was the difference in perception.

    There was a huge gap between the “me” (first-person) that Belphegor was thinking of and the “Lug” (idiot) that the legion commanders were thinking of.

    In such a situation, Legion Commander Ten’s formal words trying to deify the idiot led directly to insubordination.

    ‘Why is this guy referring to himself as “me”? Is he really being insubordinate?’

    Even for her, Belphegor was so astonished by the answer that exceeded her imagination that she forgot to be angry.

    Belphegor’s gaze swept over Haona, Ten, and the other legion commanders one by one.

    As the legion commanders began to feel that something was going wrong and tensed up under her chillingly cold gaze…

    “I guess I’ve been too lenient. Yes, that wasn’t like me.”

    Whoosh!

    Belphegor, though lazy and prone to mistakes, had intended to make an effort as their sovereign.

    But did she need to tolerate being mocked like this?

    She was a demon with a different temperament from Haona, who had endured being bullied during his school days.

    Except for her own kind, she was not a being who showed mercy.

    “Yes, it seems an example was needed.”

    The meeting hall was instantly engulfed in blue flames. In an atmosphere where even breathing was cautious, the Demon Lord, Belphegor, reached out her hand toward Haona.

    “Your Majesty! Please wait a moment!”

    But there was someone who broke through Belphegor’s intimidating presence and intervened.

    “Lieutenant General Lilith.”

    “Could you… could you spare Commander Haona?”

    Belphegor withdrew her hand that had been reaching toward Haona at the sight of Lilith.

    Though she was furious to the tips of her hair, she wouldn’t go so far as to kill one of her own kind.

    If anything, her feelings were closer to the sorrow of not being recognized.

    Once her emotions were checked, they cooled down instantly like burnt ashes.

    “Why?”

    Belphegor had already lost all interest. Her sense of ennui was eating away at her life at a rapid pace without her knowing.

    “…I believe there is a more suitable punishment for him. For instance, having him handle troublesome tasks within the legion… Wouldn’t it be better to reinstate him as a legion commander and put him to work?”

    As Belphegor was already losing interest in Haona’s disposition, Lilith, though rambling, clearly stated what she wanted to say.

    For her, it was a plea to restore Haona to his original position before she died from being overwhelmed with work, but the one being defended couldn’t help but think differently.

    “Sob…”

    Haona had cowardly relied on Lilith, but Lilith had risked danger to offer advice to Belphegor to save him.

    Considering that Belphegor had childlike standards and an unpredictable personality, Lilith was also in considerable danger.

    ‘I will definitely repay this kindness…’

    Just as Haona was shedding tears and feeling moved by Lilith, and the Demon Lord Belphegor was sitting back on her throne with a bored expression…

    ‘So this was for this purpose…’

    ‘As expected of someone of the Demon Lord’s bloodline. Is everyone in the Manmata clan like this? No, even so, to think she would dare such a gamble.’

    The other legion commanders inwardly sighed at the situation, which was no different from Lilith taking Haona under her wing.

    “Very well, I’ll do as you say. Haona, from today, you are reinstated as Twelve, the legion commander.”

    “Sob! Waaah! Sob! Sob! Thank! Thank you! Your Majesty!”

    The Demon Lord’s army meeting fell into silence.

    Now, only the ugly crying of a middle-aged man echoed through the hall.


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