Ch.81The Demon Lord and Lilith (7)

# The Devil and Lilith (7)

Despite putting on his helmet with grim determination, Extra didn’t immediately attack the hero’s party. This was because the ancient dragon who introduced himself as “Indra” said now wasn’t the time. Apparently, his night vision was poor.

Though deflated after hearing such a mundane reason, Extra had no choice but to silently accept it. His opponent was an ancient dragon, comparable to a Legion Commander after all.

An ancient dragon literally meant an old dragon, and it seemed Indra was even suffering from presbyopia. Rather than forcing things and getting stabbed unnecessarily, it was better to wait until dawn.

“I’ll go for a short walk.”

“You should return before dawn breaks. You need to maintain your setting as a mysterious wild demon who has tamed an ancient dragon.”

“…Not to be rude, but doesn’t that hurt your pride?”

“If it’s Mother’s will, I must bow my head even to a mere beggar.”

“…”

Extra shuddered at such loyalty. It was extreme devotion, different in direction from the Devil’s Army.

He once again recognized the stark differences that existed between dragons, demons, and humans.

“Well, I understand.”

Extra stared uncomfortably at the ancient dragon Indra before fleeing toward the forest.

“Damn it, looks like I’ll be doing another play that’s not in my destiny.”

Extra grumbled while surveying his surroundings. Though the place would be devastated if they fought, checking in advance might reveal escape routes.

It would be good to prepare for contingencies. La•Pa tended to play her cards roughly.

The frightening thing was that despite being discarded like throwaway cards, the dragons still remained loyal to La•Pa.

Wasn’t it with neither popularity nor wisdom, but solely with the symbolism of her existence that she subjugated them all?

In the eyes of such a transcendent being, someone like him would be just another disposable card not worth caring about.

So if he wanted to live, he had no choice but to find his own way out.

“Let’s see… There’s some mud here. If necessary, I could hide here and…”

“You’ve arrived. I’ve been waiting.”

“…”

Extra, who had been stomping on the mud to gauge its depth, swung his spear at the sudden voice.

Clack.

Despite swinging with considerable force, his spear was caught between the other’s fingers.

Extra broke into a cold sweat while looking at the face of his opponent in confusion.

“It’s been a while, Lieutenant Colonel Extra.”

“Lug… No.”

Looking at the man smiling gently at him, Extra grinned and said:

“Should I call you the Ascetic of Capilla? I saw you chatting with the hero just now… I don’t know how you got here.”

The one who greeted him was none other than the hero party’s porter and the Devil Army’s spy.

And the fallen transcendent being whom the world revered as a celestial god.

Lug.

“So? What business do you have with me, Lug?”

“That’s disappointing. We used to eat from the same pot, didn’t we?”

“What same pot? I saw your face fewer days than not in the army.”

“Well… I was infiltrating the hero’s party.”

“Not ‘was infiltrating’ but you’re still infiltrating the hero’s party now.”

“That’s true.”

Lug shrugged and affirmed Extra’s words.

Extra had thought to provoke him, but Lug seemed unbothered.

Extra could be certain of Lug’s current state.

“The Ascetic of Capilla… no, that’s too long. I can just call you Lug, right? Anyway, why did you come looking for me in that form?”

Lug is drawn by the karma of existence.

In fact, the only reason he could move his powers was because of the immense karma accumulated by Legion Commander Eleven.

“I appeared because the weather looks like thunder and lightning will strike.”

“…So you were drawn by that damn ancient dragon.”

An ancient dragon who has lived for countless years.

Even without stealing or cultivating it, how much karma would he have accumulated just by living?

Probably incomparable to most demons.

Lug had opened his eyes just by sensing that energy from afar.

“Then why come to me?”

Shouldn’t you have gone to the ancient dragon?

Extra asked warily, still with his spear tip held by Lug’s fingers.

Seeing Extra’s caution, Lug released his fingers from the spear and said:

“I told you. We used to eat from the same pot.”

“…”

“Lieutenant Colonel. Go back. That’s the only way you’ll survive.”

“Well, well, now this bastard is treating me like an idiot?”

Yes, Extra is a traitor.

More precisely, he was a spy under dragon orders since he first became a soldier.

He’s someone worthy of contempt.

But even such an Extra is still a demon.

He may lose a fight and surrender, but he would never choose to flee out of fear before even fighting.

“What if I don’t go back? Are you going to kill me? But if we fight here, could you explain it away to the hero’s party?”

“You seem to misunderstand. I didn’t come to stop you specifically. I understand your position to some extent. But this is a different matter. The heavenly energy is disturbed. If you intervene, disaster will befall this place.”

“So, you’re worried I might get caught up in unnecessary trouble?”

“Yes.”

“Lug, that means you’re treating me like an idiot. Do I look like a child who needs protection in your eyes?”

“…”

Lug didn’t answer.

He just stared at Extra with blue eyes that resembled the sky.

Yes, Extra finally understood why the celestial god chose to immerse himself in the seven emotions and six desires. At first, he didn’t understand why someone would choose to become foolish, but now he saw the necessity.

“In that state, you can’t understand human hearts. That’s why you immersed yourself in the seven emotions and six desires repeatedly, trying to understand people.”

A celestial god is a being who has transcended the three poisons and seven emotions and six desires.

The first thing such a being did upon descending again was to re-immerse himself in the seven emotions and six desires he had abandoned to ascend.

A celestial god is a deity who saves the world, a miracle-giver.

What was needed for such judgment was humanity. How could one understand if they see different things when looking at the same scenery?

“…That’s right. Even with a little use of power, I’m quickly consumed by my status. That’s why I play the fool, hiding the enlightenment I’ve gained.”

“Then you must be full of that transcendent’s sense of chosen people now.”

“You’re wrong.”

Lug answered firmly to Extra’s sarcastic remark.

“It’s because I consider you a superior worthy of respect. That’s why I don’t want you to come to harm.”

“Now I see. It wasn’t me you were treating like an idiot, but yourself. Even in that state, can’t you assess the situation? Are you stupid?”

He had used Lug.

It would be more accurate to say he used Lug to create a situation and divert attention, rather than deliberately letting himself be beaten by the hero to save Lug.

If Lug still thought of that day as a sacrifice, it would be truly pitiful.

“I know. That you used me to escape from the army. That you captured Legion Commander Five at the magic tower.”

“…”

But Lug’s answer chilled Extra to the bone.

They met here. A superior he thought was dead is alive. And in league with the dragon clan.

Just thinking about that, one could tell he was a traitor.

But he couldn’t know about capturing Legion Commander Five.

Not “defeated” but “captured.”

The difference between these two is stark.

“You are a person worthy of respect. The fact that you kept Legion Commander Five alive when you could have killed her proves it. That must be because of the affection you still have for her, right?”

“…”

Legion Commander Five.

The woman who should have died is still alive.

None other than Lug would know this. There was no trace of Five’s karma being consumed by Extra.

If he had killed her, he would have inherited that enormous karma.

But he didn’t. While traces of their connection remained, there was no trace of killing karma.

Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Extra had never taken a life.

Not even once until now.

“I don’t judge you solely by your actions that day when you moved the operation team to rescue me. It was your life in the army, brief as it was, that made me think you were worthy of respect.”

How difficult must it have been to rise to that position in the army without killing anyone or letting anyone die?

Extra cared for demon lives more than any other demon.

As if he couldn’t bear to see anyone die, he was someone who risked danger to head to the battlefield to save his subordinates.

Some might curse him for betraying demons and siding with dragons, but at least one person should have considered why he made such a choice.

And Lug was that person.

“I don’t want someone like you to die meaninglessly in a place like this.”

“Now I understand.”

Extra clicked his tongue at Lug’s gentle admonishment, as if he were a teacher.

Today was a day of many realizations.

“So that’s why they sent you from the army to the outside, to the hero’s party.”

Lug is good.

He trusts people excessively.

He seeks to see goodness rather than ugliness, and looks at the pain one must have endured to reach an action rather than the evil deed itself.

Though called a transcendent being, his vision is narrower than anyone’s.

He doesn’t think about groups against groups but solely sees the person before him.

So contradictions arise in his actions. Isn’t he a fool who ends up supporting both sides?

‘And in this world, such people tend to die early. In this damn world, these unnecessarily good and stupid ones are the first to die.’

That’s why a being with the status and power of a celestial god was backstabbed by his own believers.

That’s why he threw himself into the army unarmed, saying he would “talk” with the Devil without considering the worst-case scenario.

La•Pa was right.

If such a Lug were to face Belphegor, he would only die a dog’s death.

“You have no right to discuss dog deaths. So go back, wash your feet, and get some sleep. I’ll be there shortly.”

And so the good-natured Extra dismissed Lug.

Unlike Lug who saw the trees, he was a person who lived looking at the forest that would someday be complete.