Chapter 70 – The Hero (Not) Always Arrives Fashionably Late

“Ugh… arrgh!”

The skin on his face tore, blood gushing out. But Belled didn’t have a moment to clutch his face.

He had to live. To survive, he had to roll. There wasn’t even time to run, or fly, or anything else.

Even a graze from that kick meant death. So Belled grit his teeth and rolled, and rolled, and rolled.

But he didn’t know. This wasn’t even his own evasive maneuver, but the very thing his opponents desired.

“Hah!”

Barely managing to stand, Belled was greeted by the sight of two demons literally ‘halved and quartered.’

One was a specialist in regeneration and recovery, the other a master of absorption. Yet they’d met their end without even a chance to try anything.

“Hagenti! Harpas! Get up! Get up!”

Their bodies were split in two, but maybe if he stuck them back together…

Or maybe if he shared some of his power, they could eat it and revive!

So desperate he’d forgotten all semblance of reality, Belled reached for the four pieces of the two demons.

“Ugh… urgh…!”

But they didn’t budge. He gritted his teeth, exerting all his strength, but they didn’t move an inch.

How hard had they been jammed in there?! They weren’t even there to begin with!

“Guh… huff…!”

No. It was impossible. He couldn’t pull them out. It was beyond his capabilities.

What kind of situation was this? It was really happening, which made it even more terrifying, more frightening. Downright horrifying.

It was a laughable thing to say, a demon being scared. But what could he do? This was reality!

‘This… this is a nightmare. Goddamn it. There’s no way this is real. Right. This is all just…’

A dream. But how could it be? He remembered crossing the threshold so clearly. His whole body ached like it was being torn apart.

Hahaha. Hahahahaha. Just as Belled was erupting in disbelieving laughter, Deus emerged from behind him, sauntering casually.

He strolled along, looking for all the world like he was out for a leisurely stroll. The truth was, he had just survived a rather fierce battle, yet remained disconcertingly composed.

It was precisely that which sparked even greater terror, and galvanized Belebred’s survival instinct. He desperately decided to throw everything he had into his next gambit.

“Le-let’s make a deal! Dawn! Trumpet!”

“…”

“I’ll spill everything I know! Every last bit!”

“…”

Silence. And the distance closing, closing. To Belebred, it looked as if Death itself was coming, jaws agape.

“I, I am! Do you even know who I am?! I am Belebred! One of the top ten devils of Hell! That means I can offer a great many services!”

“…”

“What do you want? Information? Cooperation? Or perhaps a guide? Name it! I can do it! I can do anything!”

It seemed impossible he’d get an answer. ‘Go on, prattle away. I have no intention of listening,’ his opponent seemed to be saying.

“Grant me, grant me the same chance as Zagan! That is…”

“Ah. Now, this is something we need to address promptly.”

Misunderstandings should be cleared up quickly, after all. It was simply too unfair to bear.

Deus nodded repeatedly, correcting the devil’s misapprehension.

“That devil friend of yours, Zagan.”

“Yes! Zagan!”

“That friend didn’t say a single word. In fact, he made a rather splendid exit.”

For a first boss, he’d carried himself ‘boss-like’ enough. He hadn’t debased himself begging for his life, nor had he resorted to cowardly tricks.

He’d simply faced him head-on, and when defeat came, he accepted it cleanly, plunging his head into the ground. He’d even complimented his embarrassing introduction.

It was the least he could do, out of respect for that admirable display. Even if they were enemies, he couldn’t abide the innocent being mistaken for a traitor. How could he bear it?

“B-but then… how, how could *you* possibly know all of this…?”

Did he really need to explain that too? A smile touched Deus’s lips.

Then, gently stroking Belebred’s head, which was still spouting pleas for his life, he said,

“Sorry, but you’re out of luck. If I keep letting bosses live, it’ll be a headache later on, and what will people think of me if I let the devil who trashed the Imperial Palace walk free?”

So let’s have a nice farewell. Don’t worry. It’ll be over quickly.

Deus retracted his hand from Belebred’s head and slowly clenched it into a fist.

*

At the same time. Somewhere in the Empire.

“…Mmm.”

Astaroth, sprawled haphazardly in his seat, sat up. He scratched his disheveled hair absently, then tilted his head.

“It’s not mealtime yet, Lord.”

The man working diligently beside him clicked his tongue.

“That’s not it.”

“Aren’t you hungry, Lord? There’s no other reason for you to awaken, is there?”

“What do you take me for, some kind of pig? I’m not gluttonous, you know.”

“True enough, I suppose. So, what is it?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Astaroth finally spoke.

“Belebred’s aura… it’s gone.”

“Already?”

“Yeah. Vanished less than an hour after waltzing in.”

Does that even make sense? This is Beled, not just anyone. That devil who’s all about putting on airs, but scrambles to save his own skin if things get hairy?

“Reports say Hagenti and Halphas’s auras disappeared less than thirty minutes ago.”

“Right.”

“And now you’re saying Beled’s gone the same way.”

“Seems so.”

The man stared blankly at Astaroth for a moment before cautiously asking,

“Even after all this, you still plan on fighting that human. No, that monster?”

“….”

“I hesitate to say this, but I have to. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“Watch your tongue.”

“No, it’s beyond needing a warning, this is ridiculous. This is seriously not it.”

The monster had demolished their carefully selected demonic lineup with a smile.

Thanks to him, all the energy they’d gathered had scattered into nothing, and their plan to cross over to this world was completely and utterly wrecked.

Now they’d have to go back to sending beasts again, but would that even be possible in a place where that human was?

The devils are finished, the man muttered, but Astaroth seemed unconcerned.

Instead, she chuckled and stretched out her stiff limbs.

“I think this is becoming more interesting.”

“Did you sneak something extra into your dinner last night?”

“You made it, shouldn’t you know?”

“Well, I seem to be normal, so there’s nothing wrong with the food.”

With a sigh, the man tried one last time to dissuade his mistress.

That monster. At least the man could be trusted. He did manage to save them through the conditions he laid out. And they’d been behaving themselves since then.

But in the end, they were still devils. The masters of the puppets that had been invading this world for decades.

They weren’t going to get a good reception. People would be wary and try to kill them, thinking it was another trick.

And if they tried, they were sure to die this time.

“I know. That’s why I’ve been thinking about it.”

“If you’ve been thinking, then you must have an answer. So what’s the conclusion?”

The man already knew what her answer would be. He was part of Astaroth, after all.

But he asked one more time, hoping against hope that she might have changed her mind.

“Hagenti defeated, Halphas subdued. And now Beled too. Is this even possible? Hmm? I can’t remember anyone showing this kind of power so quickly except the King.”

“You forgot Zagan.”

“Ah. Right, him too. Anyway.”

Heeheehee. Astaroth straightened up from where she was lying and continued.

“Let’s go.”

“Go where, all of a sudden?”

“Where else? To the place those lower lifeforms… no, let’s not use that term anymore. Humans? Yeah. The place humans made to control… what was it? This ability? That man is there, right?”

“From what I’ve gathered, it’s called the Cradle.”

The Cradle? Yeah, the Cradle. Hmm. The naming sense is a little tacky. Humans have no aesthetic sense.

Even while grumbling, Astaroth finished saying, “Yeah. Right there.”

“Either way, now, I won’t be walking into anything good back there. And if that’s me, it’s you too. You’re the one who leaked the intel, so we’re both just screwed.”

“…No argument there.”

“Which means we need to figure out how to survive right here. And from my perspective, the best way is to fully exploit the fact that we *are* demons.”

The man looked at Astaroth, as if needing more explanation.

“Teach them about demons. In excruciating detail.”

“A proper betrayal, I see.”

“Let’s call it jumping ship. Our ship’s about to sink, and this one has some kind of insane monster onboard. And honestly, this is kind of your fault, isn’t it?”

With nothing to say, the man simply rose from his seat, resigned.

Truth be told, he’d already mapped out all the routes to the Cradle, sensing things might go this way.

“But if that’s all there is, it feels… insufficient.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just teaching them about demons won’t prove Lord Astaroth’s usefulness. We need something more.”

“More? Like what? Spit it out!”

Seems like he’s not inclined to think it over himself. The man sighed and offered his opinion.

“A guide to Hell, for example. Show them how to open the doors.”

*