Chapter 76 – Even Heroes Have to Take Tests

Rewind time, one day prior.

“Hmm?”

He who defected to the Empire, becoming both a demon and an Imperial citizen. He who also earned a name: Jarvis.

He was currently occupying a temporary position as a Cradle affiliate, preparing for his new life here.

Then he discovered something: final exams were fast approaching.

‘Exams, huh.’

At first, he didn’t know what to make of it. After all, Hell had no such thing as exams. No, to be more precise, Hell didn’t even have educational institutions like the Cradle, so it was only natural.

But Jarvis soon grasped and absorbed everything, as befitting his purpose.

He was originally born for Astaroth’s sake, and afterwards, as his name bestowed by Deus implied, he had lived for others more than himself. So this act of learning was, perhaps, simply instinct.

And a short time later, Jarvis learned several very important facts.

Firstly, these exams were far more complex and difficult than he had imagined, and students who failed to achieve the required grades would be penalized.

And secondly, even a being as fearsome as Deus seemed incredibly reluctant when it came to these exams.

‘If I play my cards right, I could accomplish something extraordinary here.’

Needless to say, this wasn’t about exploiting Deus’s weakness or anything like that.

Weaknesses were only exploitable when dealing with someone you could handle. Seizing the weakness of a being against whom resistance was futile would only give them a reason to cut your throat.

First, gather information. Then, combine it to predict what the other party might find tempting.

If that calculation seemed right, move on to the next step. And the next step was a gift for the other party.

“Here, they call beasts ‘monsters.’ If you understand demons, you’ll understand more about how to raise those monsters.”

“Gathering energy is incredibly difficult, but demons will find new methods. And they may return someday.”

“If you were to advise Deus-nim to spend his precious time honing the Cradle’s students rather than on exams, wouldn’t that be what the Empire calls ‘killing two birds with one stone’?”

Deus looked ready to storm into Hell at any moment, but for now, the means were still distant.

The act of opening a gate from their side and opening one from this side were entirely different.

The energy required was different to begin with. Finding a new method would take Jarvis alone at least a few months. And that was the shortest possible estimate.

In the meantime, the gates would continue to open, and the monsters would continue to invade.

Even though it wouldn’t be as bad as before, energy would continue to accumulate in the process. And if that happened, demons could infiltrate this side before anyone could go to Hell.

‘The demons know now. A clash with the Trumpet of Dawn is a guaranteed defeat. If there’s a next time, they’ll try to cross over as secretly as possible and stick to hit-and-run tactics.’

From Jarvis’s perspective, only a tiny number of people in the Empire, aside from Deus, could resist the demons.

If, for any reason, Deus wasn’t there and others had to take his place, the Cradle’s teachings alone would be woefully inadequate.

Jarvis, who came from Hell and was a demon himself, mentioned this to the Imperial high command.

Since the crisis wasn’t over yet, shouldn’t Deus be put to more productive use?

Since he was guaranteed to become a gifted one anyway, wouldn’t it be better to raise the level of the other students instead of worrying about the Cradle’s grades?

If someone else had said this, it might have sounded strange. But who was Jarvis?

He’s no man. A devil. And if that devil said such things, anyone in the Empire would just nod and accept it. “Is that so? Maybe it’s true? If the devil says it, it must be possible.”

‘If I’m switching sides, I need to do it right. Which means, to live comfortably in this Empire, I need to get close to the trumpet that blares at dawn. To Deus.’

All decisions in the Empire flowed from the Emperor’s lips, they said. Deus was just a student still.

But in terms of military might, he was the highest one could reach in the Empire. And, as Jarvis saw it, all conversations eventually came down to ‘power.’

Better to burden him with a debt of the heart, not a weakness. Forge at least a small favor.

That way, wouldn’t Astharoth and himself be seen in a slightly better light? When problems arose, instead of immediately cutting them off, wouldn’t he offer a cover?

And so, he informed Deus of the accomplishments he’d achieved, and the result was, predictably…

“Jarvis.”

“Yes, Lord Deus.”

“I want you to continue working with me.”

“It would be nothing but an honor.”

Though but a fragment of Astharoth, he was still a devil. And a devil, by definition, was skilled at finding and expanding their own means of survival.

*

“…That b*stard, he was always so glum around me, but look at him now, living it up? Ha! I’m speechless!”

Lately, Astharoth had been feeling a pang of loneliness, forcing a sigh to escape his lips.

That fellow who had been with him for so long. The part of himself who had received the name Jarvis here.

The one who had served him faithfully, handling all sorts of matters, was now constantly absent.

Not completely gone, but to say he was less frequent than before wouldn’t cut it.

And the one Jarvis was now stuck to like glue was none other than Deus. Yes. *That* Deus.

The one who subdued this body, the one whose strength even in Hell ranked among the best, as if snapping a child’s wrist; that man, more devilish than any devil.

‘Hoo. Not like I can go and confront him.’

He knew. He knew why Jarvis was doing it. Perhaps even this was all for his sake.

That, in the current situation, Jarvis could achieve more than Astharoth, and through that, somehow prove the usefulness of both of them, preventing a fate of being used and discarded.

Deus would keep his promises. He was that kind of man. A man who stood by his words.

But the Empire? Even a few gathered together would backstab each other for personal gain. And with millions making up this Empire, the chances of that were even greater.

“Um. Is there a problem? Are we, are we starting soon…?”

In the meantime, Yurisiah, who had been watching Astharoth’s displeasure from a while ago, opened her mouth.

She wanted to be like Deus, but the reality was that she was still afraid of devils and monsters. However, she was trying to overcome it, so this kind of reaction was only natural.

“…”

Astharoth looked at Yurisiah briefly, then decided to do something different today instead of training.

He had already pushed her like crazy for the past few days, and she was a human, not a devil like himself.

If he treated her too harshly, she could suffer irreparable damage, so Jarvis had repeatedly stressed the importance of moderating.

‘Though Deus, that man, told me to push her hard.’

Just like Jarvis, he wanted to live here for a long time. Or rather, he wanted to keep his head on his shoulders.

If any signs of him being disliked started to show, Deus’s terrifying fist would eventually come knocking.

“Sit.”

“Is this some kind of seated training?”

“Just sit down. Human.”

“Well, I’m… half elf….”

Elves now, huh? Truly, this world was a strange one. Humans who weren’t quite human, and beings who were half human and half something else. At least things wouldn’t be boring.

“You, I mean. Your name is, uh… what was it? Yu something.”

“Yurisia.”

“Ugh! Too long!”

“Well… your name is longer than mine…”

“Too much hassle, can’t I shorten it? Yuri would be fine, I think. What do you say?”

He’s already giving me a nickname without even asking if it’s okay. Of course, Yurisia wasn’t the type to retort with, ‘I’d rather not?’ so she simply nodded.

“The training for today, well. It’s just a way to kill time.”

“Pardon?”

“Killing time. Literally, not doing anything and just blathering on.”

“H-how is that training?!”

“You really don’t get it. You think just pushing yourself every day makes you stronger? Only a monster could do that, a *monster*. Even *I* believe in taking a day off after a day’s work, y’know?”

If Jarvis had been next to Astaroth, he would’ve said, ‘That’s because *you’re* lazy, Lord Astaroth. And, might I add, you do *nothing* but breathe for at least three days after working for one.’

“You, I mean. Why are you in such a rush?”

“A rush?”

“You’re walking on thin ice right now, as far as I can tell. Push yourself any harder, and you might shatter instead of growing.”

“Pushing myself to the limit… increases that limit…”

“You’ve got to do it in moderation, *moderation*.”

Tsking, Astaroth stared at Yurisia before cautiously opening his mouth.

“What’s the story? What’s driving you like this? Can you tell me?”

“…No.”

“Why? What is it? You’re just making me more curious.”

“I… I’d rather not say.”

Yurisia refused, but a demon’s interest only intensifies when rejected.

Unaware of this, she kept deflecting, so Astaroth’s questions naturally became more blatant.

Finally, unable to endure it any longer, Yurisia involuntarily raised her voice, just a little.

“It’s… because of my mother!”

“Your mother? Why?”

“My mother… My mother was… k-killed by monsters…”

“…Oh.”

Even for Astaroth, even for a demon, this much was understandable.

Her mother was killed by monsters, and she wanted revenge on the demons who were, in a way, responsible.

The only one who could help her was Deus. So she had to get stronger, even just a little, and quickly.

Only then could she ask Deus to let her follow in his path.

“Well. Just to be clear. I never sent any beasts. Any monsters.”

“…I know. That’s why I don’t resent you.”

After all, it wasn’t just the monsters she met that day she resented.

Rather, it was herself for running away, for being such a coward, that she hated the most.

With her face buried in her knees, Yurisia answered with a despondent voice.

Astaroth, feeling awkwardly uncomfortable, scratched his cheek with irritation.

“…I’ll tell you everything.”

“Huh?”

“About demons. Everything I know. So, don’t give me that irritating look.”

Just looking at it makes me feel…wrong.