Volume 2, Chapter 2: Gula’s Starvation, Part 3: It’s no good… I guess
I smelled it.
The table before my eyes was crammed full of various types of food.
Besides a single territory, the Demon World was covered in poverty. That’s why it’s a rare sight to see so many dishes spread out, but I was of a sort that didn’t really mind appearances, so that didn’t really matter.
… As long as it sates my hunger.
On top of a white polished plate was a meat dripping fresh blood.
As a Demon of Gluttony, I could understand. That was Dragon meat.
The raw meat of one of the few races of this Demon World able to fight on par with Demon. Of course, it was a rare delicacy, and its taste was supposed to be splendid enough to put it on the same level as Demons.
As I silently looked upon the masses of meat distributed across the plates, the large-built Demon that had brought it timidly asked a question
He was likely a Pride or Greed. I didn’t know his name, or his power. His lust for the limelight alone was first-rate, and he was a pitiful man who tried attacking me when I was furrowing my brow, and slowly walking alone.
To a Demon Lord, most Demons below General Class were generally just part of the rabble. At the very least, to one that had spent long years in the position like me, even when I’d lost my cravings, I could only speak of him as ‘one of those other Demons.’
“… I-is it to your tastes? It’s the meat of the Crimson Dragon subjugated just the other day. Meat that won’t fall short of any Demon… For someone like you that governs Gula, it must be more than a suitable offering, right?”
“… Hah…”
The Demon frantically tried to shrink his body, and his throaty voice shook. There really isn’t anything more unsightly than this.
I played around with the silver fork I took in hand, and gazed at the Dragon mean.
How troublesome. As I thought, it’s not whetting my appetite. I’ve no mood to eat it.
It’s smell wasn’t bad at all, and the power exerted by the meat was quite clear. Speaking of Class, it may even surpass a General Class Demon’s. It won’t transcend a Demon Lord, of all things, but even so, there’s no mistaking that it was a first-rate edible.
For the pitiful man kneeling before me, it must have been quite a trouble to obtain.
Normally, I would have devoured it without a second thought, but now it was futile. My feelings aren’t moved.
Even the concept of hunger itself is starting to disappear across the horizon of my memory.
In the first place, once a Demon becomes a Demon Lord, they can go several years without food or drink. That’s why there’s probably no need to worry about death, and for someone like me, who went through such an intense sense of irritation just through a single day without food, this was definitely the strangest state I had ever found myself in.
In the end, I couldn’t work up the intention to eat it no matter what, and without staining the end of the fork at all, I left it on the table.
“… No, I’m good.”
“… Eh? You haven’t even touched it, haven’t…”
“… You can eat it if you want.”
Ah……………………
This isn’t me. This definitely isn’t my character. Just how am I supposed to face my subordinates waiting for me in the world beyond!?
Normally, the food, and the plate, and the silverware, and the Demon that made it all would have been in my stomach by now. I’m the freaking Devourer, dammit!
I dismounted the chair, and passed by the Demon staring at me in a daze.
And without eating a single thing in the end, I left the store.
At the entrance, a needlessly wary Greed-kun was waiting for me.
Oh, he wasn’t Greed-kun, was he… right, Deije.
Deije Breindac. Former general of Leigie Slaughterdoll’s army.
Well, at the point, he’s just a lone Demon searching for treasure in foreign lands, it seems.
Fufu, that’s what you call unemployed, you know. Unemployed.
“… Oy, oy, so you’ve seriously lost your cravings…”
“Yeah. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
Cleanly gone. Nothing left. All that remained in me was a deep feeling of loss.
I had no clue of the means I needed to fill that. There’s nothing I’m capable of besides eating.
Deije-kun knitted his brow into a difficult expression, and folded his arms.
“… I’ve never heard of something like that…”
“Yeah, that’s because I’m the first.”
Even if he’s long lived, at the very least, he’s probably younger than me.
Well, for the individual that lost their longings, it definitely wouldn’t be a fun thing to speak of, and even if such a case came up in the past, there’s a possibility it never spread too far.
If I took away the point of looking at Deije-kun as an ingredient, he was a rare find among Demons, an ‘accomplished individual.’
Usually, the deeper a Demon’s desire runs, the harder it is to hold a conversation with them. In that sense, with his shallow desire, he may still be a novice of a Demon, but as a travelling companion, he wasn’t half bad.
In contrast to his monster-like appearance, he was quite straight-forward. That man.
Well, that’s something I was even able to notice when I fought him a year prior.
“Well, that’s how it is, so the current me doesn’t have the willpower to eat you.”
“Ki ki ki, that so?I get the feeling it’s nice and peaceful that way…”
Seeing him let out quite a deep sigh gave me the impression he was quite the pessimist.
It’s not good to overthink things, you know. If you’re going to think so hard about something make it thoughts towards how you plan to satisfy your own desire.
Thinking of something, I tried asking him.
“… You, could it be that you usurped my appetite?”
“Wha… like hell I did. Even if you begged me, I wouldn’t want to take it.”
Well, that’s about right.
The target of his theft I likely treasure. You can call that the most popular type of Greed.
In the first place, I doubt someone who wanted something like my appetite would ever become an Avaritia. If there was a Demon like that, they would definitely come to govern Gula instead.
Deije-kun’s disgusted face was the real deal. Fufu, you don’t have to hate it that much…
Deije-kun, and that Zeta-kun fellow seemed to be suffering quite a bit, but once you become a Demon Lord, this level of heat isn’t enough to influence you in the slightest.
Regardless of having eaten that Angel, after confirming that not a particle of my hunger had retrned, I lowered myself into a seat at the café.
Of course, it wasn’t the one I had collapsed at before. That shop was destroyed from the shockwaves of the Angels’ attacks.
The shop chosen to grace our reunion was somewhat newer than that other one, but there wasn’t much a difference between them. It was that sort of small diner.
Perhaps because it was a ways away from the battlefield, the air was calm as if that scene from before had been but a dream.
It was enough to make one sleepy.
With Deije-kun sitting across, and Zeta-kun positioned to watch my every move, I conversed. They didn’t seem to intend to hide anything, and they smoothly explained the current state of affairs.
It looks like the Demon World’s state had changed greatly in the time I’d been gone.
It was right of me to set out for the Crimson Prison. My name was likely spread across the lands. As the foolish Demon Lord who tried to pull a bow at Kanon-sama.
That’s why meeting someone who knew my face like Deije-kun was a form of luck. Yep, I must be in luck. It’s not like we’ve become comrades in arms or anything, but there are plenty of Demon out there who won’t listen to what you have to say.
Also, when I’m left alone, that feeling of loss wins over, and brings a hinderance to my daily function, so in that sense, this moderate level of tension isn’t bad.
Angels and Valkyries.
Leigie’s demotion in rank, and of how Heard Lauder became a Demon Lord.
These old tales were all fresh news to me.
Of all else, Leigie’s fall didn’t settle right. I wonder what happened.
At the very least, the achievement of bringing ruin to me should count towards his promotion, and not the opposite.
The fact that the Ancient Demon who moved the army under his name, Heard Lauder, became a Demon Lord makes the possibility that Heard Overruled Leigie to be the most likely option, but…
Whatever the case, it looks like my death was the starting point of something.
A Pride Demon, and me of Gluttony don’t have too good of an affinity. They’re not an enemy I’d like to fight, but… if my annihilation started up something, then if my survival was found out, I got the feeling he would come for me. It was quite a pain.
But putting me aside, the two Greed-kuns were focusing on the former.
Future over past. Well, it’s not like I don’t see where they’re coming from. The problem with Leigie was mine alone, and Deije-kun was irrelevant.
While Deije-kun had become quite affable, Zeta-kun continued to send suspicious eyes in my direction, so I decided to just play along.
“Hmm… Angels, is it? I guess blue moons really do rise.”
“What’s more, Saint Lord Class. Ki ki ki, there’s definitely something up.”
As he said that, Deije-kun’s eyes sparkled with desire as if he were staring at his prey.
It was common knowledge that Angels occasionally descended, but that was in low frequency, and those with over a set level of competence wouldn’t think of coming down.
For Saint Lord class, if you exclude the War of Black and White ten thousand years ago, it was a story I hadn’t heard at all as of late.
Deije-kun’s words were quite on the mark.
… But that’s all they were.
It feels bad to dampen the flame on Deije-kun’s earnest desire, but this isn’t that sort of story. This won’t be the path to his glory.
From my point of view, it was all too clear, but a General has a General’s point of view, and a Lord, a Lord’s.
“Fufu… Deije-kun, you’re reading too much into it. Fufu… if you want Glory, then stop chasing around something like Angels, and start aiming to become a Demon Lord already.”
That was the first crossroad.
For a Demon who can’t even do that, there’s no glory to be found.
And chasing Angels is a waste of time. Honing the mind and body on the path to become a Demon Lord isn’t something done in order to destroy angels and Demons.
It’s all about seeing the depths of your desire. That’s all there is to it.
It’s another matter when battle is directly related to said desire, but your Sin isn’t something like that, right?
Fufu, this is what they call escapism, isn’t it?
Deije frowned, and regretfully shook his head.
“Ki ki ki, reaching that level isn’t something I can imagine for myself. I’ll just take it as it comes.”
Fufu… do what you will.
Of course, even if it be to friendly troops, any Avaritia willing to lend out the target of their longings (treasures) will never become a Demon Lord, you know…
Right, his sin is… too shallow. I know of a greed that burns much more brightly.
For Deije-kun who chose to toss away his treasure, of all things, it may be a matter of pure nature, but this is quite severe.
Zeta-kun asked Deije-kun a question. It looked like they were partners, and had a sort of teacher-student relationship.
The young boy Demon’s expression did indeed hold the color of trust towards him.
“So, Deije-san. What should we do? We ended up letting one of them get away…”
“… Now that a Lord’s in the mix, we can’t go on at this rate. I did plan to give chase, but at that level, to be honest, it’s beyond my hands.”
Our natural enemy, the Angels.
And the difference of Rank.
Deije-kun’s words were correct. Depending on the situation, Avaritia could exhibit unrivalled strength, but in pure fighting power, it fell a step behind Ira and Gula.
If he had that Demon Blade from before, I’ll bet he’d be able to put up a decent fight with a Saint Lord of that level, though.
That thing was all bark, and no bite.
“Ki ki ki, for now, let’s at least write in a report to the Great Demon King… even something of that level should give off a considerable reward.”
Fufuf… how sweet. How very sweet. Having Lust Demons for sweetness is more than enough.
Sweeetness and firmness. He’s pushing too hard on the brakes. There are times when wiles fall short of bravery. That was a phenomenon that we age old demons rarely come to witness.
Kanon-sama was a Lord that governed Wrath, yet also a kind-hearted King.
That’s why, even even with a simple report, there would likely be a bit of a reward. But Deije-kun, if you keep at it like that, then what you seek will never fall into your hands.
“So, Zebul. What do you plan on doing?”
“… Well then, that’s a good question.”
The Angel wasn’t tasty at all, but still, there was something to be gained.
My physical condition isn’t bad… No, the truth’s that I understand I’m at peak condition. The current me could probably even put up a more decent fight with that Leigie. Once more, I’ll get some experience fighting that Lord of Sloth. I won’t be crushed so easily this time around.
Of all else, the current me doesn’t taste anything no matter what I try to eat. That’s why perhaps I’ll be able to eat him this time around. Fight poison with poison… I wonder if that’s what you’d call it.
It’s the life I’ve gotten together again, so challenging him again doesn’t sound bad. I’m a challenger… fufufu, when I think of it that way, my heart dances just a bit.
Perhaps sensing something from my expression, Deije opened just one of his six eyes, and asked.
“Zebul, won’t you come with me? In the past, we were mutual enemies, but that’s exactly why I can understand your strength. Ki ki ki, taking on Angels instead of Demons isn’t a bad change of pace, once in a while, right?”
“Fu… I’ll have to decline.”
His proposal was a respectable one, even shocking to hear from a Demon. Inviting along one who once terrorized me in the past isn’t something I could imagine.
But even if I’d lost my cravings, I had my dignity as a former Demon. Also, the merits of answering to his invite were too low.
An Angel’s taste held too little value to me.
“Why?”
“Fufufu… I have a need to go and meet… eat up that Leigie.”
That was my obligation as a challenger to one who’d bested me once before.
Deije-kun distorted his face a little, and directed a gaze as if he were looking at a monster in my direction.
“… Just where do you find such energy after you were thoroughly destroyed like that…”
“That’s obvious… if I go on without eating, I can’t call myself a Gula anymore.”
Even if I’m not hungry at all. I doubt you’d understand it.
This is a matter of pride.
“… Well, well, well, I guess all of those Demon Lords out there are a bit off their rockers.”
“And that’s exactly why they’re all tasty.”
“Deije-san… is this person alright in the head?”
Zeta-kun’s face was quite clearly stiffened as he pointed at me.
What a rude child.
Well, I didn’t expect him to understand my train of thought anyways. This is mine, and mine alone.
Fufu… even if you may be Greed, I won’t let you take it from me so easily.
“… So you’ll be off to the Dark Prison, then… Ki ki ki, the ownership of that land has already shifted. Heard Lauder’s a tough one, you know? I mean, that there’s a Superbia who’s followed Boss Leigie from time immemorial. He’s even the Rank One Demon Lord at the moment. While you may be the Devourer, it’s too heavy a burden.”
“Fufu.”
You really don’t get it.
Yes, your words are all correct.
As it is, Pride grows stronger the more years pass by. If that gets to around the same level of time as Leigie’s existence, then no normal Demon Lord would be able to lay a finger on them. Ranks aren’t just some decoration, and as Gluttony, my affinity against him is bad.
… But that’s not enough of a reason for me not to eat.
Fufu… Rank One’s Pride.
Heard Lauder. It’s unfortunate that I won’t be able to partake in your matured taste.
But there’s no helping it. You may be a bit heavy for an appetizer, but I’ll eat you up all the same.
“… Keh, looks like you’ve no mind to change your intentions.”
“Could it be you’re making light of me, Deije-kun? Fufu… even like this, I’m a former Demon Lord, you know.”
“No, of course, I know that, but…”
Deije let out a dissatisfied sigh.
It was likely his own shallow desire that prevented him from empathizing with me.
The two of us were different lifeforms. The souls that formed our base, and our ranks were different. My power was higher class even among the other Demon Lords, and no matter how strong Deije-kun became, no matter how many Demon Blades he held, that gap was close to absolute.
I wonder if he’s noticed it.
That in the eyes he used to look at me, there was a slight color of awe mixed in.
“Yep… each and every one of you Lords is just too hard to deal with. There’s no helping it. I’ll just do as I wish, them.”
“And I don’t plan on stopping you. Carry out your cravings as you please. Fufufu… make sure you don’t regret it when they’re all gone.”
“I can’t even imagine these feelings in me going out. Ki ki ki, from my eyes, Zebul the Devourer… I can’t see that yours has gone out either.”
As me muttered that with exaggeration, he raised a peculiar laugh.
His eyes, and his voice didn’t give me the impression he was joking around.
Well, desire is something you keep within yourself. Only their possessors can truly grasp their natures.
As it to answer to that, I licked my lips.
After trembling a little, Deije-kun got up. He had a goal of his own. I had neither the right, nor the motivation to stop him.
“So will you be departing any time soon? From here on plan on heading for the Palace of Rending Flames as soon as I can.”
“Fufu… perhaps I’ll go meet an old friend first. Stopping to talk once in a while isn’t a bad thing.”
In the first place, it was a coincidence I chose to set foot in the Crimson Prison.
I came here without any detours, so I hadn’t even heard the slightest rumor an Angel had come down, and I never even imagined I would see someone I knew.
But when It came down to it, I met the Angels, and I met Deije-kun. It may be off from my goal, but while I’m at it, another meeting or two doesn’t sound bad.
Humans sure are interesting creatures… no, I’m pretty sure I mean Demons.
“An old… friend?”
“Yeah… I’ve been alive for a while… even if I look like this, I’ve been around quite a bit.”
Of course, a majority of those acquaintances have taken up residence in my stomach…
If you look at it from the other side, you can think of the one I was off to meet as one of the rare acquaintances I had that didn’t settle down there.
There’s also the fact I couldn’t eat him because we were part of the same army under the Great Demon King, but the greater reason lay with that Demon’s power.
Fufufu…
Well, it’s not like we got along anyways. We’re comrades in longevity, so there’s that sympathy thing or another.
Suspecting something, Deije-kun opened his six exes, and stared hard enough to bore a hole in my face.
“Oy, oy, you couldn’t mean…”
“Fufufu… well, we’re friends… after all.”
“… That’s news to me.”
It was a somber voice as heavy as lead.
As if smacked by that voice, Deije-kun and Zeta-kun took large leaps back. I had noticed it all along, so I wasn’t surprised, but that presence surely was fearsome.
Strong enough that even with General Class power, you wouldn’t have been able to perceive it.
If I didn’t have my Abyss Zone, it was so thin that even I might have lost sight of it, and that inherently tremendous existence, was one of a rare Demon who didn’t show off a single piece of the power he had stored up from times beyond memory.
That was the base of the Pride this Demon governed.
Zeta-kun looked up at his large frame with a stiff expression.
“W-what… you.. from when…”
“… Tsk.”
He was about two heads over Deije-kun, making one think he was one of the 『Greip Giants』 that once inhabited this Demon world.
His protruding muscles were built like stone, and they covered his entire body like armor. The gap between his dignity and his light presence left one with and absurdly ominous sensation.
Vanity Seidthroan.
A Demon Lord who gave up on the throne.
He was quite a rude one whose first sounds directed at me were the click of his tongue. The great Lord of Demons boasting the moniker of The Egoist, used his thunderous voice that reverberated through the skies to throw out some lamentations.
“Why are you alive… that Slothful Lord… didn’t destroy you… perfectly enough.”
“Fufu… how rude a fellow. For those to be the words of our long-awaited reunion.”
Along with an overflowing smile, deep despair started sputtering around me like sparks.
As I thought… isn’t no good.
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