Chapter 215
Seere smiled gently at Marbas, who silently nodded. After briefly exchanging greetings, she headed towards Barbatos, who was next in line according to hierarchy.
Even after Seere left, Marbas remained in shock.
‘What on earth was that just now…?’
He had not intended to easily brush it off. Although he had never directly experienced Mikael’s power, as the original Demon King, Marbas had a faint understanding of it. Mikael was an Archangel, a being on par with the greatest demons in Hell.
Thus, upon hearing the news that they had concluded the Heavenly Demon War themselves, Marbas wondered if they had secretly brokered a truce with the Heavens. Especially after meeting Nahun recently, his suspicions heightened. Nahun was quite the shrewd negotiator.
However, at this moment, seeing the young Demon King who had just revealed a fragment of his power before him… Marbas could not overlook it.
‘…Martial King.’
Seir von Debata. His power had not completely vanished. While the identity of the mysterious beast that had appeared moments ago was unclear, the power exhibited by Seer von Debata was no different.
“Ha-ha….”
Whether or not she had defeated Mikael in a direct confrontation—at this point, it did not matter. Regardless, it was certain that she possessed the power to take Mikael’s life, and someone with such power would become a member of the Nobilis faction and ascend to a leadership position.
Marbas’s gaze shifted to Nahun, the man who had entered the banquet hall earlier. Looking at him, Marbas muttered to himself.
“It was a profitable venture.”
Meanwhile, Seere also politely greeted Barbatos.
“It’s been a while, Barbatos. Contrary to my worries, you still seem to be in good health.”
“…Indeed. Surprising.”
Seere lifted her gaze slightly to glance at Barbatos.
“The last time I saw you, you didn’t look quite like this.”
“Well, it hasn’t been that long.”
“Not even a year. Not a long time for our Demon King.”
“I’m still in my growth period. And….”
Seere met Barbatos’s eyes and said,
“The training session with Jepar was very helpful.”
At Seere’s words, Barbatos fell silent. For a moment, Seere wondered if she had said something unnecessary, but soon realized it was not so. She could see Barbatos’s expression softening slightly.
“…I’m envious.”
“Pardon?”
“I have a proposal for you, as you’ve become a proper Demon King. How about joining the Equites faction?”
Seere widened her eyes, while Marbas and Phynox looked slightly taken aback. Although they had not expected Barbatos, having lost many factions, to seek out fresh talent, no one thought he would act in a situation where the hierarchy was not yet redefined.
Seere appeared to ponder for a moment and then slightly bowed her head.
“Thank you for the offer, but I’m not inclined to join any faction at this time.”
“…Is that so? What a pity.”
Barbatos seemed to coolly withdraw. However, the one who was truly taken aback at that moment was Marbas. He felt puzzled by Seere’s refusal to consider joining a faction.
Could it be that Nahun had not yet persuaded her? Marbas thought it wouldn’t be fine if the enjoyable fantasy he had imagined earlier did not come to fruition.
“Asmodeus.”
“Yes, Marbas.”
“Make sure their minds are turned toward us. Can you do that?”
To Marbas’s question, Asmodeus smiled and replied.
“I will try.”
Seere passed by Barbatos and, starting with Phynox, exchanged greetings with the remaining Demon Kings. After finishing her greetings with them, she approached Nahun, smiling as she whispered.
“Did I look natural?”
“Yeah, you did well.”
“Hehe.”
“Hello there.”
At that moment, Asmodeus approached the two. Seeing his handsome appearance and tall stature, Seere tilted her head, while Nahun lightly bowed in greeting. Receiving Nahun’s greeting, Asmodeus turned to Seere.
“I believe we missed our introduction earlier, so I shamelessly came to find you.”
“Your Highness Asmodeus.”
“Ah.”
While Seere had greeted the other Demon Kings, she had not had a chance to greet him. Since he was not an invited guest, she overlooked him.
“Nice to meet you, Your Highness Asmodeus.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Seere von Debata.”
Asmodeus greeted her and smiled. At a glance, one might think he had a pleasant demeanor, but Seere felt an odd sensation, narrowing her brows slightly. There was an inexplicable discomfort emanating from him.
Nonetheless, since he was a guest, Seere thought it would be fine to just greet him and part ways, so she called out to Nahun to change the subject.
“Teacher, I….”
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I have a moment of your time to talk?”
“Pardon?”
Asmodeus kept looking at Seere with his smile intact. However, upon seeing that smile, Seere suddenly grasped the source of her discomfort from earlier.
“Your Highness Asmodeus.”
“Yes?”
Seere wore a subtle smile while looking at him. Asmodeus momentarily interpreted this as a positive sign, but in reality, it was far from it.
“I’m going to talk with the teacher now, so I don’t think I can chat right now. Let’s postpone it for later, shall we?”
Although she had said it indirectly, it was a clear dismissal of her desire to engage in a conversation. The corners of Asmodeus’s mouth twitched slightly. However, Seere nonchalantly averted her gaze and smiled brightly at Nahun.
“Teacher, let’s talk for a moment.”
“Oh, sure.”
As Seere took Nahun and moved to another spot, Asmodeus clenched his fists with a stiff expression. Marbas, observing this from afar, sighed and shook his head.
“They say the female Demon Kings can handle themselves, but it seems it was of no use.”
#
Nahun commented on Seere leading him to a new spot.
“Good job. There’s no need to rush to contact the Nobilis faction right now.”
“That’s not the reason.”
“Hmm?”
“That man… I find him unpleasant.”
Seere said this with irritation.
“Earlier, the way he spoke wasn’t the kind of gaze you’d use to have a normal conversation.”
“…Are you suggesting he desired you romantically?”
Nods.
As Seere nodded, Nahun slightly closed his eyes. It was entirely plausible. A Demon King without a partner might pursue a romantic interest with a female Demon King.
Especially with a young and promising Demon King like Seere, she’d be an enticing prospect.
However….
“…I don’t like it.”
Suddenly, Nahun let out a dangerously sharp voice without realizing it. He became aware of it and cleared his throat to change his tone. However, having already heard that tone, Seere…
“Hey, teacher.”
“…Huh?”
“Are you jealous right now~?”
“What?”
She seemed to enjoy Nahun’s reaction, as if it were too cute to resist. Nahun thought to himself that he had just been hit by Seere’s playful teasing and quickly shook his head.
“No?”
“Liar.”
“I’m not. It could very well be a possibility….”
“Then how about we have a chat?”
At Seere’s question, Nahun furrowed his brows. Seere laughed happily, enjoying his reaction. Although she knew his intentions, Nahun had no choice but to respond like this.
“…No.”
“Ne~♪”
Seeing Seere’s cheeky smile, Nahun let out a slight sigh. Seere, still amused, mentioned the proposal she had received from Barbatos earlier, believing Nahun might have missed it due to being at a distance.
“Equites faction?”
“Yes.”
“That’s an unexpected proposal. But I wouldn’t consider it worthwhile.”
“Is it not worth that much?”
“With the balance already disrupted between the Equites faction and the Plebs faction, there’s no need to join the lesser Equites faction. If I were to join one, it would rather be the Plebs faction.”
“Perhaps it might be easier to maintain stability in a declining faction?”
“Then the same could apply to the Nobilis faction. Moreover, the Equites faction cannot gather strength.”
“…I think I understand what you mean.”
The Equites faction primarily recruits only those Demon Kings that Barbatos has taken a liking to. Considering that the primary criterion is ‘strength,’ it was a faction that struggled to grow.
In contrast, the Plebs faction might be favored by Phynox, and as Seere grew, the likelihood of Phynox achieving his own goals increased, thus he would be more supportive.
Of course, if that were to happen, the possibility of their relationship being discovered would heighten….
‘The best option remains the Nobilis faction.’
Having already left a substantial impact on Marbas in various ways, all that was left to do was….
“I just need to wait until the general assembly.”
“How high do you think I can rank?”
“Well, if things go well… you might reach around the 20th spot, but realistically speaking, it would be below 25th.”
Nahun slightly turned his head and glanced at the powerful Demon Kings who had been invited.
“However, if you manage to impress them a bit, it might be different. You could climb a bit higher in the hierarchy due to their influence. Since you just made an impression with your presence, go around and talk with the three Demon Kings.”
“Moderately, right?”
“Exactly. In balance. You can’t overly favor one side.”
“Understood.”
Seere nodded, indicating that she comprehended, and moved to another spot. She headed directly towards Phynox first.
Nahun watched her for a moment, then left the venue, speaking to someone hiding nearby.
“Depending on how Asmodeus behaves, feel free to respond with strong measures.”
With that said, Nahun briefly left the banquet hall.
#
Unlike Citri, who had once been among the top-ranking Demon Kings and could talk fairly naturally with the prominent figures there, for Gremory, such situations were filled with tension.
Eventually realizing how overly tense she had become, Gremory stepped away from the banquet hall to cool her face, only to be approached by someone.
“There you are.”
“Asmodeus?”
It was Asmodeus. He approached Gremory with a smile and whispered quietly.
“Actually, I’ve been following you since you stepped out.”
“Pardon?”
“I really wanted to have a moment to speak with you privately.”
Gremory’s eyes widened. She wasn’t so naive as to not understand what Asmodeus’s words implied. With her eyes wide open she said,
“Oh, wait a minute. We’ve just met for the first time…?”
“Yes. But you are so beautiful that I couldn’t help but be interested. Your face, as well as….”
“Excuse me, but…?”
Caught off guard by his blunt statement, Gremory grew somewhat incredulous.
“Um, could you stop? I have no idea how I’m coming across to you, but did you think I would respond with ‘Oh, really?’ to such an outdated approach?”
“Outdated…you say?”
“I’m sorry for saying this, but you’re acting rather cliché about it, especially for someone with your looks.”
As Gremory’s candid words caused Asmodeus’s brow to furrow slightly.
“Hmm.”
He pondered for a moment, stroking his chin as he muttered.
“It seems it really is an old method. It worked well in the past….”
Despite appearing young and handsome, his actual age was beyond imagination. Asmodeus had been a reigning Demon King in the Demon World for a long time. It was natural, considering that although new powers had risen and his rank had fallen significantly, he once ranked within the top 15.
Having dominated as a ruler of the Demon World for such a long time, he had considerable age. Thus, his old-fashioned approach was a stark contrast to his youthful appearance.
Gremory sighed at his reaction and said,
“…Your interest in me must be a lie too, right? I have no idea what your intentions might be, but I really must—”
“Wait a moment.”
“Pardon?”
Seeing Gremory tilt her head, Asmodeus added,
“May I ask you one thing? Is my appearance not appealing?”
“Uh… well, you are handsome.”
“Then why do you and others like Gremory and Seere show no interest in me?”
“……What?”
Asmodeus tilted his head, clearly perplexed. Gremory struggled to comprehend the situation in her mind but couldn’t make sense of it.
“Uh….”
“To my knowledge, female Demon Kings usually prefer handsome men to satisfy their desires. Based on my experiences, that seems to hold true… but are you all different?”
The only thought that crossed Gremory’s mind at that moment was one.
What on earth is this man?
“Hmm.”
Asmodeus seemed to contemplate in confusion before muttering as if he had reached a conclusion.
“Is it what they call faux modesty?”
“What?”
“If that’s the case, then let’s peel off that layer of modesty.”
“What on earth are you talking about…?”
Just as he finished those words, Asmodeus suddenly reached out his hand. Gremory saw it coming but, in her moment of surprise and due to the swiftness of Asmodeus’s movement, she could not react in time.
And Asmodeus’s hand was precisely aimed toward Gremory’s horn. Just as she belatedly realized this, Gremory shouted,
“Wait, where do you think you’re…!?”
Shing────!!
Asmodeus’s eyes widened. With the crisp sound of severing, his hand was easily sliced off.
“Oh dear, this….”
Asmodeus turned to look behind him. There stood a one-armed knight aiming a pristine white blade at his neck. She looked tense as she fixed her gaze on Asmodeus and said,
“Beyond this point, you cannot approach.”
