Chapter 120
The 15th floor of the Demon World. This place, ruled by Jepar, ranked 15th in the hierarchy, is also known as the “Red Warrior” tier.
The name originated from the fact that the army led by Jepar all wore red armor, and there is something peculiar about this nickname. It is famous for the fact that Jepar himself requested to be called that way.
In practical terms, the name for Jepar’s tier is the “Lame” tier. It was named because the tier owner, Jepar, is lame.
It’s quite unusual for a Demon King of the Martial Arts Faction to be lame, but Jepar’s inconvenient leg did not act as a drawback at all.
The reason was simple. Jepar was strong enough that it wasn’t a disadvantage. In the Equitos Faction, excluding Barbatos, the two strongest individuals were Jepar and Lezargie. In the event of the Celestial War, Jepar, along with Barbatos, always took the lead.
The fact that he was still alive implied that his power was immense.
“Here we are.”
“Heh.”
Strange guests arrived in this place ruled by such a strong being. A beautiful woman with white hair, interspersed with a few strands of red hair, and a man with striking black hair and golden eyes. There was also a maid with distinctive fox ears and a tail characteristic of the Kitsune tribe.
Arriving in the central area of the 15th floor, they caught attention in various ways. First of all, their appearance drew gazes, and the long horn possessed by the white-haired woman unsettled the residents of the tier.
That horn was a symbol of the Demon King.
The man beside her, Nahun, spoke to the beautiful Demon King.
“Seere, I have contacted Jepar’s castle through the Bennett Guild. We can go right in.”
“It’s definitely good to have connections with a large guild.”
Now, eight years later, the Bennett Guild had grown considerably. It was only natural, as they were distributing excellent weapons supplied by the Debata faction throughout the Demon World, ensuring that the power of the guild continued to rise.
Among those dealing with the Bennett Guild, a major player was Jepar. He had made deals with them to supply quality weapons to his army.
Bennett himself arranged a personal meeting for Jepar.
“By the way, Teacher.”
“Hmm?”
“Is it alright to involve the Equitos Faction?”
“Yeah.”
“Won’t the other factions oppose it?”
In response to Seere’s question, Nahun explained slowly.
“Not all Demon Kings belong to a faction. Out of more than 70 Demon Kings, only a few belong to factions.”
There were quite a few independent Demon Kings. Seere herself was one, and her allies Gremony and Citri had no faction affiliation either.
“How many independent Demon Kings do you think would be satisfied with Belzebut’s actions?”
Demon Kings were fundamentally fierce, arrogant, and cruel. They were born as a species meant to ‘dominate.’
Thus, Belzebut’s actions would have given many Demon Kings the impression that they were afraid of human beings, whom they considered inferior.
“…Probably not many.”
“Right.”
In the meantime, if a matter regarding the lifting of the ban on human world access were proposed in a faction that could not be ignored?
The discontent Demon Kings would likely start voicing their opinions one by one. No matter how much Belzebut held command as the ruler of the Demon World, he could not ignore the opinions of other Demon Kings in the general assembly where all the Demon Kings gather.
“What we are doing now is to strengthen our opinions and bring it forward as a matter in the assembly. If it gets put on the agenda, we can achieve our goal.”
Seere nodded.
“Seere, your role is crucial.”
“Yes.”
“We came here seeking help, so do not think about opposing Jepar.”
“Teacher… do you think I can’t distinguish such things?”
Nahun honestly felt uneasy. No matter how gentle Seere’s disposition was for a Demon King, she was still a Demon King.
Could she really lower her pride to someone else? With such anxiety, Nahun watched as Seere stood tall and confidently said.
“As long as you believe in me, I will always strive to meet your expectations.”
“…Alright, I believe in you.”
Having heard Seere’s firm answer, Nahun headed towards Jepar’s castle with a mix of worry and expectation.
#
And Nahun’s trust was betrayed in a truly empty manner.
‘…I shouldn’t have believed it.’
Jepar and Seere were glaring at each other as if they would kill one another. Why had it come to this? Explaining the reason didn’t seem hard at all.
Neither had done anything wrong. Seere hadn’t been disrespectful to Jepar, nor had she opposed him. Rather, as she said, Seere approached Jepar with humility, a friendly voice, and a welcoming expression.
But why was the outcome like this? It was due to the inclinations of both Jepar and Seere.
If Jepar was the ultimate martial arts Demon King, Seere was similar enough. She was a Demon King who valued brute strength a little more than strategy.
“Indeed…, fighting you once would be quite enjoyable, young Demon King.”
“Hmm, you seem to think similarly to me, Jepar.”
Yes. The belligerence of both individuals created this situation. Seeing Seere, Jepar wanted to gauge her strength and initially showed his aggressiveness, to which Seere responded in kind.
Despite neither having acted disrespectfully or rudely, they were on the brink of battle. From Nahun’s standpoint, hoping for a conversation, it was a moment to facepalm.
‘There’s no helping it…’
Nahun sighed and stepped slightly forward. He had wanted to leave everything to Seere, but it had come to this.
“We didn’t come here to fight, great Jepar.”
“Who are you?”
“I introduced myself earlier, but you must have missed it. I am Nahun, the royal advisor to her Highness Seere von Debata, present here.”
“A royal advisor, is that so? So, you are the one who raised this young Demon King.”
“Too kind. I haven’t done much.”
“Indeed! If what you say comes from one who has nurtured such exceptional talent, I might as well listen.”
Jepar, itching to battle Seere, tightened his hands.
“Go ahead, speak.”
“…Your Highness, I would like to ask something.”
“Permission granted.”
“What do you think of the measures taken by Belzebut von Deus?”
Recently, Belzebut had only taken one action. Realizing this, Jepar slammed the armrest of his throne and said.
“It’s a cowardly measure! To fear human beings, how can one call themselves a Demon King? A Demon King who fears humans should cut off their own horns and step down from the throne!”
“We think the same. Like your words, we also believe we should not fear humans, Your Highness Jepar.”
“Hmm! That’s a correct thought! I think similarly, but…!”
Jepar bit down on his teeth.
“Belzebut doesn’t seem to think so.”
“Your Highness Belzebut is probably worried about secondary damage the Demon World might suffer. I can understand that.”
“…Indeed, I too have heard of the damage suffered by the lower tiers. However, it is precisely through overcoming such things that one can become worthy of the title of Demon King, don’t you think?”
Nahun smiled.
“Indeed, that is a correct assertion.”
Nahun smiled softly, but inwardly, he cheered. Jepar was responding splendidly along the lines of his intentions. If he could guide this further, he believed he could lead him to the desired answer.
“That is why we intend to propose a matter in the Demon World General Assembly.”
“A matter?”
“To lift this measure.”
“…I see, that is why you came to see me directly.”
Jepar smirked.
“You intend to persuade me and, in turn, draw our faction into it.”
Nahun was slightly surprised. He knew Jepar had superior political sense compared to Glashalavras, but to immediately grasp the intention was beyond his expectations.
“I thought the Demon Kings of the Equitos Faction would share similar views to yours, Your Highness Jepar.”
“Close to the truth. But coming to me so directly is not a wise choice.”
Jepar spoke while still maintaining his smile.
“I never bet on the losing side in politics. Unless I choose to help you, what strength do you have to present that matter?”
“That point… we have already received a promise of support from Your Highness Glashalavras.”
“…Huh? That rogue?”
“Also, our ally, Gremony von Due, and Her Highness Citri are here with us too. Including us, we have secured the agreement of four tiers in advance.”
At that moment, Jepar’s eyebrows twitched. Nahun knew exactly which word had caused that reaction.
The moment he mentioned ‘Citri’, Jepar reacted. His expression grew serious for a moment, then he opened his mouth with a grin.
“Ha ha ha, Citri! I see, you’ve formed an alliance with Citri!”
As a high-ranking Demon King, he hardly cared about those in the lower ranks. It had been 13 years since forming an alliance with Citri, and he still hadn’t known.
‘Still… I’m glad he reacted as I hoped.’
Nahun had deliberately brought up Citri. There was a simple reason. Among the higher-ranking Demon Kings, Citri’s name was widely known. She was once referred to as the ‘Powerful Demon King.’
No matter how weakened she had become due to sealing, the fame that Citri had gained in the past had not rusted away. Just seeing the change in Jepar from indifference to interest was proof of that.
“It has been quite a while since I’ve seen that woman’s face. I wonder if she’s doing well.”
“She’s doing well. She’s diligently building her power alongside us.”
“Hmm, is that so? I imagine Bilred must be trembling in fear.”
‘Bilred.’
Nahun swallowed a laugh upon hearing that name. It seemed Jepar was aware. If he knew, it was likely that the other top-ranking Demon Kings were aware as well.
‘It seems that those who know the truth behind Citri’s downfall are not as few as I thought.’
Indeed, the reason Citri fell from the high rank of 12th to nearly the lowest rank of 71st. The culprit behind that was none other than Demon King Bilred.
His current rank is 12th. Originally, that was the rank occupied by Citri, and he had risen one rank to join the ‘Powerful Demon King’ status after Citri’s downfall.
However, the fact that the Demon Kings were aware of the truth but chose to look the other way meant that keeping Citri in check and raising Bilred’s rank benefited the other Demon Kings.
‘…If Citri learns of this, she will surely be furious.’
She might cause an uproar in the assembly and express her anger in vain. Nahun decided to keep this fact hidden and continue the conversation.
“…To continue my point, if Your Highness Jepar supports us, I assure you we can adequately bring it forward as an assembly matter.”
“Indeed, that would be possible. Not only I, but many Demon Kings harbor dissatisfaction with Belzebut’s actions.”
“That is correct.”
“But…”
Jepar spoke.
“Even so, opposing Belzebut is not an easy decision.”
“…Your Highness Belzebut cannot ignore matters decided by the assembly either.”
“I know, I am well aware. However, even if the matter is passed, it is certain we will bear the burden after the assembly…”
His expression, which had been filled with laughter just moments ago, turned serious.
“Our Equitos Faction will bear that burden, won’t we? Am I wrong, royal advisor?”
It was indeed true. That was what Nahun had been aiming for. While Seere would act as the proposer of the matter, the faction that would offer the strongest support to her would be the ‘Equitos Faction.’
It was a given. The higher-ranking Demon Kings who had backed her would surely grab more attention than a proposer ranked 50th.
Then, naturally, Belzebut’s gaze would shift towards Seere and the Debata faction, rather than the Equitos faction led by Barbatos.
“As we, including myself and our faction, carry the risks, we should be able to gain something in return.”
“…What is it you desire?”
“It’s simple. I want to have confidence.”
“What confidence do you mean?”
“That you are individuals who can sufficiently assist our Equitos Faction.”
Jepar rose from his seat. And, limping, he stepped down the podium.
“Seere von Debata, the young heir of the Martial King.”
“……”
“I, Jepar, would like to test your abilities. Is that acceptable?”
It was a truly polite request for a duel. Seere looked at him for a moment and then glanced at Nahun beside her.
“…Do as you wish.”
Since Jepar was approaching in such a manner, it was best to confront him to find answers. Once Nahun’s permission was granted, Seere turned to Jepar and asked.
“How exactly? Is it that I must defeat you, Your Highness Jepar?”
That would be too much. No matter how strong Seere had become, she couldn’t possibly defeat the supreme martial arts Demon King.
“Young and full of spirit; that’s commendable. However, I’m not one for such harsh tests.”
Jepar replied.
“Just one minute.”
“Pardon?”
“If you can withstand my strength for one minute, that will suffice.”
“…Isn’t one minute a bit short?”
“Oh?”
Seere drew her sword. In the territory of another Demon King, drawing a sword was typically not permitted, but no one stopped her.
Because the owner of this place had granted permission.
“Since one minute may not be enough for me to show my full strength, let’s extend it to five minutes.”
“Agreed! If that is what you desire.”
Jepar clenched his massive right hand. He spoke with a smile that concealed his anticipation.
“Let’s see if we can catch a glimpse of the Martial King’s fragment.”
