Chapter 204
The great world known as Hell was sustained by a massive tree, Klifirot. On its sixth branch existed a Kliroft named TaUMIEL, a domain ruled by the eponymous great demon.
Suspended on an inverted cross (╈), this formidable great demon, often referred to by the same name as the Kliroft it ruled, was sometimes called by another name.
“Lethargic Beelzebub.”
The reason for this nickname was as I mentioned earlier; it passed its days suspended on the inverted cross, doing nothing.
However, recently, this lethargic great demon summoned its minions and dispatched them to the Demon World. An incredible power was felt in the Demon World, and not just once, but several times.
TaUMIEL, having dispatched the most powerful and reliable Mephistopheles among its minions, awaited a report of results, but…
“…What did you say?”
“We… confirmed the demise of Mephistopheles.”
The news that returned was the bad tidings of Mephistopheles’s defeat and death. TaUMIEL, who always remained quietly suspended on the inverted cross, was known for its calm personality, but the death of its most prestigious subordinate stirred unrest.
Seeing TaUMIEL in turmoil, the minion delivering the news prostrated itself and spoke.
“P-please don’t be troubled, my lord. We will surely uncover the truth behind Mephistopheles’s death.”
“…Is there definitely something amiss?”
“Y-yes…! We will conduct an investigation and report the findings…”
“That’s enough.”
The inverted cross that TaUMIEL was bound to began to move. The minion was startled and shouted.
“M-my lord!? Is it possible…!”
“Isn’t this the fastest method?”
Though he was a great demon with the epithet of lethargic, TaUMIEL was, in fact, a great demon who moved faster than anyone when action was required. During the great celestial wars, it was the first to strike and assassinated the vanguard of the heavens.
The cross stood upright. TaUMIEL, who had been suspended upside down, was now right-side up, and the large nails embedded in its palms and feet fell away on their own.
The strong great demon, once hung on the cross, slowly set its feet on the ground.
“It’s been a while since I’ve stepped on solid ground.”
“M-my great lord, what if TaUMIEL does not allow this?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
TaUMIEL said.
“If I provide a reasonable explanation later, TaUMIEL will take it into consideration. If not, I will return immediately.”
“…Understood.”
“No, I will go alone.”
“Such…!”
“TaUMIEL wouldn’t tolerate bringing you all along.”
If the great demon were to take all its minions, it would appear to merely be attempting to dominate the Demon World, which the lord of Hell, TaUMIEL, would never allow.
“I’ll take my leave.”
“…We shall hold our positions. Please, preserve your body.”
With the minion’s farewell, TaUMIEL’s figure vanished. The cross, which had held the great demon for so long, was now empty for the first time in ages.
#
“Welcome, Nahun.”
Upon Nahun’s arrival for an inspection of the 40th floor, replacing Seere who had to remain bedridden, Ersha and Lin, who were managing the site, came out personally to greet.
“You both have worked hard.”
“Not at all.”
“The girl didn’t do anything. It’s all thanks to the commanders.”
Seeing Ersha pass the credit naturally, Nahun smiled lightly. They followed each other around, surveying the newly conquered 40th floor.
“What of the enemy soldiers?”
“Most have surrendered. It seems there was no will to fight since the lord had already died on the 41st floor.”
“Where are they?”
“For now, we are using the underground prison here as a POW camp. Ah, and…”
Ersha said.
“We have captured a general who resisted us during the conquest of the 40th floor.”
“Hmm? Was it really necessary?”
Resisting until the end was evidence of strong loyalty to the previous lord and indicated a high chance of being unreceptive to persuasion.
“It seemed worthwhile to spare him for the trouble. Please judge for yourself, Nahun.”
“Who is it?”
“Remember how the Phynox coalition operated a detachment on the 41st floor? That general was from the unit.”
“He didn’t seem that skilled.”
Though the detachment wasn’t solely responsible for their loss on the assault of the 41st floor, they were not blameless either. Their failure to properly execute their role of supply disruption was a significant issue. Of course…
‘Supply disruption and all, but the biggest problem was that they were breached so easily.’
Nonetheless, the fact that the detachment had reason to exist was hard to find, so Nahun felt little interest in hearing that the general was from the detachment.
However, Nahun had to reconsider after Ersha’s next words.
“I’m not sure about his capabilities as a general, but I believe there’s a need to keep him alive for a different reason. This weapon was created by that general.”
Ersha pointed to a cannon placed on the wall. Nahun looked at it and said.
“A cannon that fires by gathering magic power? I definitely think I’ve seen it used. It was quite powerful since it hit Leviathan.”
“I was told it only requires three ordinary soldiers to operate.”
“…It can produce that much power?”
“Yes.”
It was groundbreaking. Nahun immediately asked Ersha.
“Her name is Ariana, a capable woman. I hear she also took charge of developing military equipment under Phynox.”
“Where is she?”
“She is in the special room of the underground prison.”
At Ersha’s response, Nahun nodded.
“You’ve taken care to keep her alive. Thank you.”
“…You’re welcome.”
“I should meet her.”
“I will guide you.”
As Lin spoke up, Ersha nodded and said to Nahun.
“Then I will manage the rest.”
“Please do.”
Nahun followed Lin down to the underground prison of the 40th floor Demon King Castle.
“It’s spacious.”
“Yes, the facility is quite vast.”
The underground prison of the 40th floor Demon King Castle was indeed very expansive. It could make one wonder if it really needed to be this large.
“Was it originally used solely as a prison?”
“Looks like public order on the 40th floor wasn’t as good as expected. Even when we arrived, it was packed with prisoners.”
“What of the prisoners?”
“They’ve all been dealt with.”
It was an inhumane statement. However, Nahun didn’t reprimand it.
“Good, well done.”
He even praised the action.
Stabilizing a newly conquered layer is quite difficult; there was no way to take prisoners along with them. There was a high possibility of them attempting to escape amid the chaos, so cutting it off entirely was the right judgment.
“The special room is this way.”
In the place Lin guided him to, a woman was tightly bound. Her arms and legs were secured, with an eye mask over her eyes and a gag in her mouth. The extent of her restraints seemed excessive, and Nahun questioned.
“Why has it come to this?”
“She was trying everything to take her own life, so there was no other choice.”
“Oh.”
Nahun nodded as if he understood. He ordered the guard to open the door, and the guard unlocked five different locks before opening it.
“……!”
Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, Ariana lifted her head slightly. Seeing her unable to produce any sound due to the gag, Nahun addressed the guard.
“Is it dangerous if she removes the gag?”
“She’s a woman who would try to end her life at the slightest opportunity, so I believe she would bite her tongue if she could.”
“Is that so?”
If that was the case, it was probably best not to remove the gag. Nahun approached Ariana and spoke.
“If you agree with what I say, nod your head; if not, shake your head. Depending on your response, I can let you die peacefully as you wish.”
Upon hearing Nahun’s words, Ariana lifted her head slightly. It was a strange feeling to see a positive response to a suggestion of death rather than life.
“Did you develop that cannon that gathers magic power all by yourself?”
Nod.
Ariana nodded her head. Nahun showed an interested expression, but Ariana, whose eyes were covered, could not see it.
“How long did it take? If it took more than five years, nod your head; if it took less, shake your head.”
Shake.
This time it was a negative response. Therefore, she had developed such a weapon alone in a remarkably short period, under five years.
Lin quietly observed Nahun’s actions. He was someone who had deep interest in talent and rarely gave up. One could tell just by seeing how he incorporated even humans under his command.
Could he be trying to recruit this rebellious figure too? While harboring such anxieties, at that moment…
“Indeed.”
Nahun raised his magic power. Just as he had mentioned, it seemed he intended to bestow the peace of death as a reward for her answers.
However, Lin soon realized that her assumption was a misunderstanding. Nahun, with the hand raised in magic, pressed it against Ariana’s forehead.
“Submit.”
『 Obséquĭum 』
In the past, when working on turning humans into slaves, Nahun had engraved curses directly himself. This was a type of curse magic that controlled the subject’s mind and brainwashed them. Anyone not a fool could understand why Nahun was engraving this on Ariana.
“Ugh, uuuugh…!!!”
As Ariana felt her mind being tainted, she thrashed her body in pain. Yet, Nahun remained unmoved and continued to impose mental subjugation through magic.
Both Lin and the guard watched the scene in shock. It was so horrendous it seemed torturous, and soon Ariana’s thrashing gradually slowed down.
When her struggles finally ceased completely, Nahun personally removed Ariana’s eye mask and gag.
“Ariana.”
“……Yes.”
“Who is it that you must serve?”
Ariana’s emerald eyes turned toward Nahun. The words that then flowed from her mouth were shocking.
“…It is you, my lord.”
There was no trace of defiance; the woman who had been struggling to take her own life at every opportunity had been brainwashed and submitted within minutes, leaving everyone nearby in shock.
“Release her now. It’s fine.”
“A, yes…, understood.”
The guards, too stunned, fumbled slightly as they released Ariana’s bindings. In the midst of this, Lin asked Nahun with a serious expression.
“Nahun, was it really necessary to go this far?”
“We have no personnel to handle the development of such weapons in our army. If we entrust research to this woman, then she can create excellent weapons from our forge, thus greatly enhancing our military might.”
Nahun spoke as if it were a matter of course.
“Why would I kill a valuable talent? If needed, I will make sure to make use of her.”
“……”
Lin slightly lowered her head. Indeed, although he usually appeared quite ordinary, Nahun was, after all, a great demon. To him, the demon race was a mere existence that didn’t matter how he treated them.
If needed, one could make use of them, and if not, they could be unceremoniously cast away. This was the general perception a great demon held toward the demon race.
“Ariana, you will return to the 50th floor with me. Lin, is there anywhere else I should inspect?”
“…No, there isn’t. It seems fine for you to return to His Majesty.”
“Alright, understood.”
Nahun raised his magic power and crushed the space beside him, then stepped forward and said to Lin.
“I’m sorry for showing an unpleasant scene.”
“…What?”
“I know it wasn’t a pleasant sight to behold.”
“Oh, it’s not that.”
Lin replied, slightly flustered, and Nahun nodded as he entered the corridor. The fully brainwashed Ariana followed him.
Lin gazed at the spot where Nahun had disappeared for a moment before speaking to the guards.
“Nahun… sometimes I can’t tell if he is kind or cruel.”
“W-well… we’re also unsure about that.”
