Chapter 244
The highest place in the world.
This place, known as the Heavens and sometimes referred to as the Celestial Realm, was a highly peculiar world supported by a gigantic tree.
It was called ‘Sephira,’ a world sustained by the tree of goodness, Sephirot, which stood in a symmetrical relationship to the infernal tree Klifirot.
At the pinnacle of each Sephira resided an archangel, the representative and ruler, and the master of Sephirot at the highest point was none other than…
“Metatron.”
She was an archangel known as the ‘Celestial Being.’ At the call of an angel, Metatron, who had been veiled, slightly lifted her head. Although her face was obscured by the veil, a slight curve at the corners of her mouth was visible.
“What brings you here, Haniel?”
Haniel had come to visit her, being one of the rulers of Sephirot and the archangel of the seventh Sephira, Necho. As an archangel renowned for divine grace, she exuded nobility even in her stillness.
The reason she sought out Metatron was simple. Following the death of Mikael, the master of the eighth Sephira, Hode, there was understandably a state of emergency in the Celestial Realm.
If the Demon World, which had swallowed Mikael, invaded the human realm again, it could pose a real danger. While it might not directly impact the Celestial Realm, assisting the human realm once again could prove to be challenging.
However, there had been no movements from the Demon World for a while. They would surely realize that the moment of Mikael’s death was a golden opportunity. Yet, the Celestial Realm remained vigilant and continued to monitor their movements.
And…
“You may not know, but there has been activity in the Demon World.”
“…Is that so?”
“In a forest within the human realm’s Holy Kingdom, a portal has been activated. However, it does not appear to be a military movement. The number of individuals involved was merely three.”
“Three? That’s too few.”
“There are occasions when a few demons cross into the human realm, so it is likely one of those cases.”
Haniel stated.
“Still, given that movement has occurred after a long lull, I think we should be cautious.”
“Hmm…”
Metatron seemed to be deep in thought, her lips barely closing beneath the veil. After a moment of contemplation, she nodded and said,
“I shall have to ask the faithful servants. Thank you for informing me, Haniel.”
“…I leave it to you.”
With that, Haniel turned and left. Once she had departed from Metatron’s dwelling, she let out a slight sigh and murmured to herself.
“‘Faithful servants’….”
Haniel paused for a moment, pondering, and then shook her head, deciding it was not her place to interfere. She quickened her pace and mumbled as she moved away.
“…I wonder how long they plan to imitate.”
At that moment, there was someone observing Haniel as she left Kether. It was close to coincidence, but seeing her demeanor, they didn’t feel inclined to approach and instead quietly watched.
“What’s up? Did they have a fight or something?”
The person was none other than Kamiel, the ruler of Geburah, the fifth Sephira, and a close friend of Metatron. He tilted his head, entering Metatron’s dwelling where Haniel had just exited.
“Metatron, I’ve come to visit.”
“Oh, Kamiel.”
“I saw Haniel leave just now.”
“Yes, she came to convey important news.”
“Important news?”
“By the way, you arrived just in time.”
The smile that shone from beneath the veil again hinted at something more than mere innocence; it bore a hint of ulterior motives. Kamiel felt a mixture of anxiety and curiosity as he inquired.
“What do you mean by ‘just in time’?”
“I have something I’d like you to investigate.”
“…What is it?”
When Kamiel asked in a tone of inquiry, Metatron smiled sweetly. Suddenly, she slightly raised her veil and swept it back.
Kamiel’s eyes widened in surprise. How many times had Metatron unveiled herself? Even for Kamiel, who shared a close bond with her, he had only seen this twice in an eternity.
The hair revealed beneath the lifted veil was pure white. No, it was closer to a feeling of transparency beyond being simply white. Her snow-white skin and hair were indistinguishable in color.
Nevertheless, her face, revealed beneath the veil, was extraordinarily beautiful. Objectively, no woman Kamiel had ever seen could compare to her beauty.
Her lips, which curved shyly, gleamed with a lovely pink hue. However, one thing remained unchanged. The color of her gaze directed at him…
‘…It’s still the same.’
It was ash-gray. Perhaps it was the eye color that gave off such a feeling, or maybe her gaze was just clouded. Unlike her smiling lips and expression, her eyes held no emotion toward Kamiel.
Impassivity—it was a gaze that fit that word perfectly.
“Kamiel, there has been movement in the Demon World this time.”
However, Kamiel slightly closed his eyes and nodded in response to Metatron’s words.
“So?”
“Are you really asking that knowing the answer?”
“With Doviel sent to the Demon World only to die, I don’t have many people to spare on my end.”
“The fact that you don’t have many means you still have some, right?”
Kamiel did not deny this.
“What do you want to investigate?”
“Who broke the silence and crossed over from the Demon World.”
“Understood.”
Kamiel replied.
“I’ll send Jeruel.”
#
“Hmm.”
Before Nahun and Seere stood an unexpected guest. It was Phynox, the master of the ninth layer, known as the level of art. She was currently inspecting the artworks Nahun had procured, evaluating their conditions.
Seeing this, Seere narrowed her eyes and whispered to Nahun, asking,
“…Teacher, is it alright for Phynox to just be here like this?”
“…I’m not sure.”
While Seere didn’t dislike Phynox’s presence, she was, after all, the head of the Plebs faction. Formally, it was true that she shouldn’t have been entering the territory of Seere, who was officially affiliated with the Nobilis faction.
That was why she was inquiring about it. Nahun was also perplexed by this aspect, but…
‘…It must be Phynox; she wouldn’t have come if she didn’t feel confident about not being caught.’
He thought that Phynox had probably considered that well enough before coming. Surely she had cleverly avoided being noticed.
“Well, everything looks good. The quality of the pieces is impressive. I was worried since this is our first transaction, but you did well bringing them back.”
“Is that so?”
“The price is better than I expected as well. You have good negotiation skills, Nahun.”
Phynox seemed to be calculating the prices of the artworks, quickly finishing and speaking to Nahun.
“I’ll buy everything for a total of two thousand gold coins.”
“…Two thousand coins?”
The amount Nahun had spent procuring the artworks was roughly around seven hundred coins. While that was a considerable amount, Phynox was offering nearly three times that price now.
“Of course, since this is our first purchase, I’m offering a little more. As art from the human realm becomes available, its value will naturally drop over time.”
“Meaning there’s still rarity involved.”
“That’s right.”
There was no reason for Nahun and Seere to refuse Phynox’s proposal. Two thousand gold coins amounted to a budget nearly equivalent to half a year for the estate of Debata.
Perhaps because of that, Seere, who had seemed hesitant about Phynox’s visit, now shouted with shining eyes.
“Let’s finalize the deal right away!!”
“Hehe, sounds good. It will be a satisfying transaction for both of us.”
Phynox smoothly handed two thousand gold coins to Seere while speaking.
“This time I’m here, but going forward, you will deal with the guild master here. I’ll take the items of today through you.”
“I’m Eric.”
The one who introduced himself as Eric was the one running the art guild that Phynox had previously mentioned. Seere greeted him warmly with a smile.
“I hope to see you often in the future.”
“I feel the same way. I look forward to working with you, Your Highness Seere von Debata.”
Before Phynox departed after the trade, she addressed Seere and Nahun.
“Ah, may I share the information I mentioned previously in correspondence?”
At Phynox’s question, Nahun nodded readily. The topic pertained to the meeting between Astharoth and Naberius that Nahun had witnessed previously on the ninth layer.
That’s correct. It was the inquiry as to whether Astharoth was indeed entering the Plebs faction.
“It is true that Astharoth von Hoda expressed her interest in joining our faction.”
“Will you accept her?”
“There’s no reason to refuse. Bué is very eager to promote this, so if I were to oppose, it would create a strange picture.”
Phynox was well aware that this was the case, and Nahun understood it as well. For Phynox’s ambitions, the Plebs faction was still needed, and for Nahun to use Phynox, her forces were still necessary.
“Then it seems that joining the faction will be pushed forward.”
“Yes, it’s an unavoidable situation. But…”
Phynox said.
“It can be delayed.”
“…How long can that be possible?”
“At most a month would be the limit. If I keep dragging it out beyond that, other demon lords in the faction will raise questions.”
“A month, huh.”
Nahun stole a glance at Seere. Upon feeling his gaze, Seere pondered briefly and then nodded in agreement.
“That’s sufficient.”
“That’s what she says.”
“Then that’s a relief. There will be nothing to worry about.”
Phynox smiled as she said.
“Being the successor of the Demon King, I believe you will do well.”
“…I appreciate your kind words.”
“Wishing you good fortune.”
Phynox shared the needed information and then turned to leave. It seemed she intended to blend in with Eric’s guild as they departed. It appeared she was trying to conceal her own movements by doing so.
Once Phynox and the guild left, Nahun spoke to Seere.
“A month, will that be alright for you?”
“I’ve already been preparing for that. It’s fine. But teacher, you need to focus on the other side, right? We need to keep procuring artworks from the human realm, what’s your plan?”
“Hmm, I have some thoughts.”
“What’s that?”
“Creating a branch on the human side. Something akin to a logistics warehouse.”
He was thinking of establishing a supply route by trading with art shops in the human realm and consistently supplying the Demon World.
Seere then asked, seemingly in concern, “Isn’t that risky?”
“I have to make it work. That’s why I’ll be asking those familiar with the human realm to assist.”
“Your own hands?”
“If I were to rely solely on them, I’d lack manpower. Besides, there are others accustomed to the human realm.”
“Who… ah.”
Seere seemed to realize belatedly.
“Your kin, I take it.”
“Exactly.”
Not all kin were associated with the Debata army, but due to their progenitor Ersha and the effective leaders of the Bloodline being affiliated, the kin were practically included in the Debata force.
Therefore, he intended to entrust the logistics warehouse role to the remaining kin in the human realm. With Ersha’s command, there should be no issues.
“Then I just need to worry about myself.”
“Do you think you can manage?”
When Nahun asked playfully yet with a hint of concern, Seere smiled brightly, as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
“If I lack confidence, I wouldn’t have even started.”
#
Astharoth von Hoda was reading a letter.
“…Quick work.”
It was a declaration of war from Seere von Debata.
She had never anticipated that the entry into the Plebs faction would be delayed this long, nor did she think their preparations would move this quickly. While she knew they were undergoing training, she did not expect them to be ready so soon.
“It feels like they’re moving in a rush.”
It was impossible not to be caught off guard. Regardless of how excellent Seere von Debata’s army was, she believed they would take more cautious measures before engaging in war with her forces, and that seemed only natural.
Yet, defying that ordinary expectation, less than three weeks since that day on the ninth layer, they boldly declared war.
“…Indeed, do they have something with Phynox?”
The faction enrollment taking three weeks was an unexpected situation as well. The timing and the synchronized delivery of the declaration made it even more suspicious. One could also interpret it as building a deliberate delay.
Astharoth slightly lifted her head. The chair creaked as she leaned forward, and her gaze met the ceiling. After momentarily closing her eyes and opening them, her blue eyes held not a trace of hesitation.
“Interesting.”
It was the moment the great war between the 23rd and 25th layers was about to ignite.
