The King of Flies' Curiosity
The city of pleasure, Sabron. Hell. It was the place the Church taught was where sinners eventually arrived. There the condemned would burn away their sins, waiting only for the moment they might earn a new life. Devils tested those sinners, tormented them, and were wicked creatures that turned them into their own kind. That was exactly what the Church taught. Well… it wasn’t entirely wrong.
Lilith, returning to this hell after a long absence, gave a faint smirk as she watched the souls writhing in agony amid the blue flames that filled the realm. The Church’s words were not false. Devils were born from the corruption of human souls, and to increase their numbers they constantly tempted the burning spirits here—both in the living world and in this one. Devils existed to seduce and torment humanity. That was their nature.
Amid those sapphire flames stood a palace, aloof and majestic. It was Satan’s residence, the Pandemonium that lured in arriving souls. Naturally, it was not Lilith’s destination.
Instead she made her way to the filthiest, darkest corner of this hell—a place even here swarming with flies and writhing maggots. When the insects tried to cling to her, Lilith brushed them away with a lazy wave of her hand.
“Still as disgusting as ever. Have you no intention of cleaning up?”
[I have simply made a comfortable home for my subjects. This is the environment they prefer.]
A voice answered from within—small, delicate, and so chilling it raised gooseflesh. From the filth emerged a boy. Black hair, pale skin, and purple eyes that remained impossibly clean even in this mire. To the eye he was merely a lovely child, yet Lilith knew his power and offered no disrespect.
This boy was unmistakably one of the two pillars that divided hell with Satan. Among all devils, only these two could truly be called kings, and if a Devil King were ever to arise, the candidates would number no more than these two. Their power stood on an entirely different level.
A monster.
Lilith honestly felt as if she were standing on a blade’s edge. She knew that the instant she displeased him, even a high-ranking devil like herself would meet instant death.
[It seems the child I gifted you has died.]
Even as that faint voice somehow rang vividly in her ears, Lilith’s eyes widened when the surroundings suddenly changed. The filthy pit of filth had become a clean, elegant drawing room. It appeared he had taken pity on her and altered the space.
[A shame about Vermos. But it was an unavoidable death.]
A luxurious teacup floated gracefully through the air and settled before her, releasing a sweet aroma. Beelzebub had never held much interest in humans. They were frail, and multiplying devils held little fascination for him. While Satan enjoyed corrupting mortals, Beelzebub preferred to nurture those who entered his domain. Humans had simply never caught his attention.
But—
[If Vermos fell to such a degree, perhaps humans cannot be dismissed so lightly. Then again, since devils were originally human, it only makes sense.]
Tap. Tap.
Beelzebub had begun to take an interest in that human. More precisely—
[Jenkinson Beckett… An interesting man.]
Jenkinson Beckett. The man who had killed Amon and dealt with Vermos. The realization that Beelzebub had taken notice of him genuinely surprised Lilith. That he would show interest in a human at all was astonishing.
[So. You are worried about that man, Lilith?]
She flinched. Lilith was startled that Beelzebub already knew the purpose of her visit, yet she accepted it as inevitable. He could see everything his flies witnessed, and given how many flies infested the continent, it was only natural that his information network surpassed even hers.
“Will you help me?”
[I will not help you.]
His reply was firm. This was not assistance.
[It is merely satisfying my own curiosity.]
So saying, Beelzebub began preparing for a rare journey to the surface. Even without her request, he too had grown interested.
—
“It’s going smoother than I expected. I never thought the principality would be this cooperative.”
Ilena spoke with feigned nonchalance as she ate inside the inn. In truth, even Jenkinson had not anticipated the principality’s willingness to cooperate to this degree. Because of it, a restless tension now hung over Sabron.
The people here were already addicted to drugs, gambling, and the pleasures of the flesh. Trying to control them was bound to meet resistance; claiming otherwise would be a lie. They were simply being suppressed by military force. It was like a bomb that could detonate at any moment.
This is more serious than I thought.
Jenkinson felt the city’s corruption ran deeper than he had imagined. While Yoqheim’s depravity stemmed from the gangs that ruled it, Sabron’s decay was more fundamental—the people gathered here were rotten to the core. Of course some resisted, but the corruption had taken deep root and would not be easily eradicated.
Difficult.
Could it even be uprooted? Would strict punishment have any real effect on a place already this far gone? Such thoughts were not a priest’s concern. Or they shouldn’t be… yet Jenkinson found himself troubled. Was this because he had seen the devils? Even as he thought it, he tried to convince himself otherwise. He was not an exorcist. Therefore—
They said an exorcist would be dispatched soon…
Best to stop worrying. With that decision, Jenkinson began preparing for bed. Tomorrow he would have to fulfill his duties once more.
—
“I am Gili, dispatched on Archbishop Hermann’s orders. It is an honor to meet you, Chief Inquisitor Jenkinson.”
Jenkinson paused his breakfast at the sight of the smiling woman who had arrived early that morning. He studied the exorcist priestess with her pleasant expression.
“Um… so you’re Priestess Gili?”
“Yes!”
Chief Inquisitor. Come to think of it, when he had met His Holiness there had been talk of a promotion, so he let that pass. What concerned him was—
“Why exactly have you come to me?”
Why was a priestess dispatched to hunt devils hovering around him? That was the question.
“Why, to hunt devils together, of course?”
Jenkinson felt a headache coming on. So—
“I am an inquisitor.”
He was not an exorcist. Yet here she was, casually asking for cooperation. It was absurd.
“Oh, is that so? And? There are devils, aren’t there?”
…One thing was now perfectly clear. This woman was missing a few screws. Jenkinson spoke to the seemingly amiable, freckled priestess in a calm tone.
“You are free to follow, but I will not be chasing devils.”
He rose from his seat to make himself clear. The woman smiled.
“I am aware, Chief Inquisitor Jenkinson.”
That smile… it bothered him. It was as if she were certain he would encounter devils whether he sought them or not.
—
“Isn’t there no need to unnecessarily provoke him? The order was simply to follow Chief Inquisitor Jenkinson…”
Lina thought she herself would have been annoyed. But—
“That man attracts devils as a matter of course. It is the Goddess’s will, Miss Lina. Your training is still lacking.”
Hermann did not share her concern. He was convinced that the Goddess’s arrangement deliberately entangled Jenkinson with devils. In that regard, he found Lina’s words somewhat disappointing. Monastics were both husbands and wives to Yuno; they above all must discern her intentions. It was necessary to point out such immaturity.
Thinking thus, Hermann gently admonished her.
“Strive to understand the divine will. At times it will even shatter common sense.”
“…I apologize.”
Even as she spoke, Lina’s face clearly asked whether this was truly something worth scolding her for. Hermann chuckled. At that moment, the place he needed to go became visible to him.
“I see the Goddess Yuno’s arrangement. Let us go, Miss Lina.”
“What? We’re leaving already?”
Just then Greg appeared, carrying a bottle of liquor, apparently hoping to share a drink. His eyes widened at the words.
“Yes, it seems we must depart.”
This was not something that could be explained in words. It was a literal intuition, a destiny that only servants of the Goddess could feel. Hermann was seized by that intuition.
“We are heading for Quientang. Will you come with us?”
“…Hey, I can’t just wander off whenever I please.”
Quientang was quite far from here. More importantly, it was the region said to contain the gateway to Hell.
“So you won’t go?”
Hermann asked with a smile. Greg scratched his head.
“…Ah, fine. Samuel!”
An odd feeling had taken hold of him. The sense that if he did not follow, he would regret it. That feeling drove Greg’s decision.
“You called, my lord?”
When the impeccably poised head butler appeared, Greg spoke.
“I’ll be away for a while. I leave the territory in your hands.”
Someone might ask whether a margrave could simply abandon his post. But his loyal retainer, Butler Samuel, merely bowed his head.
“Understood.”
“Let’s go. I’m sick of these damned devils anyway.”
Greg shouldered the pack the butler had already prepared and spoke. The conclusion he had reached was simple: help his son deal with the devils quickly.
“Come on, let’s move.”
“Always so impatient…”
Hermann grumbled at the urging, but in truth he felt deeply reassured by Greg’s presence. A mage whose mastery of mana reinforcement was arguably the finest on the continent had just joined them. It was as if they had gained an ally more reliable than a thousand soldiers.