Squirming Conspiracy - 2
In the depths of Hell, far below even the first floor of the Demon Realm shaped like an inverted tower, Golab, one of its rulers, dragged his colossal frame toward a certain destination.
Thud! The moment he stepped beyond his own domain, crimson hands began to coil around Golab's body and cling to him.
"Ugh… Take us… with you too…"
"Ghh… Pull us out…"
They were the hands of fallen souls who had endured punishment in Hell until they could bear it no longer and had corrupted. Despite their interference, Golab could still move with ease, yet it irritated him that mere wretches dared to obstruct his path.
"This body is not one that fallen ghosts may touch."
"Ghh… Ghh…"
Golab swung his arm once in a wide arc. In an instant, the countless crimson souls clinging to him vanished. Narrowing his eyes, he muttered,
"The Demon Realm and the Human Realm have been noisy of late. It seems far too many worthless souls are pouring in."
Having shaken off the souls, Golab crossed into another territory in mere steps and entered the domain ruled by the Lord of Lust. When the Colossus appeared, the succubi who had been toying with young souls trembled and bowed their heads.
"G-Great One…!"
Golab addressed one of them.
"Where is Gamaliel?"
"W-What business do you have with our master…?"
When the succubus dared to question him, Golab's gaze sharpened. He slowly raised his fist and brought it crashing down.
BOOM──!!!
The succubus who had just answered was reduced to a bloody pulp, her form unrecognizable. Not only her, but every succubus nearby was crushed beneath the sheer size of his fist. Yet Golab did not so much as blink. His expression remained indifferent, as though he had merely stepped on ants.
To the now-unhearing corpse, the cruel Colossus spoke simply.
"I did not ask for such a thing."
"What insolence brings you to my domain?"
A voice rang out above Golab's head. He craned his massive neck upward. There, perched atop him, was a woman. She wore revealing garments that left little to the imagination, her body the sort that would make any man drool, and possessed a beauty so captivating that merely looking at her was dizzying. An Archdemon. Her deep navy hair, tinged with violet, gave off a bewitching aura, and the eyes gazing down at Golab were alluringly seductive.
This was the very Archdemon Golab had come to find—also known as Gamaliel. The Lord of Lust, Lilith.
Golab looked up at her and said,
"I merely intended to seek you out."
"And yet you slaughter my subordinates as you please?"
"They showed insolence. I was merely educating them."
"A flimsy excuse. You entered my domain. Of course I would know you were here. You simply couldn't wait a moment."
Lilith openly scolded him. Golab neither grew angry nor argued back. He knew that provoking her could bring trouble from the one who cherished this lascivious woman.
"You might have gone to see Tiamat for a while."
"Then I simply wouldn't have appeared. You could have assumed I wasn't here. My, don't tell me you can't even understand that much?"
"…I had urgent matters to discuss. It couldn't be helped."
"Urgent matters?"
Lilith tilted her head. The small gesture looked beautiful because of her exquisite features. Golab swallowed unconsciously but kept his expression neutral as he spoke.
"Have you heard anything about the Top?"
The Top. It referred to the highest place in Hell. Most would assume the highest point in Hell was where it touched the first floor of the Demon Realm, but that was not the case. It was not a literal summit.
"…I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You know exactly what I mean, Gamaliel."
At Golab's confident tone, Lilith frowned. He continued,
"Speak honestly. Tiamat will find out eventually. It's only a matter of time."
"…Why do you care about that?"
"Because if that man empties the Kingdom any further, it will be dangerous. If the roots collapse, we collapse with them."
Hell was sustained by a colossal tree. Each Archdemon's domain existed upon the branches of the Tree of Evil, the Qliphoth, which symbolized wickedness. This great tree of evil was peculiar—it grew inverted, just like the Demon Realm shaped like an inverted tower. Thus, in Hell, the roots of the tree were the highest place. And those roots connected to the roots of another tree. A tree that resembled the Tree of Evil in many ways, yet stood in complete opposition to it.
That was why the Top was of such importance. For the safety of Hell, and to keep the hostile world connected by those roots in check. Therefore, the demon who ruled and governed this place had to be immensely powerful. The master of the "Inverted Kingdom" at the roots of the great Tree of Evil, the Qliphoth, possessed strength equal to—or perhaps even greater than—Tiamat, who was effectively the leader of Hell.
Yet now the Kingdom's master had left and had not returned. For a time, confusion had spread among the Archdemons, who had worked to keep the fact hidden from the outside world while waiting for the master's return.
"He must come back."
"I know that already."
Lilith pressed a slender finger to her forehead as though nursing a headache from how tangled things had become.
"Where in the world did you hear about this?"
"You must have known to some extent that I was interfering with the Demon Realm."
"Ha. Don't tell me… Belial?"
"You know him well."
"But is it wise to admit that with your own mouth? What if I told Tiamat?"
"You? How amusing."
Golab let out a dry laugh. The cruel Colossus, who rarely showed emotion, found Lilith's words so absurd that he actually chuckled.
"You do far worse things yourself. Do you truly believe you would be safe if you told him?"
"……"
"And stop obsessing over that man. If Tiamat catches wind of it, your life will be in danger."
Though he said this, Golab thought differently. Did Tiamat truly not know that Lilith's heart leaned toward another man? He suspected Tiamat knew and simply turned a blind eye. This foolish, lascivious Archdemon seemed unaware of that fact.
"That's none of your concern. How presumptuous."
"I can't help but be concerned."
"Do you like me? Why else would you care about my affairs?"
"I've heard enough of your nonsense. If our balance collapses, it will only hand an opportunity to Heaven."
Golab's eyes gleamed with cruelty as he looked at Lilith.
"So hand over the information quickly, Gamaliel. I will persuade him and bring him back."
"…Persuade him? What a joke. Golab, don't you know him too little?"
Lilith gave a crooked smile. Golab stared at her, silently asking what she meant. Lilith spoke the truth that only she, who had obsessed over that man, knew.
"That man doesn't fall for persuasion, you fool."
"…Then what do you intend to do? Will you refuse to share the information?"
At Golab's question, Lilith pondered briefly. Then she asked him,
"Can you make him return?"
"I will have to try."
"Very well. I would prefer it if he came back, so I'll tell you. Though I don't know all that much myself."
"That's fine. Tell me what you know."
"He intervened in the Human Realm."
Golab's eyes widened slightly.
"You mean…"
"Yes. There are only two places in the Demon Realm from which one can easily interfere with the Human Realm."
"I see."
Golab nodded. Combining the information she had given with what he already knew, he reached a conclusion.
"Understood. I will bring him back."
Bringing that man back was an absolute necessity. Even for the sake of the great war that would soon erupt.
#
When class ended, Seere suddenly spoke up.
"Teacher, I want to change my hairstyle."
"Hm?"
Nahen blinked, eyes round. Anyone could want to change their hairstyle at any time, but the suddenness caught him off guard.
"Why all of a sudden?"
"Umm…"
She had thought that perhaps her teacher would pay more attention to her that way. Unable to say that honestly, Seere offered a different excuse.
"I'm a little tired of it."
"Hmm."
Originally, Seere had worn her hair in pigtails. Back then she had been young, and the style had suited her perfectly—she had been so pretty and adorable that anything would have looked good on her. As she grew, at the age of ten she had changed her hairstyle to the half-up style she wore now. Nahen recalled that Rea had influenced the decision. The current style also suited her beautifully. A half-up style was inherently flattering, and it complemented the mature yet still youthful Seere even more. Though the thought of her changing it again left him with a faint sense of reluctance, Nahen still helped her think it through.
"All right. I think any hairstyle would look good on you, Seere."
"Ah… R-Really?"
"Of course."
When Seere looked slightly flustered, Nahen assumed she was simply embarrassed by the sudden compliment. Seere hesitated for a moment, then looked at him and asked,
"Then would you recommend one for me?"
"Hm? It should be the hairstyle you want, not what I prefer."
"I think it would be better if you recommended one."
At Seere's words, Nahen hummed thoughtfully. However, he was not particularly knowledgeable about women's hairstyles. He knew the basics, but nothing detailed… In the end, unable to think of anything specific, he answered honestly.
"I don't really know. I'm not familiar with that sort of thing."
"Then…"
Seere pulled her chair a little closer. Even as she drew nearer, Nahen remained perfectly calm. Seere felt a twinge of dissatisfaction at his reaction, but something more important occupied her mind right now. Suppressing her emotions, she spoke softly.
"I'll ask one thing at a time, so please answer?"
Nahen sensed that if he refused, Seere would definitely sulk. Remembering how she had once ignored him and stormed off when upset, a memory that was far from pleasant, he nodded.
"All right…"
After all, to see the ending, Seere's affection level could not be allowed to drop. He had no choice.
Seere smiled in satisfaction and began asking him questions one by one.
"Teacher, do you prefer long hair or short hair?"
"I tend to prefer long hair."
"Now that you mention it, your hair is a little long too, Teacher."
"It is."
"Then do you prefer it tied up or let down?"
"Both seem fine to me…"
When Nahen gave a vague answer, Seere narrowed her eyes.
'……'
Feeling her gaze, Nahen quickly thought it over and offered an answer.
"Let down might be slightly better."
"Then what about bangs?"
"Bangs are good to have."
"Long ones?"
Nahen considered her words. For a girl to grow her bangs long meant sweeping them to the side. Since he preferred the presence of bangs, he needed to phrase it differently.
"Moderately short would be better. Personally, I like asymmetrical bangs."
This was Nahen's personal preference. He had always liked the illustration of Seere from the "Sword Saint" route in Evil Queen Maker, one of the game's endings. In that illustration, Seere had worn her hair with one side of her bangs longer than the other, and the memory had prompted his answer.
"You're quite serious about bangs, Teacher."
"…Hm?"
"That was your longest answer."
Seere grinned mischievously as she spoke. Nahen could only chuckle.
"Well, I suppose I do have some preferences after all."
"Hehe…"
So that's his taste. Teacher likes the feeling of bangs slightly covering one eye. Though Nahen had answered without much thought, it meant something entirely different to Seere.
'This is the first time I've learned something Teacher likes.'
It was a profoundly meaningful discovery about Nahen. Seere smiled bashfully. And within her, a thought formed that Nahen could never have imagined.
'From now on, I'll match it…'
One by one.
Exactly to Teacher's preferences.