Chapter 226: Bright Places, Dark Places.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 226: Bright Places, Dark Places.
If something bright, loud, and joyful is happening somewhere, then somewhere else in the world, something dark, secret, and unpleasant is bound to be taking place.
The AG Group.
This was Aisha’s paternal family home and a leading conglomerate ranked third among the nation’s top five business groups.
Although their defense industry branch was losing to the Yuseong Group, their entertainment and cosmetics businesses were being pushed back by the Cheonhwa Group, and they were being fiercely pursued by the fourth and fifth-ranked groups in other sectors, they still managed to hold onto the third-place spot. However, within this group, there was a secret that all the executives knew privately but kept strictly under wraps.
The secret was that the chairman of the corporation had gone mad, consumed by superstition.
Originally a man of eccentric temperament, he had become even more ferocious and impatient since falling into his obsessions.
There were two main reasons why the AG Group did not falter despite having a chairman who spent his days blaming others for failures and cursing people in fits of jealous rage.
First, through thorough “silencing,” no one was left within the organization who would dare spread the word of the chairman’s madness. Second, the “God” he worshiped was different from the gods of other religions; as long as a price was paid, this entity truly lent its power.
The corporation, which should have been reeling because of its mad leader, was being sustained by the very power that same leader obtained by paying a “price.”
Because of this twisted, vicious cycle, they continued to recruit new people to serve as the price, but that was merely a temporary fix.
Amidst all this, the chairman merely laughed like a fool, claiming that everything would be resolved once a god descended using his granddaughter as a vessel.
Now, why am I suddenly bringing this up?
It is because one of the protagonists of this story is Aisha, the granddaughter of that very madman.
* * *
Originally, Aisha had no intention of returning to her family home.
She didn’t want to see her mad grandfather’s face, and since her father and mother were being held hostage by him, what was the point of going back?
However, the moment she saw a single photograph sent to her, she was forced to choose to head for the family estate.
It was a photo of her father and mother.
They didn’t particularly look like they were being restrained, but the message was clear.
Since the option of not going had vanished, she had to return, but there was one problem.
The vessel of a god that had been planted inside her—the “Devil’s Seed”—had evaporated.
There was no way her grandfather, who was obsessed with demons, wouldn’t notice this. A storm would likely break out the moment she arrived.
She might never be able to leave again.
Maybe I should just run away?
Since the Devil’s Seed was gone, she could survive if she made up her mind to disappear.
If she abandoned her family, abandoned her past, ignored her family’s conspiracies, and fled to a distant country overseas, she might be able to live a decent life, perhaps even find an ordinary boyfriend.
“…That’s a stupid thought.”
If that were possible, she would have done it long ago. Why would she have hesitated like a fool?
It was because she couldn’t ignore her family, who were trembling in fear under her grandfather’s thumb. It was because she thought she might go mad with guilt if she failed to stop his schemes.
That was why she had resolved to stay and fight.
It might be the end, but she would go anyway.
Well, at least I got to go to the beach with those guys at the very end.
As far as final memories went, it was a bit empty—she didn’t get a date or build deep bonds with those who were supposed to be her “keys.”
Still, if she told that senile old man that she’d gone on a trip with men right before coming back, she might at least be able to make his face twist in rage.
Steeling her resolve, she knocked on the door of her family home.
* * *
And then, after receiving her grandfather’s “hospitality,” Aisha was able to return to the Academy.
“…Huh?”
Upon meeting Aisha, her grandfather was overjoyed.
Truly, immensely overjoyed.
She didn’t know what kind of misunderstanding he’d had, but he said something about the Seed of God having safely bloomed, and that now they just had to wait for it to stabilize.
He even let her meet her parents, telling her to rest comfortably.
…Is he finally going senile enough to actually die?
From Aisha’s perspective, she had been worried because she could no longer hear the god’s voice, but he seemed to be talking nonsense about how that was because the preparations were complete. In truth, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable for him to be mistaken.
That day, the seed inside her hadn’t simply been removed.
It had melted away, unable to resist a much higher grade of demonic energy.
The demonic energy hadn’t vanished; rather, the demon acting as the core had been annihilated, and the owner of that energy had shifted to Aisha. To his eyes, it simply looked like Aisha was now controlling the demonic energy herself.
And so, without even knowing why, she was able to return to the Academy.
* * *
The story now shifts to the Demon Realm.
On this day, not only the common denizens of the Demon Realm but even demons of significant renown found themselves unable to easily lift their heads.
This was because an unscheduled meeting was taking place in the heart of the Demon Realm.
The problem was that the meeting had been called by one of the seven Demon Kings, and even more problematic was that more than half of the kings—who usually had such poor attendance that often no one showed up—were present.
Would a lower-ranking being turn into demonic energy and become part of them just by approaching?
The meeting began with the host, Belphegor, the Demon King of Sloth, opening his mouth.
“…Well, should I say I’m grateful that more of you attended than I expected?”
Next was Satan, the Demon King of Wrath.
“I wonder? When the one among us who hates bothersome things the most requests a meeting, wouldn’t we attend out of sheer curiosity?”
Then, Asmodeus, the Demon King of Lust.
“I thought there would be fine women, or at least men, prepared since it’s a meeting. Is this banquet all there is? Can I leave?”
“…Leave if you want. That is, if you’re confident you can survive after walking out before that woman.”
At Belphegor’s words, Asmodeus sat back down as if he had no choice.
Their gazes all converged on the “her” Belphegor had mentioned, but the subject of their attention simply sipped her tea elegantly, enjoying the stares as if they were only natural.
Lucifer, the Demon King of Pride.
She scanned the other kings with an arrogant attitude befitting her title, then spoke with a smile.
“I wouldn’t kill you for something like that. It would be a hassle to have to pick new ones if the Demon King seats became vacant.”
In other words, she could do it if she wanted to.
“…Is that crow’s favorite toy a male this time? Seeing as you’re wearing that form again.”
“Shall I turn you into an expert at controlling your anger, Satan?”
The King of Wrath flinched at the sudden surge of killing intent. Paradoxically, he couldn’t understand what had made her angry.
Hadn’t he called her by that derogatory nickname, “crow,” since their very first meeting? And hadn’t she laughed it off every time?
“Don’t you dare call him a toy. He is no such thing this time.”
…Good grief, was that all? Just how great of a ‘toy’ was he?
“Ah, and.”
The moment she snapped her fingers, a black light appeared and pierced Satan’s right arm.
“Agh…!? You crazy bitch, what are you doing!?”
“Don’t even think about it. No, don’t even dare try to picture him with that empty head of yours. Unless you want to be punished again.”
“…What, did you look into my head?”
“No? But you’re simple, so I know you were thinking something like that anyway.”
“…Fuck?”
He couldn’t scream that he wasn’t, because he had definitely just thought of him as a toy.
The Demon Realm’s anger management failure.
Satan, the King of Wrath, wasn’t actually someone who couldn’t control his temper. It was just that he usually didn’t feel the need to try.
Unfortunately, right now, it was much better to suppress his anger for a moment.
If he went into a full-scale war with that crazy woman, the losses would be devastating even if he miraculously won. Moreover, she was far more skilled in information warfare than he was, so she would surely seize the moral high ground with some excuse like, “He insulted the honor of a Demon King!”
“Tsk.”
“Yes, good job holding it back. You’re already one step closer to being an expert at controlling your anger.”
Belphegor, the host watching this entire scene, had to clutch his head.
The purpose of this meeting was none other than to denounce Lucifer, and he was supposed to take a hostile stance against her.
He had heard rumors that she had become much quieter than before and hadn’t left her territory, so he thought she might have mellowed out. Those rumors were false. If anything, she had become even more of a nightmare than the last time he saw her.
“So? Didn’t our lazybones have something to say to me?”
Oh, he had plenty to say.
The guy you have a provisional contract with didn’t just ruin the plan I was preparing in the human world; he even killed one of the subordinates I was raising.
But did that woman really not know what he was about to say?
No, there was no way. She was doing this knowing everything. Satan had just been caught in the crossfire and used as an example.
That behavior wasn’t meant to denounce Satan; it was a warning directed at him.
Then again, it wasn’t like they had a real contract; if she just said she didn’t know what someone she had a provisional contract with via an artifact was doing, that would be the end of it.
Ah, this was bad. It had become a hassle. Should he just say, “Your presence has become even more beautiful, so I simply wished to see you,” and run away?
“I trust you didn’t call me here for some pathetic joke.”
Did she really learn telepathy or something while she was holed up in her territory…?
…Whatever happens, happens.
“Lucifer, I only recently learned that my plans were ruined because of the fellow you have a provisional contract with.”
“Oh, really?”
…Is that all the reaction he gets?
She was more favorable than expected. Honestly, he thought she might launch a surprise attack, asking if he had a problem with that.
“It was a plan I had been preparing for a long time, so the losses are significant. Until I raise a new demon and send them up, there are issues with controlling the human I was originally interfering with.”
“That’s unfortunate news. So, what do you want me to do about it?”
Her reaction was truly milder than expected. Since she seemed to cherish her contractor, as long as he didn’t ask her to break the provisional contract or kill him, couldn’t they move past this quite easily?
“…I don’t intend to make an excessive request. I don’t plan to hold you responsible for something you didn’t know about. Let’s just agree not to interfere with each other from now on. It would be even better if you ensured your contractor doesn’t fight my minions, or at the very least, I’d like you not to lend him your strength when he tries to fight me. Since it’s a provisional contract, not lending him strength should be fine, right?”
In fact, this was a very reasonable—no, an incredibly generous—condition from his side.
She would have no reason to refuse.
And indeed, it wasn’t a lie.
The King of Sloth hated bothersome things, so when facing an opponent he couldn’t crush with pure power, he would make concessions as long as he didn’t suffer a loss.
“Hmm, you certainly used your head quite a bit.”
And this was a fact the other Demon Kings knew well.
Lucifer’s smile was too radiant to be one worn by a demon, filled with what seemed like goodwill.
Belphegor was certain she would accept his proposal.
Satan and Asmodeus, however, who knew her personality relatively well from similar past experiences, were shaking their heads.
“So, have you said everything you wanted to say?”
“…What?”
No, if a demon makes a proposal, the answer should be yes or no. What kind of reaction was “Have you said everything you wanted to say?”
“At least you should say everything you want so you won’t feel wronged later.”
Only now did Belphegor realize that something was going terribly wrong.
“No, it seems there’s a misunderstanding. This is truly the most I can concede…”
“No. That is not what one calls a maximum concession.”
The air grew heavy, beginning to press down on the surroundings.
It wasn’t a pressure a Demon King couldn’t withstand, but it was a provocation that could clearly be seen as a declaration of hostility.
Why? What had offended her?
“In the end, you considered your own position, said everything you wanted to say to me, and demanded everything you wanted to demand. How is that a maximum concession?”
The pressure didn’t grow stronger, but its range expanded infinitely, eventually pressing down on the entire Demon Realm.
Just as innocent demons and devils began to tremble at the Demon King’s quiet rage.
Pride, in a beautiful form that suited her name perfectly, looked down upon the other kings with disdain.
“If you truly didn’t want to fight me, you shouldn’t have said those things.”
Her face was filled with blatant provocation and mockery.
“You should have cast aside your pride and everything else, bowed your head to the floor as pitifully as possible, and begged for your life in a trembling voice, saying you were sorry for daring to offend my contractor. Only then would it be a declaration of your intent not to challenge me, and only then would it be the maximum concession you could make.”
For a very brief moment, the other Demon Kings truly couldn’t understand Pride’s words.
Especially Belphegor, the party involved. He had only tried to avoid a fight because he hated bothersome things and because fighting would only lead to losses.
He was confident that if he truly started a war, he could inflict great damage on her as a fellow Demon King, so this treatment was even more incomprehensible.
“To think you dared to host a meeting to try and stand on equal footing with me, and then talk of concessions… how laughable, Belphegor.”
“Your pride has gone too far, Lucifer. Are you intending to start a war?”
And that excessive pride finally touched the nerve of Sloth.
“Why would you think I’m not?”
Naturally, she shouldn’t. That was common sense. A Demon King moving was a natural disaster; it was a matter that could change the very geography of the Demon Realm.
However, if one thought about it, expecting common sense from a being like a Demon King was quite foolish.
Their very existence was outside common sense. They sat on the thrones of Demon Kings precisely because they were selfish, prideful fools whose single egos had run wild.
“Belphegor, I’ll give you one last chance. I don’t particularly like taking my bad mood out on others. Bow your head. Or shall we have a war?”
That was exactly where Sloth’s reason reached its limit.
And it was the moment the war between Sloth and Pride began.
“Your head might be a bit lacking as a dowry, but it’s better than nothing.”
“What kind of nonsense is that, you crazy crow…!”
“Oh, it just means I’ve been a bit angry lately because of a certain monkey. You don’t need to know.”
With those utterly insane words, the demonic energies of the two Demon Kings clashed, and the Demon Realm began to shake.
* * *
— My ears feel a bit itchy.
“Do residual thoughts feel things like that too?”
— It’s just a figure of speech, you brat. It seems someone is looking for me again.
Sun Wukong laughed, saying that being a celebrity was a tiring business.