Chapter 38 The Demon King’s Castle, Baal’s Palace
“Why call me over when you’re busy?”
Baal sat high on his throne, looking down at Yoon Sang-hyuk with an unreadable gleam in his eyes.
“Come down here first, will you? I’m in a terrible mood.”
Baal gave a faint snort of laughter, rose, and descended the steps. Yoon Sang-hyuk laughed under his breath as well. Compared to when they had first met, and even when they met again, Baal was far more open about his feelings now.
“I’ll admit it was useful getting here in one shot thanks to you, but being ordered around doesn’t sit well with me.”
After Atram and the divine race left the Gray Wasteland, the group stayed there for a day before setting off again. They were being brusque with Baal, but their first destination after leaving the Gray Wasteland was right here, the Demon King’s Castle.
There were a few things that needed to be handled here.
Thanks to Baal, they had saved a great deal of travel time, but there was no need to say that out loud. He had called Yoon Sang-hyuk for some reason, and if he had, then it was because he had something to say or something he needed done.
As the saying went, the thirsty dug the well. The one in need was always the first to lower his tail.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? You didn’t call me here just to look at my face, did you?”
“You came a long way. Sit first.”
Snap.
With a flick of Baal’s fingers, a round table and chairs appeared.
Yoon Sang-hyuk and Baal sat across from each other. Succubi appeared and carried food to the table. After filling the empty glasses with wine, they vanished again.
“Not bad service.”
“It is my way of showing gratitude.”
“Gratitude?”
Baal considered what he had to be grateful to Yoon Sang-hyuk for, but nothing immediately came to mind.
“The Gray Wasteland has long been a thorn in the Demon Realm’s side.”
“What do you mean by that? The reason the Gray Wasteland exists is because of you... no, because of the former Demon King, Satan. He made the Guardian Magic Dragons bind the divine race so they couldn’t return to the Heavenly Realm. That’s why the divine race had to remain in the Demon Realm, a place completely unrelated to them and far too harsh for them to endure. How can you say it like that?”
“I’m saying exactly that. It was the work of the former Demon King, Satan, and the Guardian Magic Dragons. They never finished cleaning up the mess they made. The Demon King can’t interfere too much with the Guardian Magic Dragons, nor can he impose restrictions on their actions. I hated having those reeking divine mongrels polluting the Demon Realm I ruled. But there was no way to deal with them. If I intervened, the Guardian Magic Dragons would step in. They’d certainly say something like, ‘This is the great dark contract mediated by the Demon King.’”
There was irritation in Baal’s voice. It was the first time Yoon Sang-hyuk had heard him sound like this.
“I, as the Demon King, could never break a contract made in the Demon King’s name.”
“Oh? So you used me? Did you also leak information about the Gray Wasteland and the Stigma to Vassago?”
Baal did not answer. He merely drank his wine.
But Yoon Sang-hyuk had already heard the answer.
Silent confirmation.
“You’ve got a surprisingly petty side for a Demon King. Watching me work must have been a riot, huh? I took care of those bothersome divine beings for you and even hit those Guardian Magic Dragons you didn’t like right where it hurt.”
“I won’t deny it.”
“That’s a little unfair. I did all that work for you, and you didn’t do a thing for me.”
“Say it properly. You didn’t do it for me. You did it for yourself, didn’t you?”
Instead of answering, Yoon Sang-hyuk took a sip of wine.
Baal slowly nodded.
“I’ll admit it. However things were done, I did profit in the end. Of course, you gained something too, but that’s beside the point. Is there anything you want?”
“Lift the Arian clan’s curse.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk answered without the slightest hesitation. Baal frowned.
“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d ask for something that would make you stronger.”
“It might sound arrogant, but I’m already so strong I can’t get any stronger.”
“Hah. That kind of arrogance is exactly what makes you so interesting.”
“No need to find me interesting. I’m not into men. Especially not if the man in question is the Demon King. But can you even lift the Arian clan’s curse? You said contracts made in the Demon King’s name can’t be broken, so what about curses?”
Baal laughed and shook his head.
“Contracts and curses are different. If one possesses dark energy of a higher level than the one who cast the curse, then it can be done.”
“So? Are you stronger now than Satan was when he cursed the Arian clan?”
“To borrow your humans’ expression, it would be an insult to even ask. I defeated Satan in his prime and became the Demon King. It will still take a great deal of time to recover the power I spent in my battle with you, but the purity of my energy has nothing to do with that.”
“Good. Then as payment for the work I did in your place, lift the Arian clan’s curse.”
When Yoon Sang-hyuk and his group had been forcibly moved to the Demon King’s Castle by Baal, the Arian clan had been included as well.
The Arian clan had been cursed by Satan so they could not enter cities and would be forced to wander the wastelands for all their lives. And since they had been brought not to a city but to the Demon King’s Castle, the Demon King’s own residence, there was no way they could remain unaffected. As soon as they arrived, they had convulsed violently and fallen unconscious one by one.
“If you’re going to do it, do it right now. Their condition is terrible.”
Snap.
Baal flicked his fingers.
“That’s it?”
“What more were you expecting?”
“You’re lifting the curse of the former Demon King. Shouldn’t there be some kind of spell, some swirling darkness, something dramatic?”
“I don’t see the need.”
“You really are a boring man.”
“In the Demon Realm, you’re probably the only one who calls the Demon King a man to his face.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk chuckled, then seemed to remember something and spoke again.
“Right, I almost forgot to mention this...”
He thought of several faces and smiled brightly.
“Looks like the ranking among the demon lords is going to change a bit.”
* * *
“How do you feel?”
“I... I’m not sure.”
Arin stared at Yoon Sang-hyuk with wide, round eyes.
The Arian clan had all awakened thanks to Baal lifting the curse. Realizing the curse binding them had been lifted, they all shed tears of joy.
Yoon Sang-hyuk reached out and ruffled Arin’s hair. So much had changed in just a day. First of all, the energy inside Arin’s body was substantial. Satan’s curse had sealed away the Arian clan’s power, and with the curse broken, that seal had been released. Even though only part of her original power had returned, an enormous force was already coiled within Arin.
It was not just her energy that had changed. Arin’s appearance had also transformed strikingly. In human terms, she had gone from the looks and build of a ten-year-old child to that of a mature woman in her twenties.
Of course, the change was not limited to Arin alone. It affected every member of the Arian clan. They were once the clan that had been called the greatest in the Demon Realm. In time, not too far away, the Arian clan would reclaim the glory it had once lost.
The clan head of Arin’s people left with several others as soon as they had regained their senses, intent on gathering the scattered members of the Arian clan wandering across the Demon Realm.
Just as Yoon Sang-hyuk was about to say something, Arin’s eyes turned gold. She stared into space for a moment with those golden pupils, then gave a light shiver.
“You saw the future?”
“Yes.”
“I won’t ask what kind of future it was. I just hope it’s a bright one for you and your clan.”
“It isn’t related to the Arian clan. But I’m not going to tell you.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk snorted with laughter.
“Where did the sweet little Arin go, the one who used to stand trembling like a wet baby bird in front of my room and beg me to take the clan in?”
“It’s not bad for you, Oppa. In fact, it’s something good. But I still won’t tell you.”
Arin smiled, and the meaning of it was impossible to read.
* * *
The entire Demon Realm was stirring with a strange excitement.
In the Demon Realm, status was decided by strength alone.
Among its many traditions was something called the Clash of Struggle. The Clash of Struggle was the ritual used to determine the ranking of high-ranking demons and demon lords alike.
The reason the entire Demon Realm was in an uproar was that, for the first time since Baal became Demon King, the Clash of Struggle was being held. Not once, but three times, and the challengers had named current demon lords.
Those who were not demon lords could only challenge the lowest-ranked demon lord. In other words, they could only challenge Andromalius, the demon lord ranked seventy-second. If they defeated Andromalius, they would become a new demon lord. To rise higher, they first had to win the seat of a demon lord by defeating Andromalius, then challenge those above them.
But this time, three challengers had requested the Clash of Struggle at the same time. Demon King Baal acknowledged the unusual circumstances and ordered that the Clash of Struggle be held simultaneously against Andromalius, ranked seventy-second, Dantalion, ranked seventy-first, and Seere, ranked seventieth.
With the exception of the blood festival, there was little in the Demon Realm that counted as entertainment, and the Clash of Struggle was the greatest festival of all. Baal’s order had already spread across the entire Demon Realm.
Countless beings from the Demon Realm were gathering at the Arena of Greed, the arena closest to the Demon King’s Castle.
* * *
“Nervous?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk asked the Zephyr brothers, seated across from him at the table. They were clearly tense. He could feel their faint trembling. And yet they were smiling. It was a relaxed smile, not the stiffness of nerves that locked the body, but the exhilaration of joy soon to come, and the tension that came with it.
“We’ve worked hard, haven’t we? I’m sure the results will be good.”
“Andromalius and the others are going to have it rough. If you lose a demon lord ranking match, you can’t challenge again for a hundred years, right?”
“Yes. That is the law of the Demon Realm.”
“So they won’t get their seats taken again for another hundred years, right?”
Zeronia smiled brightly.
“We trained under some truly remarkable people. That won’t happen. And if it did, Lord Ibrahmut would never let me hear the end of it.”
Zeronia, contract holder of Ibrahmut. Whenever he had a chance, Ibrahmut trained her harshly. Zephyr had gone through practical sparring with Zeronia and received instruction from Yoon Sang-hyuk and Valender von Graus.
As for Jerome, by becoming Abalatron’s guardian he had received an enormous amount of dark energy from the dragon.
Even by Yoon Sang-hyuk’s judgment, they would have no trouble becoming demon lords, and they would still be holding those seats a hundred years from now. No, if anything, a hundred years later they would likely be demon lords of even higher rank.
“Now then, let’s have a toast. To an honorable victory in the Clash of Struggle.”
“Cheers!”
Yoon Sang-hyuk smiled faintly.
“Just try losing. You’ll end up going through something even worse.”