A Wider World
“What nonsense is this? Defy a god? You, a mere lackey of the gods, spouting such drivel.”
“Who's a lackey? Me?”
Adel smirked at Jin's words.
That fool's blabbering without a clue. If he were my lackey, I'd have torched him ages ago with a void contract.
“Heh…”
Jin looked utterly baffled by Garon's remark instead.
“Bil. Clear out those succubi and air out the place. Then fetch us something to drink. Booze would be better.”
“Pardon? Oh, right, got it.”
Bil shooed the succubi sprawled across the bed and flung open the windows to vent the smoke. As he bustled about preparing drinks, he couldn't help but marvel at himself—reacting to a human's order when it wasn't even from the demon prince.
“…Here you are.”
He returned with a tray piled high with fruit and liquor, but one glance at Adel's eyes silenced him. He simply bowed his head.
“Rasan. You sit too.”
“…”
He stood behind Jin instead.
“We've traded a few blows, so let's cut the bullshit now. You stayed quiet when you first heard I was Kalderet's contractor for a reason, right?”
Adel addressed Rasan first.
“I figured this guy needed a wake-up call. Rasan, looks like you've been biding your time for a comeback.”
“That's right. But it's still true you were rude to Lord Jin.”
“Hey, I'm not a damn nanny.”
Adel shot him a cold sneer.
“So what do you want from me? A pat on the back? Don't make me laugh. You think sweet-talking some brain-dead idiot will change anything?”
Rasan just pursed his lips at the icy retort, unable to muster a real comeback.
“I get that you're loyal. But a true loyalist corrects their lord when they're veering off the wrong path.”
“Easy for you to say. You wouldn't know how hard that is unless you've tried it.”
“I know. It's not easy.”
Adel downed the liquor glass on the table in one gulp.
“I didn't know the minds of the people I trusted either. Some even tried to kill me.”
The demon brew called mad liquor burned like swallowing a live coal.
“So what'd you do?”
“Killed them.”
“Hah…”
“Another round.”
The demons let out disbelieving snorts at Adel's nonchalant face despite it all.
“Never seen a human like you. That's not meant for human throats… Damn, when have you ever even tasted demon brew?”
Jin refilled Adel's empty glass with intrigued eyes.
“More amazed I can drink mad liquor than that I've killed people?”
“Killing's no big deal. Demons slaughter humans all the time.”
“Fair point. That's the relationship between humans and demons, after all.”
Clink.
Adel drained his glass again.
“Doesn't faze me. Tried mad liquor before. Hunted down a few demons back in the day.”
“…”
“One had a bunch of bottles strapped to his belt. Sat on his corpse and drank it.”
“You bastard…”
Rasan growled despite knowing it was a jab at Jin's earlier words.
“Liquor on his belt?”
Jin tilted his head, unconcerned with some tribesman's death.
“Only Murdok pulls that stunt… But a fourth-hierarchy demon? No way you crossed paths with one.”
“Lord Jin.”
“Enough. Humans kill demons, demons eat humans. That's the ancient law. Think folks like us can just chat amicably now?”
“Looks like you've wised up a bit. Thank me, Rasan.”
“…Shut it.”
“Eh, the mad liquor thing was ages ago anyway. Just saying.”
Adel shrugged off Rasan's grumbling.
Whoa, hold up. Did that guy kill a fourth-hierarchy demon in his past life?
Come to think of it, he mentioned hunting demons that crossed into the human realm through dimensional gates. Adel, how high up the hierarchy did you go?
Adel just flashed a sly grin instead of answering Garon and Kalderet.
“As you see, I'm Kalderet's contractor. Long ago, someone called Gwiryeong slew two ancient gods. One got sealed, the other fled to the Forbidden Zone.”
“I know.”
“In the aftermath, ancient gods vanished from god-worshipping humans, while demonkin in the godless demon realm started following them instead.”
Adel emptied his glass again. Bil refilled it promptly.
“When you talked about a demon king slain defying the gods, I knew your lineage. You're Yoman Raknael's son, the War Maniac, right?”
“War Maniac… Been ages since I heard that title.”
Jin finally took his first swig, his face clouding with bitterness.
“Human, you're right. Father opposed letting gods in. Demons never served gods originally. We were the freest race.”
Adel matched Jin's drink.
“But everything changed when the god of annihilation, Rune'r, arrived. Father foresaw he'd ruin the demon realm and urged us to reject gods for our survival.”
“And?”
“At first, many demons followed him. He was the undisputed strongest.”
Pour.
Bil quietly poured as he listened. The mad, flickering demon looked every bit the perfect butler in that moment.
“But the gods' power was strong. It seeped into the cracks of growing fear until one demon finally contracted with him.”
“That must be the North Sea's demon king. Now I get why there are two in the demon realm.”
“Exactly. Rune'r made him a demon king and spawned countless followers—lowly demons without names or hierarchy.”
Crack…!
Jin's glass shattered in his grip, spilling liquor everywhere.
“Oops.”
Bil hastily wiped Jin's hand with his sleeve.
“That's how the demon realm split, and you got exiled here to the Forbidden Zone.”
Rune'r, that bastard. Same tricks as ever.
“Same as what?”
He tried turning the human realm his too—slipping into the gaps in the weak-minded. Bet even when we got done in by Gwiryeong, Rune'r had a human contractor unlike me.
“Rune'r had a contractor?”
Unlike lofty me who doesn't bother with them. Get it?
Kalderet was bragging about how elite it was to have him as contractor, but Adel latched onto something else.
Rune'r's contractor…
Why hadn't he known? Dimensional gates had opened before, demons invading the human realm. But human armies crushed them. It was a crisis, sure, but remembered as a glorious victory in human history.
I knew of Rune'r. But a human contractor? First I've heard.
Gwiryeong's era was ancient history. Even if Rune'r had a contractor then, they'd be dust by now.
So it's natural I wouldn't know…
Still, Adel couldn't shake the unease.
So the god of annihilation slowly devoured the demon realm. But surprising—why'd Rune'r let you live?
As Adel pondered, Kalderet asked Jin.
“Simple. He can't kill me.”
What, some demon small fry? You saying a god fears you? I may despise Rune'r's methods, but I won't let you trash-talk gods lightly.
Kalderet snorted at Jin's reply.
“Not that. It's the demon king's bloodline. Being king isn't just about raw strength.”
Then?
Jin pointed to his left chest.
“Only the royal direct line can make the demon realm's core beat. As long as it lives, the realm exists. No heir means existential crisis.”
Explains the succubi—Rune'r or his contractor's doing, probably.
“Spot on. But think I'll breed heirs for their benefit? I won't be their puppet.”
Idiot… So you dove into illusions yourself? Body sleeps in illusion, so no reckless moves.
He might've been fighting his own war that way. Admirable for a powerless nobody. But pathetic rebellion for a demon prince.
That was Kalderet's point.
If hiding fixed it, it'd be over by now. You die, realm dies. If I were you, I'd off myself.
“…What?”
Better to wipe out a realm full of ungrateful shits.
“Hey, god or not, watch your mouth. You get Lord Jin's position?”
What'd you say? You demons yapping before a god? If not for this situation, you couldn't even lift your head.
Kalderet slammed the table at Rasan's retort, then planted a paw on Jin's chair arm, shoving his face into Rasan's with a growl.
Want me to snap your spine like your spear?
“W-what?”
Know your place. Etch it in, half-baked demon.
“Grr…!”
Rasan grimaced but shut up at Jin's gesture and stepped back.
“Kalderet. Enough pointless talk. Why die? That's just running. Take back what's stolen.”
Adel opened his eyes from his thoughts.
“Jin. Do it again.”
“Do what?”
“War Maniac. Reclaim the title.”
Jin's eyes wavered at Adel's words.
“No honor greater for a demon than a son inheriting his father's moniker. Better than some bone-tossing god's throne.”
“Ridiculous. Who'm I supposed to war with now?”
“Why not?”
“Fight a war solo? I've only got Rasan and Bil. Demon realm's got hundreds. How?”
“Call reinforcements. And you've got usable ones right here.”
“…Reinforcements?”
“Jin. You know demons only settled the demon realm after ancient times. Before that, they lived with humans.”
“What…”
Adel gave him a meaningful look.
“How about it?”
Adel raised his glass toward him.
“Trying to take on a wider world with me.”