33
Chapter 33
While not as severe as killing a soul, fratricide is generally considered a taboo in the Demon Realm.
Of course, "generally" is the operative word. Most demons have experience killing their own kind, and it's common providence to grow stronger by absorbing the essence of those they kill. Thus, the punishment is not significant.
However, there is exactly one case of "justifiable killing" recognized by the law that prevents even that minor punishment: slaughter through a Life-and-Death Duel.
A duel where two demons stake their lives against one another without any outside interference or intervention. A brutal fight where the winner earns the right to take the loser's heart, and the loser must carve out their own heart to hand it over.
Adela had requested such a Life-and-Death Duel. Even though she isn't facing an opponent whose victory she can guarantee.
No other demon but Adela would step forward just because a few younger siblings died. Honestly, what a troublesome demon.
Meanwhile, she shows a strict adherence to law and discipline by requesting a fair duel rather than plotting a sneak attack for later.
"The Southern Duke King and the eldest daughter of the Northern Duke Family are fighting!"
A thunderous shout echoed through the crowd. What a wretched shout.
If this were human society, people would be rushing forward to stop the fight.
"Adela Lucifer and King? I can't miss this!"
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
But this is demon society. A neighborhood overflowing with madness, violence, and excitement, where crimes occur frequently out of sight.
Demons are a race that often cause accidents because they cannot control their boiling blood; once a fire is lit like this, it's bound to spread.
"Everyone, come look! The Southern Duke and Adela Lucifer are about to have a Life-and-Death Duel!"
"Really? So one of them dies today?"
"A duel between the rising dawn and the setting sun! My blood hasn't boiled like this in ages!"
Demons soaked in the madness of combat each chimed in. I understand. In the Demon Realm over the last millennium, Adela has been called the greatest rising power aside from the Demon King. A fight between a primordial demon who has lived the longest and a rising divinity would be an incredible spectacle.
Of course, that applies to me as well.
"Sigh... this is problematic."
I'm looking forward to the fight. A one-on-one brawl between Adela and King. How am I supposed to resist this?
Thump, thump, thump, thump—the drums are beating in my heart. I feel this way even though it's not my own fight.
But I must not be shaken. Acting solely on instinct while ignoring reason is something only beasts do. I am no lowly creature.
"Ho ho... I have no intention of avoiding a fight that comes to me, but a Life-and-Death Duel? Can you handle it?"
"The enemy of my siblings; I will take their blood as payment."
"That blood payment might end up being your own."
"...Then, it shall be the price for failing to protect my siblings and failing to get revenge."
Adela spoke with a determined face, pointing a sword shimmering with red Demonic Energy at King. King looked relaxed at a glance, but upon closer inspection, he was observing Adela with a sharp gaze.
I stepped in before the heat between the two became too violent.
"Now, now, that's enough from both of you."
I tucked the mask—which would cause problems if seen by others—into my pocket. Right now, I have two items in my pocket that would lead me straight to prison if discovered.
The rosary and the mask. Both were items I used when killing Retavis. Worried that the two might pierce through the fabric and show their outlines, I stepped forward hesitantly, shielding them with my hand.
"Noona, you're too excited right now. You can't just rush out like this."
"Move, Oscar. I am not excited in the slightest. My steady breath is proof of that."
"I mean, that's true, but..."
- You seem to cherish your sister. But can you handle it? With so many eyes watching?
King sent these mocking words my way. Tsk, you can say that again.
I cannot use Hypnosis in a place like this. Because as I mentioned, Adela's mind is currently extremely rational.
From the start, Adela had moved methodically to carry out a legitimate revenge, using cold reason and intellect as her fuel.
Even if she died in the process, she believed that was the only way she could face her dead siblings with a clear conscience. Adela loves her family more than her own life and never violates laws or rules.
"(I have my ways.)"
With a sneer, I sent those silent words to King, then turned back and whispered to Adela.
Since Adela is currently following her reason, there is no need to cling to emotions, providence, or morality. I only need to shift the direction in which that reason is naturally heading.
I'll just remind this foolish sister of the parts she overlooked.
"Noona, King isn't a convicted prisoner yet. He's just a suspect who needs to be investigated at the station. Right, Duke?"
"Correct. And to add to that, I have never killed your siblings, young lady."
"Did you hear that, Noona? Of course, King might have actually done it, but we shouldn't jump to conclusions. A mask from King's estate was found at the scene, but it could have just been there originally, couldn't it?"
"Is... is that so? Hmm... King truly isn't a criminal yet..."
Whether it's a human or a demon, handling their heart is incredibly easy. Instead of directly opposing their opinion, you present a few circumstances and pieces of evidence to guide them to think and choose for themselves.
I am the guide who reaches the places others cannot. Whether it's the world, humans, demons, or dragons, they are all drawn to where I lead them.
Even humans, who call themselves the lords of creation, and dragons, the top of the food chain, cannot escape my narrow domain. My gluttonous tongue makes it so.
"Hmm... but if I miss this chance, when will I ever..."
Adela is conflicted. When a heart wavers like a scarecrow in the wind, I provide a vent for that wind to pass through.
"Noona, let me make a suggestion. Why not formally request a Life-and-Death Duel once he is confirmed to be the criminal?"
"Again? Would that be alright?"
"Why not? And I won't stop you then. I'm only saying this because I'm worried an innocent person might become a victim. What if you kill him, but King wasn't the culprit?"
In addition, I let the bright sunlight of the thought 'even if I miss this moment, the next opportunity remains' flow in.
"Hmm... Oscar, I think you are right. I was being narrow-minded."
Ta-da.
This is how you stop a fight.
There is no reason to use force, no need for it, and no troublesome effort involved. A few flicks of a tongue and a few sounds of breath from the mouth are enough.
Ah, of course, the crime will be pinned on Frankenstein rather than King, and Frankenstein will be dragged to prison according to the law as soon as the trial starts, leaving Adela like a dog chasing a chicken and staring at the roof.
But that's none of my business.
*****
- Stop it.
Stop it? What?
- What sin did I commit... what grudge do I owe you to make you do this...
No, no, who are you? Why are you saying these things to me?
- *Hic*, sob, this is enough already. You've tormented me for nine years. Please, just stop and let me go...
Wait, this voice. It's a voice I feel like I've heard somewhere before.
- I'll... I'll kneel and beg. Please? The most successful hero on the continent, the guardian who protected the continent's night, is kneeling at your feet and begging like a dog. Is this still not enough...? What more do I have to do...? Should I give you my purity...?
The darkness that had been encroaching on everything slowly clears. Something that had been binding my feet begins to reveal its form within the surging light aura.
The features of a woman, faded blonde hair, lusterless golden eyes, pale blue lips, and gaunt cheeks.
A hero who lost everyone around her, suffered from mental illness, became addicted to drugs, and completely lost her noble will.
- Joker... I'll stop... I'll stop being a hero... I'll hide away in some rural corner where you can't see me and live without a name...
The one I admired most.
The one I revered so deeply.
And the one I had been obsessed with.
The great hero who took charge of the continent's night, Shine Stella.
...is now prostrate at my feet, pleading desperately. The tears streaming from her bloodshot eyes longingly soak my feet.
- Oh, or else...! I'll become your dog! Woof woof! I'll lick your feet if you tell me to! Pant pant...! I'll do whatever, whatever you tell me to...!
- Please... just stop tormenting me now... *hic*.
At that moment, as Shine Stella held onto my ankles while lying flat on the ground.
I felt a deep sorrow and a heart-wrenching grief, as if my very life were being severed, from high above where she could not see.
I thought I had finally found a friend I could play with for the rest of my life.
I thought she was a human of absolute goodness whose convictions would never break, someone who would complete me. I believed I had finally found her.
But she collapsed in just eight years; I couldn't help but sigh in lamentation.
The light lifting the curtain of darkness grows larger. I think I understand now. The fact that this place is inside my dream.
And once those scissors of light cut through the rest of the curtain.
Blink.
"Oscar, are you unwell? You're dripping with sweat."
I thought I'd wake from the dream like this, and I actually did. Truly, my foresight is impeccable.
But why is Adela occupying my field of vision as I look toward the ceiling?
Ah, right. Today is the day of the funeral to send Leonard away. Retavis, who didn't even leave a corpse, will remain listed as missing.
I've ordered my aunt to work with my mother to purge or exile my eldest aunt. I don't particularly want to get my hands dirty with such trivial chores.
"I'm fine. It's nothing."
"Are you truly alright? The sighs you let out while sleeping were quite unusual..."
"Don't worry about it. I was just thinking about the duck meat I missed out on yesterday."
"D-duck meat? Shall I have some cooked for you now?"
"Forget it. I'm not hungry. More importantly, isn't the funeral in full swing right now? Why are you here, Noona?"
I said bluntly as I pushed myself up. I hadn't noticed while sleeping, but I had been using Adela's lap as a pillow. Between her and the Saint, why is everyone around me so desperate to give me lap pillows?
"I-I just didn't know... Leonard and Retavis ended up like that, and I feared something might happen to you without my knowledge..."
As I tried to get up, Adela grabbed my hand.
Come to think of it, in my previous life, Adela overprotected me after Retavis and Leonard died in the Demon Beast Forest.
It's an annoying phenomenon. While the protection of an absolute strong one like Adela is reassuring, someone like me from the future doesn't need such things.
"I'm fine."
"H-huh?"
"If I die, I die; if I live, I live. This world is just a third-rate comedy play anyway."
"...! Oscar! How can you say such things...! Take that back immediately! Words have a way of becoming reality!"
"Gosh, Noona, just worry about yourself. You're always so clumsy, yet you're lecturing me... Not long ago, you tried to have a Life-and-Death Duel with King without even being sure. In the end, it turned out King wasn't the real culprit."
"That... I am truly grateful to you, Oscar. If it weren't for you, I would have killed an innocent demon. If there is anything you wish for, just say it. I will grant whatever you ask."
She speaks as if she would have won if they had fought. Given Adela's current power, the gap between her and King isn't that huge.
Of course, I'm not entirely sure. Since King has been shut away in his estate for so long, I don't know his exact level. I can only make a rough estimate.
"Then could you please let go of my hand?"
"N-no, I cannot! This is solely for your safety...!"
"What's this? You said you'd grant me anything. Are you taking back your words now?"
Adela usually listens to me. She isn't the type to go back on her own word.
"...No, I can't let go. As the eldest daughter of the Lucifer Family, it is my duty to protect you."
Squeeze.
Oh, this isn't working.
"Even if it's uncomfortable, I will adjust as much as I can, so please be understanding..."
"Hmm, well, it can't be helped then."
"Huh?"
"Let's go together! This reminds me of when we were little; it's quite nostalgic!"
It's not like I'm losing money just because she's holding my hand, and if she's this stubborn, there's no reason to oppose her.
Later, if Adela and I have a clash of opinions, I can take the upper hand in the argument by saying, 'I did exactly what you wanted back then!' I'm not a fool who passes up an opportunity.
Step, step!
Holding Adela's hand, I headed toward the funeral. Several demons dressed in black were weeping sorrowfully before a coffin.
I wonder how many of them are actually crying from the heart? I'd love to bring them before me one by one and drag out their true intentions like I did with my aunt, but that's too tedious. Besides, I'm a busy man.
I bowed my head slightly, projecting a solemn aura like a deep abyss. It was a bit uncomfortable, but I walked in that posture.
A great magician knows how to blend into their environment. Since I'm destined to be the sole heir anyway, there's no need to stand out at a place like this.
"Ugh... sob... Leonard..."
"He was such a lovely boy... only to be caught by that monster Frankenstein..."
"Sob...! Leonard, I will never forget you...!"
Demons in black wiped their eyes, surrounding the coffin.
Among them were retainers of the Northern Duke Family and demons from distant lands. Some demons who had never even met Leonard attended the funeral for the sake of their own promotion and stability.
Naturally, none of them are genuinely grieving. To think my kin died and was abandoned even by his own mother. I start to feel sorry for Leonard.
If I had known, I would have killed him a bit more gently. Maybe shattering him into pieces was too much.
The Demon Realm also has its own laws and regulations, occupations, and society.
It's no different from humans. They wear masks, hide their true feelings, and live hypocritically. They're just slightly more aggressive and open.
They want to get on the good side of the most powerful family to get some crumbs, or perhaps secure a job, or sign a business contract that would bring in huge sums of money.
I hate that. Because a world where people live by reason while killing their instincts is boring. However, I shouldn't act recklessly. Not if I don't want to end up trapped in Tartarus again.
At the very least, I must kill the Demon King first. The distant future task of tearing down demon society comes after that. Once everything in this world that can stop me has completely vanished.
Lost in these thoughts, I tilted my head and quietly scanned the surroundings.
"...Eh?"
"Oscar? What is it?"
"Ah, no... look there..."
Amidst the crowd in black. Right in their center.
There is a child wearing black sunglasses. Standing stiff as a board, the child looks down at the coffin being buried with a cold-blooded expression.
Just by standing there, it feels as if they are the only person existing in the world.
Despite the appearance of a child, the intimidating presence Adela had while radiating fighting spirit and murderous intent recently seems pale in comparison to this child.
Demon King Kanos.
The King of the Demon Realm has attended the funeral.