Volume 2, Chapter 1: Avaritia’s Usurping, Part 2: The Meaning of Greed

Volume 2, Chapter 1: Avaritia’s Usurping, Part 2: The Meaning of Greed

A majority of the Demon World’s open plains.

Besides one part of it, there are few ups and downs. Nothing but ruined soil expands in every direction.

With a Demon’s eyesight, we can clearly see the emptiness leading to the horizon straight ahead, but among us, there are few who actually pay that fact any mind.

If you’ve got the free time to be pondering such things, go fulfill your cravings already. That is a Demon’s reason for existence, and the measure of their worth.

But at the same time, I know of those that have reigned over these lands for too long, gazing out over the endlessly desolate landscape. Perhaps that’s the standing that an eternal life would lead one to.

The Demon World’s lands are divided by the power they’re basked in.

Meaning it was a result of the influence of a reigning lord over many years, and the Crimson Prison’s land was once under the reigns of a powerful Demon Lord of Wrath. That Lord has long since been annihilated, and it was unified by one of the Pride Demon Lords allied with Kanon.

Rank Four.

Vanity the Egoist.

The land ruled by the great skin-headed Demon, Vanity Seidthroan.

He was a taciturn man, and despite his base Pride, he never bragged. He was also a pure-born soldier who brought others to their knees with his pure might.

While they were Pride all the same, compared to the two Lords Zebul devoured, he surpassed them greatly in strength, and service.

While we’re all part of the same Great Demon King’s army, rarely do I get a chance to see other Demon Lords.

I’ve only ever seen him from afar, but his large build that surpassed even mine, and his black muscles as if they were forged from steel… as Demons are beings of soul, outer appearance and power aren’t proportionate, but unfortunately, from a glance, I could tell he clearly had the makings of a great ruler.

With but a glance, some part of me from within my soul fell into a sense of admiration, and he was a type I’d rarely had an opportunity to see in my years that surpass ten thousand. I don’t know his real strength, but based on the air he carried, among the many Lords in service to the Great Demon King, he’s likely at the forefront.

And in the first place, he was originally Demon Lord Rank Two.

If there are those that rise in rank, there are those that fall as well.

The fact that he dropped a place when Boss Leigie rose in rank was inevitable, due to Boss’s achievements, but at the same time, there are some Demons questioning whether he simply lost out to the Boss.

Rank and strength aren’t always coherent, but his strength was definitely within the top five of the Great Demon King’s army.

With pride as his attribute, it’s possible that if it just came down to strength, he surpassed some of those ranked higher than him.

If there was some merit in him putting a stop to his active service, he could rack up achievements whenever he wanted.

If he was to personally lead his army, he would lose freedom of movement. In exchange, he might pull up some unexpected treasure. Now is the time to observe. In that sense, me receding from Boss’s army may have been an inevitable choice, but there’ nothing I can say but that my luck was good.

The Great Demon King’s army is the strongest force in this Demon World. Even if the entire world’s yet to be fully unified, if Heaven were to choose a target to focus their attention on, then in would be none else but the Great Demon King Kanon Iralaude’s head. That’s something our side is also well aware.

The earth of the Crimson Prison was hot.

As if the Ira Demon Lord that ruled over it long past’s anger was being manifested into it, the air temperature in that land was close to fifty times higher than in the other territories, and even if it wasn’t enough to affect a Demon’s livelihood, simply standing there would make one soaked in their own sweat.

While gazing up at the blazing blood-red sun, I simply waited.

In one of the towns of the Crimson Prison.

The burning town, 『Grey Rock』.

It was a small town nicely situated on the border of Vanity’s Crimson Prison, and Heard Lauder’s Dark Prison.

The number of civilians wasn’t all too high, and at the same time, past aside, when both Prisons were taken under the Great Demon King’s control, it lost all strategic value. A pitiful scrap of a town.

Back when the Dark Prison was under the reign of some opposing Demon Lord, there was a platoon stationed here, but the place’s liveliness was not just something of a time long passed.

The reason I dropped by this forgotten town was to gather information pertaining to the Angel attack.

Even if I say that, when it comes to collecting intel, I’m pretty much a novice.

But that’s not a problem. There ain’t a single problem here.

I’m only capable of stealing, but among humans, and demons, and angels, there’s that thing called ‘the right person in the right place.’

The terrace of the dirty town’s only café was horribly quiet. Me aside, there was only one other customer present. That lone customer, perhaps due to the heat, was prostrated over their table with a khaki hood over their head. That state only further revealed the desolate atmosphere of the land.

As I sat back into my chair, Zeta Adler came at me, jogging.

For a male Demon, Zeta boasted quite a diminutive build. Looking from afar, it would be hard to believe someone of his delicate features would be capable of battle, but if you underestimate him, you’re in for a world of pain.

A Demon’s shape represents their true nature, the reality of their cravings. Zeta’s childish form was a shape made up in order for him to satisfy his desires. It was the form that best allowed Zeta Adler to sate his Greed.

But as a General Class, my heat resistance was quite higher than his.

This temperature must be putting him at his wit’s end, as he panted heavily, and wiped his forehead with his forearm while he gave his report.

“Haa, haa, Deije-san. They gathered just as you said. Just as the rumors went, the platoon of Vanity’s army that were annihilated did take a temporary stay in this town.”

“… That so…”

It was the most recent report of an angel assault breaking out.

Their numbers were five. The casualties a hundred.

The target of their assault was Vanity’s army. The attacked platoon was annihilated. Their numbers a hundred. It wasn’t that high a statistic, nor was it low.

Precisely because of the high heat of the Crimson Prison’s soil, there were very few settlements. Even if they numbered few, letting an army stay on standby required a considerable space to be prepared.

It wasn’t as large as the Dark Prison, but the Crimson Prison was a vast wasteland. Even if a flying dragon was used, it wasn’t so easy to cross it.

“For what reason did they gather here?”

“There wasn’t really a reason made public, but… well, wasn’t it just a restraint? Even if you say the army assembled here, Vanity the Egoist’s army’s supposed to number in the thousands… they didn’t even send any General Classes here.”

“Restraint… Ki ki ki, to keep Heard Lauder in check, is it?”

“He did cause quite a ruckus… the other Demon Lords are getting tense, I’ve heard…”

The Prideful Kaiser Heard Lauder crushed the armies of the higher ranked Demon Lords, and him becoming Rank One is still a fresh memory in my mind.

In the first place, Heard was an old Demon, and at the same as a General Class, his name was an influential one known to all.

Since he’d become a Demon Lord, his Pride made an alteration of rankings to be inevitable.

He crushed whoever opposed him head-on, and was one even feared by his allies.

The ones he had the worst affinity with were likely other Demons of Superbia.

The pecking order of pride is quite strict. That’s even more the case among their brethren.

It’s likely that Vanity never crossed blades with Heard directly.

There’s his pride and all. It’s natural for him to be vigilant… I guess.

Without any General class Demons, I don’t think such small numbers would serve to restrain that Kaiser or anything, but…

Among the Demon Lords, Vanity was of the moderate faction.

He didn’t frivolously advertise his Pride. That wasn’t his personality.

That’s why he had few chances to perform distinguished service, and Boss Leigie’s rank surpassed his.

Ki ki ki, the important thing’s to have skilled pieces to play.

“The battleground was also around this town. The army rose to oppose the angels that made a sudden entrance, and while both sides put up a good fight, the difference in power resulted in the Demons’ annihilation. It seems there were some casualties among the civilians as well.”

“… I see. Well, it’s not that there’s no precedent to Angels attacking Demon towns, but… the enemy numbered five, right? Five against one hundred… the gap must have been considerable.”

Fights between Demons aren’t battles of numbers.

It may have been clear when Zebul devoured my army, but quality was revered well over quantity.

The same can be said about battles between Angels. In that sense, a story of five Angels taking down a hundred Demons- while their luck may have been bad- was quite possible.

They failed to contain the forces attacking the town, and perished… I think the death count would actually have been lower if the let the Angels do as they pleased.

From what I can see, the population here isn’t high. While the Demon population was never as high as humans, even among our settlements, Grey Rock was a tiny one.

“Vanity noticed, and immediately sent out a larger force, but the opposition narrowly escaped.”

“… Ki ki ki, so they were made a fool of. The Demon Lord must be quite pissed now.”

“There’s talk that he’s prepared to send his entire army out at a moment’s notice… well, since they don’t know where the Angels ran off to, they can’t dispatch outside the territory yet, but… there’re intel his entire army’s been gathered at his 『Palace of Noble Truth』.”

The Palace of Noble Truth was the castle of Vanity Seidthroan.

Just as Boss Leigie’s base is his Castle of Shadows, each Demon Lord has their own stronghold.

The fact that he assembled his army at his own palace means the possibility of him personally leading it next they go into battle Is high.

That’s how serious he is. This is what it means to step on the beast’s tail.

However, there’s some part of Zeta’s story that leaves a strange taste in my mouth.

“… Hit and run… when did the Angels become able to use such tactics…?”

Generally, God’s personal holier-than-thou troops would never hold doubt in their own victory.

Therefore, they see no need in strategy. Those Angels were something like time bombs made of pillars of faith. Once they appeared, they would fight until all the Demons around them had perished, and until death, they wouldn’t cease their struggles. No, that’s how it should be.

“Ki ki ki, this really is a pain… has a competent leader decided to step forward?”

I don’t think something on the level of a leader would be able to change an angel’s movements, but…

Perhaps misunderstanding something, Zeta timidly asked.

“… Deije-san, could you be referring to the rumored Valkyrie who can kill Demon Lords?”

“No way. Even if she may be strong, I can’t think that an Angel would abide the orders of a Valkyrie, who they think of as an inferior race.”

Of course, I know of the noble revived heroic soul that killed a Demon Lord.

About three months ago, the topic of a single maiden swinging around her might became something like the talk of the town, and she was still an existence that made the Great Demon King’s army tremble.

If you’re looking at damages, she’s a much fiercer one than this force that only killed a measly one hundred Demons.

But I’m thinking of this case as a separate matter. Killing a Lord… if there was one capable of doing something like that, there’s no way the town would still be standing here like this.

While they both may be assassins from the heavens… that’s all there is to it.

“Deije-san, is something the problem?”

“Ki ki ki, of course, we’re going to be chasing the Angels. Zeta Adler, this is the critical moment.”

There’s no need to even think about it.

Right. This is the divide.

Only five of them have been spotted so far. So why not make them my stepping stones to glory?

Military service ain’t bad, but just following a commander the whole time makes Jack a dull boy.

In the first place, the heavens’ve been too quiet as of late. While Angels have been spotted here and there, they’ve all been lone riders. A few Demons would die off now and again, but it’s been a terribly long time since a whole platoon’s been wiped off the face of the earth.

This is the signal flare, and there won’t be a better opportunity than this instant.

History will speak.

It’s because no one has yet to lay hands on it that 『Usurping』 ever holds meaning.

“Still… taking on a group able to kill a hundred Demons, even for you…”

“Ki ki ki, what’s it to ya’? We have a trumpcard of our own. It’ll work out one way or another, and if it looks like we’ll lose, we’ve just got to run.”

This is the Demon World. To the end, it’s a world beneficial to us.

If we continue to pull back, we’ll never be able to do anything. If I won’t be able to get my hands on anything, then death’s a better option.

Balance. Right, what’s important is balance.

I looked over the town.

As its name suggested, the townscape that appeared to be constructed of gray stone was simple, but it maintained a form that made it unthinkable that Angels had launched an attack here.

“Zeta, we’ll be staying in this town for a while.”

“… Eh? There isn’t anything here, you know?”

I’m well aware.

I began explaining to the lad, who let of streams of sweat as he directed his eyes at me.

It’s definitely hot here. IT isn’t a place I’d like to overstay my welcome, but there are times when a Demon’s got to do what a Demon’s got to do.

“Ki ki ki, we’re going to discern the Angels’ power. Perhaps there’s something to learn from the traces left by their battle. It’s not like there’s no chance of them attacking this land again, either. Their end goal is the Great Demon King’s neck without a doubt, but we still don’t know the reason for this time’s assault here.”

“… I see. But is there really a need for an Angel to have a reason to kill Demons?”

“No clue. But whatever the case, there’s barely a trail to follow. Rather than setting off on a fool’s errand, it’d be lucky if we found some clue.”

As a General Class Demon, let me say it. If you don’t use your legs, you won’t get any treasure.

Usurping is a hunt. Pursue, and take. That is the meaning of greed. It’s proof, it’s validation.

Ki ki ki, why don’t I teach it to you?