Volume 2, Chapter 2: Gula’s Starvation, Part 4: Seconds Please

Volume 2, Chapter 2: Gula’s Starvation, Part 4: Seconds Please

Before I knew it, the store was surrounded by countless soldiers. Just like Vanity, their presences were faint, and the sense of reality of the situation was compromised.

Deije-kun’s face tensed, as he surveyed the area without a hint of negligence. His bearing was high strung, but there wasn’t any fear.

Men and women of all ages. Their bodies, and powers, and sizes varied greatly, but in just one regard, did that Legion have a trait that put it apart from the armies of other Demon Lords.

Without any divide among their movements, they all fixed their eyes on me.

Let along an expression, their entire faces were enveloped in full masks of the darkest black.

They somewhat resembled the subordinates of Vanity when I first met him, but they were also somewhat different.

Vanity the Egoist’s subordinates were a peculiar unit known as the Ravus Persona.

Their origin, or reason, nothing about them was known.

It wasn’t for their strength, but for their ominous appearance that their names were spread. An incomprehensible army.

If we were looking at strength here, then Leigie’s army that Deije-kun once commanded would far outclass them. As long as Vanity wasn’t with them, that is.

But still, even without their Lord, this army had something I couldn’t put my finger on.

“Fufu… that’s quite a greeting…”

“Caution is… natural… no?”

Vanity came to his own conclusion, as he look down at me from a level far above my stature.

That goes without saying. I’m Gula. I’m used to putting people on their guard.

With their faces covered, the silent Demons weren’t letting out any intent to harm me, and they merely looked on, as if awaiting orders from their master.

Loyalty. That quality that was exceedingly rare to find in a Demon was even rarer to come across in these numbers.

Fufu… well, I got used to it from past experience.

As if looking upon a detestable object, Vanity’s deep and dark eyes full of longings lorded over me.

“Zebul… damn devourer.”

“You’re scaring me… fufufu, I’d prefer if you didn’t glare at me that much.”

Those aren’t… the eyes you direct at an old friend, you know. I mean, I just tried taking a bit of a taste, didn’t I?

No matter how many tens of thousands of years pass, he’s a narrow-minded man…

And as always, the number of words he let out were few in numbers. It was apparently a habit he picked up in his childhood, and he couldn’t grow out of it.

What was the saying for this again…

The child is the father of the man. Right, that’s the one.

Without even trying to hide his disgust, Vanity raised a boorish voice.

“Why, here?”

“That one’s… a coincidence, I assure you. Fufu, though I did make a stop here in order to meet with you.”

“…So I took… the bait.”

The Crimson Prison was Vanity’s kingdom.

Entering it was one thing, but with a Lord like me coming in, there’s no way Vanity didn’t notice it.

As if trying to fill in the space between Vanity’s eyes and mine, Deije-kun opened his mouth.

Your guts alone are to be commended… Deije-kun.

“Ki ki ki, and so, why in the world have you decided to show up at this point in time, Boss Vanity?”

“… That, there.”

Vanity used his chin to point me out. As I thought, no matter how many years go by, he’s a rude one.

Finding satisfaction in that answer, Deije-kun nodded. I’d like to complain a little to that one.

“… You plan… on eating… more Angels?”

“… You sure bring up some nostalgic stuff.”

Yes, in the past, I was the Gula who devoured angels, and left nothing behind.

While they may be the natural enemy of Demons, no fault lay with them as ingredients. I have no discrimination among food. Apart from Leigie.

That’s why the Gula who ate the most Angels ten thousand years ago was likely me.

But of course, my goal this time wasn’t anything like that.

As the look of suspicion towards me rose, I spoke up to the man looking over me with an apologetic tone.

“But this time’s goal is irrelevant to that. Fufu… Vanity. I have some business with Leigie.”

“… Revenge… huh.”

A prideful thought. That sort must always have thoughts of violence.

“I’ve no interest in revenge. It’s because I can’t even eat him. Fufu… this time, I just what to have a little talk. With the Lazy King, that is.”

Yes. Those are my true intentions.

If it’s that man, who took inactivity to its extremes, then perhaps he would be able to offer an explanation to my current state.

No, even if he can’t… there’s no doubt that man killed the Demon Lord in me. In order to restore my desires once mre, it’s a score I have to settle.

Even if I’m only to face defeat again.

Vanity easily, and calmly nodded to my words.

“That… so? Do what… you want.”

“… Oy, oy, Boss Vanity, you sure about that? The Devourer, Zebul Glaucus, is the Demon Lord who pulled her sword on the Great Demon King, right? Ki ki ki, you sure you don’t have to clean up the matter?”

You sure say some unnecessary things. Unnecessary as it may be.

Vanity was definitely a subordinate of the Great Demon King, but he definitely wasn’t her loyal servant.

In the first place, Demons are self-serving. Direct orders from the King aside, there’s no rule saying that two Demon Lords who meet by chance have to break into a fight.

As I’ve had an unnervingly long relation with him, I can say it for sure.

Even if he’d given up on the throne, if you were to split the Demon Lords allied to Kanon-sama into factions, he would definitely be on the anti-Kanon faction.

“… Don’t… die… too quickly.”

“Fufufu… is this where I’m supposed to give my thanks? Then thank you?”

“… fu.”

Vanity snorted, before readily showing his back, and walking off.

And as if they were a receding wave on the shore, his subordinates filtered out of the store.

It was like I had been seeing a dream, and after that, the situation was exactly the same as it had been before.

Vanity was only here for a brief instant. His presence wasn’t anywhere close at this point. Using my zone, I was just barely able to make him out before, but now it had faded into the mist.

Deije-kun’s stiff face let out a sigh.

“Just what… was that? He sure is an ominous one. My instincts were sending shocks of fear all over my body… Ki ki ki, the world sure is wide. I didn’t think it was like this last I saw it… ”

“… That’s because Vanity was preparing for war. Fufu… it just means he wasn’t as calm as his expression would indicate.”

From times past, that man’s been a coward. To his sin of Superbia, he held a crippling trauma.

That’s why he’s so timid, and that’s why he’s so strong.

I hadn’t seen him in a while, but it looks like Vanity hadn’t changed in the slightest. No, just a little, just by a small margin, he had become more resolved.

Fufufu… Heard Lauder must have stepped on a nerve.

Zeta-kun tilted his head, and posed a question to Deije-kun, who had regained his composition.

“… But why did he even come all the way here…? Even taking his army with him.”

“He likely came to hammer me down… fufufu, it’s because I know him quite well.”

Probably, Kanon-sama included, he was the Demon Lord I’ve known for the longest amount of time.

For Demons who I’ve known of that long, there’s probably only that Leigie to contest. Also, perhaps I knew of Heard Lauder, or not.

“… Hammer?”

“Right. Hammer. I won’t get in your way, so you don’t go getting up in my business. That sort of thing.”

The killing intent flowing out from Vanity was definitely directed at me. To try threatening someone who, for argument’s sake, reigns over Gluttony like me, I can only show some admiration.

Fufu… just as meeting Leigie was my current supreme goal, Vanity must have something as well.

Well, I do have a general idea, but of course, I’m not going to do anything about it, and it’ll probably come to a result convenient to me anyways.

Right now, eating was nothing but a pain. It would be best if there were fewer hindrances.

Misunderstanding something, Deije-kun tensed his face, and let his gaze float out in space.

“Even so, that imposing air wasn’t normal… does that Vanity have some sort of karma with Angels? It did seem he had taken quite a bit of caution regarding them, but…”

Karma. Karma, is it?

Deije-kun was half on the mark, and half off.

If you ask whether he has some or not, then that’s probably a yes right there. Among long-lived Demons, I doubt you’d find too many without any karma against those heavenly guys.

“Fufu, Deije-kun. That Demon is…”

Should I say it, or not?

Hmm… I hesitated for a moment, but it’s not like any problems would arise just by saying it.

I wanted to put on airs for a bit, so I decided to teach little old Deije-kun.

“… a former 『Angel』, you know?”

Angels and Demons are two sides of the same coin. We’re all made of soul all the same, and the differences between us lied only in if we’re trash, or righteous souls.

That’s why, if an Angel falls, their spirits can turn over, and they’ll become Demons.

“… So he’s Fallen…”

Right. An Angel falls to a Demon. A 『Fallen Angel』.

A reversed Angel. An angry soul, betrayed by the love of god. Fufufu, in the first place, he’s much more sinful than I, back when I was still a Demon.

Even upon hearing my words, Deije-kun was more collected than I expected. Fufu, despite everything, it seems he really has been through a considerable amount of life.

He whispered to himself, to confirm the meaning of his words. Half of it may have been to let Zeta-kun follow the conversation, as the lad was looking up a Deije-kun with an uncomprehensive face.

“Ki ki ki, a former Angel… is it? That sure ain’t anything nice.”

“Well… that’s right. Fufu, he’s still quite bitter about it.”

Nothing nice. It’s because he wasn’t nice that he fell in the first place. Well, that’s right, I guess.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

But why is it that Vanity currently holds the seat of a Demon Lord? An absolute existence among the ranks of Demons?

This is why humans are so interesting… no, Demons, I mean.

“… So can Vanity win against those Angels?”

Deije-kun muttered, but as if he wasn’t looking for an answer, he let his words dangle.

“Well, if it’s just Angels, he’ll probably win. But Vanity’s enemy this time is no Angel.”

“… Yeah. No ordinary Angel, a Saint Lord. What’s more, those guys… they went and powered up in the middle of battle. If that wasn’t something they had been concealing, and it really did rise right in the middle of battle, it’s going to get troublesome.”

Fufu… Deije-kun’s quite the worrier.

But those worries are needless. At the very least, if it’s an Angel on the level of the one I fought, it won’t be an enemy for Vanity, and that wasn’t even really a battle for me.

But I won’t say that one.

Fufufu, what you should be worrying about is yourself, and I need to start worrying about myself as well.

I turned my thoughts back to me.

Me alone.

Now then, how should I go about getting to Leigie…

How should I set out…

It will be difficult to get past Heard Lauder. That’s just how Demons of Pride are.

They have absolute strength, but if I had to say, that power declined the most when faced upfront.

But when it was a battle of pursuit, they displayed peerless strength. That was the Original Sin of Superbia.

In the first place, will he even fight me?

Leigie’s Castle of Shadows was deep in the land known as the Dark Prison.

No matter what direction I go at it from, I’ll have to tread on the territory of Heard Lauder. Will he think of me as a harmless Demon?

No, I doubt it. My power’s too strong for that, and even if I try to get through with words, he’s kinda a battle maniac.

In that case, I’ll have to make an opening.

If we face off, I don’t think I’ll lose, but it won’t be an easy win.

Pride was generally an attribute that excelled in speed. At Demon Lord Level, they could see the world moving as if it were stagnant.

Since there’s no way to break through by running, my best bet would be to wait for a good opportunity.

I don’t really like leaving myself to fate, but luckily for me, it shouldn’t be long before a large gap appears in Heard Lauder’s defenses.

“Fufufu, an opportunity, is it? How many years has it been… since I did something like waiting for a chance…”

It usually works out one way or another if I muscle my way through it… for me.

This exhilarating feeling of waiting for something to come wasn’t anything I’ve felt for a long, long time.

So what should I say at a time like this… fufu…

“Seconds… perhaps?”

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“Fufu… it’s nothing.”

I dodged Deije-kun’s suspicious look, and stared out in the direction Vanity had departed.

Nice. That desire, that emotion, it’s quite nice. Vanity the Egoist. From the eyes of someone who’s known you so long, I can’t even believe you were once an Angel.

Time and luck were on my side.

Fufufu, Leigie. I’ll probably be meeting you in a foreseeable future. Have fun waiting for it.