Volume 2, Chapter 4: Superbia’s Arrogance, Part 1: Abnormal, and Foolish
The Lazy King
Volume 2, Chapter 4: Superbiaâs Arrogance, Part 1: Abnormal, and Foolish
This was back when I had just developed awareness.
There was something I tried asking oneechan.
âWhy is it that we only have first names?â
All of those Demons out there were made of both a first, and last name.
The first that proved their individuality, and the last that defined their way of life.
If they hadnât decided on how they were going to live on, then in most cases, they took on the last name of their ancestors.
Thatâs why, as Demons, it was unthinkable that those of a house thatâs served a Demon Lord for generations couldnât have a last name.
And to me, the sister that boasted an identical appearance offered a short answer. Kindly, as if to caution me.
âThe way we live our lives is decided by our Lord. Thatâs why our predecessors have no last names.â
I simply couldnât believe it.
Once in a distant pastâ¦
Me, and my parents, and the parents before that and in the generation even before that lot was born, our continuous line was something you could call a form of legend.
Itâs not like we performed service on the battlefield, and itâs not like we successfully followed our desires.
If I were forced to say, then our familyâs last name was ãShadowã.
The Lord of Depravity who, as a Demon, boasted a providence much too undemonlike. For us, who continued to nestle ourselves close to him, we could be nothing but pure shadows.
We werenât weak, but you wouldnât be able to call us strong either.
Strength was unnecessary to a shadow. All that we wished for was to serve, and it wasnât the sort of service we were rewarded for.
The existences that continued to serve the Lord who spent his time meaninglessly, were likely just as meaningless.
I remembered back to my ancestors.
I didnât know what had happened several tens of thousands of years ago. I couldnât even hazard a guess.
But killing off the cravings that dwelled in their bodies, they spent an eternity accompanying their Lord, and living while concealing their breaths. They were likely more abnormal than any of those third rate Demons lying around out there, and much more foolish.
Thatâs why, oneechan included, I sneered at my predecessors.
On that day, rained poured to the ground, as if the heavens were weeping. The violent sound of the rain drumming against the glass window, and the reverberating rumble of thunder.
In the darkness, the figure of my body reflected back at me was identical to oneechan, but only my eyes were a little different.
My ancestors, my patents, my siblings, and even the Lord I was to serve. I sneered at them all.
And as if even to sneer at the girl who did all of that, the blue eyes I saw were earnestly probing my expression.
Lightning lit the scene.
On rainy nights, the miasma would grow thick. Among the Demons of the Demon World, the holders of strong negative souls, that was passed as a simple superstition.
But on the other side of the glass which interrupted the darkness, I saw my figure putting on a smile so dazzling even I couldnât believe it.
There wasnât a hint of miasma in those lips.
All those pitch black emotions were enclosed within me, and not a fragment of them was to leak out.
Right.
That must be my ãSuperbiaã.
Not to raise myself to a higher platform, merely a heinous vice to scorn all others.
Effort was unnecessary.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Strength was unnecessary.
Friendship was unnecessary.
All of it, everything was⦠just stupid.
Even if the result were to isolate me, if Iâm just to quietly find my spot in the grave without even a name, then I choose the path that would shine some light onto myself, as temporary as it may be.
Within the polished, mirror-like class, the gold-haired woman giggled to herself.
That should have been me, and yet, she lacked a sense of reality.
âKusu kusu⦠no matter how you look at it⦠holding yourself back too muchâ¦â
A somewhat sweet, and slovenly tone poured out of my mouth.
Right. This is the shape of Hieroâs soul.
If you desire it, then seek it.
If your Lord is idle, then take action.
Overrule everything in this vast Demon World.
In order for me to stay as me.
If desire is whatâs to decide the power of Demons, thenâ¦
Thereâs no doubt that my Superbia is the mark of the worldâs strongest Demon.
Within the darkness, my lips bent into the shape of a smile.
⦠I mean look at just how brightly Iâm shining.
My image swirled around the frame of the window. The light caught onto my golden hair, and glistened.
It was as if it were the portrait of a fairy, yet for some reason, it appeared tasteless.
â⦠Lord of Sloth, please look at me. Please remember me. My name, my form, my voice, my soulâ¦â
Spending a pointless lifetime not feeling anything, without thinking anything, not recording anything to memory, for you, who never cared in the slightest for us, my existence will beâ¦
Kusu kusu kusu.
Right. Then first comes introducing myself.
âMy name is Hiero. Hiero of Superbia.â
No last name, no way of life, just a normal Demon
But Iâll accumulate my desire, and show you as I wash out the heavens.
I am Hiero of Superbia.
But you donât have to prostrate yourself before me. You wonât have to kneel. I donât need your worship.
Iâve no need to make you fools out there understand me.
Iâm on top, and youâre at the bottom. Thatâs all.
Itâs fine as long as you understand that.
But things went beyond my expectations in the blink of an eye.