Chapter 4: Ira, Part 3: Who the Hell Does He Think He’s Supposed to Be?

“Are you not going to kill me for opposing you?”

“… If you want to die, then go do that by yourself. Ah, but first, go tell them that they should send a Sloth next time.”

Hah.

Leigie let out a troubled sigh.

With those words, I became certain that my own actions had absolutely no effect on this Demon Lord.

He really is a man with no hopes of salvation. Kanon’s tired words float in my mind.

A skill to overwrite one’s cravings with Sloth.

That’s my conjecture as to the skill this Demon Lord used only once. I don’t even know its name.

At that moment, the hell within my heart was completely buried up.

And if that’s truly the case, then that is… the strongest skill for a Demon. I mean, a Demon’s battle ability rises in proportion to the extent of their longings. Just as my『Wrath Flames』 scaled off my anger, to rapidly increase its output.

It’s not something limited to Wrath, the others are the same. Without a thirst for material possessions, Greed Skills are unusable, and without hunger, Gluttony Skills won’t have any decent firepower.

His skill is bullshit. Normally, a skill of this type would be blocked by the Mental Corruption Resistance on the Basic Demon Tree, but this Demon Lord somehow breached it in an instant. That means that skill can’t be blocked by standard means, and that skills that can’t be withstood by it truly do exist.

I’m not sure if it’ll work even on a Demon Lord, but if it does, then even Demon Lords would be played with like children. And I don’t want to think about it, but perhaps the one who holds the seat of Great Demon Lord, Kanon-sama, is the same.

No, more than that, a large majority of Wrath Skills scale directly off of anger, so his power would be even more affective against her.

When I think of the anger smoldering within me, it isn’t something that will burn for eternity, but if I think about what would happen if it were suddenly extinguished in battle, I cannot help but feel fear.

Its effect? Its range? Its scope? Its conditions?

Challenging this Demon Lord without knowing any of that is… too dangerous. What’s more, he only showed me a single power. When you think about how I have dozens of Wrath Skills, while there’s a difference in trees, I can’t help but assume this Demon Lord has much more than that.

Leigie-sama is… dangerous. Not because his irritating behavior is poison to my sanity, his power itself is dangerous.

It’s likely that Kanon-sama knows this as well. That’s why I was dispatched. This Demon Lord won’t do anything troublesome like start a rebellion, but in the million to one chance…

If I cannot obliterate him with Wrath Skills… the other Skill Series which fall behind in pure offensive power won’t be able to break his defense.

He said it was hot. That means for a split second, my power definitely had some effect on this Demon Lord. It’s impossible for the current me, but if I continue to mature, perhaps I will gain the power to inflict damage on him.

I need to sharpen my blade.

While looking at this man, who possesses unfathomable power, I’ll refine myself. That is likely Kanon-sama’s… intent.

And at the same, time, make good use of this man’s resources, to benefit the Great Demon Lord’s army. He’s scary as an enemy, but having these Sloth Skills on our side is more than reliable.

Taking on these two challenges simultaneously is my mission, and my trial.

Once I’ve overcome that, there is no doubt I’d have gained powers incomparable to what I’ve used up until now.

We were moved to another room, and on top of a bed of the same make, Leigie turned over in his sleep.

In my eyes his form was now that of someone I couldn’t underestimate.

It seems that the bedroom I burnt up is in the middle of reconstruction. None of the Demons in Leigie’s army said a word about it. Say something already.

At that time, the door made a loud sound as it opened, and a single Demon came in.

It was a girl wearing a maid uniform. Her atmosphere was a bit similar to Lorna, but she was just a little bit younger.

She looked at Leigie-sama, who refused to pop his face out of the covers, took a quick glance at me, and approached the bed. With a face identical to Lorna’s, she smiled.

“Leigie-sama! Please~ Wake~ Up~!”

Of all things, she began recklessly shaking the cover the Demon Lord had burrowed under.

The smile and atmosphere are definitely similar. The girl who was probably the sister she was talking about only carried a similar air, and her actions were completely different. This is a fraud.

That’s no way to treat that guy, I mean, isn’t he supposed to be some sort of king?

At her violent treatment, I unintentionally tried to restrain her when I was supposed to be on the other side.

What the hell is this.

“!? Wai… can’t you be a little quieter!?”

“? Ah! You muct be the Lize-san oneechan told me about! I’m called Hiero. I’m the little sister of Lorna, who used to take care of Leigie-sama!”

“Eh, ah, yes.”

Without stopping her hand, the girl called Hiero turned only her head to look at me.

She’s not displaying the appropriate attitude to the one who burnt her sister to death. No, more so, she’s giving a smile reminiscent of a blooming flower.

Even if she’s a Demon, she should have at least a bit of affection for her family. Just like I have a sort of loyalty to the Great Demon King.

Of all things, she started speaking in an innocent voice.

“Thank you very much! For killing Oneechan! Because of that, it’s finally come around to my turn! Oneechan would never stop working, so I was getting worried!”

Her feelings were just too twisted. Her lack of visible malice made it all the more menacing.

From the time I served directly under the Great Demon King, to when I was assigned here, I’ve never seen emotions like these.

“Y-you… are those the sort of words you’re supposed to direct to your sister’s killer!?”

“Eh? Well…”

On my words, Hiero put her index finger to her mouth, and began to think.

And the answer came soon enough. It was an answer I wasn’t expecting at all.

“Lize-san, you’re too soft. If you’re going to try killing her, you have to do it properly…”

“Eh…?”

Her skirt fluttered as she sat on the edge of the bed. From under her skirt that was much shorter than Lorna’s, I saw healthy, tanned skin.

As if something was tickling her, she raised a laugh befitting her age.

How does that modest Older Sister get a younger one like this?

(TL: This kusu is laughter. Not sobbing.)

“Kusu kusu kusu, she was still alive… Good grief, oneechan doesn’t know when to give up… her luck sure was great. Even if it wasn’t a direct hit, for her not to die instantly after taking the『Ira』 of a General Class Demon. Even when I thought my turn had finally come, I was going to have to contain myself even longer!”

What shocking news. She was burnt black, but lived!?

No, that’s not it. That isn’t it. This Demon… what did she just say?

“… Contain yourself even longer… could it be, that you…”

“Nonono, don’t misunderstand! Oneechan’s still alive, you know? Though she’s quite burnt. I mean, killing my own sister is a bit… If I did something like that, kusu kusu kusu, I would become『Invidia』, wouldn’t I? Holding onto two sins would be a pain.”

An unsettling cheerful voice.

This one is… different. She has no beauty like Lorna. No matter how close their faces, no matter how close their forms, this child is without a doubt one who spreads ill will just by staying alive, an orthodox devil. One with the personality most fit to pursue desire, a『Pure Demon』.

I’m not sure whether she’s looking at my expression or not, she lies down face up on top of Leigie, and stares at the decorations on the canopy.

“Oneechan was pretty, wasn’t she? She should’ve been of the same make as me, but she was nice and slim, and tall, and her eyes were wide and clear, her skin was white, and she always did the housework, but she never got a scratch on her, and her hair was glossy without any damage. Her voice wasn’t too high or too low, it was just the right level to comfort the ear, and her breasts were twice the size of mine… a beauty no male Demon would be able to leave alone, and despite her lewdness, she didn’t let a single finger touch her body, as she served Leigie-sama in chastity… Her heart was strong, and she didn’t draw back a step against『Ira』… Kusu kusu kusu, she really was the ideal woman.”

“Le…wd?”

“Oh? Didn’t you know? Even like that, Oneecchan’s a『Luxuria』 demon, you know? What’s more, she’s pursued desire enough to get A Class skill, quite powerful. If you look at Demon Ranks, perhaps the rank just before General… she had about as much power as a Knight, I guess.”

That’s something I cannot believe.

『Luxuria』

Of the 7 Sins that Demons can possess, it’s known as the one most unsuited for direct combat.

And among all of them, it’s said to be the weakest in resisting attacks as well.

They are weak. Uselessly frail. Especially against Demons with Mental Corruption resistance, a majority of their powers don’t work.

But if so, they why…

“Why…”

“I don’t know if Oneechan told you, but my household… has ALWAYS served the Demon King of Sloth, Leigie of the Slaughterdolls. Probably from around ten generations ago. Within the house, there’s a rule that the strongest Demon would be the one to serve, and in this generation, that was… Lorna oneechan. Until Yesterday, that is.”

Yesterday, I burned Lorna in the flames of Wrath. If Hiero’s words are to be trusted, she survived, but has lost her power.

And so the generation shifted. To this arrogant sister.

“I’ve always had a complex against Oneechan. Especially that figure. Oneechan had my ideal form, so… that’s why I was always weaker than her.”

“Eh? Fi… gure?”

“With『Luxuria』, no matter how high level of a Demon you are, with only A Class skills, you can’t… be strong at all. I should have been much stronger. But even so, I couldn’t win. I’m thankful to you, Lize-san. Thank you for burning up oneechan’s beautiful face.”

The tone of her voice dropped for a moment.

And the Demon said…

“Because of that, I was able to…『Overrule』 her…”

All the puzzle pieces were in place.

Hiero forcefully opened up the covers, and shamelessly clung onto Leigie-sama’s arm as he looked at her with empty eyes.

“Leigie-sama, nice to meet you. I think you were listening, but I’ll be taking care of you in oneechan’s place! I’m called Hiero! I’ll be whole-heartedly devoting my time to you, so I hope we get along!”

“… I see.”

“The Original Sin I carry is…『Pride』. I’m Hiero of『Superbia』! Please remember it!”

As I thought… a Pride Demon!

『Superbia』

A Demon that governs arrogance and superiority complexes.

Within this army, it’s also the attribute of Supreme Commander Heard Lauder.

Its tree… holds some exceedingly troublesome skills. Its affinity with Gula and Ira, that were made to inflict direct damage, is particularly bad.

On her first conversation with the Lord, her eyes sparkled greatly.

But at the same time, I felt it. This girl is in no way suitable for Leigie-sama.

The Demon Lord wasn’t really thinking about anything. With eyes devoid of emotion, he uttered two words.

“… Yeah. Iyo.”

“? What’s 『Iyo』?”

On those words, Leigie’s expression turned stale.

His face spoke for itself. That explaining was a pain. He turned his eyes to me, but I decided to ignore him.

At first, I wondered what it was as well. I asked. But Leigie-sama never told me. In the end, I had to find it out by asking the other Demons. It truly was a waste of time.

Leigie-sama let out a deep sigh. As if he was saying this was all my fault.

And along with that sigh, Hiero’s expression clouded.

With a heavy voice, Leigie-sama spoke. From my point of view, it was the same as normal, but for Hiero who was having her first conversation with him, it was probably different. His voice is always full of something that could be called despair.

“… What happened to the last one?”

“… Eh? Y-you mean oneechan?”

“… Yeah.”

Yeah, he definitely doesn’t know it.

Leigie-sama has no interest in the maid’s name and origins. He probably found it a pain, so he answered as such.

Hiero’s pride is stimulated, and she answers in a shaking voice.

“Oneechan was… burnt black by that Lize-san over there. That’s why I’m…”

Demon Lord, you were there, weren’t you! And isn’t this your fault!?

Even though he was completely ignoring it, he can’t even remember what happened just yesterday.

Are you sure there isn’t any fungus growing inside of that head?

“I see… bring her here.”

“… he? Leigie-sama, j-just now, what are…”

Leigie-sama frowned.

He’s probably thinking, ‘God, this is a pain,’ but from someone who doesn’t know him, he definitely looks displeased.

By the way, if Kanon-sama makes a face like that, it’s a sign that the entire area will soon be reduced to cinders. There’s no escape.

This Demon Lord is a wimp, so nothing like that ever happens here. I’ll even bet my life on it. Ah, dammit. This is pissing me off.

Leigie-sama repeated himself.

“… Bring her.”

“… Y-yes… ahaha, but she’s just charcoal, right? … y-yes, I understand. I’ll carry Oneechan here.”

Hiero’s eyes are teary, but she immediately leaves the room, making loud footsteps.

As if to shout out, ‘I’m in a bad mood.’

But Leigie-sama probably doesn’t notice that at all.

The Demon Lord under the covers, who usually never moved had taken such a large action, so I tried asking.

“What do you plan on doing?”

“… That one’s no good.”

“… Hiero, you mean?”

“Yeah…”

Without stating a specific reason, he just painstakingly said that one word.

… It seems that Lorna spoiling the heck out of him up until now has had a slight effect. It seems you guys really are the best under the heavens at deceiving people, Luxuria.

It’s because she carried out each and every conceivable services for him… though that was also the reason I snapped.

With loud footsteps, Hiero slams open the door.

She violently throws something onto Leigie-sama’s bed.

“… It’s oneechan.”

What Hiero brought was a Soul Core that could fit into the palm of your hand.

About half of it had burned away, and been destroyed. Looking at it, I myself cannot call that living. It’s because I don’t have the necessary tools to determine whether or not there’s any life in that.

As long as a Demon’s Soul Core is safe, they can take up long years to regenerate themselves. But with this much damage, it’ll probably decay before any regeneration can happen.

I’m actually surprised Hiero was able to find this small fragment inside the ashes. Could it be she actually had soft feelings towards her sister?

Leigie-sama can’t seem to contain his unhappiness as he takes the core in his hands.

He gave a sigh of resignation, and gave a word in Hiero’s direction… once more, that word.

“… Iyo.”

“… Eh? U-um… I deeply apologize. I am… s-still inexperienced, but I will do my best… would you be as kind as to tell me the meaning of『Iyo』?”

Having been pressed with an impossible trial, as if her smile before had been a lie, Hiero’s tears fell all over the place.

Getting a pride to say they’re inexperienced, what a frightening man. He probably isn’t thinking about anything, though. But to one who governs Pride, that is a disgrace akin to death.

They are just masses of pride, and they think they’re the centers of the world, so hurting their pride enough to get them to put themselves below others makes them absurdly weak.

“… Hah…”

“!? D-demon Lord…”

Who the hell does he think he’s supposed to be?

With a sigh, Leigie-sama closed his eyes.

In the first place, ‘I’ll leave it to you’, and ‘I’m satisfied with your work’ aren’t specific instructions in the slightest, aren’t they?

Right now, the Demon Lord doesn’t really wish for anything. Can’t he just tell her that?

Hiero nervously looks around the room. Her eyes met mine, but I hated her, so I ignored her.

Trying to regain her standing, she musters up her courage to talk again. I doubt any evaluation of her has risen or fallen in the first place. In the first place, there’s no meaning in getting evaluated by that Leigie-sama.

I’m starting to think this, but don’t Pride and Sloth have the worst compatibility?

One strives to be superior and worshipped by others, the other really doesn’t care. You can’t fulfill a superiority complex with the Lazy King.

Even if there were rules, I think Lorna’s made a complete mistake when choosing her successor. Is this supposed to be some form of harassment?

“U-um… I specialize in housework! Cooking, and cleaning, and laundry… I’m confident in it. If you wish for it… e-even sexual favors…”

“I see.”

Her face is red, and she’s definitely pushing herself, but Leigie simply gives his usual answer.

No, he’s not being cold. That’s just how he is!

But Hiero doesn’t know that. You can’t try and communicate with this Demon Lord.

Unless you know what he is from the start… that’s why I’m so troubled.

And having been pushed into a corner, Hiero continued to speak.

“Um… if it pleases you, please give me an order.”

Having heard that, for the first time, Leigie-sama voiced his will.

“……………… Damn, this is a pain.”

“… Eh!?”

Seriously, who is he supposed to be?

Leigie-sama let out the deepest sigh he’d ever made.

Hiero looked at the Demon Lord with a blank expression. She hasn’t said anything wrong. She hasn’t made any reckless remarks, and she hasn’t asserted her selfishness.

Having seen this scene, a hundred out of a hundred would side with her on the matter. Even I would.

Don’t expect the maid that was just hired today to be able to figure everything out.

The Demon Lord casually lifted the broken Soul Core up to the light.

I wonder what’s going through his mind.

And the moment came.

The presence that sprung forth all of a sudden made me choke for air.

Having sensed that, the face Hiero had finally put in order was suddenly overcome with fear, and after some convulsions, she took a large step back.

Pride forgot her pride, and wrath forgot her wrath. It was an amount of magic great enough to make my『Rage Flame』 seem like child’s play, enough magic to warp the world.

It was. Without a doubt, a wave of the strongest power I’d ever seen in my life.

Nothing seemed to matter anymore, and power seemed to seep out of my body due to the concentration of Acedia.

With a face on the brink of death, the Demon Lord chanted. It was definitely some sort of Spell.

“『Ir Ir Rul Arcadia. Everything, degradation and depravity. Hah… Law of money, the black cornerstone that holds together all creation, just gather for a bit in my name. 『Sloth Minugrosz』』 Ah, I misspelled it…”

“Wai…”

The overflowing magic abides the Demon Lord’s chant, and takes form.

In general, Skills can be activated by incantation, or skill name. Without the incantation, the difficulty increases, and the output drops.

This Demon Lord’s never chanted, or even said the skill name before, so with an aria that long, of the skills I’ve seen before… It’ll most definitely be the highest ranking one.

I haven’t the slightest idea what’s going to happen, but an unpleasant feeling comes over my body. An alarm clock goes off in my head.

The skill activation that’s usually impossible to sense is crystal clear.

At the feeling of the world’s order being warped, Hiero let out a scream.

But a spelling error… it was definitely that sigh he threw into it, wasn’t it!?

He can’t even recite a Skill properly, this Demon Lord!

The thoughts racing around my head were just my attempt to escape reality.

Even if the chant was a failure, the skill definitely activated.

All apart. Though nothing had changed, I felt something breaking.

The Soul Core the Demon King was holding began to change shape at the half that had been burned.

With the crystal at the center, a mysterious black haze started to gather, and take form. Its color changes.

Hiero mutters in a daze.

“O nee… chan?”

“… Haa.”

His sigh was filled with annoyance while, as if a clip was being played in reverse, the charcoal regains its color, and a completely scorched face is dyed white and regains its gloss. In the wide open eyesockets, large orbs take shape.

In just a few seconds, a completely unharmed Lorna was created. Of course, her body, but even the clothes she had been wearing are reborn without a scratch.

In a situation that had long transcended expectations, Hiero’s eyes are dilated as she raises a scream. Her back hits the bedside table, and her hips are shaking, but she retreats further.

And Lorna slowly opens her eyes.

… She’s alive.

The hell… just what is that skill?

Regeneration? Like hell… as if regeneration can restore clothing. In the first place, Lorna should have been completely terminated. From a half-destroyed Soul Core, there’s no way she’d be brought back this perfectly!

“Onee… chan?”

“Hie… ro?”

Hiero unsteadily walks towards Lorna, as if she had seen a ghost.

Lorna’s eyes bink multiple times as she looks at her sister. She doesn’t seem to know what’s going on either.

Well, that can’t be helped. Even I, who’s seen this start to finish, can’t understand what just happened.

At that moment, the color of Hiero’s face changed. From ghastly pale, to red panic.

She tilts her head as she looks over Lorna’s body.

I also noticed it. The regeneration… wasn’t over yet. No, the wounds were already gone, but still, her time was turning back.

The skill hadn’t ended yet!

The feeling that something was broken persisted, and even though she had returned to normal, there’s no sign of it ending.

Lorna’s height ever-so-slightly reduced, and her breasts withered in a similar manner. The look on her face gets slightly more childish.

Her clothing changes from a pure-white maid uniform to a smaller one with black as the base. Her long skirt changes to the shorter one Hiero was wearing.

By misspell, could he possibly…

My heart beats faster, as I see her body gradually shrink, the fifteen centimeter height difference between her and Hiero became ten, then five. Compared to that, the bulge in her breasts doesn’t change all that much, but her facial features slowly regress from mature to innocent.

For a different reason, Hiero blinked her eyes as she turned to Leigie-sama.

“…Leigie-sama, this is…”

“… Turned her too far back.”

With a face that showed he wasn’t repenting at all, Leigie-sama rubbed his head into the pillow. Even though it was his mistake, he still has absolutely no motivation.

Turned her… too far back?

Lorna’s transformation ends.

By that time, there was pretty much no gap between her and Hiero. Of course, there’s personality, and Lorna’s face looks just a little more adult-like, but the appearance differences they had before, if you exclude the fact that Lorna’s a very slight bit taller, and her breasts much larger, as if they were twins, they looked identical. The difference left was that of Lust and Pride… the difference caused by attribute.

Lorna’s perplexed eyes looked over her shorter arms and legs.

Perhaps Hiero didn’t know how to respond, but she looked around as if to throw responsibility off of herself. I want someone to help me.

Only Leigie-sama is without confusion, without ill will. He looks at the much-compacted, reconstructed Lorna.

“Do you have… memories? Today’s date?”

On Leigie-sama’s question, Lorna casts away her hesitation, and corrects her posture. As if concerned about her now-shorter skirt, she fidgets as she gives a clear reply.

“Eh? Ah… yes. Today is Divine Year 271C8A, Kanon Year 310 November 11th, Leigie-sama.”

As his question was answered with a full-on smile, Leigie-sama turned to me.

Could it be that even though he asked, he doesn’t even know the date himself?

Having regained composure, Hiero answers instead.

“Oneechan, it’s the 12th.”

“Heh? No, today should be the 11th… Hmm? Hiero, did you get taller?”

No, you shrunk.

Leigie-sama addressed Lorna, who was tilting her head, and still without a grasp on the situation, with a care-free tone.

“I see. Got it. Iyo.”

“??? Y-yes! Understood, my liege…”

Her head remains tilted as she answers. She looks at her wristwatch, and compares it to the one on the wall. In a panic, she lowers her head deeply to Leigie-sama.

“Leigie-sama, I deeply apologize. A little… your meal time will be delayed by about an hour.”

“Iyo.”

“Thank you. I am deeply grateful for your kindness.”

She instantly returned to her daily cycle, and made quiet steps as she exited the room. Behind her, she pulled the hand of her sister, who still didn’t have a grasp on anything.

As I looked upon it, I was so taken aback that I couldn’t say anything.

What’s with that pointless loyalty? More than her own body, that had disintegrated, she worries for the mealtime of the Demon Lord that can go centuries without food or drink?

I look towards Leigie, the culprit in all of this, but there’s no sign of him feeling satisfaction, or a sense of achievement, or even remorse.

This Demon Lord, who is he, really…

With all that’s happened, I’ve lost confidence in my own『Wrath』 that I’m supposed to govern.