Chapter 151
“Hey! So, coming in might be easy, but leaving isn’t something you can just decide on your own, you know!”
The Demon of Lust, Nial, chased after me while rubbing her tingling butt.
After taking a few hits, Nial had transformed from a girl into a voluptuous woman.
Now, with her height and chest significantly grown, she finally exuded the charm befitting her title.
Of course, with my ‘Patience,’ her antics didn’t faze me at all.
“So, even as a high-ranking demon, you can’t just leave Hell whenever you want?”
“I can leave! But only if I get the consent of the other demons…”
“Then call the other demons.”
According to Nial, opening and closing the gates of Hell isn’t something one can do on a whim.
It seems that only the highest-ranking demons can decide through a council.
I was planning to force them to agree, but Nial shook her head.
“Those guys are on vacation right now. They won’t come out of their rooms.”
“Vacation…?”
“Yep. They take turns presiding over trials every few months. Since it’s just a formality, there’s no need for all three to be present. Besides, if they meet, it’s obvious they’ll fight. And think about it, wouldn’t you be annoyed if someone called you during your long-awaited break? Wouldn’t you?”
Indeed… Talking to Nial gave me a rough idea of how things work here.
The trials in Hell aren’t to determine guilt or innocence but to satisfy the sadistic pleasures of the high-ranking demons.
To avoid unnecessary conflicts, each demon has their own criteria.
“Is there another way to open the gates of Hell from here?”
“Hmm… Another way… If Mother were here, she might know something…”
Mother?
Is there someone above the highest-ranking demons?
I was about to ask who that was, but Nial beat me to it.
“By the way, Master! What exactly are you? Are you really human?”
“Yeah. As you can see, I’m human.”
“Hmm~?”
Nial narrowed her eyes and began scrutinizing every part of my body.
“I may look like this, but I’m omnivorous, so I don’t care about gender or appearance! I’ve never seen anyone like you, human or demon! My instincts are telling me! I can feel it now that I’m this close!”
“…What are you talking about?”
“You’re turning me on!”
“……”
Nial looked up at me with heart-shaped eyes.
It was obvious at a glance.
She was shamelessly using her demonic eyes on me.
If I were an ordinary human, it might have worked, but the demonic eyes she was using were the same as my ‘Seven Deadly Sins Personality.’
I clicked my tongue and looked down at her.
“…It seems you haven’t learned your lesson.”
This time, I infused two personalities, ‘Pride’ and ‘Wrath.’
“……!”
“Didn’t you just confirm that such things don’t work on me?”
Her ‘Lust’ was instantly crushed by my two personalities.
+
Personality: Lust
Rank: SS
Details: You are constantly consumed by lewd thoughts. The more you indulge, the more your soul becomes tainted. Everyone will feel drawn to you. Those who meet your gaze will lose their reason and turn into beasts.
Only follow your instincts. Any pain you feel will transform into immense pleasure.
*This personality is one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
+
“Hah! Hahaha…! This is it…!”
Despite the heart-wrenching pain, Nial was laughing. She laughed as if in ecstasy, her pupils dilated like she was intoxicated.
Her personality was turning pain into pleasure.
Right. She knew that from the start.
“More! A little more! Harder, please!”
“Tch… Get lost, you vulgar thing.”
“Ahhh! Even your insults are so good!”
As I clicked my tongue and pushed Nial away, something happened.
“Ouch! My back! It hurts so much I could die!”
I had completely forgotten.
I approached the elevator, from which groans were emanating, and picked up the loudly chattering skull.
“Have you forgotten about me?”
“You were silent, so I thought you were dead.”
“Ha! It seems you’ve forgotten about me! This body is immortal! No matter how many times it’s shattered, it will never die!”
“If you have the energy to chatter, assemble yourself.”
I roughly gathered the scattered bones with my foot to shut him up.
Meanwhile, Nial peeked out.
She looked drained, having been cut off from her ecstasy.
“Master… What’s with that noisy skull?”
“I picked it up from the Endless Hell.”
“From the Endless Hell? Wait, so you came from the Endless Hell?”
“Yeah.”
“No way. That’s really strange. That’s not a place for humans or demons…”
Nial looked back and forth between me and the skull, tilting her head in confusion. Regardless, I started looking around for a way out.
As I approached, the jailers subtly moved away. In contrast, Nial persistently followed me.
“Master! Where are you going?”
“I’m looking for a way out of here.”
“Come on. Since we’re here, why not rest in my room for a bit?”
“No thanks. I don’t have time for that.”
“Aw, come on! Hey! Master! Do you know about ramen? If not, why not have some ramen in my room?”
“I don’t need it.”
“Then! I have a horny female dog at home. Want to see her?”
“I’m looking at one right now. It’s unpleasant, so get that face out of my sight.”
Truly the Demon of Lust.
It seems her mind is filled with nothing but vulgar thoughts.
Nial kept blocking my path, making a fuss.
“Master…! Listen to me!”
“Don’t call me Master.”
“If you don’t like Master, then I’ll be your slave! I’ll serve you as a slave for life!”
I almost asked what she meant by being a slave but held back. Talking to her would only be exhausting.
“Master! Please! If you become my master or slave, I’ll find a way to get you out! I promise!”
“A demon making promises. How reliable.”
“Ooh! Finally!”
“…?”
The sudden shout came from the direction of the Court of Judgment.
The skeleton had somehow reassembled itself and was sitting on a chair.
“Today, I finally return to my seat!”
“Huh?! You, you’re crazy! That’s not a place for someone like you to sit!”
As Nial said, the chair the skeleton was sitting on was excessively ornate. A throne made of black stone darker than obsidian. It was higher than where Nial had been sitting. Presumably, it was a seat for someone above the judges.
Ignoring Nial’s shouts, the skeleton stretched in the chair.
“Ah… It’s been so long since I felt this comfort. I wondered if I’d ever sit here again… Really…”
“Master! Get down from there right now!”
“Quiet. I am the King of Hell! The king sitting on his throne, what’s with all the noise? If you keep shouting…”
“You, you crazy master! Guys! Drag that crazy master down from there!”
As Nial ordered the jailers, they approached the skeleton with spears.
“Meeeh…”
The large jailers could easily subdue a lowly skeleton with a single finger.
But the skeleton remained still.
I couldn’t see the expression on its bony face, but I felt something was off.
It looked like the skeleton was sighing.
“…Now I remember.”
Despite the distance, I could clearly hear its muttering.
“Who I was.”
Whoosh.
“…?!”
At that moment, black flames appeared among the jailers.
No, upon closer look, they were flames. Not flames that illuminated but pitch-black flames that consumed everything around them.
“…!”
The jailers were instantly engulfed in the black flames.
Even their bones burned away without a trace.
I was momentarily speechless at the sudden turn of events.
Then I noticed Nial’s strange behavior.
“Ah, ah… Black flames… This can’t be…!”
Nial, a high-ranking demon, was trembling like a leaf.
A low voice echoed.
“Kneel.”
Simultaneously, an inexplicable pressure weighed down on me.
A terrifying sensation overwhelmed me. It felt like someone was crushing my heart.
‘Ugh…!’
I quickly resisted with ‘Patience.’
Until now, ‘Patience’ had helped me endure the emotions boiling inside me.
But this time was different.
It wasn’t an internal emotion but an external one, threatening to dominate me. A burning emotion that consumed everything.
‘Right. That’s it…’
I realized immediately.
‘This is a very familiar emotion…’
It was ‘Wrath.’
“……”
Nial, struck directly by someone’s ‘Wrath,’ collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
She had hit her head so hard that the floor cracked.
“It’s been so long.”
The one who spoke was the skeleton sitting on the throne.
It was the one who had burned the jailers and forced Nial to kneel with ‘Wrath.’
Its earlier foolish demeanor was gone, replaced by an arrogant attitude as it looked down at me.
“Yet you refuse to bow to me?”
“…Why should I?”
“It’s disappointing that you pretend not to know.”
Pretend not to know?
It acted as if it had known me for a long time.
“My, my… Look at me. It’s no wonder you don’t recognize me in this form.”
“…!”
The transformation began suddenly.
Red muscles twitched and grew between the skeleton’s bones. Blood and flesh filled in, and the body began to regenerate.
It took less than 20 seconds.
Instead of a pitiful skeleton, a girl dressed in a night-like gown sat on the throne.
“So, how is it…?”
The girl brushed back her pitch-black hair.
When I saw her face, my jaw dropped.
It was a face I definitely knew.
“You are……”
The girl’s face was identical to Michaela’s from Paradise.
But the atmosphere was completely different.
If Michaela was a bratty kid, this girl seemed like an ancient being who had lived for over a thousand years.
An indescribable gravitas emanated from her voice.
“Hmm…?”
The girl rubbed her eyes and looked at me again, murmuring in slight surprise.
“Your soul is twisted. No wonder you don’t recognize me.”
“……!”
She noticed?
She realized I was possessing Tristan’s body.
That means she’s like Michaela…
“A god…?”
“In Hell, that’s correct. After all, I am omnipotent only within Hell.”
So, she was a god. Just like Michaela, who could only use her powers in Paradise.
The girl stroked her chin and spoke.
“Hmm. Judging by your reaction, it seems you’ve already met my sister.”
“…Michaela?”
“Yes. A bit of a noisy girl. Oh, right. I should introduce myself. Otherwise, you might not understand the story…”
The girl stood up from the throne and approached me.
“I am Lukaela, the ruler of Hell and the mother of demons… The one who placed the curse on your body.”
“……?!”
My heart raced. The hidden backstory about Tristan.
I was finally facing it today.
“If you had stayed in the Endless Hell a bit longer, you might have forgotten. The curse on your body is the same one I placed on my most cherished child.”
“Your child…?”
“Yes…”
At my question, Lukaela sighed.
“Long ago, there was a young demon consumed by ‘Wrath’ who devoured his siblings. I couldn’t quell my anger even after cursing him. So, I stripped him of his demonic rank, turned him into a human, and banished him to the surface.”
Ah…
Finally, I understood.
The root of the curse that had plagued Tristan’s family for generations. And the name of the demon Lukaela was talking about.
By now, Lukaela had stopped in front of me.
She looked up at me and said.
“Welcome home, ‘Ruelberta.'”
