Chapter 208
Chapter 208: Abnormality and Mutation
“—You useless fool!”
A loud crashing sound like something shattering echoed from Nephradia’s private chamber.
The Night Elf servant cleaning outside flinched, taken aback.
…The door swung open. Emelgias, with tobacco ash scattered on his head, lumbered out with an expression glued to his face.
“—Don’t show your face until you achieve something worthwhile!”
Emelgias slammed the door shut, cutting off Nephradia’s screams.
He shook his head, knocking off ash before glaring at the servant with his extremely displeased green eyes.
“…!”
The trembling Night Elf bowed deeply, as if begging for forgiveness or pleading for mercy, despite having done nothing wrong.
—Servants already had it rough under the perpetually irritable Nephradia. Being lashed out at by her son was more than they could handle—
He saw nothing. He wished to be forgiven. As the servant quaked in fear, Emelgias’s displeasure only twisted his face further, yet he averted his gaze without engaging.
Instead, he struck the rock wall with a thud. Previously, he had smashed it with such force that cracks formed, necessitating repairs and earning him constant snide remarks, so this strike was gentler.
With his shoulders tense, Emelgias walked away in a hurry.
—It was a disastrous situation.
It seemed he had come to report just when his mother’s mood was at its worst. Was he not ashamed to be outshone by his six-year-old brother? Not only that, he was being overtaken—how could he not feel humiliated with such a disgraceful showing? Just work harder—he ultimately had an ashtray thrown at him along with the command to not show his face until he achieved results.
“…Hmph.”
He snorted. Emelgias didn’t wish to be there either.
If he obviously avoided her, things would only get more troublesome, so he reluctantly graced her with his presence at regular intervals. If he could go without seeing her for a while, it would honestly be a relief.
…That said, it didn’t make him feel any better.
(Damn it.)
Stepping out of Nephradia’s quarters, he kicked the pillar of the Demon Lord Castle. Not just him, but even his mother was the root of their lowest point. That was—
(What the hell is wrong with that guy!?)
Zilbagias Reiju.
His little brother, who had just turned six.
(What an abnormality!! No matter how you look at it…!)
The earlier interaction with their father after the dinner meeting—everything about his brother’s actions was bizarre.
The intelligence, the knowledge, the persuasiveness. The negotiating skills that impressed and amazed the Demon Lord.
—At six years old, one should be playing warrior with toy spears, right!?
(So why is Father just accepting this as if it’s natural!?)
Even if he had spent a long time in the Demon World… even if he had been influenced by the Devil of Knowledge…
(That kind of…!!)
Unacknowledged. What in the world is he? This is just strange!
On top of that, at only six years old, that magical power.
(…What the hell!)
If possible, he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs.
(Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked to elevate to a marquis…!?)
It was rumored that Zilbagias would soon be honored as a marquis as well. —That brat, on the same level as me. Just thinking about that fact made him feel dizzy.
Emelgias had struggled due to the excellence of his three siblings. Since where he stood was always compared to them, whether it was his mother or those around him.
The perfect eldest brother, Aiogias.
The valiant eldest sister, Rubyphia.
And the unconventional second brother, Diagias.
Emelgias was… different from them. Average. Of course, he was more capable than the average demon; however, that only meant he was just slightly better than ordinary demons. He didn’t possess anything remarkable.
—Having made a contract with a devil for the first time and returning from the Demon World.
He could still clearly recall his mother’s expression of disappointment upon learning it was the power of 【Jealousy】. Jealousy was a power that assumed the existence of someone superior. It was like admitting he didn’t have the qualities to be envied by others—a champion’s qualifications—
Nevertheless, Emelgias was desperate. He trained in martial arts, ceaselessly striving to catch up to his siblings. He envied Aiogias’s perfection, Rubyphia’s bravery, and Diagias’s outrageousness.
All those ugly feelings fueled his strength. Right after making the contract, his powers grew rapidly. It took little time to rise from squire to viscount.
However, after that, his progress stagnated. No matter how hard he tried to catch up, his siblings continued their training. Their backs grew increasingly distant; the gaps widened.
Despite all his努力, he just couldn’t keep up. Let alone surpass them…
…The Izanis tribe had submitted to Aiogias’s Vernus tribe.
As the factions aligned, Emelgias’s magical power hardly grew any longer.
The feelings of envy and jealousy may have worn thin; perhaps he had overly controlled those emotions deliberately. Everything had become a duty. The continuous jealousy towards his siblings, the constant training, the pursuit of strength—
—He lost track of what lay ahead.
It was unfulfilling. Just an emptiness gnawed at his chest. It felt like he used to be driven by something, but he no longer remembered what it was. He believed he couldn’t reach his siblings anymore. That thought had settled in him.
He had all but given up—
But.
That brother.
Zilbagias.
(I absolutely refuse to lose to him…!!)
He thought so. It felt acceptable not to keep up with his siblings; they were older, and they possessed a “something” he didn’t.
However, for his little brother—to be overtaken by a six-year-old brat was an entirely different matter.
(There’s no way I’ll accept that…!)
In terms of magical power, they were almost equals. On top of that—his intellect. Seriously, what kind of ridiculous talent does he possess!?
He couldn’t imagine Zilbagias rapidly devolving into an ordinary demon.
No, rather, he would only continue to rise.
At this rate—within a few years, it would happen in no time—
“…Ugh!”
He slammed the wall. A beastman servant passing by jumped in surprise, but Emelgias was too preoccupied to care.
With a grim expression, he glared into the void.
(I refuse to accept this…!!)
He recalled—earlier—his father, the Demon Lord’s face.
He accepted his abnormal little brother with great tolerance.
He was impressed by his eloquence and proposals, truly intrigued.
And with that acknowledgment, he wore the delighted and proud expression.
To him—he had never once—
—Given me that kind of face—
“Guuuu…!!”
Emelgias clutched his chest. His grip tightened so much that the fabric of his noble attire tore, and buttons popped off.
It hurt. His heart felt as if it was being twisted, and his insides boiled.
This sticky emotion, akin to anger yet more viscous, was the real—
(I… I let that brat…!)
Leaning against the wall, sweat beading on his forehead, Emelgias gritted his teeth.
He wouldn’t accept it.
It was simply too hard to bear.
That he, a grown man, would be envious of a mere newborn demon—
(I’m so jealous…!!)
He was crazily envious!
A creaking sound echoed from deep within Emelgias.
It was the sound of something fundamental to him being forcibly stretched.
Slowly—but surely.
And, distortedly.
