Chapter 85
At that moment.
In the darkness, a figure clad in black formal attire appeared in a cave filled with the eggs of Narag Poison Bugs.
The demon appeared as if he were the groom at a wedding, wearing a tuxedo, and on his left ring finger were two rings.
A new groom, on the brink of marriage.
While that was all one could see, he was not yet a married man.
The demon Zephar.
The leader of Asydia and the one who summoned the Demon King Bel Phegor back to the surface.
The man secretly coveting Bel Phegor’s fidelity had now arrived at a small cave in Count Odrone’s Territory.
“There’s quite a lot.”
Fwhoosh.
The larvae of the Narag Bugs burst from their eggs one by one, immediately searching for food.
They would only consume their kin when there was no other food around.
Since there was food right in front of them now, there was no reason for them to devour one another.
Ksshak.
The larvae surged towards Zephar, who lightly waved his staff, easily subduing the larvae.
Gooo.
A dark purple seal was engraved on the foreheads of the larvae.
As if experiencing a headache, the larvae momentarily writhed in pain, but as the light of the seal diminished, their behavior became docile.
“It’s tedious to brainwash them one by one. Ugh, this is precisely the kind of task that goblins are good for.”
An entity whose name had been forgotten.
To the goblins, Zephar was unique, but to Asydia and Zephar, goblins were mere consumables that could be replaced at any time.
Even now.
The swarm of Narag Poison Bugs that the goblins had barely subdued over several days instantly became loyal subordinates of Zephar at the wave of his hand.
Creak, creak.
However, still in the larval stage, they struggled to move properly.
To become adults, they had to undergo the pupation process, but Zephar could not scatter the entrails of livestock like goblins to provide food for the larvae to pupate.
Too busy and too bothersome.
“How troublesome. At this rate, the magic golem I entrusted will turn into trash.”
Zephar lamented as he waved his staff.
“And I can’t just let this large number of bugs turn into nothing. Then let’s make them not trash but suicide bombers.”
Chuckling, Zephar raised his staff high.
“Come on. ‘Beelzebub.'”
The purple mist flowing from his staff formed a seal, and Zephar smiled faintly at it.
“Now, Beelzebub. With your power, evolve those bugs.”
Kiiik.
The seal began to thrash violently.
Though it was still just a seal, the mist began to shake violently in a frenzy.
Kaaang!
Instead, a sharp chain sickle flowed out from the seal, threatening Zephar.
He stretched out his staff and lightly blocked the chain sickle.
“Oh ho. How arrogant. How dare a mere fake demon lord disregard my command, Zephar?”
Zephar growled at the resisting seal.
“Obey my command. [Baalzevuv].”
“!!”
The trembling of the seal stopped.
As if a fiercely resisting entity had become paralyzed, the seal exhibited no movement.
“Yes. That’s it. It’s already unpleasant that you dare associate with the Seven Demon Lords, but you have the audacity to resist me, the summoner. Heh, this cannot be allowed.”
As Zephar swung his staff horizontally, the mist flowing from the seal began to seep into the Narag Bugs in the cave.
“Transform. Into the servants of Baalzevuv.”
Kiiiiiik!!
“Diptera. You shall be stripped of the process of pupation. You will become the servants of Baalzevuv and enjoy the glory of becoming Diptera.”
Kiiiiiik!!
One by one, the bugs began to change their forms.
Even the originally small insects, and those with steel-like skin, started to adopt a similar shape.
The shape of a human.
However, their appearance looked like a grotesque monster based on Narag Poison Bugs that had been reborn anew.
Yes.
Clad in armor akin to steel, resembling knights, yet their forms and wings protruding from their backs looked like those of flies.
Beelzebub, elite of the Legion of Gluttony.
[Diptera].
The power of the soldiers created through the seal was comparable to that of knights.
Amidst the rising Diptera, Zephar searched for bugs that still retained their form as Narag Poison Bugs.
“Oh ho. Here’s a queen bee. No, since it’s a Narag Bug, should I call it a queen bug? Hehe.”
Zephar approached the largest bug, extending his staff.
“Become a female, Beelzebub.”
As the seal seeped into the queen bug’s forehead, it began to shine with purple light, and soon, the queen bug’s eyes also shone with purple light.
Kiiik, kiiik…!!
“Where do you resist, Baalzevuv? I know your true name, how can you resist one who knows your true name?”
Kiiiik…!!
Baalzevuv, Beelzebub clawed at its head in torment.
“My command is absolute. Once a true name contract is formed, you are nothing but my slave. If a slave does not follow the master’s command, only pain remains.”
Kyaaaak!!
“You will obediently lead the Narag Bugs and ambush the heroes again. If you do not kill the Water Hero and seize that Holy Sword, ‘Demon God,’ you will spend your life as a queen bug, mating with males until you die.”
Kiiik, kiiiik…!!
As the seal sparkled more fiercely, Beelzebub’s resistance intensified.
Zephar could only laugh at the sight of Beelzebub.
“It is an order. Become a female, and the queen of the legion.”
After all.
No demon could resist a true name contract.
Zephar knew this better than anyone, and even against monsters of demon lord level in the demon world, he felt confident.
“The target is the Water Hero Liriez Cezarcross. And the audacious Sorceress of Crimson Lotus, who dares to share the same name as the Demon Lord.”
With a flourish.
“And all the humans in this land who betrayed the Great Demon Lord.”
As Zephar twirled his cloak and swung his staff wide, the newly transformed Narag Bugs spread their wings towards the ceiling.
Thin as paper, yet as tough as steel.
“Go, Beelzebub. Go and defeat the heroes and bring back the Holy Sword, the Water Demon God Celcius.”
Whooosh.
“It is essential to recover the Holy Sword and the summoning device for the Demon God, all of which were gathered by the Great Demon Lord Bel Phegor and taken by humans to truly establish an age for the demon race.”
Zephar envisioned the power of the Demon God.
Although the Demon God he had seen was not Celcius, the sheer power demonstrated by the concept of a Demon God could not be overcome by anyone.
“The one who subdues the Demon God is the true demon lord. The one who desecrates even the Demon God, the strongest demon race, Bel Phegor. Ah, where are you, my Demon Lord? If you bestow upon me your power and transfer the Demon Gods to me….”
Zephar reached out to the sky with a rapturous expression.
“I shall crush those wicked worlds.”
Between Zephar’s fingers hung a red moon and a blue moon.
“For you.”
“Where did this fly come from all of a sudden?”
Whoosh.
I burned the loudly buzzing fly with fire, then called a woman who had come up from the basement.
“Hello, Black Lotus?”
“…….”
Danger Element A.
I decided to have a private meeting with the woman known for her intense obsession, Black Lotus.
“I know about you. Droniel Odrone, childhood friend of Lucius and daughter of Count Odrone.”
“!!”
“Calm down. I’m on your side.”
“What do you mean….”
Droniel tried to draw her sword, but I calmed her and pointed below.
“You like Lucius, right?”
“…….”
“If you don’t answer, I can’t help you.”
“It’s not that I like him, I love him.”
Droniel gritted her teeth as she spoke, giving me her strength.
“It’s my first love. While Lucius has fallen for you and started pursuing you, I’ve loved him since ten years ago.”
“Pffft, Lucius falls for me? You must be firmly mistaken. Lucius doesn’t like me. He respects me as a mentor.”
“…What did you say?”
“I’m just the one who made him into a hero. I only teach him many things as a hero. And….”
Super move activation.
“I’m older than 500 years, while fresh-faced Lucius wouldn’t like someone as old as me! After all, women are best when they’re younger. In just a few years I’ll be withering, while you have a bright future ahead. Who is more competitive?”
“…What do you mean?”
“I’m going to die soon.”
“!!”
It’s true.
Whether I regain my body or not, after taking Zephar’s head, I’m saying goodbye to this body forever.
“I just need to defeat Asydia, and this body is barely holding on until I take down Asydia. What’s inside is all decaying before it falls apart.”
Still fresh, but I was not lying.
“You know a lot about Lucius. Since you’re from the same town, you and Lucius must have some connections. But if your obsession burdens Lucius, I can’t let you join Lucius’s party.”
“That’s….”
“He’s a man you can’t monopolize. Lucius is.”
Just like me.
“You must make compromises. Lucius is a hero, and many women will gather around him in the future. Where will you position yourself? Right….”
I grasped Droniel’s hand.
“The main consort.”
“……!!”
“A being superior to all other women. No matter who Lucius brings, you’ll always be the one he cherishes. When the whole world thinks of Lucius’s partner, you’ll be the first to come to mind.”
“…Hoo.”
Droniel removed her mask.
She had become much more sophisticated and beautiful than when I last saw her, but her face was filled with anxiety.
“…Does Lucius hate me?”
“Because you’re trying to bind Lucius. Lucius is a free-spirited man. A gust of wind cannot be easily held down. But.”
I patted Droniel’s shoulder, whispering quietly so it couldn’t be heard from below.
“…No matter how free-spirited he is, once a child is born, a man gains responsibility.”
“!!”
“I’ll help you. Make a contract with me and become a member of the hero party. Just ignore the other women flocking around Lucius. After all….”
Swish.
I pointed my finger towards Droniel’s lower abdomen.
“After defeating the Demon Lord, Lucius will become infatuated with you for life.”
