Chapter 542 (1) - The Academys Weapon Replicator |
While Frondier was lost in thought, Belphegor continued.
“Satan is the devil of wrath. He may be grinning slyly, but he, much like myself, attracts wrath.”
“What is he wrathful about?”
“Everything.”
“What?”
“Anyone superior to him, anyone wealthier than him, being robbed, a woman he fancies not reciprocating his feelings, having his arrogance pointed out. He's wrathful about all of it.”
“...So he embodies all seven deadly sins. That’s ironic.”
“It may seem that way, but it’s true.”
Wrath arises everywhere.
This is why Satan is the closest to the Devil King. Because wrath can be triggered by all of the seven sins.
“Except for me.”
“……Ah. Because you were sloth.”
“There's no reason to be angry at someone lazy. Not unless they’re your own. I didn't say it, but Satan held me, the sin of sloth, in the lowest regard among the Seven Sins, and thanks to that, I was spared from unnecessary scrutiny.”
“You say that like it was a good thing.”
“Because it was.”
Belphegor spoke as if he didn't care about being underestimated. As long as he didn't have to bother himself, it didn't matter.
“But after Lucifer changed his attitude, Satan started to be wary of me.”
Satan harbored wrath towards the other devils of the Seven Sins, but not towards Belphegor, the sin of sloth.
This was because Belphegor wasn't a devil worthy of wrath.
However, things change over time.
The other sins began to take notice of Belphegor, who spent most of his time lazing about.
Just a few times, with a few words and a few steps.
Belphegor was sloth. Thus, he didn't even feel wrath, and so he was ignored.
But what if the one he ignored was superior to Satan himself?
What if he hadn't shown his power simply because he was lazy, and Satan hadn't realized it?
“His wrath must have exploded.”
Belphegor nodded at Frondier's words.
“I never thought I was more capable than Satan, though.”
“Is that why Satan tried to remove you from the Seven Sins?”
“Yes. At the time, I was completely defenseless against Satan. I didn't think he'd be wary of me. I never thought a guy like him would even consider someone like me.”
“What did Satan do?”
“It wasn't that big of a deal. He just fanned the flames of Manggot's ambition.”
The flames of Manggot's ambition.
In the game, Manggot wages war against the Frondier Empire.
And Frondier, as a player back then, had experienced countless game overs, unable to overcome Manggot's Wall.
But come to think of it.
‘……That’s right! I did think it was strange that Manggot started the war earlier than in the game!’
Manggot's attack originally began after the protagonist, Aster, graduated. In the game, there were more minor events before graduation.
However, because Manggot invaded early, all the original events were skipped.
He didn't know the reason until now, but it was Satan's doing.
“What did Satan do?”
“You know that Manggot tried to summon God, right?”
“Yes. Prometheus.”
Frondier hadn't seen it himself, but he had heard the story from Osprey.
He had said that Prometheus knew that humanity wanted to destroy itself.
“It was Satan who suggested the descent to Prometheus.”
“You’re saying you didn't do it?”
“Why would I do something so troublesome?”
There was nothing more to say to that.
As if reminiscing about that time, Belphegor's words slowed down a bit.
“Of course, Prometheus at the time wouldn't even listen to the words of the devil Satan, but you know how silver-tongued that guy is. He eventually succeeded in persuading Prometheus.”
“How did he persuade him?”
“He said something like, ‘Humans are destined to die anyway. Wouldn't it be better to die by God's hand than by the devil's? Both devils and gods would agree on this, even if their purposes are different.’ Something like that.”
“Both sides would agree?”
“Humans who die by the hands of devils have a higher chance of having their souls devoured. Especially if they beg for their lives right before they die. But if they die by God's hand, that won't happen. I don't know for sure, but Prometheus must have agreed to Satan's suggestion with a very noble heart.”
“...That's absurd.”
The premise that humans are destined to die anyway, and that even God would agree with that, was preposterous.
“After Satan made that proposal to Prometheus, the faith in Manggot accelerated. At the same time, Osprey sensed Prometheus' power.”
“It was a good thing Osprey noticed it beforehand, but it also lit the fuse, didn’t it?”
There was someone on the human side who had sensed God's power.
This meant that Manggot had no choice but to wage war, whether they liked it or not.
“What was Satan aiming for with that?”
“Simply put, he was trying to take the credit for himself. The moment Manggot's victory seemed certain, he would have been preparing to have his devils deliver the final blow.”
“How could he have……. Ah, I see. There were already devils inside the Empire.”
Frondier thought of Satan's devils.
After the devil summoning incident at the Imperial Palace, Satan had appeared to recall all of his devils, but that wasn’t the case.
Their original purpose was to intervene in the war.
“From Manggot's perspective, and from the devils' perspective, the biggest concern was Aster Evans. How much he grew would determine the tide of the war. Satan, who had made that judgment, wanted to start the war early, before he could fully mature.”
“...His judgment wasn’t wrong.”
Frondier nodded. Unlike the original story, Manggot had started the war before Aster even graduated. He couldn't even begin to describe how nervous that had made him.
But Aster had grown in a way that even Frondier himself hadn't expected at the time. It was closer to an awakening than growth.
“Satan's original goal was probably to swallow up both the Empire and Manggot. Manggot is loyal to me, so if they died, my power would weaken as well. But the situation changed drastically.”
“...The Empire won.”
“Yes, because of you. Frondier.”
Belphegor's face was peaceful as he spoke.
“Satan was flustered, but he must have liked the betrayal. His goal was to weaken me a bit, and he was able to kick me out of the Seven Sins. The law of ‘Satan always profits in the end’ was in effect.”
“That law is quite famous, isn’t it?”
Belphegor was saying the same thing Baal had said.
“And so I fell to Nastrond, but the problem is the Empire this time. And further, Frondier, you're the problem. Because you defeated me.”
“That’s a problem for Satan?”
“That’s right. He's wrathful about everything, remember? The reason he was wary of me was because of his anxiety and inferiority complex that I might surpass him. But you defeated me, the one he was so wary of. It was a simple calculation for Satan.”
“You mean, if he kills me, he can resolve his inferiority complex towards you?”
“That's right. Though I doubt it’ll actually work.”
Frondier opened his mouth.
He had been listening to the story about Satan, and the more he heard, the more he thought only one thing.
‘…How childish.’
His wrath being triggered by anything, his thought process of trying to solve one inferiority complex with another. It was like a child who hadn't yet matured throwing a tantrum.
…Is that what it means to be a devil?
Just then, Belphegor spoke.
“Well, we’re here.”
“Huh?”
Belphegor slowly descended and landed, and Frondier landed behind him. He also put down Selena, whom he had been carrying.
“Selena, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“If you have any problems at all, you must tell me honestly. Like I said, I won’t be able to notice your acting,”
Belphegor cut off Frondier.
“I told you, there’s no poisonous energy here that’s harmful to humans. You’re quite overprotective, unlike how you look, Frondier. Did you know that overprotectiveness is hereditary?”
“...”
“And don’t raise your voice any louder than that. He’ll notice.”
“Notice?”
“Shh.”
Belphegor put his finger to his lips.
Frondier used his senses to examine their surroundings. However, he couldn’t sense anything.
Belphegor whispered in a low voice.
“Frondier, I know your senses are excellent. But their range isn’t that wide. He’s outside your range.”
“...Who have you been talking about?”
“You know how I said there’s something more dangerous than Nidhogg in Nastrond?”
Frondier tilted his head.
Something more dangerous than Nidhogg in Nastrond? There was no such being in Frondier’s knowledge. Could there be a Norse god he didn’t know about in this place?
“It’s a creature called Fenrir.”
“Wha—!”