Who hasnt heard myths and legends from their parents as a child? Who hasnt played games with friends, pretending to be the great and powerful deities or heroes from those stories? And for those raised in an orphanage, the nuns would only tell them in even greater detailespecially the parts about the God of Light.
The mighty God of Light had banished all the demon gods from the continent of Siwo, erasing their presence from the land. Since then, the divine race had vanished, leaving nothing but history and distant memories.
Proof of this lay in the casual way people now used their names. In the past, merely mentioning those names aloudlet alone using themwould have drawn the attention of those lofty beings, possibly even inviting punishment.
Among the demon gods, the most infamous were the seven Demon Lords, each representing one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
The Demon Lord of Sloth, Belial, was even the master of the seventy-two demon pillars, a name no less renowned than the Dark Night Witch, Lilith.
But students were still students. Even in their final years before graduation, they dared not challenge their teachers' authority so recklessly. Unlike their jokes about Lilith, no one dared use Belial name in jest.
It was the brave and spirited swordsmanship instructor who finally broke the heavy silence, his voice slicing through the tension like a blade. "Isn't your name Belial?"
"I have two names." Belial pulled out the emblem issued by the Mercenary Guild with his other hand and tossed it to the instructor.
The badge, engraved with Belial name and the guilds insignia, traced a neat arc before landing in the teachers palm. He glanced at it and sighed. "So you really are called Belial."
Then, in his usual blunt manner, he added, "What kind of parents would name their kid that?"
Belial, unfazed, merely shrugged. "Lucky me, I got stuck with terrible parents. What can you do?"
With that, Belial turned to Lilith, extending a hand toward her.
Lilith snapped out of her daze, hurriedly wiping her sweat-dampened palm against her clothes before carefully placing it in Belial. "H-hello," she stammered.
Her voice was small, her pronunciation faltering, but it was clear she was making a great effort to overcome her fear and respond to Belial gesture of kindness.
Belial mood lifted instantly. Watching this, Elurie felt a bit relieved as well.
She had heard about Belial attacking Frey and rejecting his visit, which had led her to assume he was difficult to get along with.
But now, seeing how he treated Lilithwith such unexpected gentlenessElurie reconsidered. Perhaps Belial hostility was reserved only for Frey.
Having misjudged Belial temperament, Elurie adjusted her plans. She decided to first build a good rapport with him, then find a way to arrange a proper conversation between him and Frey.
Her decisiveness was unmatched. As soon as the swordsmanship instructor announced the continuation of class, she approached Lilith to propose a partner swap.
"I just spoke with Lilith," she said, her smile warm and persuasive, a stark contrast to Frey's approach. "Id like to team up with you, Belial. I hope youll grant me this small request."
But even with her tactful approach, Belial's expression darkened the moment he processed her words.
"You want to partner with me?" he asked, his voice cold and deliberate.
Elurie hadnt expected such a reaction. Thinking he might have misunderstood her intentions, she quickly clarified, "Lilith will team up with my previous partner instead."
She turned to Badel for confirmation. "Right?"
Badel smiled and nodded. "Of course."
No one could tell just how irritated he truly was beneath that composed exterior.
And why was Abyss, his contracted entity, reacting so violently?
It was Belial name. Never before had Badel sensed such intense fury from Abyss.
Belial, unaware of the turmoil his name had stirred within Badel and Abyss, ignored their reactions entirely. He only cared about one persons opinion.
Lilith hesitated, regret flashing in her eyes, but she admitted, "I I did agree to Enbras request."
Now, it was up to Belial to decide.
Elurie held her breath, waiting for his answer.
After a brief pause, Belial nodded, accepting the switch.
Lilith, however, felt a pang of frustration. She had agreed to Eluries request without considering Belial feelings. She had simply assumed that, given a choice, anyone would pick Elurie over her. It was arrogant of her.
But Belial neither blamed Lilith nor rejected the swap, sparing her from embarrassment.
Of course, that didnt mean he would let Elurie get what she wanted so easily.
"Lets go over there," Belial said, pointing to a quieter spot.
Elurie was all too eager to comply.
As they walked, she tried to find a topic of conversation. "Belial, I heard you taught the lower-year students how to perceive magical elements in the air. My friends younger sister is in your class, so we tried your method ourselves."
Belial replied indifferently, "Oh?"
"Yes! It was incredible," Elurie continued enthusiastically. "I had never seen anything so beautiful before. The light was like stars in the night sky, but even brighter."
Belial asked, "How many elements did you see?"
Elurie smiled sheepishly. "Eight."
Belial wasnt surprised. "Full elemental affinity."
Elurie remained humble. "Ive heard its fairly common among humans."
Belial lips twitched into a subtle smirk as he continued, "Which element shone the brightest?"
Elurie hesitated. "Im not sure they all seemed quite bright."
Belial expression didnt change. "High-level full elemental affinity."
Elurie blinked. "How"
"You were about to say, 'How is that possible,' werent you?" Belial finished for her.
Elurie looked taken aback. "What?"
They had stopped walking. The other students were far away now. Belial turned to face her, his lips curving into a faint smile, but his eyes remained utterly devoid of warmth.
"Do you know why I taught them to perceive magical elements?"
Something about his tone unsettled Elurie. She shook her head. "No, I dont."
Her dormmates had also wondered about itwhy teach elemental perception in a spellcasting class when the school already had courses for that?
Belial smirk deepened. "You dont know anything. You dont even fully understand what high elemental affinity means. But the moment I pointed it out, your first instinct was to deny it."
"You fear fleeting pride followed by inevitable disappointment. So you reject uncertain gloryto protect your fragile yet stubborn pride."
Eluries face stiffened, her expression slowly cracking under his words.
Above them, thick clouds veiled the sun. The students, drenched in sweat from sword practice, cheered at the brief reprieve from the heat.
But Elurie couldnt share their relief. The sudden chill only made her shudder.
"You" she murmured, her voice unsteady. "What are you saying?"
Belial glasses slid slightly down his nose, revealing his eyesexposed, unobscured by the usual reflective lenses.
"Im saying"
"you should thank your stepmother, shouldnt you? She lifted you high when you knew nothing, made you believe in her praise. And when you saw through her intentions, it was too late. You were powerless to stop her. So you tried to be perfect, to always remain humbleso she couldn't hurt you again."
His words, light yet sharp, laced with the hypnotic charm of a bloodline ability, sank into her like blades.
"You crave perfection but must pretend you dont care about it."
Elurie trembled. "I no thats not"
Belial voice remained soft, yet merciless. "And yet, your mask is far from flawless. I wonder does everyone already see through you? Do they know youre just a pretentious fraud, desperately trying to stand above them?"
"You can hear them, cant you?"
A whisper of suggestionsuddenly, she could hear them.
Murmurs, snickers, scornful voices filling her mind, gnawing at her sanity.
"Stop stop it I didnt I didnt SHUT UP!!"
She finally tore herself free from Belial gaze, her scream drawing everyones attention.
And Belial, standing before her, merely looked at her with concern.
"Are you alright?" he asked gently.
Demon.
Elurie finally saw him for what he was.