Chapter 289.1: Successor Part 1
Successor
The Demon Realm is vibrant with color.
Demons, more closely connected to Mana than humans, exude their own distinct colors based on their individual magical power.
The Demon Realm is neither dark nor dirty.
It's just that the colors are more 'intense' than in the human world.
This intensity becomes more vivid as one's rank rises, and in extreme cases, the surroundings can even be dyed with their color while they remain in one place.
Therefore, it goes without saying that when a demon reaches the level of the 'Seven Sins', the color of their seat spreads to the point where it becomes their 'domain'.
"Belphegor."
Within a massive dome-shaped building, Belphegor sat in the center of a slightly lowered open space. And on the stairs that surrounded him in a circle, six demons looked down at him.
Although the structure resembles a small colosseum, this building is indeed a demon court.
Among the six demons, the one who summoned Belphegor was Satan, with the wings of a black angel.
"What is it?"
Belphegor's gaze in response was undeniably languid, and he sat calmly as if unaware of his situation.
However, he knew. He knew better than anyone.
"Do you have anything you want to say?"
"Please finish it quickly if possible. You guys aren't as idle as I am."
Satan asks, and Belphegor answers.
"Belphegor, you were the demon I acknowledged the most, so why did you fall...!"
Lucifer, the demon of pride, spat out his displeasure. Unlike Satan with his black bird wings, Lucifer, with his devilish and flamboyant bat wings, the most demon-like among them, flashed his crimson eyes.
Belphegor chuckled, calmly receiving that gaze.
"That's right. I fell from that position, so if you're going to send me to hell, do it quickly. I don't want to drag out an obvious trial."
Belphegor, defeated in his fight with Frondier.
Even though he had borrowed a human body and the stage wasn't the Demon Realm, Belphegor had used the power of the Seven Sins.
Yet, he lost. It was an expected course of action for Belphegor to step down from the position of Sloth.
And when a demon of the Seven Sins steps down from their position, they are inevitably sent to hell. They descend to the lowest rank among demons, where pain and humiliation await as punishment.
"Speaking of which, Belphegor."
This time, Beelzebub, the demon of gluttony, spoke up. Beelzebub, whose name signifies gluttony, was neither fat nor large, contrary to his reputation. However, his exceptionally long hair was noticeable.
"You will not go to hell."
"Oh?"
"You will go to 'Nastrond'."
At that, Belphegor's eyes twitched and moved.
Nastrond is a place in Niflheim. The hell of 'that world' where the dragon Nidhogg resides.
"...It was an unspoken rule that we wouldn't interfere with each other."
Nastrond is a completely different world from the Demon Realm where the Seven Sins reside.
In the world Frondier originally belonged to, Niflheim with Nastrond is a story from Norse mythology, while the Seven Sins are from Christianity.
The starting points that form the foundation of the worlds are different in the first place.
Of course, in this world, place names like 'Northern Europe' don't even appear and no one knows about them, but it's clear that the distance between the two worlds is incomparably vast.
"Belphegor, it's one of the consequences of your defeat in that war."
This time, Mammon, the demon of greed, spoke up. Mammon had the appearance of a young boy, and true to his name, his entire body was adorned with dazzling ornaments, jewels, and gold.
"Consequences?"
"Yes. It seems the humans of the Empire will be looking across the sea."
The Empire won the war against the Manggot.
In other words, the possibility arose for the place where the Manggot were to develop into a new safe zone for the Empire.
The Manggot lived within the numerous caves of the coastal cliffs, a land devoid of resources where even monsters wouldn't dwell, meaning the sea was right before their eyes.
If the Empire expands its territory and begins to yearn for what lies beyond the sea, naturally, both gods and demons will have to make their moves.
"Well, if humans from different realms meet, then the exchange between the gods who govern those different realms becomes inevitable. We demons, too, have no choice but to join forces for the sake of maintaining the balance of power."
At Mammon's words, Belphegor's thoughts accelerate.
'...They needed a suitable excuse.'
In Belphegor's judgment, the possibility of gods from different worlds joining forces is close to zero.
Gods, in the first place, are not beings who act with reason and rationality. Even gods within the same world engage in fights and conflicts, so how much more so would it be with gods from different worlds?
Therefore, the claim that demons are turning their attention to the realm of Nastrond to counter the cooperation of gods is nothing more than a flimsy excuse.
'They wanted to involve Nastrond from the beginning. Their target is either Niflheim as a whole or Hel from Helheim.'
It seems that while Belphegor was possessing a human, a rather strange atmosphere had been flowing in the Demon Realm without his knowledge.
'Well, it's none of my business anymore.'
Anyway, Belphegor had stepped down from his position as one of the Seven Sins, and whether it be hell or Nastrond, the fact that he had fallen remained unchanged.
The balance of the Demon Realm, demons, or gods was no longer his concern.
In fact, even while he held the position of one of the Seven Sins, it wasn't particularly his concern.
"And Belphegor, here is your successor."
Lucifer spoke again, and as if waiting for those words, someone walked over from afar.
A man with a tall stature, a neat uniform, and glasses that made his already stern impression even more prickly appeared.
Belphegor watched him with cold eyes.
"...Astaroth..."
Astaroth, in stark contrast to Belphegor's relaxed demeanor, gave a stiff bow with angular movements.
"I am Astaroth. From today onwards, I will be in charge of 'Sloth'. Please ensure there are no misunderstandings in the future."