The Lazy King

TL: Again, Greed just likes to appraise things.

TL: By the way, this release is timed with the day Lorna was revived. That was totally intentional. Yeah.

TL: 13.5 Thousand Words…

The Lazy King 2 Chapter 1: Avaritia’s Usurping

Part 1: It Reeks

‘Twas but a simple unfounded rumor.

That in this vast Demon World, there existed but a single Demon Lord who reigned over the forces over ice and snow, a force that didn’t exist among the original sins.

Not a single thing could stand before him, but without paying mind to the legions of Demons brought to their knees, he simply spent his perpetual existence on naught.

And of that supreme Demon Lord, the Demons whispered, and spoke of exaggerated tales.

… Of the Lazy King.

Seeing the young Demon nervously speaking on as if each work he spoke was true, I snorted.

“Ki ki ki, how pointless a story…”

A goblet dyed in a blood-like red.

I downed all of the viscous liquid within it in a single swig. It was a devilish wine made to bestow a drunken state onto the Demon Race, despite their high status abnormality resistance.

It was as if the liquid let off a fiery heat as it leisurely slipped down my throat.

That heat became power, as it expanded towards every nook and cranny of my body, my six arms and all.

“Still, Deije-san. I’m bein’ dead serious here. You heard ‘bout how the Dark Prison’s earth was sealed in ice, right? In all actuality, that Superbia Demon Lord who climbed to rank one was supposedly rising in power to restrain it, or something…”

“That so… Ki ki ki my commanding officer’s sure gotten high and mighty, has he…”

Of course, it’s not like a deserter like me actually witnessed anything.

But from the current situation, I have a good hypothesis. I can calculate it out.

My Avaritia aches.

And as if to hold it back, I started downing the goblet that had been presented to me again.

A high rank Demon, for argument’s sake, like me isn’t going to get dead drunk from drinking something like this, and as long as I willed it, I could blow away the drunken stupor in an instant.

My eyes reflected in the well-polished wine were shining with desire.

Ki ki ki, this is why Greed’s no good.

Something reeks. It reeks the hell of it. I’ve got a bad premonition stirring up even the depths of my soul.

It’s the same atmosphere I felt before the war of black and white that broke out ten thousand years ago. It’s flowing. The field’s going to change before my eyes.

This must be that which can’t be expressed in words, the intuition of a Demon who’s lived out his years.

It was the smell of treasure, and the smell of war.

The smell of death, and yet the smell of glory.

I offered a warning to my junior, a Demon who also governed Greed sitting beside me.

“Ki ki ki, well keep your shirt on, Zeta Adler. Don’t mistake your enemy.”

“Mistake… my enemy?”

“Yeah.”

Generally, those of the Demon race are all self-serving.

Therefore, we’re always surrounded by enemies. You can’t even be negligent around allied troops. That’s exactly why the ability to distinguish friend and foe is an indispensable skill. No matter how talented a Demon may be, they would be killed in an instant had they failed at that aspect.

Yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend. Yesterday’s friend, today’s enemy. It’s important to see the sides switch as well. Those that can’t do that, yet still persist to live long lives are either ridiculously talented, or perhaps blessed with good luck.

“Ki ki ki, exactly. Zeta, just how is that Lazy King related to us? Is he… our enemy?”

“… No, but…”

An instinct for strife sleeps within a Demon’s base nature. It’s a strong instinct. It’s perhaps the second strangest force within us, next to our sin.

And that often dulls out decision making capability.

“Then there’s no need to cower at him, is all. The Lazy King is… not our enemy. I would never be able to fulfill my Greed working at a place with hostility towards me. Am I wrong?”

“You’re not… wrong.”

Zeta nodded with an unsatisfied expression.

It’s fine if he doesn’t understand it yet. If he lives long enough, he’ll figure it out eventually.

It’s just that until he realizes that, it would be nice if my words remain in him if only by the slightest.

Even so…

“Lazy King… huh. Just what are you thinking, Boss Leigie… Ki ki ki, this is no good.”

Leigie the Depraved.

Let alone General Class, he is a long lived Lord who existed back when I hadn’t even become a Knight Class Demon.

The reason for his existence would be summarized into a single word. Nothing.

A steadfast Demon Lord who wouldn’t take any action regardless of the times. An unchanging existence. Therefore, regardless of his high rank among the Demon Lords, there are few who know him, and those that have seen his figure are severely limited.

That’s why I fear.

On top of his experience, he has to have something hidden on him.

Of all else, he’s a Demon Lord. It would be stranger for him to have nothing.

Without having been told it by Zeta, I knew well enough of how Boss Leigie’s land had frozen over.

It had spread around the expanse of the Demon World as a sort of urban legend.

More than a year’s passed, but even if we still hear of it from those straining their voices in the corners of the bars, to us Demons who know of the insurmountable existences known as Demon Lords, it’s absolute absurdity.

That’s why even after just a year, everyone acted oblivious to it.

There’s also the fact that a more precise threat showed itself, but that’s not all.

It’s terrifying. An unknown power. Of those that know, and those that don’t, there are few to put the story to words.

Ignorants aren’t to speak.

Those crafty enough to anticipate the outcome keep their mouths shut. Of course, I don’t speak up about it either.

Apart from Sloth, a majority of Demons’ Skills are undergoing extensive research. If a land of ice and snow were to reveal itself, then the probability of it being in the unresearched Acedia would be high, and seeing from the land on which it transpired, it isn’t hard to imagine it was Boss Leigie that did it.

A large-scale Skill invoked by the idle lord… what sort of change has come about in his feelings, or what sort of circumstances erupted into it, I don’t even want to know.

Perhaps Supreme Commander Heard stepped on the tiger’s tail, or… oh, right, Heard was the Rank One Demon Lord now, was he?

Well, the thing I should be putting my mind to isn’t some absurd urban legend or anything. There was a much more precise enemy before our eyes.

Contrasting his age, Zeta showed quite a bit of promise. Unlike me, he had desires that caused him to take up humanoid form. A young male Demon with ashen hair, and eyes of the same color.

Even without having reached General Class, in the few years since he’d been born, he was already in the upper ranking of Knight Class. His wit showed decent prospects.

An Avaritia’s companion’s got to be either another Avaritia, or an Invidia.

Even if we hold the same sin, our targets are different. There’s some merit in association. Perhaps our affinity is even better than with Invidia.

“Well, rather than that, there’s something we should be focusing on, right?”

“Yes… that’s right. Deije-san.”

Zeta sent a glance around, as if he was mindful of the surroundings.

A run-down bar. Without even any music, there were barely any other Demons present. In the first place, there are few Demons out there that actually drink.

All that was there was a strange bartender Demon offering us drink, and a pitiful lower class Demon sleeping flat on top of a table. Both of then are too low in power to even consider comparing them to me.

Perhaps through fear, a sublime smile surfaced on Zeta’s face.

“The 『Angel』 came out again.”

“… How many times does that make it?”

“It’s already the third time within the month. They’re five of them in numbers. I’ve heard information they made an appearance at the Crimson Prison.”

『Angel』

A Demon’s natural enemy, and their predefined nemesis.

The vanguard of that white god’s attempts to invade the Demon World.

Their power specialized to kill Demons was so great, that it’s been said they were born for that very purpose.

Demons receive great power from the land of this Demon World, but they can put up an even fight even within this miasma. It’s not like I’ve fallen too low to take down a low grade Angel, but that doesn’t change how troublesome they are.

It’s because my subordinates aren’t as strong as me. They’ll be purified by the most average of Angels.

The Crimson Prison was one of the lands managed by a Lord Subservient to the Great Demon King. That is something that should be common knowledge to those heavenly messengers.

“Casualty count?”

“Close to a hundred Knight Class and lower…”

“A hundred… is it…”

Doesn’t look like the top brass took the time to come out.

But with only five coming out, I wasn’t expecting them to. The top’ll only show up when it’s time for a complete war of annihilation.

That time ten thousand years ago was the same. At the start, it was low class Angels, then gradually intermediate level, and finally when high class ones were sent in, the King led a force of several thousands to combat them.

This generation’s Demon Lord doesn’t even know of that. No, she probably knows, but she didn’t experience it.

Even I don’t know about the Angels’ situation, but perhaps it’s something similar. A timespan of ten thousand years isn’t something to make too light of.

To Greed, War is but a single turning point. Ki ki ki, it’s something that brings up many a treasure chest.

With the low, and the intermediate, and the high, and even the Demon Lord Class Demons dying left and right, it all just starts flowing down.

Treasure of that level gets scattered all over the place. So our enemy isn’t just the Angels. Precisely because of their desires, similar Greed Demons may become even greater opposition.

What I seek… the resources I desire are finite. If it enters my hand, it won’t be goin’ to anyone else. If others lay hands on it, it’s not ending up in mine.

It’s a game of looting. Of Angels, of Demons, or Treasure.

And the necessary power is something I possess.

Libell isn’t here anymore, but in exchange, I have Zeta. Experience-wise, Libell came from the same time as me, but it’s unavoidable.

The first thing we need is to discern the enemy.

The number of angels. Their power. Their goal. Their actions are always focused onto some greater goal or another by the will of God. Knowing that or not will change our chances of victory.

“What became of those five Angels…?”

“They fled, it seems. The moment they caught sight of the Demon Lord’s main forces, they ran.”

“How rare of an army of God to pull back… those guys are supposed to stick to their doctrine, even if it may result in death…”

Angels are perpetual lives created from souls. Their sense of life isn’t all too different from ours, but there’s a single law. As they could only move in accordance with their grand design, their powers were severely limited when compared to Demons.

And it’s all so each and every one of those things can kill as many Demons as possible.

But this time’s pattern clearly differed from the norm. How troublesome. They should’ve just lived facing forward.

What could they be thinking…?

Has a goal more important than Demon slaying come down to them…?

… Well so be it. Whatever the case, the result is predetermined.

I’m a Demon of Greed. Then there’s but a single thing I have to do.

I don’t think I even have to say it.

Part 2: The Meaning of Greed

A majority of the Demon World’s open plains.

Besides one part of it, there are few ups and downs. Nothing but ruined soil expands in every direction.

With a Demon’s eyesight, we can clearly see the emptiness leading to the horizon straight ahead, but among us, there are few who actually pay that fact any mind.

If you’ve got the free time to be pondering such things, go fulfill your cravings already. That is a Demon’s reason for existence, and the measure of their worth.

But at the same time, I know of those that have reigned over these lands for too long, gazing out over the endlessly desolate landscape. Perhaps that’s the standing that an eternal life would lead one to.

The Demon World’s lands are divided by the power they’re basked in.

Meaning it was a result of the influence of a reigning lord over many years, and the Crimson Prison’s land was once under the reigns of a powerful Demon Lord of Wrath. That Lord has long since been annihilated, and it was unified by one of the Pride Demon Lords allied with Kanon.

Rank Four.

Vanity the Egoist.

The land ruled by the great skin-headed Demon, Vanity Seidthroan.

He was a taciturn man, and despite his base Pride, he never bragged. He was also a pure-born soldier who brought others to their knees with his pure might.

While they were Pride all the same, compared to the two Lords Zebul devoured, he surpassed them greatly in strength, and service.

While we’re all part of the same Great Demon King’s army, rarely do I get a chance to see other Demon Lords.

I’ve only ever seen him from afar, but his large build that surpassed even mine, and his black muscles as if they were forged from steel… as Demons are beings of soul, outer appearance and power aren’t proportionate, but unfortunately, from a glance, I could tell he clearly had the makings of a great ruler.

With but a glance, some part of me from within my soul fell into a sense of admiration, and he was a type I’d rarely had an opportunity to see in my years that surpass ten thousand. I don’t know his real strength, but based on the air he carried, among the many Lords in service to the Great Demon King, he’s likely at the forefront.

And in the first place, he was originally Demon Lord Rank Two.

If there are those that rise in rank, there are those that fall as well.

The fact that he dropped a place when Boss Leigie rose in rank was inevitable, due to Boss’s achievements, but at the same time, there are some Demons questioning whether he simply lost out to the Boss.

Rank and strength aren’t always coherent, but his strength was definitely within the top five of the Great Demon King’s army.

With pride as his attribute, it’s possible that if it just came down to strength, he surpassed some of those ranked higher than him.

If there was some merit in him putting a stop to his active service, he could rack up achievements whenever he wanted.

If he was to personally lead his army, he would lose freedom of movement. In exchange, he might pull up some unexpected treasure. Now is the time to observe. In that sense, me receding from Boss’s army may have been an inevitable choice, but there’ nothing I can say but that my luck was good.

The Great Demon King’s army is the strongest force in this Demon World. Even if the entire world’s yet to be fully unified, if Heaven were to choose a target to focus their attention on, then in would be none else but the Great Demon King Kanon Iralaude’s head. That’s something our side is also well aware.

The earth of the Crimson Prison was hot.

As if the Ira Demon Lord that ruled over it long past’s anger was being manifested into it, the air temperature in that land was close to fifty times higher than in the other territories, and even if it wasn’t enough to affect a Demon’s livelihood, simply standing there would make one soaked in their own sweat.

While gazing up at the blazing blood-red sun, I simply waited.

In one of the towns of the Crimson Prison.

The burning town, 『Grey Rock』.

It was a small town nicely situated on the border of Vanity’s Crimson Prison, and Heard Lauder’s Dark Prison.

The number of civilians wasn’t all too high, and at the same time, past aside, when both Prisons were taken under the Great Demon King’s control, it lost all strategic value. A pitiful scrap of a town.

Back when the Dark Prison was under the reign of some opposing Demon Lord, there was a platoon stationed here, but the place’s liveliness was not just something of a time long passed.

The reason I dropped by this forgotten town was to gather information pertaining to the Angel attack.

Even if I say that, when it comes to collecting intel, I’m pretty much a novice.

But that’s not a problem. There ain’t a single problem here.

I’m only capable of stealing, but among humans, and demons, and angels, there’s that thing called ‘the right person in the right place.’

The terrace of the dirty town’s only café was horribly quiet. Me aside, there was only one other customer present. That lone customer, perhaps due to the heat, was prostrated over their table with a khaki hood over their head. That state only further revealed the desolate atmosphere of the land.

As I sat back into my chair, Zeta Adler came at me, jogging.

For a male Demon, Zeta boasted quite a diminutive build. Looking from afar, it would be hard to believe someone of his delicate features would be capable of battle, but if you underestimate him, you’re in for a world of pain.

A Demon’s shape represents their true nature, the reality of their cravings. Zeta’s childish form was a shape made up in order for him to satisfy his desires. It was the form that best allowed Zeta Adler to sate his Greed.

But as a General Class, my heat resistance was quite higher than his.

This temperature must be putting him at his wit’s end, as he panted heavily, and wiped his forehead with his forearm while he gave his report.

“Haa, haa, Deije-san. They gathered just as you said. Just as the rumors went, the platoon of Vanity’s army that were annihilated did take a temporary stay in this town.”

“… That so…”

It was the most recent report of an angel assault breaking out.

Their numbers were five. The casualties a hundred.

The target of their assault was Vanity’s army. The attacked platoon was annihilated. Their numbers a hundred. It wasn’t that high a statistic, nor was it low.

Precisely because of the high heat of the Crimson Prison’s soil, there were very few settlements.  Even if they numbered few, letting an army stay on standby required a considerable space to be prepared.

It wasn’t as large as the Dark Prison, but the Crimson Prison was a vast wasteland. Even if a flying dragon was used, it wasn’t so easy to cross it.

“For what reason did they gather here?”

“There wasn’t really a reason made public, but… well, wasn’t it just a restraint? Even if you say the army assembled here, Vanity the Egoist’s army’s supposed to number in the thousands… they didn’t even send any General Classes here.”

“Restraint… Ki ki ki, to keep Heard Lauder in check, is it?”

“He did cause quite a ruckus… the other Demon Lords are getting tense, I’ve heard…”

The Prideful Kaiser Heard Lauder crushed the armies of the higher ranked Demon Lords, and him becoming Rank One is still a fresh memory in my mind.

In the first place, Heard was an old Demon, and at the same as a General Class, his name was an influential one known to all.

Since he’d become a Demon Lord, his Pride made an alteration of rankings to be inevitable.

He crushed whoever opposed him head-on, and was one even feared by his allies.

The ones he had the worst affinity with were likely other Demons of Superbia.

The pecking order of pride is quite strict. That’s even more the case among their brethren.

It’s likely that Vanity never crossed blades with Heard directly.

There’s his pride and all. It’s natural for him to be vigilant… I guess.

Without any General class Demons, I don’t think such small numbers would serve to restrain that Kaiser or anything, but…

Among the Demon Lords, Vanity was of the moderate faction.

He didn’t frivolously advertise his Pride. That wasn’t his personality.

That’s why he had few chances to perform distinguished service, and Boss Leigie’s rank surpassed his.

Ki ki ki, the important thing’s to have skilled pieces to play.

“The battleground was also around this town. The army rose to oppose the angels that made a sudden entrance, and while both sides put up a good fight, the difference in power resulted in the Demons’ annihilation. It seems there were some casualties among the civilians as well.”

“… I see. Well, it’s not that there’s no precedent to Angels attacking Demon towns, but… the enemy numbered five, right? Five against one hundred… the gap must have been considerable.”

Fights between Demons aren’t battles of numbers.

It may have been clear when Zebul devoured my army, but quality was revered well over quantity.

The same can be said about battles between Angels. In that sense, a story of five Angels taking down a hundred Demons- while their luck may have been bad- was quite possible.

They failed to contain the forces attacking the town, and perished… I think the death count would actually have been lower if the let the Angels do as they pleased.

From what I can see, the population here isn’t high. While the Demon population was never as high as humans, even among our settlements, Grey Rock was a tiny one.

“Vanity noticed, and immediately sent out a larger force, but the opposition narrowly escaped.”

“… Ki ki ki, so they were made a fool of. The Demon Lord must be quite pissed now.”

“There’s talk that he’s prepared to send his entire army out at a moment’s notice… well, since they don’t know where the Angels ran off to, they can’t dispatch outside the territory yet, but… there’re intel his entire army’s been gathered at his 『Palace of Noble Truth』.”

The Palace of Noble Truth was the castle of Vanity Seidthroan.

Just as Boss Leigie’s base is his Castle of Shadows, each Demon Lord has their own stronghold.

The fact that he assembled his army at his own palace means the possibility of him personally leading it next they go into battle Is high.

That’s how serious he is. This is what it means to step on the beast’s tail.

However, there’s some part of Zeta’s story that leaves a strange taste in my mouth.

“… Hit and run… when did the Angels become able to use such tactics…?”

Generally, God’s personal holier-than-thou troops would never hold doubt in their own victory.

Therefore, they see no need in strategy. Those Angels were something like time bombs made of pillars of faith. Once they appeared, they would fight until all the Demons around them had perished, and until death, they wouldn’t cease their struggles. No, that’s how it should be.

“Ki ki ki, this really is a pain… has a competent leader decided to step forward?”

I don’t think something on the level of a leader would be able to change an angel’s movements, but…

Perhaps misunderstanding something, Zeta timidly asked.

“… Deije-san, could you be referring to the rumored Valkyrie who can kill Demon Lords?”

“No way. Even if she may be strong, I can’t think that an Angel would abide the orders of a Valkyrie, who they think of as an inferior race.”

Of course, I know of the noble revived heroic soul that killed a Demon Lord.

About three months ago, the topic of a single maiden swinging around her might became something like the talk of the town, and she was still an existence that made the Great Demon King’s army tremble.

If you’re looking at damages, she’s a much fiercer one than this force that only killed a measly one hundred Demons.

But I’m thinking of this case as a separate matter. Killing a Lord… if there was one capable of doing something like that, there’s no way the town would still be standing here like this.

While they both may be assassins from the heavens… that’s all there is to it.

“Deije-san, is something the problem?”

“Ki ki ki, of course, we’re going to be chasing the Angels. Zeta Adler, this is the critical moment.”

There’s no need to even think about it.

Right. This is the divide.

Only five of them have been spotted so far. So why not make them my stepping stones to glory?

Military service ain’t bad, but just following a commander the whole time makes Jack a dull boy.

In the first place, the heavens’ve been too quiet as of late. While Angels have been spotted here and there, they’ve all been lone riders. A few Demons would die off now and again, but it’s been a terribly long time since a whole platoon’s been wiped off the face of the earth.

This is the signal flare, and there won’t be a better opportunity than this instant.

History will speak.

It’s because no one has yet to lay hands on it that 『Usurping』 ever holds meaning.

“Still… taking on a group able to kill a hundred Demons, even for you…”

“Ki ki ki, what’s it to ya’? We have a trumpcard of our own. It’ll work out one way or another, and if it looks like we’ll lose, we’ve just got to run.”

This is the Demon World. To the end, it’s a world beneficial to us.

If we continue to pull back, we’ll never be able to do anything. If I won’t be able to get my hands on anything, then death’s a better option.

Balance. Right, what’s important is balance.

I looked over the town.

As its name suggested, the townscape that appeared to be constructed of gray stone was simple, but it maintained a form that made it unthinkable that Angels had launched an attack here.

“Zeta, we’ll be staying in this town for a while.”

“… Eh? There isn’t anything here, you know?”

I’m well aware.

I began explaining to the lad, who let of streams of sweat as he directed his eyes at me.

It’s definitely hot here. IT isn’t a place I’d like to overstay my welcome, but there are times when a Demon’s got to do what a Demon’s got to do.

“Ki ki ki, we’re going to discern the Angels’ power. Perhaps there’s something to learn from the traces left by their battle. It’s not like there’s no chance of them attacking this land again, either. Their end goal is the Great Demon King’s neck without a doubt, but we still don’t know the reason for this time’s assault here.”

“… I see. But is there really a need for an Angel to have a reason to kill Demons?”

“No clue. But whatever the case, there’s barely a trail to follow. Rather than setting off on a fool’s errand, it’d be lucky if we found some clue.”

As a General Class Demon, let me say it. If you don’t use your legs, you won’t get any treasure.

Usurping is a hunt. Pursue, and take. That is the meaning of greed. It’s proof, it’s validation.

Ki ki ki, why don’t I teach it to you?

Part 3: … Should I Steal it?

This town is hot.

There’s a shocking lack of any clues.

Those two truths are slowly burning up my thought process.

It’s been a week since I started investigating Grey Rock, and with nothing being found, only the time had passed by.

The feeling of impatience. But still, there hasn’t been anny information of those five angels being sighted in any other land.

Did they return to heaven?

The possibility exists. There’s definitely the chance they were conducting brief recon.

In that case, that means we’ve been working for nothing.

I mean, the Rank Four Demon Lord is waiting on his throne with all preparations to take them down. No one normal would attack the same spot twice.

But Angels are nothing normal. The Iustitia they carry is just as sinful as the cravings carried by a Demon.

Today as well, there was only one other besides us in the café.

In my usual seat on the usual terrace, I wiped the sweat off my forehead, as I downed the lime-colored water in the tumbled glass in a single swig.

Before my eyes was Zeta, who was weaker than me, and thus more haggard.

“Ki ki ki, how interesting. For there to be absolutely nothing after all that…”

“It’s as if there’s not a single trace… it seems. Not even a speck of destruction…”

As expected of a former garrison.

It’s not like it was put to much use, and the structure here are overly durable, with barrier magic stretching over everything without a single crack.

I did check out the plaza where the battle supposedly took place, but there were barely any traces of a fight having taken place.

With this, I can’t even begin to imagine the Angels’ attributes.

But it’s not like our harvest was nil. I did figure something out.

“They can only use attacks to an extent not strong enough to break the barrier. As I thought, their abilities aren’t all that high. If you include affinity into the calculations, they’re Knight Class at best.”

“And you’re saying that just five Knights were able to take on a hundred Demons?”

Zeta’s tone indicated he couldn’t believe it as he looked to me with doubt.

“It’s not an impossible talk. An Angel’s power weakens a Demon’s… well, fighting in the Demon World gives some enhancements, so in the end, it comes down to personal ability, but…”

Vanity himself aside, his army’s nothing famous. So his troops simply being weak is also a possibility.

I mean, even if he may stand out himself, it’s not like an army’s competence is directly proportional to their Lord’s strength.

Well, still, whatever the case, the truth is uncertain.

I asked around. I personally checked out the battle site.

… There’s no helping it. There’s no use in wasting any more time.

… Should I just steal it?

A feverish dizziness shook my emotions as if my brain were being fried.

I’m a bit reluctant to do anything too rough in the Egoist’s territory, but… this world’s survival of the fittest, after all.

“… Ki ki ki, Zeta. There’s no helping it… do ya’ remember the faces of the witnesses?”

“… Are you serious? We’re within the territory of allied troops, you know…”

“Hey, if you put it like that, we won’t be getting’ anywhere. It’s adaptation. Change to fit the situation. Also… right, Zeta?”

Spending a week investigating on this land is taking this young Demon’s stress to its breaking point.

But in his current expression, I can barely see any fatigue.

I bent my lips into a smile, and pointed it out to my oblivious junior.

“… You’re smiling at the idea, you know?”

“… Kufu… well, if you put it like that, I guess there really is no helping it. ”

Putting it in a way that made it seem he didn’t care either way, my faithful junior laughed.

While I say faithful, his faith lied not to me, but to his own desire, the cravings he harbored.

A trait that indicated a Demon of the highest caliber. It sure is fun, looking after guys with talent at the job…

Zeta leisurely stood, and his expression had lost all traces of tiredness.

His ashen eyes letting off a strong light were the only things shining under the crimson blazing sun.

Despite the fact that all he did was stand up, it seemed as if his slim figure had suddenly expanded for an instant.

A display of power. He let out a deep breath, gave off a repulsive feral expression, and in contrast to all of that, he began shispering in a calm voice.

“『Greed Hand』.”

Avaritia Skills are based on a desire to take.

Looking back over others, and mocking, and shaming, and taking all of creation to your heart’s desire. Its true nature lay in causing loss to others.

Ki ki ki.

Take it all.

The fact that there’s something to be gained. The fact that someone has something to lose.

More oppressing than Invidia, more crafty than Gula.

Even though I have yet to become a Demon Lord, there’s a reason I’ve been able to live over ten thousand years of life.

The strong do not foresee their losses.

They’ll only notice after they’ve lost it.

The dreadfulness of Greed.

Zeta Adler, the Greed Demon arms let off