The Lazy King

TL: Sevens ended at chapter 345 (Volume 18)

TL: 17.5k words…

The Lazy King Part 2 Chapter 5: Ira’s Resentment

Part 1: How Sad it Must be

“Oh… what beautiful crimson hair… this child will surely become a fine wielder of Ira.”

A large face with numerous wrinkles carved into it peered at me.

His height was twice my own, and it was likely that even if I squeezed out every ounce of mana in my body, my power wouldn’t even reach his feet.

Among the ruling Demons, he was a being with supreme power. With awe in their voices, those around him referred to him as such…

『Demon Lord』

And even among them, this man’s might made him a Demon Lord amongst Demon Lords.

He was a rare Great Demon King within this warring era, who even survived through the battles with heaven.

Fels Crowne.

His name was Fels Crowne, of 『Deceit』.

He was a wire-like man.

His thin stature was likely not graced by anything like muscles, and he had a characteristically kind expression one would think to be unthinkable of Superbia.

But even so, Fels was a long-lived Demon Lord.

… Even if that glory was a thing of the past.

“Ira… if you have that power, than perhaps you’ll even be able to unify the Demon World someday.”

While making light of all the other Demon Lords, but that being a case, the King who sat at the summit for much too long was already tired.

Desire wasn’t infinite. That’s why, while we didn’t originally possess lifespans, there are times when a longer life is the very reason for a decline in power.

He was severe, and vile, and merciless enough to earn the word 『Deceit』 in his name, and yet the one who had continued to pursue his desire all alone, the Lord Fels Crowne, was already dead.

Only because of his strong power, did he continue to sit on the Great Demon King’s throne.

Meaning in the end, that was the extent of his caliber.

His lukewarm bearing was enough to make me bear resentment just by looking at him, and yet, he was always nothing but kind to me.

Enough to make my Wrath grow hazy.

It was a tale of a time in the distant past, but even now, it remains vivid in my memory.

I would intently gaze up at his stagnant eyes, and wait for the next words to escape his mouth. And to me, the Great Demon King dropped to a severely dark tone.

The young me understood.

That was likely the reason an ordinary man like Fels was able to climb to the seat of Great Demon King.

“But this rate isn’t going to work out… we require the power of Leigie of Sloth, I guess…”

“Leigie… of Sloth?”

Unable to comprehend Fels Crowne… father’s words, I tilted my head, and he gave a grand nod, as if he had suddenly nodded off.

Only his silver pair of eyes continued to let off a dull light.

I’m not sure how much time had passed. Perhaps it was an instant, or perhaps there had been a space of several minutes of silence.

The Great Demon King slowly opened his mouth.

“Kanon. Henceforth… take up the name Ira Lord…”

“Ira… lawd?”

It was a name much too full of pride. I was a freshly born Demon, and I hadn’t even gotten to Knight Class.

But Father seemed quite certain of it. That I was to become a Lord of Ira.

Deceit was an accumulation of fiction.

The nature of Fels Crowne was to remove what existed, and build existence out of nothing.

That’s why me understanding the meaning of those words required the span of the next few thousand years.

Even if there are many who know my name, there are few who know its meaning.

The Castle of Shadows.

It was a palace, where even the shadows slept silently.

The ramparts that extended beyond the horizon was merely boorish, and its size rose great enough to befit the term, ‘towering above.’ The fortress of a Demon Lord.

The Lord of Sloth was to refer to a Demon Lord who forged himself in depravity.

This peerlessly vast Castle of Shadows was nothing more than that Lord’s bedroom.

His subordinates, whose numbers surpassed the thousands, existed for nothing more than to protect his sleep.

Heard Lauder. Boasting a rare kind of power, he was a Pride Demon who would never prostrate himself before anyone.

“Hm… Kanon… Iralaude, is it? Useless… do what you will.”

The strange Demons who held no higher directive than to attend to the ambitionless Lord.

“Kanon Iralaude… well, as long as you don’t try to disturb his sleep, then…”

Acting on an incomprehensible principle, the way of life of these Demons I had no way of grasping was something I had never witnessed before, and they delivered a bit of an impact to my mentality, but that was blown away when I saw the Lord himself. Blown all away.

Even now, I can recall it clearly.

The quiet air covering the entire fortress, and the black door, an incarnation of darkness.

On the other side of the door I had opened to introduce myself, the Lord simply whispered to himself alone.

… I’m kinda tired…

He didn’t seem to pay any mind to me, as I was taken up in silence, as the jet-black haired man directed his dead eyes towards vacant space.

The Lord of Sloth.

Leigie the Depraved. The sole Demon accepted to have pursued the foundation of Acedia to its limits, an ancient Demon.

As if he were the air, he lacked a distinct feel to him, but just by existing before my eyes, the vast amount of Magic you could even call absurd was clearly something extraordinary, even from the eyes of a fledgling like me, and he had much too less of a will.

It was such that even when I compared it to the preposterously high power of my father, I could quite distinctly tell that it was much, much higher.

At a single glance, I could tell by intuition.

Ah, so this is… the man who crushed a Great Demon King by merely being there.

No offense, or defense, but mere existence.

No charisma, or fighting spirit, or even intent, but power alone he possessed. If you call one who’s thoroughly learned their Sin a Lord, then… yes, I see, he is surely worthy of being a Lord of Sloth.

There was status, and honor, and then, there was a gathering of Demons that showed no interest in either of the two.

Even I, having seen all the Demon Lords that came to kneel before father, found that lifestyle to be exceedingly rare, and it invited on my anger.

These Demons… just what are they searching for in life?

Even when, as Demons, they possess power great enough to warrant the envy of others.

The haves, and the have nots. Talent can be cruel. The gap between my father, whose wrinkles grew deeper with age, and the one who came on as youthful after living an even greater amount of rime was more than clear, and for some reason, it irritated me.

And my father that brought me here, with nothing but a worn-out expression, pleaded to that Lord with a single sentence.

To the Lord who, while he wasn’t even doing anything, had an expression much more worn-out than father.

Those words were, quite likely, not what a Great Demon King was to address to his subordinates.

“Leigie… I’ll leave my daughter to you.”

I didn’t known the resolve or weight behind his words.

But the Lord of Sloth gave a response anyways.

He let only his face out from beneath the blankets, and the slovenly tone he answered in held no ambition. I couldn’t see a fragment of the makings of a Lord in him.

“… Just do whatever you want. It’s not like I’m the one who’ll be attending to her anyways.”

The compensation he paid for his power was… depravity.

A man adorned with the polar opposite of the anger that fueled Ira.

Change and stagnation. Perhaps precisely because they were opposites, that a principle exist in them to heighten one’s Wrath.

Father likely saw through that.

While staring at Leigie’s lifeless eyes, I frantically tried to think of the meaning behind father’s will, and unable to think of anything, what entered my eyes as they turned up to father expectantly, were dark eyes of nihilism.

If another were to see his spiritless expression, they likely would have evaluated it as not falling short of the Lord of Sloth.

As young as I was, his speech delivered a considerable shock to me.

“Kanon… introduce yourself. He is the lone one to have spent his eternity in solitude. In this endlessly vast Demon world, the sole… Lazy King.”

He pushed my back, and I took a step forward.

But I was still frantically thinking.

His recklessness. The intent of the aged Great Demon King.

Even before the Great Demon King, the eyes of the Lord who didn’t pay any mind to it in the slightest, were horridly muddled.

And oddly enough, that was the vey answer to the question of, ‘for what sake is he living?’ I had thought the first moment I met him.

There was no meaning in this man’s life. No goal. No reason.

His life that couldn’t be worn by any other Demon Lord was the cruel meaning behind the solitude my father spoke of.

Just how sad a thing must it be?

That was the first time I felt an emotion opposite to resentment.

Just as father said, I lightly raised the edges of my skirt in the gesture that had been thoroughly beaten into me, and gave a polite bow.

I didn’t feel anyone’s eyes on me. Even while his pupils were directed ahead, this man wasn’t looking at me.

He must be staring at whatever he does every day.

“Kanon Iralaude. The Sin I govern is Wrath. I’ll be in your care, um…”

I hesitated for a moment.

Leigie-sama? No, as the daughter of the Great Demon King, it’s unthinkable for me to use such an honorary title for another.

Leigie…san? That sounds too reserved. It doesn’t settle right.

Should I just drop the honorific? No, he’s someone father spoke up to this extent. He must be deserving of some respect.

Being left with him meant that we would be becoming family.

I already have a father. But let that be the case, there’s no way this one’s little brother material.

The hesitation was only an instant. With as much affection as I could muster, and, with Wrath backing my tone, I called that name… the pitiful name of the Lord o Depravity.

“… Leigie-niisama.”

That was likely the starting point.

And I, in the long life that followed… in spending a timeframe much longer than that which tormented my father before me, I came to know the significance of the Lazy King’s name.

But no matter how much time passed by, niisama was to stay as niisama.

And as if he were in hibernation, the way he would never leave the Castle of Shadows, was never to change.

Part 2: There Wasn’t a Single Decent Person in my Army

“—–sama, ——sama?”

My auditory sense received a jolt, and my consciousness was pulled together once more.

The voice I heard at regular intervals sounded quite nostalgic for some reason.

Light entered my field of vision.

I held my head, and let my eyes scan the area. It was the same place as always.

The throne room of the Palace of Rending Flames. While it held the same mold as that of the one in the Castle of Shadows, the Great Demon King’s throne was soaked in a completely different atmosphere.

At that place where many Kings of History had entrusted themselves, I awakened.

“Kanon-sama? What seems to be the matter!?”

“… Yeah… don’t worry about it. Just… I was just reminiscing a little bit.”

‘Twas a failure. It seems I had sunk too deep into thought.

“Y-yes… if that’s all it is, then…”

The one looking at me with some doubt was my right hand Demon.

Lize Bloodcross. A Demon of Wrath like me, and a woman that somewhat reminded my of my past self.

Perhaps’t that’s why.

Of all things, I sent an inexperienced Lize to Leigie-niisama’s side.

Perhaps when father left me to him long ago, he experienced a feeling like what I feel as well. There’s no way to find out at this point.

The Lord of Sloth has no enemies. There’s no way niisama, who doesn’t even take any action, could bear animosity towards anyone.

Having power surpassing her age, the mildly unstable Lize was able to gain fine control over her emotions due to niisama’s influence. Rather than stating it as a report on her progress, perhaps it is simply an inevitability.

Because niisama has quite a lot of experience…

“Good grief, those Demon Lords are the same as always.”

“Yeah… but that can’t be helped. It’s precisely because they’re like that.”

I brought together the Demon Lords strong in Sin. It’s natural for there to be a level of friction between them.

It’s proof that the Great Demon Kings of old bent a large variety of powers to their whim.

And I’m the same.

I gathered together the wielders of all sorts of desire. I was more than prepared to be surrounded by potential traitors the moment I became Great Demon King.

Temperament. Wisdom. Brute force. Charisma.

The only thing those guys didn’t heed was… authority.

And at the same time, with them following me to that extent… I can’t have them lose their powers, and fall to some Angel, or the like.

“But… as I thought, Schitol went too far… to snatch from an allied soldier before my very eyes…”

“… Ah, Medea…”

It was only natural that a Greed Demon’s power depended on material possessions. Therefore, their basic battle power wasn’t all too high.

However, that Demon Lord had, of all things, chosen ‘Bodies’ as her target of desire. I haven’t the slightest idea what caused her to develop such a craving, but the power she possessed could likely easily pierce a Demon Lord’s body.

She was truly a troublesome Demon.

And there’s that personality of hers…

All the Lords had quite picky personalities, but even among them, she was top class in being hard to handle.

Medea Luxeliaheart was a considerable Demon.

I never thought she would be thrown into the army when niisama randomly picked her up, and I hadn’t the slightest notion that she would even reach General Class.

But even so, before Demon Lords, there was much too great a gap in quality.

“Looking at it from another perspective, could it be our luck that it ended with Medea alone…?”

“… Well, there’s some truth to that… but it sure has been a while since a casualty came up at a conference.”

Of course, if you mix together so many strong poisons, the damage to the surroundings is nothing small.

But at the same time, in this land swirling with various strong desires, they did hold the strength to show off their mettle, so it’s not like they’re to be killed off so easily.

If you want to look to the current trend, then most casualties don’t arrive during the meeting, but from the aftermath, and it wasn’t the Demon Lords themselves, but everyone around them.

“W-well, Medea was just a double, so…”

Lize let out a mournful sigh.

It must be painful to witness the Demon she dragged out be killed like that.

Truly, it may have been thoughtless to drag the girl over here.

I never should have compared her to Heard Lauder, who had always attended these conferences in niisama’s place.

Medea and Heard’s careers were different. Even if I was the one who ordered it, for her to have an insurance plan known as illusions… well, perhaps she was killed so easily due to the resultant negligence, but anyways, I should commend her for coming out in the first place.

I extinguished a cinder that as set alight in some corner of my head with a sigh.

To cover that up, I directed my eyes to Lize.

“As I’ve told you before, Lize, I’ll leave the role of reporting to Leigie to you.”

“Yes, understood.”

Lize’s figure as she gave her affirmation overlapped with my own form of the past, and for some reason, it gave me an excessively lonely feeling.

I shook my head to deny that. Such sentiment is unnecessary to my Wrath. Nothing will change from harboring such a feeling.

“But, Kanon-sama… whatever the case, I doubt there is anyone out there to target Leigei of Sloth.”

“Oh… why is that?”

“I mean, for the Lord of Sloth… there’s absolutely no reason to aim for his head, is there? Back when his territory was vast was one thing, but right now, Leigie Slaughterdolls has nothing but the Castle of Shadows… he doesn’t even have an army. Attacking Leigie will not earn anyone any status or fame.”

“… That’s… right. Truly, by assaulting niisama, there’s nothing to be gained.”

But, still…

As long as he doesn’t take any active action, as long as keeps his hand from the world, as long as he stays holed up in his room, can he truly isolate himself from all else?

Can he merely sleep peacefully without receiving any evaluation from anyone?

No.

Power is justice. Without doing anything, he spent his long lifetime, and like the sweet smell of a nepenthes, the vast power he cultivated would draw Demons to him.

Naturally, his obligations increase. That’s something that can’t be helped.

The ice he lowered on the world must have been a manifestation of the sentiment he was always been building up. How repulsing, and sorrowful.

Because of his very being, the Lord of Depravity is not permitted to gain a single thing in life.

Back in my own element, I gave more orders to Lize.

“Vanity’s report is… also uncertain. A Lord of Angels, and Zebul the Devourer, even if this land is constantly astir with turmoil, the timing is much too convenient. What’s more, that man isn’t one to trust.”

Vanity the Egoist’s words were soaked in deceit.

Superbia was largely divided into two categories.

Those like Heard Lauder, who gained Pride in their own ability.

And those like Vanity Seidthroan, who boasted not of their power, and used wit to accomplish their pride.

That was Pride of the same type as father’s.

“He’s scheming something here.”

As that man’s daughter, I understood.

That sort of Demon Lord was the most dangerous factor to the King’s seat.

I see, compared to all the others prostrated before me, that Lord is quite an irregular. I mean, I cannot see a clear form of desire in him.

But still, I didn’t think that the man was telling a lie. High ranking Lords could generally see through most lies on the spot.

If he were to report a falsehood, what merit would be in it for Vanity? Even if he may be Rank four, he’s not able to contest my Ira, and also, even if his report were to be a lie, that would just put Heard against him.

“… The truth of the matter aside, if the Devourer truly was defeated, yet managed to survive… then her destination will be niisama’s side.”

“…”

Long lived Demon Lords cared not for victory, but were stubborn in defeat.

Zebul Glaucus was known for her exceedingly high offensive power, and brutal nature. I’m not sure how long she’s lived for, but I doubt she has much experience in failure.

I folded a leg atop the other above the cold throne.

I felt a burning power from my prided long staff clasped in my right hand. As if to manifest the submerged anger in the depths of my heart.

As if it were eagerly awaiting for me to release power through it once more.

“Hm… I don’t think that niisama will lose, and… I can’t think that Heard will let her escape either.”

I mean, Zebul has already lost to niisama once.

No matter how heinous she may be, it would be difficult for her to oppose both niisama and Heard, with their exceedingly high powers.

“… Y-yes. Heard Lauder has already departed from this land. If it’s that Lord, then perhaps there’s no need to worry.”

“What an impatient man… but so be it.”

Even if there’s no defeat to be found, I can’t let such a trifling matter disturb niisama’s sleep.

In that case, there would have been no reason for me to take his rank and land and army. Heard should know that fact as well.

Heard Lauder’s power was undoubtedly top class within my army. I hated dealing with that man as a child, but when he’s my subordinate, he makes himself quite useful. Especially how he could roam as he pleased in this wide world that was hard to span even on a dragon. His agility like that of a clap of thunder was that man’s nature. It’s almost impossible to run away from him.

The more and more I thought, the more sighs came from my mouth. If he’d only actually listen to my orders for once, I wonder just how much my Demon World unification plans would have hastened.

“Good grief, the world just turns about as it pleases.”

And that will likely never end.

Even from the past… he was that sort of man.

Having spent many years alongside those niisamas of mine, they were my… bane.

If I became negligent, then even my desire would weather away.

A scene of a few thousand years past came up again, and I shook my head to rid myself of it.

“Well, fine. The main issue is that Valkyrie. Lize, I’ll assign you the duty of informing Heard of what we have on her.”

“… Yeah, he did leave before anything was said…”

Like that, just how does he plan on chasing after Serge…

Demon World unification is being held up by the existence of a single lone Valkyrie. How troublesome.

And sending representative to them rarely has any effect on those Demon Lords.

“But, even so, it’s already the end.”

In the end, there’s but one opponent. Because of her mobility, we were having a problem getting our hands on her, but as long as we know her location, taking her out is all too easy.

This is the Demon world. A land of dark miasma governed by fiends.

The miracle of God, those heavenly wings cannot fly too far through this abyss.

We’ll have to pound that fact into those foolish Angels.

“Right?”

“Yes, it is as you will it.”

With intoxicated eyes, the man who was standing behind me immediately kneeled.

He was the inspector Demon dispatched to the late Rank Seven, Ciel Afreide.

While the Lord was killed, my eyes on him remained alive. No, that alone is part of the role of an observer.

It was the end of her luck when she chose a Demon Lord of Envy to assault.

The observer’s intoxicated eyes, which would never stop envying all of existence, Angels included, had surely captured the Valkyrie’s form.

An Envy Demon’s nature was highly geared towards information. After being caught in the eyes of Envy, that girl was nothing more than a butterfly in a spider’s web.

Lize furrowed her brow in a sort of wonder, and began timidly probing through my eyes.

“… So where is Serge of the Silver Blue…?”

“Ah, what a girl… silvery white hair, and cyan eyes, wings of pure light, and… her strength, everything about her was simply beautiful. How does that lass manage to live such a vivid life!? Kuku, it’s a pity she’s to be destroyed… and at the same time, what a wondrous day it is. That I can witness the death of such a beautiful Angel with these very eyes!”

His figure took on a form of joy, as if to express the ecstasy running through his entire body, and Lize’s expression cramped up a little.

For her to make a disgusted expression at something of this level, is she not thrown about by her emotions a little too much?

Well, when you’re by niisama’s side, these sort of stimulus seem quite distant. Should I go dispatch her off to some repulsive Demon Lord for a time…

If this is enough to disturb her, she’ll never be a Lord.

I prodded the man with my staff to return him to his senses.

Finally noticing the phrase, ‘these very eyes,’ and understanding their intent, Lize blinked a few times.

“… Report.”

“Yes, that Valkyrie is, at present… racing about the skies over red soil. From the Crimson Prison to the Dark Prison… at the speed of the wind.”

In this area, there’s no land soaked in such black magic besides the Dark Prison.

With an Invidia Demon’s 『Envy Eye』 Skill, it wasn’t possible to find exact location, but if we had the general idea, then the rest was simple.

If they enter a zone, then the Lord could likely tell their location. That white aura of theirs was like a splotch of white on a canvas painted black, and it really stood out.

“But it’s the Crimson Prison… again.”

The Crimson Prison.

Ruled by Vanity Seidthroan, a scorching wasteland.

That land wasn’t an important strategic point in any way, and the population of Demons in it wasn’t high. The army size was also standard.

It’s not worthy of being the first land attacked by Angels in such a long time. I mean, their goal is to eliminate as many Demons as possible.

But as of late, problems have surfaced there one after another.

The appearance of a Saint Lord.

The appearance of Zebul.

And, now a report of Serge.

“Hmm…”

I thought back to the General Class Demon who stopped by the Palace of Rending Flames to give a report on the Angels just the other day.

While he was General Class, he was a seasoned veteran who had crossed many a battlefield.

『Abnormal』

That’s what the man had said.

A Greed Demon given a reward was one of the few trustworthy entities in all of these lands.

Is this a coincidence?

Father… Fels Crowne was, rather than military arts, skilled in his insight. That was likely something that couldn’t be avoided to carry out his Deceit.

That’s why there must be some meaning behind this trend.

Father treated everything in his surroundings as part of his work, but to me alone, he was kind.

Even if that was just him considering profit and loss…

Should the Egoist be trusted or not?

Vanity does heed to my orders, but it’s not like he’s loyal or anything. From the start, his nature was opposed to devotion.

But the vanguard of God… those entities called Angels weren’t ones who would let themselves be manipulated by any form of Demon so easily. Zebul was a monster who could have eaten the man the moment they met.

Even if someone was plotting something, it would be too much a risk for the Egoist to play his hand.

Heard Lauder is strong.

But against two opponents, the Devourer and the Valkyrie, can he possibly come out victorious?

It’s unlikely that he’ll encounter them simultaneously, but his power should fall the more he uses it up. That doesn’t change regardless of how much of it he’s stored up.

Heard was niisama’s formed right hand man. It’s an impossible notion, but in the million to one chance he’s destroyed, niisama might actually be saddened. At that time, I’ll have to be prepared for the entire Demon World to be frozen over again.

So perhaps I should send in some reinforcements.

『Always foresee the worst outcome. Reality will always exceed that.』

Father’s teachings floated up in my head.

But even if I were to send backup, the Rank Two and Rank Three Demon Lords bear resentment against Heard Lauder, and the chances are higher that he’ll actually suffer an attack from behind.

Since Zebul was removed, Rank Five has yet to be filled, and with his nature, Rank Six is unlikely to even hear out my orders.

As the Great Demon King, I can’t have myself go out personally.

There wasn’t a single decent person in my army.

“? What seems to be the matter?”

“Hmm… no, I was just considering whether to play another card or not.”

“To send reinforcements? Is Heard Lauder insufficient for the task?”

Lize’s question was on the mark.

Even back when he was a General, Heard boasted exceptional power, but that was brought even further to the limit when he became a Lord. If it’s that man, then perhaps he could even rend the earth with his bare hands.

I’m sure he’s the greatest master in my army. If you think about it logically reinforcements would be unnecessary.

My dispatches to the Demon Lords haven’t been recalled, and if I sent out those numerous ones below General Class to a fight between Lord Class entities, they’d be there for no purpose but to make noise.

I scrutinize over the incessant notions passing through my head, and reached a conclusion.

… I’m being a little… too cautious.

I’ve not the leisure to leave my own subordinates on standby.

At that point, Lize furrowed her brow, and muttered.

“But… truly, even if Heard is not to face defeat… there’s the possibility he might let them slip past. Once they’ve entered the Dark Prison’s territory, the Castle of Shadows isn’t too far away…”

Castle of Shadows… niisama?

… Right, if they’ve already entered that land, then with Heavenly Wings, the Castle was but a stone’s throw away.

But just because she entered the Dark Prison, that doesn’t mean that Serge is set to head for the Castle of Shadows.

I decided.

“Lize, prepare a Dragon. We’re off to the Dark Prison.”

“… Huh? Wai… Kanon-sama, you’re going out personally?”

There’s no time.

The Palace of Rending Flames, the Castle of Shadows, and the land of the Crimson Prison were lined up in a straight path. If I set out immediately, there’s a chance I’ll arrive in time.

I glared at Lize, who remained in a daze.

“Exactly. Now on with it!”

“Y-yes! Understood!”

I gripped my staff strongly, and stood up.

In times beyond memory, when there was nothing but darkness in this desolate world, the Dark God was said to have passed this instrument to the Great Demon King. With my desire as its fuel, it gave out a steady pulse like a heart.

The feelings that came with my impatience circulated around my veins. Like the starting of an engine, heat began to spread through my body.

Valkyrie… Valkyrie, is it?

To stand before me, before niisama, how reckless must she be?

To try to slay Leigie of Sloth after killing off a measly Demon Lord or two is simply outrageous.

Well, well, well, I guess there’s no helping him.

I, Kanon will protect your peaceful rest, dear niisama.

Part 3: I am a Coward

Rage up, my flame.

My resentment shall birth dark flames greater than the cauldrons of hell, to do the Devil’s work of reducing the universe to ash.

You unsightly insects fluttering about the skies, before my ambition, you hindrances are all no greater than flies.

The heavens that looked down on the red blazing sun were simply high, and a realm beyond the reach from us beings forced to crawl along the ground.

But that’s how it should be. That’s why it’s perfect.

To us, wings are… unnecessary.

We don’t need those white bonds that tied us down to some inept God.

This lightless soil is the land we shall rule.

“You all will learn the meaning of that soon enough.”

I’ll have them regret setting foot here in jest. I’ll carve it into those bodies, those wings.

Otherwise… I won’t be able to feel satisfied.

A flying dragon’s wings ranked equal to those of an Angel’s in speed.

Boasting the greatest influence across these lands, my steed was faster than any ordinary dragon you’d find out there.

Because of the wind, there was quite a bit of turbulence atop the dragon. From up here, sitting on the gliding beast, that was letting off rough breaths from its nose in excitement, the boundary that marked the territory of Heaven felt horribly close.

What my ancestors… no, what me and my ancestos yearned for, a world of light.

It’s not that I don’t understand that sentiment.

This faint malaise I feel in my soul core, simply by looking up at the sky. That was probably… aspiration.

Even when it’s been less than ten thousand years since I first came to be, I could feel it. For those Demon Lords of old, forced to look up at it for hundreds of thousands of years, their yearning must be much greater than I.

But at present, I held no interest in such a thing.

There’s no guarantee that dazzling light is capable of bringing about any change to us. Just as it’s not certain our darkness will drop one to depravity.

I knew that all too well.

That’s why, it’s likely that even if some Great Demon