"Steak or shrimp?"
Inside a coach which had the finest black leather seats that wrapped around the vehicle like a sofa, ten plantmen were sitting with plenty of legroom to spare.
Richtor, Niko, and Tera were among these ten, sitting side by side as a mustached demon asked this question.
"Hah?"
Niko let out a slip of confusion at the strange question of the butler who twirled his mustache while holding a note pad in his free hand.
"Would you like to try the steak or the shrimp? Or perhaps both?"
The butler asked this question with the utmost respect, not flinching in the least at the undignified and crude reaction shown to him by the boy.
"What.... are you talking about?"
"AH! My apologies, good sir. It didn't even cross my mind that a plant kin could be a vegetarian, but would you prefer a salad instead?"
"Um.... I'll have the shrimp!"
The boy was still in a bout of confusion when the girl quickly answered, to which the butler smiled as his mustache curled upwards.
"I see. One order of shrimp for the lady. And for the rest of you?"
Scribbling down the order with his free hand, the butler glanced back around the room as he questioned the rest of the plantmen, who were now staring at him in confusion.
"Wait wait wait!!! What is going on here? What do you mean steak or shrimp!? What are you talking about!?"
Niko could no longer hide his confusion and shouted out at the butler, who smiled in glee.
"Ah, it would appear that you don't understand. Forgive me, perhaps I should have explained before taking your orders. After all, perhaps you do not have restaurants within the village of Iris? Is it an uncommon occurrence for food to be prepared within an establishment? How careless of me to make cultural assumptions based on my own upbringing. I apologize greatly."
The demon bowed his head with reverence, responding in kind to the inelegant demeanor of the boy who questioned him.
"I know what a restaurant is!! Why are you taking our orders!?!?"
Having lost his mind at the continued insistence of the demon before him, Niko shouted out in confusion.
"You're a demon!!! Your master just knocked us out cold, took us captive, and is forcing us to become his warrior slaves!!! So why are you taking our orders!? Why are we in these fancy carriages!? Why does everything here seem completely out of place for our situation!?"
"Is it not to your liking? If that is the case, I shall immediately inform-"
"No!! That's not it at all!! I'm not the only crazy one here, right!?! Boss, are you seeing this as well??"
"I..... am seeing it. But I'm having a hard time perceiving it. That's all."
Richtor answered Niko in a low tone, completely taken aback at his situation.
"Um.... I think these two would like the steak. Please don't mind them."
Tera ignored the mental torment of the two, ordering for them.
The butler nodded promptly with a smile as he scribbled down their orders, turning to the next group of people.
"Then, what will you all have?"
"Tera, what the hell are you doing!?!?"
"They're offering us food, so can't we just accept it? Might as well have a nice meal before we're thrown to the battlefield...."
"That's not the point!!! Just why on earth..... would a demon serve us?"
As he finished up the last of the orders, the butler closed his notepad with a smile.
"Why.... would we serve lower beings? Is that what you mean to ask, young man?"
"That's exactly what I mean to ask! I mean.... it's gotto be some sort of trap, right!? You're trying to poison us or something, I don't know! As a punishment for our own arrogance, right? That's gotto be it!!"
With a light chuckle, the older gentleman merely closed his eyes.
"Is that what my lord has been reduced to in your eyes? A demon who would toy with those who dared to accept his kindness?"
Niko froze as the demon made this statement, however the butler merely nodded his head no.
"That is not at all the case. Rather, it is exactly the opposite. I am merely working in my capacity as a butler to carry out the orders of my master, and he has ordered me to serve each and every person within this carriage with the utmost sincerity."
Thinning his eyes, the butler spoke with a confident tone.
"And I do not take my duties lightly."
Taken aback by the deep resolve of the man before him, Niko had no words to reprimand him further.
He no longer had the will to question the man's loyalty or his orders as a servant, therefore only a single phrase slipped from his mouth.
"Why...."
It was a whisper, so quiet that if it were not already dead silent, nobody would have heard it.
Yet in that silent room, it was loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I presume that why is intended to mean 'why would a demon such as Lord Huberos order you to serve us, mere humanoids?'"
The butler repeated the question in a long winded fashion, clarifying it with precise accuracy. With a prompt nod from the boy, the man folded his hands in delight, looking around the room with an air of undeniable pride in his duty and in the man he served.
"Lord Huberos is one who may come off as arrogant, bigoted, and prideful beyond belief. After all.... he is the Host of Pride. How then, could he not view himself as grander than all others? It would go against his very nature. Yet there is a reason for which Huberos has such grand hubris. And it is for who he was, that he has come to be who he is."
Stepping towards the door, the butler who had pocketed the notepad twirled his mustache once more as he spoke.
"Lord Huberos was once a man who stood below all others. Looked down upon as the lowest of the low, perhaps he has a soft spot for those so far below him that they cannot even call themselves worthy to lick his feet. And it is for this reason..... that I am proud to serve such a man."
Walking out of the carriage, the footsteps of the man tapped along the ground asserting his presence and rehearsed demeanor.
"Ah, can we get some drinks as well?"
The man was stopped in his tracks as every single person in the carriage looked towards the girl with surprise as she brazenly made demands.
As if an icy cold atmosphere had enveloped the room, the jaws of each person threatened to drop and their gazes slowly turned towards the butler, wondering if he would accept such a statement without retribution.
After all, the plant kin were nothing more than lower beings.
Even if he had been given some strange orders to serve the people here, that did not permit them to become arrogant and ask for things beyond that which was offered.
"My..... it seems that if I were to be graded by my Lord, I would be given a failing grade as a butler."
Turning around quickly and whipping the notepad out of his pocket once more, the man stepped forward, looking the girl in the eyes.
'She holds not the slightest fear even as she presses those who by all means should be above her... yet I sense not the slightest amount of arrogance from her. How..... truly strange. Huberos.... will be beyond pleased.'
Bowing his head once more, the man spoke promptly.
"It would seem that I have once more committed a grave error. Forgive me, guests of my Lord. I have forgotten about something which should be so obvious for a butler, that it is my shame to even mention such a blunder. What may I get you all to drink?"
Many gulps were heard as the people were unsure whether a landmine had been stepped on, yet the girl did not so much as blink.
"I will have a strawberry smoothie."
"An excellent choice. Fortunately, our assortment does include such a delicacy. And for the rest of you?"
"I'll..... have tea if you have it."
Richtor added on his own order to take the focus off of Tera, to which Niko realized his intentions.
"Then I'll have whatever the most exotic thing you've got is. You demons live in a whole nother world, so you better not tell me that you can't even find me something I've never heard of."
Smiling ear to ear, the butler could not hide his own delight as the orders flushed in one after another.
'Truly excellent. Their arrogance has been crushed to it's very core, filling them with humility.... and yet even so, there remains slight traces of confidence in each of them. They will truly make for excellent warriors. I must inform my Lord of this immediately, especially..... about that girl.'
"Very well, my good guests. I look forward to continuing to serve you, up until the moment where you head off for battle. Ah, and please forget anything I said about Lord Huberos. He is not the type who likes to have his own past known, for it only hurts his pride."
Closing the door, the butler left the carriage as many of the plant kin let out sighs of relief.
"I thought.... he was going to kill us right there."
"Tera!! Are.... are you alright? Do you really know what you're doing!?!?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
A couple of people in the caravan questioned the girl, who sat back to relax.
"What do we mean!?!? What if he killed you then and there, just like they did... just like those maids did towards the men who struggled?"
Shivering with fear as they remembered the men who had been slaughtered without hesitation just moments before, the people of the caravan looked to Tera with fearful and concerned eyes, wondering just what on earth she was doing.
"No, that butler was here to serve us. Not to kill us. So I let him serve me. What's wrong with that?"
The jaws of the people dropped as Tera made such a bold statement without hesitation.
It was as if something within her had been awakened as a result of witnessing these demons.
Something which she had held within her, a courage and discernment which led her to confidence in herself and her decisions.
"What's wrong with that..... how do you know he wasn't going to kill you? He was a demon.... a demon!!! They.... they're beings of chaos who hold immense power beyond us, and they look down on all who are not of their race! How could you be so sure that he would not kill you!?!? When others were killed just moments ago!?!?"
Almost all the people of the caravan were now deeply concerned, voicing their opinions on the seemingly reckless behavior of the girl.
"I mean.... he said that he was here to serve us. And that he did. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"You...."
"If he comes back with a unit to slaughter us....."
"If he wanted to do so, do you think he could not have done it himself?"
Tera quickly answered the concerns of the others, to which a chuckle was heard from Richtor.
"Heh...."
The man made from bark could do nothing more than laugh at not only his own weakness, but at the true and utter weakness of heart shown by everyone present.
Aside from this girl.
"You.... are something else, Tera. Maybe you were fit for something beyond this small village. Maybe it would have been better for you to go adventuring and exploring the world."
As Richtor said this, the girl gave him a bitter smile as if she was mulling on something.
"Something.... else.... eh?"
Ever so lightly, she whispered this to herself, however she quickly came to her senses, looking up with shock as if to cover up her own reaction.
"Eh? After all you said earlier, that's quite the surprise, boss. I know how dangerous things are now, thanks to you. But.... that man just now.... he held no ill intent towards us."
The confidence with which the girl stated this shocked all those around her, yet Niko quickly spoke up.
"If you are that certain, then I'll trust you, Tera."
With this reassurance, the plant kin around began to nod in agreement.
"Tera..... will you help us to get through this?"
"If you can truly tell whether someone holds hostile intent towards us, then will you not guide us!?"
The girl became flustered at the sudden requests of the people, unsure what to say.
"Hey, what are you all talking about? All I did was take a look at his expression. Anyone can do something like that. He wasn't mad or annoyed, that was all. As a matter of fact..... he seemed kinda satisfied when I responded."
"Please, Tera!!!"
"Nobody else could read those things like you did!!"
"We don't want to step on landmines in this new life!! We've been reduced to warrior slaves, and without someone to guide us we will have nobody to turn to!!!"
"We'll die like dogs, so please! Show us what to do!!!"
Bombarded by the shameless cries of the men and women around her to lead them, Tera was unsure what to do, however she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright. They trust in you.... and I guess after seeing something like that, I understand why."
"You'll do just fine, and if you mess up.... well, we were headed to hell in the first place. So don't take it too hard on yourself."
Niko and Richtor smiled at the girl who had the role of leadership of this small group forced upon her.
With a light nod, the plant girl looked up to those around her and brightly smiled.
"I..... I get it. I got it. I'll do it. But.... don't blame me when things go wrong."
"We won't!!!"
"Thank you, Tera!!!!"
And so, the General among the army of the Host of Pride..... was born.
----
"I have found one of high prudence, Lord Huberos. Her eye is keen beyond measure, down to the excessively fine details. Minute changes in the atmosphere, the flow of the room, and even the ability to casually ignore bluffs without batting an eye. She is beyond anything I could have imagined."
"To find such a gem in the city of the plant kin.... how interesting. It would seem that it is true that only among grime and soot, and faced with extreme pressure.... can a diamond be formed."
With a light toothy grin, the demon known as the Host of Pride stood on top of the first among the line of carriages as they were being transported to the realm of darkness.
Behind him, his butler kneeled with reverence. The tails of the coats of both men fluttered in the wind as the carriages trodded along without bump or incident.
"So? What will you do, my lord?"
"It is not as if I have lied to the plant kin. I have taken their strength for my own. And their strength is within their weakness. I will prove to Envidia.... to Apathia.... to everyone, that I am the demon who deserves to be called number 1 among all Hosts. And I will do so with the least expected roster. A wild card.... a group of underdogs. Weaklings who have no place in the realm of demons. It is through these hidden gems that I will show all.... the strength of pride."
Turning back, the man thinned his eyes.
"Where are Chiora and Selna?"
"They are performing similar investigations within the other carriages as you ordered. However, I doubt that they will find anything as grand as the woman I discovered."
"Very well. Continue service towards the lower beings. After all, it is only reasonable that they are provided with a meal and treated as guests in exchange for this one sided deal."
"I will do as you order, Lord Huberos."
The indigo demon then took flight, gliding at the same speed at which the carriages traveled as he pulled a mirror from his own jacket, checking his hair and fixing it as he flew.
'The preparations are going..... too well. But that is fine. Ah.... but feeding the promising ones right now has somewhat backfired on me. After all.... I have to consume a meal alone with those two idiots now.'
Almost rolling his eyes as he flew, the demon was clearly dreading the events of the night.
'Yet.... it is something which I have promised, regardless of how irritating it is. I did at one point say that I would feed him again, didn't I? Perhaps with less people it will be a bit less of a mess.....'
As the demon thought this, he immediately admonished such thinking.
'What am I saying? Of course they will create a disaster. It is those two we are talking about. Any members of the seven aside from myself are guaranteed to stir up trouble, but those two in particular..... it was their fault that such repairs had to be performed within my own mansion, and yet I am the one who is inviting them to dinner again? They should be the ones preparing dinner for me, no?'
Smiling to himself, Huberos lightly chuckled as he remembered something.
'Well, I suppose that would be a bit cruel of me, wouldn't it?'
As the sun began to set in the West, the land darkened and the grassy fields became a rocky landscape.
Time passed, and this demon along with the caravan which held the plant kin in toe approached the realm of darkness, eventually reaching the city of devils, Regalis.
'Regardless, an agreement is unretractable. After all, I stand above all else. My word means more than the word of any other being in existence, for what other than pride will stop a person from spreading falsehoods from their own two lips?'
----
The night came quickly as the long day approached it's end.
The Campaign of Oscar within the Kingdom and his takeover of the Empire.
The attacks of Envidia on the city of Iciclaris and the intervention of the antiheroes.
Their takeover of both Volaciophus and Iciclaris in one fell swoop.
And finally, the invasion of Huberos on the plant kin village of Iris, and his allocation of it's people as his new subordinates.
Right now, in the realm of darkness, in a tower that reached up to the skies, spirits trodded through the multi story structure with quick pace, gathering in a meeting room.
"Lustia must be informed of this quickly!"
"And she will have to inform their excellencies!!"
"This has never happened before.... what could be the trigger to such a thing?"
"I am not sure!! You eight, please come up this way!! Yes, up these stairs!!!"
A number of spiritual men in the foggy armor of warriors rushed eight confused figures up a spiral staircase towards the top floor of the haunted tower.
One male, and seven females.
"Come come!! Hurry now!"
"Why exactly are you pushing us?"
"Please do not touch me so casually."
"What on earth has gotten you all so flustered?"
Confused with every bit of their beings, these eight spirits who were being pushed along were led quickly to an open room with a large and ghastly throne.
Sitting in that throne now was a woman who had a large amount of paperwork before her.
This woman wore a dress which was similar to a robe, with large sleeves and short cut.
She sat with her legs crossed, and a plaid baker boy cap was atop her head.
Her sharp eyes stared down at the paper with diligence as she licked her cherry red lips in wonder.
And her skin was white as snow.
She was Lustia- the Host of Lust and slave of the antiheroes.
"What is it? Their excellencies have given me a large number of tasks to do, so it truly is bothersome if I am interrupted for no reason."
Surrounding this woman who held the demeanor of a dominatrix were a number of soldiers, male and female alike with similar spiritual appearances. The eight who seemed to be confused were brought forth and one man held out his hand to present them.
"Lustia. This is unprecedented. The conditions for one to become a spiritual demon is that they must die with an immense amount of baggage weighing them to this world, yet just recently not one.... but eight new people showed up within our bottom floor!!"
Looking up, the woman's slender eyes twitched with a slight amount of surprise.
"Is that so? How interesting. I should inform their excellencies about this, however they are so terribly busy.... I do not wish to bother them, but I suppose I should call them. First..... let me question them."
The eight were pushed forward, and the woman stood up, walking down the aisle as she looked into the eyes of each of them.
One male, and seven females.
Each with a different demeanor and appearance, there didn't appear to be any link between the eight.
"Of course you will not remember who you were.... but with something which her excellency gave me, I can at least obtain your names."
Pulling out a black gem from her pocket, the woman crushed it in her hands as it formed a black mist.
The mist floated above each and every person, forming letters. They all looked up in confusion, trying to read out their own statements, as well as looking to one another.
In order, the following names were read.
Irene
Olivia
Julia
Naomi
Katelyn
Jordan
Riley
Kyle
"Oh..... it would seem that it works. Not that I doubt the tools which their excellencies have worked together to produce.... but even so, it is..... astounding. Information of someone's previous life has never been something even thinkable of obtaining."
Lustia walked back and forth, then took a seat once more at her throne.
"Welcome to my realm, recently killed humans. At least.... by your names, I will assume that you were previously human. I am..... the woman who would have been your queen, except for the fact that just recently I was overtaken. What term did his excellency use? Ah yes. There was a change in upper management. Therefore, I suppose I am the woman who will be acting as your.... manager, for now. If you do well, perhaps you all could meet their excellencies as well. In time of course."
----