The room was filled with silence as the breathless demons, who expected to see Belial fall to his death, were bewildered.
Lucifer missed his attack, stabbing his sword right through the wall, and next to the traitor's face.
Belial was shaken up.
His legs were wobbling like flimsy twigs, until he fell to his hand and knees, grasping his neck in disbelief.
He could only pant.
He could only stare at the ground.
He could only feel the true power of a Great King.
"You spared me, why?"
Belial slowly lifted his head, staring at the repulsive expression that Lucifer was giving.
"You don't deserve death—not yet." Lucifer placed his sword back into its scabbard, turning around, "It's too early for you to die. Death is a mercy for a fool like you." The demon king walked off, leaving the conference room.
Belial could only sit there on his knees, rubbing his neck.
He was filled with adrenaline.
"Hmm." Lucifer walked through the corridor of his castle, located on the twelfth floor, "That's not normal," He thought over his previous actions, when he saved that small child who was about to be executed, "Why did I intervene? It's like I have two voices inside my head, rather than one... but I know that's not possible, he should be gone."
The Demon King came to a stop, turning his head to the side, and facing an iron door with the number 5 written on its exterior.
"Slave Quarter 5." Lucifer turned his attention to the door, pulling on its handlebar to open it wide.
He could hear the sounds of coughing children and crying babies.
Elves, humans, goblins.
There was a mix of humanoid species, sick and tired.
They haven't drunk water in days.
They haven't eaten in weeks.
They were dying, working labor with no pay.
"Where is she?" Lucifer asked, stepping foot into the room, "The girl."
The humanoids huddled up together, whimpering at the sight of the Demon King.
"P-Please Lord Lucifer... she's my daughter, she didn't mean to make a mistake! She's only fourteen." A father, bruised and beaten, crawled forward to beg on his knees, "Can you forgive her? Just punish me instead, don't take it out on her."
"Hmph." Lucifer backhanded the man to the side, spotting the little girl and grabbing her wrist.
"Daddy, Daddy!" She screamed as she was being dragged out of the room, extending her arm towards her father, "Help me!!"
"No, Morwen! Morwen!!" The father tried getting up from the pain, but fell on his stomach, stretching his hand towards his child, "My daughter, return her Lucifer! Return her back to me!!!"
The iron door was shut, canceling the noise of his daughter's screams.
"Let me go!! I wanna see my daddy!" Morwen, the young elf, tried biting on Lucifer's hand and nibbling his arm, but it was pointless.
"Keep that up, and I'll break a finger."
The young elf eventually stopped, looking up at Lucifer with dreadful eyes.
"Am I gonna be fed to those big doggies?" She asked, tearing up.
"No."
"...Am I gonna be sacrificed to the underworld spirits?"
"No."
"...Then... am I gonna be tortured like my mommy?"
"If you keep talking, then yes."
"Nnn." The child continued tearing up, until, "Waaaaa!!!"
The elf started to cry as she was dragged through the corridor without her consent.
Her wailing couldn't be heard by the other nearby slave quarters, as the door and walls were soundproof.
"Quit your crying."
"Nuwaaaa!!" She lifted her hand, rubbing her eyes as she shed tears, "I-I don't wanna be hurt anymore!" She stuttered in her voice, unable to stop.
Lucifer eventually let her hand go, turning around to stare at the child with his irritated expression.
"Morwen, is that your name?"
She slowly stopped her crying, sniffling through her nose, "Y-Yes..."
"I believe you hold the answer to my questions, Morwen."
"A-Answers...?" She looked up at him, sticking out her bottom lip, "What do you mean?"
"Well..." Lucifer placed his hand on his chest, bowing his head, "I sealed away who I once was, and decided to become something horrible," Lucifer extended his hand, waiting to see if she would take it, "My name was once George Caspian, my true identity before I was brought into this world, becoming known as Lucifer."
"George Caspian?" She looked at his hand, hesitant to grab it with a worried look.
"It's fine. Go ahead and take it."
Morwen slowly stretched her arm forward, grasping Lucifer's gloved palm.
"Why are you telling me this, Lord Lucifer?"
"It's quite simple, really."
Lucifer continued walking through the corridor, holding Morwen's hand.
"I sealed away my other self, known as George Caspian. He no longer exists inside of me. It's only I, Lucifer, now. George was my creator."
"Oh... okay."
The young elf didn't understand what he was talking about, but she tried her best.
"The reason I'm bringing you with me is to see if my feelings are true."
"What do you mean by that?" Asked the elf.
"When I saw you being injured by one of my men, I felt no sympathy for you. Naturally, I assumed this was from me sealing away George, preventing his morality from interfering, and yet..."
"Yet you helped me?"
"...Yes." Lucifer was confused, gazing at the stone floor, "Yet I helped you, indeed."
"That just means you're instinctively a good person, Lord Lucifer!"
The Demon King widened his eyes, rooting himself in place.
"A good... person?"
"Mhm!" The child smiled, nodding her head, "If you decided to help me, it just means you aren't so bad as you think you are!"
"I doubt that. My creator, George, made me to be this way."
"So what if he did? From what you're saying, it sounds like you're still carrying some of George's beliefs, right?"
"...Carrying his... beliefs?"
Lucifer couldn't comprehend that, it was far too complex.
"That doesn't make any sense. We're completely different people."
"You said George made you, didn't he?" The small girl ran in front of the demon king, pointing at him with one hand on her hip, "It's not impossible to take the traits of other people, especially from the person who made you! I believe you're overthinking it too hard, and are close-minded."
"...Hmm," Lucifer didn't even realize she had pulled away from his hand, "Is that why I'm still trying to kill Angelica? Because I carry his beliefs?"
"Kill who?" Asked the clueless child.
"I overpowered George and his morality and took that opportunity to seal him away inside one of my magic crystals, preventing him from interfering with my actions, and yet... I am still carrying on with his desires."
"...Are you ignoring me?" She asked, pouting, unable to get her previous answer.
"Morwen... thank you."
"The Demon King is thanking me...?"
"You made me realize something that I should've realized moments ago."
"Huh?"
"I believed that I sealed George away... but that isn't the case."
"Then... what is?"
"I am unsure."
"How don't you know what you sealed away? That doesn't make a lot of sense..."
"George is separate from who I am, and he's just as smart as me," Lucifer grinned, "His beliefs and morality are still interfering with my actions, because he still exists inside of me. I underestimated him. He's sneakily taking control over my actions without me knowing it because I believed to have sealed him away."
"...You know... I think you're wrong."
Lucifer lifted his brow in question, glancing at the girl, "You believe that I'm wrong?"
"Yeah! I believe you're just refusing to accept that you took some of George's traits after you sealed him away."
"No, that's impossible. Why would I take his traits?"
"Listen, my mommy told me a lot about the Demon King, she said you're infallible, never making a mistake in your life. If you said that you sealed away George, then it's definitely true! Don't try making excuses for your good actions. The Demon King that we know is always right! He's always unstoppable... that's why none of us can escape your grasp."
"Hahaha," Lucifer chuckled, "It's quite the contradiction. You give me compliments, yet reveal that I am the person who enslaved all of you." He stared at Morwen, slightly forming a grin; a relaxing one at that. "But yes... what you say may be true, Morwen, I refuse to believe the Demon King out of all people is allowed to show sympathy towards others."
"Hehehe, this is gonna go down in the history books. The Demon King shows sympathy for the first time in his life!"
"I'm sorry."
"Hm?" She tilted her head to the side, "Sorry for what?"
"You may not understand, considering... you're an NPC."
"What's an NPC?"
"It doesn't matter. Just know that I am sorry for creating a nation like this, because I wanted to be edgy, and was jealous of someone else. If I knew that this world would one day come alive, then I wouldn't have made this into a hellish environment."
"...O-Oh... it's okay..." Said Morwen, smiling to reassure the Demon King, "It sounds like the Demon King is really sorry, so that's all that matters to someone like me! Hehehe."
"Right." Lucifer continued onwards, "Now then, follow me. I shall show you something grand."
"O-Okay!" Morwen skipped behind him, following Lucifer toward their destination.