"Tell me," Belial said as they walked, pointing at Van's armor and sword. "Who gave you that shit?"
Van considered for a moment. 'He's from the demon realm, so I guess there's no harm in telling him. Alicia already knows about the wife hunt.'
"A dwarf who thought I was funny," Van replied flatly.
"Must've been a drunk dwarf, then," Belial shot back without missing a beat.
"Most dwarves are drunk half the time. What's your point?" Van countered, his tone deadpan.
"I... Because...!" Belial sputtered, visibly annoyed. "He gave YOU that armor! That's why he was drunk! Giving high-quality gear to you because he thought you, of all people, were funny. A dumb shit like you—funny! Imagine that."
"Doesn't that make you dumber?" Van asked, smirking. "For falling for this dumb shit's 'made-up words'?"
"YOU FUCK!" Belial barked, grinding his teeth. "I wasn't talking about smart or not! I'm saying he was drunk because he thought you were FUNNY. YOU AIN'T FUNNY, dumbshit. And, the best part? Dumb shits can't be funny. You need to be smart for that. That's a double insult, you dumb bitch."
"Stupid shits can't be funny?" Van said, raising a brow. "Odd, since I find you hilarious."
"YOU FUCK!!!" Belial roared. "YOU AIN'T SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT! AND I SAID THAT DUMB SHITS CAN'T BE FUNNY, SO I CAN'T BE DUMB IF I'M MAKING YOU LAUGH!"
Behind them, Mirias trailed silently, her thoughts spiraling. 'What... what is this exchange? I've never seen Lord Belial this animated, not even in battle. Most who confront him either submit outright or lash out in anger. But this... this human... challenges him. And Belial—he's not furious—he's... enjoying this? How is that possible?'
Her gaze flicked to Van. 'Who is this human? How did he know we were demons? Even among A-ranked sorcerers, none have seen through us. Why isn't Lord Belial questioning this? Does he not understand the implications?'
She sighed deeply, her thoughts tangling further. 'This is Lord Belial. Stay focused. You are here to serve him.' Her cheeks warmed as her eyes lingered on him.
'Well... he already has all of my heart.'
"Why are you here?" Van's voice cut through the quiet. "Isn't your home the demon realm? Are you exiled or something?"
Belial growled softly but didn't answer right away. His gaze drifted ahead, watching the bustling crowd in the Capital, none of them sparing him a second glance.
"I exiled myself," he said at last, his voice sharp. "See this bitch behind me?" He jabbed a thumb in Mirias's direction. Van nodded casually.
'I guess that's just how he talks,' Van mused, though he couldn't help but notice the extra venom Belial seemed to put into the word when used on Mirias.
"Now imagine hundreds of these bitches. No, thousands. Doing what I say, when I say it, all day, every day. I got so fucking tired of it, I ran." He sighed heavily. "But her, and others like her, stayed loyal. Even after I ditched them. They keep me informed about shit happening around the world. Didn't kill them outright because they're useful." Belial's lip curled in disdain. "I can spit on them, shit on them, even kill them, and they'd still be loyal. It's fucking exhausting."
"You're royalty?" Van asked, his tone casual.
Belial stopped dead, narrowing his eyes at Van. "None of your business, dumb shit. All you need to know is I was fucking loaded—with coin and bitches all over me. So, I left when I was still a kid—give or take 30 years ago." He spat the words like venom, his eyes scanning the crowd.
"But look at this," he said, a wicked grin spreading across his face as a group of female adventurers walked past. Belial's obscene expression made them stiffen before their faces twisted in disgust, and they hurried away.
"Not a single tool in sight," he sneered, watching them retreat without care. "I'm gonna live here forever. FUCK the Demon Realm, the Archdevil, AND his vision. He can HONESTLY suck my cock." His words made Mirias flinch visibly.
'Hm, definitely some high royalty,' Van thought, studying him. 'Alicia gets that treatment on steroids, but she learned to live with it. I guess if he'd had someone like Varlog—honest and pragmatic—by his side, he wouldn't be so hateful... Though, that's just wishful thinking.'
Van's gaze lingered thoughtfully on Belial. 'And he kinda reminds me of someone.' His thoughts turned to Magus and Amoria's story about him. 'I bet if we weren't at war, Magus would've thrived—and been happy—living in the Demon Realm.'
Van's eyes widened as realization struck, the pieces falling into place.
A female maid remaining loyal, even under the harshest treatment.
Thousands of servants doing the same, their devotion so absolute that he had to escape.
Van's mind, unbidden, re-created Amoria's love confession about Magus, but this time, the faces shifted—
this demon before him, and Alicia.
!%#*&$^(*NOT. AGAIN.'%@(*&#@!!%^
A SNAP.
Murderous intent poured from Van, raw and unrestrained, rippling through the air like a storm. The immediate radius fell silent as the weight of his aura crushed the life out of it.
Nearby, a child collapsed, clutching at his throat. "M-Mommy... I can't... breathe..." he whimpered, his voice trailing off as his mother fell to her knees, trembling. Her only thought, primal and all-consuming, was to silence him—anything to shield them both from this oppressive force.
A battle-hardened adventurer froze mid-step, paralyzed with terror, his instincts screaming at him not to turn around. Others faltered, choking on the suffocating aura.
Mirias stood rooted to the spot, her pulse hammering in her chest as her legs buckled. 'What is this...!? Who... What... Even when the previous Demon Lord revealed his aura, I— I never felt such an overwhelming need... to prostrate myself! To kneel, or... or die where I stand!' Her pale face betrayed her terror as her demonic features unraveled; her horns flickered in and out of view on her head, but no one noticed—every onlooker was too preoccupied with surviving the storm of Van's murderous intent.
"...What?" Belial finally managed, narrowing his eyes at Van, his instincts on high alert. He could feel the shift in the air, though even he hesitated to act.
Van's hand rested on the hilt of his greatsword, his movements deliberate and unyielding.
Belial forced a grin, his voice tinged with bravado despite the tension. "Feel like fighting, huh? Fine—I've been itching for a good brawl since—"
"Be silent."
Van's low, firm mutter cut through the air like a blade, freezing Belial mid-sentence. The demon, for all his battle-hardened instincts and pride, felt his body betray him.
Even as a demon—born to live and die for battle—Belial's essence screamed a warning:
Obey.
'Who the fuck is he...?' Belial thought, disbelief clawing at his mind as his body betrayed him, frozen in place.
Van's posture shifted, his muscles coiling like a predator preparing to strike, his hand tightening on the hilt of the greatsword strapped to his back.
He was ready to kill.
To annihilate the one before him.
"Answer me this," Van growled, his voice low and dripping with unrelenting menace.
Mirias collapsed to her knees, trembling as the oppressive pressure smothered her. 'Lord... Belial... Run...!' The thought clawed through her panicked mind, her vision blurred with despair.
"YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT."
Van's eyes burned with an unnatural glow, piercing through the void of darkness his aura had conjured. Though the sun hung high in the sky, the world around them felt consumed by shadow. To Belial and the stunned onlookers, the only light came from Van's murderous gaze, glowing like embers in an endless void.
"ONLY FEMALES?" Van demanded.
"W...What the..!?" Belial stammered, his throat tightening under the weight of the question, the air itself seeming to constrict.
"WERE IT ONLY FEMALES WHO LOOKED UP TO YOU!?" Van roared, his grip on his greatsword tightening like a vice. The sheer force of his words made the ground quake beneath them, the earth trembling in protest.
Around them, one by one, onlookers crumpled to the ground, fainting under the unbearable weight of Van's aura; Mirias included. Buildings groaned ominously, cracks spreading like spiderwebs through their walls. The ground beneath their feet began to shift, as if the world itself were recoiling from the monstrous power Van unleashed.
Belial choked, forcing the words out as he struggled against the crushing pressure. "F-Females and... gr—B-Both. Females and males... some of those loyalists... who... sucked my ass... were also... males... since I was... Demon Lord... candidate..." His voice faltered, the last words slipping out before his body finally gave in, collapsing under the immense weight of Van's aura.
As the words registered, Van's expression shifted. The murderous aura dissipated as swiftly as it had appeared, lifting from the area like a receding storm. His glowing gaze dimmed, and the oppressive darkness around them gave way to the blinding brightness of the midday sun.
Van's eyes lingered on the unconscious demon sprawled before him, his features fully exposed, unable to maintain their concealment.
Releasing his grip on the greatsword, Van scanned the devastation around him. Dozens of unconscious bodies lay scattered across the cracked ground, the fractured buildings groaning in protest.
'...' Van surveyed the scene calmly before his gaze returned to Belial and the maid, Mirias, slumped nearby.
'Demon Lord candidate, huh? There's only one demon who fits this description. Left the demon realm under mysterious circumstances, favored to be the next Demon Lord... He must be Alicia's cousin, Belial.'
Van exhaled, his expression unreadable as he knelt to lift the unconscious pair. 'I'll take them somewhere out of sight. I'll figure out what to say later.'
Resolute, Van hoisted both Belial and Mirias onto his back, his form fading into the shadows, leaving behind the chaos and devastation in his wake.