Jane, who had escaped, moved her feet to the headquarters of the demons in Astelgia.
Originally, the plan was to slowly dismantle the Volkanov family, but there was no more time to spare.
‘I didn’t expect them to revive the family so quickly.’
Even meticulously chewing her guiltless lips couldn’t calm her anger.
How much time had she spent to destroy the family? She had approached Leticia deliberately to deal with Killain Volkanov, a Master of the Empire.
It had been nearly ten years dedicated to this operation. Her efforts were not in vain, and indeed, Volkanov was on the brink of self-destruction.
‘But that b*stard ruined everything! Ian, that b*stard!’
However, an unexpected obstacle had ruined everything.
After working so hard to bring down the family, he was restoring its status with a potato business.
Having corrupted the vassals, Ian had navigated this situation with his own recruits.
It was almost maddening.
What made Jane even more frustrated was Ian’s successful strategy after the failed attempt.
At that moment, she wanted to abandon everything and run away. It was the worst day for Jane.
‘No… I must stay calm.’
Despite the collapse of her painstakingly built plans, Jane endured.
Even if it was all in vain, how could she fail at the last moment?
Tack, tack.
Jane silently walked into the temple.
At the end of the path, a man leaned against the wall.
A man with blond hair and elegant attire emitting an aura of nobility.
Seeing him, Jane furrowed her brow, and the man smiled, showing his teeth.
“It’s been a while. Nice to see you. Oh! Isn’t this a situation where we can exchange greetings?”
“If you’re going to say something disrespectful, shut up. Are you here to mock me?”
“Mock you… Every time I see you, I think. How about fixing that temper of yours? Jane… No, Asmodeus.”
“Hmph. You money-obsessed magpie… You’ve mastered teasing…”
Jane frowned at the man’s sneer and summoned her magic.
Crack!
Her body began to transform strangely. Her skin started to ripple like a reptile shedding its skin, and her back leather squirmed.
“Huff…”
Once the transformation was complete, there was no trace of her human form.
Horns of a ram, wings of a giant bat, and finally a tail.
As Asmodeus revealed her true form, the corners of her mouth curved.
“After disguising as a human to approach Lady Volkanov, are you done with that hobby? Well… I thought that appearance suited you better than the tidy attire of a maid.”
“Stop scratching at my nerves, Mammon!”
“Just kidding… I wanted to lighten the mood since you seemed upset. You shouldn’t get angry at this.”
Watching Mammon smile smugly, Asmodeus clenched her fists.
Even in this situation, he’s playing around… Does that guy have no sense?
“The situation is not good. The plan to bring down Volkanov from within has failed. It seems we’ll have to take matters into our own hands.”
“Taking matters into our hands… I expected this since there seemed to be no further progress. But… is there a reason to act now?”
“What do you mean? Are you here to dissuade me?”
Staring down the growling Asmodeus, Mammon smiled slyly.
Looking out beyond the hall where she had been, Mammon surveyed the landscape of Astelgia.
“Building a tower on unstable ground is as foolish as it gets. Isn’t that exactly our situation now? I’ve heard that your followers are also not in a good state.”
Mammon always valued thorough preparation.
Knowing that Asmodeus’ followers, the barbarians from the north, were grumbling, Mammon wasn’t rash enough to prepare for war.
Looking at her expectantly for a response, Asmodeus confidently spoke up.
“Don’t worry about that. Their state doesn’t matter anyway.”
“Doesn’t matter?”
“We never intended to entrust critical tasks to barbarians. They’re not as capable as knights of the family like Ian or Ariel.”
Since they never had high expectations, they never considered giving them significant roles.
Their goal was merely to cause chaos for Volkanov and use them as sacrifices in similar situations.
“Don’t worry. Everything is prepared.”
“I see.”
Nodding at Mammon’s confident gaze, Asmodeus agreed.
“Indeed. If we leave Volkanov alone as you say, things might become uncontrollable. It might be better to handle it now.”
“Then prepare as quickly as possible. The more we delay, the more Ian might grow.”
“I’m not worried about that. However, it won’t just be the two of us; Gluttony will be involved as well.”
“The Demon King of Gluttony? What are you talking about?”
To think Gluttony would be involved too? Asmodeus widened his eyes at this unfamiliar story.
Having one more major demon might be good, but that was a story for when fighting in the demon realm. Interfering in the mortal realm was an entirely different matter.
“If Gluttony gets involved too! Even if it’s just two, if three intervene in the mortal realm, the constraints will be severe. Even if we sacrifice all our followers, we won’t be able to unleash even a tenth of our true power!”
Just as humans couldn’t fully utilize their abilities in Astelgia, demons couldn’t exert their power in areas not under the Demon God’s rule.
Surely they knew this, so why say such things?
“Intervening with minimal constraints is the limit for two. Surely you know that?”
Asmodeus looked at Mammon as if asking for an explanation, but Mammon didn’t give a proper answer.
Instead, he gestured.
Swish!
Mammon’s hand beckoned lightly as if to say ‘come here’. Asmodeus turned his head, wondering what was happening.
Thunk!
“Oof!”
A magical arm pierced through her abdomen.
A strangely misshapen hand covered in magic. Although concealed by magic, by memory, it was undoubtedly the hand of Beelzebub, the Demon King of Gluttony.
Did he just attack her?
“Why, why would you…!”
Asmodeus, now collapsed on the ground, stared blankly at Mammon.
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand. Why would Mammon attack her when they needed to focus on dealing with Ian Volkanov?
She wanted an answer, but Mammon remained silent.
With a sly smile, he lowered himself to her eye level.
Mammon chuckled, stroking her cheek gently as she grew weaker.
“You won’t understand. Do you wonder why Gluttony and I want you dead?”
“M-Mammon…”
“Curious about the reason? It’s simple. You’re useless.”
Asmodeus had recently lost her closest aide, Lilith.
Of course, that alone wasn’t the problem.
Even though Lilith was a pivotal figure in her army, she was still a Demon King.
The problem lay in the nature of her power.
“Your power comes from your followers blindly following you. But aren’t they in disarray now?”
For her, managing the state of her followers was crucial as they were the source of her power.
Could she draw strength from scattered savages?
Especially in a situation constrained by intervening in the mortal realm?
‘Even if I take you, there’s no reason to take baggage like you.’
Wouldn’t it be more rational to join forces with Baalzepub, the Demon King of Appetite, rather than her, who was of no help?
As Asmodeus listened to the truth, her murderous intent flared up, intensely… Mammon’s eyes, dark and full of contempt, furrowed.
“You want to kill me over that? Answer me, Mammon!”
“Of course, that’s not all. The second reason is your conduct.”
“My conduct?”
There was no playfulness left in Mammon’s face as he looked down at her. His eyes were filled with disgust as he crushed her skull underfoot.
Thud!
“Ahh!”
“You’ve always been arrogant. I granted you authority to deal with Volkanov personally, but you failed. Can’t even manage one human properly, can you?”
There was nothing about her that he liked.
He hated seeing her say this and that when she couldn’t do anything on her own, and he hated seeing her keep the Demon King of Sloth in check and interfering, understanding her role.
“A despicable woman…”
Mammon knew the nature of such individuals well.
He knew that he couldn’t let those who put spoons on the dinner table do as they pleased.
That was why.
“When you killed a woman named Jane and stole her identity, causing the downfall of her family. If you hadn’t done that, this wouldn’t have happened. It’s all because of your actions! Eat her up, Beelzebub.”
“No… Stop… Don’t come…!”
Sensing imminent death, Asmodeus tried to crawl away, but Mammon wasn’t a merciful figure who would spare her.
Crunch!
“Aaargh!”
A giant mouth formed of demonic magic swallowed her whole, silencing Asmodeus.
“Hmm… It’s my first time eating a Greater Demon, but it feels quite exhilarating.”
Beelzebub wiped the blood from his hands, reveling in the surge of magic spreading through his body.
By summoning a demon’s mouth with his power, Beelzebub could absorb some of the strength of the swallowed target.
In other words, Beelzebub had now absorbed even Asmodeus’s power.
Although it was a deteriorated version, he could still use the powers she used.
“So, Mammon, what’s the next plan? Are we proceeding with an immediate attack as she suggested?”
“Yes. Originally, I planned to watch them destroy themselves, but that’s no longer an option.”
“I’m already prepared. Since I’ve absorbed Asmodeus’s power as well.”
Even though she was rotten, she was able to ascend to the position of the Demon King. Her magical energy was truly enormous.
Having absorbed her magic entirely, the constraints imposed might be significant, but the power gain would be substantial.
“If we were to categorize within human terms, I could wield power akin to an Expert or even a Master.”
With two such demons in play, they had nothing to fear.
“With this level of strength, dealing with this Ian character shouldn’t be too difficult. While we’re at it, wouldn’t it be wise to handle the Hero too?”
“I understand your excitement, but we mustn’t let our guard down. Ian is no ordinary foe.”
“I know. If he took care of Lilith, he’s not to be underestimated. Naturally, we’ll stay vigilant.”
Beelzebub understood the importance of this opportunity.
If they left Ian Volkanov, who was rapidly growing in power, unattended, he could pose a significant threat to the demon realm.
They were fully prepared to confront such an adversary.
Confident, Baalzepub folded his arms and glanced at Mammon.
“Shall we send the barbarians?”
“That would be wise. Their condition isn’t ideal, but with their numbers, a sudden attack across the mountains should suffice to sow chaos.”
Exploiting the confusion among Volkanov’s vigilant forces during an unexpected assault would be their strategy.
‘Surely Ian Volkanov won’t just sit idle as before. Whether he’s careless or not… We’ll witness significant losses.’
As Mammon contemplated the plan, he felt an exhilarating sensation coursing through him.
The thought of being able to eliminate Ian immediately was intoxicating.
***
Time flew by, and before they knew it, four days had passed swiftly.
During this time, Ian patiently relived his school days, taking it easy.
‘It’s been comfortable. I did nothing but wait.’
Normally, he would train whenever he had spare time, but this time, he refrained.
He spent his time at Ark, observing Igor’s activities and refraining from personal training.
To an outside observer, Ian might have appeared lazy, having become accustomed to idleness.
Of course, Ian wasn’t actually becoming lazy. There were reasons for his inactivity.
“Knowing that Ark’s influence extends, I can’t openly prepare.”
Ark was not a safe haven that protected against external forces.
Just recently, weren’t there mines disguised as heretics?
‘In a situation where they could be lurking, I can’t afford to train.’
They were always watching him, and training recklessly might expose his intentions to the demons.
‘Can’t train, can’t stay idle…’
It was a frustrating situation, but fortunately, there was a way out.
Ian gazed at the translucent window that appeared before him.
[You have received your 10th challenge reward!]
[Skill! Enhanced Lo Aias, blocking enemy attacks and reflecting them back simultaneously!]
‘Have I already fought this much with Alex Volkanov?’
Having been unable to access the training grounds, Ian actively used the simulated battles and had already achieved the 10th challenge reward.
‘Reaching the 10th challenge is also a good thing. The biggest achievement is that I can now fight against Alex.’
The Sun Stones gifted by Bedon had been a tremendous help.
As seen from the notification that Neltalion had partially recovered his divinity, Ian had grown tremendously.
Not only did the amount of available mana increase, but he could now summon multiple arms.
‘Perhaps thanks to that, I am now strong enough to aim for victory over Alex.’
Compared to celebrating a single injury, this growth was significant.
‘Of course, I’m still not accustomed to Neltalion’s enhanced power, so I can’t fully utilize my true strength yet. But I see potential.’
It was expected that if they conducted a couple more simulated battles, they could anticipate good results.
‘Well, then all that’s left is to spend this leisurely time engaging in mock battles.’
At first, Ian thought casually attending Ark would be comfortable, but trying it out revealed it wasn’t all that easy.
“I thought these guys were crazy.”
Ian recalled the students who had crowded the hallways.
Rumors spread so quickly that news of his event had rapidly reached the world of nobles.
Students who normally wouldn’t engage in conversation would gather around, asking when the next event would be held.
‘My father is interested in investing; do you have any plans? Are you thinking of hosting the next event in another territory?’ and similar questions were raised.
‘Some even asked if they could participate as competitors.’
True to Ark’s principles of nondiscrimination, there were commoners among the students, and some would discreetly approach to chat.
‘If you came all the way to Ark, shouldn’t you study hard to become a bureaucrat or join the military? What’s with those wanting to participate in fighting competitions?’
They were individuals who, despite their parents struggling to afford tuition, would make remarks that stabbed at their efforts.
Ian decided not to view them negatively.
After all, weren’t they all human? Seeing those who competed for significant prizes naturally sparked ambition.
‘Well, they probably didn’t mean any harm.’
It was reasonable to assume that the event’s success would attract considerable interest.
‘And now their attention has shifted elsewhere.’
Glancing out the window, Ian saw students crowded around the notice board in front of the main building.
“Hey! If you’re done, step back! Why are you still crowding the front?”
“We want to see too! Are you the only ones allowed to see?”
Recently, students had gathered to check the results of their midterm exams.
Of course, Ian had already used Eri’s spirits to check his grades, so he could avoid being part of that crowd.
‘With an overall grade of A+, unless something special happens, I should secure the top spot again this semester.’
Classes that would affect his grades were over. Now, all that remained was waiting for the month-long vacation.
‘Usually, this is the perfect time for something to happen… When will the bait be taken?’
Dealing with enemies during vacation was unpleasant, but it beat fighting them while managing school life.
Because of this, Ian had hoped that the demons would attack as soon as possible.
Had Ian’s wish reached the heavens?
Ding!
Once again, his device began to buzz.
Checking the message, Ian smirked.
[It seems the northern barbarians are getting restless. According to the mountain border guards, they’re preparing to cross the range. You should return to the family estate soon. I’ve also sent a message to Ariel.]
– Viscount Shulkin.
‘Here it comes.’
