A dreadful stench and a bizarre voice that sounded like scraping metal.
Feeling it, Lilith’s brows narrowed ever so slightly, and Asmodeus, already in a foul mood, furrowed his face in irritation.
“…Gagiel, is it?”
And I, turning around, murmured quietly.
There stood a beggar, draped in a filthy, tattered cloak.
His body was smeared with all kinds of filth, and dozens of flies buzzed around him.
He looked like someone who had crawled straight out of a sewer.
Asmodeus, seeing him, spoke.
“…Beelzebub, didn’t I tell you to keep yourself somewhat clean before I burn you to ashes?”
Beelzebub, a demon bearing the Qliphoth of Gagiel, ranked second in the hierarchy.
The beggar-like old man chuckled at her remark and replied.
“Hehe, it seems our queen is in quite the foul mood. I could tell the atmosphere was nasty already—did you get into another spat with Nahemoth?”
“Shut that mouth of yours. The stench from your breath is enough to rot my nose.”
“Hehe…”
Despite Asmodeus’s scathing words, Gagiel’s Beelzebub merely laughed and moved to his seat.
Then, he glanced at me and Lilith and spoke.
“By the way, it’s been a while since I last saw Nahemoth and Gamaliel. Hmm…how long has it been since the last meeting?”
“Are you senile because you look like a human elder? It hasn’t even been half a year. Of course, it’s been quite some time since this human scoundrel attended, though.”
Asmodeus responded irritably to his question.
Beelzebub clapped his hands and laughed.
“Ah, yes, that’s right. That’s right. Lately, I’ve been so free that I’ve lost track of time. Nahemoth, are you going to be busy from now on?”
“Since the academy entrance is approaching, probably.”
I answered with my eyes closed.
Beelzebub stroked his messy beard and spoke.
“Hehe… academy entrance, huh? In human terms, it’s the prime of youth, isn’t it? How delightful.”
“That way of speaking. It’s really irritating, Beelzebub. You sound just like a human elder.”
“Haha, doesn’t that mean I’ve adapted quite well to the present?”
Even though Asmodeus insulted him with scornful words, Beelzebub just shrugged and responded casually.
Clearly disgusted by him, Asmodeus, unable to stand the physiological repulsion, turned her head away sharply, as if refusing to deal with him further.
And then it happened.
Fwoosh!
A massive shadow seemed to descend over the meeting hall, like an illusion.
Everyone’s gaze turned in that direction.
Sssssshhhhhh…
A colossal eye.
With a long, slit-shaped black pupil, it was much larger than any human’s.
The giant red eye, belonging to a massive serpent, flicked its tongue as it gazed down upon us.
Staring at the ruby-like crimson light emanating from the serpent’s gaze, Beelzebub spoke.
“Oh ho! Has our Devourer arrived?”
Even before the giant snake, he showed no signs of being intimidated.
This was a serpent large enough to effortlessly coil around an entire city.
But the same was true for everyone present.
The being before them was an equal, a familiar entity.
Lilith spoke.
“Astaroth, wouldn’t you kindly shrink yourself to a size that suits sitting at the table? It seems inappropriate for a meeting otherwise.”
Sssshhh…
As if listening to her words, the massive serpent began to shrink in size.
No, it didn’t stop at merely shrinking.
It started to transform into something else.
To be precise, the serpent morphed into the form of a human woman.
Black hair, red eyes, and slit-like black pupils.
A beautiful woman with these features now stood where the serpent once was.
“…I’m hungry.”
With her eyes lazily open, “she” murmured in a drowsy voice, catching Beelzebub’s attention, who chuckled heartily.
“Haha, I understand Astaroth, but do try to hold back a little. If you must, would you like to feast on my subordinates instead?”
“I’m not picky, but… your subordinates are too revolting, Beelzebub. I’ll pass.”
“Hehe, what a pity.”
With a chuckle, Beelzebub turned away, leaving the demon of Gag Sheblar’s Qliphoth, Astaroth, to take her seat.
As she settled down, she looked around and greeted everyone in her usual languid tone.
“Well, hello there, Lilith… you’re still as enviably beautiful as ever.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“And Asmodeus… you seem as irritable as usual today.”
“Hmph.”
“And… Telos Nehemoth, young heir to the Count?”
Finally, “she” turned to me, her lazy smile turning playful as she referred to my “official title.”
“Standing before a [Princess], you don’t think you should show proper respect?”
A princess.
In this world, only three individuals could lay claim to that title:
The First Princess, locked in a fierce political struggle with the First Prince for the imperial throne.
The Third Princess, an innocent five-year-old child entirely uninvolved in politics.
And the Second Princess, set to enroll in the academy this year, known for her extraordinary martial talents.
The figure before us now was…
“This doesn’t seem like the kind of place to offer royal treatment, does it? Wouldn’t you agree, Gag Sheblar?”
“Well, since we’ll be peers at the academy this year, don’t you think it’s good practice to start now?”
A demon of the Fourth Seat of the Qliphoth, Gag Sheblar, and simultaneously, the Second Princess of the Empire.
This was a secret shared only among the Qliphoth demons—something even Count Nehemoth didn’t know.
Astaroth, the demon of Gag Sheblar, possessed the power of “Devour.”
It was, quite literally, the ability to consume anything—living or non-living.
When she devoured living creatures, she could not only mimic their appearance but also replicate every aspect of them—not just their looks but their physical structure, abilities, and even their strength and power.
Through this ability, Astaroth had devoured the Second Princess of the Empire and taken her place.
However, while she could replicate their abilities and appearance perfectly, suspicion could arise if the person behaved too differently from the original.
The true brilliance of the “Devour” ability lay in its capacity to consume even the soul of the devoured target.
By doing so, Astaroth not only enhanced her own power and abilities but also gained full access to the soul’s memories and information.
She could even integrate that information into her own soul, enabling her to replicate her target with flawless precision.
But—
“The real princess is still inside your stomach, isn’t she?”
“Indeed… that’s just the nature of my power.”
The power of Devour did not include the ability to “digest” souls.
While physical matter could be fully processed, souls remained undigested, lingering within her.
Souls were not like an elixir that could be absorbed to enhance one’s power.
To digest a soul would mean…
It signifies assimilation.
In other words, there is a risk of one’s identity being distorted.
Isn’t it the same for me?
A being intertwined between Telos Nehemoth and Lee Hyun-jun.
Gag Sheblar’s power also carries the danger of twisting the wielder’s own existence.
This is precisely why the power of “Devour” lacks the function to digest souls.
Thus, the soul of the real Second Princess, Ariandel von Elysion, remains intact, safely preserved inside her.
Recalling this information, I glanced at her with briefly sunken eyes.
In the game [Elysion Academy], the role of the Second Princess, Ariandel, was that of the classic “heroine.”
She bonded with the protagonist, and by the end of the game, romantic feelings would blossom between them, solidifying her role as the protagonist’s supporter.
At the same time, in terms of fairy tales, she played the “princess captured by the demon” role.
Whether or not the protagonist rescued her from Astaroth determined if the player could unlock the happy ending.
Most players wouldn’t know this on their first playthrough.
The fact that the Empire’s Second Princess is, in reality, the demon Gag Sheblar is a top-secret piece of information known only among the Qliphoth.
While the game subtly drops “hints” along the way, it’s challenging to figure out that the princess you’ve been interacting with the entire game is actually the enemy.
This makes her eventual betrayal all the more shocking, and players typically fail that run, resolving to rescue her in subsequent playthroughs.
But I don’t need to do that.
This story doesn’t apply to me.
As one of the Qliphoth, I already know that the princess is Astaroth.
Moreover, I possess the memories of Lee Hyun-jun, who has played this game, set in this world, hundreds of times.
Rescuing Ariandel…
no, there’s a way to use Astaroth’s power—her “asset”—to fuel my revenge.
After concluding my thoughts, I shifted my gaze away from Astaroth and closed my eyes.
“Hm…? Nehemoth, you were staring at me quite intently just now…”
Astaroth seemed to sense something unusual about my gaze and remarked.
She crossed her legs with a seductive smile and continued speaking.
“Could it be that you’ve taken a liking to me?”
I ignored her words, keeping my eyes closed.
For a moment, it seemed like Lilith’s gaze shifted toward me, but I chose not to dwell on it.
Time passed…
It seems like everyone summoned has gathered.
A voice resounded through the space, echoing throughout the room.
No one was startled.
Everyone’s eyes naturally turned toward the highest seat at the round table.
A shadowy figure shrouded in darkness sat there.
‘…So, it has arrived.’
The Tree of Qliphoth.
It’s the de facto leader.
The Qliphoth, representing the duality of divinity.
Now then, let us begin the meeting.
The First Seat of the Qliphoth, Thaumiel.
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