Chapter 47: Lust

Watching the classroom unfold as usual, El felt his mindset had changed.

After experiencing the attack from the Demon Cult last night, he suddenly found that everything in the academy now seemed trivial.

“Aren’t you actually working with the Demon Cult?”

El asked in his heart.

“Brat, I thought I’d been sincere enough for you to sense whether I’m lying.”

Anger said, disgruntled.

El noticed that when this demon was in a bad mood, he’d call him “brat”; when his mood was better, it was usually “El” or “kid.”

“So, according to you, the leader behind the Demon Cult is a Great Demon of Sin, equal in power to you—the Sin of Lust?”

El pulled out his textbook, flipping through it casually, though his thoughts were completely focused on his conversation with the demon.

“Don’t lump me together with that schemer. I am the King of the Abyss—she’s nothing more than a sewer rat. Even among the Authorities of Sin, my ‘Wrath’ far surpasses her ‘Lust’.”

El was doubtful of this claim.

“We share a common enemy, brat.”

El asked, “Then why is that leader so determined to resurrect you?”

What was the benefit?

With Anger’s explanation, El felt even more confused. Since their stances were different, what did reviving “Wrath” do for “Lust”?

“Use your brain, brat. If the Great Lord of Wrath is resurrected inside your body, what do you think will happen?”

Hiss—suddenly, El’s thoughts connected.

The “El” in the script probably became a demon because of the influence of Wrath’s resurrection. Then he was defeated by Vita, and disappeared on the way to being transferred to the capital’s prison.

Was all of this part of “Lust’s” plan?

“But she never expected that you’d actually control the great Anger, making the Great Lord of Wrath a prisoner.”

Although El couldn’t see Anger’s expression, he could imagine him shrugging helplessly.

“In any case, I have to tell you: she’s set her sights on my Authority. For that, she’ll stop at nothing. Kid, you’re already at the heart of the storm—no matter what you do, you can’t stay out of this.”

The Authority of Wrath truly possessed the power to destroy the world. It absolutely couldn’t fall into the hands of a schemer. You don’t want your world turned to chaos, do you?

El replied, “Of course, you don’t need to tell me that.”

He was determined to protect everything he treasured—the Empire could never allow such evil to defile it.

But still, weren’t the consequences too grave…?

“What exactly is the Authority of Wrath? Why do you all value it so much?” he couldn’t help but ask.

El recalled witnessing Anger’s duel with the Great Lord of Greed—the demon’s punch had nearly destroyed heaven and earth.

“Heh, ultimate destruction, pure power—you’ll experience it. After all, Wrath is inside your body, kid! If you’re willing to give me part of your body, I can even let you try it. How about a quarter? I think that’s fair…”

Let’s hope you won’t be corrupted by that power… Anger left this part unsaid.

“I have no interest in a demon’s power. My strength comes from knowledge, from mortal wisdom. The spells I use are ones I’ve mastered myself. I’m proud of that.”

“Tch, bookworm.” The demon sneered.

As usual, El greeted his classmates in the classroom. Many had experienced last night’s attack—they asked El about his injuries, concerned for him.

He smiled in response, assuring them he was fine.

However, El noticed that one person—Christine—seemed to be acting unusually, as if there was something she wanted to tell him.

But when he asked, Christine brushed him off. So El let it go.

The professor began the lesson. This class was “Intermediate Elements: An Overview,” just another easy session for El.

“What are demons really like as creatures? Why did you come to our world? What’s your true purpose?”

It wasn’t just Anger who wanted to talk—El, too, had many questions that the ancient texts never answered.

“Demons? Lofty gods? In the end, they’re just pitiful wretches trapped in cages.”

“As for your last question… Honestly, after all these years, I’m the only demon who’s ever reached this world.”

El said, “But we have records…”

“Anything can be forged… At best, you summoned other beings from the Abyss. And even those are taken from your world…”

“Only I know how hard it is to escape the Abyss. Demons are bound by the world’s rules. To leave the Abyss, you must contend with the World Will. Without the Authority of Wrath, there’s no way I could have done it.”

Anger said, “I know what you want to ask. You think my words contradict themselves, don’t you? ‘Lust’ is the leader of the Demon Cult, so why do I say demons can’t descend into this world?”

“In fact, ‘Lust’ truly hasn’t come to this world. Her Authority lets her deceive the World Will, projecting a part of herself over. The downside is, she has no fighting power whatsoever. But a schemer like her doesn’t need to fight.”

So that’s how it is… El felt somewhat relieved.

At least those demons couldn’t invade the world they lived in.

“Anger, why did you come to our world? Aren’t you the King of Demons?”

“Why…”

Anger fell silent, lost in memory.

“Out of curiosity, nothing more. And stubbornness. Since no demon could escape the Abyss, I simply had to prove it could be done. Why must demons be trapped by fate?”

“My subjects… they don’t need me. I’ve taught them to defy this world. I believe that the act of ‘ruling’ itself is unreasonable. Why should the strong take what they want from the weak? I was driven to wrath by tyranny—how could I pass that ‘Wrath’ on to others?”

But, such is the law of the world; even ‘rule’ itself is part of order. He couldn’t understand it, so he decided to come to another world, hoping for enlightenment.

“But, I found that this world isn’t much different from the Abyss. Oppression is everywhere. It’s just that you have fresh air, fertile soil, and clear water, so you live better than demons.”

“To be honest, I’m disappointed.”

El listened quietly. His experience was too shallow to give the Great Lord of Demons an answer.

He made a note of this in his heart. El firmly believed that one day, he would be able to answer that question—relying on the wisdom of mortals.