Chapter 105

Chapter 105. Demon God of Vice (4)

“I find you to be a very strange human.”

After remaining silent for quite some time, Belial suddenly said that.

“In what way?”

“In the society of human Contractors, you belong to the very bottom.”

Belial took the wine bottle back from me as he spoke.

“I’ve heard that most humans give up on being Contractors the moment they end up contracted with a D-rank Constellation.”

"..."

“You have nothing to boast about as a Contractor. Your physical condition is poor. You have no magic power or internal energy. You rarely receive Enhancement Engravings, so all of your enhancement grades are below C-rank... You don’t have any useful Skills either, and you receive no Blessings from your Constellation.”

I was the one who had told him all of that, but having the brutal facts thrown back at me still hurt.

“And yet, whenever you see someone weaker than yourself, you reach out to them without hesitation.”

"..."

Belial stared at me for a moment before taking another sip of wine.

“Let me correct you. It’s not like I help everyone who looks weaker than me.”

“Is that so?”

“There was someone weaker than me among the Contractors transporting the goods with us this time too. He was completely ruined by alcohol and drugs.”

“Someone like that is much more fun to corrupt even further than to save.”

“Anyway.”

I ignored the remark that was very fitting for a demon who adored vice and continued.

“I believe that one day, I’ll be able to escape my current situation.”

“You believe you can stop being a bottom-tier Contractor contracted to a D-rank Constellation?”

“Yeah. So...”

I cleared my throat lightly before continuing.

“When I see someone at the bottom of the world drowning in despair, I want to tell them not to give up. To struggle until the very end.”

“That sounds like excessive meddling.”

“Yeah. That’s why I don’t actually say it.”

I smiled bitterly.

“If I’m not going to save them myself, telling them something like that would just be irresponsible.”

In truth, those were words I needed to hear myself.

That there was still hope.

That salvation would surely come someday.

I needed someone to tell me that.

“But if there’s someone I can save with my own strength... I want to save them.”

“I think I understand now.”

Belial nodded.

“You weren’t doing it out of simple kindness or a sense of justice.”

"..."

“You save other people because you want to believe that someone living at the very bottom, like yourself, can also be saved one day. You’re proving to yourself that hope exists.”

His observation was painfully accurate.

“If you simply look away and walk past them, then there will be one more example of someone who could never escape the pit at the bottom of the world. You cannot tolerate that.”

“That’s right...”

“At last, I think I understand the way you think.”

Belial smiled at me.

“You really do think differently from me.”

“Do I?”

“Yes. Even when I’m already at the very bottom of Hell, I’m the sort who remains cautious because I might still fall even lower.”

In Paradise Lost, when the demons argued over whether or not they should wage war against God once again, Belial was one of the leading voices against war.

But it wasn’t because he loved peace.

At the time, Moloch, representing the pro-war faction, argued that they had nowhere left to fall, so they should risk their lives and fight.

Belial countered that believing there was nowhere lower to fall was an illusion.

If they fought again and lost, they might end up in an even worse situation than before.

That caution against falling lower than one already had...

was part of Belial’s nature.

“You feel as though you’re already at the bottom of the world, but are you not afraid of falling even farther?”

"..."

“If you lose your arms and legs or your life in your current state, you’ll only be in a worse situation. In fact, you nearly fell even lower here...”

Belial smiled and set the wine bottle down.

“And yet you never abandon hope. You keep trying to climb higher.”

His eyes rested on me.

“Watching you like that... reminds me of Him.”

"..."

“I sincerely find myself hoping that you’ll reach a higher place one day.”

Belial gazed steadily at my face.

“Someone like you... deserves to hear this.”

“Hear what?”

“Yes. My true objective. You asked me earlier, didn’t you?”

Belial lowered his voice slightly.

“What I truly desire in this kingdom of Hell is...”

Amid the loud crashing of the waves, I listened carefully.

“To protect the honor of the one being in this entire universe whom I revere above all others.”

The one he revered.

I never expected to hear such words from a demon like Belial.

“What do you mean?”

“Heh. I wonder.”

Belial laughed and raised the wine bottle to his lips again.

“Even a demon like me has at least one thing he treasures.”

As Belial said that, his profile looked no different from that of an ordinary human.

Then one day.

I overheard merchants talking in the marketplace.

They said that young human meat, which had been out of stock for quite some time, would soon be available again.

I looked into it a little.

It turned out the organization I had betrayed before was once again kidnapping children and trying to bring them into Pandemonium.

And from what I heard...

it seemed they had kidnapped the very same children I had saved the first time.

Apparently, the children had been intercepted while trying to return to their original homes.

When I heard that, I couldn’t remain still.

“I’ll lend you equipment.”

“What?”

“Do not misunderstand. I am only lending it to you.”

When I explained what had happened and told him I was leaving immediately, Belial offered to support me.

“A demon cannot save humans. That would threaten our very identity.”

“I know.”

“I cannot make you stronger either. Not unless you enter into a ‘demonic contract’ with me.”

Belial smiled.

“And I cannot act personally. Human trafficking is considered a legitimate economic activity in Pandemonium. Personally interfering with it would be unacceptable.”

“I know that too.”

There was something I had come to understand after arriving in Pandemonium.

Demons were far less free than I had imagined.

They had clear laws and rules, and they were required to obey them.

Then again, demons had always been known for strictly honoring contracts.

Stories of demons suffering losses because they made a bad deal with a human were incredibly common.

“I’ll deal with it myself, so don’t worry.”

“Yes. I’m sure you’ll handle it well.”

Hearing a demon say...

I believe in you.

That was something I had never expected.

“So... finish what you have to do and come back.”

Belial took my hand.

“When you return... let’s think together about how you might become stronger as a human and as a Contractor.”

“Belial...”

“Just so we’re clear, I’m not saying I’ll save you.”

He smiled.

“I’m only saying we can think about it together.”

Belial’s smile grew gentler.

“As friends.”

"..."

That was the last conversation I ever had with Belial while I was alive.

I’ll tell you the conclusion first.

I failed.

I devised a plan to split them up and catch them off guard, but each individual turned out to be much stronger than I had expected.

When I attacked, there was one B-rank Contractor and two C-rank Contractors by Capital Region standards.

Thanks to the equipment Belial had lent me, I managed to defeat one of the C-rank Contractors.

But during close combat, the B-rank Contractor ripped my weapon out of my hands.

“You worthless bastard! Who the hell do you think you’re attacking?!”

He shouted triumphantly.

And I could do nothing in front of him.

I was already injured.

I knew I had no chance of winning, so I ran.

But an arrow fired from behind buried itself in my back.

I fled across the mountain, bleeding heavily.

Then rain began to pour, draining my strength even faster.

By the time I reached the wasteland, I had completely shaken off my pursuers.

But I had no strength left to keep moving.

A little farther and I would have entered an area patrolled by Pandemonium.

But I collapsed to the ground before I could reach it.

As the rain poured over me, I wondered why I had ended up like this.

In the end, it was because I lacked ability.

If my Strength Enhancement had only reached C-rank, they wouldn’t have taken my weapon from me.

If my Stamina Enhancement had only reached C-rank, I wouldn’t have reached my limit here.

Negative thoughts kept flooding into my mind.

Thoughts I normally would never have allowed myself to entertain refused to leave.

I’m going to die anyway.

The moment I thought that, every last trace of hope disappeared.

All the negative emotions I had suppressed for so long took over my dying mind.

That was the end.

That was how my life as a Contractor came to an end.

Without accomplishing anything.

Without obtaining anything.

I died helplessly, swallowed by despair.

And then...

a new life began.

As I recalled that past...

I stared at Belial’s face after meeting him again for the first time in so long.

“At any rate, I’m glad to see you looking well.”

Belial was beaming.

He seemed even happier than I had expected.

“By the way, what should I call you now? Since you’ve changed your face, I assume you intend to live under a different identity. I probably shouldn’t use your old name.”

“No one can spy on our conversation here anyway.”

“I might make a mistake outside.”

“Just call me Nameless. Or Kim Nameless.”

“That is obviously a fake name.”

Belial chuckled.

“Very well. It suits the representative of the ‘Nameless King.’”

"..."

Belial didn’t seem to have realized at all that I myself was the Nameless King.

Well, that was only natural.

No one could possibly imagine that a bottom-tier Contractor had died and reincarnated as a Constellation.

“Then, Mr. Kim Nameless... what is the Nameless King’s decision?”

“He’s accepting your proposal.”

“Excellent.”

Belial smiled softly.

“Considering the path Kang Yujin has walked so far, I believed he would accept.”

“Still, wasn’t this too dangerous? If the Nameless King rejected your proposal and instead leaked the information to Phenex, you would’ve been in serious trouble.”

“I judged that possibility to be extremely low. And even if it happened, I could deal with something on that level.”

“What if Kang Yujin’s group defeats Phenex, and the other demons start suspecting you afterward?”

“I intend to handle things carefully enough to prevent that... but you don’t need to worry about it anyway.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Belial nodded with a playful smile.

“Mr. Kim Nameless, I have already tipped Phenex off that humans are preparing to invade.”

I remained silent for a moment.

Then I slowly asked a question to confirm what he meant.

“Which route did you tell him they would use?”

"..."

A satisfied smile appeared on Belial’s face.

“The eastern mountain region. I told him a Contractor group controlling the old Gangwon Province area was preparing to enter through the Cheorwon route.”

“Phenex will focus his attention there.”

Exactly.

Belial had fed Phenex false information.

“Of course, their actual objective isn’t to assassinate Phenex. They’re hunting the Fallen Demons who have formed villages throughout the northern Cheorwon area.”

The Fallen Demons were one of Pandemonium’s subordinate races, dark-skinned humanoid demons.

To put it simply...

they were like dark elves from a fantasy story.

“Fallen Demon slaves are apparently sold for very high prices on black markets in places like Japan.”

“So they were planning to capture them before Pandemonium’s reinvasion begins and then cross over to Japan.”

They had probably been planning one massive score.

Unlucky for them.

“Then while Phenex is focused on Cheorwon... we can cross through the Incheon side.”

Belial’s influence reached the Incheon region.

If we moved through the islands along the west coast and entered the northern region from there, even Phenex wouldn’t notice.

In the end, the Contractors entering through Cheorwon would serve as bait.

Even if the other demons grow suspicious later... Belial can claim he diligently gathered intelligence and passed it on to Phenex.

Belial was exceptionally skilled at scheming and propaganda, even among demons.

With this much preparation, even if the others suspected betrayal, he would probably be able to talk his way out of it.

“No one knows you’re connected to Ma Taesu either, right?”

“Of course. Even Ma Taesu’s Constellation doesn’t know.”

Belial nodded.

“The only ones who know that Ma Taesu and I are secretly working together to turn Pandemonium upside down are the people directly involved in this operation.”

Ma Taesu had an extremely close relationship with Belial of Pandemonium.

But that information had been completely hidden.

No one had known until Ma Taesu revealed it in front of Number 49.

“Honestly, even I had been a little suspicious of Ma Taesu.”

“Were you?”

“Yeah. I thought he might actually be a ‘traitor selling humanity to demons,’ like Sama Yun and the others claimed.”

“Haha. That is quite the accusation. Ma Taesu would be very offended.”

Belial laughed.

“You need not worry. Neither Ma Taesu nor I have any intention of harming humanity.”

"..."

“My objective is simply to turn the Pandemonium created by Him into a truly glorious nation.”

"..."

Him.

There was only one being Belial ever referred to in that way.

The Demon King who created Pandemonium...

the one who rebelled against God.

I had heard before what Belial felt toward that being.

“Understood. Then I’ll trust you completely.”

“Thank you. Please convey that to the Nameless King.”

Belial held out his hand.

I smiled and shook it.

“When everything is resolved, let us meet again.”

Belial smiled beautifully as our hands remained clasped.

Belial.

One of the Demon Gods who ruled Pandemonium, yet someone who sought to purge the other Demon Gods and transform Pandemonium itself.

After becoming a Constellation, I had always expected that one day I would work together with Belial.

But before I could contact him first, Belial reached out through Ma Taesu.

In that case...

I had to make the most of this cooperative relationship.

And that night.

A new video was uploaded to my Constellation Tube channel.