"Father…?"
Leca had been sending a mind-transfer message for several minutes, but Behemoth gave no reply.
Was he busy, or perhaps resting? There was no time to wait any longer.
Someone... someone else.
Leca racked his brain.
Maybe Zeffel might know something. He often came and went from Roland's lab.
Leca swiftly sent a mind-transfer message to Zeffel.
"Zeffel, Zeffel. Can you hear me?"
After about a minute, a reply came from Zeffel.
"Leca? What's going on?"
"I need to ask you something. Do you happen to know how to get to the demon god Beelzebub?"
"Huh? Of course I don't know that."
"I thought so. Sorry to bother you. I'll let you go."
"Wait. Are you going after Mia?"
"Yeah. Of course I am."
"Then why don't you come to the First Library in about twenty minutes? I saw one of Roland's subordinates reading a book about Beelzebub there. You might find something useful."
"Got it. Thanks. But… what if someone's there?"
"Then just come as a lizard."
"See you soon."
With that, Leca hurried off toward the First Library. Since he was in lizard form, the journey took a while.
By the time he finally arrived, Zeffel was already there, digging through books.
There were a few people inside the library, so Leca couldn't transform back and approached Zeffel as he was.
Zeffel had his head buried in a book, but looked up as soon as he saw Leca.
"You're here."
"Let's talk quietly. There are others around."
Leca lowered his voice as he glanced around. Zeffel nodded and replied,
"I'm reading books about the demon gods, but all I've found are some descriptions of Beelzebub's habits—nothing about where he resides. Roland and his subordinates must know, though…"
"Why aren't the divine statues of the demon gods registered in the Eye of Revelation?"
"Huh? They should be. I've even seen it done myself before."
"But when I tried to sense their energy, I felt nothing."
"That's because there's a ward that prevents readings. If you can disable that, I think you could figure out where the demon god dwells too. That's probably how Roland and his people learned it."
"There might be a spell to release the seal on the divine statues in one of these books."
At Leca's words, Zeffel eagerly began flipping through pages. But even after the two of them searched together, they found nothing.
The same was true for any method of reaching Beelzebub.
After about an hour, Zeffel pulled out his pocket watch and said in a hurried voice,
"I have something I need to do. Are you going to keep looking here?"
"I have to. If I go to Roland's lab, I'll be caught right away, so this is the only option for now."
"I'll let you know if I find out anything. Good luck."
With those words, Zeffel vanished like the wind.
Before long, the sun had fully set and darkness blanketed the sky. Outside the library windows, stars twinkled like scattered jewels.
Leca's heart grew more anxious. He decided to try sending another mind-transfer message to his father.
Just as he was preparing the spell—
The library door creaked open, and two young men entered. Judging by their attire, they were from the Department of Magic.
Leca quickly concealed himself. The two looked around and then locked the door.
Why were they locking the door? Leca watched them closely, tense.
The young men walked to a corner bookshelf and began chanting a spell.
The bookshelf silently slid open, revealing a secret door.
They opened the hidden entrance and pulled out a book. The book was as tall as a small child.
They placed it on an altar and began chanting another spell.
Golden letters rose from the book in a burst of radiant light, glowing brilliantly in the air.
One of the young men gazed at the letters and murmured under his breath. He seemed to be memorizing them.
"Did you get it all, Mirya?"
"Phew. Barely."
"Even one mistake out of the twelve—no, thirteen—times, and we have to start over, so remember it well."
"This is my first time performing the Eye of Revelation ritual. I can't believe I finally get to do it."
"This offering is especially important, so I'm nervous too."
After reciting the letters a few more times, they closed the book. Then they returned the bookshelf to its original position and left the library.
So the big offering is coming soon... Are they preparing to enshrine a new divine statue? That's why they were here to practice the Eye of Revelation ritual.
Whatever the case, it was a stroke of luck. That secret book must contain everything related to the ritual.
Once he confirmed the footsteps had completely faded, Leca returned to his human form and immediately locked the door.
Then he walked to the bookshelf the young men had accessed and chanted the same spell.
Click. The bookshelf slid open again, revealing the secret archive. With a trembling heart, Leca pulled out the massive brown leather-bound book.
Meanwhile—
On the earthen floor of the makeshift tent, where Julius's peridot and blood had fallen, a bubbling sound began to rise.
Prince Farid stared at Julius with suspicious eyes. Unable to use magic himself, the prince was clearly on edge.
Almost unconsciously, he reached toward the sword at his side.
King Thorpel, on the other hand, remained perfectly still, watching the scene with a calm expression.
Suddenly, a dull cracking sound came from the ground, and a small tree sprouted from the earth.
The tree, only about thirty centimeters tall, quickly grew leaves—and then fruit.
The fruits were peridots, each the size of a baby's fist.
Prince Farid's eyes widened in disbelief, while King Thorpel's expression darkened with discomfort.
"This, then, is the symbol of my promise."
Julius said with unshakable composure as he picked all the peridots.
There were six in total. He divided them evenly, handing three each to King Thorpel and Prince Farid.
"Then the agreement is complete. I shall now summon several delegates from the Council of Elders to convey your will. And I will do my utmost to ensure that the conditions you requested are fulfilled."
Prince Farid couldn't take his eyes off the three large peridots in his hand.
However, King Thorpel simply tucked them into his robe and gave a small nod.
"Thank you for your sincerity. Then we shall await a favorable outcome."
As the meeting concluded, Roland, who had been waiting outside, entered.
He took out a large diamond and used it to heal the wound on Julius's body.
Then, noticing that his pinky finger was still bleeding, he asked,
"What happened to this injury?"
"Something came up. Take care of it, Roland."
No sooner had Julius spoken than he struck down the peridot tree he had conjured.
At that moment, a loud pop came from the peridot on his forehead, and several shards broke off and fell.
Blood spurted from his pinky finger like a fountain.
"Your Grace? What are you doing all of a sudden…!"
Roland asked in shock, but Julius replied in a calm voice,
"It means I'm the one who sets the rules. Treachery and betrayal must be returned in kind."
A woman of the Fairy King? Is this also because of my wings?
Mia was flustered, at a loss for words. The demon god reached out and pulled her up from the floor where she had been struggling.
The floor that had gripped Mia like sticky slime let go of her as if nothing had happened.
As soon as she stood up, Mia brushed herself off and pushed his hand away.
Yet the demon god made no further move.
He didn't approach her again—he only wore a strange expression and then let out a sigh.
"What a shame... to have to discard such a precious stimulant I finally obtained."
He abruptly turned around and said, Follow me.
Naturally, Mia did the opposite—she bolted in the other direction at full speed.
But in a flash, he flew straight into her path and blocked her escape.
"Eek! You scared me!"
Seeing the jet-black demon god suddenly appear before her, Mia recoiled in fright.
"I have no intention of harming you. I came to return the treasure you spoke of."
Mia opened her eyes wide, clearly not believing a word of it. The demon god crossed his arms and sighed again.
Long, curved, black claws wrapped around his own arms.
"I owe a debt to Thorpel III. He saved my men, who had taken the wrong path and were dying in Muria."
"..."
"Given that, how could I lay hands on the woman he favors?"
As he said this, the demon god slowly studied Mia. His red eyes shimmered with unreadable emotion.
"And yet… You're supposed to become Queen of Sibareth, and you're also involved with the Fairy King? Even I, a demon god, refrain from such acts. The promiscuity of humans is truly astounding."
Mia flinched.
It wasn't true, but… lucky.She had deeply regretted that deal back when the Council of Elders condemned her for it—but maybe living long enough really does make things work out.
"Anyway, stop being difficult and just follow me quietly."
Mia gave a small nod and trailed behind him.
The demon god walked through a labyrinthine palace corridor for quite a while.
As expected of a boss-tier, god-level being, his palace was enormous and opulent—far more luxurious than anything in Sibareth or Muria.
Eventually, he descended into the underground. After walking for a long time, he stopped before a large crimson door.
From his robe, he drew out a long golden key and opened it.
"Whoa!"
It was the demon god's treasure vault.
It was so filled with jewels and gold that the brilliance made it almost impossible to open one's eyes. Mia had to shield her face from the dazzling light.
"This is insane… Is all of this yours?"
The demon god didn't answer.
He strode forward through the treasure, which was so abundant it got in the way of walking.
He stopped in front of a large silver trunk and opened it.
Then, taking something out from within, he held it out to Mia. She looked down at it—a silver ring with a large red gemstone.
Mia slipped it onto her finger almost by instinct. The ring fit perfectly, as if it had been made just for her.