"My authority..."
Lust gulped dryly as she looked at Raon's wrist.
"Will you really accept my authority?"
She asked again with a dazed look, as if she couldn't believe it.
"This king does not speak with two tongues."
Raon remained vigilant to the end, saying words that Wrath would likely say.
"I shall accept your authority as a token of our promise."
"My authority that even I hate..."
Lust's blue eyes began to fill with emotion. Now she seemed truly convinced that he was Wrath.
"Thank you..."
Lust drew a faint smile on her face resembling Wrath's, as if truly happy.
"There is no need to thank me."
Raon calmly shook his head.
'I can't believe this is actually working...'
To think he'd be the one acting magnanimous while receiving a demon king's authority - it was absurd even to himself.
-Grrrr...
Wrath let out a groan like a starving puppy.
-W-why is this happening?! I'm truly going mad!
He yelled that he still couldn't understand.
-Why do demon kings become such pushovers when they meet this guy!
Wrath shook his hands frantically, saying he was about to go crazy.
'Among them, you're the biggest pushover.'
Raon grinned and gestured to Wrath.
-Eeek!
Wrath could only chew his lips, seemingly unable to refute.
'But why are you angry?'
Raon tilted his head as he watched Wrath turning into strawberry-flavored cotton candy.
'I helped you get away from Lust, just as you wanted.'
-W-wanted? When did I ever want this!
Wrath widened his eyes in disbelief.
-You made promises pretending to be me! And you ask why I'm angry! Is there a hole in your head?! You sword psychopath!
He trembled his jaw, asking if Raon had gone mad from only training with the sword.
-Ugh! You take responsibility! You take responsibility for Lust and all the other demon kings!
Wrath shook his head, saying he would never keep those promises.
'I will.'
Raon calmly nodded.
-Huh?
Wrath opened his eyes wide in surprise.
'I feel guilty too. But it was more important that you don't leave.'
-W-was I that precious to you?
'Of course. We've been together for over 10 years, through good and bad.'
Raon gave a faint smile as he looked at Wrath.
-I-I've grown somewhat fond of you too... Gasp!
Wrath rolled his eyes and moved his lips before slapping his own cheek.
-That was close! If I had let my guard down a little, I would have fallen for that silver tongue!
He touched his reddened cheek and exhaled roughly. He was truly a demon king beating his own drum.
-You don't need me, you need my abilities!
Wrath squinted his eyes, saying he knew everything.
'It would be a lie to say no, but more than that, I think I'd be quite bored without you.'
Raon shook his head briefly. He had gained a lot from Wrath and would gain more in the future, but he felt it would be much more regrettable to lose this cotton candy guy than to lose those benefits.
-I-I don't trust your tongue! How can I trust someone who spins dimensions in their mouth!
Wrath shook his head with his ears covered, saying he would never be fooled.
'Suit yourself.'
Raon shrugged and looked back at Lust.
"Then I'll prepare."
Lust clasped her hands as she looked at him.
"Prepare?"
"I can't transfer my authority in this state."
She shook her head, saying she needed to reveal at least some of her power.
"Do so."
Raon nodded and clasped his hands behind his back.
'I mustn't be entranced.'
If Lust revealed her true form and used the authority of lust, he could fall to temptation no matter how great his soul was. To avoid being entranced by her, he rotated the Ring of Fire at maximum intensity.
As Lust lowered her hands from her chest, her sea-colored hair began to turn light pink.
She grew taller until her eyes were level with his, and the once baggy robe now revealed curved volumes. Finally, her blue eyes that had resembled Wrath's flashed pale red, and a subtle pink aura spread around her.
'This is...'
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked into Lust's pale red eyes.
'Is this the true Monarch of Lust, Rust?'
The moment he met Lust's eyes, he felt as if his soul was being sucked in. His mind went blank, and only the impulse to embrace her welled up in his chest.
'How fascinating.'
Runaan, Martha, Merlin, Denning Rose, and Siyana were all beauties second to none, but Lust exuded a unique beauty. No, it seemed she made herself appear that way. It felt like looking into a mirror that read his inner thoughts and reflected an ideal beauty.
'Not only is her appearance mysterious...'
Her scent is even stranger. A remarkably diverse fragrance flowed from Lust.
Not just the fresh scent of fruit, the calming aroma of trees, and the pungent smell of spices, but also the warmth of summer and the chill of winter - amazingly, all these scents harmonized, erasing thoughts and stirring only the heart.
Tsk. Raon bit his inner lip to regain his senses just before falling deeply into Lust's fragrance. If he hadn't been operating the Ring of Fire at full intensity, he would have lost his reason immediately and approached Lust to embrace her.
-Get a grip on yourself!
Wrath shook his head.
-If you fall for temptation now, you could really die!
He frowned, saying it was still a dangerous situation.
'Sorry.'
Raon lowered his gaze as he steadied his breath.
'You're right. It's not time to let my guard down yet.'
It's true that Lust had fallen for his words, but the situation was still dangerous. He had to maintain a perfect act until the end, as showing any weakness could make her suspicious again.
"..."
Raon nodded calmly as if Lust's appearance was familiar, then extended his wrist again.
"I hate my power, but I hope it will have meaning for you."
Lust smiled faintly as she extended her long, slender fingers. As she drew a circle with her white finger, a pink flower in the shape of a rose bloomed and wrapped around his wrist.
'It's pretty.'
While the flower bracelets from other demon kings like Wrath's ice flower and Sloth's black flame were also beautiful, the most visually stunning was the one Lust had created.
[The authority of
[The ability will activate after an adaptation period.]
Raon narrowed his eyes as he read the message.
'The content is slightly different.'
When he received it from Envy, it was described as a "part," but now it simply said "authority." It most likely was the difference between being coerced into giving some authority and willingly giving it.
"It seems you like it."
Lust smiled deeply as she watched Raon examine the bracelet.
"You remember this flower, don't you? It's the first flower I came to like, thanks to you."
She nodded as if to say, "Of course you know."
"..."
Raon calmed his rapidly beating heart while maintaining a composed expression.
'What's this?'
What kind of flower is this? Thanks to Sylvia, he knew many flowers, but he had never seen one like this before. It seemed like a flower that only existed in the Devildom.
'Wrath!'
-Hmph...
Wrath lowered his fierce eyes as if he had no intention of answering.
-Why do you think I would tell you anything!
'Huh?'
Raon blinked as he looked at Wrath.
'If something goes wrong here, we'll all be dragged down! You know that too!'
He was dumbfounded by the sudden change in attitude from the one who had been warning him of danger just moments ago.
-I know. It's dangerous. It will be truly dangerous. But...
Wrath raised his chin, his eyes blazing.
-I'm so angry! The more I think about it, the more my anger rises, and I can't take it anymore!
'Uh...?'
-Your tongue that manipulates everything infuriates me so much that I'd rather die together!
He turned his head away, telling Raon to do as he pleased. His eyes were spinning in circles as if he had truly lost it.
'He's gone mad.'
Raon's fingertips trembled. He was flustered, not expecting such petulance in this situation.
"You couldn't have forgotten, could you? Or..."
Lust's eyelids trembled. Whether it was suspicion or disappointment, he felt an ominous sensation as if the authority of lust she possessed was gripping his throat.
'Don't panic.'
There's always a way out of any situation. Recalling the words Lust and Wrath had spoken so far, he naturally looked at the pink flower bracelet.
"Forgotten?"
He shook his head with a light smile.
"Do you think so?"
"T-Then..."
Lust's eyes began to sparkle with expectation.
"I haven't forgotten a single thing from the day you broke into the Ice Castle until now."
Raon looked up at the air with a faint smile.
"This king does not forget anything about you."
"Ah..."
Lust's lips trembled with emotion as soon as she heard him say "you" specifically.
"Isn't this the flower that was with us when I gave you advice?"
Raon stroked the flower bracelet Lust had created, his voice filled with conviction.
'This must be right.'
Wrath had said he gave Lust some words, and Lust said those words were a great comfort. Since she said she first came to like flowers because of Wrath, it must have been at that time.
"Hmm..."
Lust's eyes became dreamy and unfocused. It meant his prediction was correct. Now it was time to wrap things up.
"This king likes flowers. I think all flowers suit me best, but this flower looks better on you than on me."
Raon smiled as he thrust a blade sharper than a soul sword into Lust.
"Th-thank you..."
Lust caressed her cheek with an expression that seemed to transcend satisfaction. Her face turned as red as an apple.
-W-what...
Wrath blinked dumbly, as if he couldn't understand the situation.
-How do you know about breaking down the wall and offering the flower! Were you there too?!
He trembled his chin, asking if Raon had ever been to the Devildom.
'Thanks to you.'
-Huh...?
'You told me with your own mouth that Lust broke into the castle.
Raon lowered his hand as he brought up the part Wrath had mentioned.
'I inferred from there. If it's your castle, there must be a flower bed, and there must have been many flowers.'
Wrath likes flowers even more than Sylvia. Surely, that must be where the connection between the two demon kings began.
-Hey. Hey. Hey!
Wrath shouted "hey" roughly as if he'd become a back alley thug.
-Why do you train with the sword?
'Huh...?'
Raon blinked.
'What are you talking about?'
-With that damn tongue of yours, you could swallow not just this world, but the heavenly realm and Devildom too, so why the hell are you training with a sword!
Wrath yelled at him to give it all up and go conquer the world with his mouth.
'...Would that work?'
-It would! Absolutely!
He shook his head, insisting it couldn't not work.
-Your talent for martial arts is at your wallet's level, but your talent for running your mouth is at your grandpa's level!
Wrath glared, saying the difference between Raon's talent for martial arts and talking was as wide as that between Dorian and Glenn.
-I was trying to drag you into the Devildom, but I was wrong!
Wrath's lips trembled.
-You're the kind of guy who would swallow the entire Devildom! Get lost to the heavenly realm!
He shook his head, saying he should ban Raon from entering the Devildom.
"I think I can trust Wrath now."
Lust revealed bright eyes that didn't suit lust, saying she would trust the promise and wait.
"I'll take this flower that I planted for you that day."
Raon calmly nodded, pointing to the ancestor's flower.
"I'll be waiting."
Lust clasped her hands, saying she would wait forever.
"By the way, are those humans over there your subordinates too?"
She lowered her eyebrows as she looked at Rector and the others watching from between the trees, who had stopped approaching her.
"They are."
"Hmm..."
Lust narrowed her eyes as she examined not just Runaan and Martha, but everyone.
'...As expected of Lust.'
He had thought she was wary of Runaan and Martha because they were such beauties, but it was like the Demon King of Lust to be wary of everyone regardless of gender or age.
"Wrath."
Lust smiled brightly like an innocent child.
"I'll be waiting. And..."
She looked at Raon and blushed slightly.
"I like you no matter what form you take, but I like your current face the best."
With those words, Lust disappeared into pink smoke.
-Gasp...
'Uh...'
Raon swallowed dryly as he watched Wrath take a sharp breath.
'I-it's okay...'
-Hey. Bring a knife.
'Huh? W-why a knife?'
-I just want to die like this! I've lost my power, gained responsibility without pleasure, and even become ugly, so why should I live?
Wrath yelled that if Raon didn't bring a knife, he'd bite his tongue and die.
-Die! Die all of you! May the Devildom and the heavenly realm all perish!
* * *
As Raon was barely managing to dissuade the suicidal Wrath, Rector, Burren, Runaan, Martha, and Dorian walked out. Zalek and Lawrence were also there, seemingly worried about him.
'Did they all come out of concern for me?'
They had all been down below with Darkan, but it seemed they had come here for his sake after seeing Lust approaching. He felt grateful as he sensed everyone's concern.
-Then express it!
Wrath gnashed his teeth.
-Don't just use that tongue to deceive others, use it in everyday life too!
He opened his mouth wide, asking what Raon was doing.
'You're right.'
Thinking that he should speak more not just in dangerous times but in everyday life as Wrath said, he turned his body.
"Thank you."
Raon bowed his head sincerely towards the approaching people.
"What are you thanking us for?"
Rector gently shook his head.
"You handled everything yourself."
He exhaled softly, seeming to feel both apologetic and grateful at the same time.
"I don't know what exactly happened."
"What was that woman just now? She didn't seem human..."
Zalek and Lawrence frowned as if they still didn't understand.
"Are you alright?"
Burren shook his head as he looked Raon up and down.
"Strangely, you seem very satisfied?"
Dorian opened his eyes wide, saying Raon seemed to need nothing.
"Hmm..."
Runaan lowered her eyebrows deeply as she looked at the new bracelet from Lust on her wrist.
"Don't you have five bracelets now? Did you like accessories that much?"
Martha tilted her head, unable to understand.
"My body is fine for now."
Raon shook his head, saying he was alright. They were all waiting for him to explain someday and didn't ask him too many questions. They were people he was grateful for.
"And the bracelets aren't something I wanted to get..."
He looked at Wrath as he said those words.
-Why are you looking at me!
'Because you said it was your taste and made it like this, so all the other demon kings followed suit!'
He ended up wearing five flower bracelets, different in color and shape. Even he thought it was ridiculous, as he wasn't some noblewoman.
-If you hadn't run your mouth, this wouldn't have happened!
Wrath shouted that Raon was turning the tables on him and shook his head.
"Raon. Is it over now?"
Rector slightly narrowed his eyes, seemingly still tense.
"No."
Raon slowly lowered his gaze. He licked his lips as he looked at Darkan lying spread-eagled on the ground.
"There's still one thing left."
* * *
After Raon and everyone else went back down to the Holy Sword Alliance village, Lust appeared again in front of the flower planted by the Zieghart ancestor. Lust gazed at the red petals with dreamy eyes, as if in a trance. The flower that brought vitality to this land seemed to give her intense vitality and vigor as well.
"Wrath..."
As Lust bit her lip lightly and reached out towards the flower, a cute sound like bouncing off the ground rang out, and a squirrel holding an acorn sprang up in front of the flower.
"What are you?"
Sparks flew as the squirrel's purple eyes met Lust's light pink eyes.