Vivia was still in a daze, puzzled with all kinds of questions about Bellor when she noticed Eurus trotting up to the fighter's side. She blinked, confused.
"Eurus?"
Eurus stood by the demon's side, staring at him quite intently. He leaned closer but couldn't even hear the sound of his breathing. He thought to himself for a moment and raised his hand toward him.
A cool, white mist glowed around his fingertips but soon to everyone's shock, a strong gust of a freezing wind almost tore the street apart. Pandemonium ensued and people quickly began to scurry into the nearby shops and houses.
"Eu-Eurus!" She called out, her teeth chattering by the onset of the sudden chill.
"Ahh!"
The demon jumped up in shock but could barely move while he was half-naked as he faced the blast of the cold winds head on.
"Wh-What is this…? It's winter already?" He was starting to shake violently.
Vivia hopped into the ring and quickly pulled Eurus to her side.
"P-Please stop the winds, Eurus. It-It's freezing here…"
Eurus nodded and the next moment, the icy winds settled down, bringing back the warmth in the air. But the short, unexpected storm had caused quite some chaos and damage in the street.
Ugh, this is bad. Everyone will blame Eurus now…
As the victor demon steadied on his feet, he gave Eurus a long, hard stare. "You caused that massive wind that almost froze me to death?"
Eurus nodded.
Vivia coughed and decided to intervene. "He is still learning to cont-"
"What kind of a fighting move was that? I've never seen ice being used in a fight before!"
She blinked twice. "...It's not a fighting move. It's magic."
The muscular demon loomed over Vivia, or who was Ril now, with keen eyes.
"And who are you, young man?"
"I'm Ril. I'm a coachman."
"And who is this kid?"
"...My brother. Yes, my younger brother!" She lied.
He alternated his gaze between them. "You two don't look like brothers at all. He is much prettier than you."
"..."
Sir, are you saying that Ril is ugly?
She felt bad toward the real Ril for this harsh assessment.
"What he did was magic?" He asked again.
"Yes. I'm really sorry for the storm. He is still learning to control his magic."
His slit pupils narrowed dangerously, and Vivia swallowed a gulp. He was a fine fighter as she had witnessed it herself and now that worry was setting in if he could retaliate.
As expected, the tall and strong demon picked Eurus by his collar, dangling him in the air.
"Eurus!"
She tried to bring him down, but he pulled him up even higher. Eurus's expression began to pale. The memories of Astaroth strangling him in the similar way back in the pavilion washed in his mind all over again. Instinctively, he was set to release another deadly storm.
"That's quite some powerful ice, young man. You knocked me out of my place! Not many people can do that."
Vivia, who was holding onto his legs, cast him a look of surprise as she watched a grin bloom on his lips.
"Your ice is strong. I like it. You moved me from my place. But you're too thin and weak. You need to work on your muscles!"
"..."
The demon released him and Vivia caught him mid-air. Eurus let out a sigh of relief and hugged Vivia.
"My name is Razaas. What's yours?"
"He is Eurus."
He frowned. "He cannot speak?"
She cleared her throat. "He prefers to be quiet."
"That's not fun at all. You should be strong and screaming! Just like Lord Bellor!"
"Bellor? The city…?"
Razaas's eyes widened. Then he looked like realization dawned upon him. "Ah. You definitely look like you're new here. Those dainty muscles cannot belong to someone who's from Bellor."
Her brow twitched.
Ril's assessment is only getting harsher…
Razaas puffed his chest with pride. He grabbed Vivia and Eurus by their collars again and dragged them out of the arena.
"Let's visit Lord Bellor!" he announced one-sidedly.
Being dragged like a sack of potatoes, Vivia couldn't hold much protest against the mode of transport.
We're meeting Lord Bellor like this? We can walk, you know!
—
But as it turned out, Vivia had no reason to be embarrassed of meeting Lord Bellor looking like a sack of potatoes. Because Lord Bellor was standing in the form of a statue in front of her.
Vivia looked around and found herself in the middle of the huge city square, bells chiming in all directions. At the center was a tall and heavy marble stand upon which stood an imposing figure of a giant demon. He wasn't a giant in the literal sense, but his broad chest and burly arms had almost blocked her view of the sun. The thick beard gave Bellor an ancient look and his shoulder-length hair were tied at the back, but what charmed Vivia was his piercing, intense gaze.
I don't think he needs to use his fists when his gaze alone is enough to melt someone's knees, she thought in amazement.
"He is Lord Bellor!" Razaas's booming voice snapped her out of her stupor. "He lived during the era of war. He was a fierce warrior who never gave up on a fight! He could easily defeat a gang of twenty strong demons on his own!"
"That's impressive," she breathed in eagerly.
"Lord Bellor is indeed impressive. He was quite the force to reckon with. The human soldiers never came close to him. He was strong and tough like hell, but he never used his strength to bully the weak. He used to say - 'Strength is to fight, not oppress.'"
Her eyes shone with admiration. Powerful people often used their strength, whether physical or monetary, to bully and trample upon the weak and poor. But here was a strong demon whose one punch could break a hole into the wall, but he never once used it to hit the weak.
She began to understand why the people of Bellor were so fit and healthy - because Lord Bellor was their idol. Everyone was inspired to become like him.
"That's why you value strength so much. He is also the reason behind the city's name."
Razaas was pleased to hear that. "Of course!"
Vivia finally asked the question that bothered her. Actually two questions.
"And the bells…?"
"Oh!" He laughed. "Lord Bellor was a heavy sleeper. After every victory, his tired body would lay down to sleep. And once he fell asleep, it was almost impossible to wake him up using any normal methods. So with the help of a few other demons at that time, his wife had constructed a huge bell. Its one chime was loud enough to resonate all up to Mount Lavos."
The volcanic mountain at the Realm of Harmony? That far? She was dumbfounded.
"See, that's the bell over there!"
Vivia saw a huge bell tower in the distance right in direct line with Lord Bellor's statue. The bell looked rusty and ancient on the outside, but the sheer mass of it made it wobbly in front of her eyes.
"Don't underestimate its sound though. Even after five hundred years, it can make one hell of an alarm bell. That was the only sound that could get to Lord Bellor and wake him up from his deep slumber. People would laugh at that and over time, everybody began to have bells in their homes. Ringing bells to us feels like Lord Bellor's spirit is right here with us!"
Amazement was written all over her and Eurus's faces.
"That's such a great legend! Lord Bellor was such a fine demon! Wait, so when you suddenly laid in the arena…?"
"To rest! That was Lord Bellor's philosophy.
'Fight as much as your heart wants and sleep as much as your body wants!'
So we, the people of Bellor, honor both the fight and the rest that follows it because that's a well-deserved sleep we've earned!"