"Insolent fool. You think you can order the great Beelzebub around?!"
"I'm merely a Shinigami passing by."
The Shinigami holding the scythe smiled faintly.
"Underworld God? So you're one of Hades' people? I see... so that bastard Hades has had his eye on the Three Factions for a long time now!"
Naturally, Shalba had no intention of going to meet any so-called Underworld God Hades.
What he should be doing now was lying low as much as possible, then... seizing or creating a new body, and finding a way to tear that human into pieces.
"That isn't your choice to make."
A mocking, contemptuous laugh came from beneath the Shinigami's hood.
"A mere Shinigami presumes to stand before Beelzebub-!"
Before he could finish, Shalba was horrified to discover that his soul had been enveloped by a dense mass of black mist. No matter how hard he struggled, it was useless.
"If you were still alive, I might not have been able to do anything to you. But right now, you're just a dead soul i've awakened. If you don't want your soul scattered to the wind, then come with me obediently. Lord Hades has a way to bring you back to life."
"..."
Seeing how easily the other side had restrained him, Shalba fell silent.
It was true.
Rod had killed him.
And after death, most living beings' souls would linger for a while before passing on to one Underworld or another to be reincarnated.
As for stronger souls, they could remain dormant in spiritual form instead of immediately entering the cycle of reincarnation.
But no matter what, once someone became a dead soul, then unless they possessed some special power, even the strongest person in life could never compare to a Shinigami.
And Shalba could clearly sense that the Shinigami before him was one of the highest-ranking beings in the entire Underworld and could easily toy with him in his current state.
"Move."
Seeing Shalba fall silent, the Shinigami said that one word coldly, then turned into a mass of black mist, wrapping around Shalba's soul and carrying it away into the distance.
...
Old Maou faction.
Katerea's residence in the Underworld.
The moment she saw Rod return and caught the faint scent of blood on him, Katerea immediately asked,
"What did you do?"
"What else? I went to deal with Shalba."
"There's blood on you. How is he now?"
Even as she asked, Katerea had already guessed the answer.
"Dead. Unless he's got a second life, then he's definitely dead."
Hearing that, Katerea's expression turned complicated, though she also let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Another one of her former comrades was dead.
Now, of the bloodlines left behind by the original Maou, only she and the White Dragon Emperor Vali remained.
But Vali's nature was far too free-spirited. Forget conquering the world, he couldn't even be bothered to govern a nation.
Unlike her, with a crowd of subordinates and preparations for founding a country still ahead.
After that moment of reflection, Katerea didn't ask how Rod had found Shalba.
Everyone had their own secrets, just like the power-ranking chart Rod had pulled out on that little blackboard before.
At a glance, that wasn't the kind of information an ordinary person could ever gather.
Still, she didn't press the matter.
Everyone had their own secrets. If they didn't take the initiative to reveal them, there was no point prying.
"Now that Shalba's dead, no one should be able to interfere with your founding ceremony anymore. I can't help you with what comes after this. I've already said everything that needed to be said. You just need to fulfill your duty as a queen... I'm leaving."
Rod was already about to open the system map as he spoke.
It was obvious the next stretch would be a troublesome one.
Rod had never ruled a country, but just managing the girls in his own house was already bordering on too much. If he had to govern an entire nation, he'd probably work himself to death.
"Wait, there's still something I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I've already obtained the Evil Piece system from Serafall. So I want to ask you this: are you willing to become my Queen?"
Katerea asked, her voice carrying both nervousness and a trace of expectation.
She had once sneered at the Evil Piece system. Now, though, she had studied it frame by frame.
The Evil Pieces created by Ajuka Beelzebub were a revolutionary invention.
They had effectively made up for the devils' lack of numbers.
Of course, the reason Katerea had once despised them was still rooted in her obsession with bloodlines. No matter how talented humans might be, they could never compare with ancient noble houses like theirs, so back then she had found the Evil Piece system utterly unacceptable.
But as time passed, Katerea came to understand just how versatile the system really was.
"?"
Wait.
You're serious?
Rod shook his head and shrugged.
"I've got no interest in living under someone else's roof. Besides, I'm already used to living however I please."
"It wouldn't be that. If you were willing, I wouldn't mind splitting my kingdom in half with you. After all, you'd be my Queen."
Katerea said it plainly.
After spending this much time with him, her state of mind had already changed beyond recognition.
More importantly, everything she had now was thanks to Rod's advice and his help.
So compared to how things had been at the start, when their relationship had only been about physical pleasure, Rod now occupied an extremely important place in her heart.
Hearing that, Rod understood just how far Katerea's thoughts had gone.
The fact that she could casually offer to split her future kingdom in half was completely unthinkable coming from her.
That wasn't scientific.
And certainly not magical.
Rod hadn't expected that the phrase "love grows with time" would one day actually apply to him.
"You really think I'd agree to that?"
Rod shrugged.
Forget the still penniless "true Leviathan" kingdom. Even if someone offered him the entire Underworld, Rod still wouldn't have the slightest desire to rule or manage it.
You thought something like that could tie him down? What a joke.
"Tch."
Seeing Rod make his position that clear, Katerea clicked her tongue.
She hadn't expected that the one time she really let herself feel something, she'd lose so completely.
Still, she was already used to Rod's way of doing things. Even if he had refused, their physical relationship could still continue.
By now, she understood one thing very deeply: Rod was an incurable pervert.
After being rejected, Katerea didn't bring the topic up again, and after chatting aimlessly with her for a while longer, Rod left the Underworld.
Once he teleported back to Kuoh, he looked at the house in front of him.
It was still the same detached little villa from the outside, but the inside gave him a distinctly strange feeling.
After stepping through the door, the living room looked more or less the same as usual.
Kuroka was playing games, though this time Lavinia had taken over as her partner. Koneko was helping Asia review her schoolwork, while the fallen angel trio and their follower, Walburga, were doing housework.
When they saw Rod return, the girls all greeted him in their own ways.
Koneko put down the pen in her hand and said, "Mr. Rod, before you came back, the construction team the President sent already came by. They renovated the entire house, especially by adding a lot of bedrooms and expanding the interior space."
"The President also said that if you're not satisfied, they can keep adjusting it until you are."
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