The New Duke

"If the esteemed King of All Demons asks, I was never here," Yicha immediately whispered to Vabula. "I'll personally make and send over an entirely new set of succubus figurines."

"What meaning do those have? They're only stones." The old demon coughed. "They need rabbit tails."

Yicha was already no longer in the storeroom. Only an afterimage remained where he had stood.

To be safe, he had studied his escape route before arriving. There was a narrow path behind the earthen slope. He could slip into the depths of the forest from there, then return to Flame Cliff by the same route.

Yicha vanished in almost half the time it took to snap his fingers.

He should have appeared in the forest in the time it took to snap his fingers.

Instead, he crashed into darkness as soft as a feather cushion.

Carrots, he thought.

Why had Beelzebub suddenly taken the trouble to pay respects to a down-and-out duke no one had ever cared about?

Facing outward, Yicha could still feel the blazing gazes of six hundred crimson eyes approaching from behind him.

"Bezelya." He pressed the Yin Iron scimitar against his arm and hid it behind his back, then openly turned to meet the King of All Demons's gaze.

Killing Beelzebub head-on was, of course, impossible. But if she let down her guard, he might still have a chance to slash through the darkness and escape.

"Hm?"

Beelzebub tilted her head as she examined him. "Who are you? Why do you know my old name, bzz?"

She vanished from the air, then reappeared an inch in front of him and pressed close, sniffing him vigorously.

"Your power... you're a duke. Bzz."

Rubbing her little hands together, she showed a genuine hint of surprise. "I've never seen a duke like you among my subordinates. New duke, did you attend today's meeting? Why didn't I see you?"

Yicha stared at Beelzebub.

Lightning illuminated his thoughts.

The miracle.

The miracle he had asked for—to "escape from Beelzebub"—had produced an effect beyond his expectations.

Beelzebub had simply forgotten he existed.

He had been directly erased from Beelzebub's memories.

The bright side of a great miracle shone so brilliantly.

He just did not know what price it would demand...

"My territory is very remote, esteemed King of All Demons." Yicha swiftly assessed the situation and immediately changed his attitude. "I apologize for being late. I spent too much time preparing for Hell's grand plan, and on the journey here. You know how transportation has been lately..."

Wait.

If Beelzebub had not come looking for him...

Then she was here for...

Beelzebub nodded, seeming somewhat distracted.

She raised the three arms on one side and pressed them down.

Boom!

Compared with that dull, destructive, terrifying sound, not even a speck of dust rose.

It was only that... the towering Charred Shell Garden behind her had been crushed into a smooth, level plain.

The demon guarding the gate, the demon fishing for intestines, the demon playing with stones, and the demon staring blankly ahead all remained in their original poses. They had merely been flattened like a painting—more precisely, like a spray-painted picture.

Their internal organs had been neatly squeezed aside.

The scene was both orderly and silent.

"Your Highness. Vabula..." Yicha controlled his expression.

"Vabula and his legion have been executed, bzz. New duke, he colluded with the Source of Order and was preparing to rebel."

Beelzebub suddenly stopped and glanced at him. "Right? Weren't you here just now, bzz?"

"I had not yet had the chance to meet Duke Vabula." Yicha paused for a second before saying, "But I don't believe that is possible."

How could Vabula have rebelled?

From his brief face-to-face dealings with Vabula, Yicha could conclude that the elderly demon duke, with his strange temper and simple life, could never have had anything to do with the Source of Order.

The closest thing he could possibly do to rebellion was secretly collect four kinds of angel Remiel statues—solely because she had a slim waist and long legs.

"What do you mean, new duke?" Beelzebub gave him a cold look.

Perhaps it was a side effect of the miracle, but Yicha suddenly felt a faint pain where the spike had pierced his chest before.

"Where did you learn that Vabula had rebelled?" The question was somewhat risky, but after the miracle, certain things seemed to have changed from before. He needed to understand as quickly as possible.

Without warning, Beelzebub reached out and touched his face.

Yicha forced himself to remain still.

"Your tone is very disrespectful, bzz. New duke." She spoke thoughtfully. "Strangely... why don't I feel like executing you along with him?"

"You can recognize true loyalty." Yicha did not even blink.

"You're quite a likable fellow." Beelzebub laughed with a buzzing sound. "Where is your territory? I can move you somewhere closer... bzz, better yet: once Hell's flames of war fuse the world into one, I'll reassign your position. For example, somewhere beside my palace."

Yicha remained silent, desperately considering a safe way to steer the conversation back on track.

Fortunately, Beelzebub soon answered his question.

"New duke, this may be somewhat difficult for you to understand."

The demon queen looked arrogant. "Hell rests in my palm. As long as I concentrate and pay close attention, no trace can escape my eyes—especially those nearby."

As she spoke, the floating eyes behind her all rose together, gleaming.

"Within ten minutes, I sensed two traces of Order's betrayal at the edge of the forest and in the Charred Shell Garden area. Bzz. New duke, if you want to know, it's that simple."

All three pairs of her arms clapped at once, and a mocking smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. "Poor sloth."

"Please allow me one more question." Yicha tightly gripped the scimitar behind his back, concealing it with his sleeve. "Did you sense the trace of betrayal on Vabula?"

Beelzebub's two owl-like eyes watched him. Her other eyes gathered around him as well. "Of course, bzz. Was it you, perhaps, bzz?"

Naturally, it was.

"There's none on you. New duke. Rest assured, bzz."

Beelzebub smiled.

Yicha nodded expressionlessly. Bezelya would not bluff him. She liked to speak the truth; that was one of her virtues.

Beelzebub could not detect the anomaly on him...

That had to be the miracle's effect.

Could it be that the miracle had not erased it, but transferred it...

Transferred those abnormal traces onto the people he had come into contact with...

He flexed the fingers clenched tightly around the hilt.

Why would traces of Order still appear when he had clearly returned to his demon form?

"Thank you for your patient explanation," he said aloud. "Please allow your subordinate to take his leave. I hope to make further preparations for the arrival of tomorrow's great calamity."

Beelzebub looked deeply at him, then smiled again.

"You may, bzz." She dispelled the barrier of darkness.

Yicha turned around.

"New duke."

Beelzebub's ten million voices rang out behind him, stopping Yicha's blood from flowing for a moment.

He once again felt as though his chest had been pierced through.

"You haven't answered me yet, bzz. Where is your territory?" Beelzebub asked.

"At Helajisama, on the border of Burning Soul Beach. A very small, insignificant plot of land, esteemed King of All Demons." Yicha answered quickly.

"Such a remote backwater, bzz... no wonder I've never seen you." Beelzebub did not doubt him and withdrew her eyes.

Her voice was slick and oily. "After tomorrow, that won't be the case. We'll see each other often."

"I am deeply honored."

"What is your name, new duke?" she asked again.

Yicha did not answer. Without looking back, he flew away at high speed.