Chapter 121

Great Demon Satan.

The root of all evil who tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden apple in Eden. In the Holy Order of the western continent, Satan is evaluated as the foremost demon or the primal evil.

Some corners even go on to claim Satan is the Demon God who created demons. Of course, they’re clearly distinct entities.

Satan is one of the Seven Great Demons. Representing wrath among the seven cardinal sins like pride, sloth, lust, envy, greed, gluttony…

However, Satan must not be seen on the same level as the other Seven Great Demons. He’s the first among all demons. Just as there are Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael among angels, Satan stands above other demons with power comparable to those three.

The only one who could match him would be the Demon of Sloth… but that guy’s too lazy to even bother showing up in the world. So among current demons, Satan is truly at the peak.

“Heheh…”

Satan’s ominous laughter spread through the cold night air.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Just that… I’m looking forward to it. Isn’t this an unusual situation, as you said?”

“That’s true.”

“Also… isn’t it surprising that two powerful ones have been born in this generation alone from your descendants?”

Lucifer’s wings flapped in the middle of the night sky. Defying physics, his black wings stirred no air currents no matter how violently they moved.

“Two?”

“Don’t play dumb. Even while I’m enjoying myself, I still have ears. Pretending ignorance won’t work.”

“It’s not that… two? Who else besides the demon who entered the academy this time?”

Lucifer genuinely looked puzzled. Satan calmly replied.

“Young master Adela Lucifer of your house. That student Oscar’s older sister.”

“Oh, now that you mention it… I’ve been so focused on that Oscar guy I forgot about her. Yeah, Adela’s around too.”

“I heard she already surpassed her father long ago, is that true?”

“Father? Pfft, that guy’s nothing special. There are plenty stronger than him. Besides, he’s about to kick the bucket anyway. Last I saw him, he was wheezing like he was about to die.”

“That’s harsh. He’s still your descendant though.”

“Descendant? After tens of thousands of generations, if we still need to treat them as family, wouldn’t all the humans beating each other up on the continent be considered abusing their own kin?”

“Hehe, exactly. That’s why humans are fascinating. Despite being the wisest species, they’re also the most foolish. Watching them is like watching adorable little devil children, don’t you think?”

Satan chuckled darkly. Looking somewhat unnerved, Lucifer pointed at the academy dormitory with a look of disgust.

“Why is someone like that teaching here? Go play with grown-up humans instead.”

“Aren’t you curious? About how pure innocence and pure evil grow into smart and stupid adults. Though since this Eden Academy only accepts students over 18, their brains are probably fully developed.”

“You sound like someone who’d get laughed at for being crazy if others heard you.”

Lucifer retracted his finger. While incomprehensible, a response is still a response. Now it was time to properly answer Satan’s question according to etiquette.

“Still… though her father’s nothing special, Adela really is remarkable. If there’s a Heavenly Hero on the continent, then in the Demon Realm there’s Adela. It’s just that Oscar’s putting on such a ridiculous show lately. Adela’s talent is bizarre too.”

“How old is she this year? Adela, I mean.”

“About 1500 years old? Check the elves’ records for details. The incident where she caused chaos in an elven village during her youth is considered a humiliating history they’ll never forget.”

“1500 years… even though every demon has different growth limits, there’s never been one who kept growing after 1500 years.”

“I know, but I’ve been distracted by that Oscar guy.”

“Hmm, I did hear about his exploits from you… but I’m still surprised you rate him so highly. He’s impressive, sure, but enough to completely overshadow a monster like Adela?”

“…”

Satan’s eyebrows furrowed deeply. Gulp, gulp, the thin liquor in his whiskey glass slid down his throat.

“If you’re that curious, why don’t you test him yourself? This is convenient, since you are a teacher here.”

“Should I? Even I fear crossing Principal Merlin… though if it’s done subtly, I might be able to set something up.”

“Kick, if you make a good show, call me too. There’s nothing sadder for someone living a boring life than missing a good spectacle.”

Their conversation deepened as dawn approached. Satan casually pointed at the sky turning navy blue.

“Yes, I’ll call you. Aren’t you going? If you stay here during the day, you might run into that monstrous old man called the Great Sage.”

“I’m going, I’m going. Stop nagging.”

As Lucifer turned away, Satan waved goodbye as he disappeared into another dimension. Then Lucifer suddenly remembered something and paused.

“That’s right. Satan.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know anything about ‘Chaos’?”

“Chaos? Why are you suddenly asking about that?”

“There’s something I need to figure out. It’s strange, it’s supposedly closely related to the creation of heaven and earth, yet everything about it is ‘top secret.’ Living for millions of years gets pretty dull. Before I die, I want to check this out.”

Lucifer spoke with hidden meanings while revealing his true intentions.

“Hmm… unfortunately, I can’t tell you about Chaos. Not because I dislike you or think it’s presumptuous of you to inquire. I believe curiosity is the most beautiful desire across all species.”

“So you do know, but why won’t you tell me?”

“It’s like trying to teach sentences to a child who doesn’t know letters. Those who don’t understand truth have no right to know about ‘Chaos.’ That’s why I can’t speak of it.”

Satan firmly cut off the conversation. As Lucifer resignedly turned to leave again…

“But.”

“Hm?”

“There’s someone who collects and manages all the world’s secrets. Go see him. Don’t forget to bring some bribes for digging up secrets.”

“Ah…?”

“The angel Raziel of secrets. Though I lack authority to speak, Raziel who holds the authority of ‘management’ might be able to use some ‘loopholes.'”

A thin smile curved on Satan’s face. Simultaneously, the destination for the arrogant demon was decided.

*****

Spending time chatting with Maria at night, time flew by. Noticing the dawn’s sunlight rising in the distance, I quietly spoke to Maria.

Or rather, whispered would be more accurate. Since Maria was sitting on my lap right now.

“It feels like I’m reading a book to a baby.”

“May I take that as a compliment that I’m cute like a baby?”

“You’re a baby compared to me. I’m over 500 years old, you know.”

“My ‘mental age’ right now exceeds 500 too.”

“Saintess, if you add my previous life, I’m over 1000 years old. When your great-great-grandparents were drinking formula, I was teaching Arus in the Demon Forest.”

My wordplay made Maria smile faintly. A smile so deep and mysterious it was hard to read, yet pure. Only Maria’s.

Swoosh-

“But it seems it’s time for me to leave now. The sun’s coming up. That means our time together is ending.”

I lifted Maria’s bottom effortlessly despite her not being as emaciated as in Tartarus, light as a feather.

Understanding my words, Maria showed a reluctant expression.

“Daybreak already. I didn’t notice how precious our time together was.”

“Now the sunlight’s just starting to peek through the windows, but soon students and librarians will come in. We should head back to the dorm before the morning roll call tomorrow.”

“That’s something even ‘daytime me’ should avoid. Still, I am reluctant to part with you, Joker.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll come again tomorrow. Starting tomorrow, how about we switch locations? Shall we stroll through the city’s night streets?”

“For now, let’s meet here in the library. We still have much to talk about.”

Reassuring the worried Maria put her at ease with a more relaxed smile. It was almost time for the academy students to wake up. I walked steadily toward the library window. For some reason, Maria followed me since we were heading the same way.

Placing one foot on the window frame to climb out, Maria gently grabbed my collar.

“Um… Mr. Joker, there’s something I want to say before we part.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about… daytime me, my younger self.”

“What about it? Spit it out quickly, I need to go.”

Maria’s cheeks were slightly red, looking somewhat embarrassed. Her gaze was slightly lowered too.

“When I was young… you might already know since you’ve experienced it, but I was somewhat arrogant. Actually, it wasn’t just arrogance, but being intoxicated with my own authority and fame, right? I didn’t think people had to unconditionally worship me, but I did consider being worshipped somewhat natural.”

“I get it. You were shocked and disappointed when I said I hadn’t heard of Maria, right? I understand completely. If someone was worshipped by everyone since childhood, they’d have to be a psychopath to remain humble.”

“Embarrassing… Anyway, I’m relieved you understand. I was worried if my younger self might have caused you trouble because of that.”

“So what if she does? People make mistakes sometimes. And Saintess accepted my younger self, so I’ll accept hers too. And it’ll be fun, right?”

“…”

Ripples spread across the saint’s face. What to say… she wore an expression filled with emotion, moving her elegant lips.

“Speaking of which… though you still have far to go…”

“Hm?”

“I feel I’ve done quite a good job reforming you. Isn’t that right? To hear the word ‘acceptance’ from someone known as the Continent’s Second Evil…”

“Kuk, took you long enough to realize.”

No one believes me, but I’ve really reformed a lot, alright?

Really.

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