Chapter 25

The eldest daughter of the Northern Dukedom of the Demon Realm, Adella.

She was well-known as a dimwit and tended to act half a beat late in most things due to her slow nature. However, right now, she was running faster than a gust of wind.

Because she worried about her younger brother, Oscar Lucifer, more than anyone else.

Shiiik-!

Her red cape trailed behind her, fluttering wildly. Like a bird of half-black, half-crimson color flying through the Demon Realm’s sky. Though small in stature, the aura she possessed was incomparably powerful, striking fear into the monsters inhabiting the skies.

“Ah… No… Oscar… You can’t get hurt…”

Adella gnashed her teeth in growing impatience. Beads of cold sweat formed on her elegant neck and scattered into the air.

The reason for her great concern was obvious. A similar incident had happened to her long ago, leaving a deep trauma imprinted in her mind.

“I… I don’t want you to end up like me… Without talent…”

Though Adella was less intelligent than the average demon, she was well aware of this fact. She also understood the discrimination that came from being considered dull.

Demons respect strength alone. Whether male or female, if one is strong, there’s no reason to be disadvantaged in the succession struggle because of gender.

Just look at the Clanaein family of the Western Dukedom. The succubi females have monopolized power, surpassing all incubi males. Incubi are lower-class demons anyway.

And Adella herself was one of the top-ranking demons in the Northern Dukedom. Many demons claimed she would become one of the strongest in the next generation. Even when the eldest son Retavis and second son Leonhard reached adulthood, it was widely believed they wouldn’t match Adella’s power.

The head of the house excluded her from succession for a very reasonable cause.

Intellect. In this fierce Demon Realm where cunning and strategy abound, Adella, with her low intelligence, could never take on the role of head, even if it was due to an accident in her youth.

Adella didn’t harbor any resentment toward this decision. She knew best that she lacked the capacity to lead the main house.

Neither did she complain much when rumors spread that she was excluded because she was a female demon. She understood it was consideration for her dignity.

“Oscar! Are you there?”

She only felt fear. That the same misfortune might befall her beloved younger brother. If the grim future she imagined were to come true because of her sparring…

Moreover, unlike her, Oscar lacked magical aptitude, unable to manifest magic until he was nine. He might end up treated even worse than her.

“No, it’s fine. It was just a little pain, wasn’t it? It has to be fine!”

Stray thoughts weren’t good. Shaking her head vigorously, Adella opened the window to her younger brother’s room.

The reason she flew directly to the window instead of coming through the hallway was to save time. This showed how urgent her situation was.

“Oscar! Answer if you’re there! Even if you’re in pain, you can still answer…”

After opening the window and entering the room, Adella immediately checked the bed first. She assumed he’d be lying there since he was reportedly too sick to move.

“Hmm?”

However, contrary to her expectations, the bed revealed only its ornate coverlet. There was no one on the bed.

“What… If you’re sick, why aren’t you here?”

Confused, Adella looked around the room. There was nothing out of place. The room gave off a slightly messy impression, but nothing to worry about.

“Did he gather his strength and go to the dining hall? Since I didn’t come through the hallway, I wouldn’t know. Well, since he’s not here, let’s return to the dining hall.”

For a moment, she thought about tidying up her younger brother’s room, but quickly dismissed the idea. As far as Adella knew, despite his young age, Oscar was exceptionally intelligent. She didn’t want to accidentally mess up something important he had set up.

Having reached a conclusion, Adella strode towards the door, planning to slowly search for Oscar after returning to the dining hall.

Just as Adella grabbed the doorknob,

Tok.

A faint bumping sound came from the wardrobe beside the door.

The sound was so slight that Adella barely paid attention. Thinking it was probably just a mouse, she tried to leave again.

Tuk.

This time, a slightly louder collision sound clearly reached her ears. It was as if pleading for someone to notice. Realizing it couldn’t be ignored, Adella’s attention turned towards the wardrobe.

Letting go of the doorknob, she instead extended her hand towards the wardrobe. An indescribable tension gripped her throat.

Suppressing a subtle fear, Adella bravely opened the wardrobe.

Dulgeok!

“!”

Adella stumbled backward, landing hard on her bottom. Shock and horror filled her face as her wide eyes reflected what she saw inside the wardrobe.

“Uu… Ugh…”

Inside the wardrobe was a demon. Its mouth gagged, its whole body tightly bound by ropes, its eyes covered by a blindfold, and its ears plugged.

Adella recognized who this demon was. Not just recognized, but knew them extremely well.

To the extent that they had shared a meal together just this evening.

“Y-you, why are you here in such a state…!”

A strange voice escaped Adella’s crimson lips. She couldn’t believe the bizarre scene before her eyes.

Kung- Kung- Kung-

The demon inside the wardrobe kept banging their head against the back wall of the wardrobe. As if unaware that Adella had already opened the door. Adella instinctively realized this sound had led her here.

It made no sense. Why was this person in such a state in her younger brother’s room when they were together just minutes ago during dinner?

“Uuh… Ugh… Ughh…”

The suffocated moans escaping past the gag prompted Adella to quickly lean forward to untie the bindings.

That’s when it happened.

Ssssuu-

A bundle of playing cards suddenly flew from somewhere in the corner of the room. They floated lightly like a refreshing breeze, forming a specific pattern between Adella and the demon.

Initially thinking it was a trap, Adella tried to dispel the cards with her magic but stopped when she realized they were arranging themselves into some kind of “text.” It might be the only clue to explain this strange situation.

However, contrary to her expectations, the text formed by the cards only deepened her confusion.

“BE QUIET”

Shhh.

The lone clue ended in a commanding tone.

Perplexed, Adella noticed something odd.

The door she had been trying to leave through, which she had already grabbed the handle of, was gone, replaced by a wall adorned with expensive wallpaper.

As if it had always been there, the wall appeared unyieldingly solid.

Cognitive dissonance enveloped Adella. Why was this person in such a state in her younger brother’s room? Why did this room, which she thought belonged to the youngest, look like this? What was the mysterious card demanding silence? And where had the door disappeared to?

Fear rising inexplicably from within, Adella instinctively took a step back. The bag that had been on the desk somehow moved behind her, tripping her foot.

Kwangdang!

“Uwah…!”

The cluttered room was gone.

Instead, a chaotic room defying logic and common sense remained.

*

Damn, my palms are burning hot. That means Adella has already entered the formation I laid out in my room.

I’ve used Horus’s egg sparingly. It helped break through blocked meridians and provided a small amount of magic power.

Most importantly, thanks to Horus’s egg, I was able to create an illusion formation to deceive Adella. Since both Horus and Adella are absolute-level powers, it’s only possible because of this.

During the previous banquet, I secretly added hallucinogens and confusion-inducing herbs to Adella’s food. She’s not yet at the level of an absolute power but has reached a considerable level. To make her fall for a hastily prepared formation, I had to use at least some drugs.

Judging from the reaction in my palms, it seems successful.

Stretching my neck and looking up, I see the vast sky of the Demon Realm stretching endlessly. The curtain call has fallen, and the lights have completely gone out. The sky now seems to applaud as if celebrating the completion of Joker’s stage.

Right now, I’m at Endros Cliff. I’m not standing boldly on the edge staring down but crouched among the bushes nearby, waiting like a fox.

Why am I doing this? Because two demons will soon come rushing here at midnight.

Retavis, the eldest brother, and Leonhard, the second brother. One a sleek-looking youth, the other a savage-looking boy. Oh, Leonhard, how did you end up inheriting only half of your father’s handsome genes? Pitiful fellow.

This world is ruled by looks. Ugly demons have a harder life than handsome ones. Therefore, I’ve decided to cut short Leonhard’s pitiful existence as soon as possible. Absolutely not because I prefer pretty and handsome beings.

“Brother? Why are you here?”

“Leonhard, why are you here? This isn’t a place for you to walk.”

“It’s… I just went out for a walk. My stomach felt heavy.”

“I see. Then, let’s head back. I have business here.”

Unexpected appearance of Retavis makes Leonhard uneasy and he blurts out a lie. Retavis doesn’t notice the hesitation, eager to meet Lilith Clanaein privately.

But Leonhard does.

“…Business, you say?”

“Yes, is there a problem?”

“Do you not wish to tell me? If you inform me, I, your younger brother, can do my best to help.”

“That’s enough. It’s personal business for this older brother. You don’t need to worry.”

Retavis says excitedly with a flushed face. Leonhard notices this and asks sharply with sharp eyes.

“Just a moment, Brother. Could it be you also received a message from the Western Duke…?”

“Hey? Eldest Brother, Second Brother. Why are both of you here? Did you also receive a message from the Western Duke?”

“Oscar? Where were you hiding?”

“Youngest brother… Why are you here… No, wait, you mentioned the Western Duke earlier…?”

What’s the worst enemy of magic? When the audience starts cooperating. To confuse the audience and deceive their eyes with flimsy illusions, a magician fails once the audience begins forming a tight alliance.

Of course, veteran magicians like me have countermeasures. By becoming one of the audience and blending in among them. Audiences focus on the stage and rarely examine themselves.

Now, I shall become young Oscar. Brought here to Endros Cliff by a mysterious letter from the Western Duke’s Clanain family, knowing nothing.

“Did you also receive this letter? From Lilith Clanaein, the sole heir of the Clanain family?”

Along with the question, Leonhard pulls out a letter from his robes. That thing I gave him, and he has no idea.

“Wa-, What? You guys received the letter too? I thought only I was invited to Endros Cliff…!”

Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Retavis hurriedly pulls out a letter. Ah, I didn’t prepare one for myself. Need to change the subject before they ask me to show mine.

“Yes, it said to come to Endros Cliff by midnight today… I don’t understand the situation either.”

“Hmph, this older brother is the same. Why call people and then not show up yourself…”

“Not that, why send letters to all three of us? Doesn’t seem like someone we barely know would play such a trivial prank…”

“Eldest Brother, Second Brother. What should we do now? It’s getting late… Should we trust the sender and wait?”

“Hmm… Maybe they’re waiting below. Perhaps going down the cliff is the best option.”

It’s easy to align with the audience. Just create common ground with them. For example, ‘a mysterious situation that might be a trap’ where none of us know anything.

The human mind is quite fragile. As surroundings erode, one desperately seeks something to rely on. Ignoring ancient wisdom about testing bridges before crossing, one plunges in and regrets later.

I naturally inserted myself between Leonhard and Retavis. While Retavis doesn’t suspect me, Leonhard currently views even Retavis with suspicion.

Since Retavis is the strongest here, I need to position myself between the two. Making Retavis see me as ‘family after all’ and Leonhard see me as ‘the only ally’.

Of course, neither likes me. Especially Leonhard wants to kill me whenever he gets a chance. Approaching them without creating awkwardness might seem questionable.

But hatred and murderous intent always crumble before fundamental threats to life.

Three young demons remain in the forest-clad cliff of the Demon Realm. Signs of confusion and fear are already evident on the faces of the two younger ones.

“Haa, surely that succubus Lilith Clanain isn’t playing with us, is she? Sending false letters?”

They now harbor faint hostility not towards me, but towards Lilith.

“…Grrr, nonsense. Unless they want to start a war with us.”

“Lilith Clanain is said to be an arrogant demon. Treats others like toys. As the only external heir of the Western Duke’s family, she’s always been pampered.”

“Lilith! Damn bitch! How dare you humiliate! Retavis, the eldest son of the Lucifer family!”

The hotheaded Retavis kicks the ground repeatedly, venting his anger. It’s pointless rage. He’s embarrassed to show weakness before his always despised younger brothers.

Lilith! Sorry! Next time we meet, I’ll treat you to steak! Ah, since you’re a succubus, would you prefer blood infused with male demon energy?

“First calm down and check the surroundings. No matter how reckless that demon may be… She wouldn’t play such games.”

Unlike the agitated Retavis, Leonhard calmly observes the situation while scanning the area. Good posture. Though occasional outbursts of anger management issues are Leonhard’s major flaw, he generally maintains composure in difficult situations.

Of course, that benefits me. Calmness usually leads to good outcomes, but I’ve been waiting for his calmness to kick in.

“It might be down there.”

Leonhard approaches the edge of the cliff and looks down, pointing to the area below.

Calmness expands one’s field of vision. Unlike Retavis who stomps around meaninglessly.

“Could it refer to below the cliff though it’s called Endros Cliff? Succubi do love wordplay.”

“You’re talking about that fog-covered area we can’t even see?”

I stepped closer to him. Having already recognized me as an ally to cooperate with, Leonhard didn’t avoid or block me.

“Yeah, down there.”

Leonhard knelt down, leaning forward and pointed with his finger to the bottom of the cliff. I approached closely, pretending to peer into the darkness.

“Through the mist, I can vaguely see something pale. Come take a look. Could that be Lilith Clanain?”

“Oh, really. But that…”

Leonhard subtly leaned closer to me while glancing sideways at Retavis, who was still kicking the ground pointlessly. Too focused on his meaningless rivalry to notice the imminent danger.

Fire has no malice. When someone walks up offering to be burned, it can’t help but grow and consume them. Isn’t that why fires are called disasters? Because they contain neither kindness nor malice.

I’m the same. A curious troublemaker who removes the support that the two wolves think is safest when they cling to me to avoid falling off the cliff.

Giving a sword to a mere nine-year-old…

“The rocks down there are sharp enough to shatter bones and flesh upon impact.”

Puk.

“Ack! Oh no!”

“…Eh?”

With his center of gravity already tilted forward, Leonhard easily toppled over with just a slight push on his foot. His entire body was thrown into empty space, falling helplessly. A tremendous sense of liberation enveloped his whole body. Leonhard looked at me with bewildered eyes, still not realizing the situation.

Looking stylishly terrible as he crashes to the ground, I shouted helplessly.

“My foot slipped! There’s nothing we can do now! Brother! Let’s say our final goodbyes before it’s too late! Safe journey to the afterlife! I’ll send you company soon!”

The shocked gazes of Leonhard plummeting rapidly and Retavis watching my actions from the side hit me.

I love those gazes. That’s why I can’t stop my performance.

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