NOVEL NEXT Chapter 56
Chapter 56
The castle of the Demon King and the residence of Belial, the Castle of Fire. True to his nickname as the Demon King of Inferno, he had a fiery personality and was very skilled in handling fire magic.
However, the fiery personality only applied to everyday life; as a Demon King who once held a mid-tier position, he possessed remarkably cold and calm judgment.
“Missing?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Recently, soldiers patrolling during the dawn hours have been going missing. Soldiers patrolling at other times are fine, but this only happens during dawn.”
The one reporting to Belial was none other than Eris, the general of the 67th floor and his loyal right arm. Listening to her report, Belial replied calmly.
“Is there any possibility of desertion?”
“From the very beginning, there were no signs of that, and the fact that the missing soldiers all left their helmets behind makes it hard to consider it as desertion. They left nothing else behind, only their helmets… it seems too intentional.”
As Eris reported, it was not an ordinary missing persons case. Belial had a gut feeling that something was behind this disappearance.
“Is it the 68th floor’s doing?”
“I checked, but there are no traces of any personnel from the 68th floor capable of killing the patrol team. There are already nine missing individuals, and to kill that many while leaving no traces would require at least five people.”
“Are you saying that such a number has never come from the 68th floor?”
“Yes.”
Belial seemed to ponder for a moment. Then, he recalled a group that could move in such numbers.
“What about the upper levels?”
“We are already investigating the upper levels, Your Majesty. However, they have no reason to harm our soldiers, do they? Especially selecting the dawn hours for that…”
“You never know. Hasn’t the owner of the 69th floor changed recently? Consider all possibilities.”
“…Understood.”
Belial also considered the possibility that it was not the upper levels’ doing as low. The meaning was to check just in case. And Belial commanded Eris to take special measures.
“Increase the number of patrols. Combine them with the next shift, resulting in a total of six. With more personnel, the risk of disappearance will decrease. Also, order one of them to move separately. If any other members disappear, tell them to report immediately.”
“Understood.”
“Don’t forget to control the rumors among the soldiers. We can’t afford to have morale drop for no reason.”
“I will obey Your Majesty’s command.”
Eris bowed her head in loyalty and exited the audience room with polite steps. Left alone in the audience room, Belial frowned tightly.
“What do you think?”
Though he was alone, he spoke as if asking someone. As soon as Belial posed the question, a response echoed from a corner of the empty audience room.
“It must be the Massu’s doing.”
“Massu?”
Upon closer inspection, a man was hiding in the darkness. Completely cloaked in a heavy robe, his appearance was not clearly visible. One thing was certain: he was not an ordinary person. The long, dark tail, which could not be concealed by the robe, hinted at his kind.
“Yes. There are hunting ones lurking in the darkness among the Massu of Hell. Did you not say this only occurs during dawn hours? I see potential there.”
“Why would the Massu of Hell come to such a high floor?”
“Well, shall I investigate once?”
Belial narrowed his eyes. It was unwelcome for the individual to involve himself in affairs of his level. However, when it involved Hell, no one among the 67th floor knew better than him…
“Find out.”
“Understood. I shall bring good news.”
#
“Teacher.”
In Nahun’s office stood Seere. Today again, traces of her fidgeting were apparent. She had come to ask Nahun one important question.
“What’s the matter?”
“Is the work going well?”
“Oh, that.”
Nahun nodded.
“Yes, it seems to be having some effect.”
Leviathan was performing well according to Nahun’s instructions. Without being greedy, he was gradually consuming the soldiers of the 67th floor every dawn. This was creating confusion and instilling fear among them.
“So when will the conquest begin?”
“I plan to do it once the orders of the 6th and 7th Legions are established and training is more or less complete. His Majesty Citri also needs time to prepare.”
“Then it will take about a month?”
A month. After roughly considering the timeframe, it seemed that way to Nahun. He responded positively to Seere’s conjecture.
“Long-term, that would be the case. Why do you ask?”
“I want to prepare too.”
“Prepare? For what?”
Nahun, unable to comprehend what she meant by ‘preparing’, showed a puzzled expression. Seere then looked at him with a serious gaze.
“Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“Please train me for a month so that I can defeat Belial.”
“…What!?”
Nahun accidentally shouted at that surprising claim. Seeing Seere appear slightly startled, he quickly apologized.
“Oh, no… I’m sorry. You just said something so astonishing…”
He anxiously reassured Seere, worried she might tear up. However, Seere seemed to only be momentarily surprised and then took a composed expression again as she continued.
“Teacher, I’m not joking. I intend to fight Belial directly.”
“No, what are you saying? Didn’t I explain clearly that it’s not good for you to go to dangerous places last time?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Then why are you being so stubborn…”
“Because he’s a Demon King.”
To Seere’s response, Nahun could find no counter-argument.
“If a Demon King leads a faction, they should always set an example. And I cannot continue to rely on your power for conquering. Always hiding in the back and only benefiting from your efforts is not what a Demon King should do.”
“But you defeated Dekarabia on the 68th floor…?”
“Dekarabia is far too weak, isn’t he?”
Dekarabia was not a weak Demon King. The very nature of a Demon King is significantly stronger than the Demon Race, and Dekarabia was well-known for his power among the lower-tier Demon Kings, alongside Andromalius.
Could anyone dismiss such a Demon King as weak? Objectively speaking, no. However, Seere was speaking from a relative viewpoint.
“Teacher, considering our goals, Dekarabia isn’t even worth comparing. Our goal lies above that, right?”
“That is…”
“Then I should at least be able to defeat a mid-tier Demon King like Belial, shouldn’t I?”
“…….”
Nahun could not bring himself to refute Seere’s statements. Everything she said was logical and correct. The place Nahun and Seere aimed for was the very bottom of the Demon World, the 1st floor.
To conquer that place, Seere’s growth was essential. And the fastest way for Seere to grow was to participate in battles directly.
Especially when winning a battle against a strong opponent, anyone would advance to the next level. If they were still a young child with good growth potential, the effects would be even more significant. Of course, Nahun was fully aware of this fact.
Even so, the reason Nahun had kept Seere out of battle until now was not only to hide her true strength but also due to his concern for her instability.
But now, Nahun wondered if he should block this child’s path due to the unease he felt. This child was serious. She was saying she needed to surpass Belial to rise higher.
“…Alright.”
“!”
“I can’t let you wander about weakly. You’re not just a child; you’re a Demon King.”
“I’m no longer a child!”
Seere puffed her cheeks slightly. While she definitely appeared older than twelve, Nahun still saw her as the cute child she used to be, recalling her childhood.
“At twelve, you’re still a baby.”
“Teacher…!”
“But just because you’re young, I won’t underestimate or dismiss your abilities. Yes, if that’s truly what you want, then supporting you is the appropriate role of a teacher.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I grant you permission to participate.”
Since Nahun regained military authority, Seere would need his permission to enter the fray. That’s why she had come to persuade him, and fortunately, everything turned out well as Seere beamed and rushed into his embrace.
“Thank you, Teacher!!”
“Well… Still, you ought to prepare thoroughly.”
“Yes!”
Nahun gently patted Seere’s head. She smiled brightly and asked him.
“Then, Teacher, can I win?”
“Objectively speaking…”
Seere’s skills had made significant progress. The fact that Dekarabia, one of the stronger lower-tier Demon Kings, couldn’t inflict any damage and was defeated was a testament to that.
“Belial might still be stronger.”
But that was in reference to the lower-tier Demon Kings. Asking whether Seere’s strength could win against a mid-tier Demon King like Belial, who was once close to the top 50 ranks, was uncertain.
Nahun wasn’t exactly sure if Belial was indeed stronger than Seere, but he intentionally spoke this way, thinking it would keep Seere from becoming complacent and better prepare her.
“Then I really need special training!”
“Special training, huh? What do you want?”
“Strong magic! And swordsmanship!”
Though he wasn’t sure about swordsmanship, he thought he could definitely teach her strong magic. Nahun nodded and responded.
“You can ask Captain Lin to teach you swordsmanship. As for magic, yes, I’ll teach you, within the limits of your magic capacity.”
“Yes!”
“I’ll prepare the lessons for that starting tomorrow, so you also get ready.”
Nodding.
Seere nodded her head. This habit she had from childhood was still a sign that she was still a child.
Nahun couldn’t help but smile fondly and told her.
“Prepare yourself. You’ll have to keep up properly.”
“Yes, Teacher!”
Seere bowed and left the office. Nahun began to contemplate how he would train Seere rigorously over the course of a month.
“If I can fully utilize the whole month, it should be enough, but…”
It was uncertain whether Belial would wait for them.
#
Seere returned to her room. After securing the promise of special training from Nahun and receiving permission to enter battle, she felt pleased, thinking she had gained recognition from her teacher, and flopped onto her bed.
“Fufufu~♪”
Feeling good, she started humming a little tune. Seere rolled around while hugging a white whale plush toy, just like the white bear she had.
“I need to become strong quickly. So that…”
The reasons Seere wanted special training from Nahun were actually twofold.
One was the need to defeat Belial. Nahun had explained this part to him as well. But there was another reason Seere had internally been contemplating.
“…So I can stop Teacher.”
By learning strong magic and gaining combat experience, she aimed to grow her abilities rapidly. Ultimately, Seere’s goal was to surpass Nahun himself. Even if she couldn’t surpass him, she needed to be capable of keeping him at bay.
Sparkle.
Seere’s magic power dispersed around her. The scattered magic quickly gathered back to her, vanishing in an instant. And a portion of Seere’s hair turned a bright red.
“Let’s work hard.”