I Became the Burden of a Conscienceless Party

97 – Abaddon (3)

Abaddon (3)

“… … So, the previous Demon King is the current King of Abaddon?”

Esmeralda nodded after summarizing what the extras had said.

If King Abaddon is the former Demon King, Leviathan, who was chosen by Belphegor, and if Leviathan is a pacifist, then this may be an opportunity.

If we can just get their cooperation, we might be able to find a clue to subjugating the Demon King, which seemed so frustrating.

However, Esmeralda couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off.

‘what?’

The previous Demon King, Leviathan.

I know that he never made any moves to invade the human world. And because of that, there was a peaceful era without heroes.

So is he a sage?

Esmeralda couldn’t just nod her head.

It’s just a hunch. There’s no way to be sure. That’s why Esmeralda turned her head toward Jim.

“I’ve known since long ago that Mr. Jim is a spy for the Demon King’s army.”

First, let’s fix our relationship with Jim. If we don’t talk openly, he might end up hiding things for no reason.

Jim was astonished by Esmeralda’s calm confession.

“What the heck! They found out that I was hiding my power, but who would have thought they’d also find out that I was a demon? … I thought I lied to them well, but you’re amazing.”

“What, what… … That’s right!”

Esmeralda’s nose was raised.

They say that compliments make even whales dance, so it’s understandable to feel good when a former angel compliments you.

“Then you knew but pretended not to know? Why on earth…? Oh, I see. You were acting because you didn’t have the confidence to handle my power? Until you had accumulated enough power?”

“That’s it!”

Jim, who had regained some of his wise head, was able to arrive at the correct answer relatively quickly.

And Esmeralda confirmed Jim’s words, feeling relieved as if a long-standing thorn had been pulled out of her heart.

“That was all an act… … . That I was secretly attacked, or that you found me faster than anyone else when I was kidnapped?!”

“That’s right. That’s right.”

Although she was acting serious, Esmeralda couldn’t hide the corners of her lips twitching.

How much mental anguish must have been felt during that time. Even the protagonist in a common fairy tale must have felt this way when he shouted that the king had donkey ears.

“That stupid appearance was all an act… … . Well, it was strange that you sometimes showed a sharp appearance. So that was your real appearance?”

“Hey, what the heck, did I get caught?”

I don’t know which one of her appearances is real, but she has shown that kind of appearance before.

Most of it was due to power though.

Anyway, that was also Esmeralda’s power, so she shrugged her shoulders as if it was natural.

Esmeralda’s mood improved.

“You were all just pretending to be stupid, whether it was you hastily barging into the Celestial Sect without knowing the Saint’s mental state, you pretended to catch the Saint at the Magic Tower and left, or you charged into the ruins where Lady Tina was without any preparation!”

“… … .”

Esmeralda’s mood worsened.

Because that part was her sincere judgment.

Esmeralda, who was sincere when he said that was stupid, couldn’t help but feel bad.

“No, when I think about it carefully, that incident that happened a while ago… …!”

“Please stop there. We are currently interrogating you, so please answer my questions.”

“Oh, yes.”

She quickly came back to reality and was able to ask what she wanted to ask.

“What does Mr. Jim think? The king of Abaddon, the demon called Leviathan.”

“I see… … First, let me tell you what I know. Well, even if I know, it was when he was the Demon King, not the King of Abaddon.”

Jim was a god.

He is a being who ascends to the highest heaven and observes all living beings.

And the beings he was observing also included demons.

Of course, exercising divinity would only cause harm to those who were defiled by the demonic energy of the demon world, so Jim moved in a way that directly eliminated the threat.

Of course, that was something that was only possible if the demons prayed to the god himself.

Anyway, Jim was looking down on the Demon World, and it was natural for him to watch the Demon King during that process.

In the eyes of such a burden, the demon tribe called Leviathan… … .

“The Demon King I know, Leviathan, was a being that did nothing.”

In some ways, I was more like a bystander.

***

The Demon King, Belphegor, was alone in welcoming Leviathan, the former Demon King and current King of Abaddon, who had come to his castle. This was his decision.

It seems that everyone in the Demon King’s Castle has been expelled, as if there is no need to worry about things like Leviathan.

She had decided to greet Leviathan with such confidence, but in the end, she could only laugh at the sight of Leviathan, who had come alone like her.

He looked much older than when I last saw him, with a shabby appearance and clothes that were no better than a rag.

Was it a great shock to him to lose to her? Or was it a struggle to escape the luxurious Demon King’s Castle and take down the group called Abaddon?

Belphegor didn’t think so. Rather… … .

“It’s the same. If you stay like that, do you think the kids will pick on you?”

I thought it was all a show.

Leviathan shrugged his shoulders and responded without paying any attention to Belphegor’s criticism.

“… … Yes, you have a sharp side in an unexpected place. Why hide it? I decided to take on the hardships to gain their support.”

“Ha! That’s funny, really… … .”

Leviathan knew too.

The fact that this kind of appearance is popular with the demons belonging to Abaddon.

Because he had the appearance of a seeker, Abaddon’s demons also did not suspect Leviathan.

“So? What did you want to say that made you come before me? I’ll give you my word since you have the courage to do so.”

Normally, it wouldn’t be strange if she killed Leviathan here.

Because the loser, Leviathan, was plotting behind the scenes.

It’s not a clean way to do it.

It would have been better to have grown stronger and challenge Belphegor again, but creating a new force to keep Belphegor in check is an action that is not befitting of a demon.

“Belphegor. Is it really necessary to wage war? Why shed blood that does not need to be shed?”

“No, it’s not blood that didn’t need to be shed. It’s blood that deserves to be shed, and that’s why the soldiers are risking their lives.”

An invasion of the human world.

It’s not just a matter of malice and greed.

To break the never-ending chain of guilt by association.

The demons born now don’t know.

They don’t even know what their ancestors did wrong to make this happen.

Yet they are considered sinners, filthy, and monsters who deserve to be killed.

Are you telling me to put up with this?

“Aren’t there some who aren’t like that?”

Leviathan sighed bitterly.

Yes, there may be some who are not ready. There may be some who are afraid of war.

but…….

“It’s the fault of those who lack the determination. As you know, we don’t have a draft. The soldiers we have today are all volunteers. The soldiers of your time? I gave them a chance to choose.”

“They probably didn’t know it would be this bad. That’s why deserters keep coming.”

“I’m talking about those fools who choose the direction of their lives without thinking it through carefully when they stand at an important crossroads.”

Belphegor dismissed the deserters as idiots.

Aren’t they the ones who became soldiers and received all kinds of support, but ran away when asked to risk their lives?

“Anyone can change their mind. I too had a time when I was as radical as you. However, I know that this kind of war is actually killing the demons. Belphegor, don’t you know? We can live on this land without having to return to the human world. Haven’t we already adapted?”

“Adaptation? Did you say adaptation?”

Belphegor’s small fist points towards the table between the two.

thud!

The table was shattered in an instant, the aftershocks spreading to the floor.

To that extent, Belphegor was furious at Leviathan’s words.

“Do you know how many demons are born each year?”

“… … .”

“It’s over eight hundred thousand. It’s a surprising number for our small population.”

Belphegor knows.

Even though I was passing all the work onto Liris because it was annoying, I didn’t forget the most fundamental reason.

The decisive reason why he became the Demon King.

It was for the kids.

“Eight hundred thousand. That’s a high number, comparable to the number of the current demon tribe.”

But that’s why it’s rather strange. If the number of demons born in a year is that many, how can the number of individuals be similar to that?

“Half of them die before they can last even a month, and 99% of them can’t even last six months.”

Because they are dying in such large numbers.

That was the environment of the Demon World. Even if they gave birth to a child, those who could not adapt to the environment would inevitably die.

That’s why the demons changed so that they could have as many children as possible.

And in the aftermath, we lost maternal love. We lost the level of family.

In the end, the demons stopped giving names to their children.

Because once you give them a name, you become attached to them. Because you become saddened by each and every one of their deaths.

That’s why the demons decided to abandon their emotions.

“This place is the same as it was then. It’s hell. And we were thrown into that hell without even knowing what was going on. And yet, you can say that it’s okay because we’ve adapted to hell?”

The reason why Belphegor brought Leviathan to its knees in an ignorant manner.

“You cowardly little b*stard. Honestly, you were satisfied with just being able to play for power like humans.”

That’s because Leviathan was a monarch who really did nothing.