I looked at the small gathering of Heroes before me, all but forced into unconsciousness by the pressure of [Earth-Attribute Magic: Gravity Well].

All but one.

“Kh…”

Saniel sent me a defiant glare even as she was bound tight by Lady Entropy’s thorny, prickly chains. That said, they robbed her of the ability to move or manipulate her mana, so glaring at me was about the only thing she could do.

Since she posed little threat in this state, even with her dangerous Aspect, I decided to have a little fun and taunt her about her position.

“To charge headstrong into enemy territory with no regard for the effects that could have, without even considering your own well-being… How very like you, Saniel.”

“What do you know about me?!”

It seemed the chains were loose enough for her to be able to speak, at least around her neck.

“What do I know, is it? Let me see…”

A smirk contorted my face as I began recalling what details I could.

“Despite being the Saint of Exorcisms, your inability to draw out your Aspect’s full power has always bothered you. In a similar vein, despite your chest being envied by your peers, you have a complex about your height—”

“How do you know about that?!” she cut me off, apparently still having room to blush in this absolutely one-sided situation.

I felt Lady Entropy shift her weight on my lap, into a position which seemed to be a little more comfortable for her, but less so for me.

Of course, even without such an action, her thoughts and the movements of her ears informed me perfectly well that I had invoked her jealousy.

I decided to move the subject along.

“How, you ask?” I said, a light tone of ridicule in my voice. “Why, that should be obvious. Just look at my eyes. Though if you cannot see them from there, I have another hint for you.”

The smirk on my face only grew as I spoke the critical word, or rather, critical name.

“Arthur.”

The slow transition in her expression, from confusion to a sudden realisation and then finally unfiltered shock, was quite a sight to behold.

“Ar… Arthur? Is it, really you?”

“Who else could it be? It is not a common name amongst demons.”

“But… But I thought… But we all thought…! We were so worried!”

Again, Lady Entropy shifted her weight.

“Are you sure about that? Until I said my name, Theliel seemed to have all but forgotten about me.”

“Erk… Well, ‘we all’ may have been a lie… But, but I was really worried, you know! Even if she forgot, there’s no way I could forget you!”

It took me this long to notice the tears building up in the corners of her eyes. “Oh?” I said, my signature sneer creeping onto my face. “But, if you say that, then why did it take as long as me saying my name for you to recognise me, I wonder?”

“That’s cause… You’re…”

Her voice trailed off.

“I am?”

“You look…”

Once more, her voice trailed off. Frankly, she was getting on my nerves.

“Out with it, Saniel. I do not have the patience for this.”

“You’re… You’re so much cooler now…”

For the third time, Lady Entropy shifted her weight. My leg was getting a little numb, so I nonchalantly pushed her back and ignored her fluttering, embarrassed ears.

“... I was unaware you liked villains,” I said, after what felt like ten minutes but must have been no more than ten seconds.

“Of course I do!” she responded with as much fervor as her position allowed.

Given the tight chains, that was not very much.

“Taking what they want, when they want it, because they want it, and not being easily swayed by others,” she continued, “isn’t that far cooler than some goody two-shoes?!”

A frighteningly accurate analysis of my mindset. Furthermore, she had complimented it. I was reminded of the very reason of her popularity—that innocence of hers which allowed her to compliment me so frankly.

“And yet, you call yourself a Saint,” I said, my expression essentially having gone blank.

She let out nothing but a groan—it seemed she was not expecting that response.

“Regardless,” I said, “although I cannot see this as anything but a plea to join my side, I still need to kill you to take your Aspect—”

“Please do!”

“Hm?”

Silence.

Several dozens of seconds of silence.

“... Elaborate,” I said eventually.

“You can just revive me as a monster, right? Then it doesn’t matter if you kill me once!”

I turned my gaze to the goddess in my lap.

“... We can do that,” she said, “high-tier undead have egos, after all. But I’m not sure we should. She could be a spy…”

On the other hand, a former Saint would be a powerful asset to have. In other words, there was a need to ascertain her loyalty.

I turned back to Saniel. There was no trace of the tears that had threatened to spill out earlier. “... Well, for now, tell me what you know of Lady Luciel.”

“Ah, gotcha!”

“I see, I see. So your final judgment is?”

“She’s the real bad guy.”

An exceedingly simple choice of words, and an apparent distinction between the terms ‘villain’ and ‘bad guy’. I was lost for words, but at the very least, her opinion of Lady Luciel was passable, so I sent a telepathic message to a certain masked man.

“Another thing.”

“Huh?”

I used [Appraisal].

Unlike during the time with Theliel, I was not met with any resistance. Perhaps Lady Luciel was not watching the inside of the castle very closely, or perhaps she simply could not see. Either way, Saniel’s status appeared in front of me.

Name

Saniel

Sex

Female

Race

Human

Class

Saint

Skills

Saint

[Familiar Descent] [Senses of the Goddess] [Status Effect Resistance] [Healing Magic] [Azalyth Control]

Familiar Descent

>

Senses of the Goddess

>

Status Effect Resistance

Passive: you gain increased resistance against status effects, no matter the source.

Healing Magic

You may use various light-attribute spells that are geared towards healing.

Azalyth Control

>

Hero

[Storage] [Flawless Mind] [Saviour] [Self-status] [Increased efficiency: Light]

Storage

Place an item you are in contact with into or retrieve it from a special sub-space. Living beings may not be placed into this sub-space.

Flawless Mind

Passive: your mental state and memories cannot be manipulated by any means.

Saviour

Passive: anyone who you rescue from a life-or-death situation will forcibly have their mental state calmed, and gain permanent increased mental resistance.

Self-status

View your own status, as if through the effect of [Appraisal].

Increased efficiency: Light

Passive: the efficiency and effect of any light-attribute or healing-type magic cast on or by you will increase.

Aspect of Exorcisms

[Exorcise] [Lustrate]

Exorcise

>

Lustrate

>

Other

[Light-Attribute Magic: Offensive/General] [No-Attribute Magic] [Good Liar] [Divine Protection: Luciel (Increased)]

Light-Attribute Magic: Offensive/General

You may use various light-attribute spells that are geared towards attack, as well as low-level spells with various purposes, such as attack, defence, etcetera.

No-Attribute Magic

You may use various spells that are not bound to any particular attribute. You may use these spells without chanting.

Good Liar

Passive: you will have an easier time hiding secrets.

Divine Protection: Luciel (Increased)

>

“Ah, yes, you had that kind of hero skill, did you,” I said, smirking. “That makes sense.”

I could sense Lady Entropy was curious, so I sent her a copy of the status. She, in turn, drew my attention to [Good Liar], so I borrowed and used a mindreading skill.

It seemed Saniel’s admiration towards villains—and, by extension, her wish to join me—was genuine.

My contemplations were interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Nexu, Asami. To your room,” I said, “there is no need for you two to see this.”

They tilted their heads stupidly. Given the castle’s nature, they would be hard-pressed to find their room without a guide, I realised, so I appointed the nearest Ghost Maid to serve that role.

After the three of them were gone, I returned my attention to the throne room’s large, central doors and opened them with an elegant gesture and a touch of magic.

On the other side stood three silhouettes. Smile and Xhaos, side-by-side, and between them, the Barrier Hero, exhausted, on his knees. The pair of Devils was holding him up by his hands—if they let go, he would likely collapse on the spot.

I could not quite tell from this distance, but it seemed like under the Barrier Hero’s eyes, his skin was rather red, perhaps from tears. In addition, there was a large number of small bruises and cuts all over his body.

Smile spared Saniel, still wrapped in chains, only a single glance before genuflecting in my direction, like one might expect a knight to do to a king, or a believer to a god. Because he let go of the Barrier Hero’s hand, the Hero half-collapsed.

I could not tell if he was genuflecting towards me or towards Lady Entropy, but it was not as if that mattered.

With a gesture and a nod, I gave him permission to speak.

“As you have requested, we have brought you your prisoner, Lord Astaroth, Lady Entropy,” he said, the mask on his face revealing no emotions.

“This toy was really fun!” Xhaos said, despite the fact that I had not given him permission to speak. With good reason, too. A grin of childlike amusement covered his face, cheek to flushed cheek. “The bubbles started coming out really quickly, but they were all really small and took a while to pop, so—”

I sent Charlotte a meaningful look. “Know thy place!” she thus said to Xhaos, “to address the Overlord w’thout his perm’ssion… Dost thou know no manners?!”

Xhaos shut his mouth, though I could almost see the dejection dripping off of him.

“Saniel,” I said, turning my attention towards her for a moment, “take a look at that.” I pointed at the Barrier Hero, slumped motionlessly by Xhaos’s side and held up by one hand.

He did not even flinch as I called him ‘that’.

“That’s… Yxon?” she said, narrowing her eyes. Unlike what I had expected—a look of sympathy for her defiled comrade, or perhaps concern for her own fate—it was more akin to the look someone like me would give a piece of human trash. Her eyes and mouth distorted into a frown that would not lose to the kind of face many Heroes would give to a monster.

“Oh? What an… unexpected reaction,” I said, chuckling to myself as my mouth widened a little. “Pray tell, Saniel, what could cause such a response to an ally?”

She seemed to have a little trouble formulating a response. Several times, she started a sentence but did not end up finishing it.

I leaned to the side in half-interest, placing my elbow on the throne’s armrest and resting my head upon my hand. The obvious result was that Lady Entropy lost her balance, but she refound it after a few shuffles and other movements, slightly to the left of where she was earlier.

“No one really liked Yxon, I think,” Saniel said eventually, a sort of half-sad, half-disgusted expression on her face. “No one nice, anyway. He had the habit of treating anyone other than Heroes like they weren’t alive, as if they were NPCs. Though I couldn’t tell you if he still has that habit, looking at him now…”

I nodded. “Certainly, I did notice something like that. Well, in any case, the meaning of bringing him here was not to get your opinion on him. I want to see how you deal with broken people.”

“B, broken?” she asked, a hint of nervousness springing across her face.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Barrier Hero decided to speak up.

“Please…”

He elicited no more than a low chuckle from me.

“Please…” he repeated, seeming to have taken my chuckle as permission to speak. “Please don’t send me back there! Anything! I’ll, I’ll do anything, so! So please! I’m begging you!”

I sent Xhaos a look. Xhaos swiftly presented the business end of his whip to the back of the Barrier Hero’s head.

“Smile,” I said.

“Yes, Lord Astaroth?”

“Did you manage to extract the answer to every question?”

“Certainly, Lord Astaroth. Every second of every response has been recorded, to the finest detail. Should you desire to view them now—”

“No, that is quite alright. As for how to deal with him…”

“Should we execute him immediately, or will you permit Xhaos to play with his newfound toy a little more?”

I looked to Lilith. After a moment, she noticed my gaze.

“Oh, ya’re leavin’ the decision t’ me, Master? I’d almost think ya were—”

“Lilith, if you so much as finish that sentence, I will personally send you back to Gehenna.”

“Gotcha. Sorry. Well, I think I got all the fun I’m gonna get outta watchin’ him be tortured, so if we could hurry up an’ kill him already, that’d be nice. Free m’ family ‘n all.”

“You’re… You’re going to kill me?” the Barrier Hero asked, a silent plea in his eyes.

I could not tell what he was pleading for.

“Would you rather return to Xhaos?” I asked, genuinely curious.

He slowly turned his gaze to Xhaos, who still had that childlike grin spread across his flushed face. Xhaos, of course, noticed his gaze, and extended a hand to the Barrier Hero in a gesture I could only describe as a child inviting someone to play.

With a higher speed than I thought possible, the Barrier Hero crawled his way to the bottom of the steps leading up to my throne. I figured that, had he still been able to, he would have been crying.

“Please don’t,” he said, “in that case, please just kill me. Please… I’m begging you…”

The sight of this former Hero, groveling at the foot of my sovereign seat and begging me to kill him, was, to put it simply—

Extremely disgusting. Unsightly. Revolting. Just plain unpleasant.

I sent Lady Entropy a mental warning and then picked her up by her waist before setting her down on the ground besides my throne and stood up, folding my arms behind my back.

“You’re in this position, and yet you’re making requests?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I started descending the steps.

“Ah.” After a second or two, he pushed his face further to the ground than it already was. “I’m sorry…”

Another step.

“I’m sorry, so please…”

Step.

“Please, I beg you…”

I arrived at my destination. He tried to raise his head and look at me, but I planted my foot on his head to keep his face on the ground.

“First you seal a multitude of Devil tribes, then you try to kill me, and now that you have lost, you beg for a quick death…”

It seemed his tear ducts had regained their lost fluids, because under my shoe, he started weeping.

“Normally, I would have you tortured until nothing is left and kill you then, but… Well, it seems as though you are halfway there already, and since the person herself has agreed to it, I shall kill you here.”

With a short chant, I cast “[Darkness-Attribute Magic: Dark Blade],” a spell which allowed the user to form a weapon from darkness. Compared to Form Darkness, it was more solid, but more limited in shape.

Regardless of all that, I summoned a black sword into my hand.

“Why not jus’ use yer claws, Master?”

“As if I would dirty myself by touching the internal organs of this filth.”

The Hero only muttered weak words of gratitude as the sword penetrated his heart. I kicked the body aside, sword and all.

Then I turned my attention to Saniel.

“And then, for your final trial,” I said, internally rather surprised at her composed expression, “prove your loyalty.”

Moments after I took on my [True Demon Form] and spread my wings out to the side, my claws split Saniel’s head from her body in a single, clean cut.