Volume 10 Chapter 1 (1/2)

My first ever meeting with [Despair] Demon Lord Belial was over.

On the surface, he seemed friendly and not self-serving.

He made a good first impression, but that was far from enough to convince me from making an alliance with him. I needed more information on him to make that call.

Fortunately, I knew a way to gain such knowledge in a short amount of time: asking Marcho. She knew about most Demon Lords, so hopefully, Belial was among them.

And so, I was headed to her dungeon via Transfer.

We had already setup a Transfer array in her dungeon, so I was able to visit her without much hassle whenever I had enough time.

”Thanks, Abyss Howl”

”Gau!”

After thanking it, I put the Abyss Howl that transported me into my [Storage].

Today, I did not bring along Kuina who was my usual guard. Aura had asked for her help in regards to the transplanting of a golden apple tree into the [Recovery] dungeon room. I consented to it, seeing as I had no need for a guard when I was simply going to the [Beast] dungeon, which was now essentially an annex of my own dungeon.

”My, Procell, we were together until morning and yet here you are already. Have you missed me already? What am I to do with you, you hopeless child?”

Marcho dashed toward me and then gave me a hug that buried my face in her breasts.

It was a soft, warm, and tremendously great feeling, but it was also one that was suffocating me.

”There, there, here are the breasts you've been missing. Let's go to the bedroom where I can show you all the love you've been wanting.”

Upon hearing those words, my pride was wounded. As such, I forcibly separated from her.

”…Marcho, I've asked you before, please stop treating me like a child. Wait, actually, are you treating me worse now? Are you treating me like a baby?”

”Am I? Sorry. You just trigger these maternal instincts of mine, I guess.”

Marcho said so and then laughed, almost teasingly.

Like always, I was no match for her. As lovers, I wanted us to be on equal footing, but such things didn't come easily, especially for her who was a step or perhaps even two steps above me.

Of course, I wanted to do something about it.

”Anyway, that's not what I came here for. I mean, I'm not saying I don't want that, it's just that I have a different reason for coming here.”

”Hmm, you're so cold. But fine, it's not often you ask me for help, after all. So, let's hear it.”

Marcho then sat on her throne and crossed her legs.

That action suited her well.

Looking at her like that, I realized again just how important a throne was for a Demon Lord. I had been meaning to make one for myself, but since there haven't been an opportunity to make use of it, I ended up putting the task on indefinite hold.

If I were to stand alongside Marcho as equals, even if it was in appearance only, I knew I needed to acquire and master such majesty as well. And so, I promised to myself to build a throne of my own as soon as possible.

”A Demon Lord saying he wanted to form an alliance with me showed up. I've talked to him, but I still can't decide one way or the other. So, I came here hoping you can tell me some things about him.”

”Ohh. That's good news, isn't it? Is he a guy born in the same year as you?”

”No, he mentioned he was about a hundred years old. The one I'm talking about is [Despair] Demon Lord Belial. When we spoke, I had the impression that he was a cheerful and friendly person. He said the reason he wanted to form an alliance with me was because he admired me.”

As though pondering about something, Marcho placed a hand on her chin.

”A celebrity is interested in another celebrity, huh.”

”A celebrity?”

[Despair] Demon Lord Belial did not give off the impression of being a celebrity.