As Hans watched the youngster drift off to sleep, he could only shake his head and chuckle lightly.
"The antics of youth." He adjusted his jacket on the young one more comfortably.
He did try to warn her… sort of. Very well, he did not. Hans saw this as an opportunity to, in a way, show his faction's sincerity.
Ironically, by allowing her to ingest the devil prince wine and passing out, leaving her completely vulnerable, Hans could show upon her waking, she had nothing to fear from the feast faction.
By waking up protected and untouched, the two parties would ultimately further their friendly relationship through 'mutual trust'.
"Sigh, but perhaps such theatrics were unnecessary…"
He had thought of this plan as she was drinking the wine, but her actions and word after had made him feel a bit guilty about such a ploy. He had been used to such lies and trickery with devils that his action had been an automatic response.
Even when he felt his plan was in full swing and he divulged the importance of getting intel from the two star devil, only to be asked for a favor, old Hans had thought the worst in the little devil.
He was disappointed in himself.
"She's just a newborn, why think so convoluted? Devils aren't inherently evil."
Hans remembered back at the time when he was on the run. Both Angels and Devils hunted him for the ruthless slaughter of an Angel when he was a young demon lord.
The angels wanted retribution, while the devils sought a capable minion. With his back against the wall, he fled back to Hellnia, only to be strongarmed by the aristocrats.
They used all sorts of tricks to put him further and further in desperate straits. Slain his subordinates, destroyed his home, they even sent other demons to attack and harass him constantly.
At his weakest, he stumbled across the desert, wounded and hungry. Until he found a small Oasis. A pitifully small pond with two palm trees.
Without thinking he dashed to the pond and began to drink greedily. The water was sweet, a taste that would make going back to regular drinking water an impossible feat. He drank with such fervor he thought the small pond would dry up before he could have his fill.
Until a voice was heard under one of the small trees.
"Kakaka, Hey! Since you're taking advantage of my hard work, you gotta do me a favor!"
A young voice said happily.
Hans, startled, stood up and turned around. His 6'5 frame towering over the girl seated on the small rock.
His wild and vigilant eyes met hers.
A girl, about 17 sat there, unbothered by the vicious stare of the newcomer.
Hans inspected the girl. Purple hair, black eyes with golden irises, and small black horns.
He growled at the sight. "Devil!"
The girl blinked at the harsh voice, then laughed.
"Kakaka, sheesh you have no manners at all! Kakaka!"
She wagged a slender finger.
"You always do introductions when first meeting someone."
She stood up and walked to the 25 year old war demon and held out a soft hand.
"My name is Cravings, Cravings 21st Atrophia. Nice to meet you."
…
…
Hans scoffed at the old memory. What were his old bones doing thinking of the past now?
He looked over at the snoring Hannya, her leg was outstretched and she was scratching her belly. An unladylike sight, but oddly endearing.
"Huh, she said the same thing back then too." His lips curved up ever so slightly. Maybe there was hope for the plane of Hellnia.
But then he looked further back behind the sleeping devil. Three cages, holding three demons. His mood soured at the sight.
Charm demons, captured, violated, and abused. They were just laying there, not making a sound, they hadn't even noticed their captors were dead. Their will to live, long gone.
He could only sigh at their despair. This was the true reality of Hellnia out in the free lands now.
With the greed devils running amok, the clans and villages of demons making it on their own, now face the constant fear of assault and enslavement. Hans clenched his fist. He and his Queen had to make things right, if a Judge will not be chosen, then they will take action themselves.
"Soon, the gate will open soon." He reminded himself. He just needed to find a way to ascend in the meantime. But first, the intel.
He needed to know where this greeder got human technology. Such advanced work could only be recent designs. They had a connection to the other side, was Hans' guess, but he needed to confirm.
He looked over at the caged demons once more. He sighed.
'I'll give them a choice at least.'
He should deal with the charm demons before he started his rigorous questioning.
He walked over to the gates and stared down at the charm demons. They didn't move or even look in his direction. He shook his head. Pitiful women indeed. From his spatial ring, Hans pulled out two small bottles, one with grey liquid and the other, black powder.
The black powder, he poured a handful in his hand, then he infused it with his mana.
Sssssss
The powder began to crackle and burn into thick smoke. The smoke passed through the cages and the women. When it fully passed, the sigils inscribed on the cages and bodies of the captures began to dissolve.
Creaaak
The gates swung open by themselves, as if they had never been locked in the first place.
Hans slowly approached, noticing a jolt from one of the women, he stopped. He crouched down a few feet away from them, and placed the gray bottle on the ground.
He then spoke.
"My name is Hans, the royal butler of her majesty 1st Gula. Your captors are dead, killed by the young devil Hannya 6th Luxuria." He pointed to the sleeping devil. The demons showed no reaction.
"As of now, you are free. I applaud your will in fighting the corruption forced upon you. You all have a choice now."
He paused gesturing to the bottle and the wide open space behind him.
"I will not make it for you. This bottle contains Eternal Dream. It is painless and works instantly. You will simply fall asleep, never to wake…"
He then turned and gestured to the lands behind him.
"Alternat-"
But his words couldn't even finish before the three got up and exited the cages. Their glazed eyes locked on the eternal dream, they knew what their second option was, and they had no interest in it.
Hans could tell, he just let out a heavy sigh, turned and walked to the passed out two star devil. He had given the choice. No need to witness more.
But as he hopped down and was halfway to the healing devil, he heard something strange.
"Mmmm…what a magnificent smell ~"
Hans turned back, his eyes wide in confusion.
On the deck of the large cart stood Hannya, holding the grey bottle, smiling oddly at the three dazed charm demons.
Hans was shocked, what was she doing? And how was she awake right now? She should be asleep for hours, the wine was made for beings at a much higher level than the young devil.
Hannya, still holding the bottle, leaned in close to look at the three individuals. Her eyes spinning slowly with small jagged spirals spinning counter-clockwise in her pupils, giving off a chilling feeling.
She shook her head, grinning.
"Awww, such pitiful creatures, so close to the breaking point, so consumed by despair. Teetering on the edge of feral corruption. Tsk tsk tsk, but unbroken still."
Hans frowned. Hannyas words sounded mocking, as if she didn't care about the struggles they had to endure. Hans couldn't understand why she would act like this.
"Young lady, you-"
"Silence, War Demon!"
She turned to the old butler, a look of ridicule on her face.
"You've said your piece already, right? Your responsibility ended when their answer was given, weren't you just relieved earlier?"
Hans' face hardened at the words, what she said was not false, but he did not like the way she made it sound. Hans didn't understand why the young lady was spitting daggered words in his direction…
But then he saw it. The eyes that looked down on him were not the one of his young miss, no, they were something different. A presence deep within. As he peered into it, it also peered into him.
Hans could sense it was seeing more than just his serious face. It seemed to be staring directly at his soul, searching for something, and in the end it was unimpressed, disappointed even?
Such a feeling truly shook the old butler.
Hannya turned back to the three. She smelled the air around them once more. They said nothing, they just stared blankly at the bottle in her hand.
"Ahhh… you three are perfect, how about this- oh?" As Hannya continued to speak, she noticed the three only looking at the bottle she held, not listening to a single word.
She held it out to her left, then to her right, then above her head. The three heads just followed.
Hannya laughed at the display.
"Kikiki, such desperation, such focus, such fight… just to die?"
Hannya whispered. "Is that truly what you want?"
Finally the charm demon in the middle, seemingly the oldest, looked at the smiling Hannya.
"I…I only wish to be with my family…my husband…my son…they…"
The demon began to tear up and cry. In turn the other too began to cry as well, nodding in desperation. They fell to the ground, kneeling, begging to finally die.
"Oh poor little things, poor little things." Hannya kneeled and hugged the three, seemingly feeling their sorrows.
"But…" She began. Her whispers ethereal and soul trembling.
"...Do they really want to see you?"
The three charm demons froze at the words. Hannya caringly wiped a tear from the left demon's eye.
"Wouldn't they hate you for dying so uselessly? Used, abused ,then freed, only to take your life. A life they fought so valiantly to protect?"
She leaned in. "I surely would." The demons shook.
"Lies! All Lies! What do you know about our families! They would never feel such a way!"
The one on the right shouted angrily, but the eyes of the devil could see the anger masking the rising despair twisting slowly deep down….
The heart devil reached out and held the sides of the face of the thrashing demon. She looked at her with pity.
"Oh shush shush shush. Your anger is heard and understood, such a sweet girl, forced to face a harsh reality, I'm so sorry." Hannya then hugged her tightly. Helping the demon calm down. "But…would you welcome the one you protected with all your might with open arms, knowing they died so ungratefully?"
The eyes of the three shook. Their minds and souls warping to the words of the little devil.
Hannya then stood up and held out the gray bottle in front of the demons once more.
"There's no need for this just yet, right? Your loved ones are watching, you should show them what their sacrifice earned."
The one in the center spoke once more, her eyes still dim, yet glowed with a small flame of something more.
"H..how?"
Hannya smiled at the three. "Simple, through merit. And what better way to gain merits for your loved ones than through perfect retribution?"
The one on the left couldn't help but ask, her voice meek and empty. "B-but y-you killed them already…"
Hannya turned to the meek demon. She smiled at her as she took out her short sword from her spatial ring. She unsheathed it and held it up to the meek demon, the tip to her neck. The demon did not move, she just stared at it, just as lifeless as before.
Hans, on the other hand, jumped at the display. He was so dazed watching all this unfold, he hadn't moved at all. The scene was surreal. Hannya's personality had taken such a drastic change he had no clue what to do. He could only guess in his mind at what was happening.
'Feeding frenzy.'
Feeding frenzy, when a young devil finds the purest source of their devil cores base desire. They would sometimes enter a state of absolute obsession for that desire. Saying and doing anything to acquire a steady source of it, but Hans wasn't completely sure.
He had never heard of a young devil doing it unconsciously, nor had he heard of a devil feeding off of peoples despair. In a way, it was a good thing, usually devils feed from or give excess of desires people find, well desirable. But…
'She seems to be twisting their minds..'
Hans felt conflicted with these things. On one hand, if she truly was planning to feed on their despair, these women would find a reason to carry on. But with their minds twisted in unpredictable ways, would it really be giving them a life their past selves would want?
Hans wasn't sure.
Hans gazed at the young devil again, his face complicated.
Hannya held the sword up to the meek demon and tapped the bottom of her chin with it.
"See this?" she grinned. "It's a cursed sword. The previous owner slaughtered a peaceful village with it. The village still wails in agony and anger within it, yet the owner has long been slain. Why?"
The three looked up at the sword, confused. If the owner was killed, wasn't their vengeance settled?
Hans too, looked up in shock, but he wasn't shocked by the origin of the sword, but by how Hannya had known such a tale.
'A clairvoyant mutation? Perhaps even a fate mutation?!'
His mind was reeling, he had only met a few six star devils in his long life. They all possessed abilities and mutations that made even the strongest in Neel seem like ants. And this little one was no different.
Hannya spoke once more. And her words brought surprise to both Hans and the charm demons.
"Kikiki, it howls in anguish still, because the souls know the mastermind behind the incident still lives."
Mastermind.
The charm devils eyes changed at those words. Lady Hannya was correct. The one that made the order, the one that had taken all from them, the mastermind was still alive.
"Greed." The angry one hissed. Her eyes glowing with a maddening light.
Hannya nodded and smiled. "Yes, the devil of greed, Avaritia, still sits in his high temple looking down at the demon masses, uncaring of the pain, the struggles….the despair."
Hannya kneeled once more to the three demons, her voice low and enticing.
"Why must you all suffer, while he sits on his throne at ease, gaining from your collective misery?"
The three clenched their fists, each showing their own versions of anger.
"Oh? Death not a thought anymore? Mmmm…but despair lingers all the same, kikiki."
She was right, they were angry, but the loss of their families and the insurmountable task of even reaching the gates of greeds temple, left them even more hopeless.
They were weak.
Housewives living peacefully, gardening, cooking, reading bedtime stories. In combat, a useless bunch.
"Kikiki, good! Such good emotions! But the best ingredient has yet to be added to the dish. Something that really brings out the flavor of deepening despair….."
The little devil swung her delicate arm and large words, written in ancient devil language, appeared in the air. The text was black, radiating an oppressive aura, undulating chaos energy and magical power.
DING
[
[Heart Devil] exclusive contract active!
Contract [No Despair For The Pure Of Heart] is being written!
[Eye of the Blasphemer] is mutating your contract!
Contract [Tribulation Of The Heart: Overcoming Despair] is finished.
Contract is now being offered…
]
As the eyes of the devil spun rapidly, she spoke in a happy tone.
"...a dash of hope."
The little devil's smile widened.