Both Wrath and Envy dawdled to Lord Pride's private chambers. He was probably doing paperwork for the upcoming war, but Wrath was sure that this would take priority.
After all, what had happened was pretty hectic. Not only did Wrath believe he had found the [Demon Lord] of Greed, but Glust has vanished, dispersing as soon as the black… door frame had encased him.
Making their way to his room, Wrath insisted on letting Envy knock.
“Ladies first,” he mocked, still feeling smug since he had reached the 5,000 milestone before Envy.
To his surprise, Envy actually listened to him – for once.
She knocked on the door, drumming a faint beat. “Helloooooo? You in there, Lord Pride??”
Both Wrath and Envy listened silently, awaiting a response. Although Lord Pride was more patient than Mistress Sloth, it didn’t mean he couldn’t get mad at little things.
Especially when he was busy filling out paperwork for taxes and stuff.
And Wrath was sure war paperwork, whatever that involved, was far more tedious than civil paperwork.
Lord Pride usually worked himself to the bone trying to maintain stability in the demon territories. Perhaps it was his, well… pride talking, but Lord Pride seemed to carry all the burdens himself.
Wrath understood well enough.
Even he was aware of his, Envy’s and Glust’s incompetency to govern.
Apparently, Mistress Sloth had the skill to rule, but she wasn’t bothered to.
Rumours have it she spends at least half of every day asleep. And in the time she is awake, she mostly lazes around, counting sheep.
Eventually, Lord Pride gave a muffled response, hindered by the thick wooden door.
“Come on in.” said the voice, welcoming the two [Demon Lords] inside.
As Wrath stepped into Lord Pride's personal room, the strong whiff of oak overwhelmed his nostrils.
Peering inside, he found Lord Pride nonchalantly sitting on his leather, Pranel coated armchair, scribbling signatures and writing away.
“Lord Pride!” answered Envy, “Me and Wrath have some important news to tell you! This is serious!”
Lord Pride seemed taken aback, although Wrath couldn’t tell why.
Either it was because Envy had claimed to bring urgent news, or, perhaps it was the sight of the two siblings not arguing.
Maybe both?
“Now, Kath, what is it?” questioned Lord Pride, as he raised an eyebrow, lifting his feathered pen out of the ink glass.
“Er, I – We may have found Greed,” murmured Envy, suddenly losing her previous zest.
“And, Jinda was taken away by this possible Greed,” finished Wrath.
At first, Lord Pride seemed rather skeptical about the idea. Yet, as he asked more and more questions, Lord Pride eventually seemed to accept the tale as a truth.
How do you know she was a [Demon Lord]?”
“She used some form of the sacred [Dark Magic]. Maybe [Dark Wind]?”
“Are you sure Jinda disappeared?”
“Yes. Both him and Greed were nowhere to be found. I can only speculate it was [Spatial Magic]”
“Why did Lolopop not assist the two of you?”
“…She was sleeping”
“…”
“…”
The one-sided onslaught of questions lasted quite a while.
“I think…” murmured Lord Pride, “We may have a [Demon Lord] on the same calibre as me on our hands. I will find this Greed and attempt to subdue her before she relents her veganance on any more of us.”
“L-Lord Pride? You said…”
“Yes. From what you said, this Greed seems to be quite the powerhouse. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I will take my leave and investigate.”
A look of concern scaled up Lord Pride’s face. He jerked out of his chair, draping on his cloak and pelt before making a break for his staff.
“Tell Lolopop to sign the papers for me. If she doesn’t want to, say I ordered her to,” said Lord Pride hurriedly, as he dashed out of the room. “This may be a false report, but I want to see this Greed with my own eyes!”
And with that, Lord Pride left, leaving Wrath and Envy alone in the antique room.
Lin let the thoughts dance in his head. If this really was the so-claimed [Demon Lord] of Greed as Doug and Kath stated, it would bring a lot of trouble into his hands.
Apparently, the woman had shown definite hostility towards Jinda.
And, it wasn’t the harmless sibling squabbles between the two novice [Demon Lords].
Doug had said the woman dripped bloodlust into her uninterested voice after attacking Jinda.
Which meant, considering the high possibility she was a [Demon Lord], Lin would have to choose between Glust or Greed.
Though from what he had heard, the woman seemed uninterested in becoming a [Demon Lord] – despite the social, political and economic powers that came along with the official role as a ruler of all demons..
However, there was one pressing matter that concerned him even more.
The woman's magic.
It seemed she had a rare version of the dark elemental magics, as well as expert control over [Spatial Magic].
She was proving to be a troublesome foe.
What sub-branch of [Dark Magic] does she have? Wondered Lin, as he hurried through the delicately decorated corridors. Perhaps it may be even rarer and stronger than my profound [Dark Light].
His rare, paradoxical skill [Dark Light] was one of the reasons he was so powerful.
Lolopop had [Dark Restoration] – the only [Demon Lord] with a defensive ‘dark’ skill.
Kath had [Dark Lightning] – one of the stronger elemental magics, although she had not fully reigned the ability.
Doug had [Dark Fire] – a destructive skill that matched his personality.
Finally, Jinda had [Dark Water] – an all rounder verging between offence and defence.
Although, even Lin could not digress Jinda’s current situation right now.
Based on the strength that hooded woman had exhibited, he may even have been dead by now.
If she felt like it, Lin believed the woman might’ve even put up a decent fight against the two siblings together.
However, he was sure he couldn’t lose to her.
[Dark Light] was a true rarity.
The element of darkness conferred onto the element of light meant that both sides were negated.
Thus, what Lin had control over was pure mana – undiluted by any physical incarnations.
And, having no need to materialise into a form meant that his attacks never missed. They were everywhere.
Lin could simply harness the pure magical energy in the air - the energy Travia passively excreted.
Since pure magical energy was everywhere, and [Dark Light] lorded over that magic, Lin was indeed a beast among beasts.
Apart from his ascended skill {Egocentric}, it was his second strongest ace.
He was sure he could subdue the woman.
But first off, he would have to somehow locate her.
Hunting down a [Spatial Magic] user was deemed impossible.
Even more reason to find this ‘Greed,’ thought Lin, shows everyone that I am, once again, far detached from the norm. Show them my power.
Lin sent a Giffey to one of his aides’ clones. A [Reconnaissance] class would be very helpful in information gathering.
----------------------------------------
Do you wish to replace a skill with [Stockpile]?> Yeah. [Gorge]. Rena Shinohara has acquired skill [Stockpile]> There, all done! Once again, thanks to {Omniscience}, I’ve managed to find more loopholes and exploits! This time, {Omniscience} told me all about how [Absorption] worked, which assisted me in managing to steal a skill. How should I put it? For it to make sense, I guess I’ll first explain some of the basics of how souls work. Think of a soul as a USB. It stores data and information, and can be transferred to a multitude of laptops. These laptops are the vessel; the mortal body a soul encapsulates. Once that body dies or corrodes, the soul proceeds to leave and find another vessel. Essentially, [Absorption] yoinks that soul right out of the air before it goes back to the spiritual plane or whatever. I can then extract some of that soul essence for myself to use. Namely, the soul can be split into two categories: Skill containers and Stat containers. There are also other containers that give the general feedback for body shape and stuff, but to me, those are irrelevant. [Absorption] subconsciously takes some essence from the Stat capsule. But, by consciously controlling the flow, I can steal skills as well. However, skill-stealing is waay harder than stat-stealing! I had to literally strain a nerve or two before I managed to get [Absorption] to work properly! I developed this formula back in my dungeon, and perfected it on the slimes. Since I had an empty skill slot before I got [Gorge], I tested if I could take the slimes’ skills, and… well, let's just say that attempt 1 didn’t go very well. I accidently gave some of my [Vampirism] proficiency to the slime. And it dropped all the way to level 4! It took a whole week to grind it back… Practice makes perfect though, and eventually, I mastered the art! …The only skill these slimes have are [Dissolve], which as the name suggests, dissolves things. Sounds cool, but in practice, it's really garbage. It's about as effective as setting fire to the rain. I also can’t skill-steal a bunch since the system limits me to a maximum of 10 skills. Besides, I’m comfortable with the skills I already have, but I suppose I could farm [Pain Resistance] proficiency by stealing proficiency points from Skill containers. After I stole [Stockpile] from piggy, I secretly went to check up on him through a tiny doorhole, and… … I might’ve gone a tad bit overboard with the torture. It should be fine though, since it looks like he's in so much pain that ‘pain’ doesn’t actually register anymore! I think I’ll leave him in there for a bit longer. I don’t want piggy running back to the other [Demon Lords]. Even when I strolled into the room, I [Appraised] everyone. I can beat Douglas, Katherine and Jinda in a one-on-one, but that Lolopop person – the one who was snoring away – might be annoying to deal with. {Omniscience} did some mock battle simulations in my head, and in that situation, my chance of beating Lolopop was roughly 50%. And, I don’t like half-half chances. However, that was only based on that circumstance. Through more simulations, my chance of winning in a fair fight dropped down to 40%! But, there's apparently some big shot who's even stronger than Lolopop. Talk about useful. Thank you, {Omniscience}! Alright, phase one complete. Now I have to go rescue Harwel. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I already did an [Appraisal] scan on the conscript army when walking past Douglas's manor, and Harwel was nowhere to be found. Also, unfortunately, our party chat got annulled. Apparently, both parties have to renew the squad thing every week or it’ll automatically form a segregation. Partying up does mean losing some XP from mobs, so I guess it only makes sense to prevent a permanent, forcible party-up. But right now, that is SO INCONVENIENT! Despite my wisdom and the power of {Omniscience}, I’m not a god or whatever. So now, I should curse my stupidity. Arrgghh! I could have just asked Jinda where Harwel was kept, but it seems he’s totally lost his grip on reality right now, so that idea’s out of the picture. Would Porky’s coworkers, the other [Demon Lords] know? Damn it, maybe I should have left a better first impression! I was going for that badass, overpowered vibe, but I might’ve dug my own grave. Who would want to help someone like that? Certainly not me, no. … Maybe I should try forcing information out? I mean, Porky was sent to Windport by Douglas, right? Even if it was Piggy who went crazy and all, it was Douglas – the overly cocky guy from before – who ordered him to conscript Windport. So, he has to also be somewhat responsible for Harwel’s abduction, right? Maybe I should wring the information out of him… But by then, I’ll probably incur the wrath of Lin, the [Demon Lord] of Pride. This guy is well-respected for a reason, you know? Apparently, his battle prowess is unrivalled. {Omniscience} can’t do battle sims with him yet since I have to [Appraise] him beforehand, but I feel like my chances of winning would be super slim. Like, 20% victory, maybe? I don’t know yet though – this is just an estimate. Or should I try forming an alliance with the [Demon Lords] to curry favour? … Yeah… not going to happen. Based on the reactions from before, I’m guessing that I won’t be welcomed there. Could I enact guerilla warfare and attack their troops before negotiating? The list goes on and on, and {Omniscience} contributes a bunch, giving me a ton of possible solutions. And to be honest, this one solution has caught my attention – find a middle ground with the [Demon Lords]. I can’t fully win by myself – that’s for sure, so what about finding a healthy inbetween? One where both sides are happy. I can offer Jinda for Harwel – easy. But, that’s assuming they know where Harwel is. I’m pretty sure I heard rumours about the identity files of some young woman disappearing on the same day Windport joined Douglas’ army. Knowing the pig’s warped personality, he probably has them locked up somewhere, doing unspeakable things. I’ll go search his place first, and I’ll only resort to ransoming if I can’t find Harwel by myself. Okay, first stop: Porky's house! I quickly pop in and out of my dungeon, arriving at Porky’s recently renovated manor. Sniff… Sniff... Ew. One step in, and I want to make a run for it already. Somehow, I’m getting the creeps just by smelling the place! That says a lot about who you are as a person if a visitor wrinkles their nose first thing when entering! I quickly bust some doors, checking all the rooms, but no sign of Harwel yet. Where is she? Oh. Right, I almost forgot about Yache and co. I’ll go check up on them later, after I finish my personal business. Even as I rant in my mind, my body seamlessly navigates the rooms, looking for Harwel. Maybe she already died. Nope. Sorry, pessimism, but I’m having none of it today! In fact, how about none of it every day? You should make the days count, not count the days! … Er, I think I accidentally said something really deep. Haha… I meant that all along! They don’t call me the philosophiser for nothing! Smashing rooms open, it still comes to no avail. No Harwel. However, as I begrudgingly walk away, I notice something jut out from a slightly misplaced carpet. I quickly dash to the spot, moving the carpet aside. A satisfied grin sprawls upon my face. Because, in front of me, is none other than… a trapdoor! And trap doors only lead to top secret basements, right? I yank the hatch open, and jump in. “Harwel!? Are you there?” … Figures. No response. I mean, the secret basement under carpet is such a commonly used trope. It's been used so much that it's literally become super predictable! You’d either have to be supremely skilled at reverse psychology or an idiot to think of actually doing something like this. And in this case – Porky is an idiot. I step inside the basement. If I had [Fire Magic] or something, this would be much easier! [Dark Magic], is… well, as the name suggests, it won’t be very helpful in lighting a place up. My eyesight in the dark is fairly better than average – maybe a side-effect of [Dark Magic]? But, really, I don’t even need vision. Once again, the cheat skill {Omniscience} does all the hard work! Believe it or not, I’m echolocating right now, so I have 360 vision, and I can see every nook and cranny in the room. {Omniscience} also fastens my thought process by a huge amount as well. Useful in both daily life and combat. The basement seems to be covered in dust, and a bunch of cobwebs spring up on the walls. To put it simply, the basement screams one word: abandoned! It looks like it hasn’t been used in ages. So… This isn’t Piggy’s secret chamber? Wait… what is this place then? If it wasn’t Jindas, then it was used by… One of the dead [Demon Lords]? Holy. What did I stumble upon? What did a [Demon Lord] – one of the strongest forces on the planet have to hide? What were they hiding here? Who were they hiding it from? A million questions buzz through my head. Yeah, no. I’m probably just overcomplicating stuff and thinking about it too much. The manor was probably just pre-build with some basements for storage or something. Ugh, if {Omniscience} can’t pick anything up, there's no point trying to find it myself. {Omniscience} is like a great sage whose knowledge knows no bounds. Duh, just look at the name. This place is totally giving me the creeps as well, so I make a break for it, darting away from the basement. I close up the trapdoor, making sure to lock it up tightly, and cover it with the posho looking carpet. I can’t find anything here, so I guess my next plan of action is to harass Douglas and his troops? ‘Douglas’ is such a… trashy name. If he was born on Earth, he’d probably get bullied a bunch. I mean, really? ‘Douglas’ is on the same level as ‘Jerome’ and ‘Leshaun’! Ah, well. Not my problem, Douglas can deal with his own issue. So, should I go directly for Douglas, or should I whittle his troops? I mean – I know there's a war and all upcoming, but I’m not the type to choose an allegiance. I don’t care about mass-conflicts! Let me walk my own pace or something like that. Hmm… Going for Douglas will be much faster and straightforward, but there's the risk of running into Lolopop and this ‘Lin’ guy. Logically, I should go for his army, playing a ‘hit and run’ card. But, nah. Not worth the effort. Alright, Douglas – the mastermind behind Windport’s attack, here I come! Nonchalantly, I dive into my dungeon, dump out the slimes I yoinked into my storage system, and kill them. I then proceed into the monster spawner room, and kill the 200 slimes there. Dang. Only 53 to each stat. And I had 1,000 slimes saved up. The nerf is a bit depressing, but it, admittedly, balances things out. I leave the mob room, and dive into bean-bag haven. Harlew blobs around there, looking a bit horrified. “Don’t worry, Harlew. I would never kill you,” I say, flashing a cheerful smile – that is, before I mutter something else. “Not that you’d give me much stats anymore…” Harlew seems visibly taken aback. Is she – it – whatever pronoun you like- smarter than I thought? I did name her, but all that took was, like, a fraction of my mana, and it regenerated instantly. So, no real effort was involved. However, if I [Appraise] her, Harlew’s stats are a bit higher than the other slimes. When I find Harwel, I’m totally going to introduce the two together! That is, if you find Harwel… Oh, shut up, pessimism! Optimism is better. Stronger mental fortitude and all. After I roll around on the slightly worn beanbags, I hop out of my dungeon, to where Douglas is. In front of me, Douglas looks rather surprised. Actually, he acts much more than just 'surprised’. Ew. “…The tea’s dripping out of your mouth.” Douglas seems to have regained his senses, and attempts to slurp the tea back, but fails miserably, spraying it everywhere instead. Oops. This was not the introduction I was going for. I try to laugh it off, but it seems like Douglas is having none of it. ---------------------------------------- Wrath, after reporting to Lord Pride, made his way back to his private chambers. The other [Demon Lords] each had their respective plots of land, but they would be staying at Lord Pride’s manor for a while now. When Mistress Sloth had awoken, a frantic Envy quickly explained why the room was in such a mess, afraid of getting hit by a wave of [Aura] again. After her panicked explanation, Wrath had gotten the punishment instead for charring the room a bit. But, it seemed, after seeing Mistress Sloth’s reaction, all four present [Demon Lords] were unbothered by one thing: Glust’s disappearance. Wrath didn’t like him, and it seemed everyone else agreed. Glust’s stuck-up, obnoxious personality really got on his nerves. Wrath was pretty sure the only reason Lord Pride had accepted Glust was because he was a ruler of two sins. It didn’t matter the person – anyone with two sins or more were traditionally respected far more than the garden-variety [Demon Lords]. Except, Lord Pride was not the ‘garden variety’. He might be the strongest, most capable [Demon Lord] the world has seen in centuries, thought Wrath, as he silently prepared a cup of tea to cool his nerves. In fact, everyone else seemed far more interested in the hooded woman – possibly Greed. The unforeseen, second ‘reincarnation’. And, right when he was thinking about Greed, she appeared before him, popping out of thin air. In a state of shock, the black tea dripped out of Wrath’s loosely hung lips. He hurriedly sipped it back in, but somehow managed to expel it, getting the whole lounge stained. Wrath narrowed his eyes, locking them with the woman in front of him. “I’d prefer if we didn’t fight,” commented the woman as Wrath made a lunge for his broadsword. He ignored the woman, and grabbed his sword, waving it around like a maniac. “Don’t go NEAR me!” he growled, quickly repositioning into a fighting stance. “I’d really rather we didn’t…” she muttered, before continuing. “Besides, if we trade blows, I’m sure you'll know the outcome, no?” Yes, Wrath knew his chances of winning were very slim, but he would still gamble with low stakes. “Do you want to fight ME?” The woman seemed to be getting annoyed. So was Wrath. “What did I just say?” she replied, her voice sharp and quick. “Fight me!” “…Fine. I guess the only way to subdue the meathead type is through, well, meatheadedness.” Just like before, the woman suddenly vanished. He saw the woman flicker in the corner of his eye, and swiveled around to parry her strike. Instead, he just came face-to-face with a shadow resembling her. He felt a sharp pain in his wrist, and he flinched in anguish, releasing the grip on his broadsword. He smashed his elbow behind him. Wrath expected the woman to dodge once again, but her hands suddenly turned black as she grabbed his elbow. The woman threw his large frame over her shoulder, and followed up with a sharp blow at one of his old wounds. Wrath roared, feeling the once-damaged tissue burn again. He had lost, and the woman didn’t even use the green tinted daggers strapped to her waist. He couldn’t outspeed her, nor could he overpower her. Wrath slumped onto the floor, taking a deep sigh. The woman tilted her head, and opened her mouth. “Now are you willing to listen?” Wrath nodded. He was mad, but he couldn’t win. In fact, his life had been spared. The woman could easily have killed him, just like the way he assumed she killed Glust. Beneath the anger, as much as he hated to admit, was a thread of respect for the woman. The same type of respect he gave Lord Pride and Mistress Sloth. It was a respect that came from strength - real power. Wrath neatly re-arranged the chairs back to original order. He took a seat, sipping another cup of tea. He was ready to listen to what she had to say. ---------------------------------------- “I have no idea where Glust took Harwel,” replies Douglas – well, he told me he preferred ‘Doug,’ so I might as well stick with that instead. Alright, rewind a bit. “I have no idea where Glust took Harwel,” replied Doug. I know he’s not lying, because {Omniscience} can even detect tiny things such as muscle twitches and brain waves - nothing short of mind reading. Really, that skill is just a tad too overpowered. See what I mean? As it suggests, I think I’ll keep {Omniscience} cranked up all the way to max. My brain can handle the information, so it doesn’t really debuffing me or anything. Damn it. If Doug doesn’t know where Harwel is, then who would know? Since Harwel technically got conscripted before getting taken away, someone had to deal with the paperwork for a ‘transfer,’ right? And this guy has control over an entire army – in fact, the exact same army that Harwel was supposed to get sent to. “Do you not remember where she was ‘transferred’ to?” I ask, a tiny bit annoyed at Doug’s uselessness. Doug stares at me with empty eyes, and replies in a wavering voice. “Er, I don’t actually know what goes on in my army. Lord Pride does all the reports and case files for my army.” …Really, now? How useless can you get? I mean, I expected Doug to at least be aware of how his army operates, like a good general or commander, but this guy… If I were a demon citizen under Doug’s land, I’d run out of there as soon as I could. How is this guy governing so well if he can’t manage a single group of people? …Or, does ‘Lord Pride,’ who I’m assuming is Lin, have control over Doug's land as well? At this point, Doug is just a [Demon Lord] in the name. This guy is supposed to be one of the demon's strongest fighting forces, but he can’t even beat me! If you’ve got no hope ruling a country, you could at least be strong enough to protect it. But this guy’s neither booksmart nor that powerful. I mean, as soon as he realised he couldn’t beat me, he suddenly turned all docile and submissive. I rant on mentally, cursing at Doug a bunch and making more reasons for why he should step down as [Demon Lord]. Luckily for me, my processing speed upped a notch, so only a few scarce seconds pass in real life. Alright, I better make some small talk. “Is ‘Lord Pride’ this ‘Lin’ figure?” “Yes, he is. Lord Pride is the strongest [Demon Lord] we have seen in generations. Both in the office and battlefield, he reigns unrivalled.” I knew he was some big shot, but is Lin really that much of a big shot? My chances of beating him in a direct confrontation seem to be getting slimmer and slimmer. But – if this guy manages all the soldier transfer files, he knows where Harwel went, right? A bunch of gears mentally click together, and I formulate a plan – albeit a rather simple one – in my head. “Well, Doug, tell Lin that I’ll meet him in his garden in three days' time, roughly around noon.” For some reason, Doug slightly furrows his brows, and I manage to notice a subtle frown. W-what did I do? “Mistress Greed – it is Mistress Greed, right?” “Nah, just ‘Greed’ is fine. I don’t plan on becoming a [Demon Lord] anytime soon.” “Understood. Well, Greed, I know you’re strong and all, but can you please not disrespect Lord Pride?” Huuhhh? Come again? What DID I do? I cock my head to the left, making a thinker pose. “What did I do?” “Address him as ‘Lord Pride,’ not ‘Li-… Not his proper name. It is a tradition. And a sign of respect.” Um, okay? Why does Doug care so much though? I can’t even imagine how high and mighty… Lin, Lord Pride, whatever, must be to gain so much admiration from Doug. But this Doug guy seems to revere anyone who’s strong, so I can’t say for sure. I’ll take that information into consideration as well. Not that I care about these titles – I just don’t want to accidentally incur the wrath of the other [Demon Lords] by saying something rude or whatever. Formalities are sooo overrated! “Sure, understood,” I comment, forcing an awkward smile. “Well, then, Mistress Greed, I will relay the information to Lord Pride.” I nod. However, after that, we sit in silence, no one making a move. Argghhh… This is so stupid! The way Doug said it, he implied that he would be leaving first, but… this is his room, you know? There isn’t anywhere else to go! Especially for me, since leaving this room means I enter [Demon Lord] territory with a target painted on my back. “…” “…” “…Well, I’ll be off then…” I awkwardly call up my dungeon, and slowly enter, attempting to make my movements as gracious and elegant as possible. Last impressions are everything! Not that it’s a ‘last’ meeting… I hop into my dungeon, planning for the meeting. I don’t think they’ll use the opportunity to trick me and set me up, but there's no such thing as overpreparation. Three days' time, at Lin’s humongous garden. I’m coming for you, Harwel!