CHAPTER 16
The flight to Belial City was uneventful. This is unsurprising, as the Belials are among the foremost Devil houses in terms of reputation. Their rise inspires nearly all young Devils, including me, at some point. They were devastated by incompetent heads who spent wantonly and never cared for future generations. By the time of the current head, everything not bolted down in their estate was sold or pawned off. The house lady had to sell her jewellery to finance their son’s education. And boy, did it pay off. The Emperor, Diehauser Belial, was quite possibly the most famous name in the underworld, bar, the Satans. Through sheer will, hard work and determination, he rose to the top of the rating games and brought glory, fame and wealth to the Belial name.
Their territory was still poorer than some of the other houses, but no one of their subjects complained about the Emperor or his family; they were one of the rare cases of Nobles who worked for the betterment of their people.
I admired the beautifully planned city from above and landed in one of the designated areas outside of the gates. There was a large queue at the entrance, and I took my place quietly. The city was made entirely of white marble, with grand columns, wide roads, and verandas lining them. Trees and greenery dotted the empty spaces between roads and buildings, and gold embellishments crowned the tops of important areas. This is surprisingly austere for the capital of a Pillar House. Overall, the City of Belial is a site to behold.
The line moved quickly, and I soon found myself in front of the customs booth, where another bored guard sat.
“Name?”
“…Tsukuyomi”
“Purpose of visit?”
“Tourism”
As the bored guard continued his security checks, I discreetly cast [Observe].
Belial House Guard
Level: 62
Threat: Lethal
“Any items to declare?”
“Any items to declare?”
“None, sir.”
“Put your arm forward.”
I did as instructed, and the guard stamped down on my arm. The crest of the Belials shone for a couple of seconds and then faded away.
“Welcome to Belial City. Stay out of trouble; we’ill know if you don’t.” He gave me a half-hearted attempt at a glare and motioned me inwards.
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I knew I was weak, but seeing it quantified like that hammered the point in. A nobody like that could kill me as a child would squash an ant.
As I stepped through the threshold, I felt a tingling of magic examine my body, which went away quickly. I assume that their scanners detected nothing suspicious when no alarms blared. As I stepped into the city completely, I could not help but admire the contradiction in technology that is Devil society. We have access to technology far superior to any human nation, yet we still stubbornly stick to some conventions.
The Devil Net, smartphones, and magical development are available to most average commoners, yet Nobles traipse around cities in ostentatious carriages that fly. Any Devil could outrun or fly an average automobile, hence the lack of cars. However, flight is banned within cities unless you have the proper licences.
Cities and estates typically match the tastes of whoever is responsible for them. That is how you get something like a Japanese-style mansion in a Greek-themed city next to a European-style road. The Belials were at least consistent with the theme.
I did regular touristy things, like window shopping around the market and visiting the local sights; including a massive statue of the Emperor at the city centre. From what I know, he must hate that, heh.
After a few hours, no one seemed to be following me, so I trekked back to the central district and looked for the local library. Some things really never change.
After getting some directions from a local, I made my way to the atheneum. The library stood higher than almost every building in the district, bar the Belials' seat. At least they have their priorities right. It was made of the same white marble, with golden embellishments depicting some history of one Belial or the other.
As I entered the building, I noticed a stark change in temperature and humidity. The air felt crisp and dry. Possible devious ties to secret experiments aside, I like these guys. The smell of books hit me before I could see the library; old paper and a pleasant hint of lemon-scented cleaning fluid.
The library was one massive room split into multiple mezzanine floors. Each floor housed massive mahogany bookshelves filled to the brim with books. The central plaza was divided into two sections: one that housed the admin required to run the library and another where people could sit down and read or browse the net on Library computers. A massive skeleton of a dragon hung overhead, and two spiral staircases led to the upper floors.
I approached the receptionist's desk and made myself known to the busy lady behind the computer.
“One second.”
I tried not to stare at the woman. As most Devils are, she was supernaturally gorgeous, she looked to be in her early twenties with curly blonde locks styled into a bun, skin clear of blemishes, and a pair of glasses that gave her a sense of authority. She wore a conservative turtle neck and jeans that highlighted her athletic figure.
Damn, these hormones. It was less fun going through this again, and having Frank & co for company for the last two years was no help either.
“Ahem… What can I help you with?” A melodious voice brought me back to reality. Fucking hormones.
“I need to use the computers, please.”
“No problem. Everyone is welcome to use them for free. To keep it fair, each person gets a two-hour slot per day. Here.” She handed me a tag.
“Insert this into the keyboard; it will let you know when you need to leave. You can also borrow books directly from there. Magical tomes are restricted to registered residents and employees of the city. Please return the tag to me when you are done. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“That’s all, thank you.”
“I hope you enjoy your time here.” With that, she went back to whatever she was doing on the computer, and I made my way to where the public ones were.