Eric explained Phisola’s blood antics for some time. Pig-faced just listened, never interrupting him and taking all of it in.

“Does that help you a little bit?” Eric asked once he was done with the explanations.

Pig-faced sighed deeply, “It surely lets me know we don’t really have a choice in the matter.”

“How so?”

Pig-faced stared at Eric for a few moments before continuing, “All right, I’ll be honest with you too. Your devil is something we don’t want to mess with.”

“She is that dangerous?”

“You probably have no idea what you’ve just described to me right now. But yes, she is extremely dangerous.”

“Is her skill out of the ordinary?”

“Pretty much. And since all of us here are made from flesh and blood … let’s just say that even if we managed to defeat her, it wouldn’t look pretty.”

Eric gave him a smile, “Well, it’s a good thing that you don’t have to fight her then.”

“After hearing this, I am really, really glad to hear she decided to relinquish her position as the guardian. She is not invincible, it’s just that we don’t have the necessary skills to take her on with some enthusiasm. It’s quite rare for devils to act as dungeon guardians. That certainly explains why so many other parties have failed before us … and why there was so little information about this floor’s guardian. There was simply no one left to tell the tale.”

“You mean …”

“Yeah,” pig-faced nodded his head with a serious look on his face, “Only gods know how many adventurers your devil has killed so far … before she decided to retire. And by then, no one was willing to test her anyway, so people started exploring deeper floors instead of confronting this guardian.”

“Aren’t guardians supposed to be placed based on their strength?”

“Strength is relative. She is probably weaker than some other guardians in the dungeon that we did manage to take down, but no one expected to fight a devil, so nobody took the right people to fight her.”

“Like … you need specialists to fight her?”

“Yes. You need people who know how to fight her blood control and how to interrupt it. What you described to me isn’t some ordinary blood magic. She got some … let’s just say she had way too much training with it.”

“But hey,” Eric said with increased confidence, “that is all in the past now. If you help us take the guardian down and gather its blood, then you will no longer have to worry about the devil anymore. It’s an absolute win for everyone.”

“It may be …” Eric saw pig-faced staring absently for a moment, “… I just hope that devil of yours is lawful.”

“You don’t have to trust her, just use pure logic. If we get the blood from the guardian, then what reason would she have to kill you guys too? After all, she could’ve taken my blood, but she didn’t. So clearly, she isn’t all about killing.”

“… you’re right … devils are selfish creatures, but they aren’t necessarily about killing …”

“My devil appreciates finer things in life, which is why she is tired of this cave. Help her go home, and you’ll help every adventurer who is planning to venture down here.”

Pig-faced started stroking his chin, “… are you sure you’re not some traveling merchant?”

“Why?”

“I hate to admit it, but you’re making an interesting sales pitch here.”

A small smile formed on Eric’s face, “Well … diplomacy is all about selling promises to people … is it not?”

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Pig-faced gave him a surprised stare, “Are you sure that isn’t undermining your case?”

“No, because my case is rock solid. You’ve been trying to poke holes in it for a while now, and all you’ve achieved is waste our time. Not because I’m a good salesman but because my case is rock solid. I am selling you something that will help all of us.”

“And do you really think that a party of adventurers can work with a devil? That’s unheard of.”

“Well … ask yourself this …” Eric leaned forward, “If we work together and all of it works out. If we all get what we want and go home … will you be bragging about how you worked with a devil to achieve your goal?”

A slight frown appeared on Pig-faced face, but Eric knew it wasn’t directed at him, “What are you trying to say?”

“It’s unheard of because whoever had worked with devils before didn’t feel like telling others about it. Something tells me people had dealings with devils on a much larger scale than you think, and the reason we don’t know about it is because those deals worked. People only complain when a devil crosses them, but they will never mention any devils if the deal works, right? Why say you worked with a devil when you can take all the credit for yourself?”

Eric saw Pig-faced stroke his chin even faster as words settled in, “… you have no proof of that, but … hmm … it’s … it’s a disturbing idea … especially when you realize that smart devils value secrecy …”

“I understand that devils aren’t good people, and my devil isn’t good either. I mean, sure, she did bring me back to life … she has done some objectively good things, but she has also done some evil ones. Truth be told, she is acting like a mortal who has been given godly powers. That’s it. No more, no less.”

Hearing that, Pig-faced stopped stroking his chin and looked Eric straight in the eye, “Yes. That’s exactly what devils are. They are creatures of immense power who aren’t fit enough to have it and should’ve never had it in the first place. That’s where their evil is coming from … from mishandling the power they were never supposed to have.”

“What do you mean by not fit enough?”

“Most devils do deserve their power. Devils aren’t born, they are made, and most devils gain their powers by accomplishing tremendous feats. But their bodies and minds were never designed to handle it, so they tend to abuse those powers. For example, imagine a mortal that could make an entire city disappear with a clap of his hands. Do you think he wouldn’t do it at least once, just to see what happens or to test if his power really works? And once he realizes what power he wields, do you think he would just go back to his ordinary life? Of course not. He would make sure he gets his way every time, or else. That’s what happens when you give tremendous powers to creatures that were never designed to handle it.”

“So … are you saying that, theoretically, everyone could become a devil?”

“No, only demons can. Only demons are greedy and selfish enough to seek such power in the first place. You must have an impure heart and a corrupted soul even to entertain such ideas. That’s why some naïve people sell out to the demons, thinking that will give them power and freedom to do whatever they like, only to realize later that they don’t have what it takes. You demons are … peculiar creatures …”

“Are all demons evil … no matter what?”

“Hmm … they don’t have to be. It’s just that … you can’t trust people who rebel against their own gods. If they will go against their own creator, then why wouldn’t they go against you? They can’t be trusted because nothing is sacred to them.”

“And what if their creator was evil? Are there evil gods out there?”

“There are, but those gods aren’t known for creation. Only good gods create while evil ones corrupt and destroy …”

Pig-faced got quiet all of a sudden as he considered something carefully.

“But?” Eric spurred him on after noticing his hesitation.

“But … there are … exceptions. There was … an attempt … of one evil god to create something … it’s a very old story, it dates back to very ancient times, long before the fall, hundreds of thousands of years ago. It’s ancient history, so it’s not that important to us.”

“You know, I had a conversation about this with my devil. She mentioned something similar when I told her about some myths from my people.”

“Let me guess, your people have myths where they are cast out of heaven.”

Eric hesitated a bit before confirming, “Yes. But those are just myths, just fairy tales. And those tales are found only in some cultures. Not all human cultures share them.”

“It’s possible some cultures have forgotten about it.”

“Or some cultures have simply made it up.”

“Normal people don’t make up things that make them look like the bad guys. Normal races create myths where they are chosen by the gods, not cast out. Normal races celebrate their harmony with their creator.”

“Are there races that have no creator at all?”

“There are races that aren’t certain who their creator is. But all mortals are someone’s creation.”

“Even demons?”

“Yes, even demons.”

“And what about evolution?”

“What about it?”

“You mentioned your people have evolved. How did that work?”

“Yes. Our creators have evolved us from different animals. What is strange about that?”

“Isn’t evolution a natural thing? Isn’t it all about life forms adapting to different environments and circumstances?”

“It can be, but only divine intervention can create sentience. Only divine intervention can evolve creatures in a way that allows them to build and maintain civilization.”

“If that’s the case, then who created the original sentience? Who created gods?”

“… now you are asking for a very expensive lecture.”