LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 12: The Bael Clan’s Banquet (2)
Chapter 12: The Bael Clan's Banquet (2)
"Hm…" The book in my hands closed, and I turned towards Celis, who stood above a [Teleportation Magic Circle] she had created moments ago. "Mother, are you going somewhere?"
At my sudden movements, the maid who was behind me stopped combing my hair.
"Indeed. I am going to visit Misla."
"Can I tag along, too? I'm bored…"
Hearing me whine, my mother sighed.
"Don't you have to prepare for the banquet? The three of you must leave in one and a half hours."
"Mother, I'm not a girl…"
I could be ready for the banquet in under three minutes and still manage to look good.
On the other hand, Latia and Alice had been at it for almost three hours now, and honestly, I could only imagine them coming out five minutes before the banquet began.
What were they even doing?
"But don't you have to memorise the details about those who will attend this banquet, too?"
The book in my hands contained information about the various young devils who'd be present at the banquet today.
Apart from a handful of kids my age, I didn't know anyone else, so my mother forced me into reading this.
I was well-versed in the Devil Clan's history, powers, and social standings, but I never really paid attention to their current heirs and relationships that much.
Well, not most of them, at least.
"I've already finished the book, so can I tag along?"
That was a lie. Forcing through half of it had taken everything from me.
Unless something caught my interest, my attention span was worse than a goldfish.
"If I take you with me, you'll need to promise you won't cause any trouble at the banquet..."
"Anything you say."
"Not calling anyone there incompetent or trash?"
I nodded vigorously.
"And you won't be mean to Sairaorg because of his Demonic Power, okay?"
Do you think I'm incapable of acting politely?—was what I would've asked, but I had already given up on that.
"Don't worry... I'll be good."
"Fine, you can tag along."
Hearing her approval, I got off the chair and stood by her side with a smile.
"Let's go."
.
.
.
[Underworld: The Bael Clan's Territory.]
'This is…'
The two of us appeared outside a palace, which, while decently luxurious for most people, didn't seem like a place someone from the Bael Clan would live in.
'It's different from what I remember… To think the Great Queen Bael lives in such a shabby place…'
The last time my mother visited Misla Bael with me, it was at the Bael Castle, but it seemed that their situation had changed a lot since then.
There was no way a troupe like this wasn't related to canon.
"The Bael Clan sent Misla and Sairaorg to the countryside of their territory after Lord Bael's second son was born..."
"Oh..."
Maybe my mother mistook my intrigue for pity, but I didn't care about what happened here—not in the slightest.
The only reason I visited this place was because passing time here with my mother was much better when compared to being locked up in a damned dressing room with a bunch of maids for hours.
"Alright, let's go inside… Remember, Azrail, don't be mean to them, okay?"
My mother held out her hand, which I grabbed with my own.
"Got it."
The palace wasn't that spacious, and only a few servants were working around.
After being welcomed by a servant, he guided us to a room where Misla and Sairaorg were before taking his leave.
'Hm, so that's Sairaorg Bael...'
I glanced at the boy with black hair and violet eyes for a few seconds, noting that he held some resemblance to Sirzechs, before turning towards the woman who sat on the bed next to him.
'This is…'
For some reason, she looked a bit weaker than I remembered her, but that wasn't all.
'Ah, I see…'
My eyes stayed on Misla for a few seconds.
'To think I'd see that here...' A small smile appeared on my face. 'Well, isn't this interesting?'
"Ah, Celis… It's been a while. And this young man must be Azrail, right? When I last met you, you were so little, but look at you now..."
Misla looked at the two of us with a somewhat weak, tired smile.
"I am Azrail Astaroth… It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Misla." [1]
"I am Misla Bael, and this is my son, Sairaorg Bael…" Misla patted her son's back, urging him to greet me. "I hope the two of you can get along."
Sairaorg got up from his seat and walked towards me before raising his hand for a handshake.
"I hope we can get along..."
Since there was no reason for me to refuse, I shook his hand with a smile.
"Likewise."
'His hands are much rougher than average. Great Sage?'
[Answer. Sairaorg Bael's physical attributes are better than Master's, but his Demonic Power is below average for a High-Class Devil from the 72 Pillars.]
That was surprising.
It was hard to believe that a kid my age would surpass me in something, even if it were only physical attributes. While I wasn't hell-bent on physical training, the one who trained me was Alice, the strongest [Knight] in the Underworld.
My physical attributes were top-notch and well-balanced, although I mostly buffed them with Demonic Power.
"Azrail, why don't you two go and talk outside? I have something to discuss with Misla."
That was, by no means, a request.
"Okay."
Noticing the meaning behind Celis' words, Misla added. "Sairaorg, go and show Azrail around."
"Yes, mother…"
With that, our mothers kicked us out of the room.
'This place isn't a bad vacation spot…'
After roaming around the castle for a while, Sairaorg guided me to the outside.
There wasn't much to watch, but honestly, it seemed like a nice place to spend some free time in.
'Now that I think about it, has Latia ever seen a place like this? Probably not…'
It was a place similar to a remote area in some undeveloped country back on Earth but way more spacious and beautiful.
Bael Clan's territory was famous for its natural environment, and as expected, even a remote location like this was very eye-pleasing.
The air was fresh, too.
"I apologise. There isn't much to show here."
"Don't worry about it… I didn't come here to sightsee in the first place."
Sairaorg looked at me for a few seconds, and soon, he commented. "You're much different than the rumours said…"
"How's Azrail Astaroth in those rumours, then?"
"Rude, hedonistic, crude, unapologetic, and someone who's into bullying little girls and has a superiority complex…"
Sairaorg went on and on about the Azrail Astaroth from the rumours, and I realised that they weren't the ones Lord Astaroth controlled so meticulously.
"You can stop now…"
Sairaorg's source of rumours was probably what my mother told Misla about what I did at the Astaroth Castle.
After all, those 'rumours' were too accurate to be public knowledge.
Thud!*
Just as Sairaorg opened his mouth to reply, a rock flew from the side and crashed into his forehead before bouncing back and landing on my foot, leaving a dirty spot on my shoe.
'That pair was the one Latia gave me…'
I activated [Clean] without much thought, which caused the spot to vanish instantly.
"Not this again."
Sairaorg seemed somewhat annoyed as he turned towards the one who had just thrown the rock towards us, and I followed his gaze.
'A Low-Class Devil has the guts to do that to a High-Class? That's new...'
If it happened somewhere else, the Low-Class Devil would've ended up dead or incapacitated within seconds, depending on whom he attacked.
"You damned shame of the Bael Clan…! Go back to your palace!"
It was hard to conclude whether this Low-Class Devil was brave or straight-up stupid.
'Well, whatever. I'm bored, so let's kill some time…'
"Hey, trash…" Crouching down, I picked up the rock that the Low-Class threw at Sairaorg. "Catch..."
I applied some [Gravity Magic] on the rock and tossed it towards the Low-Class Devil.
'There's no resistance in altering the gravitational fields of small items with no magic power, unlike living beings…'
"Huh, what?"
Although the trash was surprised by the sudden callout, he caught the stone with his right hand, and what happened next was decently entertaining to watch.
"Gahhhhhhhhhhh…!!!!!"
The Low-Class Devil screamed at the top of his lungs as the stone pinned his right hand to the ground, ripping through his palm as blood splattered around it.
'Even though he's a devil, his pain resistance is no different from a human…'
How weak.
Sairaorg could've caught that stone with his bare hands without any trouble.
Hell, even Latia could've.
'And to think he's harassing a brat as an adult rather than doing something meaningful with life. Pathetic...'
It was hard to tell a devil's age by appearance, but the one who threw the stone at Sairaorg should at least be in his early twenties.
"Hey, Low-Class…"
I appeared in front of the Low-Class Devil and held his body up by the collar. Although he was much taller than me, his legs already gave out after his wrist got crushed, so the only thing keeping him from collapsing was my hand.
Our eyes met, and the latter's body trembled, tears falling down his face.
"Do you not know the hierarchy of the Underworld?"
"P-Please—!"
The Low-Class Devil's voice fluttered, unable to form any proper sentence, and as I was about to speak, Sairaorg grabbed my forearm with his right hand.
"That's more than enough…"
"What if I feel like bullying this trash more?"
"I hate those who oppress the weak with their powers…"
'A righteous and straightforward devil, huh?'
I was curious about what kind of effect the Bael Clan's unfairness had on Sairaorg, but it seemed like Misla managed to raise a proper kid even without child support.
The reason I poked a hole through the Low-Class Devil's hand was to see his reaction, after all.
'The determined look in this brat's eyes… It's at least better than the trash that fills up our race, including most adults I ran into, but…'
It seemed like Sairaorg forgot when I purposefully pushed him off the bed when we were kids and how much he cried.
'I wanted to beat him up a little and see how good he is, but I did promise Mother not to cause trouble, so let's stop here…'
"Ahaha… A High-Class Devil from the Bael Clan protecting a Low-Class Devil…"
My Demonic Power concentrated around my forearm, and with a slight twist of my wrist—
"Huh?!"
My forearm escaped Sairaorg's grip without using the slightest bit of force, much to his surprise.
Thud!*
The Low-Class Devil fell to the ground, and I walked past him without a second glance.
"C'mon, let's go."
"Hey, why did you do it?"
Sairaorg walked behind me, seemingly confused about my random actions.
"A bit of [Gravity Magic]."
"I didn't ask how… I asked why."
"To teach that Low-Class trash its place… I don't care if he needs to harass a child to satisfy his fragile ego, but that stone landed on my shoe."
It wasn't about the shoe, but that was as good of an excuse as any for a High-Class Devil to beat up a Low-Class.
"Just for that?"
"Actions have consequences—he'll be better off learning that from a small injury rather than having his head chopped off..." My reply came out naturally, and Sairaorg closed his mouth. "The more important question would be, why didn't you do it? A punch from you would've been enough to be done with that guy..."
Sairaorg didn't reply to my question and continued to stay silent.
Honestly, he was different from my previous expectations.
I thought he'd be like the countless incompetent fools out there who could only blame their lineage for not giving them enough talent, looking at the talented people with hate and envy, blaming others for their incompetence.
But surprisingly enough, the brat wasn't like that.
He seemed fulfilled with what he had, and his eyes were of a person who had a goal in mind and would do anything to achieve it.
It was funny, considering he was the same age as Latia, Rias, and Sona.
It was safe to say he was one of the few people who left a better-than-average impression on me.
"I don't—"
{I am Crucified!}
{For the Holy Dimension!}
{Godlike Ascension!}
{Heavens Away!}
Sairaorg couldn't finish his words as my phone started ringing, interrupting him, and he stared at me with a rather bland expression.
It was the same reaction Alice had after hearing my ringtone.
"Don't look at me like that."
For me, this song officially belonged to Pucci, even though both the priest and this song had yet to exist in this world.
I'd use it as my ringtone even if it were 'Made in Heaven.'
Taking out my phone, I realised that the one calling me was my mother.
"Yes?"
{....}
"Hmm… Alright, we'll be right back."
Hanging up, I stored the phone inside my dimensional storage and turned towards Sairaorg.
"We're going back."
The Astaroth Clan's teleportation magic circle appeared under our feet.
"What happened?"
Sairaorg looked at the magic circle, a bit surprised.
"Your mother passed out mid-conversation."
"What!?"
.
.
.
"Mother!"
Just as we appeared inside Misla's room, Sairaorg ran towards his mother, who looked like she was sleeping peacefully.
'Well, that happened faster than I expected...'
After confirming that Sairaorg was calm enough, I asked.
"Has she been sleeping a bit too much for the past month or so?"
He was visibly surprised at my question, and he nodded.
"It's been like this for a few weeks, and she has been tired almost regularly, even without doing anything… I asked if something was wrong, but she shrugged it off…"
"I see…"
"Azrail, do you know something?"
'The better question would be, why don't you know about this, mother? Aren't you around eight hundred years old?'
My willpower wasn't strong enough for me to say that out loud because the last time I commented on my mother's age, she almost disowned me, and I had to live with Sebas and Vanessa for three whole days.
"These are the symptoms of sleep disease."
"So she won't wake up again?"
"I said symptoms... Lady Misla will wake up soon enough, but it's only a matter of time before the illness fully catches up with her body."
"How do you know that?"
Sairaorg looked in denial, but it was a natural reaction.
It was hard for me to accept the reality when I learned about my brother's condition in my previous life. Not to mention, I was seventeen when that happened, while the kid in front of me was barely six.
"I know Sleep Disease better than most doctors in the Underworld… Well, at least in theoretical knowledge."
"Is there no other way?"
"Not really, mother." I shook my head. "Sleep disease has no cure, at least not now, but it's possible to sustain the victim's life artificially at a hospital..."
"That means..."
While Sairaorg was having a moment of grief, I asked Great Sage to analyse Misla's body when I held her right hand, which was hanging from the side of the bed and placed it next to her.
"I'll contact the Serafall Memorial Hospital."
Celis took out her phone and left the room in a hurry.
'I never saw mother act like this… It seems like she cares a lot about Misla…' With those thoughts in mind, I turned back towards Sairaorg. "I'd suggest spending as much time with her until she permanently falls asleep."
However, my words never reached him since he was too caught up with his mother.
Well, it was none of my business.
'Great Sage, what did you analyse from Misla's body?'
[Answer. The individual Misla Bael's Demonic Power is moving slower than it's supposed to, slowing down the functions of her body and forcing it to rest for prolonged periods.]
'Hmm. And?'
[Answer. Lacks data regarding Demonic Power to confirm what exactly causes the phenomena of Sleep Disease.]
Misla seemed like a magnificent test subject in my eyes.
'I wonder if they'll hand her over for experiments to a five-year-old if he said he might be able to cure her...'
Not really.
That'd be too much, even for Devils.
Since I had the records saved within the Great Sage, I could reanalyse them after collecting enough data on Demonic Power.
And it wasn't like Misla would run away.
"Azrail..." The door opened, and my mother barged inside. "You should go back now."
She wasn't wrong.
It had already been a little over an hour since we arrived here.
"Are you sure you can manage things alone? I can help, too…"
"I am glad to hear that, but I'll be fine… Don't forget, you have places to be."
My mother patted my head.
Since that was the case, I glanced at Sairaorg and Misla one last time before teleporting back to the Astaroth Clan.
---
[The Astaroth Clan's Castle.]
"Lord Azrail, where have you been?"
"We only have 20 minutes to prepare you for the banquet…!"
"Please be more responsible…!"
Moments after my arrival inside my house, I was captured by half a dozen maids, and soon, they helped me change into one of the many outfits my mother had previously decided for me.
It seemed fine at first, but the moment I stood in front of the mirror, my opinions changed drastically.
"Hey, Amy..."
"Is it not to your liking, Lord Azrail?"
"Isn't this a little too flashy? Don't you have something a little simpler?"
"No! This is already on the simpler side, Lord Azrail! Your dignity is directly linked to the dignity of the Astaroth Clan, and even more so to Lord Beelzebub. As his younger brother, even if you don't like it..."
"Fine, I get it, so stop."
As someone who thought that lab coats were the best and most attractive piece of clothing one could wear, there wasn't much for me to say in this matter.
"Yes!" The maid, who seemed to be on the verge of tears after I rejected almost eleven outfits, finally answered energetically.
"How long before we need to leave?"
"15 minutes."
"And when are Alice and Latia gonna come out?"
While I was busy sharing my complaints with the maid, the door opened, and Sebas walked into the room.
"Damn, you look amazing."
The first thing he did was compliment me.
"Isn't this a bit too flashy, though?"
I could feel the maid's intense gaze on my back.
"It's good, so don't worry about it." Sebas waved it off. "You'll get used to it after attending a few more social gatherings."
"Let's hope so..."
"Just make sure to conduct yourself properly. If possible, try not to speak. If not, avoid long conversations."
"What you should be worried about is Latia and Alice being late… Seriously, why does everyone in this household think I can't conduct myself?"
"Because you've made every child you met cry, at least once."
"Brother, that's not—!"
Sebas didn't even allow me to finish, interrupting me almost instantly.
"You buried Latia in a mountain of books. Now, she's scared of libraries. Can you believe that?"
"That wasn't my—!"
"You made Sona cry by defeating her in chess without holding back. You praised her for half an hour about how she had improved before defeating her in under three minutes again. That was definitely on purpose."
"She thought she had a chance against me in blitz! Someone had to teach her a—!"
"You attached wheat and oats on Rias' head and watched her getting chased by a dozen hungry camels for half an hour, knowing very well that she's scared of them."
"To defend myself, I must say that it was Lord Gremory's idea… But yeah, it was enjoyable nonetheless."
I was probably the only individual who could've survived after doing something like that to the sisters of Lucifer and Leviathan, the Siscon Satans.
"You forced Seekvaira to watch Mecha Porn knowing how much of a Mecha Geek she was, and now, she's traumatised for life."
It wasn't Mecha Porn, Sebas.
It was the Mecha version of Boku No Pico produced by the Almighty Great Sage.
My original plan was to air it on all live channels of DeviTube, but it was hard to get access to them from home.
"Well, it—!"
"You bullied Lady Leviathan's Magical Girl Series through an anonymous account online, almost sending her into depression… Can you believe that one of the Four Great Satans shivers at the mention of someone called NoobGamer69?"
"Yeah, I'd appreciate it if you don't tell anyone about that…"
And believe me, you have no idea how bad my cyberbullying record has been in the past.
Not to mention, all I said were actual flaws, thanks to which the quality of Serafall's series increased drastically.
It was my way of helping her.
But thanks to my actions, the username NoobGamer69 was officially banned throughout DeviNet, and they also included the function to filter comments and bots to maintain peace within communities.
I revolutionised DeviNet.
"You released 3000 cockroaches—"
"Alright, I get it. Now shut up!"
Sebas chuckled.
"Just don't go overboard, alright? And it looks like Latia and Alice finished dressing up..."
My brother turned towards the open door, and after a few seconds, a very adorably dressed Latia walked inside the room.
"My daughter looks adorable."
Latia was dressed in a white sleeveless dress and a white sheer cardigan over it, giving her a very fresh and doll-like appearance.
"Indeed, you look incredibly cute..."
"Thank you, Azrail."
At my comment, Latia's face brightened up, and she smiled.
I could tell that Sebas was struck by an arrow directly aimed at his heart, but I promptly ignored it.
"What were you guys talking about, Dad?"
"We were—!"
"Just talking about some random stuff, nothing important."
I didn't let Sebas finish.
"Are you guys ready?"
Hearing Alice's voice, the three of us turned towards the door as she walked in.
'Man, she's beautiful...'
Alice was dressed in a simple yet elegant black gown, with light make-up that didn't seem much but complimented her beauty perfectly.
As if reading my mind, Sebas crouched next to me and brought his mouth near my ear.
"Childhood crushes are the best, aren't they? Good for you that Alice won't change even after a decade, so go for it, young one..."
"Next time, I'll release 30,000 cockroaches into your office."
"Oh, is my brother embarrassed? I'm sure Mother would've loved to see you like this..." As if he had just realised that Celis wasn't with us, he asked. "By the way, where is she?"
"Right, you don't know…" I told Sebas and Alice about Misla's Sleep Disease and that Celis would be spending some time with her.
"Man, she was close with Aunt Misla… She'll be sad…"
Sebas covered his face with his right hand, letting out a long, tired sigh.
"Have they known each other for long?"
"Yeah, even longer than Aunt Venelana and Aunt Florica."
How old was Misla again?
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it."
Soon, it was time for us to leave.
"Let's go..."
At Alice's notice, Latia and I stepped on the teleportation magic circle the former had created.
"Have fun."
Sebas waved us off with a smile as we disappeared.
---
Words: 3,940
A/N:
1. "I am" is more like a formal way of talking while "I'm" is more casual and informal. I have no idea how to separate the two except that.
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