"Lady Xiemier, letting a human live here, if the other Lords find out, something will happen, right!"
Inside the Succubus Lord's room, an underage little succubus asked the Lord doubtfully. In Hell, the most tempting thing was 'humans.' Their souls were the delicacy that all demons loved; fresh meat was second, and blood came after. If other Lords knew that there was a living human here, it would bring considerable trouble to her Lord. Not wanting to see such a situation, the little succubus spoke to the Lord, hoping the Lord would think twice before acting.
"Rest assured! Little guy, there is not a single fool among the Lords in Hell."
The Succubus Lord, whose unknown nerve had been touched by the little succubus's inquiry, smiled and stroked the Little guy's head with her slender Tail. Leaving those words behind, she returned to her room. There was not a single fool who could become a Lord. Even 'Wrath,' who had the greatest destructive power among the seven of them, was not a reckless person. Now, the seven territories were restraining each other; no one dared to be the first to disrupt the balance. Even if those guys knew, so what? She did not become a Lord by just being a pretty vase.
"Hell is a world of its own, so how do the souls of sinners come to this world? The Gate of Hell? That thing does not seem very reliable! Does God really exist?"
Artoria, who was resting in the room, was not sleeping. With her level of strength, she needed very little sleep. Usually, Artoria just meditated to disguise herself as sleeping. Today, Artoria had no heart to meditate, but was lying on an unknown animal skin, thinking and analyzing things about Hell. Today, after coming into contact with the one who called herself 'Lilith'—which was of course a fake name—it was not Artoria being sarcastic or exaggerating her own abilities; her special powers had no effect on her. In a direct confrontation, if Artoria released her Noble Phantasm, she could kill her instantly. This was no joke.
Since the strength of the Lords was already like this, Artoria did not worry about the other Lords; compared to her, they would not be much higher. Artoria was thinking about the existence of the 'Demon King.' Judging from 'Lilith's' performance, the Demon King did indeed exist, and the strength should also be very powerful, and not one of the seven Lords. Artoria thought that such a strong person might still be somewhere in Hell. The common sense that the Four Heavenly Kings usually have five people made Artoria think that this possibility was very high. However, this matter was confidential; even if she asked, 'Lilith' might not tell her. So, she could only explore it herself. After thinking for a long time, Artoria felt that now was not a good time to explore. After all, she was not familiar with this place, and she did not know the general location of all the Lords. It was better to hide first, and after understanding everything, then go for it.
"Is there no night in Hell? Oh, right! There is no sun here."
After resting for seven or eight hours, Artoria was planning how to act. Opening her eyes and looking out the window at the uncomfortable red sky that was there when she arrived, Artoria felt a bit emotional. Only when it was dark and one lay in bed with their eyes closed could one feel tranquility and sleep peacefully. In such an environment, it was no wonder that humans could not come over at all. Even if they came to Hell, except for those with powerful physical bodies, who could withstand it?
"How was your rest, little sister."
After stepping out, Artoria was taken to a place to wash up. Looking at the red liquid that smelled of rust, Artoria expressionlessly refused the Little Succubus's demonstration. With her magic power surging, Artoria's body remained perfectly clean. She then had the stunned Little Succubus lead the way. Artoria was shocked by the bloody sink from earlier. Following behind the Little Succubus, she watched the other's small Tail sway with her body, which looked quite cute. Artoria had an urge to pack her up and take her home as a pet. Soon, Artoria met the Succubus Lord. She looked the same as yesterday, with a hint of mischief in her eyes. It seemed what Artoria had just experienced was directly related to her; indeed, women are not to be trifled with.
"Don't trouble yourself on my account."
Artoria naturally saw the look in her eyes. Recalling her recent encounter, Artoria spoke expressionlessly, but what came next was the real issue. Seeing the food the Little Succubus brought out, Artoria's face could no longer maintain its cold and elegant state. What was this? Are you sure this is for humans to eat? Thinking it over, Artoria admitted with a sense of defeat in her heart that this indeed wasn't for humans, but for demons. Looking at the pitch-black, bubbling substance, Artoria felt that if she ate it, she would definitely get a stomachache.
"I'm so sorry! We don't have human food here in Hell. Do you need me to send someone to the Human Realm to gather some for you?"
Looking at Artoria's expression, the Succubus Lord's face was full of unconcealed amusement. She had finally taken revenge for being teased by Artoria. At this moment, her heart was full of satisfaction, yet she asked Artoria with feigned concern. Even if they were to gather food, it could only be done by Little Demons summoned by humans. Only low-level existences like Little Demons could enter the Human Realm with their full combat power intact. Even then, gathering would take five or six days. This was meant to be a harsh lesson for the young girl. She had already considered the food issue yesterday and sent a Little Demon to the Human Realm; it would be back in two or three days. However, a demon's care is never expressed through words; instead, they mock first and only step in when the other party needs help the most.
"No need. With my strength, it's no problem even if I don't eat for several years."
Hearing the other's mocking voice, Artoria's nose almost turned crooked from anger. How could there be such a petty person... demon. Right, she's a demon. Forget it, no use arguing with these ill-intentioned fellows. Artoria wasn't lying; she really could survive without eating by simply absorbing energy. However, she didn't plan on staying in Hell for years. Once she mastered all the Infinity Stones, Artoria intended to return.
"Fine, I'll give you a surprise in a couple of days."
She took Artoria's words as mere stubbornness. Demons understood humans very well; otherwise, how could they tempt those with weak wills? Humans sometimes loved to save face even if it meant suffering. She didn't care if Artoria was just being a'stubborn dead duck' or if it was actually true, but she had already sent a 'demon' to procure supplies and would bring them to Artoria regardless. It would be a surprise. Thinking of Artoria's surprised face at seeing human food compared to her current'stomachache' look, she suddenly looked forward to that day.
"The jokes are over, let's talk business! Where is the next Lord closest to this territory?"
Waiting patiently for the other to finish eating, Artoria spoke up. She was now impatient to find the next Lord for a fight. Only one day into this world, and she already wanted to go home. Thus, she had to hurry and fight to temper herself and Master the Infinity Stones. So, Artoria had no time to play games with 'Lilith' today; she only wanted to find the next Lord and see how strong they were.
"You're so impatient, little sister. But there's no harm in telling you, because you'll definitely win. The Little guy closest to my territory is very cute. Her title is 'Sloth'. In a sense, she is very strong, but her power is too extreme. You'll understand when you see her. We of the Seven Deadly Sins—Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust—each have different powers. I hope you enjoy yourself."
Seeing Artoria's impatient look, a mysterious smile appeared on Likely Liliths given name's face. Although she was ranked last, it was only because the nature of her power made her unsuitable for direct combat. Sloth was similar to her in nature, but because of the uniqueness of her ability, she ranked ahead of Greed. This showed how strong her ability was, though it was also easily countered. She didn't tell Artoria directly, leaving her to figure it out for herself.
"I hope her strength doesn't disappoint me."
After asking for directions, Artoria said this to Likely Liliths given name and dashed off in that direction, though she didn't notice the strange smile on Likely Liliths given name's face.
"Good luck."
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.
