The mansion of spirits, once the laboratory of Archmage Hoshgar, had been shrouded in a grim atmosphere ever since two liches took it over. But lately, it had been filled with raucous noise.
"You damned lich! Let me go!"
Anastasia, the third princess of the Demon Realm who was still in her cat form, dangled in the air in Richmond's grip and screamed at the top of her lungs.
Richmond shook his head as he looked at her.
"No, even if I let you out, you have nowhere to go. Why do you keep trying to run away?" Anastasia growled threateningly at him.
"You filthy lich! If this were the Demon Realm, a wretch like you wouldn't even dare meet my eyes...!"
At that moment, a magical gag appeared in the air and sealed her mouth.
It was Elizaveta, who sat nearby surrounded by stacks of dozens of magic books. She had cast the spell.
She turned her head, peering over her glasses at the struggling Anastasia, and said,
"Asha, we're guests here. Don't you think it would be better to show some manners?"
The three princesses summoned from the Demon Realm were staying at Hoshgar's mansion in Baranaon.
After Zeke made a contract with Mephistopheles, the master of Pandemonium and the princesses' adoptive father, they remained in the Phenomenal World as a sort of communication channel.
But Anastasia, who had suffered great humiliation at Zeke's hands, seized every opportunity to escape the place.
She tried her best to slip out, only to be caught by Richmond and dragged back, repeating the cycle endlessly. Yet she never gave up.
Just then, the mansion's door opened, and Yekaterina entered, sweating profusely with her sword in hand.
Elizaveta snapped her fingers again, and a cool bottle of water appeared in front of Yekaterina.
She casually picked it up, took a swig, and let out a deep breath.
"Hoo."
She leaned her sword against the wall and shook her head at the dangling Anastasia.
"Caught again."
Yekaterina clicked her tongue in pity at the wriggling cat.
At her reaction, Anastasia thrashed her head wildly toward Elizaveta as if she had something to say. It didn't seem like anything worth hearing, but Elizaveta removed the gag, and Anastasia immediately yelled at Yekaterina.
"Damn it! I almost got away this time! You muscle-headed idiot! You snitched to the lich, didn't you!"
The three princesses had been rivals back in the Demon Realm, so they had never spent so much time together before.
Yekaterina shrugged.
"Who knows? I have no idea."
Anastasia trembled with rage at her attitude.
And lately, Yekaterina had been enjoying teasing Anastasia like this.
But then—
Tssst—
A portal opened on one side of the mansion.
Elizaveta and Yekaterina tensed at the sudden portal.
When Zeke emerged from it, their expressions turned serious.
Anastasia, still dangling from Richmond's hand, finally shut her mouth and tucked her ears and tail upon seeing Zeke.
Zeke stepped out of the portal and spoke to the three princesses and Richmond.
"You all seem to be getting along quite well."
Richmond shook his head as if to say what nonsense that was.
"Master, don't even get me started. I've never had a client like this. Even Bane, a lich like me, fell ill from dealing with these witches... Ack!"
Anastasia seized the opening and clawed at the back of Richmond's hand.
Freed from his grasp, she landed lightly on the floor and darted behind the sofa to hide.
Richmond rubbed his hand and clicked his tongue.
"See what I mean? Why not just send me and Bane to the front lines instead? Fighting magical beasts would be better."
Elizaveta chuckled elegantly at Richmond's lament.
"Hehe, anyone hearing that might think we've been rude. You should be careful not to spread misunderstandings."
Richmond flinched at Elizaveta's graceful yet pointed words.
Though they appeared delicate, the three princesses were top-tier demons of the Demon Realm.
Even as a lich, Richmond felt instinctively suppressed by their presence.
Zeke waved dismissively at Richmond, signaling him to rest.
Only then did Richmond's expression ease slightly as he headed to the underground lab.
Once Richmond left, Zeke addressed the three princesses.
"I have something to say, so sit down."
Elizaveta closed her book and sat gracefully in her original spot, while Yekaterina plopped down casually on whatever was nearby.
Anastasia glared at Zeke from behind the sofa.
Zeke sat on the sofa and pulled tea from his inventory as the three settled in.
"Would you like a cup?"
Elizaveta raised her hand politely, while Yekaterina asked for liquor instead.
Zeke poured tea for Elizaveta and handed her the cup, then gave Yekaterina a full bottle of strong alcohol.
For the hidden Anastasia, he placed a cookie on a plate on the floor.
Elizaveta sipped her tea elegantly; Yekaterina downed the liquor in one go.
"Hoo, that's decent stuff. Humans aren't half bad."
Anastasia eyed Zeke warily but couldn't resist the temptation. She crept out from behind the sofa, grabbed the cookie with her paw, and munched on it.
Zeke quietly sipped his tea before speaking to the princesses.
"I'd like you to contact Mephistopheles."
Elizaveta smiled faintly and asked Zeke,
"What message would you like to convey to Father?" Zeke set down his teacup and replied to Elizaveta.
"Tell him I'll attend the Demon Realm lords' conference."
At that moment, Elizaveta's face paled, and Yekaterina and Anastasia followed suit, their expressions freezing.
The Demon Realm lords' conference was a gathering only for the pinnacle beings of the Demon Realm, those in the highest positions among the fallen constellations.
For a human like Zeke to attend was absurd.
Regaining her composure, Anastasia yelled with cookie crumbs on her whiskers.
"Y-You're joking! A human like you, going where? Ha, ridiculous!" As a proud demon, Anastasia felt insulted by Zeke.
Yekaterina, across from her, felt the same and glared at Zeke with burning eyes.
Only Elizaveta among the three kept a grave expression and continued.
"...Honored guest. I don't think you're the type to say something so rashly. Do you perhaps have the qualifications to attend the Demon Realm lords' conference?"
The other two princesses' faces twisted further at Elizaveta's words.
"What nonsense! A human having such qualifications?"
"Even if Father chose him, that's just..."
Elizaveta unleashed her aura toward the vehemently protesting pair.
Her eyes darkened, emanating the chilling killing intent unique to demons.
"Can't you two think for even a moment?"
Her tone was elegant, but the aura it carried was not.
Yekaterina and Anastasia flinched and fell silent at Elizaveta's menacing threat.
Zeke slowly spoke as he looked at Elizaveta and the others.
"I've found the soul of the Arrogant Savior."
The three princesses' expressions changed at his words.
The constellation that first created Babel, the Demon Realm itself.
The Arrogant Savior was a being on a different level even compared to the other Demon Realm lords.
Yekaterina stared at Zeke in disbelief.
"N-No way... You, a human, actually obtained the soul of the Arrogant Savior...?"
"Your faces say you don't believe it."
"Well, believing it outright would be even more..."
"I'll show you proof."
Zeke snapped his fingers indifferently.
A sword appeared in front of Yekaterina.
It was the Green Sword with Arataso sealed within.
Suddenly, blue energy rippled from the Green Sword, and something emerged. Tssst—
With green energy billowing in all directions, Arataso appeared.
Thud!
Arataso, who had once been in the form of a human-horse hybrid, looked different now.
He stood clad in green armor beside a demonic horse that glowed emerald, in the exact form of the captain of the Morning Star's 1st Battalion, the Arrogant Savior's knight order.
Having inherited the Arrogant Savior's authority, Zeke had restored Arataso's original sealed power.
Elizaveta looked at Arataso and said,
"The Arrogant Savior's most loyal sword..."
At that moment, green eye-glow burst from Arataso's eyes.
Then, the color of the green glow gradually shifted.
Woooong!
A golden energy mixed with the red hue of dawn emanated from Arataso's eyes and throughout his body.
It signified his return from vassal of Clear Verdant Aspiration to vassal of the Arrogant Savior.
Arataso, having reclaimed his name and power, knelt on one knee before Zeke and bowed.
[I greet the successor of the great Arrogant Savior.]
Zeke smirked at Arataso.
"Now you're undeniably my vassal, Arataso."
[...Somehow, I knew it would come to this.]
The three princesses had no choice but to believe Zeke after hearing his conversation with Arataso.
'He had truly inherited the soul of the Arrogant Savior.' Elizaveta realized Zeke had far surpassed human limits.
She immediately rose and knelt before Zeke.
"I pay respects to the great lord."
Yekaterina and Anastasia were stunned by Elizaveta's action.
The quick-witted Elizaveta calling the human Zeke "lord" meant she acknowledged his position.
Yekaterina, less adept at thinking but sharp in judgment, also stood and bowed to Zeke.
Only Anastasia remained, unable to advance or retreat, and glared at him with wary eyes.
Zeke chuckled at the three princesses.
"Now my words seem proven, at least somewhat." He turned to Anastasia and snapped his fingers.
Anastasia's cat body reverted to its original form.
"Th-the curse is lifted!"
The power of the story that Nabu had imposed, which had turned her into a cat, couldn't be undone by any magic.
Yet Zeke's single gesture had restored her. Anastasia clearly felt that his power was on a whole new level.
Zeke looked at Anastasia and said,
"Open the gate to Mephistopheles. I'll meet him directly and attend the Demon Realm lords' conference."
Elizaveta replied to Zeke, sweating coldly.
"My lord. Forgive me, but opening a passage to Father is impossible with just our three powers. We'll send word, so please wait a moment."
Summoning a soul entity as powerful as Mephistopheles here would consume enormous karma on its own.
Creating a direct path to him would defy causality and invite karma's sanctions without doubt.
Zeke shook his head.
"I'll handle the necessary karma and causality. You three just open the passage."
As incarnations of Mephistopheles, the three princesses could open the dimensional coordinates directly linked to him.
Elizaveta hesitated at Zeke's words but soon nodded.
"Come and hold my hands."
Yekaterina and Anastasia complied, drawing close and grasping each other's hands.
Woooong!
As the three joined hands and channeled their energy, the surroundings vibrated, and a gate to another dimension began to form.
Zeke watched the gate leading to Mephistopheles with a glint in his eyes.