I started my day like usual.
Wake up.
Eat breakfast.
Check on Hunter to see how he's doing.
Then I took another nap.
After that, I made my rounds.
Ant Devil.
A few others.
My world was truly beautiful.
An endless sea of corpses stretching farther than the eye could see.
And at the center of it all stood my ship.
I was the captain.
The ruler of this world.
But today was different.
Today, I had a visitor.
A devil stepped onto the deck, its movements careful, measured.
It bowed its head just enough to show respect.
"It is a pleasure to meet you… Assimilation Devil. The Hole Devil sends its regards."
I studied it for a moment.
"…I see."
"It is a pleasure to host you," I said.
"But tell me—what brings you to my domain?
Are you here to make a contract?"
"Of course," it replied smoothly.
"I've heard… that you possess something I seek."
"And that would be?"
A pause.
"…These past years have been unbearably monotonous.
From what I've gathered… you can create worlds."
It lifted its head slightly.
"Dreams people can live in."
I smiled. Just a little.
"I understand."
Silence lingered between us.
"You want to feel something again."
The devil didn't deny it.
"I'm afraid that will cost you."
"How much?"
"That depends."
I stepped closer, just enough to make it notice.
"If you want something truly tailored… something real…"
I leaned in slightly.
"You'll have to offer me your corpse."
A flicker of hesitation.
"…That may be a bit extreme."
A quiet chuckle escaped me.
"Of course it is."
I turned away, gesturing toward the endless sea below.
"Here, we sell a million kinds of heaven."
I glanced back at it.
"…if you can afford them."
An hour passed before the Hole Devil took its leave.
We had reached an agreement. A small exchange… nothing excessive.
For now.
That only left one matter.
Him.
I exhaled quietly.
I hope he's more stable this time.
Last visit was… inconvenient.
I turned, pointing at one of my followers.
"You there. Report. How is my special resident?"
The small devil with hooks for hands flinched, shrinking under my gaze.
"S-sir, I'm still new—"
"If I hear that you idiots mishandled his meal again…" I stepped closer, voice lowering.
"I'll feed you to the sea."
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Useless."
I turned and began walking toward the lower deck.
"Where is that frog… Bob?"
No answer.
Bob wasn't here.
Hunter probably took him.
I snapped my fingers.
The lights flickered.
For a brief moment, the entire deck fell into darkness.
When they came back, a figure was already kneeling before me.
The Electricity Devil.
"Master. You called."
"Yes," I said calmly.
"Has his routine changed?"
"My lord… no."
A pause.
"He hasn't requested anything. He remained in his room for three days and nights."
Silence settled between us.
That wasn't ideal.
Prolonged isolation tends to erode his stability.
A faint pressure lingered in the air—subtle, but familiar.
I clicked my tongue.
"If he destabilizes again… the entire world follows."
The Electricity Devil lowered its head further.
"Of course, my lord."
I turned my gaze toward the lower deck.
Toward the source of it all.
I simply made use of it.
"…I'll handle this personally. Begone."
The Electricity Devil vanished instantly.
I stood alone for a moment.
I was swallowed by darkness.
The feeling brought back memories of the Darkness Devil.
Just thinking about it made me shiver slightly.
Still… I pushed forward.
Until I reached it.
In front of me stood a plain, old wooden door.
One knock.
Two knocks.
Silence.
Before I could make the third, the door creaked open slightly.
Nothing.
Almost empty.
Then a voice followed.
Distorted. Fragmented.
"Dlwfelyetfxx zwltexdtdd el dfda tnldafpde.
Dpyezt zxp sfn opdnpyootddp fe xp nzypwplepd.
Lfot trtelf: ytdt txapclgpdd fp slp qzctxnpl fwelcz yzy opdnpyotye, zxytmfd gzmt dgpgtlzm gpcllplepx ozwzctd.
ncfntleflx dtyp qtyp, bfpw xpyd cletyzyp nzyntatcp yzy azepde."
The words scraped against my mind, refusing to settle into meaning.
Then—
for a brief moment—
they aligned.
"Salutationum solitissima te suscipit. Sentio te huc descendisse ut me contempleris. Audi igitur: nisi imperaveris ut hae formicae ultra non descendant, omnibus vobis revelabo veritatem doloris.
Cruciatum sine fine, quem mens rationis concipere non potest."
I could barely understand what he was saying.
This devil hadn't changed since the Roman Empire.
"ncfntleflx dtyp qtyp, bfpw xpyd cletyzyp nzyntatcp yzy azepde.
Fwetz xpl qtpe tytqtytef dfael tyqtytefepx azpylcfx, dt fxxbfex opqpnpcfd.
Ylx xtdpcfl xpl zxyte dfapcle; dzwfd py tx epyptcfd apcxlypz.
Dte efl nlywtoteed pe aclgl dlaptpytfl etmt dlwfd… z tfggpytd."
From the tone alone, I could only hope I understood correctly.
Otherwise…
this would be inconvenient.
Aside from that interaction, the rest of the day was uneventful.
I slept… and let Hunter deal with everything else.
That's what I did—
until he woke me up.
"Judas… Judas, wake up. I know you can hear me."
I had no intention of answering.
But then—
"I found a useful devil."
That caught my attention.
"Could you take care of him? He's currently going down our esophagus."
A pause.
"He should arrive in about a minute or less."
I opened one eye.
"…I see. And what kind of devil is it?"
I wasn't about to waste my time on something insignificant.
Like the Hook Devil.
Honestly…
who's even afraid of that?
"Mutilation."
A pause.
"The Mutilation Devil."
…Now that was a little more interesting.
"He claims to be a follower of our special resident."
I let out a quiet breath.
"That's unfortunate."
"I don't think he'll be accepting visitors."
And I had no intention of sending anything down there.
I heard something falling… something the size of a cow.
Looking up, I saw the strange devil fall from above.
…I hope it's useful.