"…Hmph. Very well. You wanted to know what happened during the Demon Army Advance, didn't you? Fine, I shall tell you. Listen well—"
"Oh, but before that, I'll brew some tea. I’m sure everyone is thirsty."
Connie stood up and began pouring tea into the cups she had prepared.
With the rug pulled out from under him once more, Beal’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
As usual, Connie marched to the beat of her own drum.
"Actually, you're one to talk, Master Lloyd…"
"If anything, he's many times more 'my-pace' than Connie is…"
Ignoring whatever Grimo and Jiriel were muttering, I focused my attention on Beal's story.
"—Long ago, having grown weary of my life as the Demon King, I set out for the human continent with my subordinates in tow. It had been an age since anyone in the Demon World possessed enough backbone to defy me. In a world where power is everything, once a standout being like myself becomes known, those who would dare challenge you vanish in short order."
Beal let out a sigh as he sipped the heavily sweetened tea Connie had brewed.
Well, with power like his, I suppose it was no surprise that no one wanted to pick a fight.
For a battle-junkie like Beal, those days must have been excruciatingly dull.
"But why the human continent? Had rumors of William, the Ancestor of Magic, reached the Demon World?"
"No. I had dispatched my subordinates across the world in search of the strong. I received various reports, but the only one who failed to return was the messenger sent to the human continent. In other words, there was no doubt that someone powerful enough to slay my subordinate resided there."
"Sending them out at random… how reckless," Jiriel muttered, furrowing his brow.
Well, sending demons all over the world would certainly cause mass chaos.
A single demon possesses enough power to easily topple a nation.
Setting aside the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army, even that Giza-whatever guy I fought before had a decent amount of strength.
"Incidentally, the one I sent to this continent was my most skilled subordinate. …Heh, my blood boiled when I received the report of his death. —At any rate, having learned of a strong opponent that set my heart racing, I crossed the sea. Upon arrival, I was immediately met by the human armies. They must have sensed our movements already. The coast was swarming with soldiers, and there were many among them strong enough to trade blows with demons. William, in particular, was formidable. No matter how many times I cornered him, he always managed to slip through my fingers. Furthermore, while holding me at bay, he displayed the remarkable skill to seal away high-ranking demons—including the Four Heavenly Kings. Truly, he was quite the man."
Beal clicked his tongue irritably, but his expression looked almost nostalgic.
They must have been true rivals. Although they never settled things decisively, William Bordeaux really was an incredible mage.
"To the rest of us, that William fellow was the Reaper himself," Grimo added. "It was feared that anyone who laid eyes on him was as good as dead."
"Were you sealed by William too, Grimo?"
"…No, I was done in by some guy I've never even heard of."
"Pfft! I suppose that makes sense," Jiriel scoffed. "A low-level Majin like you wouldn’t have been worth the great William Bordeaux’s time."
"Shut it, you Shitty Angel! I bet you were trembling in your boots and hiding in the shadows anyway!"
"W-How do you know that…?"
Grimo and Jiriel began bickering, but now that I thought about it, since they were a Majin and an angel, it wasn't strange for them to have been part of that ancient war.
Though it seemed they were both just low-ranking grunts back then.
"…Hey, may I continue?"
"Yes, sir!"
Glared at by Beal, the two of them snapped their backs straight.
Clearing his throat, Beal continued.
"At any rate, we threw ourselves into the fray. The gods took their side, but the humans were also quite troublesome. It was a fierce, back-and-forth struggle against my forces."
"Hm? But with your level of power, Beal, shouldn't you have been able to wipe out the human army easily? No matter how great William was, he was no match for you, right? Couldn't you have just forced your way through and crushed them? Or were the guys from the Celestial Realm just that strong?"
"No, that lot was surprisingly timid. They didn't give us much trouble, but there was one other vexing individual. …Ugh, just remembering him makes my skin crawl…"
Unlike when he spoke of William, Beal's tone wasn't one of discussing a worthy rival, but rather an object of pure loathing. This made Grimo gasp.
"! You mean… the Holy King."
Beal nodded.
The Holy King was the figure who stood at the pinnacle of the Holy King Court, the headquarters of the Church.
Once every few years, a candidate is chosen from those who receive a Divine Revelation, and from among them, the one who overcomes rigorous trials is selected.
The Executor who wields power directly under the Sole God… I remembered my companion, the former Pope Gitan, saying something like that.
"If even you're saying that much, Beal, he must be incredibly strong."
"No, I never actually managed to fight him."
"What do you mean? I thought he was a troublesome opponent?"
I didn't get it. As I tilted my head in confusion, Connie clapped her hands as if she’d realized something.
"I know! His defense and evasion skills were amazing."
I nodded at Connie's suggestion.
I see. The Holy Magic that Church clerics specialize in is excellent for defense and healing.
As the head of it all, the Holy King must use incredible Holy Magic—enough to prevent the Demon King Beal from even engaging him properly.
However, Beal shook his head.
"Hmph, he was many times nastier than that. Oh, dammit, just remembering it is infuriating…"
Beal began muttering to himself.
What kind of power could be so vexing that even the Demon King Beal would call it "nasty"?
There was no doubt he was a master of Holy Magic, but whatever the case… it sounded fascinating.
"Hey, Beal, I'd really love for you to tell me more about this Holy King."
"I told you I don't even want to think about him!"
"Don't be like that."
"Eep?! W-Wait, Lloyd-kun, don't just hug me out of nowhere!"
When I tried to grab Connie's shoulders, Beal retreated deep inside her.
Ah, damn, he got away. He really must have hated talking about it.
I wish he hadn't left things hanging like that. It was absolute torture.
"I've never seen the Holy King myself either," Grimo admitted. "I've only heard the name."
"Same here…" Jiriel added. "Though I've heard he's an exceptionally vital figure, even among us angels. He reportedly holds a direct contract with the Sole God, the absolute pinnacle of the Celestial Realm."
It seemed the two of them didn't know much either.
Hmm, the Holy King, huh? I was incredibly curious, but the Holy King Court was far away. Besides, the Church was quite guarded.
Back when I joined the Church to learn Holy Magic, they were quite stingy with their teachings. The Holy King Court, being the headquarters, would be even worse. It might be difficult to meet him.
"Man, I’d really love to meet him… the Holy King…"
"That’ll be impossible, I’m sure…"
"Highly unlikely, I would say…"
Grimo and Jiriel immediately shot down my musings.
Good grief, you two have no imagination. He might just decide to drop by Saloom on a whim, you know?