After the detailed explanation drew to a close, Illness considered the matter briefly before speaking.
"I understand... what you have said. I have no objections... to the terms. I shall become... your subordinate."
"Almost an instant decision, then? I consider quick thinking a virtue, but this... hmm. I see, I see. You're quite twisted yourself—or rather, yours is a very interesting brand of distortion."
"Pardon me...?"
"No, don't mind me. It's just a personal observation; I’m not one to nitpick someone’s lifestyle. It’s better for people to have a few quirks, anyway... though I really wish they’d stay minor. You’re quite charming as you are now, so please don’t let the subordinates who came before you influence you in strange ways. Seriously... I have no idea why they turned out like that. I intended to raise them as normal people... Where exactly did the system bug out?"
"Um... is something... the matter?"
Seeing Shaltier staring into the distance with a somewhat melancholy expression, Illness tilted her head in confusion. Shaltier caught herself and immediately forced a smile back onto her face.
"Oh, no, it's nothing. Just talking to myself. Anyway, back to the subject. From today on, you will act as my subordinate, an Executive... but when on duty, you'll go by a codename."
"A codename... What would that be?"
"A pseudonym for when you're on a mission. Information is a weapon, so deceiving others about your identity is vital. For you, let's see... 'Pandemonium.' Please use that name."
"I understand... Shaltier-sama. From now on... I am to be obedient... to your orders. Is that correct?"
"No, not particularly. You're free to refuse my orders whenever you like."
"...?"
Illness had assumed that by serving Shaltier as her King, the King's word would be absolute. She judged that to be the standard way of the world. Contrary to her expectations, however, Shaltier shook her head.
"It’s not just you—I grant all my subordinates the freedom to disobey me. If you don't like an order, you can refuse it. If you aren't in the mood, you can decline a mission without penalty. In return, there is only one thing I demand of my subordinates, yourself included... results."
"Results?"
"Yes. I'm not telling you that you can just do whatever you want. I'm saying I grant rights to those with ability. Even if you were to refuse nine out of my ten orders, if the remaining one produced a result significant enough to justify the rest, I wouldn't have the slightest intention of rebuking you. As long as you are competent, I can forgive almost anything and provide rewards to match. However, I lack any redundant mercy for the useless. If you choose to act freely, simply show me the results to justify it. That's all there is to it."
"I see... Understood."
"Excellent. Then for the time being, you may do as you please until I have further instructions for you. I still have others to recruit, and I haven't finished the preparations to mobilize the organization as a whole. Once I’ve finished gathering the Executive Candidates, I’ll call you for a formal introduction. Be ready for that. Well then, I look forward to working with you, Pandemonium."
Illness responded to Shaltier's use of her new codename with a deep bow. In this manner, a new presence joined Shaltier's command—the woman who would later be feared as Pandemonium, the Plague that Beckons Ruin.
Since entering Shaltier’s service, Illness—now Pandemonium—remained a devoted follower. She performed her duties flawlessly and never missed a periodic report. For a woman devoid of both goals and ambition, acting on another's whims was remarkably easy. Among the volatile personalities of the Phantasm King's subordinate executives, the Ten Demons, she was arguably the only sane presence. Or at least, she appeared so on the surface.
"How should I put it? You really are warped in a fascinating way."
"What do you mean? You said something similar... when we first met."
"You are incredibly compassionate and devoted, yet at the same time, you are hopelessly 'arrogant.' It sounds like a contradiction, but somehow your distortion holds together quite elegantly. It's quite interesting."
"I wonder...?"
Hearing the words Shaltier spoke to her one day, Illness tilted her head in genuine confusion. Chuckling at the sight of her, Shaltier began to speak as if engaging in idle chatter.
"Having no desires sounds like a virtue, but when it's at your level, describing you as 'hollow' might be more accurate."
"Hollow?"
"Yes. It's not that you lack desires. You simply 'seek nothing from anyone.' Your way of being, everything about you, is entirely self-contained. That's why you act based solely on your internal standard of 'this is likely correct.' Your principle of action exists only within yourself. Even with me, you don't actually respect me, and you don't have any real affection for me, do you? You merely believe it is correct to submissively follow your Master's orders, so that is what you do."
"..."
Indeed, Pandemonium looked only at herself. She judged her surroundings only by her own yardstick. In a sense, her way of thinking was the ultimate form of self-centeredness. That was Pandemonium's specific brand of distortion.
She generally treated everyone kindly... because she believed that was correct.
She would eliminate even those close to her without hesitation if Shaltier ordered it... because she believed that was the proper nature of the relationship between Master and subordinate.
She had no purpose or goals... because she didn't feel they were necessary.
She could not understand the emotion of happiness... because it was something one couldn't obtain without seeking it out.
"You seek nothing from anyone, and nothing from anything. You only give. Based on your own standards and your own values, you offer yourself up as if it were only natural. That 'devotion' is undoubtedly your essence... but a 'devotion without an object to offer it to' is nothing but a warp."
Her essence was a devotion that sought no reward, yet an object for that devotion did not yet exist. She had nothing. Just as Shaltier had described, she was truly hollow. And she understood that herself. Though she didn't think she needed to change.
"I see... That is a very intriguing perspective."
"And even what I'm telling you now, you don't feel it's something you need. The very act of having someone else give you something is not something you seek. You can't understand it."
"..."
"Let me give you one piece of advice. There is a difference between what feels correct and what is actually right. There is no such thing as a truly objective answer when it comes to correctness. You probably can't understand this right now, but... let's see. If you ever find someone to whom you can pour out your inherent devotion without a second thought, you might finally change."
"Is that so? If that ever happens... I might be able... to understand something then."
Though she gave a token reply to Shaltier's words, Pandemonium concluded within herself that such a day would likely never come. She felt there were no problems with her current state, and she neither intended to change nor wished for it. Unless some sort of miraculous, fated event were to suddenly occur, she believed she would never change.
Serious-senpai: "I don't know why, but Alice actually looks like a decent king for once."
???: "She is a decent king! It’s just that some of her subordinates are bugged! Alice-chan is a perfectly normal, proper king!"
Serious-senpai: "..."