“The exchange party will be held at the Demon Lord’s Castle. In addition to spending the night there, you’ll be attending several events, including a dinner party and formal dance.” Lucifer told us this and I couldn’t help but imagine what that formal party would be like… A human like myself surrounded by a bunch of demons…
“A dinner party…” I could hear Beel's stomach growling so loudly and it felt like I was hearing a monster roaring instead of someone's stomach. I could even see drools coming out of his mouth now…
“I assume you must have some questions?” Diavolo spoke up after Lucifer and I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was the demon lord castle. Is it his home or something like that…?
“What’s the Demon Lord’s Castle?” I mean it has to be his home but I wonder if there was more to it. I mean I am in a place where demons are so I am kind of expecting something more and rather dangerous.
“It’s my castle, the place where I live, as the name implies.” Diavolo told me this with his usual friendly smile but that didn’t really give me more information about that castle, did it?
“It’s hands down the most magnificent, impressive structure in all of the Devildom.” Satan also jumps in with information about the castle as well.
“And it’s just like the castle where the heroine lived in Fantasium Fantasia 9! Now, when it comes to the Fantasium Fantasia series as a whole, it goes without saying that the fourth installment is a timeless masterpiece. Afterward, the games went 3D polygonal, and the old producer BGM composer both left, so the general opinion of people online is that those games were trash. Personally, while I agree that the 2D sprite graphics of Fantasium Fantasia 4 were great, I think Fantasium Fantasia 7 is clearly a masterpiece as well, on par with 4 even. It’s known for having an excellent scenario and character designer, ad what’s more?” Levi was talking so much and so quickly I only got half of what he was saying. It felt like he was more talking about the game than the castle. I understand being really into games but this is… a lot.
“Yes, the Demon Lord’s Castle is like something straight out of a fairy tale. It’s absolutely beautiful!” Asmodeus completely cut off Levi who was getting really deep into talking about the Fantasium Fantasia series. I guess I should probably learn a bit more about that game…
“...At first glance, sure. But I know the truth… I know about the tons and tons of horror stories they tell about that place. It’s enough to make your skin crawl.” Mammon shivered as he said this and I was having a hard time believing what he was saying. He tends not to be truthful...
“Dinner… there’s gonna be a dinner…” Beel was still thinking about the dinner that was going to happen at the castle and wasn’t listening to anyone at all.
“Barbatos has a secret torture room beneath the castle. And every night you can hear his victim's screams of agony echoing up from outta there… And there’s a huge mirror, and behind it is the entrance to a secret labyrinth. And inside the labyrinth lives a monster that feasts on the innards of demons…” I was really questioning where Mammon got this information… I mean they are demons but this seems a bit much even for them.
“So, Asmodeus claims it’s like something out of a fairy tale, and Mammon thinks it’s a hell house. Who do YOU believe, Yuki?” Satan raised a questioning eyebrow at me and I thought for a second about who I was going to believe.
“I mean… Asmodeus.” It was mostly because Mammon seemed like he was going a bit too far with saying how scary the castle was. It was more like a child repeating something they heard but it was made more dramatic through their words.
“People want to believe things that they find personally appealing. So clearly, you like beautiful things just as much as I do, Yuki. Yes, I feel like you and I would get along quite well.” Asmodeus put his finger under my chin as he gave me a charming smile that made my head get weird.
‘Calm down Yuki! But damn his finger is so soft on my chin… And that smile of his is so pretty…’ I was fighting inside of my head as I tried not to get lost in his eyes due to how attractive I found Asmodeus.
I sat through the rest of the meeting in a bit of a daze after what Asmodeus did to me. I really can’t handle such a good-looking man like him! He is a demon but he is totally my type.
School went by quickly and when it became night once again I went to meet up with Belphegor in the attic. I had to tell him what was going to happen soon after all.
“They’re having an exchange party…? Hmph, ridiculous. But did you say you managed to make a pact with Beel? Because that’s a far more important development to me! You didn’t strike me as the type of person who would come through for me, so I didn’t really have my hopes up, honestly…” My eyes end up twitching at what Belphegor said and I had to calm myself down so I wouldn’t try to pull at his cheek for being such a brat.
“But you seem to have actually gained their trust, as surprising as that is. You’ve managed to make pacts with Mammon, Leviathan, and Beelzebub now… Finally, you’re halfway to your goal. Now, let’s hear what else you have to report. What did Lucifer say about the room up here in the attic?” Belphegor was resting against the attic door as he waited for me to report what other information I had so I proceeded to tell Belphegor about what Lucifer said to me.
“Hmmm… so let me see if I’ve got this straight. There’s a spell on the staircase leading up here that ensures that no demon aside from Lucifer is able to climb it. However, it turns out that humans and angels can climb it since they’re not demons. And what’s more, Lucifer seems confident that you haven’t found out about this room. Since this is Lucifer we’re talking about, I assumed he would’ve put some sort of spell on this room as well, like he did with the staircase… So then, what’s going on here? How is it that you are able to see this room?” Belphegor went quiet for a while and I was wondering if he fell asleep since it wouldn’t be the first time he did that when I was reporting to him
“...Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. Either way, it’s good news for us. Because this means that Lucifer doesn’t think you’ve been in contact with me. Also, I’ve learned something new here. Namely, that you’re not just any ordinary exchange student. I suspected as much. There’s a reason you were chosen to come here. Out of all the humans he could have picked, why did Diavolo choose you...?” I couldn’t help but feel like I was getting insulted by Belphegor in a roundabout way. It always feels like that with him, kind of makes me want to pull at his ear for being so bratty.
“...Well then, your next step is clear. You can worry about making pacts with the other brothers later. Right now we’ve got bigger fish to fry. You’ll be going to the Demon Lord’s Castle for this exchange party or retreat or whatever it is, right? You need to search for clues as to what exactly it is that makes you so special while you’re at Diavolo’s Castle. I’m sure you’re curious to know the truth as well, after all. You must want to know why it is you were chosen.” I mean he wasn’t wrong, I am completely normal, and yet I was chosen as a human exchange student.
“...I can’t help but wonder what secrets you’ll dig up. This should be very interesting indeed.” Belphegor had a smile on his face that made me think he was thinking of something bad but I mean it has to be a normal thing for him since he is a demon.
