"Oh, yeah, this is Baratrum, the world of Demons and Fallen Angels. We are in the outskirts of Hervorragend, the capital of the Suberbia Principality."

 

"Suberbia Principality?"

 

"Oh, well, you see... Before Father died in the last Holy War, since mother is still in slumber, he divided the territory of Gehenna in 7 Principalities to be ruled by 7 of his 8 children."

 

"Why not among the 8 then?"

 

"It's a little more complicated than that... Let's get going, I'll tell you along the way."

 

"Okay"

 

Lue started walking and I followed closely behind.

 

"WAAAAAAAAAIT!!!!"

 

We could hear Paimon screaming behind but Lue seemed to pay no heed...

 

"Are we not waiting for her?"

 

"She is by far faster than both of us, she'll be fine."

"More importantly, let me tell you a story."

"You see... Although we are said to be the 7 Princes, some of us are not actually His Highness' children."

 

"Huh?"

 

"Demons and Fallen Angels are immortal beings, and although we are considered different things His Highness treated us both as the same. I, for example, am a fallen angel... It's been a long while since mother helped me out of Cocytus but... That costed her a great deal of strength..."

"Since then she has never awoken up except for once. Which is, when the 8th son was born."

"His Highness passed his power on to his children but... none of the first 7 of us was able to inherit all of his power. Instead, each of us only had the power of a sin, which was most compatible."

 

"Hm... If not being a nuisance, what would be yours?"

 

"Ah, mine? It's Suberbia"

Lue's face darkened as she answered.

 

"Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have asked something like that."

 

"Don't worry about it... I just got reminded of someone I had long forgotten."

A dark aura gathered around her. It was if death itself had taken form. If not for what I went through I'd probably be trembling in fear.

 

"BRRRRR... MASTA IS SCAWY AGAIN!"

Paimon interjected before I could say anything.

 

"Oh! Sorry Paimon..."

Lue looked very dejected, but she didn't stop speaking.

"So, yeah, my sin is Arrogance and Pride."

 

"You said before this was the Suberbia Principality, right? So that makes you..."

 

"Yes, I am the princess that rules this Principality"

"But that is just a temporary measure."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"See, this division was made in a time of peace, a couple millennia after I was adopted. Then, one day, Mother Awakened... but she only did so for a short span of a couple years."

"In this time the first real child of both rulers of Hell was born. The 8th child. The one who inherited all the power of Satan at once."

"Its birth was something that stupid ass rule-it-all bastard could never let happen."

 

The aura from before started gathering again but not even Paimon dared to speak.

 

"So, he waged another holy war again... His Highness... in order to protect us all from that despot..."

Tears started to flow from her eyes, and she had difficulty getting her words out.

 

"I get it, you don't have to say any more of it."

I said, pulling her by the hand, and hugging her.

Lue hugged me back tightly and rested her head on my shoulders.

I couldn't see it, but a smile started to appear on her face.

 

"You guys are all lovey-dovey already"

Paimon, again, interjected.

 

"WA, WHAT?"

Faltered Lue as she distanced herself for me, jumping back.

"IT'S NOT LIKE I FELT ANYTHING! NOTHING AT ALL!"

 

"Paimon knows..."

 

"PAIMON! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?"

 

"NO NO NO! PLEASE!! LET PAIMON GO!"

Paimon cried out as Lue pinched her cheeks with all her might. The scene warmed my heart.

 

"Ahem, sorry you had to see that."

 

"You should apologize to Paimon, not to him."

Murmured Paimon.

 

"Anyhow, His Highness exhausted his own life to make the barrier that isolates this world from the Cosmos, although it doesn't encompass the whole world, only this continent. Gehenna."

 

"And... What happened to that 8th son?"

 

"You see... He disappeared when the barrier was erected... However, after a few thousand years, I caught a signature of his soul in Tellus and went to look after him... Until I found you."

"Oh, we arrived."