The Lazy King Chapter 2: Avaritia

Part 1: Pile up all the Glory and Treasure

Well, well. I guess Boss Leigie’s the same as always.

I had only talked to him for a few minutes, but he’s already tired me out. I took a deep sigh as I departed from the room of the Demon Lord of Acedia.

The same.

From a Demon’s perspective, a measly ten years is nothing, and it’s a fact that I’ve been alive for far more than a thousand.

I was already used to leading armies before I was appointed to one here, and my usable Mana is in the higher ranks compared to the others. From the moment I was born, I was able to keep on building up my greed, and my Class is advancing at a nice rate. I even have some confidence in regards to battle.

But still…

Well, I’ve never seen a Demon Lord like this one before, though.

The Castle of Shadows.

It’s the base of one in service to the greatest power of the Demon World, the King of Destruction, Kanon.

It wasn’t extravagant, but to match Sloth, who he governs over, the entire castle was built sturdy.

The room I was granted was much larger than the one boss uses. It’s ‘cuz he has no desires. I wonder how he keeps up as a Demon like that.

I don’t mean to brag, but I have quite an eye for appraising items. Ki ki ki, it’s because it’s the target of my desire. Of course I would put some effort into studying it.

And from my observations, it’s definitely the real deal.

Its true power lies not as a sword, though it works sufficiently as one as well. However, it has more meaning when used as a magic tool.

I caution myself. When feelings, when desires gets stronger, then one’s power as a demon will rise. I still haven’t fulfilled my greed. I’m not satisfied yet.

I use one of the Greed Series Skills, Big Pocket, to store the blade in another dimension.

And all of them were things Leigie received from the Great Demon King, so they’re all first-class. This isn’t the type of item I can find from digging around in the treasury of some defeated foreign lord. Of course it isn’t. Things from the Great Demon King’s cellar are literally pouring into my hands from all directions.

I took out the Skeleton-shaped doll I received and placed it on the Table.

Leigie of the Slaughter Dolls.

A lazy lord, and a rare one who governed the attribute of Sloth; uncommon among the subordinates of Kanon.

I’ve met one of these dolls on the battlefield once before. At that time, our blades mingled, and I was able to confirm it. I don’t know the numbers this skill can give life to, but… it would definitely be able to control the demon world.

That creation was a weapon personally owned by a famous Demon Lord.

Even if I say I have some confidence in my power, I’m nowhere near the realm of Demon lords, and I can see that the doll is the same. This one’s only just been born, but… it truly is a cut above the rest.

Ki ki ki, my greed is too deep for it to be satisfied by me alone. Isn’t it time for me to get myself another body to aid me?

What was once an ordinary candlestick holder now stood firmly on two legs, as it gazed at me with its hollow eye sockets.

It truly feels like it possesses its own will. There are numerous Demon Skills that can bring about life, but they’re nothing compared to the work of a Demon Lord.

And for a skill like that, he didn’t even say the name. He activated it in the middle of a yawn.

We’re only a single level apart in class, but I can’t even begin to see the start of his power.

Well, one day… I’ll be taking it, though, Boss.

The Skeleton doll bows and pledges its loyalty to me.

Boss Leigie doesn’t have even a speck of interest in me, and that’s why he didn’t put a single restriction on this weapon.

I lower my gaze to the new toy I had been given and laughed.

“Ki ki ki, it’ll be nice working with you, Slaughter.”

In the end, I’ll get my hands on everything.

The one with the most members, and the main force on the battlefield: The first Brigade.

The one with a moderate amount of manpower, that specializes in mobility and offense to conduct raids on the battlefield: the Third Brigade, which I lead.

In this castle, there’s also the Great Demon King’s dispatched forces under the lead of that Lize Bloodcross, but they won’t move in the wars involving boss, so they don‘t really matter.

Anyways, that’s the entirety of the strongest Legion, known across the Demon World. It’s quite simple, isn’t it? That may be the case. But in the end, isn’t simple usually the most effective?

When I received him from the Boss, he was small enough to fit on a bedside table, but by absorbing the miasma of the demon world, it was able to 『Grow』. The dark eye sockets of a skeleton roughly two meters in height looked over the room without a word. It truly was a masterpiece.

“Deije, slow.”

“Ki ki ki, my bad. Well, I’m not behind schedule, right? Cut me some slack.”

The general of the second brigade, Medea Luxeliahart, chastised me with her usual pouty tone.

She’s a small, female demon. On her unsociable face lies a pair of blood-red, ruby-like eyes. Her no-nonsense hairstyle with straight cut bangs is fastened with a simple ornament.

But I can’t be looking down on her. Even like this, she’s a general. If you get deceived by her appearance, you’re in for a world of pain. Looks and ability are disproportional for demons.

Well, if we were to fight, I’d be the one winning due to the difference in our natures and my superior equipment.

Continuing on, the one sitting in the center is a man of delicate features. Heard Lauder- looked over everyone as he opened his mouth.

There are various types of people among Boss’s subordinates, but among them, this guy is especially dangerous. That means his power is probably the closest we have to Leigie’s.

“Well, well, it seems we’re finally all here. Then I guess we’ll start.”

With Heard’s voice as the starting signal, a map is projected onto the table.

It’s a map of the demon world with Boss’s territory at the center.

Ki ki ki, that pretty much means we can go out and grab whatever land we want. On the other side, if we’re negligent, we’ll be the ones losing. They’re a few hundred years too young to think they can take anything from Deije the Usurper.

Even for me, he’s a bit higher on the pecking order than Boss Leigie.

Heard started calmly spreading information.

“The Great Demon King has given out a subjugation order for the Demon Lord of Gluttony, Zebul Glaucus. Our target was once the one with the strongest alliance to our King, but due to revolts from a shortage on food, he has killed both Astell Zaabdeus and Claud Astal, both of whom were Demon Lords allied to our Great Demon King. All while slowly approaching our land.”

Two points on the map were circled, and as a line was drawn between them, a, expanse of land began flashing in red. Unsatisfied with its bounds, the line gradually began to encroach on the Boss’s territory.

Ki ki ki, he’s brought in a troublesome topic.

This battle’s on a different level than the one I crushed Granzer Esther in.

Our target is… the Demon Lord himself. In Granzer’s battle, we only fought his army, and the Lord never stepped onto the battlefield. In the first place, Demon Lords aren’t things that are supposed to come out so easily.

That’s right. It’s not like he’s wrong or anything.

The enemy’s a strong Demon Lord who took on both of them consecutively.

As expected of the super conceited Heard Lauder. It must be a nice thing to be so brimming with confidence. But isn’t he estimating himself a bit too high?

I’m not that knowledgeable about other Demon Lords, but even I know that Zebul of Gluttony is a big name. His moniker is the Devourer. In the Great Demon King’s faction, he took Fifth Rank, an atrocious Fiend. And our Demon Lord over here won’t lift a finger himself.

If I went one on one against a normal Demon, I doubt I would lose.

But when my opponent’s a Demon Lord, despite having overcome countless battles, I’d be at a disadvantage, I guess.

I know the answer, but let’s ask just in case.

“What did the boss say?”

“Iyo. I’ll leave it to you.”

Wow.

As I thought, we’ve been thrown to the wolves. As expected of Sloth. Even when the Demon Lord comes knocking on our door, he shows no interest.

No interest. He’s making this prideful one look like a child. His stance never wavers.

Well, well. I guess boss has it rough too. But since the Fifth Rank is coming, that’s always an option. That is, if you don’t consider his tendencies.

But the Demon Lord of Sloth… no matter what happens, he won’t move.

Even if I’m just leading an army, if we really take down a Demon King, then Leigie’s name will rise even further in the world.

The moment I obtain it, perhaps the craving sleeping within me will reach a whole new level. It’s possible… that I may even finally become a Demon Lord.

Ki ki ki, you sure say some hard things calmly, oh supreme commander.

Why is that girl Medea stepping down from her duty to guard the boss?

(TL: A common phrase meaning something really unlikely is happening)

“… Oy, oy, what’s with this turn of events? Medea? Don’t you have your own duty to attend to?”

I’d really like our Supreme Commander, who has a good affinity to battle Gula, to step forward here.

But her eyes were brimming with resolve, and she answered in a level tone.

“Deije, Leigie doesn’t require protection from someone of my level.”

Oy, didn’t we promise never to bring that up?

A Demon Lord’s Skills are a cut above the rest. There’s a difference in one’s usable skills based on personal skills, but regardless of our merits, I can’t even imagine what skills the Rank Three Boss has in his arsenal.

An unrestful atmosphere taints the air of the council room.

But that girl’s next line cleared it away.

She isn’t acting on logic, I see.

The reason the girl who ain’t pride or greed wants merits.

Her wide eyes pierce through my body, and an immense pressure envelops the room.

Ki ki ki, Medea Luxeliaheart, a demon governing Lust.

… Well, in the first place, a Lust Demon that still has a hold of their sanity is a rare sight.

“Deije, you don’t have to go… no, stay away. I’ll take care of it.”

But I can’t ignore those words.

It’s as he says. If two of the generals of someone important like Boss’s army faced defeat, we’d lose face. The Demon Lord’s army is something lent out by the Great Demon King. If it were to be lost, we would be stimulating the king’s『Wrath』. We can’t be giving him any reasons to get rid of us.

That girl made a scornful expression at Heard’s words, but perhaps because she knows who we’re dealing with, she doesn’t say another word. She sure is loyal.

Even if you call it a war council, Demons are all selfish beings. All that gets decided is who’s going to be dealing with the problem. Everything else is left up to the command of the individual squads.

They’re twisted. Each and every one of them.

Boss’s forces are uncharacteristically excellent. Of course the commander, me, is also excellent, but even the quality of our standard devil soldiers is different from the rest. If you ask me, someone with experience fighting in foreign campaigns, it’s a matter of motivation. And their firepower is also high.

Compared to a human army, the numbers may be low, but the quality makes up for it. A single demon’s skills is powerful enough to match another human a thousand fold.

Our opponent is that Gluttony, and about three hundred of his followers. Ki ki ki, their numbers may be average, but with a Demon Lord personally leading it, it can’t be looked down upon. Zebul’s army is that of the Rank 5, and its name’s been spread a bit.

Just how far we in his grasp? Our victory will be determined by just how well we estimate his skills.

Ki ki ki, well, we aren’t going to lose in leadership. I mean, she may be alone, but we have that Medea Luxeliahart, who’s always charged with guarding the castle. Ki ki ki, at the very least, her face’s good, and she’s Lust.

And now, the all-important Medea is wearing a tall white robe without a hint of sex appeal with her usual frown on her face. There’s not nearly enough exposure. It’s as if she’s a nun.

“—Girly, I think you should be wearing something a bit more romantic. It’ll directly impact our troops’ morale, you know?”

The girl scoffed at the advice that came straight from my heart.

“An unnecessary worry. Deije, I’ll say it time and again, but I’m… I hate being looked at with those eyes more than anything.”

She definitely does say that a lot. But those words really don’t seem to fit with her attribute. Are you sure this isn’t some mistake?

A Demon’s desire is by no means a simple ornament.

Changing class can build new pathways, but it’s not like it’s a straight road. Various paths branch out in all directions, and the final path taken is determined by an individual’s will. Naturally, the path trod down decides the available skills one has.

Call it a Skill Tree or series, or anything, but a general concept exists. In that sense, you can say the Demon Class has 8 different trees. Sloth, Greed, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, Envy, Pride, and one for basic abilities shared by all, for a total of 8.

The branches on these paths can be equated to guideposts of fate. By venturing from one to another in order, you can find more powerful skills, and on the standard Demon tree, if you store EXP points and use skills, you can naturally venture forwards. But the other trees are just a little different.

Because of that skill, we can’t increase our usable abilities just by gaining levels.

Ki ki ki, how is she even advancing when she’s like that? For someone without that tree like me, I don’t have the slightest idea.

And among Leigie’s army, she’s one of the most reknowned. Ki ki ki, even I knew about her before I joined Boss’s side.

Even if she’s not direct combat oriented, she should be able to crush any normal Demon underfoot, but this is no conventional opponent. I can only say it’s a bad matchup to put her against the Devourer.

Medea takes a quick glance at the Slaughter Doll standing behind me.

Even without getting a name, the Slaughter Doll’s already far transcended the ranks of an average Demon in battle prowess. If I equipped the rare equipment I hoarded onto him, he’d really be peerless.

That one sentence makes it clear. At the moment, this one’s far more sinful than me, who simply strives for loot and power.

For a business partner, probing any further is… unnecessary.

“So you say your cravings won’t compete with mine. Well, fine. I’ll trust those words. It’ll be dull to croak from a shot from behind.”

I give a warning.

Ki ki ki, what’s more, Medea was the one who opposed my appointment to this position ‘til the end. You can never be too prepared.

Well, in a straight out battle, she won’t be able to beat me with my Demon Lord Class arms.

Among the Demon World’s strongest forces governed by the Great Demon King Kanon Iralaude, he would even rank within the top ten. While this may not have been due to his basic fighting prowess, the ranking bestowed on him by the Great Demon King was Rank Five.

As they gain more and more power, quite a few of them take on human appearance, but a demon’s figure is all representative of his individual nature.

It’s all because of a skill the guy governing this land, Boss, has. By it, the soldiers of his army will gain power while fighting on his land.

It’s a skill common to all Demon Lords, and one of the most famous: 『Abyss Zone』.

Boss Leigie never stands on the Front Lines, but an invisible battle between Demon Lords was already going on around us.

I’ll be doing the same. More or less.

“That means… we are obtaining… the glory of destroying a Demon Lord Himself, what’s more, a high class one at that. Ki ki ki, Boss isn’t to be underestimated. He’s giving us a chance this big…”

If I may, I’d wish he’d be a little easier on us, but that’s impossible.

To satisfy my Greed, I can’t be scared to take risks. Otherwise my life would have ended as a nameless demon in the countryside.

I draw a single sword from the scabbard at my waist.

Demon Blade Celeste.

For a swordsman… no, for any Demon, it’s a well-known blade of legend.

Dark Crimson magical energy as bright as the sun surrounds its wielder, me, as it rises as a pillar of light into the demon world’s red sky. Its power is greater beyond my comprehension.

Ki ki ki, as long as I have this, I’ll be a match for a hundred.

These guys aren’t fools. A strong Demon Lord draws Strong followers to himself. This isn’t about the Great Demon King’s dispatchments or anything, it’s something more to do with fate, or luck drawing them together.

This territory is still Boss’s. In the distant wastelands, I see the black shadows of Gluttony’s forces.

Medea slowly gets up.

As if she was shrouded in mist, her outline isn’t clear, and it’s as if only the powerful pressure she gave off denoted she was truly there.

Lust skills are pretty much an unknown world to me. I’m not saying I’ve never gone against them, but they’re not a group of demons you would often meet at General level.

High class magic that pollutes the mind, and deceives the five senses.

Ki ki ki, what a scary woman. I mean, she’s the only woman in this entire army squadron, and she’s the leader. If I underestimate her, I feel my soul’s going to get sucked out.

“I’m going ahead. Objections?”

“Ki ki ki, do whatever you want, Luxuria. You’r the guest here today.”

If you want the first attack, you can have it. All I care for is the result.

At the same moment, in no time at all, her form multiplied from two to a countless amount.

This is… the Lust skill tree. The proof of a demon governing temptation and delusions.

Oy oy, isn’t she a monster? And resistance skills I have against mental corruption aren’t resisting anything.

While my mind’s in disarray, I do my best not to show it on my face.

Compared to her, the skills of the other Lust demons I fought look like Child’s play.

Each and every Medea’s robe sways differently as they sprint off.

The real one’s fleeting existence wavers like a heat haze in the desert, and it’s as if, if I turned my eyes away, I wouldn’t be able to find her again. I can’t feel her magic or perceive her with any of my other senses.

Impossible. Impossible. Impossible. This is bad. This ability… suitable for her name?

There’d be no room for me to go out.

I’d heard that Luxuria skills become terrifying at high levels, but I never thought I’d confirm it in a place like this. I guess you never know what’s gonna happen. I’m glad we’re allies.

Well, well, well, so everyone’s been captured in her illusion. It’ll be hell if they have a Lust on them too. Should I equip some resistive gear?

An Invidia Demon. Libell Aejens. A small and powerless one, but a scholar whose knowledge is said to be second to none. He’s also a friend who accompanied me when I came over to join this army.

I ask the wise demon. Not of our enemy, but our ally.

“Oy, that skill. Do you have any recollection of something like it?”

Libell’s purple eyes scrutinizingly trace the form of the countless men chasing Medea. Ki ki ki, he may have the form of a brat, but this man once earned recognition for his efforts in the wars with heaven. A renowned intellectual.

But his expression doesn’t really matter. His answer was outside my realm of speculation.

“… What? Oy, oy, don’t joke around. SS Class? That’s crossed the bounds of a General Class Demon, hasn’t it?”

“… I cannot believe it. No… but, there’s no mistaking it. I have a much higher level of Mental Corruption Resistance than you, and I was unable to see through it with these eyes…”

His words were no lie. Due to the nature of the Envy Tree’s skillset, Libell’s resistances should be far above mine.

Is this for real?

As a fellow general, the highest level Greed Skill I can use… I’ve only reached S.

No, is she hiding her true nature? Stuck in the closet? A Closet pervert? No, no, as if I’d let something so idiotic pass. A Demon’s cravings aren’t something so half-assed. Just what is that girl doing in the shadows?

No, in the first place, after all that… Why isn’t she a Demon Lord yet?

That’s wrong. That’s not what I should be thinking about now.

A Demon Lord’s skills have far transcended the skills of a normal Demon. I don’t know just how many skills they have in their repertoires, but if she can use SS Class Lust skills at will, then even a high class Demon Lord will be hard pressed. I mean, the opponent shouldn’t have much information on her. High level Lust Demons are hard to come by.

Crap, the Demon Lord of Gluttony may get eaten up at this rate.

Her pure white coat. Even with such a flashy color, I can’t find her.

“Damn, there’s no helping it. I’ll also go out. Libell, you go and『Envy』 Girly’s skill.”

… But my capacity is already full.“

My, my, this man doesn’t get it. You don’t often get a chance to see a high class Luxuria skill, you know?

That’s why I’m friends with this guy.

“Ki ki ki, what’s the problem? Once your skilltree expands, you’ll make more space. Once you get a high class Lust skill, you’ll be able to raise it easier, right? You’ve fulfilled most of the conditions already, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

Envy skills let you learn the skills of others. They’re limited time use, and the conditions for acquiring them are harsh, but it’s a perfect imitation.

We’ll use the skill Medea just displayed. It looks to have all-purpose uses. If he learns to use it, I’ll become even stronger.

I’ll get closer to being a Demon Lord. If Deije the Usurper, and Libell the Pursuer join forces, we’ll be the strongest.

Ki ki ki, luck’s finally going my way, it seems.

Power and fame and treasure, and all else. It’ll all come to me.

Chapter end