"Welcome, mortal..."
H-Huh...?
Was that... Beelzebub's voice?
Wait... what!?
"Confused are you...?"
I wasn't sure what was going on. The last thing I knew was that I was healing Evelina, and now I ended up here in this pure and utter darkness.
Did I pass out?
"Oh, right."
Beelzebub continued to talk despite my inner thoughts.
SNAP!
And with a simple action, he immediately took the spotlight.
From darkness, a throne room emerged, and it wasn't just any other throne room; it was Beelzebub's throne room.
A location that was supposed to be located directly at the most hidden depths of hell, the domain of the flies, an area that Julius had only visited once in the later parts of the novel.
And now I was here...
But why?
Well, I can guess that already.
I just gave him knowledge of something I shouldn't realistically even be supposed to know, and not only that, I literally turned his ring into something entirely different.
No wonder he called me into his domain.
"Intriguing, I left you alone for a brief moment, and you have already turned my prized ring into something completely different."
Beelzebub laughed.
I didn't expect to hear his voice so clearly without any repercussions. It was clear that whatever was happening right now couldn't be real.
It must be a dream; there was no way the current me could even face him without being crushed by the sheer pressure.
"Did you need anything, Lord Beelzebub?"
"Need something?" Beelzebub laughed, leaning forward and resting his head on his two hands.
I wasn't sure whether he was smiling; his face was even more twisted and distorted than before.
"I already have everything!" Beelzebub opened his arms wide. "Thanks to you, I'm now the undisputed strongest prince of hell."
H-Huh...?
Did Beelzebub always act like this in the novel?
As far as I can recall, and well... can accurately remember.
Beelzebub was always a cold and enigmatic figure, showing little emotion beyond contempt or manipulation.
But this was different...
He was... happy?
"You're welcome?"
You couldn't blame me for getting confused. Who in the world would expect a character who was always so cruel and cold in an entire novel to act like a happy child in front of you suddenly?
Even a former assassin's composure wouldn't last in a situation like this.
Beelzebub tilted his head, smirking at my response, and snapped his finger.
A random glowing dark orb appeared just in front of me.
"This is my full reward, and as for my ring? Think of it as a down payment."
Beelzebub laughed once more, his voice getting more distorted and ruined the more I stayed in this dream world.
It was clear that Beelzebub was using a ton of power to even contact me outside of hell without a ritual, but with him now being the strongest prince, he had enough that he could spend most of it on something like this.
The moment he said those words, realisation had washed over me.
This wasn't just any other dark orb.
It was an orb that allowed someone to take one item directly from Beelzebub's armoury.
While less powerful than his ring, it was still a powerful boon.
I grabbed the orb quickly, and, as the novel had explained, it was filled with various items of different ranks and classes.
But it was clear each of them was powerful.
"As expected, you already know what that orb is for..."
Beelzebub muttered.
In his eyes, I was an even more dangerous threat than his rival ever was; not only did I know a demon prince's true name, but I even knew of his most treasured artifacts.
To him, I was an anomaly, and even better, I was a potential champion.
"Go on, pick whatever you want~."
Beelzebub once again said in a more cheerful manner than expected.
It was a lot more creepy than our initial meeting, at least I know what to expect.
But now... I wasn't even sure what he was thinking.
[Bottomless Daggers (S)]
Bottomless daggers, a simple S-Rank item, compared to the rest of the treasury, felt underwhelming and weak.
But... that's only when you don't utilise it enough.
Because just like its name suggested, it was bottomless, an endless supply of daggers that you can continuously throw even when tired or out of energy.
Just a simple command, and it'll do its absolute best to make it possible.
It was an artifact Kevin originally obtained in the novel during the Demon King's Palace arc when he and Marcellus went to explore hell itself.
So I knew full well of its potential.
"Are we done here?"
I asked bluntly, I might not know exactly what he was planning.
But... I did have one major advantage over him: I also knew his true name.
And it seemed like he also knew that I had that information.
"Yes, we are, I'm sure your mistress is already waiting for you."
Beelzebub's face contorted into one big smile, and with a wave of his hands.
The entire realm immediately collapsed from the inside out.
***
GASP!
I woke up... but there was something unusual...
The faint scent of the blanket I found myself covered by had Evelina's exact scent.
Did I just really sleep in her bed? And was she the one who moved me to it?
"Did you have a nightmare or something?"
Evelina responded beside me, sitting in a chair by her desk as she read a book.
"S-Something like that..."
I replied, checking the clock in her room.
[8:32 PM]
"You gave me quite a bit of trouble, you know?"
"Trouble?"
Trouble!? I caused her some trouble!?
I immediately left her bed and, without hesitation, stood up and approached her from behind, begging and questioning what I had done to cause her even the slightest bit of issue.
"Never mind that, return to your room already." She replied, but there was no disdain or annoyance in her voice.
I raised a brow, but then realised that I had probably already overstayed my welcome.
THUD.
I left the room quickly, but despite my newly obtained treasure, I couldn't help but feel... troubled.
"Trouble...?"
I whispered, Did I get too complacent? Did all the compliments get to my head?
"I'll be sure to fix this oversight..."
In Evelina's room, however...
"Did he take my statement seriously...?"
She had clearly meant trouble as a joke and hyperbole. Skipping a few classes just to watch over me while I had passed out was barely an issue for her.
"I guess I'll take care of it in the morning."
She said, but couldn't help but feel slightly concerned about what an obsessive maniac like me would recklessly do to fix a situation that doesn't even need fixing.