The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 64

I sat on the sofa across from Belial, with a table separating us.

“Ouch. My hand hurts so much.”

Belial began whining. He blatantly extended his hand, marked with teeth marks, and rubbed it for dramatic effect.

In the demon realm, where losing an arm was a common occurrence, whining about a mere bite mark was pitiful.

I spoke to Belial with a hint of disdain, “If such a minor wound hurts, you don’t deserve to be called a demon.”

“It’s because my heart is wounded! How could our youngest bite me? And you even added magic to your bite to make it hurt more, didn’t you? I’m so upset. Boohoo.”

Belial began to sob. Yet, his dry eyes evoked not pity but contempt.

“If you want me to bite you again, just keep talking.”

I bared my teeth and threatened him.

In response, Belial wore an expression that was neither crying nor smiling, a peculiar look as he spoke, “I never understood why Amon raised you like a wild beast, but… seeing this, it’s starting to make sense.”

Should I just bite him again?

“Don’t bring that up.”

Grinding my teeth, I spoke in frustration, displeased by Belial’s casual mention of my humiliating past.

When I was a very young demon, still powerless, Lilith took me in to protect me. But Lilith, as the Demon King, was too busy managing the demon realm to care for me personally. Instead, Amon, who governed the territory closest to Lilith’s domain, frequently visited the Demon King’s castle to look after me.

And Amon…

Thinking about the so-called “training” Amon subjected me to under the guise of childcare still made my teeth grind.

“This height won’t kill you. By your age, you should know how to land properly, even if you fall off a cliff.”

“Ahhhh!”

“See you at the bottom, youngest!”

I felt dizzy for a moment, lost in memories of the past.

If Amon had acted maliciously, I could have exacted satisfying revenge, but he had genuinely cared for me in his own way. This made revenge feel awkwardly misplaced.

Clicking my tongue, I thought to myself, ‘Apart from Lilith and me, no other lords are remotely sane.’

“Hmm.”

Belial raised an eyebrow at me.

“What’s with that look?”

“I feel like our youngest just had a rather shameless thought.”

Belial grinned broadly as he replied.

For all his years, Belial wasn’t entirely lacking in perception.

‘To be honest, even Lilith sometimes seems out of her mind.’

“Hmm.”

Belial’s expression shifted into something odd again.

Feeling irritated by his look, I was about to demand an explanation when Belial spoke first.

“It would have been nice if our youngest had been born in my territory instead of Lilith’s.”

“…Why?”

“Of course, so I could have been your guardian! I would have cherished you and raised you with care.”

I paused, imagining for a moment what it would have been like if Belial had been my guardian. Just the thought made my eyes feel like they were burning.

Ugh.

I openly grimaced and spoke, “I feel like I should offer a prayer of gratitude to the Demon God. For not being born in your domain—”

Wait.

Was I even born in Lilith’s domain?

I stopped mid-sentence and blinked.

I had no memories of my birth.

Demons with powers remember every moment from birth. Angels with divine powers are the same.

Over the years, I had sealed many of my memories—memories that were unnecessary or painful. But had I sealed my memories of my birth as well?

“Was I born in Lilith’s domain?” I asked Belial.

The Demon God rarely spoke about the process of a demon’s birth, especially those with powers. What little was known was that demons were born from hellfire scattered throughout the demon realm.

From Belial’s words, it seemed like I might have been born from the hellfire in Lilith’s domain…

But Belial, instead of confirming, looked puzzled and asked, “Huh? Weren’t you?”

“You don’t sound sure.”

“I always assumed so. Isn’t that why Lilith took care of you?”

Belial spoke as if it were obvious.

Lords were obligated to protect demons born in their domains until they reached adulthood. Newly born lords, while vastly different from ordinary demons, were still considered part of the same species and fell under this obligation.

I had never thought deeply about why Lilith had been my guardian. Circumstantial evidence suggested I was born in her domain, but…

“…I don’t remember. I don’t remember where I was born.”

It was probably a memory I deemed unnecessary and sealed away. Still, the gap in my memory left me feeling uneasy.

Should I try recovering my memories?

Belial tilted his head at my words and spoke again, “Hmm? Well, they’re probably not pleasant memories. The process of power being reborn is quite painful. It’s better to erase or seal away such memories quickly.”

Is that so?

Even though I couldn’t remember the moment of my birth, for some reason, I felt that it must have been very warm and comforting.

Someone holding me in their arms, whispering congratulations for my birth into my ear.

Almost like a mother.

“……”

“Bella? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean?”

I frowned as I noticed Belial looking at me with an odd expression.

“Your face just now… Never mind.”

Belial seemed to have more to say but closed his mouth.

I didn’t understand his behavior, but since it was rare for me to ever understand Belial in the first place, I let it slide.

Now then, what were we talking about?

I retraced my thoughts briefly.

Ah, right. We were talking about what it would have been like if Belial had been my guardian.

We’d wasted enough time on meaningless chatter.

I brought up the real reason I had come to see Belial.

“Now, tell me where the demon worshippers’ base is.”

I’d fulfilled my side of the bargain, so now it was Belial’s turn to talk.

“Well…”

Belial shrugged and trailed off. His mannerisms clearly suggested he didn’t intend to cooperate easily.

“Well? Belial, do you have a death wish?”

“You know, hearing threats from our youngest always sends a thrilling chill down my spine.”

“Ugh.”

I frowned openly.

Belial pouted, pushing his lips forward in a sulky expression.

If anyone else saw such an alluring beauty making that face, they’d probably want to offer up their very soul.

But it didn’t work on me. In a firm voice, I said, “Just get to the point. I’ve kept my end of the deal. Now it’s your turn, so why won’t you cooperate?”

“I’m upset.”

Belial extended his hand, clearly showing the teeth marks still imprinted on it.

What a petty demon.

Belial laughed brightly as he added a condition, “Call me big brother, and I’ll consider—”

“Big brother.”

I answered before Belial even finished his sentence.

Belial looked at me with a dumbfounded expression, and I shrugged.

What’s so difficult about saying “big brother” once?

But it seemed Belial wasn’t satisfied.

“That’s not what I wanted! I wanted to see our youngest squirm, struggling not to say it but eventually forced to call me big brother out of desperation! That’s what I wanted to see!” Belial shouted in a slightly agitated tone.

I instinctively stepped back, startled. For the first time, Belial’s behavior was beyond pathetic—it was slightly terrifying.

‘It’s natural to feel fear when confronted with something excessively repulsive. Yes, that must be it.’

After rationalizing my fear, I spoke up, “What’s so special about being called big brother?”

“It’s a fantasy that you’ll never understand. For some people, it’s everything. Oh, and since you’re in Isabella’s body right now… wouldn’t her brother also go weak if you called him brother?”

Is that so?

Belial likely had a better understanding of humans than I did, so I kept that tidbit in mind.

“Sigh.”

Belial let out a deep sigh and continued, “Anyway, a promise is a promise. While it’s true that breaking promises is a demon’s virtue, it would be foolish to do so in front of the Lord of Contracts.”

Especially when the Lord of Contracts is this adorable.

Belial added another unnecessary comment.

Treating me like a child again, I moved to bite him out of sheer frustration.

But Belial dodged skillfully, scribbling an address on a piece of paper and handing it to me.

“If you go here, you’ll find a bookstore. That bookstore is run by demon worshippers. It also doubles as their base. Oh, and…”

You said the body you’re inhabiting is Isabella Dunkeld, right?

Belial seemed about to say something but then stopped himself.

“Never mind. Figuring it out yourself will be more entertaining.”

He mumbled to himself.

Snatching the paper from Belial’s hand, I prepared to leave the room immediately.

The trouble I went through just to get this scrap of paper… It made my teeth grind.

As I turned to leave, Belial called out to me.

“Oh, right. If you ever need my power while in the middle realm, feel free to call me. Normally, I don’t have a hobby of helping others, but for our youngest, I’ll make an exception.”

“What possible use could I have for your power in the middle realm?”

I flatly rejected Belial’s offer and left the room.

***

After Bella left the room, the perpetual smile on Belial’s face faded.

Without an audience, there was no need to continue his performance.

“…She’ll need my help.”

Unable to fully wield her power, what was she so confident about?

Belial muttered to himself.