* * *
Wiping down a chair in Belfegor’s bedroom, Hayden shot a sidelong glare at the sleeping demon lord before tossing the cleaning rag onto the floor.
The thickly carpeted room absorbed the sound completely.
‘Fucking hell… Where’s the decadent sex life? The mighty lord? The huge cocks?’
Hayden stared blankly at the rag lying on the floor, muttered a string of curses to himself, then grabbed the rag again and left Belfegor’s chamber.
After washing and hanging the rag to dry and washing his hands, he became so exasperated again that he retreated to his own room.
Hayden lay down on his humble bed in a room small compared to the lords’, ruminating on the past week.
He had been walking around practically naked like this.
He had seen servants having sex sometimes in the detached building behind the castle or in the forest.
Moreover, he had personally witnessed Satan, enraged by a broken weapon, slice off the head of a blacksmith demon.
He lamented his fate of merely watching others have sex, and when he saw the severed neck and spurting blood, he had run into the forest to empty his stomach.
It took a few viewings before he could stop retching at the sight.
But, but these wretched demon lords…
Thump.
‘Aaaaargh!!’
…were the only ones not having sex.
Unable to thrash about because of the small, winged eyeball monster watching him from the corner of the wall, Hayden stuffed his hands under his pillow and clawed at it, screaming only in his mind.
A week had passed since he entered the castle, yet he hadn’t even been able to touch his own backdoor since the first day.
He was constantly attending to the demon lords, leaving no time for a break; and although he didn’t need to excrete waste, he still got hungry and had to sneak meals, but even that time was hard to find.
‘I knew the situation was going too well….’
The information Liefel had delivered the day after he played with the slime in front of the demon lords still seemed to be floating around in his head.
*
After a pleasant first meeting with the demon lords, Hayden awoke the next day in a soft bed and blinked dazedly.
A high, wine-colored ceiling, a soft bed, a table and chair, and a single glass door leading to the bathroom.
Compared to Hayden’s room in the Imperial Palace, this was a confined space with only the essentials.
Hayden reminded himself once more that he had been transmigrated into a unique scene, like something out of a medieval movie or webcomic.
He sat up and gently pressed his stomach.
The absence of the slime he had held inside him last night made him feel strangely empty.
Creeak.
“It’s a parasitic slime. It only lives inside the host’s genitals and abdomen and causes no harm. In fact, it’s good for you since you won’t need to excrete waste.”
Liefel, who entered with a smile, explained.
He was handsome, even on a second look.
Startled, Hayden quickly snatched the soft blanket and covered his naked body, as if embarrassed to be exposed.
“Let me formally introduce myself again, Hayden. I am Liefel, the aide who serves the Demon Lords. If you have any questions or don’t understand something, you may ask me.”
Hayden blinked frantically and bit his lip.
“I clearly said yesterday that I would not…”
Whoosh!
“Ugh…!”
A sudden, burning pain, as if he had been branded, flared up on the back of his neck.
It was similar to the feeling when Lucifer had strangled him last night.
As Hayden clutched the blanket with both hands and bent over, gasping for breath, Liefel calmly explained.
“Although it is only one, since you have received Lord Lucifer’s Seal, it is best to refrain from disrespectful words in the future. If you utter profane words that deny your worth in this castle or insult the Demon Lords, the Seal will punish you. The corporal punishment may also activate if you harbor such feelings too strongly, and since the type of pain varies with each Seal, be more careful whenever you receive one.”
“H-uh, ugh….”
“If you wish to escape the Seal’s punishment, you just need to retract the profane words you uttered.”
As if unable to understand what he meant, Hayden fixed his shimmering, light purple eyes on Liefel.
Liefel opened his mouth as if providing the correct answer.
“Since you refused your duty as a sacrifice, you should simply plead to serve the Demon Lords diligently.”
Hayden glared at Liefel, as if he were insane.
The Seal on the back of his neck erupted in an even brighter red light, producing heat.
“Aack!”
In agonizing pain, Hayden trembled, tears welling up in his eyes.
Liefel took no action, and Hayden ultimately choked out the shameful words.
“I-I will, h-uh, serve the Demon Lords, d-diligently….”
Shhhh….
“Haa… haa….”
With the pain receding like a lie, Hayden let his tears fall and took short, shaky breaths.
“Well, the Seal has its uses, so don’t think too badly of it. As long as you have at least one Seal imprinted on you, most demons and monsters will not dare to treat you carelessly. It means your position among the servants in this castle, excluding myself, is the highest.”
Hayden ground his teeth, finding the honor unnecessary, but Liefel simply snapped his fingers as if it didn’t matter, dressing Hayden in clothes, and approached the bed.
Seeing Hayden flinch and draw back, Liefel still walked boldly up, took hold of one of his slender forearms, and opened his palm in front of Hayden’s bewildered face.
Kiiiing.
Gray magic power burst with light.
[Information Transfer]
Caster: Liefel (Highest-grade Demon – Kedris Race).
A magic spell that implants the caster’s knowledge into the target’s mind. Side effects include headaches, and if an overwhelming amount of information is injected, the target’s mind is at risk of collapse.
“Ugh.”
Hayden frowned and clenched his fists.
Once the light faded, Liefel moved away again as if his task was complete.
Even under Hayden’s fierce gaze, demanding to know what he had done, he maintained his gentle smile.
“I have transferred the geography and blueprints of the Occulus Forest and the castle, as well as your duties. It seems humans can’t properly remember things with just a single explanation.”
The condescending tone, gaze, and actions towards humans—everything was so clear, yet Hayden rather liked the attitude.
Because Liefel, though less so than the demon lords, was also to Hayden’s taste.
“Your sole duty is to serve the Demon Lords. This castle is where only the Demon Lords reside; the servants’ quarters are separately arranged behind the castle. The servants come over here every morning, and you will be the only one living in this castle—that is, in this bedroom.”
Hayden kept his gaze lowered and said nothing.
Dissatisfaction was clearly visible on his slightly furrowed face.
Liefel narrowed his eyes and issued a soft warning.
“Be mindful that refusing your duties will incur the Seal’s punishment you just experienced.”
Only then did the pale body flinch, as if realizing its plight.
Liefel gazed at Hayden’s subtly trembling, pale shoulder.
“Then, let’s begin your work.”
And with that, he left Hayden’s bedroom without a second thought.
* * *
