Chapter 1 Part 5
Among the seven Demon Lords, Pamiel seemed to have a particular interest in me. Was it because we were both women? Or was there another reason for her behavior?
I was curious about the reason, but I hadn’t attended this meeting to socialize with a Demon Lords.
How could I become friends with them? They were the very beings responsible for Lian’s death.
The thought of his demise made my fingertips turn cold.
“Do we really need formalities among us? Let’s get to the point since we’re all busy.”
The stares looking back at me were prickly, some openly hostile towards me, while others smiled without a care.
“Are you all satisfied with the current situation?”
The first to speak was a man sitting to my left, with bright blonde hair and unique green eyes that resembled a cat’s. He had a sturdy build that suggested he was no stranger to combat.
He was the Wrath Demon Lord, Endurance, belonging to the dragon race, known as kings among beasts and having a fiery temperament fond of fighting.
“Let’s attack now! Why can’t we join forces? I don’t see why we should keep hiding.”
Ah, so they had gathered to discuss uniting their forces against humans?
After all, what other reason would Demon Lords have to convene?
“Calm down. Do you think we’re happy with the situation right now? The fact that heroes are constantly thwarting our plans and we can’t move freely is true.”
Just as there were seven Demon Lords, there were also seven chosen heroes.
These heroes felt a sense of duty to hunt down each Demon Lord, but their efforts were more focused on surveillance and caution than actual subjugation.
Because the power of the heroes and the Demon Lords was so evenly matched, neither side could make a move without risking the current balance. Moreover, disrupting this balance could lead to unforeseen consequences.
“Luhel, what are you planning to do?”
A handsome man with long silver hair that fell to his back and dark eyes spoke up.
His name was Reinfreid, the Demon Lord of Envy. Although he appeared human, he was actually undead.
Without hesitation, I answered his question.
“I’m not going to do anything.”
“What?”
“I said, I’m not going to do anything.”
Why would I join in on what you desire?
A man with short red hair and golden eyes sneered at my response.
“Do you still have human sentiments… is that it?”
His name was Pain, the Demon Lord of Pride, of the vampire race, particularly fond of human blood. He also had a penchant for picking fights.
“I just don’t want to get involved in troublesome matters.”
“You make it sound so noble.”
“Quiet! Do we look like we’re in a position to fight among ourselves now?”
After Pain clicked his tongue, Endurance slammed his fist on the table and shouted.
As silence fell over the council room, Pamiel, who had been fiddling with her wings, spoke up indifferently.
“This isn’t the time to berate Luhel. You all know too well the trouble humans can cause.”
Pamiel was right.
They were merely venting their frustrations on me, a former human, because things weren’t going their way.
“Rushing things won’t help. We need to think carefully and act slowly.”
Salovan, theDemon Lord of Lust, smiled, his purple hair and eyes making him look even more enchanting.
As if people wouldn’t know he was an incubus… his every gesture and expression seemed designed to bewitch someone.
“Rushing in now would only lead to our loss, wouldn’t it? We need to build a foundation slowly. Right, Shaila?”
Salovan tapped on a small fishbowl on the table as he spoke.
Inside the fishbowl swam a beautiful fish with shimmering sky-blue scales.
Was this the avatar of Shaila, the Sloth Demon Lord?
Being a mermaid, Shaila couldn’t stay out of water for long, so she used her avatar to listen in her stead.
As if responding to Salovan’s question, the water in the fishbowl rippled.
“Then suggest a plan. It’s unbearable to see humans so arrogant, I can’t even sleep!”
“Wait, Endurance. An opportunity will arise.”
Salovan spoke soothingly to calm Endurance, his lips curling into a smooth smile. It seemed he had some plans of his own.
Everyone here… was hell-bent on the destruction of humans.
I had thought there might be dissenting opinions among them, but it seems I was too naive.
Staying any longer would just be a waste of time.
“As I said before, I hate getting involved in troublesome matters, so you figure it out amongst yourselves.”
“You sound like you’re siding with the humans.”
“Then you must be hard of hearing.”
Reinfreid showed his displeasure at my response through his expression.
His menacing look as he glared at me made the conference room’s atmosphere turn even tenser, as if he was ready to kill me on the spot.
“I’m not taking sides. Whether you kill humans or not, it doesn’t concern me.”
“I don’t know how long you plan to keep hiding from humans. Have you not yet realized you’re no longer human?”
The character I had become, Luhel, was originally a mere human.
But she coveted eternal life, something humans could not possess, and after endless efforts, she transformed into a being that belonged nowhere.
Existing neither as a human nor a demon, but as a being that shouldn’t exist.
That’s why the question mark was written next to my race in the system’s description.
“Reinfreid. It seems you’re under some misunderstanding.”
His assertion was wrong. The reason she had been living secluded in the mountains wasn’t to avoid humans.
It was because she was endlessly experimenting on her own body to achieve immortality.
In the universe of BattleFlower, humans, demons, and even angels weren’t granted eternal life.
Luhel wanted to transcend all races. To become a being that couldn’t be killed, unaffected by the constraints of time.
“The reason I’ve kept to myself until now is that whatever you do with humans doesn’t benefit me in the slightest. Ruling over all races? Honestly, I’m not interested.”
“……”
“I wish you’d understand that I simply don’t want to get involved in troublesome affairs. It’s not that I’m living like I’m dead because I’m afraid of humans.”
“I wish you’d understand that I simply don’t want to get involved in troublesome affairs. It’s not that I’m living like I’m dead because I’m afraid of humans.”
I drove my point home conclusively.
“I came here today to say this. Don’t bother me with this kind of thing anymore.”
The days I would come to meet you are numbered, unless it’s to kill you.
And with that, I left the conference room without any lingering attachments, under the wary eyes of those around me.
