The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Frondier's brow furrowed at Arald's words.

'The King of Devils?'

The first thing that came to Frondier's mind upon hearing those words was, of course, the Seven Deadly Sins.

The seven devils at the very top of the hierarchy.

However, unlike the world Frondier originally came from, these beings had no connection to the Bible. They just happened to share the roles and names of the sins.

"Are you asking me to become one of the Seven Deadly Sins?"

"That would be good too. The devil currently occupying the seat of Sloth is 'Astaroth.' He's a devil who has coveted the seat of Sloth for a long time, but frankly, he's no match for Belphegor."

"You seem to know a lot. That's a matter of the demon world, isn't it?"

"The head of a company is also sensitive to information."

Frondier steered the conversation back on track.

"So, you said that would be good too, which means that wasn't your original intention."

"It's not entirely different. Ascending to the seat of the Seven Deadly Sins could be a step towards achieving what I'm asking of you."

"...A step?"

The seat of the Seven Deadly Sins as a 'step'?

Only then did Frondier realize just how absurd Arald's words were.

"I'm asking you to become the King of Devils. There's no reason for the Seven Deadly Sins to be excluded."

"...You want me to have Satan, Lucifer, Astaroth, and the like under my command?"

"That would be worthy of the title King of Devils."

Huh. Frondier was momentarily speechless.

He thought he was the one who uttered the most preposterous things in this world, but someone even more outrageous had appeared.

"Why are you suddenly saying such things? What does this have to do with finding devils?"

Frondier asked.

Now was the time to somehow resolve the Devil's War. Asking Frondier to become the King of Devils, regardless of the possibility, seemed like a rather irrelevant topic.

To that, Arald replied.

"To give you a realistic and immediate reason, it's because the devils of the Empire currently need a leader."

"A leader... wasn't there one originally?"

"There was a mediator who catered to the desires of the devils and concealed and managed their activities. But he lacks the power to confront the Western devils or Satan. The devils of the Empire have been hiding for too long, and some of them have so little desire or cause no problems in human society that they have forgotten they are even devils." Ṛ

They forgot they were devils. That's how similar humans and devils are, as long as their desires are tolerated by society.

Arald continued.

"Mr. Frondier, you don't want the Empire to be threatened. For that to happen, you need to lead the devils hidden within the Empire and confront the Western devils. The deeper they hide within the Empire, the more blood will be spilled within the Empire."

His words made sense. If Frondier could truly lead the devils of the Empire, they could fight the Western devils outside the Empire.

That would, at least for now, reduce the possibility of the Empire being harmed. Although Satan's devils remained, their original goal was for the three divided devil factions to cause chaos within the Empire, so they wouldn't move easily.

"If that's the realistic and immediate reason, is there also an unrealistic and distant reason?"

Even if his words sounded plausible, 'King of Devils' was a bit of a stretch. There was no reason for Frondier to have Satan under his command.

When Frondier asked, Arald's expression changed for the first time. He exhaled and slightly raised the corners of his mouth. It was a self-deprecating smile.

"It's a simple story. The devils really need a king right now."

"...But there are already the Seven Deadly Sins, the ones who sit at the highest positions, right?"

"The problem is that there are seven of them."

The Seven Deadly Sins.

The seven devils who rule the demon world and embody the sins have no one above them.

"Devils of the level of the Seven Deadly Sins surpass the power of most gods. Considering the power structure, the power of the demon world is not inferior to Asgard or Olympus. But the Seven Deadly Sins avoid direct confrontation with them."

"...Because they have no king?"

"Yes. Because they have no Odin, no Zeus."

The seven devils, with their strong individual personalities, find it extremely difficult to unite their opinions.

Devils are inherently driven by their desires. Uniting them, each focused on their own sin, is no easy feat.

"This is what Satan feared the most. He must have already known that the demon world would need a king someday. And he probably thinks he should be that king."

"...So this whole mess that's happening now is a stepping stone for that."

"When the war with the Western devils breaks out, Satan's high-ranking devils will start to move, and they will leave Satan's name within the Empire. Until now, only gods have existed in the Empire's history, but if that happens, the name of the devil will also be etched in."

"Is leaving a name that important?"

"Whether it's a god or a devil, if they exist outside of human perception, they cannot exert influence. The reason gods bestow divine power upon humans is also because humans know the names of the gods."

A being that exists outside of human perception cannot influence humans. Even if they truly exist, if their influence cannot be felt, then that influence becomes nonexistent.

"...In a way, that's also a kind of 'faith'."

"Exactly."

"But from your perspective, wouldn't it be the same whether I become king or Satan becomes king? If you want to increase the power of the demon world, it shouldn't matter who it is."

"Well, that's true, but I don't really like Satan."

Arald shrugged.

Of course, he wouldn't try to change the King of the demon world just because of a simple difference in preference. There must be something significant implied in his words, "I don't like him."

'If the power of the demon world is weaker than the other gods' forces, that's not good news for me either. Based on my experiences so far, I need a way to keep the gods in check. If the demon world can play that role, it doesn't matter if they're devils. It's not like gods are all pure and innocent anyway.'

Far from being pure and innocent, from Frondier's perspective, they were the main culprits behind human tragedies.

Frondier thought for a moment and then said,

"...It's a bit late to say this after hearing all that, but how can I lead the devils? I'm not a devil."

"It's not necessary for you to become a devil. Anyway, devils can't distinguish other devils unless they have the 'cannibalism' desire."

"...Come to think of it, then how do they recognize devils of higher rank than themselves and submit to them?"

If they can't recognize them, how can they submit?

To that, Arald replied.

"They use the power of the devil. You must have experienced it. 'Sloth.' The 'Seven Sins' are the highest-ranking among the powers of the devil."

"...Indeed. I see."

Devils cannot recognize other devils, but if a devil reveals themselves, the story changes.

The power of the devil, which is a powerful curse or mental attack to humans, becomes a power that proves hierarchy among devils.

"...But then isn't it the same? I can't use the power of the devil."