Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

"Alright. What's the catch this time?"

Eren couldn't help but ask Alephee if there were any negative connotations to receiving Mark with Beelzebub's help. After all, he didn't want to deal with the Demonic Takeover no matter how much he trusted Argo.

"Hehe. Don't worry. There's no catch.

Your bloodline gives you the authority to supersede any Demon Prince's rights. You wouldn't have been able to tame Argo with the blood ritual if it wasn't like that. After all, you already have Reen, remember?

This is why I told you that you shouldn't worry too much about the Faustian Contracts. They can't do anything to you. The problem would come from the Demon Princes who might not like your presence and consider it to be a threat to their positions.

I have been slumbering for a long time and my powers are still severely limited in my current condition. So I am not sure who among the Demon Princes is loyal to the throne aside from Beelzebub. Therefore, it's wise that you play it safe.

The moral of the story is... we can't trust any demon except those who are with us. I would not have advised you to come to the demonic altar in the first place if it was not attuned to Beelzebub.

It is much better to form a Faustian Contract with the wills of the Planes directly if you want to get the remaining Sin Series Marks. You won't have to worry about anyone's loyalty and Demonic Takeover in that case."

Alephee assured Eren that he had nothing to worry about when it came to Beelzebub. The Demon Prince had done exactly what he had told Eren he'd do. He had acted as his true follower, giving Eren the confidence he needed to use the Ability without worrying about any hidden dangers.

Eren nodded his head to nobody in particular and pondered to himself. He then looked around at himself and decided to try something.

"Beelzebub."

Eren tried to summon the original consciousness of Beelzebub once again after he was done.

He had realized his mistake of saying Argo's name while standing inside the Pentastar array. He could talk to Argo anytime. But talking to the original consciousness of Beelzebub himself would have broadened his horizons so much.

Plus, he had a feeling that the Demon Prince was as loyal to him as his demon soul fragment for some reason. Meaning he would be willing to tell him answers to many of his questions honestly.

Beelzebub, or Argo's soul fragment, did not respond this time. It seemed like the place or the statue had some kind of cooldown period before it could be accessed again.

True demonic words were not meant to be spoken so casually. The act implied that one was associated with the demon realm in some form.

The mere mention of the powerful demons' true names was akin to increasing their influence in their respective worlds and making them stronger by proxy. One of the reasons the establishments of the Anfang were so adamant about not letting their masses know the history of the world was due to the consequences of speaking such names out loud.

One had to say that the Anfang alliance was very successful when it came to controlling demonic activities on the continent. Due to the large cover-up of history and a gag order through the continent-encompassing array, almost nobody knew about the demonic rituals or names of existences like Beelzebub. As a result, there was almost no demonic ranker present in the land of Anfang.

Alephee made Eren understand these things. She also told him that there was no point in staying at the demonic altar anymore as it would only get activated after a long cooldown. After all, it was not an easy task to summon the consciousness of someone like Beelzebub. Especially in the land of Anfang.

The homunculus also told him that the reason for the kingdom of Edinburgh to organize such an event inside the Sansara World was so that it could maintain the functioning of this demonic altar. The killings inside the Sansara World served as the power source for the altar to function. This was the reason why the kingdom allowed participants to get so close to its closely guarded secret. Some of them would be used as altar offerings.

***

Eren got back to the land of ice and snow after receiving his Sin Series Mark.

During his recent endeavor, he realized at least 20 hours had passed. Meaning he needed to start hunting for Karma points aggressively once again to make up for the lost time.

The butcher was also excited to test out his newly acquired domain-type Ability. He knew that Rufus, who was supposed to be the chief moderator inside the Sansara World, had already died. Meaning there would be no repercussions for him using the Ability inside the Sansara World as long as he was a bit careful. Many birds could be killed with one stone if he could just find the damn birds.

However, there were a few things he needed to get cleared up with Alephee. It was time he knew about his relationship with the Demon Realm. He especially wanted to learn about the bloodline that he had received from Reen.

"Alephee, who does Beelzebub see in me? Is it related to my bloodline?"

Eren needed to clear a few things with Alephee before he could start hunting other participants for Karma Points. He felt that the benefits and consequences of having this bloodline were more profound than he had initially thought.

Alephee knew something like that was coming her way. So she was prepared.

"Eren, they say that people who do not know about history are like trees without roots. So I understand your need to know about these things. Especially now, when you are starting to come in contact with the embers of history that are still smoldering.

I'll tell you as much as I think is apt for you to hear. So listen carefully."