The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

Book 1 Chapter 214: Individual Schemes (2)

Translator: Seven

Editors: Ana_Banana, Yahiko

Beelzebub looked at the grey-haired man in front of him.

‘This man is mysterious.’

This was the only conclusion he could reach.

Beelzebub was confident in his insight, and this was a statement that could even have been considered humble. After all, his thousands of eyes could view and analyze everything around him from many different perspectives.

Even if it was a creature whom he’d never seen before, he could tell its habits, characteristics, and even weaknesses just by observing it for a certain period.

However, the being in front of him did not give him any clues even after his focused observation.

‘In other words…’

This man was a transcendent being.

This was the only thing Beelzebub had been able to gather. That was why he was even more confused.

Beelzebub only knew three types of transcendent beings in the universe. The Demigods, Demons, and Dragons.

He wasn’t a Demon. He couldn’t have been a Dragon because they were all extinct. Which was why he thought that he was a Demigod.

In fact, he even seemed to be able to control divine power.

“I am human.”

“…”

Beelzebub couldn’t believe it.

However, he found it strange.

He could not find any traces of lies in Frey’s voice.

“Asura and Lilith can prove my words.”

“The Queen of Dream Demons and a War Demon. That’s a rare combination.”

It was not strange for him to say that.

After all, he was talking about none other than Lilith and Asura. Didn’t those two have the worst relationship among the six Rulers of Hell?

The hostility and hatred that the two of them had towards each other had long surpassed imagination.

Beelzebub observed Frey for a moment before speaking.

“You are not human.”

“…”

“Even if you were human, that is a thing of the past. You have already shed your mortal shell and emerged as an entity capable of stepping into a whole new dimension.”

Such a being could not be called human.

He didn’t know as much about the state of the soul as Lucifer did, but he understood enough to know that the being in front of him had somehow defied fate.

As if he was truly curious, Beelzebub couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“But why are you deceiving yourself into thinking you’re human?”

“The most important thing is how I see myself, King of Flies.”

“What do you mean?”

“As you said, I’m not human. So what am I? Can those thousands of eyes on your head define my existence?”

“…”

Beelzebub remained silent, showing that he couldn’t.

Frey continued in a quiet voice.

“You can’t. Even you, who has the keenest of insights among the Demons, cannot determine what I am. That is why I call myself human.”

Since no one knew what he was, he had the freedom to call himself as he pleased.

So Frey still considered himself a human. At least, until he could figure out what he had become.

“That’s sophistry. There is already a proper title in the world for mysterious beings like you.”

Beelzebub burst into laughter as he continued.

“Monster.”

Then he nodded again and again as though he liked the word.

Beelzebub then made a decision. He looked towards the man whose very existence was in itself a contradiction, and he said.

“How interesting. I’ll trust you… you’re an unbelievable and unidentifiable being. So you’re rather reliable in a situation like this.”

Usually, he would never have worked together with an unknown being, but the current situation was urgent.

He didn’t know his identity nor his goal, but that was exactly why he chose to trust him.

No. He had no choice but to trust him.

Because he had to deal with the two great beings, Lord and Lucifer, whose schemes ran so deeply that he could no longer tell the truth from the illusions.

“What should I call you?”

“Frey.”

“Alright, Frey. Let’s cut to the chase. Tell me what you know about Lucifer.”

Frey nodded and opened his mouth.

* * *

He finished talking.

Beelzebub remained silent for a while, seemingly unable to speak. He also made no movements except for the occasional tilt of his head.

It was only after the unpleasant Demon World winds blew three or four times that Beelzebub finally opened his mouth.

“I see. So that’s Lucifer’s plan. It matches with my assumptions.”

It explained why Lucifer was so willing to give up the Corrupted Hell. He had already turned his eyes away from the territories of Hell.

Instead, he wanted to acquire richer, fertile land and turn that place into a nightmare.

However, there was still something that he was not clear about.

“There is one thing missing from your story.”

“What is that?”

“The eventual destruction of the Demon World.”

“…!”

Frey’s expression cracked. Then he immediately regretted it.

‘He landed a hit.’

He’d unconsciously expressed shock at the unexpected statement. This had given a silent confirmation to Beelzebub, who was only half confident.

His agitation was so subtle that not even the quickest of individuals could realise it, but he couldn’t trick Beelzebub.

‘However.’

This was still fine.

The negotiation, deal, or however you might call it was not over it. It was possible that Beelzebub had done this on purpose, but if he truly slipped up here, he would lose control of the conversation.

So Frey quickly corrected his posture. Then he raised his chin and asked in a calm voice.

“How did you know that?”

“I’ve long been interested in the history of Demons. Especially in the legends that have been passed down in the Demon World. So naturally, I know of Satan, who ruled Hell in the past. I also know that his existence was closely tied to this world.”

“Are you saying that you know about the balances?”

“At the very least, I know enough to not be embarrassed while talking to you.”

Should he have admired him for showcasing a bearing that matched his thousands of years of life?

No. It was a bit different than that.

It was possible that aside from Lucifer, Beelzebub was the only demon in Hell who knew this truth.

As Frey expected, negotiating with Beelzebub wasn’t easy. But that was exactly why it was worth it.

If he could bring him over to his side, then it wouldn’t be difficult to persuade the other Demon Lords. (Note: I swear the author bounces around names so much)

“Do you intend to hide it?”

“It’s kind of strange to announce that your world is going to end.”

“That’s true.”

Beelzebub nodded.

He seemed too calm even though the world he lived in, the Demon World, was bound to be destroyed.

“Do you have a way to prevent it?”

“Right.”

“…!”

He didn’t expect that there would really be a way.

Frey looked at Beelzebub with a shocked expression before asking.

“What is it?”

“Simple. After killing Lucifer, take Satan’s core out of his body.”

The core.

This was what Lord had told him earlier. The core was the qualification for the balance in a material sense.

Lucifer had swallowed Satan. He was being digested, and when that was completed, the Demon World would be destroyed.

So if they killed Lucifer, they would be able to prevent the destruction of the Demon World.

“Will you then absorb the core?”

“Huht.”

Beelzebub chuckled softly.

“It’s very attractive, but I’m not interested in such a low probability gamble.”

Beelzebub knew that he was not capable of absorbing Satan’s core. The moment he swallowed it, his body and mind would collapse at once.

“It’s too much for me. And it’s not just me. No demon is capable of absorbing the balance’s core.”

Lucifer was the only one capable of that.

Frey’s expression became strange.

“Then…?”

“We can give the core to someone who is qualified.”

At first, he didn’t understand, but after a moment, Frey’s eyes brightened.

This was because he understood the meaning in Beelzebub’s words.

“The Dragon Lord’s body.”

“Right.”

Beelzebub nodded as he answered.

“As Lord said, it’s already a shell. However, it is a shell that qualifies as a balance. As long as it has the core to serve as a power source, it should be able to recover its function. We’ll just change its role a bit.”

It certainly made sense.

Frey admired the fact that Beelzebub’s wisdom was much greater than he imagined. He wasn’t just smart. He was also able to think flexibly depending on the situation.

“The Dragon Lord doesn’t have an ego. It would be a balance without a will. It might be useful in many ways, but I have no intention of using it. Instead, its body will be buried deep in hell in a place of which nobody knows.”

It was an understandable decision.

To the Demons of Hell, the balance was a troublesome figure. Instead of the struggle, insults, and slaughter that were norms for them, they would be forced to remain peaceful with each other as they fell under absolute rule.

It was much more suitable for their tastes to have a situation in which they continued to struggle because of the different sides having equivalent power.

‘If they planted Satan’s core into the Dragon Lord and then buried him deep underground, he would basically become a totem.’

In that case, Hell would be much safer than the Continent.

But Frey realised that he had overlooked something important.

“…then what about the Continent? Even though it’s currently an empty shell, the Dragon Lord is still the Continent’s balance.”

“As you said, when the Dragon Lord becomes the balance of the Demon World, the position for balance of the Continent would be left open temporarily.”

Without a balance, it would be the Continent, not Hell, that would be destroyed.

However, Frey did not believe that Beelzebub would try to force such a result. His conversation with him so far had allowed him to grasp a slight understanding of what he was like.

He was an extremely rational and cold-hearted Demon. And he recognised Frey as a possible partner.

Therefore, he would never try to make such a ridiculous deal.

“It’s simple. You become the Continent’s balance.”

“…!”

Frey’s expression hardened.

Beelzebub could feel his agitation, but he continued in a calm tone.

“You have the ability to do it. I can tell this just from standing in front of you. You are much stronger than I am.”

It would have been the same even if he compared him to the other Rulers. Frey had already surpassed most of the other Rulers.

‘He’s about half as strong as Lucifer and Lord.’

But that didn’t matter.

Before absorbing Satan, Lucifer was about as strong as Frey was now. So it wouldn’t be a problem for him to handle the core.

“I would be like Lucifer.”

Frey’s concerns were natural. Ability wasn’t enough to create a balance.

The ‘qualification’ was also required.

Lord and Lucifer had not become balances because they didn’t have the qualifications yet.

“If I swallow it but cannot absorb it, the Continent would be doomed for destruction.”

That would simply be postponing the inevitable destruction. It would not solve the fundamental issue.

But Beelzebub shook his head.

“That won’t happen. The Dragon Lord has been imprisoned in Hell for over 4,000 years, and the core has lost its connection. If someone who has the ability swallows it, that person will become the balance.”

Frey couldn’t help but agree with those words.

Right.

That was the reason the Dragon Lord had been buried in Hell in the first place. It was Lord’s preparation in order to take the position of balance of the Continent.

He was so thorough that he would not allow even the slightest error.

“That’s the only method we have left. We have no choice but to take the cores from Lord and Lucifer after killing them.”

Seeing that Frey still didn’t agree to his proposition, Beelzebub decided to take it a step further.

“If you can agree to this, I will promise my full cooperation.”