Chapter 180
Sin redemption was almost like transformation magic except that the effects were permanent . Schaf without his sins regained some of his ancestor's blood and was now a cuddly half-lamb .
"Did I do something wrong there?" Zero wondered .
For a demon, Schaf wasn't particularly scary . As a non-demon . . . Schaf wasn't scary at all . Beastfolks were known to have keener senses and sharper instincts than humans . However, nobody expected the ex-manager to transform into a cuddly lamb beastman . He had the most innocent looking eyes and fleece as white as snow . It didn't help that he retained his small stature because he looked a lot younger than Baal .
"I think it is working as it should," Qin Yun frowned . Schaf was currently in a state of shock after seeing his new physical condition .
"What have you done?!" he squealed in an unnaturally high-pitched voice . Even furious, nobody could take the lamb seriously .
"Look on the bright side," Qin Yun smiled . "At least now, nobody would think that you're a dangerous criminal . I'm sure Zoe would be more than delighted to care for another abandoned child . "
Schaf stared at her in disbelief .
"I know!" Zero's eyes sparkled . "He needs a new name . Can we call him Lambo?"
Qin Yun considered it seriously and Schaf had a bad feeling . "I think that's a good name . What do you say, Lambo?"
The ex-banker turned red in the face from humiliation . "I refuse!"
Nobody listened to him . Baal smirked and Ruth stirred the matter by chipping in on his opinion . It ended with the fox spirit dragging Lambo by the hand back to the village . Zero and Ruth waved goodbye to the struggling beastfolk and fox spirit before stepping through Baal's portal back to his castle .
They stepped in straight to Baal's study with the Demon Lord following close behind, dragging the borrowed furniture . Zero presented the vampire with the other magic contract with his signature and Baal's . The young doctor didn't suspect anything when he handed it over much to Baal's delight .
Ruth received the document, expecting it to be something similar to Schaf's . However, he was pleasantly surprised by the generosity of the terms included . Buying back a slave's freedom wasn't something heard of in the abyss . The vampire expected to work his life away earning it back but was stunned by how 'easy' it was .
That was until he reached the last line . He didn't know whose idea it was but judging from the clear intentions, it certainly wasn't something Zero would think about . Still, he didn't hesitate to sign it . The contract disintegrated quickly and Baal exchanged glances briefly before Zero distracted the warrior with his enthusiasm .
Baal let the new master and student bond and slipped out of the office quietly . He almost had the shock of his life when he found his secretary waiting just past the bend of the corridor . If Baal was any lesser demon, he might have shrieked, Instead, he clutched at his chest to still the racing heart .
"Couldn't you have appeared like any normal person or set an appointment?" the Demon Lord hissed .
The half-succubus raised an elegant brow as if to ask if Baal was truly serious about that . "What did you do?"
Baal scanned the corridor and sighed . "It's just like what Zero wants, a fair employment contract with babysitting duties . I only added what would have been good for us . With the magic contract, even a traitor could join the faction . "
The Demon Lord dropped a copy of the duplicated contract in Coux's hands before disappearing to the bedroom . The secretary didn't stop him this time . It was true that Baal worked exceedingly hard for the past few days . She felt slightly guilty for not noticing the signs until it was almost too late . Deciding to let Baal off the hook for the day, Coux turned to the papers in her hands .
The terms were as what Baal mentioned . Upon signing the contract, Ruth would no longer be a slave . However, he had to commit to teaching Zero combat skills including some magic for the remaining half a year . In addition to that, Ruth will station in Half Moon village who will accommodate him for the first ten years . His other duty was to help raise the unborn half-vampire – Seff . Right at the bottom of the long list was a one-liner clause that says Ruth will be accepted as a member of Baal's Faction and all rules of the faction is bound to the terms of this contract should he accept .
For a vampire, serving ten years of his time to earn his freedom was a small price to pay . Ruth was more than delighted to know he was free . With the Strong Stomach skill, there was no need to worry about starving . Ruth had always wanted to know what lied beyond the gates . Once those ten years were up, Ruth intended to travel in order to broaden his combat horizon . There were many strong species on Earth and the vampire wanted to contend against the strongest combat masters of every species .
***
Baal wasn't surprised to find a dark shadow in his room . The shadow was a black raven with blood red eyes who looked more ghostly than ghastly . Tied to one of his legs was a message for the Demon Lord . Baal recognised at once whose familiar it was when he saw the insignia . Didn't Lucifer send the invitation a few days ago? This was highly unusual .
Baal didn't keep the avian messenger waiting for long . He untied the message and the raven merged back with the shadows after its mission was completed .
[We have a lead but no means to get close . We need a bait . ]
Scowling hard, Baal burned that paper away with magic . A bait meant someone who might possibly be harmed in the plan . Baal hated being Lucifer's rag doll . However, he hated the thought of Zero being put in danger even more . His friend might be very powerful but he was too precious to be allowed any harm . Lucifer was giving him no choice in the matter and the Demon Lord felt all the fatigue leave him in favour of moodiness .
The Demon Lords have talked over this . While it wasn't a surprise that there were factions of demons who do not support their ruling in the domains, the rebels have gone too far this time . It's not a matter that they could keep their eyes closed and look the other way . With Schaf and Kerberos' matter being more pressing, they left the rebels alone . Perhaps it was a mistake to leave them alone for far too long . With the plans to open the gates foiled, these rebels were now desperate . That made things ten times more troublesome . If handled poorly, Hell might just see the end of its days .
"A gold for your thoughts?" a sultry voice greeted . Baal didn't even look up, too familiar with who she was .
"Why are you here? Your descendant is not with me . "
Lilith rolled her eyes and folded her wings before hopping off the window ledge . Baal looked terribly small in his chair, his eyes heavy with burden and lack of sleep . The Succubus Queen sighed . This was about Zero again . She could feel it .
"Is it about the Academy?"
Baal didn't answer but Lilith knew it was anyway . She sat herself down in his bed without reservations and made herself comfortable there . Her carefree behaviour slightly annoyed the Demon Lord of Idleness but he kept his silence . It wasn't a secret that despite the rough competition, the six, now seven, Demon Lords worked together behind the scenes to unite the Abyss and keep the plane from disintegrating . It was challenging to put aside their personal distaste for each other at times but Baal never had a problem stepping up to it when duty calls .
"I'm not letting Zero play decoy . We will take care of those punks before anything happens . "
Lilith didn't say anything . She expected just as much . Her friend used to be such a lone wolf . Not even herself or Mammon could climb over that wall around Baal's heart . It wasn't a secret that Baal had a difficult past, much more than Mammon or any other Demon Lord apart from the Prince of Hell itself . Every Demon Lord has one of the most painful pasts that anyone could possibly experience . For her, it was the curse of loving and losing everyone she cared about physically and mentally . Succubuses were demons not made for love but here she was . Compared to her tragedy, Baal had it worse . It was almost comparable to Lucifer's personal past as far as tragedy scales went .
"You shouldn't make that choice for him," Lilith advised . She'd taken a liking to the brunet and Baal's overprotective nature over the lad would only act as a wedge between their bond .
Baal didn't answer and Lilith hoped that her friend would heed her advice . She didn't want to see Zero and Baal falling out of touch over an argument like this because they couldn't see each other's point of view . Lilith didn't want her friend to go back into the shell that he was with the walls built even higher than before .
As the Succubus Queen left, Baal thought over her words . A large part of him knew that she was right . However, that small stubborn part of him refused to have Zero involved in any more of Hell's affairs . He hoped to send Zero back quickly as soon as the trials were over but the doctor had to interfere and spare the two criminals . If the two felons were executed or banished into a higher plane, the matter would have been easily resolved .
Still, Baal couldn't find it in himself to stay mad at his friend for changing the outcome . His friend's ambition vastly differed from his . If Zero wanted to save the world, Baal just wanted to watch it burn . If it weren't for Zero, he might have eliminated a few minor worlds for being such a pain . Initially, it was amusing to see how gullible Zero was when they met in the void . Who would believe that a Demon Lord would cause accidental destruction because of clumsiness and grouchiness after being woken from a nap? It was true he had sinus issues but they never destroyed any cities unless he wanted to .
Slowly, that amusement turned into something deeper . The part of him he shielded from everyone else resonated with Zero's stories . As they talked more, it became evident that Baal was fond of the lad . It was easy to know that Zero wasn't an ordinary human child . That gave Baal some kind of hope . If he had a friend as powerful as Zero, perhaps history wouldn't repeat itself . He was the second oldest Demon Lord after Lucifer . While Mammon and Lilith attended the Academy with him, they didn't enter it at the same age despite graduating together .
Baal was already close to a millennium year old before he was discovered by Lucifer who promptly hauled him to the Academy and forcefully recruited him . It was very similar to what Beelzebub was going through at the moment .
The Lazy Demon Lord sighed . Zero was maturing nicely into a teen now . Many things would change . Logically, Lilith was right . He should let Zero make his decision . However, just for a little more, Baal wished to protect that innocence . The world wasn't a pretty place . He was thankful for Mii and Bob, the Eternal Dragon reincarnate, who were always there for him . There was Truen the wood elf who started the Zero Army always watching from behind the scenes so Zero was very well cared for .
Conflicted, Baal opened a teleportation gate and retrieved a bottle of wine from it . He was going to need this badly if he had to do a lot of thinking . This wasn't solely about him, it was about Zero too . Curse Lucifer for being such a nuisance in his life .