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Chapter 122. The Demon Clan’s Grimoire

"Wa-wait! Stop it! Aren’t you her owner!?"

"Well, more like a freeloader… Besides, the one being kept here is you."

Suddenly, Lucifer appeared from behind me, relentlessly chasing after Vanessa with a barrage of attacks. She seemed to be holding back, so I figured it wasn’t a problem to let it play out. But still... Lucifer must have some sort of goal here, right? Surely, she wouldn’t just lash out over a petty grudge.

With her twelve wings spread wide, Lucifer flew through the sky, firing glowing projectiles at Vanessa, who was darting around in an attempt to evade her. Since they were shaped like arrows, let’s just call them arrows for simplicity.

"Show me your filthy soul, wretch!"

"What’s with this guy!?"

Vanessa, seemingly aware that she was holding back, was furiously counterattacking with magic. She launched a fiery mass from her palm, and while it directly hit Lucifer, she didn’t even flinch.

"What the hell!?"

"Why are you surprised? Our celestial bodies are composed of magical energy. Unless your magic surpasses the density of the magic that forms me, it’s impossible to harm me."

"I don’t get any of that!"

"I see. Then die."

"Wait, what!?"

Hmm... Lucifer has emerged from my body, but does that mean I can still use [Lucifer]? Focusing on my back and activating the Grimoire, I managed to unfold twelve wings.

"...Huh?"

Even though Lucifer left my body, the [Lucifer] ability is still intact? So, the Lucifer fighting out there is… separate?

"What are you doing?"

"Huh? Oh, I was wondering if I’d still be able to use it after you left."

"Idiot. Just because I emerged doesn’t mean the power I granted you disappears. Whether your soul reincarnates properly in this world or not, whoever inherits your soul will carry that [Lucifer]’s power."

Isn’t that basically tampering with someone’s soul!?

Unbelievable… Not only did she possess my body, but she also altered my soul without permission. Then again, other Grimoires supposedly transfer with their owners’ souls after death, too. So that means if I die, someone who inherits my soul could be born with [Lucifer] and [Demiurge]... in their next life?

"That’s insanely overpowered."

"Naturally. I am the strongest, after all."

I wasn’t talking about you.

"Where’s Vanessa?"

"She’s over there, fallen."

Oh, she’s been taken down easily. Her wings are riddled with light arrows, which must have brought her down effortlessly. Honestly… it’s a pitiful sight.

"Good grief… I was curious about how demons have evolved in the present day, but they’re utterly disappointing."

"Let me ask you this instead—were there any demons in Claudius’s era who could rival you?"

"Of course not. I mean, I am—"

"Yes, yes, the strongest, we get it."

Is that all he can say?

"To think a demon can’t even use a Grimoire properly…"

"…Speaking of which, humans gained the ability to use Grimoires because celestials merged with their souls, right? So how do demons use Grimoires in the first place?"

"Hmm… While human and demonic Grimoires share similarities in nature, they are fundamentally different."

Figures.

"When we celestials merged with human souls, we based the design of their Grimoires on demonic Grimoires to preserve our powers. So in a way, demonic Grimoires are the original."

Ah, that makes sense. Celestials, according to Lucifer, each possessed unique powers, so demons must have had their own unique abilities too. It seems celestials mimicked demonic Grimoires to pass their powers onto humans.

"Demonic Grimoires awaken the innate powers rooted in their species."

"…Meaning?"

"That girl over there is a member of the Gerz tribe, isn’t she? She should have inherited the power of Astaroth, the tribe’s progenitor, as her Grimoire. But at this rate, she won’t awaken it even with a demon’s lengthy lifespan."

I see… Not that I fully get it. But at least I understand that Vanessa has the potential to wield formidable demonic power. If she could unlock it, she’d live up to the name of the demon clan.

"Couldn’t you have just told me this from the start?"

"Would you be satisfied knowing everything without effort?"

"Well, when it’s something like this, there’s no way to figure it out on my own!"

I’d gladly investigate things myself when possible, but I can’t exactly research events from Claudius’s era or ancient demon history that’s not documented anywhere!

"Humans live short lives. The amount of information they can leave behind is limited. Why would the gods create such flawed creatures?"

"From my perspective, your eternal life and arrogance make you seem like the flawed one."

"Me? With an immortal body, perfected power, and everything ideal? I’m the epitome of perfection."

You’ve lost all sense of ethics and social grace, so you’re far from ideal... Then again, from a purely biological standpoint, strength and immortality might be the ultimate goals.

"Ahhh! I’m back!"

"…Did you overhear all of that?"

"Of course I did! You’re telling me Astaroth’s power is sleeping within me!?"

Astaroth, huh?

"It’s a legend taught to everyone born into the Gerz tribe. If we’re truly on the verge of death, our progenitor Astaroth will lend us their power."

"Isn’t that basically what a Grimoire does?"

"I wouldn’t know… Very few demons can use Grimoires in the first place."

Even among humans, Grimoire users are ridiculously rare.

[And that is why demons came close to extinction after a war with humans. To think both the celestial and demon clans that once split the world have fallen to this… It’s lamentable.]

Don’t just slip back into my body without warning!