Before Irin had her chance to launch into a lengthy explanation about the demon race, Meira entered the living room. The high elf instantly spotted the succubus as she smiled. “Irin! It’s great you could come over so fast.”
To Jake’s surprise, Meira went over and hugged the succubus, who happily returned the gesture. After their brief hug, Meira joined Jake on one of the couches as Irin sat down on a third one, Jake noticing how the two of them made some small talk while being all smiles.
Okay, they have definitely gotten closer during my absence, Jake noted. It was honestly good to see that Meira had made some more friends. Jake also didn’t doubt that Irin would gladly make friends with Meira, if not for pragmatic and selfish reasons, as surely it would only be beneficial to be friends with the Chosen of Duskleaf.
With everyone settled down, they finally got back to business as the succubus looked at Jake.
”So, I’m just going to assume you aren’t that aware of how the demon race as a whole works. Am I right to have this assumption?” Irin asked, Jake slowly nodding. While he did know a bit, his knowledge was definitely limited, and a bit of repeated information had never killed anyone.
“Alright, let’s start from the basics. While most demons you have encountered thus far were enlightened, there are far, far more types, with the majority being classified as monsters. The thing is, these are rather rare to find outside of certain specific areas, as they require demonic energy to be born, and the non-intelligent ones rarely, if ever, stray out of demonic lands. They tend to progress far slower outside, after all.”
Jake nodded along, knowing this part already from some books he had read. Demonic beasts and monsters in that vein totally existed, and Jake kind of wanted to encounter one at some point. Alas, as Irin said, they were rare outside of demonic lands.
“Demonic lands can be found… well, pretty much anywhere. A few planets exist here and there that naturally possess the demonic affinity, and you can find certain sectors in every universe where it is the dominant affinity, making it a bit similar to the death affinity in that regard,” the succubus continued, as she even supplemented her explanation with projections of mana.
“However, the most well-known areas classified as demonic lands are no doubt the Nine Hells, also called the Nine Circles of Hell,” she continued as the mana projection changed, showing nine layers stacked atop one another. “Do you know of the origin of the Nine Hells?”
“I’m going to assume they were created by the system,” Jake made an educated guess.“Yes and no. The history of the Nine Hells is a bit complicated, to say the least. The brief explanation is that, at first, it was artificially created by a group of nine devils to establish some form of safe haven and home base for all the demonic races by turning their respective Divine Realms into a Hell each, with every Hell symbolizing aspects of the devil’s Path. With time, they began to be known as the Nine Circles of Hell, representing sin and whatnot. Not to be confused with Sin Curses… though curse magic is very much a staple among demons, so I can’t really say there isn’t any connection.
“Anyway, the Nine Hells exist in a separate dimension, accessible from all the universes far more easily than another universe, which is part of the reason why demonic summoning is such a prominent thing. The veil is incredibly thin, and even I have a treasure allowing me to enter the Nine Hells at any moment without much trouble,” she continued, surprising Jake quite a bit. He knew snippets, and he knew how people could summon things from the “demonic realms,” but he didn’t know this was part of the reason. There was also the demon’s innate racial skills related to summoning, so more likely than not, it wasn’t that the demons adapted to the Nine Hells, but that the Nine Hells were created with demonkind in mind.
Looking at Meira, the high elf clearly already knew all this, making Jake feel a bit out of the loop as Irin continued her history lesson.
“These Nine Hells were expanded by more and more devils, as a hierarchy was formed, until the integration of the sixth universe. I am not exactly clear on how or why it happened, but the system adopted the Nine Hells and made it into what it is today: a World Wonder. A quite unique one at that, as it’s more or less its own separate universe filled solely with demonic energy and owned by the demonic races. And that concludes my brief history lesson on the Nine Hells and how they came to be,” the succubus finished.
“I see,” Jake nodded. “That was very enlightening, and-“
“Oh no, that was just the history part… now we’re on to the political climate of the Nine Hells,” Irin smiled devilishly, not even giving Jake a break. “Each of the Nine Hells is ruled by a devil, family, or clan. These rulers of the Nine Hells are referred to as nobles, and status has a huge significance in demon culture. This is part of the reason I’m happy to be here right now, as just me working as your assistant of sorts has granted me quite a lot of respect among my peers.”
“Well, glad to be of assistance,” Jake smiled and shook his head. “And let me guess, the Cerulean Demon is part of the family that rules the Fourth Hell?”
“Correct,” Irin confirmed. “The Fourth Hell is ruled by a powerful demon family that has controlled it for a long time, with the Cerulean Devil you mentioned as one of their most notable figures before he died. The Demon Prince you met is one of the most important figures in the younger generation, and he has a peak status among mortals. His title of prince also means his father is the current ruler of the Fourth Hell.”
Jake nodded along as he asked curiously: “Are the Nine Hells ranked based on power? The Demon Prince said the Crest should allow one to be treated well in at least the four first Hells.”
“Again, it’s a bit more complicated than that,” Irin sighed. “Each of the Hells has a different environment. The Fourth Hell is filled with demonic lightning and wind, making it a suitable environment for those who have that kind of affinity. As each ruler of the Hells has held their throne for a long time, no one can really be sure who is the strongest anymore. Though there is some truth to it being ranked based on power, as none would dare argue against the ruler of the Ninth Hell being the strongest by a landslide.”
“How would this ruler of the Ninth Hell square up against, let’s say, a Primordial?” Jake wondered out loud.
“That…” Irin said as she hesitated before steeling herself. “This is not meant to be taken the wrong way… but it very much depends. If the fight takes place within the Nine Hells, the ruler will have an advantage, while if the confrontation happens outside, the Primordial will have an edge. There is a story from a few eras ago where the ruler of the Ninth Hell and Eversmile got into a contractual dispute that ended in a fight where Eversmile had the advantage at first until they changed venue to the Nine Hells, at which point Eversmile chose to retreat.”
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“So, not a pushover, got it,” Jake nodded as he seemed to get the gist of it. “What you are pretty much telling me is that the Crest I tossed to you earlier grants the person holding it the status of a demon part of the aristocracy within the Nine Hells, right?”
“More than that,” Irin said in a serious tone. “It signifies you are an important and highly valued guest of the faction the Crest belongs to. These Crests are only ever given out by the respective leaders of the Hells, meaning should you do anything to someone holding a Crest, it will be viewed as a personal attack on them. It also means they take responsibility for the one they granted the Crest to.”
“Surprised the Demon Prince said it was fine for me to hand it to someone else,” Jake muttered.
“He probably expected you to hand it to an envoy. Someone acting as your agent if you didn’t have anything you wanted yourself but perhaps needed something for your subordinates,” Irin theorized.
“I don’t really have any subordinates,” Jake muttered.
“A lot of people, me included, would vehemently disagree with that statement,” the succubus just smiled and shook her head. “You may not officially make anyone your subordinates, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be subordinate to you.”
Jake wanted to argue… but deep down, he knew it would be a waste of time, as Irin was most definitely correct.
“Anyway, you’ll take the Crest, right?” Jake asked, wanting to change the subject. “I don’t need it, and I reckon you can get something useful with it.”
“If I’m being perfectly honest, I’m not even sure I dare use it,” Irin sighed. “The amount of questions I will be bombarded with will be suffocating, and it will lead to a needless amount of rumors. It would have been better if you got a Crest from someone in the second circle of Hell.”
“Let me guess, the circle of lust and home to many succubi?” Jake made an educated guess.
“And here I thought you didn’t know anything about demons,” Irin raised an eyebrow.
“Just a really good guess,” Jake smiled. Honestly, guessing things based on memories of myths from Earth had a shocking level of accuracy, though the details did tend to, more often than not, be a bit off. Like... sure, Valhal was some mythical realm of nordic mythology before the system, meaning the halls of the fallen or something like that. In reality, it was called Valhal because Valdemar had literally called his faction Valdemar’s Mead Hall in the early days, and with time, that name had been shortened to Valhal. Literally, Valdemar’s Hall.
“But, yes, you’re correct. It’s the Hell run by a succubus, the strongest of my race, and is a land filled with illusions and dreams,” Irin confirmed, adding on with a smirk. “A very popular holiday destination, too, in case you’re interested.”
“At this point, I’m pretty sure I have standing invitations to visit half of the factions in the multiverse; I have no idea when I would even find the time,” Jake sighed.
“Hopefully, time will become an infinite resource,” Irin smiled. “Besides, I’m sure you can learn to create avatars or something and just send those to visit all the places you neglected at some point.”
“That feels pretty disrespectful,” Jake muttered, not really keen on the idea. “But, back on topic… what the hell should I do with the Crest if you don’t want it?”
“I said I wasn’t certain I dared use it, not that I wasn’t interested,” Irin said with a smile. “Chances just are I’ll take my master along or go with a group to not stand out as much. Of course, you could also go with me, and we could stop by the second circle on the way back…”
“Tempting offer, but I think I’ll pass,” Jake said, really not having the time.
“A pity,” Irin smiled.
“Anyway, enough about me and all this demon stuff… what have you two been up to during these last few years, and how have things changed around here?”
“Can’t say I have much to report,” Irin shrugged. “Things are very much as usual, outside of the rush for Nevermore and the many local celebrations recently taking place upon learning that the Chosen of the Malefic Viper topped the All-Time Leaderboard. Personally, I believe I have made good progress, but nothing too outstanding. At least not compared to the honored Chosen of Duskleaf, Grand Elder of the Order, and disciple of the Malefic Viper.”
“Irin…” Meira muttered, a bit embarrassed.
“Irin indeed!” Jake said in a stern tone. “How dare you joke around with the venerable Chosen of Duskleaf? You are lucky she is too merciful to have you whipped for such disrespect!”
“I am truly blessed, allowed to be in such company,” Irin also continued to joke. “Though I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to a bit of whipping…”
Meira just glared daggers at them both before they stopped, and Jake waved it off. “Joking, joking. It’s no lie; you’re definitely the one who has undergone the most changes, so what have you been up to, Meira? And don’t even try to downplay because you must have had quite an eventful period.”
The high elf took a moment before she sighed. “Alright, yeah, quite a lot has happened. Shortly after you left to Nevermore…”
Meira proceeded to explain everything she had been up to over the last few years. How Duskleaf had continued to teach her, her leveling of her class and profession to get a Perfect Evolution to C-grade, and how the god had helped her become a high elf. Duskleaf had then blessed her with a True Blessing, making her his first Chosen in many, many years.
At this point, Irin added, a bit teasingly, how both Duskleaf and Meira had wanted to avoid any kind of celebration and how Meira had more or less hidden away for a while. Alas, such things could not be kept secret for long, and ultimately, an official notice was sent off. Luckily, Duskleaf was already known as a bit of a recluse, so no one questioned when no big ceremony was held.
Continuing her story, Jake heard how she had returned to her home village, and when Jake heard about everything that had gone down there, he couldn’t help but smile. He smiled not just at what she had done but at the mere fact she had gone there. To want to take control of her home and help her family members was a selfish decision that had nothing to do with Jake or anyone else but something she had decided solely by herself.
This was one of the things Meira had needed to work on the most: being selfish. So to see her leverage her newly gained position was honestly great in Jake’s eyes. What she had done with her old clan was also good. She had effectively freed them all from slavery and made them part of her own faction of sorts.
Meira didn’t talk that much about this, though, but more about how she had spent time with her family and how it took a bit for them to get used to what she had become. Luckily, her siblings were very accepting, but her mother had taken a bit.
Jake saw Meira’s happiness as she explained helping out her family and clan. With it now being known Meira originally came from there, some people who wanted to get in her and Duskleaf’s good graces had even moved there to improve the area further, with the clan members now all considered true members of the Order… which kind of got Jake thinking.
If Jake had revealed himself as the Chosen… couldn’t he also have just freed Meira from being a slave the very day they met and just declared her an official member of the Order? Oh, he definitely could have, couldn’t he?
Not that Jake regretted how he handled everything when he looked at Meira. He had no idea what would have happened to her if he had just freed her, but he seriously doubted she would be doing as well as she was now.
Meira continued with all her exploits, as it truly did sound like she had done more in three years than Jake had in fifty. Granted, she did spend a bit of time in a time chamber reading a lot of books at one point, but it hadn’t been that long.
After a while, the conversation shifted again as Irin and Meira began to ask Jake questions about his own time in Nevermore and everything that had happened there. Sadly, Jake couldn’t really share that much due to the rules of Nevermore not allowing one to share specific details, but he could give an overall overview of some things.
As they were all talking, Jake suddenly felt something. The barrier around his personal residence had been reinforced by the Malefic Viper to ensure no one could peek inside or get in without Jake’s permission, yet at this moment, Jake felt a small hole open in it… opened by the Viper himself. Ah, but not for his own avatar to enter…
Jake turned his head and stared out the window. Irin and Meira also stopped their conversation when they noticed Jake suddenly get distracted as they turned just in time to see a massive worm fall down from the sky, landing on his lawn with a big thump, as yet another Chosen had joined their little get-together.