"What's that?"
Raon swallowed dryly as he repeated Sloth's words.
"..."
Sloth blinked vacantly as he tried to continue speaking.
"What was it...?"
He slowly tilted his head as if suddenly unable to remember.
-That pathetic fool!
Wrath ground his teeth as he glared at Sloth.
-He's bringing shame to all demon kings! Crush his skull right now!
He shouted for control of the body, saying he would beat Sloth himself.
"Ah... I remember..."
Sloth tapped his forehead and nodded.
"In... my current state... when fighting an Archangel... I can't... use my full power..."
Sloth weakly clenched and unclenched his fist.
"You can't use your full power? Weren't you using it when fighting me?"
Raon furrowed his brows as he looked at Sloth.
'He was definitely serious at the end though?'
When Sloth had wrapped his body in black shadows, Raon had felt certain he couldn't win. That must have been his full power, so he couldn't understand why Sloth suddenly claimed he couldn't use his strength.
"Fighting... an Archangel... is different..."
Sloth slowly raised his gaze to look at the dark sky.
"When fighting... an Archangel... in the Human World... which is neither Heaven... nor the Devildom... it distorts... the rules of the world..."
He closed his eyes as he explained that if a demon king and an Archangel fought at full power in this middle realm, where neither Angels nor Demons should exist, causality itself would collapse.
"Moreover... since fighting goes against... my instinct of Sloth... I need... a medium even more..."
"So you're saying you need a medium that can handle the causality to draw out your full power?"
Raon understood Sloth's words and immediately came up with the answer.
"That's right..."
Sloth nodded in confirmation but kept his eyes closed.
"A medium..."
Raon frowned as he ran his hand through his hair.
"Where can we find one?"
To handle Sloth's causality would require compatibility with sloth itself, but he had no idea where or what to look for.
'Does this mean we can't call other demon kings besides Sloth?'
Since Sloth's explanation applied not just to himself but to other demon kings as well, this could potentially derail his entire plan.
'If the demon kings won't help...'
It would be certain defeat. Even with the Blade Queen and Warlord participating, seven Archangels and countless Angels would attack in the final war. Without borrowing the power of the demon kings, victory would be impossible.
"That's... simple..."
"Wait."
Raon raised his hand, interrupting Sloth.
"If you need a medium, wouldn't the Archangels and Angels also need something to handle their causality?"
This world was foreign not just to demon kings, but to Archangels as well. Like Sloth, they would need a medium to fight against demons with their original power.
"That's right..."
Sloth mumbled in agreement and nodded. Even at this crucial moment, he seemed like he wanted to sleep.
"Then they'd both be unable to use their true power... No, that's not right."
Raon bit his lip and shook his head.
'Derus would sacrifice humans as offerings to create power that would let the Archangels ignore causality.'
The Derus Robert he knew would certainly distort causality by killing ten thousand, no, hundreds of thousands of people to allow the Archangels to exercise their full martial prowess on this continent.
-That's the answer.
Wrath nodded heavily.
-As you say, demon kings struggle to use their full power in this world. However, there are many other ways to achieve that.
He twisted his lips as he mentioned how human souls and blood could be offered as sacrifices to unlock the Archangels' martial prowess.
"Ha..."
Raon let out a sigh.
'The more I think about it, the more it seems like the demon kings and angels have switched roles.'
The Archangels wanted to destroy humans, while the demon kings wanted to protect them. He wondered what fool had come up with the concept that angels were good and demons were evil.
-Didn't I tell you! Humans are too stuck in their preconceptions!
Wrath shook his head vigorously.
-While there are many evil demons, the same is true for Angels and humans!
He bared his teeth as he insisted it wasn't about race but individual differences.
"The method is... simple..."
Sloth raised his finger to point at the black flower bracelet wrapped around his wrist.
"The bracelet?"
"The bracelet... I gave you... contains... the sloth of this world... that you created... With that power... I should be able to... draw out my full strength..."
He nodded, explaining that he could draw out his martial prowess using the power of sloth imbued in the black flower bracelet.
"What? That's simple."
Raon smiled as he touched the bracelet.
"However..."
Sloth's eyes rippled with darkness like when he fought with Raon.
"After using that power, all the Authority of Sloth you've built up will disappear."
He shook his head, saying that was the price for using the power.
"A price..."
Raon quietly looked down at the second black flower bracelet on his wrist.
"That's not a big deal though?"
-N-not a big deal?
Wrath's eyes widened.
"What...?"
Sloth's eyebrows twitched as he slightly turned his body. It was his first intense reaction of the day.
"Unexpected..."
He lowered his eyebrows as if he hadn't anticipated this.
"What is?"
Raon tilted his head.
"While sleeping here... I've watched... many humans... Humans have... a very strong... obsession with power... Even stronger than demons... Yet when told... the power you've gained... will disappear... I didn't expect... such a reaction..."
Truly surprised, Sloth spoke his longest sentence since they'd met.
"It's not my power anyway."
After completing his revenge against Derus, he planned to return all the abilities he'd gained thanks to Wrath. Since he wanted to become the greatest swordsman with his own power, he didn't feel like he was losing anything.
"You're... truly... human..."
Sloth let out a genuine sound of admiration.
"Actually... whatever happens... accepting it is... right... The only other way... is finding a human... whose wavelength matches mine..."
"A human with matching wavelength?"
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Sloth.
"Just as you... became Wrath's vessel... and twisted causality... if I find a human... with matching wavelength... I can use all authority... without taking all... your power..."
Sloth nodded drowsily, as if unable to resist sleep.
"But... all the humans... I've seen... were too diligent... Finding someone... like me... would be difficult..."
He sighed, saying there weren't even any humans who slept for 24 hours.
-He's right. Where in this world would we find a sleepyhead who loves sleep as much as him... Huh!
Wrath stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening.
-Th-there is someone!
His eyes widened as if remembering someone who would match well with Sloth.
"Evelyn!"
Raon called Evelyn's name as he thought of the same person as Wrath.
"Can you go to Zieghart now and bring someone here?"
"Of course!"
Evelyn nodded, saying she'd do anything he asked.
"Who should I bring?"
"From Zieghart..."
Raon curled his lips as he looked at Sloth, who was already starting to doze off.
"The person who sleeps the most."
***
As soon as Evelyn left for Zieghart, Sloth crawled under the blanket, saying he'd finished talking. His ability to fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow was enviable.
"So, did everything work out?"
Dorian blinked as he covered Sloth's face with the blanket. For someone who claimed to be scared, he sure did a good job of covering Sloth's face.
"If we do this right, we might get even better results."
Just as Raon nodded with a faint smile, the Blade Queen and Warlord arrived at the peak of Mount Sturin with thundering footsteps.
"We've taken care of the damage we caused."
The Warlord nodded, saying they'd handled what they could.
"We'll leave the rest to Paratheus when he arrives."
The Blade Queen smiled, saying she'd pass the troublesome parts to the Gold Dragon Paratheus.
"Ah, is this person Master's friend?"
She jerked her chin toward Sloth, who was covered by the blanket.
"That's right."
Raon nodded as he lightly patted the bed where Sloth lay.
"He's incredibly strong. But his aura is unusual. Almost as if he's not human..."
The Warlord narrowed his eyes as if sensing the aura of sloth emanating from Sloth.
"Whatever the case, we should apologize first."
The Blade Queen approached Sloth's bed and bowed her head.
"I'm really sorry for disturbing your sleep and destroying the mountain."
She clasped her hands together, saying it wasn't intentional.
"I heard you couldn't sleep because of us."
The Warlord stood before Sloth with a soft sigh.
"I sincerely apologize."
He too offered heartfelt words of apology.
"I am the Warlord, and this is the Blade Queen. If there's anything we can do for you, please tell us."
The Warlord rubbed his chin, saying they would do anything.
"Mmm..."
Sloth's thin voice came from under the blanket. He seemed to have awakened from their aura. With a soft rustling, Sloth lowered the blanket slightly to look at the Blade Queen and Warlord's eyes.
"It's fine now... Just don't do it... anymore..."
Having accepted their apology, he waved his hand as if telling them to leave, then closed his eyes. The moment he closed his eyes, Sloth fell into a deep sleep, letting out adorable breathing sounds.
"Huh..."
The Blade Queen let out a bewildered laugh.
"Even after revealing our titles, he doesn't want anything?"
She widened her eyes as if witnessing something completely unexpected.
"He's a good person."
The Warlord nodded as he watched the sleeping Sloth.
"Both our Master and this person... It's a blessing that such people still exist in this world."
He smiled warmly, saying Sloth would likely do good things for the continent.
"Uh..."
Raon let out a sigh at the Blade Queen and Warlord who were looking at Sloth with kind eyes.
'This actually works?'
The Blade Queen and Warlord had never met a demon king before, and since Sloth was sleeping without releasing his sloth, they only thought his aura was strange without realizing he was a demon king.
[Hey!]
Just as he was scratching his head in disbelief, a huge shout came from the sky. The Gold Dragon Paratheus seemed to have finished dealing with the glacier and followed them.
[You really left without me! You unfair humans!]
Paratheus growled at the Blade Queen and Warlord, seemingly irritated.
"Why are you so late!"
However, the Blade Queen instead furrowed her brow at Paratheus.
"Even dragons aren't omnipotent."
The Warlord also sighed, saying he had grown much weaker.
[You said not to damage nature! That meant I had to do it manually!]
Paratheus's wings trembled as he explained it took longer because he had to clean up without using magic, using only his body.
[You really... Huh?]
He was frowning at the Blade Queen and Warlord when he suddenly stopped.
[W-what? Why is there a demon king here!]
Paratheus ground his teeth as he looked at the sleeping Sloth. He seemed to have sensed Sloth's true identity through his dragon instincts.
[Step aside! I'll kill him!]
Paratheus opened his mouth, preparing to fire his breath to annihilate Sloth in one shot.
"Are you insane!"
"Stop!"
The Blade Queen and Warlord leaped into the air and struck Paratheus's snout as he was preparing his breath. With a thud, Paratheus fell to the ground without even a groan, his mouth tightly shut. The entire Mount Sturin shook from the impact of his massive body. A gentle snore sounded.
However, Sloth remained fast asleep as if nothing had happened.
[W-what are you doing!]
Paratheus glared at the Blade Queen and Warlord as he shouted.
"How could such a good person be a demon king!"
The Warlord shook his head vigorously, telling him to abandon his suspicions.
"That's right! He's the kindest person I've ever met!"
The Blade Queen wrinkled her nose, warning him not to bare his claws at Sloth.
[No, he's definitely a demon king! Look at that evil aura!]
Paratheus pointed at Sloth, telling them to look properly.
"Hmm..."
Sloth briefly smacked his lips and turned to his left side. A content smile spread across his face.
"Him?"
"A demon king?"
The Blade Queen and Warlord clenched their fists, telling him not to talk nonsense.
[No, I'm telling the truth! Don't you trust me? I'm Paratheus of the Gold Dragon clan!]
Paratheus wildly swung his massive tail, begging them to trust him.
"I'd rather believe the demon king's words than yours."
The Blade Queen waved her hand, telling him to go away.
"If you spout nonsense one more time, I'll tear off those horns."
The Warlord also raised his sword, telling him to stay still.
[Arghhhh!]
Paratheus screamed at the sky, frustrated at being unable to capture the demon king right in front of him.
[But he's definitely a demon king... Gack!]
He kept insisting that Sloth was a demon king until the Blade Queen and Warlord knocked him on the head, making him face-plant into the ground again.
-Hey, ask them something.
Wrath tapped Raon's shoulder.
-Why is that lizard being held captive!
He flopped around like a fish, saying he was dying to know.
'I'm curious too...'
Raon shook his head as he watched Paratheus sniffling pitifully.
'Now doesn't seem like the right time.'
***
With a whoosh, a blue dimensional gate opened and Evelyn jumped out.
"I'm back!"
Evelyn waved her hand, saying she'd returned from Zieghart.
"It's quite far. That was tiring."
She wiped the sweat from her forehead, saying that using consecutive dimensional gates was exhausting.
"Good work. The person I mentioned..."
"Here."
Evelyn smiled as she stretched out her right arm which was still inside the dimensional gate.
"Ugh..."
With a low groan, Runaan walked out behind her.
"Did you really call for me...?
Runaan was in her pajamas, clutching her blanket while Evelyn held onto her wrist. Having been dragged from sleep, she didn't look pleased.
"Yes."
Raon nodded with a smile.
"How much do you usually sleep? On days without cultivation?"
"Always..."
Runaan used the word "always" rather than giving a specific time.
"Always?"
"Yes. Until I want to eat bead ice cream."
She nodded, saying she wouldn't get up until then.
-She's perfect.
'She's perfect.'
Raon muttered that they'd found the right person as he snapped his fingers.
"So, would you be interested in gaining new power?"
Though Sloth wasn't an evil power, he asked first since Runaan might be hesitant.
"What kind of power...?"
Runaan blinked sleepily.
"If you want, you'll gain the Authority of Sloth. It's a demon king's power."
He spoke honestly since Runaan was someone he could trust.
"Urghhhh!"
Dorian fell on his behind with his mouth wide open.
"Hmm."
Evelyn watched Raon and Runaan with interested eyes.
"Will that help Raon?"
"Not just me, it'll be a great help to you too."
He wasn't just saying this. Through Sloth, Runaan could grow and manifest martial prowess on a completely different level than before.
"Then okay..."
Runaan nodded, showing she trusted him enough to do it.
"Thank you."
Raon smiled faintly as he held Runaan's shoulder.
"Sloth. Wake up for a moment."
Since the Blade Queen and Warlord had gone to console the still-crying Paratheus, now seemed like a good time.
"Mmm..."
Sloth slowly opened his eyes and met Runaan's gaze.
"..."
"..."
Sloth and Runaan silently stared at each other with blank eyes. It was like masters recognizing each other.
"..."
Sloth slowly blinked his eyes, then fell back asleep.
"..."
Runaan also wrapped herself in the blanket she'd brought and started sleeping right there.
-Eh?
Wrath's lips trembled as he looked back and forth between Runaan and Sloth, who had fallen asleep simultaneously as if in competition.
-W-what is this! What kind of test is this!