The Devil's Origin

35: Phoenix. (NSFW)

When I visited the audience chamber that day, there was a big bird with striking red to orange feathers.

Each time the bird flapped his wings, a burst of colour sparked inside the room, filling my vision with its gentle and warm hue.

I stood there, mesmerized by the beautiful colour when the bird suddenly sang, his melodic voice was ethereal.

As the bird continued to sing, soft-looking clothes started to entwine itself, wrapping the bird's body.

As more and more layers of robe covered his body, the bird started to shift.

Instead of a striking bird with striking red-to-orange feathers, there stood a stunning young man.

"Art thou Maou?"

"Eh? Ah, yeah."

Those bewitching eyes stared daggers at me.

<<It's an LV 158 Phoenix! He's the last of his kind!>>

"You're a phoenix. What's your name?" I asked.

"Hmm... My name, huh... " The phoenix murmured as he closed his scarlet eyes.

"Presenting my name to shabby-looking maou like you are nothing but a waste of time. But! Rest assured, I shall grace your feeble existence with my name. That cadaverous appearance though.. Let alone letting you serve me, I can hardly bear looking at you for more than one second. Alas, in this great time of peril, I don't have much choice. It is inevitable but there was no other Maou but you so I can do nothing but give you the honour of calling me with my name."

What?

The phoenix kept on spitting hurtful words after words with that melodic voice of his, I couldn't even say anything in return.

"Euneel Ruth Felik." He said after a long pause.

"Ah, Euneel it is."

"Beware of the words that came out of your mouth, young Maou. Power dwells in every spoken word. Especially from the Maou. If you're not careful you may bind a demon against their own will. I've granted you the honour of calling me by my name because you asked for it but you mustn't impulsively call my name nonchalantly like that. Well, I will let it slide since I know such haggard-looking Maou of course wouldn't know anything. You may kneel and offer your gratitude to me in return."

"Velke," I called out to Velke, who was standing on my right side.

"Do you want me to kill him?" Velke's hand was already on his sword's hilt, ready to strike at any time.

"Don't kill him!"

Ah, that was dangerous. Velke looked so agitated at the phoenix's words.

"If you swear your loyalty to me, I will grant you a family."

"How presumptuous of you to think I'd swear my loyalty to you. However, I'd consider offering you my assistance in dire time as long as you-"

"Do you accept it or not?" I asked curtly.

"............. I accept."

I sighed toward the ceiling.

Crap. Another annoying fellow appeared...

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To sum it up, Euneel was a pain in the ass.

"Ah, Maou, you look as hideous as always. To think I'd have to meet you so soon again, ah how annoying. Can you please stop interfering with me? I have matters to attend to and your feeble existence is not helping. In the first place ――"