Chapter 468 - The Nautilus's Influence

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"Why is that grin on your face so disturbing? It's eerie," Belphegor muttered with a deep frown. Apollo's silent answer left him uncomfortable since he was an individual that preferred concrete solutions over mysterious ones. After all, his character was centered around devouring the tangible. 

Therefore, statements with no answers left Belphegor uneasy, especially since he couldn't get a read on Apollo's intentions nor his affiliations. That incapability to match Apollo's presence to an existent party complicated Belphegor's willingness to cooperate.

However, the perk of Apollo allowing him to devour Irzanach's body once finished with him enticed Belphegor beyond compare. Absorbing just one of the Sins within Irzanach's body that was agreeable with Belphegor's body would give him a boost in the right direction as far as correcting their incomplete bodies went.

After all, while nearly inconsequential, Irzanach possessed a fragment of Astraval's power left behind to empower the Demon Race and propel them from their destitute condition. 

"I find it hilarious that you ask an obvious question. Do you need assurance at every step and turn? If so, how did you manage to be chosen as a Lord?" Apollo responded with a slight smile, which caused Belphegor to be stunned.

To receive such brusque words from a demon outside of the Lords was an extinct situation until now. Belphegor was sure how to react aside from being shocked.

"Y-you… I… What do you mean?! I am just asking the intention of a demon previously unheard of! Why can't I sense your Sin at all?!" Belphegor howled in response. His instinctive action after receiving Apollo's statement was to sense his actual state. 

After all, some demons released auras that betrayed their true strength to keep it hidden from inspection. So, Belphegor thought this courage originated from a power that was at least on par with his own.

Unfortunately, inspecting Apollo yielded zero results since Apollo's bloodline blocked his perception from analyzing anything about Apollo. Aside from his appearance and perhaps his age, Belphegor was in the dark about any other information related to Apollo.

"Simply because I don't want you to," Apollo responded with a shrug. Of course, Belphegor didn't appreciate Apollo's carefree attitude, but Fuhrer's presence raised innumerable alarms in his mind.

This impression made Belphegor unsure if he would remain safe if we to fight against Fuhrer. Besides, the slow healing would didn't help the matter either. Still, when he compared Apollo to the terror he sensed from Asteroth, Belphegor didn't put Apollo on his level.

But, he didn't voice this matter since he felt it was unrelated to him. Contrarily, he pointed his focus back to Apollo's earlier comment.

"So, how can you guarantee that I'll be able to devour a portion of Irzanach's power," Belphegor muttered while taking a seat back on his throne. While doing so, he knocked aside a cluster of bones strewn across the left handrest.

"I can guarantee it because I don't need it, but the same can't be said for you Lords. If I'm not wrong the power coursing through Irzanach should be more than capable of mending the issues that plague you all," Apollo answered.

Instantly, Belphegor's eyes blazed with interest. After fighting against Irzanach, the first to be affected by emotion were Belphegor, Beelzebub, and Mammon. As the Sins centered around strong desires towards another's possessions, these three were compelled to absorb or at least draw inspiration from Irzanach's power.

Their powerless state disgruntled Saehtyn and Lucifer too much to acknowledge this desire.

"Enticing, but as of now, your offer is a simple pipedream. It might sound alluring to the ears, but it isn't straightforward to actualize. I estimate there's less than a one percent chance of you accomplishing your claims," Belphegor responded while shaking his head.

At the same time, the fervent light in his eyes lost some vigor. Clearly, he didn't believe in Apollo's ability to support his words. Even if the individual beside him felt like a threat, Belphegor didn't forget that there were three more such individuals by Irzanach's side.

The odds were just too slim in his eyes. 

"It's useful for me to try and persuade you with mere words, just wait patiently for the future to unravel. I promise the events will mystify you. In the meantime, you should find a way to resolve that issue," Apollo said with a chuckle.

Afterward, he glanced towards Fuhrer, who shook his head.

"I advise against it. I should tell you now that the land of the devourers isn't a place that possesses gratitude. While incomparable to the blasphemous land of the envious, it's not beneficial to go out your way," Fuhrer commented.

Apollo nodded after hearing Fuhrer's comment. Apollo pushed the thought to help Belphegor resolve the injury to the back of his mind. On top of being unsure about whether he could even help, Apollo felt it was useless if it didn't yield any favors.

However, this cryptic conversation drew Belphegor's curiosity and slight infuriation.

"What do you mean this blasphemous land? Are you ashamed of your brethren?!" Belphegor shouted with widened eyes. 

"Brethren?" Fuhrer parroted with an amused expression. After a short pause, he continued, "You all are far too young to be called my brethren. Many of my brethren have fallen while protecting this race. What you are is a sorry excuse for what we could be."

A tinge of disappointment appeared in Fuhrer's eyes as he continued, "A Noblesse, yet your Aura is undetermined. At the very least, you could've extracted the Aura of Oblivion from the power given to you, but even that is asking too much."

Once Belphegor heard Fuhrer mention the Aura of Oblivion, all of his anger disappeared and was replaced by shock. "You… you're familiar with the Aura of Oblivion?"

While not entirely familiar with this matter, Belphegor recalled a mention of this on the tablet he received his power from. However, there was no description to reveal the process of learning it. So, just the fact Fuhrer mentioned it caused him to feel some hope.

Unfortunately, Fuhrer's answer led to even more questions.

"The purest devourers are meant to visit oblivion. So, until you visit that point, you'll never come to know its aura," Fuhrer answered.

"Argh! That's no help, dammit! That's precisely what the tablet said! But I don't even understand how to visit this so-called oblivion," Belphegor snarled while smashing his fist against the handrest.

The throne trembled, but Fuhrer remained unaffected by the outburst. He expected as much since Estran was never one to spoonfeed those he chose to lead. Even in the past, most under Estran's tutelage experienced frequent episodes of frustration due to the inability to grasp the essence of his enigmatic words.

However, that's how Astraval taught both of them. They were forced to comprehend any technique or question on their own after watching Astraval demonstrate it once.

"Then perhaps you should take the time to understand what happens when you use your power. Stop mindlessly devouring power and start tracking the events that take place during that time," Fuhrer said while clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"Who would have thought that a moderately strong demon would be a worse student than Typhir," Fuhrer groaned while shaking his head. 

Suddenly, Apollo waved his hand and interrupted the two. "Does the influence of the All-seeing Nautilus stretch this far?"

Belphegor was silent for a moment but ultimately nodded. Just as Apollo's suspected, the All-seeing Nautilus wasn't an organization limited to Ashiraem. Its information was far too intricate to be limited to Ashiraem.

In fact, Apollo started to question what that tavern within Ashiraem was.

'Surely that's isn't the headquarters. Perhaps it's just the headquarter for that section of information? If so, where would the main headquarter be?' Apollo wondered. A mere Archdemon running the entire network was too nonsensical.

With the extent of the All-seeing Nautilus's information-gathering capabilities, it'd require a number of powerful demons to support the collection. After all, well guarded couldn't be extracted unless a powerful individual was involved.

Otherwise, a weak demon would just crumble while facing those who guarded the secrets.

"May I have the location of their base in this Ring?" Apollo asked.

In response, Belphegor's eyes narrowed. Typically, the Nautilus was only employed or contacted when matters of great secrecy ensued. Thus, Belphegor was skeptical. Just what could these mysterious demons want with this Ring?

Nevertheless, Belphegor answered. "You'll find a run-down shack in the middle of the city. However, I'll warn you now, the staff in that place are...unusual."

"Understood."