Roy didn't bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point with the King of Gluttony.
Hannibal narrowed his eyes, studying Roy. "Mr. Black, before we dive into serious talk, why not try some of my cuisine?"
Yeah, right. Roy wasn't touching Hannibal's food—especially not after learning his true identity as Beelzebub. Who knew what those dishes, masquerading as beef, seafood soup, or tuna, were actually made of?
Having been burned once by Lucifer's hospitality, Roy wasn't about to fall for it again with Hannibal.
"Let's talk business first. Eating afterward won't hurt."
Hannibal shook his head. "That won't do! As I said, fine food has a perfect moment for consumption. Wait too long, and the flavor fades!"
Roy glanced at the frozen surroundings, knowing Hannibal was just making excuses. With his magic keeping everything in stasis, the food wasn't going anywhere.
"Sorry, I prefer to talk before I eat."
Hannibal's expression shifted. His aura surged, and the frozen furniture began to tremble under the weight of his presence.
Roy, unfazed, stood his ground. Claire, however, being a mere mortal, winced in pain from the overwhelming pressure.
Seeing this, Roy stepped in front of her, unleashing his full aura to counter Hannibal's head-on.
Hannibal's face twitched. He clearly hadn't expected Roy's strength to have grown so much.
Just half a year ago, Roy was at the level of a mid-tier demon. Now, after six months, he'd leapt several tiers and was approaching the strength of a Demon Lord—closing in on the Seven Demon Kings of Hell.
"This is impossible! How could your strength…" Hannibal stammered.
Roy smirked. "Oh, there's plenty you didn't see coming."
With that, he pressed a hand to his chest, and a red sigil flared to life. A stunning woman stepped through a ring of fire into Hannibal's apartment.
"Roy, why'd you call me here so suddenly?" she asked.
Hannibal's eyes widened, clearly unprepared for this development.
Elizabeth, upon seeing Hannibal, flashed a wicked grin. "Beelzebub, fancy seeing you in the human world. What a delightful surprise!"
Hannibal's lips twitched into a bitter smile. "Lady Belial, it's been a while."
"Tch, tch, tch! Calling me 'Lady'? It's been, what, a few thousand years since I last heard that from you?" Elizabeth pulled up a chair, crossing her long, elegant legs with an air of ease.
And why wouldn't she be relaxed? As the King of Sloth, her power outstripped the King of Gluttony's. With Roy by her side, Hannibal didn't stand a chance. The advantage was entirely theirs.
"Ahem! Though millennia have passed, you've always been the noble and radiant Lady Belial in my heart," Hannibal said smoothly.
Roy had never heard a Demon King suck up before, and damn, it was effective. Elizabeth was clearly eating it up.
No wonder Elizabeth had mentioned Beelzebub's knack for navigating relationships, always dancing on the edge of different factions. This guy's adaptability put Samael's brainless rage to shame.
"Not bad! Keep talking—I love it!" Elizabeth purred.
So Hannibal kept going, showering her with compliments for a full ten minutes without repeating himself once.
Roy couldn't help but wonder if Beelzebub had climbed the ranks by flattery alone.
Finally, Elizabeth grew bored. "Enough, Beelzebub. Let's get to why you're giving my vassal trouble."
Hannibal's eye twitched. Back in March, he'd noticed Roy was Belial's vassal and even tipped off Asmodeus about it. But who could've predicted Roy could summon Belial herself on a whim?
Not even a favored son got that kind of treatment!
It was almost like Belial was Roy's vassal.
Take Mahogany, the butcher from the Midnight Meat Train incident—another of Beelzebub's vassals. Did Beelzebub ever care if he lived or died?
Sure, being a Demon King's vassal sounded impressive, but it was easy to become one. Offer a sacrifice the Demon King liked in a ritual, and you might earn their sigil, granting access to some of their power. How much you got depended on how pleased they were with your offering.
It was just a transaction. Demon Kings didn't care about their vassals unless they needed a tool for some earthly scheme.
"Lady Belial, I think this is all a misunderstanding! My student happened to visit, so I invited them for a meal. No ulterior motives," Hannibal said, dodging.
Elizabeth, with her power over lies, saw through him instantly. "Oh? Let's see what these dishes really are."
She snapped her fingers, revealing the true nature of the three courses.
The veal tenderloin? Human tenderloin. The bluefin tuna? Human calf muscle.
The worst was the seafood chowder—its main ingredient was human brains.
Roy's stomach churned. Thank God he hadn't taken a bite, or he'd be hurling right now.
Elizabeth, seeing Roy's expression, knew he was pissed and decided to take it up a notch. "Beelzebub, the great King of Gluttony, serves this garbage to his guests?"
Hannibal bowed gracefully. "Had I known Lady Belial would grace us with her presence, I would've prepared something far better!"
Still with the sweet talk. But Elizabeth wasn't buying it this time. "Oh? So it's fine to serve this trash to Roy?"
Hannibal froze, unsure of the exact nature of Roy and Elizabeth's relationship.
Could Roy really be Belial's son?
Among the Seven Demon Kings, only Lucifer and Belial had no known descendants. The others—Asmodeus and Leviathan, for instance—were prolific. The King of Lust had daughters galore, wreaking havoc across the universe. Roy had already met two. The King of Envy had a brood of monstrous offspring, like the Kraken, which carried Leviathan's blood.
Samael, Mammon, and Beelzebub had fewer descendants but still plenty. Carrie, for example, had Samael's blood, making her a perfect vessel for the King of Wrath.
But Roy bore Belial's sigil, meaning they weren't blood-related. Demon Kings could control their descendants remotely without sigils—the stronger the bloodline, the tighter the control. Adra and Eluresa, for instance, could chat with their mother Asmodeus across realms without one.
If Roy was just a vassal, he was getting way too much favor. Even King Solomon hadn't been treated like this.
Hannibal, uncertain, decided to ask directly. "Lady Belial, what exactly do you mean?"
"Show us your real skills. Cook a proper meal for me, Roy, and this lady as an apology."
Hannibal got the message—Elizabeth was giving him a chance to make amends while letting Roy save face.
For other Demon Kings, this might've been an insult, but not for Beelzebub. The King of Gluttony loved savoring and creating food. Offer him a unique dish or ingredient as a sacrifice, and you'd get a generous reward—maybe even a meal cooked by him personally.
That's why his followers were often gourmets, chefs, or, at the very least, butchers like Mahogany.
Of course, no one knew what happened if you ate Beelzebub's cooking.
It was similar to Lucifer, who loved drinking and bartending. If he liked you, he'd mix you a drink himself. But without a trusted friend vouching for you, drinking Lucifer's cocktail was a gamble.
Roy had learned that the hard way at the Time Bar, flipping out after one drink. Thankfully, Adrian had been there.
With Elizabeth present, Roy figured it'd be safe this time. Plus, she gave him a subtle signal to go along.
Hannibal snapped his fingers, and the room returned to normal. "No problem. I'll prepare something now!"
Claire, suddenly able to move, seemed oblivious to what had just happened. She was only startled by the gorgeous woman who'd appeared out of nowhere.
As Hannibal headed to the kitchen, Claire finally spoke. "Roy, what just happened?"
She was sure something had gone down—beautiful women don't just materialize.
"Claire, let me introduce you. This is Elizabeth Hale, my mentor and a professor at UCLA's film school. She's also Belial, one of the Seven Demon Kings of Hell. Elizabeth, this is Claire Sheffield."
Roy laid it all out to avoid any missteps from Claire.
Claire gasped. She'd seen the Reaper's power, but a Demon King was on another level of intimidating.
Knowing Elizabeth's identity, Claire stammered, "M-Ms. Elizabeth, h-hello!"
Elizabeth gave a slight nod, barely acknowledging Claire. Ordinary mortal women didn't catch a Demon Queen's attention.
"Ms. Elizabeth, about what just happened…" Roy started.
Elizabeth cut him off, knowing what he wanted to ask. "Roy, we could team up and take down Beelzebub, but there's no point. It'd just make an enemy for no gain."
She explained, and Roy got it.
Both Hannibal and Elizabeth were just human avatars of Demon Kings, not their true forms. Even if Roy and Elizabeth took Hannibal out, they'd only get a treasure chest and maybe a sliver of Gluttony's authority. No real benefit.
But afterward, Beelzebub would definitely retaliate, maybe even team up with Leviathan, shaking up Hell's power structure.
So Elizabeth gave Hannibal an out that saved his pride while letting Roy come out on top. A Demon King cooking an apology meal? That was serious face.
Roy nodded, agreeing with her approach.
Claire, though, was confused. "Wait, you mentioned Beelzebub. Like, the Seven Sins' Gluttony?"
Roy realized Claire had been under Hannibal's spell and missed everything, so he explained. "Claire, your mentor, Hannibal Lecter, is Beelzebub."
Claire's jaw dropped, her brain short-circuiting.
What could be crazier than finding out the mentor who'd guided you for years was a Demon King?
Maybe only those anime tropes where your childhood friend turns out to be a succubus.
"God, if anyone but you said this, I'd think it was nonsense!" Claire said. She trusted Roy completely, so despite how absurd it sounded, she believed him.
After a while, Hannibal returned, pushing a new dining cart. "Everyone, come try my carefully crafted dishes."
He placed four plates on the table and lifted the metal covers, revealing massive golden tentacles.
"These are the tentacles of an ancient octopus, the flesh of one of Leviathan's descendants. I've kept this ingredient for years!"
Leviathan's descendant? An octopus? Could it be a relative of the Kraken?
Roy's expression turned odd. He'd once joked about slicing up the Kraken for dinner, and now he was actually about to eat its cousin.
Next, Hannibal served four desserts—seemingly ordinary cakes, except the red fruits on top looked like beating hearts, which was a bit unsettling.
"These cakes are made with Hell's frost wheat and chimera eggs, topped with fruit from the human-faced tree."
The dessert's ingredients were downright creepy, but when Roy glanced at Elizabeth, she gave a slight nod, signaling the food was probably fine despite its appearance.
With just two dishes, Roy took the lead, cutting into the ancient octopus tentacle.
One bite, and his eyes lit up.
Claire Sheffield