Chapter 7: His Craving and My Craving Won’t Clash

"Midia, little lady—"

"...Are you picking a fight? I’ll pay good money for one."

The forward base was already set up.

The boss’s army was ridiculously capable, something you don’t see every day. Sure, I’m a fine commander myself, but more than that, the quality of the rank-and-file devil soldiers was on a whole different level. Even speaking as someone who’s served in the armies of great nations, their drive was unlike anything else. Naturally, that made their combat power all the higher.

Kik-kik-kik. It’s because the top here has no greed. For a greedy devil like me, the rewards are enough to keep me satisfied. To the average devil, the pay must seem downright extravagant.

On the vast rolling hills along the border between nations, around a thousand troops were deployed—nearly all of the Third Army.

Compared to human armies, the numbers might seem lacking, but quality-wise, there’s no comparison. A devil’s skill grants combat power that could let them face a thousandfold number of humans and still have some to spare.

The enemy was Gluttony and about three hundred underlings. Kik-kik-kik. Numbers-wise, it’s average for a single army. But morale skyrockets when a Demon King personally takes the field, and Zebel’s army—fifth in the ranking—was already widely feared.

On paper, the Third Army outnumbered them three to one. Normally, that’d be more than enough to crush them head-on. But the presence of that Demon King was the real problem. Gluttony had plenty of skills suited for wide-area annihilation. I couldn’t even guess how far a Demon King’s version of that would reach, but massive losses were a given.

Victory would come down to how well we could read the enemy’s hand, gauge their performance.

Kik-kik-kik. Still, morale wasn’t exactly lacking on our side either. After all, we had Midia Luxeriaheart herself, even if it was just one person. Normally she stayed back to guard the castle. Kik-kik-kik. Nice face, and she’s Lust, too.

Some folks were probably hoping for scraps to fall their way. No surprise morale was high.

The lady in question wore her usual scowl, wrapped in a long, pure white robe that covered her completely, not a shred of skin on display. No charm at all. Looked more like a nun.

"Little lady, you should be dressing with a bit more allure, y’know? Morale would thank you."

My heartfelt advice earned me only a snort.

"None of your business. Degi, I’ve said it countless times—I can’t stand being looked at that way. It makes me sick."

Sure, I’d heard it plenty before. But those words didn’t sound like they came from someone who was supposed to embody Lust. Couldn’t it all be a mistake?

A devil’s Desire isn’t for show.

When you gain a Class, the path of that profession opens up. But it’s rarely just one straight road. Branches split off like limbs on a tree, and which road you walk depends on your own will. Naturally, that determines which skills you’ll be able to use.

That’s the basic concept behind what’s called a skill tree. In devils’ case, there are eight. Seven match the Deadly Sins—Sloth, Greed, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, Envy, Pride—and one basic tree for core devil abilities.

You could call them guideposts of fate. By following them step by step, you gain stronger skills. But unlike a normal class, where using skills and gaining experience pushes you forward, devils’ skill trees were designed differently.

They only deepen when we fulfill our Desires. That’s thanks to the very first passive skill—an auto-activated one—called "Craving of Sin."

Because of that, just leveling up doesn’t unlock more skills for us.

By feeding Greed, you grow the Greed tree. By feeding Lust, you grow the Lust tree.

And in that sense, the little lady was far too ascetic.

Kik-kik-kik. How could she possibly advance the Lust tree like that? I’ve got no clue, not being Lust myself. But still, better not butt in. Don’t want to get killed for nothing.

"Kik-kik-kik. Well, your path is yours. Just fight well."

"You don’t have to tell me. The reward’s mine."

"Oi, oi, hold on a second. That I can’t just let slide. I’m the one who brought out the army, you know?"

Strong as she might be, hogging everything for herself? Even Greedy old me was taken aback. Besides, her powers... weren’t exactly made for combat, were they?

Midia the Phantom Illusion.

The most famous devils were Demon Kings, of course. But even generals had names that carried across the land.

Hers was one of the top three most recognized in all of Lazy’s forces. Kik-kik-kik. I’d known of her even before joining the boss’s side.

No clue why a devil of Lust’s Luxeria lineage was serving under Acedia of Sloth.

Even if she wasn’t suited for battle, she could crush ordinary devils with ease. But against a Demon King of Gluttony? No way around it—the matchup was bad.

Midia’s eyes flicked briefly toward the Slaughter Doll looming behind me.

Nameless though it was, that puppet already boasted combat ability far beyond the average devil. Outfitted with the rare gear I’d gathered, it was a one-devil army. Proof of just how absurd its master’s power was.

But Midia quickly turned back to me, her expression flat with disinterest.

"I don’t need weapons. I don’t need treasures. I don’t need dolls, or titles, or rank."

"Oi oi. Then what is it you want?"

"I am Lust. What I desire is only color."

...Well now. Interesting.

With just that one line, I understood. Her Sin ran deeper than mine ever could. While I craved things and power, hers was far darker, far more sinful.

Still, fine by me. Her craving and mine didn’t clash. For now, that was enough.

As business partners, anything beyond that would be unnecessary.

"Our desires don’t conflict, then. Fair enough. I’ll take you at your word. Getting stabbed in the back would be the lamest ending imaginable."

Had to nail that down.

In devil armies, allies could turn enemies at the drop of a hat, just from colliding wills. Kik-kik-kik. And Midia was the one devil who had opposed me joining the army till the very end. You can never be too cautious.

Not that she could beat me in a straight fight. Not when I had Demon King–class weapons at hand.

But still—she’d better show me what she’s really capable of. If she could declare she’d take on a Demon King herself, she had to have terrifying strength indeed.