The Prince of Sloth [DxD]

The geography of the Underworld is a very complicated subject.

'Not really, it's more like the lack of information to properly carry out an in-depth study being the problem than the subject itself being that complicated…'

While the earliest known maps of the planet Earth can be traced back to 600 BCE, created by the Babylonians, it wasn't until the age of exploration; the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries AD; that more accurate maps of the World started to emerge. Even if those maps weren't very accurate, humans had to be commended that they were able to put a rough sketch of their planet and landmasses on paper back when satellites weren't even a concept in people's imagination and the masses believed their land to be flat and Earth to be the center of the Universe.

'May Belphegor bless people like Pythagoras, Aristotle, Copernicus, and Galilei who proposed the Heliocentric model, even if they were condemned for it… Now that I think about it, maybe I should go and meet these legends like Copernicus and Galilei… wonder what they have been up to for the past three to four centuries after they lost their humanity and became Devils?'

Speaking of the Devils, they have been quite underwhelming when it comes to exploring unexplored and uncharted lands.

Despite having advanced scientific technology and a magical background, their lack of achievement in Cartographing the realm they live in, despite hundreds of thousands if not millennial years of existence is obviously a sign of either their laziness & lack of interest in exploring unchartered lands, or simply a sign of their incompetence.

To this day, the people of the Underworld have not completely charted the geography of the first level of Hell, there are still large areas in the Underworld, large country-size or perhaps even continent-size land masses that they know nothing about.

Granted, the Underworld has a much larger landmass to chart compared to Earth because of the absence of Ocean bodies, but Devils have Magic, and they have wings. Something like completely mapping the geography of the realm they live in shouldn't be too difficult with the use of Magic. Of course, it might take a thousand years to complete that project (not really if some actually dedicate themselves to the task), but so what? They have a life span of almost forever; a thousand years in a forever isn't that big of a deal, and the benefits outweigh the effort. They would have access to all the resources hidden in the gigantic landmasses of the Underworld!

Who knows, perhaps resources as valuable as the ones found in the floating city of Agares might be found in some other area as well during the exploration.

While it's true that much of the Underworld is barren and uninhabitable because of the extreme weather conditions, overflow of miasma, which is poisonous to most living beings even in the Underworld, and the dangerous demon beasts that cause can riots and quite a bit of damage to the people and property if they are carelessly touched, there is still a strong possibility of finding valuable resources that can be used to raise the level of civilization.

But then again, the population currently residing within the Underworld is able to fully sustain itself with the resources currently in their possession; so, there is no need to venture to the unexplored lands. There is also the possibility of Devil higher-ups thinking of the bigger picture. Unlike the humans on Earth, they might be preserving the resources for future generations or perhaps for their own future which might come at some point during their 'forever-long lifespan.'

Who knows… it's difficult to know what the old Devils have been planning and doing for thousands of years.

'Well, at least we know that the Underworld is not spherical, it conforms to the flat earth theory… Knowing this, flat earthers can be happy that their lifetime of effort and belief wasn't completely stupid and illogical. Even if Earth is not flat, at least, the Underworld is…'

The flat Underworld theory was confirmed by a certain pair of reincarnated Devils named Copernicus and Galilei, and for a while, both of them were condemned by the masses for their publications.

'Oh, the irony…'

According to Copernicus and Galilei's findings, unlike the Human Realm, the flying ships do not disappear hull-first over the horizon; they remain visible as long as the eyes can perceive them, and it is impossible to come full circle back to the starting position by walking in a certain direction, at a certain point, one will reach the edges of the Underworld, and if they continue to walk further, they will fall down to a lower level of Hell.

Not just the Underworld, but the same theory applies to eight of the nine levels of hell except the last, the Cocytus which seems to be an infinite frozen land.

'An infinite frozen land mass, huh? Perhaps beyond that infinite land is the true 'edge' of the world. Wonder if the Big G from the Bible sealed 666 beyond this infinite landmass…'

Shaking his head, Seir decided to put aside the book detailing the Geography of the Underworld on the square coffee table and spoke to the maid, "Élise, my throat is running dry, can you bring me some Blue juice?"

"Of course, my Lord. I shall bring you some Blue juice right away…" responded Élise with a respectful acknowledgment of Seir's request, then turned around and left.

As the maid went to fetch him the Blue juice, Seir looked through the Window. Contrary to the scenery he has been used to seeing, today the scenery was different, and it was changing at a very fast pace. The reason for such a change is that currently, he is not at the Belphegor Castle, rather he is sitting in one of the seats of his family's Stretched Luxurious Limousines as it is traveling to Agreas, the Floating City in the Agares Domain.

The House of Belphegor owns dozens of Limousines, and while none of them are as long as the one and only American Dream, there are quite a few Stretched Limousines that one wouldn't see too often on the Roads of the Underworld, and certainly not the Human Realm. Moreover, every Limousine is as luxurious as the most Luxurious Private Jet and equipped with every facility that might be of use during travel. One might actually wonder how a dozen-meter-long Limousine would be able to fit everything inside it, but with the help of Space Expansion Magic, every impossibility becomes a possibility.

Seir, who is not used to such luxurious cars actually feels somewhat overwhelmed by sitting inside the Limousine.

'I guess, I will have to get used to being that filthy rich young master thing… a change I would happily adapt to… Young Master Seirios Vandegor Belphegor… sounds lame though.'

In fact, owning dozens of the most luxurious Limousines in the Underworld has no point. Most of them are never even used and are just used as Showcase pieces that his father likes to brag about. They are just part of Roygun's Limousine collection and a sign of the House of Belphegor's immense wealth, nothing more, nothing less.

'Sometimes, showcasing wealth is also part of being a noble…'

Such things become all the more important when you have the authority, territory, military, and wealth as great as that of the House of Belphegor. Not talking about other things, the size of the Belphegor Domain alone is second only to the four Domains ruled by the Four Great Maous and the Domain of the House of Bael.

On that note, the House of Bael as the Great King House has the largest domain in the Underworld, it is even larger than the individual Domains ruled by the current four Maous. Comparing the size of the Bael Domain to the landmasses from the Human Realm, it is as big as the North American continent, which is very big compared to the Domains of other noble Households.

For comparison, the size of the Domain of the Ducal House of Gremory is only the size of Honshu from Japan, which is nearly 108 times smaller than the size of the North American continent. So, the difference in the size of the two Domains is quite apparent.

In reality, the Bael Domain—or the Great King Domain, as many devils prefer to call it—was not always this expansive. Historically, the largest domain was unquestionably the Lucifer Domain, so vast that it required the combined efforts of the Six Houses of Lucifer to govern effectively. Following the Lucifer Domain, the Beelzebub Domain ranked as the second largest, with the domains of Leviathan and Asmodeus coming next. After those, the territories of Mammon, Belphegor, and Abaddon followed in size, with the Bael Domain ranking behind them all, and then came the House of Naamah, Igrat, Eisheth Zenunim, some of the other Extra Demon Houses alongside the remaining 71 pillars.

However, the extinction of many pillar Houses and extra-demon houses during the Great War, and the Civil War changed everything. Although many pillar houses were damaged to the brink of extinction, their territories and common folks living in those territories remained. Among the extinct pillars, many houses had their territory on the East side of the inhabited regions of the underworld occupied by the Devils, since those regions were close to the Bael Domain, they were put under Bael's control following the conclusion of the Civil War.

This redistribution of territories following the Civil War led to the House of Bael becoming the absolute overlord of the East.

'Overlord of the East, huh? No wonder the area of influence of Bael in the human world is also on the Eastern countries…'

"My Lord, here you go, the Blue juice," Élise announced softly while carrying a tray adorned with a single glass containing a blue liquid. With graceful poise, she placed the glass delicately before Seir, and added with a gentle smile, "Freshly prepared for your refreshment."

"Thank you for your hard work, Élise…" spoke Seir as he picked up the glass and took a sip of the Blue juice.

"My pleasure, Lord Seir…" spoke Élise with a bow, then returned to her seat.

As Élise retreated, Seir took a sip of Blue juice, and nodded to himself in satisfaction, 'The familiar taste of the Blue juice I am really loving it…'

Putting the glass on the table, he picked up the second book placed before him with the title on the book cover read, 'Basics of Teleportation Magic.'

'Let's see if I can understand anything in this…'

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"Father… I have a doubt…" spoke Seir after approaching the resting area inside the Limousine. Malakarion and Sephie were relaxing here while having tea.

'Jeez, just how many teas do they have every day?'

"Hmm? A doubt?" mumbled Malakarion in surprise as he lowered the Devil's Time Newspaper he was reading and glanced at his son. He noticed the confused expression on his son's face, and questioned, "And what might that be?"

While swirling the teaspoon with her hand, Sephie, who was sitting opposite Malakarion, also glanced at Seir, curious as to hear what his doubt was.

"Father, why are we not using Teleportation Magic to directly go to the Agares Domain instead of going there via this car? If we were to use Teleportation Magic to directly travel to Agreas, we wouldn't be wasting these hours in just… you know, sitting inside this car!" It made no sense to him. The teleportation Magic exists for these sorts of things… to travel large distances in a short time.

'Why would someone even want to use any other means of travel when something as convenient and quick as Teleportation Magic exists!'

Hearing Seir's doubt, Malakarion and Sephie looked at each other as Sephie smiled which seemed to convey, 'I told you our son would ask this question…' Then, took a sip from her teacup, with no intention of interjecting at all. Her meaning was clear, 'since Seir's doubt is from you, you should be the one to tell him…'

Understanding his wife's thoughts, Malakarion folded back the newspaper and spoke to his son, "Have a seat…" to which Seir complied, he sat on the empty chair and put down the book he was carrying on the table.

Malakarion curiously looked at the book, and was surprised to see its title, 'Basics of Teleportation Magic, huh? No wonder…' and glanced at Sephie. The source of the book was undoubtedly Sephie. Without her explicit permission, there is simply no way this book would have managed to find its way into Seir's hand.

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Malakarion picked up the book put on the table by Seir, and while flipping through its pages, he questioned his son, "Seir, do you even understand the content in this book?"

Seir folded his hands, looked at Sephie with a pout, and shook his head with a sigh, "Only a little but… I mean, I understand the characters and what they are trying to say… but I have no clue about the runes, the terminology, the symbols, and magic circles."

Sephie shrugged, "I did tell you that it's too early, you would not be able to do most of the things written in it."

While it is true that the Basics of Teleportation talks about basics, it used terminology, symbols, magic circles, runes, and so much more that he has no knowledge of since it is not part of Demon Tongue; rather, it comes in the domain of Spell Work.

Of course, in comparison to the Demon Tongue, the terminology, symbols, magic circles, and runes used in spell work are easier, but unless someone has studied them, it's very difficult to understand them.

Malakarion put the book back on the table, and while ruffling Seir's hair, he spoke, "Don't be disappointed. In fact, it would have been very strange if you actually understood everything in this book. Before moving on to studying these magics, you need to understand the magical theory that we Devils use. You need to understand the Belphegor Magic Circle and learn quite a lot about the basics of Demonic Power and how magic actually works."

'Isn't it just based on the power of imagination and the consumption of demonic energy? What more is there to figure out?' Seir thought with a slight pout.

As if sensing his unspoken thoughts, Malakarion shook his head and said, "Creating a few basic elemental spells doesn't mean you've mastered the entire Magic System. It simply shows that you've gained a basic grasp of it—nothing more. Our knowledge spans thousands of years... no, perhaps even longer, reaching back to the time when only Angels existed. Over those eons, we've refined our understanding and the Magic System itself countless times. Do you really think mastering a few basic spells qualifies as understanding everything?"

Hearing this, Seir mumbled, "Well, when you put it that way… I guess my thoughts were a bit naïve."

"Exactly," Malakarion said with a smile. "But that's fine—you're still just a young child, after all."

Seir might be capable of using some simple elemental magics quite well, and he might have also succeeded in developing Memorization magic as well as mastering the telekinesis magic, but that does not mean he can understand and interpret Magic from Grimoires without a proper knowledge base, even if that magic is simply based upon the use of imagination and Demonic Power.

"Then, father, can I?" Seir looked at Malakarion with pleading eyes.

Of course, Malakarion understood the meaning behind Seir's pleading eyes, but he hesitated a little and glanced at Sephie, wondering if she was in on this as well, contrary to his thoughts, this time, even Sephie was surprised, and questioned, "Seir, you wish to formally start your Magical education?"

"If possible, mother…" nodded Seir.

"What do you think?" Malakarion asked for his wife's opinion.

Sephie became silent; she seemed to be contemplating whether to allow Seir to start his formal education in Magic or wait until he was old enough to attend the Academy for High-Class Devils. 'The sudden request might be the result of his worries for the Future… Though he has been showcasing promise from the time he was only a few months old, so starting formal magical education at an early age might not be that bad of an idea… but I wish for him to be able to experience his childhood too…' She was in a bit of a dilemma.

After a while of pondering, Sephie finally spoke, "I am not saying that I am giving you the permission, I am only saying that I might… if you fulfill a requirement of mine."

"A requirement, mother? And what is that requirement?" asked Seir curiously.

Sephie explained, "Along with you, quite a few other young children from the High-Class households will also be there to watch the Championship finals… The heiress of the House of Agares, the third son of the current head of the House of Phenex, the second son from the House of Amon… and so on…" She then showed her index finger and added, "Become friends with at least one of them… if you succeed, then we will talk about starting your formal magical education…"

'Huh? Become friends with at least one of the young Devils?' Seir was stunned, 'That's it?' and agreed without any hesitation, "Alright… I will fulfill your requirement…"

The condition to become friends with more young Devils is actually quite simple. Seir didn't even see it as much of a requirement; rather, it seemed more like his mother's way of making sure he didn't grow up lonely without any friends.

'Yes, that's probably what mother is worried about…' Seir thought.

Noting that Seir was serious while agreeing, Sephie was satisfied, "Alright then…"

"Thank you, mother…" Seir was happy and turned to Malakarion.

Malakarion smiled as he spoke, "Since the Lady of the House has given her promise, who am I to oppose her decision? If you complete your mother's requirement, you shall have my approval. I am certain Roygun wouldn't have any objections either."

Seir expressed his gratefulness for the approval, saying, "Thank you, Father…"

Malakarion picked up the folded Devil's Time as he said, "Good luck…"

He was about to go back to reading the interesting article about the latest developments in the field of Mechas, when suddenly Seir stopped him, "Wait, a second, father, you still haven't cleared my doubt from earlier about why we are not using Teleportation Magic to directly go to Ba'al…"

"Oh, right… we got a little sidetracked because of that sudden conversation about your formal magical education, so your doubt from earlier skipped my mind…" apologized Malakarion as he put back the newspaper.

Seir immediately became attentive and looked at Malakarion, waiting for an explanation; he did not want to skip anything, which Sephie found rather adorable.

"Alright then, get ready," said Malakarion, and added in a solemn tone, "The reason why we are traveling via a Limousine instead of using a Teleportation Magic Circles… it is…"

Seir swallowed slightly as he waited to hear the reason, for some reason, the atmosphere in the limo had become rather tense.

"It's because…" continued Malakarion.

"Because?" asked Seir.

"It's because this is your first outing outside the Belphegor Castle walls, so we were hoping to show you around the Belphegor Domain a little bit, after all, you are the heir of the House of Belphegor, you must understand your domain in order to rule it one day in the future. Of course, we are also going to use this opportunity to spend some family time together before going to the Agares Domain… Though, I had hoped for Roygun to be with us as well, but well… it can't be helped, she is already at Agreas preparing for Rating Game, so I suppose we will just enjoy ourselves here before we make our way to the Agares Domain." explained Malakarion.

"Eh?" Seir was stunned. "That's the reason?" The reason, it was so simple was that he couldn't think of it at all. It completely skipped his mind. He was thinking of some serious reason or something that may involve security concerns, a history of conflicts, and so on, but it was just showing him around the Belphegor Domain and spending some family time together.

Noting Seir's stunned expression, Sephie smiled and made sure to burn that image into her memory. Later she would create a picture out of it.

Malakarion asked, "What were you hoping to hear son?"

Seir sighed, "I was under the assumption that perhaps we were not using Teleportation Magic because of some serious reason…"

Sephie's smile suddenly darkened, "What do you mean by 'some serious reason,' son?" and she asked, "Isn't spending time with the family serious enough of a reason?"

Seir hurriedly waved his arm, "Ah, yes, you are right mother, spending time with family is serious enough of a reason… I was just thinking something else in some other context, in short, I was being a little delusional…"

Sephie chuckled and shook her head. She was just teasing Seir. Spreading her arms toward her son, she spoke, "Come here then…"

Seir got up from his seat and went into the arms of his mother. There was no refusing Sephie, and frankly, he did not want to refuse at all. Once he grows up, these things will become awkward and embarrassing, as such, he does not mind enjoying them while he is still a small child.

Unsurprisingly Sephie picked up Seir and sat him on her lap as she continued to have some conversation with Malakarion. From time to time, the couple also included topics that intrigued Seir, keeping him interested in their conversation.

Overall, it was a joyful scene to look at.

On the side, Élise summoned a camera from her personal Dimensional Storage and used it to click the picture of the three Belphegor.

'That's another picture for the Belphegor family album.'

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After spending several days exploring different cities within the Belphegor Domain, the limousine brought Malakarion, Sephie, and Seir to Roygun's personal castle. From there, the family had plans of using a Teleportation Magic Circle to travel from the Belphegor Domain to the Floating City Agreas in the Agares Domain.

As they stepped into the magic circle for teleportation, Sephie explained to Seir, "Normally, direct 'jumps' to Agreas aren't permitted. However, since today marks the final of the Championship season, the servants of Beelzebub and the House of Agares have temporarily lifted the restrictions for special cases and VIPs."

"Are we considered special VIPs?" Seir asked curiously.

Given that they belong to a High-Class pure-blood Devil household, that status should technically make them VIPs, but Seir recalls that in the canon, even Rias Gremory's servants had to travel to Agreas using gondolas. They hadn't been granted explicit permission to use teleportation magic to make a jump to the Agreas, even for their Rating Game match against Sairaorg's servants. If–the princess of the Gremory household and the younger sister of Maou Lucifer–Rias Gremory and her servants weren't special enough to be considered VIPs, he couldn't help but wonder if their family truly qualified for the title.

It wasn't as though Malakarion was the current head of the House of Belphegor, so that didn't make him all that different from Rias Gremory.

"It's because we're the direct family of one of the two finalists. That's why we've been granted explicit permission to make the jump. Well, Roygun also made a special request to Maou Beelzebub so that restrictions can be lifted for us," Malakarion explained.

"Huh? Roygun made the request to Maou Beelzebub?" Seir murmured in surprise.

"She wanted to make sure that you could see the finals directly from the stadium, son," added Malakarion.

"I see," nodded Seir as his thoughts wandered, 'So essentially, it's because Roygun is in the finals of the Championship tournament, and since the Belphegor Domain is quite far from the Agares Domain, my elder sister made a special request to Maou Beelzebub so I could watch her in the finals directly from the stadium, huh? Well, this elder sister of mine, she really dotes on me.'

While Seir was having such a thought, the teleportation magic circle glowed violet, enveloping them in a similar violet light. Seeing the magic beginning to take effect, Malakarion bent down and scooped Seir into his arms, saying, "Well, let me hold you carefully. Since this is your first spatial jump, we'd best not take any chances."

Seir didn't resist as Malakarion picked him up and at that moment, the glow of the magic circle reached its peak.

The last thing Seir saw before they vanished from Roygun's personal castle was the sight of all the nearby maids bowing respectfully as they departed.

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Floating City Agreas, Agares Domain, Underworld

As the violet glow of the Teleportation Magic Circle faded, Seir realized the surroundings had changed. The maids who had been bowing to them moments ago were gone, replaced by his older sister, Roygun, who stood before them with her peerage.

"Father... Mother... Seir... I'm glad you could make it," Roygun said with a relieved smile, happy that they had arrived at Agreas before the start of the finale.

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Author's Note:

That's it for this Chapter. Enjoy reading it.

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