Knowledge is Power
Satan
I know I shouldn't have checked out this many books from the library, but I couldn't help myself. Being able to finally take whatever I want home with me is rather nice. It's not like the library's open 24/7, and I hate being interrupted mid-sentence simply because it's closing time.
Still, I should have at least grabbed a cart or something before I left the house this morning. I barely have enough hands to carry all these books, and my carefully constructed tower is starting to lean precariously in my arms.
"Would you like some help?" The voice briefly startles me, and I almost turn around to snap at them. But then I realize that it's merely Zephyr, and I try my best to calm down. Unlike a lot of people in this dump, their intentions are genuinely kind; I've never sensed any ulterior motives from them, which is a bit strange for a demon, but for some reason it doesn't bother me too much.
I suppose that's why I simply set the pile of books down on the nearest surface and allow Zephyr to grab some instead of accusing them of thinking that I'm weak and incapable of doing something on my own. They're just trying to do their job as our attendant, and I can't fault them too much for that.
Once we enter my bedroom and set everything down properly, I quietly thank them.
"I'm so glad we're finally allowed to use the library now," I tell them. "I mean, technically we already had access to it thanks to Diavolo, but no one would ever let me check out a book until now." I pause, becoming frustrated. "I suppose it's yet another perk of being named one of the Rulers of the Underworld."
"It irritates you, doesn't it?" Zephyr asks. "That people's opinions are as fickle as they are?"
They took the words right out of my mouth. How did they manage to do that?
"Absolutely. Like, why do I need a title to suddenly become good enough for them? It's ridiculous."
"I agree. Unless you need to do business with those people, I'd recommend keeping your distance from them. They showed their true colors before, and they'll do so again in a heartbeat." I sigh. The fact that they're right is irritating, but it's not their fault. It's simply the state of this fucked up society. They're probably still going to talk shit about us, but it'll be behind our backs now.
Which is honestly worse. At least I knew what people thought of me before.
"Still, what matters is that I have access to all their books now," I state.
"You certainly have a good chunk of them," Zephyr replies, glancing at some of the titles. "Interested in curses, are we?" I nod.
"I'm going to read every last one of these texts until I've mastered the most powerful of curses. I want to bring down that smug, arrogant bastard and make him beg me for mercy."
"What did he do this time?" Zephyr's holding back a smile. My tirades against Lucifer always seem to amuse them, and I'm not entirely sure why. It's not like they think I'm being silly; not only will they listen to me rant about him, but they actively ask me questions that take my feelings into account instead of merely brushing them off.
I've always been too scared to confront them about it, though. Something tells me that they're not one to be messed with, and I don't want to be at the end of their wrath if and when they finally snap.
"The other day, he chained me to my bed and spoon-fed me breakfast like I was a stupid baby unable to hold my own utensils. It was embarrassing."
"Did he say why he was doing it?" I have to remind myself that they're not asking because they're trying to justify his actions. It's the only thing that helps me remain calm.
"He said he didn't have a choice, that I'd end up destroying the whole house otherwise. But, if I promised to 'behave myself', he'd let me go."
"And you don't like him telling you what to do."
"Exactly! And then he was all like, 'come on, say aaah' and 'here comes the airplane' and shit! He even pinched my nose to force me to open my mouth! He treated the whole thing like it was a joke!" Zephyr takes a deep breath, appearing to hold back laughter.
"You'll have to forgive me, Satan. My sense of humor tends to go in that direction," they explain, clearly sensing my impending anger. "However, that doesn't excuse what he did to you. You're not a zoo animal, but a fully realized person. He needs to respect that."
I can't go off on them now. They're at least trying to take me seriously. Everyone else would have busted out laughing upon hearing that particular antidote.
"Do you have some spare paper?" Zephyr suddenly asks.
"You know, I'm not sure. Until recently, I've not been able to do much exploring. You can check inside that desk there." I point towards it, and MC walks over and begins opening up drawers. Once they find what they're looking for, they sit down, pull a pen out of their pocket, and start writing.
"What are you doing?"
"It's best to start out with something simple. Once you've mastered the fundamentals--which I'm sure you will in fairly short order--then you can move on to more complex topics."
At first, I'm confused as to what they're talking about. They can be annoyingly vague sometimes.
And then it hits me.
"Are you indulging me?" I ask. The smirk on Zephyr's face as they hand me the now-folded piece of paper answers my question.
"Don't tell anyone. I don't want a certain someone yelling at me about it for hours on end." I'm truly speechless.
"Practice it a few times first, preferably out of the house," they continue. "If any of your brothers get hit with this curse, Lucifer will know you're up to no good, and he'll chain you up faster than you can begin uttering the first few words of it to him." They briefly pause,
'To that effect, when you do finally use it on him, make sure it's when he least expects it. It's not going to work if he can see it coming from a mile away.
I know I look like a starstruck little kid at a candy store at the moment, because I certainly feel like one. I think this is the nicest thing anyone's done for me.
"If you need anything, I'm going to attempt to get in the shower," they call out as they walk out of my room, leaving me standing frozen in shock.
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