Different Underworld II

In order to solve our doubts, I called someone from the crowd... it was a devil walking by with his hands inside his pockets.

"Hey, you, come here" I released a bit of my aura and that was enough, his whole countenance changed like he just saw a ghost, or worse... a dragon.

"Y-Yes! s-sir can I help you with anything?" He bowed in front of us frantically.

"It is our first time here in the underworld, could you tell us who this person is?" I pointed at the statue.

"First time?" His eyebrows furrowed and I detected suspicion, apparently, he doesn't believe my statement.

"Why are you looking at us suspiciously?" the more information I got, the better.

"No reason-"

"Tell me the truth, mortal!" I pressed him, that was all he needed to succumb.

!!!

The devil became small in front of me and began speaking with a voice of a mosquito.

"I can hear you! speak louder!"

"I'm sorry! It's because there is no one in this world that doesn't know Lady Calliope! even outside of the underworld! I thought... wealthy figures such as yourself would have known" His gaze drifted to our golden clothes and even Grayfia's silver hair was giving him hints.

"Who is she?" I repeated the question, Grayfia was beside me, listening attentively to anything the devil said.

"She's the one that finished the civil war between the old satan faction and the anti-satan faction singlehandedly... s-she saw both parties weren't reaching an agreement even before her royal presence and so... she slaughtered Damaidosu Asmodeus and Zekram Bael. Both of them -two of the strongest devils of each party- couldn't hold a candle against her. Everyone in the underworld at that time witnessed it, my grandfather did... sadly, I wasn't born yet"

!!!

"W-What?!" Grayfia's hand rested on my forearm, I could feel her shivering in disbelief.

"After doing that... both parties finally came to an agreement, four new satans were chosen. Lady Serafall, Lord Sirzechs, Lord Falbium and Lord Ajuka... they pledged themselves to Goddess Calliope. But her ambitions were far from finished... without even taking an army... merely with the four satans behind her she set off on an excursion... her power was devastating... my grandfather still tells me those stories... how the world shook with each of her steps. The Shinto faction, the Olympians, the Nordics, the Hindu... none of them could do anything. She took their Gods hostage into the Underworld as a sign of servitude and magnificence. She then went to the heavens, it is not clear what details she discussed with Archangel Michael... but the angels surrendered and then the fallen... in less than a year... Lady Calliope literally conquered the world!"

I don't know who this Calliope is, but... I want to meet her. Grayfia's countenance told me that what this 'Goddess' did was not an easy feat.

"T-Then..." She asked.

"That's all."

"What do you mean that's all!?" She yelled, making the devil fall on his knees as everyone around us began to retreat, her freezing aura was leaking, and I had to embrace her, "Why are there fallen angels and angels walking all around in the underworld!?"

"Ah... that's... because the conservative devil faction allows them to do so... initially they were the devil's slaves, but the conservative devil faction led by Lord Sirzechs Lucifer and Lady Serafall Leviathan approved a law for them to be free within the territories belonging to the faction. The Lucifuge Territory is one of them" He stated all those things matter-of-factly and then said something that made even me chuckle.

"Leaving aside the sir by our side, ma'am is clearly from the Lucifuge Clan, right? could it be that the distinguished ma'am has been living under a rock?"

"You!-" She lifted her hand with twitched eyebrows and produced a golden frozen icicle, we all know how this is going to end.

I sighed and stood in front of her.

"You can be on your way, lad"

"Thanks, sir!"

"One minute... let me ask you a question" Grayfia wasn't done yet, she calmed down and pointed towards her father's statue.

"Please ask, ma'am..."

"If this is the Lucifuge Territory, then... does that mean that the Lucifuge Clan still stands? Is Lord Lucifuge... alive?"

"Naturally, the Lucifuge Clan still thrives as one of the 72 pillars... although... there are currently just two members left... I am afraid. Lady Fia and Lady Layla. Lord Lucifuge died a hero, having surrendered to the anti-satan faction, this was even before Lady Calliope manifested herself".

Grayfia's countenance fell slightly as if she was already expecting that.

The devil regarded her deeply before his eyes shone, perhaps due to her golden strands of hair and attire, he hadn't noticed, "Could it be... L-Lady Grayfia?"

"... you can leave, thanks for your information" Grayfia didn't acknowledge anything, she took my hand and began pulling me away.

The devil bowed towards us, only leaving his gaze on Grayfia's body for a while before leaving with hurried steps, I think he has got his answer.

"What's on your mind?"

"Before I left... father was heavily injured... I betrayed the house of Lucifuge after the incident. Sirzechs convinced my father to give up in a battle against Lord Asmodeous. My father requested that he destroy the Lucifuge Clan which was allied to the old-satan faction. I opposed, desiring to save my Clan... I only hoped that my father would have been saved somehow. If only my mother and sister remain. Does that mean... that my little brother, cousins, uncles... aunts, did they all die?" She was at the border of tears, as I expected... the Heart Lineage couldn't have plundered everything.

I embraced my apostle against me tightly. Could I understand her pain and feel empathy? I don't know... it was so long ago I lost my family, but... perhaps it feels just how I felt when I lost Monique.

She sobbed on me for a while before resolving herself.

"Conservative Devil Faction... Richter-sama! let's go to my home... I need to ask my mother a lot of questions!"