SSS Demon King System: The Rise of a Dying Extra-Chapter 21: The Truth about the Kaitos Family.

The dim light projected by the spirits allowed glimpsing what, until recently, had remained hidden.

In the painting two people could be observed: a thin man, dressed in a light brown formal suit.

He had a clumsy look and a trembling smile; it was impressive how the portrait seemed to capture his personality.

His silver hair was disheveled, while his green eyes shone.

It was evident he was someone careless, but cheerful.

Lloyd swallowed.

That man must be his father; who else could it be?

But it was impossible.

His father was the mad necromancer Baltazar Kaitos, and that young man didn’t seem so intimidating.

Still, the Kaitos family was characterized by their white hair and green eyes, and it made no sense for that young man to be another member of that family.

Then, his eyes met the other figure in the painting: a tall woman, who held the boy by the arm.

Lloyd noticed her enchanting beauty.

Her skin was white, but not pale, rather with a golden, almost mystical glow.

Her hands were covered by long and elegant black net gloves, which matched her dress.

Her hair was long, straight and, above all, dark: a jet black so intense it recalled a starless night.

Her features were as delicate as her expression; a soft smile and a mysterious gaze.

The iris of her eyes was black, while her pupil shone with a golden color.

Even being a painting, Lloyd could affirm that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Not even the models from his world, even using filters or makeup, could equal a single fraction of that beauty.

"Are those my parents?" Lloyd asked.

He already knew the answer, but wanted Sebastian to start talking.

"Yes, young master," the butler responded, also observing the painting, full of nostalgia. "I suppose the time has come to tell you their story."

The boy nodded and sat on the floor, expectant.

"Well," Sebastian continued. "Your mother, Barbara, was an illegitimate daughter of Nikolai Morfeus, the Demon King of the fifth circle."

Lloyd nodded.

In the novel, at least up to where he had read, no specific demon king was mentioned, though their existence in general was discussed.

The demonic continent had reestablished itself under the rule of nine demon kings, each governing a main sector of the territory.

They were those who had managed to overcome the madness of profane power; some had even managed to restore sanity to others.

Over time, territories governed by these demon kings were established, and new monarchs began to emerge who craved power and control.

The demonic continent became a constant battlefield, with a hierarchy that classified demon kings according to their influence.

Leaving that aside, Lloyd wasn’t surprised that Sebastian had the same surname as his mother.

Unlike humans, only demons of royalty possessed a surname, which they could grant as a title to their most loyal vassals.

That also demonstrated how impressive Sebastian was.

"She had to endure all kinds of contempt for being a half-breed," the butler said.

Lloyd noticed the absence of horns and wings in his mother’s portrait; though those characteristics could be hidden, perhaps she hadn’t even been born with them.

"Unable to bear it any longer, she decided to travel to the central continent, which was a grave mistake. Avalon didn’t treat Barbara well. Those bastards...!" Sebastian continued while clenching his fists furiously. "They kidnapped her and sold her as a slave! And then they dare to call us demons," the old man protested.

A rage that Lloyd shared, as the inhabitants of Avalon always seemed hypocritical to him in that aspect.

"But luckily, she was sold to House Kaitos. At first she was going to be a mere sacrifice to become undead, but your father saved her, even facing his own family," Sebastian explained more calmly now.

Sebastian’s face lit up with pride when mentioning Baltazar’s actions.

Lloyd couldn’t help but share that feeling.

"Over time, they got to know each other better and fell in love," the butler continued. "Meanwhile, a rumor of Barbara’s kidnapping reached the Demon King’s ears, who sent me personally to ’solve’ that problem. I arrived on the continent ready to face the entire kingdom of Avalon if necessary."

Lloyd hunched over hearing those words.

He knew that, although it was impossible for Sebastian to emerge victorious, the confidence with which Sebastian said it demonstrated his enormous power; he surely would have caused much havoc.

"However, I found that Barbara was perfectly fine, which made me very happy. What happened next you can imagine: the Kaitos family expelled Baltazar, sending him here with the mission to conquer Kokytus. But even in exile, their love continued to fuel their happiness. I myself decided to stay with Barbara, moved by their love. But well..." Sebastian bit his lip; what followed was too cruel to tell a child.

Then, a groan of pain interrupted him: Lucia had awakened.

***

Lloyd was uneasy. First the revelation about his family, then Lucia’s threats.

She was still writhing on the floor, hurling curses at both of them.

It was she herself who revealed the harsh truth to him: his father hadn’t ignored him for eight years... in reality, he was dead.

Officially dead at least.

Baltazar had disappeared in the abyss of Kokytus and after eight years, it was very logical to think he had died.

Lucia had been sent to the mansion incognito.

Her mission was to watch Baltazar’s heir, because if Lloyd died, control of the territory would pass to her contractor: Bernard Sargas.

Lucia hadn’t said that as a confession, but as a mockery.

She knew the information was easily deducible, and enjoyed mocking, aware they would send more assassins after them: more skilled, more dangerous.

Sebastian was strong; perhaps he could resist a few years under that constant threat.

But there would come a time when he’d lower his guard, and then Lloyd would be lost.

That’s how dangerous the assassin guild was.

Of course Sebastian could go and assassinate Bernard if he wished, but that wouldn’t change anything.

Not only Bernard wanted Lloyd dead: it was the entire dark society.

If Sebastian did it, he would only endanger the boy, both by leaving him defenseless and by the possible legal consequences of his servant’s actions.

Lloyd was cornered.

Until now, his illness had also been his shield: the fact that he could die of natural causes saved the dark society work.

However, Lloyd was resisting the illness too much, they were getting impatient.

That’s why they had sent Lucia: if he took too long to die, she would speed up the process.

However, Lloyd had survived. He had defeated Lucia.

And that made him a serious problem.

It was a difficult situation.

Even Sebastian was worried.

The most sensible solution was to flee, take what was valuable and return to Avalon.

But Lloyd knew they couldn’t do it.

Without his father, the law forced him to remain in Cocytus until conquering the abyss.

If they fled, they would be fugitives.

Sebastian wouldn’t mind escaping to the eastern continent, or even returning to the demonic continent.

But that idea didn’t please Lloyd at all; it limited him too much.

And it was then, right then, when Lloyd came up with the brilliant idea of faking his own death.