Finally, peace. Opera managed to install mortars into the house to get rid of the press, the young master's grades were up, and the mother was satisfied with their 'date' as it were. And now, they finished planning for a day out for Master Sullivan and the rest of the family.
For the next few hours, Opera had the house of peace and quiet … damn it would be boring, but necessary. Their hair was a mess.
Opera walked into the bathroom, looking through multiple bottles. Shampoo, body wash, conditioner, there we go. Opera sat in the tub, washing out the knots on their body as they let the warm water warm the room, thinking back on the day.
Packing lunch, fixing the recently burnt carriage, and finding glasses for both Midoriyas. That last one didn't seem too difficult, except the only pair were in the basement, and Opera had to search for a solid five hours because Master Sullivan forgot where he put them. Also, Izuku seemed to be skeptical about wearing his own, probably remembering that unsavory Amy student that almost blew him up...that boy was a magnet for danger whether he knew it or not.
"No bad thoughts Opera, this is your unwinding time." The butler reminded themself. "Just relax, soak, clean away the impurities of the day, and calm yourself to some earth music." Led Zeppelin was such a tranquil band in Opera's opinion. Their private time would come to an end eventually, so they would take advantage of it as much as possible.
They didn't despise their job, far from it, it just became a little stressful when the young master was always going off on his own. They'd wish he'd use the familiar seal more often, they put themselves in that position for a reason, and as his Butler and Familiar, they were given double the duty to aid him as much as possible.
Inko was much more manageable, being their only source of company when Sullivan was out of the house, still always trying to help out even when they've told her they had it handled. Her son truly emulated his mother, especially in that persistent nature. She needed little looking after, given both her self-isolation to the mansion and her scary episodes of motherly protection.
As for Sullivan themselves … they trusted him. When the time came, as they knew it would, when every drop of blood was shed and they were about to wither away, Sullivan would be there to return the dedication and hard work. That was what it meant to be master and servant after all.
Now then, time for one of their personal favorite hobbies, messing with Kalego. After all, Opera has something on the man that they never had in their relationship before. Bait.
The carriage neared the edge of the town, her nerves flayed. Papa was so insistent on a family outing, she hasn't done anything like this in years! The thought alone both caused panic and regret to fill her, imagining the times she had to work while Izuku needed to focus on school.
Her life was filled with so many failures on her end as a mother, so when Papa came to her, she could hardly find an excuse to say no, even if the crowds that passed by the house still unnerved her. "You sure we'll be undetected with just these glasses alone?" She tentatively asked her Papa.
"Yeah, they work. I've seen them in action a few times before at school, literally nobody recognised Clara for an hour despite her acting like she always does." These things are strong. "It's weird though, I don't think the anti-detection works on me, I was able to notice one of my other classmates before I even knew she wore them."
"That's because most tools that focus on the mind and body are tailored to Demons. As a human you'll be completely unaffected." Papa assured them. "In fact it's the only reason you two can recognise each other now, you never directly saw the other put them on after all." Not recognising her son, that was a nightmare to add to the list.
"That's something to talk about back at the Battler once school starts again. Eiko, Clara, and I are getting close to perfecting the camouflage material … as soon as I justify why to tailor it to people other than Demons." He chuckled. "I was so focused on trying to find ways to not stand out that it completely slipped my mind that it's way too late for that."
"Yes, being One For All brings more attention to you then I was prepared for." She stared just slightly bitter at her Papa. "And for what reason did you have for announcing it to the whole world?"
"What, and not let my cute little grandson not get the credit he desperately deserved? Pish posh." Okay, she would give him credit there, but there was a line that shouldn't be crossed.
"I was never worried about receiving credit, but it is nice to know people appreciate what I've done." Her son gave a small smile. "It's going to be crazy at school. Now I have to worry about people who legitimately think the Calamity Cult's a religious group that worships chaos."
"Hey, look on the bright side, it can't be worse than the cult of numeral 2." Papa waved off.
"Wait, there's a cult that legitimately worships a numeral?" Her baby spoke, somehow looking both disappointed, surprised, and expectant at the same time.
"Oh yes, another first year is a part of it in fact. Gained the Rank of Bet(2), scored second fastest record in the flying race, second in the end of terminus. He's a bit of a weirdo like that." Papa was the last demon to call out other's on being weird. "Well regardless, let's forget school for the moment. Now is the time for-"
"Oh my Devi, it's Lord Sullian!"
"He's really here!"
"Have my baby!"
"Oh, I'm not wearing glasses myself, am I?" He was doing this on purpose. It was that, or her Papa was just a moron. The kindest man she's ever met, but a moron nonetheless. "Hello everyone, how have you all been?" Papa spoke with familiarity. Probably frequently visited this area a lot.
"He's so nice!"
"The greatest guy there is!"
"He's gotta be the next demon king!"
"Seriously, have my baby!"
"We saw the interview! Where's your grandson? Where's One For All?"
"Studying like the good boy he is. We're meeting up at the cafe three blocks down soon." The man lied easily as the people bought it up, now rushing to find the boy. "Heh, suckers. Kind people, but suckers nonetheless."
"Wow, these glasses really do work wonders." She had to admit. "Is that how it's like for you at Bablys all the time? Must be a real handful."
"Oh it is, but for the people who dedicate their lives, the road is never easy-"
"For the students, yeah, they really like him. The teachers like to complain a lot though, mainly because of Kalego. Stolas and Balam are quite fond of him at the very least." The poor man, well at least he has some friends to help him through.
"We're almost starting the second semester. It's almost winter back in Japan." Izuku looked up at the sky. "I could've never made it to U.A with how I was. It literally took going to hell to find some drive in my life. I'd laugh, but it's legitimately the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"Well glad you think so, Izuku-kun. Now then, let's grab you some winter clothing. Oh, that looks like a good store to buy."
"Don't you mean buy from?"
"Tomato tomatish." Ah yes, the quirks of being rich. With Papa's personality, she genuinely forgot that one little detail almost daily. She needed to get out of the house more. Maybe Mrs. Valac and her could have a day out sometime, hopefully without Amaryllis finding out and inviting herself.
"Never thought I'd see a library fused with a clothing store. What even is the similarity?" Izuku idly muttered as he looked around.
"Both try to sell you something that you want, need, or convince you that you want or need." Grandpa shrugged. "All businesses are like that, Izuku-kun. This store just happens to kill two birds with one stone for us."
"Well at the very least this is pointing out to me." He grabbed a very plain looking jacket. "Just write 'Jacket' on the front and I'll be good to go." He would bring back clothing with ironic writing, if it was popular topside (it wasn't, even considering his quirkless status), it was going to be popular here!
"Papa, I'll give you full permission to follow him around all day at school if you don't do that." Mom just didn't understand his sense of humor! "I'll even give you all his baby photos to show during his classes to everyone if you buy something with actual taste."
"Alright, done deal." The man pulled out the most royal and high class looking garb he's ever seen. There was even solid gold on the trims. "Buy this and you'll be the most tasteful one at our school."
"I was wrong, Opera is the only one with taste." A bit rude, but a point made with a little merit.
"Come on guys, I don't need to wear anything too nice or fancy. I stand out enough as it is. The last thing I need to do is have Azz assuming I'm copying his style."
"Not standing out? I haven't even touched the platinum robes yet." Okay, how much bank did Grandpa have to casually spend like that!? "Ooh, how about we get this obedience collar? It helps make Familiars more obedient to their master."
"Isn't Opera our butler? Obedience hardly seems like something he'd ever have a problem with."
"True, but now we can get them to do kitty tricks like a dog, that would be pretty funny." He imagined it, and quickly pushed it away. The butler would probably do it without the collar for shits and giggles.
"As amusing as that might be, why don't we move on to Izuku's new textbooks for now? He has a lot more subjects to cover this semester, doesn't he?" His mother went over an entire list. "The Basics of Magic, Camiden's Biography, The secrets of Magic, The Demon Lord's prophecy's for dummies.."
"Why do they title it for dummies if we're in high school?"
"It screws with Kalego." Ah, that explains that.
"You should be nicer to the man, he works so hard and you just make it harder." Izuku could agree with that, but something was making him side more with his Grandpa in this case.
"Oh come one, I already tripled his original pay. Can't I just have a little fun with him every now and then?"
"Why do you even want to mess with him?"
"The man destroyed my cameras and belittles my whims, I just tend to get so spiteful." Sullivan crossed his arms and lifted a small finger up, placing the books in mid air.
"Hey, is that some sort of anti-gravity spell? You were able to do it without saying anything. You used mental magic for that, right?" Once again, he had Balam-sensei to thank for teaching him about the three classifications of magic. "The main spells I've been using so far have mostly been fire based."
"Yes, elemental magics are easier to master due to them simply moving the fundamentals with energy." Grandpa explained, raising his finger, he pointed at something. "When you get better, you learn the more complex spells that alter the laws of the world itself to your wims, such as Fractal."
A scream came out, a man was floating before being dropped to the ground, pocket notes fell out of his pockets and onto the ground. The owner went up and picked one up. "Sorry sir, I had no idea some of the books might have had magic, the fall must have hurt and … wait, these are the books on the shelves, just shrunk." He glared. "You tried to steal these didn't you!?"
"No." The thief weakly responded.
"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, such a waste of good magic, trying to shoplift this fine establishment." Grandpa chastised the thief. "Border Control will be having words with you." The customers surrounding them noticed the commotion, and began cheering. He didn't know how well Demon Heroism compared to Human Heroism, but it seemed that the general reception was the same at least.
"Wait, I'm getting arrested by Sullivan!? This is the best day of my life! Can I have an autograph." Wow, never before had he seen such a reaction to being captured in all his life … well there was an occasional All Might villain, but those were fanatics in his opinion.
"Wow, Sullivan sure is powerful." Izuku noticed two demon onlookers whispering to themselves.
"Yeah, but why hasn't he become Demon King yet? He's a Tet(9) and could become Yodh(10) anytime he wants."
"And that's our cue to hurry and leave." Their grandpa rushed through buying everything, but he wasn't focused on that. That's the second time he's heard of the Demon King around his Grandpa. What made it so special? Why did everyone revere it so much?
The rest of the day went by fairly quickly, but it was no less fun, especially when he was doing it all with his family. He even managed to grab a few gifts for his friends, most notably an Infinipop for Clara, a Black Goat Notebook for Eiko, and a Anti Drowsy pin he was debating on giving to Picero as a prank.
"Ah, that was fun!" Grandpa cheered, bringing him and his mother into a tight hug as they watched the sunset on a bench, getting a good look over the marketplace and all the civilians casually living their lives.
"Yes, yes it was." His mother admitted, sighing peacefully. "I've stayed inside the house for far too long. The netherworld can be a peaceful place when you know where to look." She turned to him.
"Yeah, it really can be." This place almost seemed perfect to him in some ways, but he knew that it was utterly horrifying in many others. He could achieve his own dream in the netherworld, but Walter Park reminded him of the dark depths this world seemed to hold.
"Izuku-kun? Something the matter?" Grandpa turned to him. This made Izuku recall what Ameri said to him.
"Grandpa?" The question finally bubbled its way to the surface. "What's the role of the Demon King like?"
"What's the role of the Demon King like?" In that instance he was filled with memories, too many of them. Stopping wars, tending to flowers, bringing rivers into existence, arguments, bonds, flames and most of all, those eyes. The eyes and smile of a man who went beyond all existence.
"Let's have a fun night, raising hell in our own way, the really fun way, ya know?" Where did you go, Delikra? Was it all really so much work you just had to leave, and abandon everyone to this existential loneliness?
"Is he okay?" His precious grandson asked his darling daughter.
"I don't know, he's just been sitting there for a full three minutes."
Oops, looks like he was caught daydreaming. Been a while since that happened. "S-sorry, I just didn't expect you to ask me, especially now of all times. I was under the impression you weren't interested in the Demon King, Izuku-kun."
"It's not that I wasn't interested. I guess the idea always seemed silly to me." His grandson shrugged. "Demons seem to live carefree lives all the time. I always assumed that every demon would be too stubborn or rebellious to ever listen to something like royalty." Not an unfair assumption, demons hardly listened to their own parents most of the time, much less any authority. "But everyone keeps talking about the missing Demon King with respect, and they keep mentioning how you're the next in line for the title."
Sullivan leaned back, taking a deep breath. This was going to be a long one. "You know how me, Levi, and Bellial are the three lords. Heroes?" A nod from both the Midoriyas. "That's more of a title than anything else. The only reason people listen and respect us is our ranks. We have no political authority, but we do just overcome everyone else and thus have more power than them. The real political power is the thirteen crows. You've met two of them, remember?"
"Right, Azz's mom with her protitution rings and Ameri's dad with Border Control."
"Prostituion rings?" Inko muttered in disbelief. He guessed Amaryllis never mentioned that in their little Mom Meetings they held sometimes.
"You see, they control portions and industries of our structure. In all seriousness, they're the true judges of this world. And a unanimous vote of all thirteen of them is required to make someone a Demon King."
"So it's a title granted by gaining all their trust? That doesn't sound easy." Izuku shuddered, probably thinking of Henri at the moment. He needed to have words with the man for scaring his adorable grandson. "So the Demon King actually does rule most of the Netherworld?"
Ah, there was the line of thought. The part that made the boy misunderstand the power at hand. "Not most, all." The pair's eyes widened. "You could say the Demon King is the will of the netherworld itself."
"That's just, how does..huh?" Izuku kept stopping himself. "He can't have that much power right?"
"Let's say there are two tunnels. You're in a cave with the entirety of demon kind walking down them. Your group needs to decide how to get through, but you have no clues as to where they end. How would you decide?"
"Majority votes, right?" Inko asked innocently.
"Yes, all demon kind, regardless of side or bias, agree to the right tunnel … and then the Demon King asked them to go straight." He paused for effect, and to catch his breath. "Regardless of how they felt, they would use their bare hands, and dig themselves a tunnel straight."
Izuku looked utterly floored. "He'd just tell them...and they'll just listen?" Sullivan nodded. "And everyone would follow no matter what?"
"Do you know why they call villainous demons Return to Origin?" Sullivan let the silence hangover them for a while. "Because that's how it was back then, when hell was actually hell. Demons rapped, pillaged, killed, all to fill their greedy black hearts with the love or torment and chaos without caring about any living being other than themselves." Izuku-kun and Inko were wide eyed.
"That's … horrible." Inko got out, looking down.
"How could … how could they just-" Izuku-kun looked downright furious and frustrated.
"Then Demon King Delkira came into power, and told all demon kind to live in peace. And despite going against their way of life, and every instinct and rational thought saying no, they listened, because he was King." Another silence. "They grew plants, they built houses, they invented fun games and music." He said. "Tell me, look around you compared to my original picture. What can you tell about the previous King just from the talking and chatter of the people?"
Izuku, still keeping his gaze firmly steeled, looked around and saw the everyday demon folk. The laughter, the joy, the little to no concern about what tomorrow will bring, and his face began to soften. "He seems like a fun guy. Nice, friendly, approachable, someone you can feel comfortable around and just be yourself."
"The man was definitely fun. When he got overwhelmed with paperwork and fell into his evil cycle, his idea of letting off steam was to run to anyone causing trouble and kicking them to the moon." He chuckled, a small tear running down his face.
"Do..do you actually want to be Demon King, Papa?"
"Of course not." He smiled at them. "I'd miss out on spending time with my lovely family." The two hugged him in a tear and warm filled mess. He wouldn't have it any other way. "Besides, I'd just theme it all after Izuku-Kun, theme park and everything."
"You could do all of that right now if I asked." Izuku laughed.
"Are you asking?" He had a million plans lined up already. All that was needed was to pay some construction workers.
"No, but, thanks for the offer." Izuku looked out at the happily oblivious demons in the distance. "So whoever becomes Demon King gets to decide how the world works? How everyone… acts?"
There was something sparking within the boy, something that brought butterflies to Sullivan's stomach. "Yes. To put it simply, to be the Demon King is to be the Netherworld itself."
"It..it sounds so big. It sounds like an impossible task." Despite his words, a smile was growing widely.
"Izuku.." His darling daughter looked at her son.
"I'll do it, then." The world seemed to freeze all around him. "To make the future I want, to reach the hearts of demons, to save everyone, I'll do it." He has a vicious smile that still manages to warm hearts around him."I'll become the Demon King."
"I'm so proud of you, Izuku-Kun." He patted the boy's head. "Let's celebrate your new dream with some ice cream, you guys go ahead and pick some flavors, I'm just going to double check on the shopkeeper and see if they're fine."
Once the duo was far away enough, Sullivan began dialing on his phone at speeds fast enough to bend light itself. "Of all the times you put me to voicemail, you better not choose now you gambling geezer."
"This better be important, Sullivan, I'm playing quintuple or nothing out of some suckers." Belial spoke, annoyed, lazy, and malicious as always.
"I figured it out. Let's make our grandchildren the Demon King!"
"I fold!" Ignoring what was probably the first fold in his entire life, Belial went on. "Alright, I'll get Levi on the line. She was nagging me about her bath bombs yesterday. She'll pick up fast." This was going to be amazing!
Kamui sat close enough to the girls to hear their chatter. Luckily the lovely Eiko and Gaako joined in, as they always did before class. "Press must have been really bad, wasn't it?" Kerori asked the pair.
"Ugh, like you wouldn't believe it." Eiko slammed her head at the desk she was sitting at. "I was ambushed by like, ten different reporters asking me what exactly my 'religion' preaches. That's not even counting the students at Bablys asking if they could join the Calamity Cult like it's some sort of club."
"You're just lucky you're a revolving member, Kerori, we had to invest in cannons. There's no way someone like you would like the attention anyway, right?" Gaako spoke. Ah, he would have loved to have been blasted by those cannons.
"Y-yeah, I would've totally hated it." The shy girl never failed to charm him with her little quirks. "Ah, but isn't the Calamity Cult a club though? I thought Izuku was all about gaining as many friends as possible to spread his brand of helpful chaos?"
"That's not it at all!" Asmodeus shouted from his seat. "Friends are simply-!"
"How does it go, everyone!" Sabnock approached the group with a grin. "Let us all bask in the glory of the Royal One! Soon, it will be the classroom of TWO Demon Kings!" Asmodues proceeded to fling fire at him. "Haha! Your ambition still burns brightly, beta-" Asmodues sent a fist to the man's gut. "Hey! What did I do this time!?"
"You keep interrupting me!" Looks like the pink haired douche was still the same after all this time. "Now then, Friends are simply-!"
"Party time!" Clara shouted as she jumped into the room. "Come on, where is Izuku-kins! We should all be playing."
Asmodeus looked like a tea kettle about to boil. "Friends … are … simply-"
It was then that Midoriya jumped into the room. "I'm gonna become Demon King!" The room was silent for a total of ten whole seconds, a new record by misfit standards, before Asmodeus decked Sabnock in the gut a second time.
"You infected him, you bastard!" Asmodeus kept wailing on the behemoth repeatedly. "All your ranting has brainwashed him into repeating your garbage!"
"He's my rival, of course he wants to be Demon King!" Sabnock spoke tall before falling. "Seriously you've really started to pack a punch."
"Take it easy on him, Azz, this is something I'm actually serious about." Izuku stopped his friend before Asmodeus could begin kicking the man while he was down. "After Walter Park, something just clicked in me. If I want to be the kind of hero that reaches everyone, then I NEED to become the Demon King."
"Oh … I suppose that makes sense …" Asmodeus calmed down. "I hope you're prepared to walk a long road full of danger and chaos beyond what we go through on the daily."
"Our daily life has kind of been an escalating situation. This? This should be just another test to get through." They fistpumped.
"So cool." Kamui heard the majority of the class mutter, including the ladies. Looked like he needed to up his game.
"Honor Student, Danger-Junkie, Deku, One For All, and now Demon King?" Lied spoke with bemusement. "How many titles do you need? You never slow down, do you?"
"Well, as I told a friend once, I never settle for less." Izuku raised his fist in the air. "Go Beyond!"
"PLUS ULTRA!"
"Silence." The class turned, mood ruined with a pout, to Kalego, who walked into the room carrying a large message scroll. "Now then, the staff of Babyls has decided to make a unanimous decision in regards to your progress." He placed the scroll on top of the desk as every single student covered their ears.
"Um guys, what are you doing?" Except for the innocent Izuku, poor kid. The scroll began screaming at the combined volumes of every staff member at once.
"THE STUDENTS OF THE MISFITS CLASS, IN ORDER TO KEEP HOLD OF THE CLASSROOM, MUST REACH DALET(4) BY THE END OF THE YEAR! OR THEY WILL BE, FORCED TO LEAVE THE ROYAL ONE!" The thing screamed out, sound reverberating off the large walls of the room as the class waited for the noise to die down.
"ARE MY EARS STILL RINGING, OR DID IT SAY THE ENTIRE CLASS NEEDS TO BE DALET(4)?" Izuku shouted loudly, ears bleeding just a tad.
"Yes, I believe it just said that." Asmodeus sighed. "Well Royal One was nice while it lasted."
"Don't put us down so fast!" Lied shouted.
"So you have faith that you can actually do it?"
"Of course not, I just don't wanna be dismissed that fast!" They were asking a bit of a tall order.
"I CAN'T READ LIPS, CAN SOMEONE WRITE IT DOWN?" Izuku shouted once again.
"I'll get the bandages." Eiko, who was still in the room, grabbed the first aid kit.
