Welcome back folks to chapter two for the King of Hell. I hope that you are enjoying the story so far, I have it plotted out to the end so every other update will be an update for this story until it is finished. I really like this story and what I have planned for it so it will be fun to run it out as quickly as possible.
A review by ThunderBasilisk said: Liking this story so far. Can't wait to see how he works his magic further.
My response: I am really happy you like it. I am going to be expanding some on his magic in the next chapter as well as the upcoming chapters as he grows. Some of it is inspired by the capabilities Minato had in Naruto, but a lot is not. Really a special thanks to Lupa for some of the ideas for his magic actually.
This will actually be something of a shorter chapter as it focuses primarily on something of an inciting moment for Minato. Not a whole lot of time needs to be spent on that in my opinion. However it does need to be shown.
Alrighty if anyone wants to talk at me directly don't feel afraid to direct message me. Also if you want to join one of the discord servers I am involved with then I can drop you a discord link through direct message as well.
On to the story then.
King of Hell
Chapter Two
Bought and Paid For
Minato had thought that returning to his normal life as a servant to his clan after the Bael party would be a good thing. Perhaps that he would at least enjoy getting out of the stuffy clothing and away from the curious eyes of other nobles from across the underworld.
Instead he had been disappointed. A tiny traitorous little part of his heart actually wished his parents would change their minds upon their return home. Maybe restore him to his old room and status. He did all he could to snuff that little ember of hope and desire down.
It felt as if he spent all day silently telling himself to recall his place in this world. He was a servant. He would always be a servant. His mother and father had decided upon that and his lack of gifts had enforced it.
For some reason he couldn't snuff his desires out though. Even as he made use of himself as a servant as he was commanded, he continued to work tirelessly in practicing with his magic. A minute little example of rebellion against the fate that had been dictated to him.
That meant he returned to his private studies of magic and demonic power. He devoured all he could and practiced in every moment that he was free. Of course that had led to a couple of hidings from his superiors among the servants when he'd accidentally caused a mess or broken something.
Learning that condensing his demonic power down to practically the level of atoms and directing it at something was an excellent way to destroy something outright. As well as nearly commit suicide. Punishments for suddenly blowing apart a tree or a door were swift and brutal and Minato had to take small reprieves from his secret training whenever he'd done so as he needed to rest his body from the damage done both by himself and his superiors.
Luckily the servants seemed to believe any infraction he committed would lead to punishments upon the entire staff. He couldn't deny the possibility. His father and mother loved to make examples whenever they were trying to get a point across. Forcing everyone to be responsible for the actions of one individual helped keep them all in line as they enforced the rules upon each other.
He had to admit it was an effective system even if he felt it unjust. After all the thought of his actions leading to punishments for some of the kind maids and servants that cared for him all this time sickened him.
Despite all this he couldn't bring himself to stop in his experimentation.
Sadly there was only so much he could do while both limited in his position within his clan and his need for secrecy. He was certain his mother and father would not approve of their cast off child developing any sort of real power. Too much of a risk to the future unmade heir of the vaunted Phoenix family.
So here he was. Once more frustrated by the concept that perhaps he was limited to only what was already made. His compression technique was something he'd never heard of others using but while it could have interesting effects on spells when used together he couldn't help but feel he was limited or forgetting something.
It definitely did not help matters that he was more or less restricted from experimenting with combinations of anything but the most basic of magical spells.
Frustration filled him as he looked around to make sure no one was around before summoning up his demonic power and compressing a tiny amount down as tightly as he could and converting it into a water spell. The little jet of water came out like an incredibly powerful pressure washer.
He hoped that it would clean off the spot he'd been scrubbing at for over half an hour. It did, however it left in its place a hole the size of a coin that not only burrowed deeply into the stone of the wall, but all the way through to the point that he could see outside onto the grounds beyond.
Rapidly looking left and right he stood and fled from the area at a brisk walk doing his absolute best to look as though he had done nothing wrong. That sort of thing would get him all manner of punishments from his fellow servants and as terrible as it was he hoped that perhaps it would simply be missed long enough for the others to forget he had been working to remove a spot on the wall there.
As he fled though he managed to plant himself into a much worse situation then essentially cleaning a literal hole in the wall. Turning a corner he collided face first with his mother sending both himself and the woman sprawling onto the floor. Or at least he would have had she not been caught by his father and righted.
Staring up in mild horror Minato couldn't look away from the heated glares of the two of them. At least not until he noticed there was in fact a third person with them. A familiar man that stuck out among their clan quite easily. His coloring was far from the ubiquitous blonde hair and blue eyes of the Phoenix.
"Forgive my servant, Lord Bael. I assure you it will be punished appropriately." Monsgard said while turning his cold blue eyes on to his former son.
"Hmm, correct me if I am wrong, but isn't that your son? He is your heir, yes?" Bael asked as he stared down at Minato with a blank and carefully masked expression.
"Unfortunately so." Monsgard replied with clear distaste and shame. He looked as though he had licked the most sour lemon in the world as he admitted to it as well.
"Unfortunately? Is that why he is dressed as a servant? He's some kind of undesirable for you, Monsgard?" Zekram asked.
The Phoenix head frowned even deeper. Admitting the issues around his current heir was not something that was easy for one as prideful as Monsgard Phoenix. Especially to one like Zekram Bael who was held up as the highest among the Pillar family clans. The only one among their number treated with the respect that the four Maou gave to the elite clans and their own descendants.
"Minato was born deficient. He knows his place but is still adjusting to it clearly." Monsgard said while shooting a look down at his son.
"Get up off of the ground already, child." Yallara scolded her son.
Minato scrambled to his feet and assumed a respectful and rigid posture as he stood aside against the wall of the hallway while still trying to disappear as much as possible. Of course that wasn't going to work but deep inside it was suddenly all he could wish for.
"Deficient. He didn't inherit the gifts of your clan. What a shame. It does happen sometimes though. At least he seems to take his role seriously. That should be praised. It was him that I recall seeing at my party recently helping my staff with their tasks, after all." Zekram said before reaching out toward Minato and laying a hand on his head.
Minato fought back the flinch form the man's movement but once his hand made contact with the top of his head Minato felt the tiniest wave of demonic pressure swirl over and around him. His hair stood on end for an instant and then the feeling was gone. Just as Zekram withdrew his hand.
He did not however withdraw his gaze. Unreadable violet eyes stared down at Minato similar to how one might appraise a valuable object. It sent a shiver down his spine.
"Monsgard, what do you plan for him in the long run?" Zekram asked the other lord, causing both Phoenix nobles to pause a moment as they processed the man's words. Thoughtful looks ran between the pair before Monsgard cleared his throat.
"Well, while I have placed Minato here under the supervision of our staff to learn to be properly humble it has become my intention to retain Minato as a member of my clan's main household. He will one day advise, protect, and support my future heir. Barring that he will remain as my heir himself until a more fitting candidate is made apparent." Monsgard said, and Minato swore he almost caught a roll of Zekram's eyes from his father's words.
"I see, so then he is quite valuable to you and the future of your clan?" Zekram asked.
"Yes, after all should our heir be a girl, Minato's expansive reserves of demonic power would prove to be a perfect match for her. Their children would be more likely to inherit both the gifts of our family and such large reserves." Yallara replied.
Minato frowned as his parents both spoke of his importance to the clan and family. Plans for his future, a possible marriage to a younger sister that was not even conceived of yet, and sudden respect for his one apparent genetic gift. It was all a far cry from the near execution they planned on giving him at a whim.
"So you could sense the massive reserves the boy will have one day. I would call you a fool if you hadn't. I've only seen reserves of that size in children his age among the Maou families themselves. It truly is a tragedy that he lacks your family gifts. Such power would have catapulted your family up the social ladder effortlessly. He's already like a prized stallion with what he possesses now." Zekram said as he turned away from Minato fully to face his parents.
"We are quite proud of him despite the disappointments that his birth also presented." Yallara easily lied.
"I'm sure. Now let us cut to the chase, I have plans this evening. I want your son as my private servant. I'm willing to pay for it and to sign a contract aligning our clans closer together." Zekram said without emotion catching all of them off guard.
"You want to buy me?" Minato asked with some horror bleeding into his voice.
"Of course I do. With proper training you will make an excellent tool and assistant. Perhaps even the head of my household staff. It would be quite the benefit for your family in all honesty." Zekram responded as he raised an eyebrow and clearly made his impatience known toward Monsgard and Yallara.
Minato fought back tears as his parents clearly looked interested at the prospect. After they had planned to kill him before he had thought such a thing wouldn't hurt but somehow he was wrong. Being treated like little more than property to be sold off made him sick to his stomach but he didn't dare so much as twitch. If he interrupted the upcoming negotiations for his own purchase then he doubted very much that he would be allowed to eat tonight, and that was if they didn't want to beat him senseless for insulting them in front of Lord Bael.
"Let's retire to my study and discuss terms, shall we?" Monsgard asked.
"Of course. Lead the way." Zekram replied.
"Minato, go and wait in your quarters. We'll send someone to collect you once we've finalized our terms." Yallara said in the sweetest voice she'd used with him since he was three years old.
"As you wish." He breathed out shakily.
As he began to walk off, he froze for a moment as Zekram seemed to pause beside the tiny hole that Minato had made earlier. He'd forgotten about it until just now. The head of the Bael clan said nothing though, simply staring at the hole for a moment before turning to stare at Minato once again with those unreadable eyes of his.
The young blond didn't wait around any longer. He raced back to his quarters at the fastest pace he could while still remaining respectful.
The discussion lasted around an hour. The price of his life was found and finalized in less time than it took his mother and father to enjoy a meal.
"At least I can say I'm not worthless in their eyes anymore." He darkly commented to himself as he packed the sparse few belongings he had for himself. A notebook that he recorded his experiments with his demonic power in, a novel that his mother had once read to him when she still thought of him as a possible heir. A few articles of simple clothing. Nothing else. No other mementos or precious items he could call his own.
Zekram himself wasn't there to collect him. Instead it was a plain looking devil wearing a butler's uniform with the Bael family crest stitched into the breast pocket. He imagined the man might have been one of the ones he had worked with the other night during the party. Sadly, Grayfia had taken his attention too much and he couldn't recall if he had or not.
It didn't matter though. The butler made it plainly obvious he was not there to converse with Minato only to escort him to where he was to be staying.
That of course was the first of the confusing turns of events for the child. He wasn't led to servant's quarters or a shack on the property. He wasn't even taken to some hidden corner as he had seen a few nobles assigned to their servants.
Instead he was brought to a sizable but plain room. A utilitarian bed, some bookshelves, a desk, and a few other decorations filled the space. This wasn't the room of a servant. It wasn't exactly the room of a lord either, but it was definitely far more than he had become used to.
"Lord Bael will retrieve you himself in approximately one hour. Put away your belongings and familiarize yourself with your room. You will not have time afterwards from what the master has explained to me." The butler said crisply before closing the door and retreating down the hall.
Minato nodded, even though the man was gone. He slowly put his clothing away in the chest at the foot of his bed before putting his other belongings on the desk. He wondered if he could get away with placing some of the security spells and wards he had managed to glean from his sneaking of Phoenix family books in the library back home.
Home.
He supposed that the Phoenix estate was no longer his home. His connection to his old clan was gone and for good. He existed merely as a tool in the service of Lord Bael now. That was as frightening as it was interesting once he began to think about his situation a bit more clinically.
If he wanted to establish his own freedom and liberty from the hand dealt him at birth, Minato really doubted he could have done better than becoming the servant to Zekram Bael himself. Whatever the real reason for his interest in Minato, Zekram would no doubt desire for a powerful asset rather than a weak one.
That would work in Minato's own benefit as well. He just had to be careful not to step on the toes of his new master otherwise he might find the fuse for the man's temper even shorter than his own family's. If that was the case he could easily experience the legendary power of destruction first hand.
Not something he was willing to learn about. At least not in that fashion.
As his mind wandered and he pondered the exact plans and reasoning of his new owner, Minato quickly lost track of time. The minutes became an hour and almost on the dot a sharp knock yanked the boy from his thoughts and over toward the door to his room.
Unsure as to what to say, simply saying 'who is it' felt foolish, Minato stood in place and stared at the door in trepidation.
Thankfully he didn't stare long as the door swung open and Zekram himself stalked in with a swagger and confidence only those of immense power both personally and politically could hope to possess.
"You didn't respond when I knocked, boy. From this point on you will call out if I come to your room like that. Understood?" He asked not even bothering with a greeting.
"Yes, Lord Bael." Minato quietly said.
The man stared down at Minato for a moment before scoffing. He seemed displeased with something though Minato couldn't say what it was. It did worry him a bit though. Buyers remorse in this situation would lead directly to his very untimely demise.
"Follow me, we have things to do and matters to discuss." Zekram commanded before pivoting and striding from the room.
Minato had to jog to catch up to him.
They walked in silence for some time. Minato was more or less fine with that. He was unbothered by silence for the most part, which surprisingly seemed to please the older man. It was a bit hard to tell but already he was starting to get a feeling for the personality of his new master.
Zekram Bael was a powerful man that knew precisely what he wanted and precisely how to get what he wanted. Furthermore he was a bit eccentric, at least only in that while most devils made great shows of their capabilities or bragged openly on their achievements and status. Zekram had no need. He had no interest in such actions either.
It was interesting to see how that could all be expressed by a man simply walking down the halls of his own home in absolute silence. Still Minato felt he could read the man relatively well, at least in that regard.
Like with all others who met Zekram Bael, Mianto was at a loss as to what was happening in that head behind those cool violet eyes though.
"You take silence well and know how to be patient and attentive." Zekram suddenly said, nearly causing Minato to trip up after having grown used to the silence.
"You will need some more work on attention after all it seems." The Bael said simply before opening a final door and leading Minato into a massive grove of trees.
"I have no doubt you are still confused as to why I would want to purchase you from your family. I have no actual interest in making you the head of my household staff. I have people who have served me since the start of the Great War, and you would never compare to their loyalty or dedication no matter how strong I make you in the coming years. That leaves us with no reason as to why I would have an interest in you at all though, doesn't it."
"Yes Lord Bael." Minato replied quietly following along as the man spoke.
"Hmm, from now on you will call me simply sir, or master. Lord Bael gets quite tiresome on the ear after hearing it from everyone all day everyday for centuries." Zekram said before stopping suddenly.
"Minato, can you guess why it is that I purchased you from your short sighted parents?" Zekram asked.
The boy stared up at the man before slowly shaking his head. "No, Lord- No sir."
"I wouldn't expect you to. You're a child Minato, but one that is placed in a very unique place. Your clan disowns you, yet you have the potential to grow beyond anything that they were capable of to begin with. Do you know why that is?" Zekram asked.
"Because of my reserves of demonic power?" Minato asked.
"No. That will undoubtedly help you, but it has nothing to do with what will make you exactly what I have been looking for. It's something that isn't tangible or measurable at all. Something an incredibly small amount of our race can even pretend to comprehend. Something you have in spades and share with the handful of devils that I will openly admit that I admire more than any other." Zekram spoke with a tone that drew Minato in like no other had before. It was impassioned and earnest. Far from the enigmatic and businesslike man that had interacted with his parents.
"You remind me of them a bit. Not as much as you might hope and not in any way that's initially obvious, but I can see it. You are so much like the first four. Our true founders. The first Maou." Zekram said with a small wistful smile on his face.
"What?" Minato asked with a gasp. He almost felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. No one had ever told him he was worth anything more than that of a loyal servant and tool for his clan after all.
"You really are. It has nothing to do with power or ability. It's all about intent. An intent that you practically radiate. A desire that is so potent that even your imbecile parents should have felt it. We are devils after all. Desires are our driving force. The thing that breathes energy and life into our souls. Your desires are palpable to me, Minato. I doubt you even truly understand them though. Which is fine. You're still very young. You'll come into your own under my tutelage. I promise that much to you at least." Zekram said before motioning for Minato to stand across from him in a small green clearing.
"Now, I am not going to bother with a lot of preamble beyond what I've already said. I can sense the amount of work you've already begun putting in. I won't punish you for exploring magic like your family might have so, I want to know all of what you can do and what exactly it is you did to make that little hole in the wall back at the Phoenix estate. No secrets." Zekram commanded.
Minato stared up at the man across from him for some time. He felt as though he was in some kind of dream almost. He didn't want to wake up. It might have been childish or naive to trust the man from a simple speech but truly what did he have to lose from giving his all to his master?" The man was offering him a way to attain his desires and at the moment he only felt one desire deep inside himself.
He wanted power, strength, respect. He wanted the freedom that Zekram Bael flaunted so casually. He craved it with all of his being.
So he told the man everything and began his journey as the apprentice to Zekram Bael himself.
And that is a wrap. Short I know. Next chapter we will see more of Minato growing his magic under Zekram's tutelage. Minato is a special little snowflake in his own way and with his own capabilities. I have a lot planned in that regard.
Anyway
Till Next Time
