I smiled wryly at the notification on my smartwatch.

This quest was solved without me doing anything. Since it's a third outcome that the quest didn't specify, I wonder if there's some confusion.

A more troublesome thing has appeared instead of the Shadow Unit, though.

"The Dragon Heart is still there. It seems to have consumed a lot of mana."

Philly narrowed her eyes as she looked at the Dragon Heart. As she said, the triangular ring had lost much of its brilliant light and become faint.

It's understandable that its vast mana would be depleted after the demon summoning, the contract, and the numerous demons that poured through the gate here at Mizonas's call.

'...Something's strange.'

But I felt a different presence within the Dragon Heart.

The Shadow Unit used this Dragon Heart to summon a demon and make a contract. Probably with Satan.

That Satan's direct subordinate, Mizonas, is currently fighting Azier.

Although Azier has the upper hand in terms of skill, the fact that a confrontation is even possible shows the extent of Mizonas's power.

On top of that, the horde of demons that poured through the gate opened by this Dragon Heart.

'...Shouldn't the Dragon Heart have already exceeded its limit?'

I've swallowed the Dragon Heart myself and handled it. Even if it's not exact, I can roughly estimate the magnitude of its power.

According to my intuition, the Dragon Heart should have already been completely consumed and disappeared.

Then how is the Dragon Heart still maintaining its form?

"So what do we do now?"

Philly's question snapped me out of my deep contemplation.

"It's a bit of a waste, but let's destroy it."

"The Dragon Heart?"

"Yes. Then the connection between here and the other world will disappear, and the demons won't come anymore."

The demons that have already appeared will be taken care of by the Zodiacs, and Mizonas can be left to Azier to handle somehow.

If we destroy this heart, the immediate incident will be settled for now.

"...Alright. It seems like it's so depleted that it wouldn't be of any use to my husband anyway."

Philly nodded with a slightly heavy expression.

I slowly reached out my hand towards the Dragon Heart.

At that moment.

[Before that, just a moment.]

An unfamiliar, and equally gloomy, voice struck my ears.

[I apologize for the interruption, but please excuse me for a moment. Forgive my rudeness.]

An overly polite voice. And then, a figure slowly formed above the Dragon Heart.

Philly and I raised our heads to see the figure.

The man with pale skin was handsome, but what caught our attention first were the wings that spread wide open.

And I knew right away.

Not bat wings, but bird wings.

Reminiscent of an angel, yet so deep and dark black.

Among the Seven Deadly Sins demons, there was only one with black bird wings.

"...Satan."

[Greetings, Frondier. There seems to have been a lot of misunderstanding between us regarding this matter.]

Satan spoke to me.

His overly gentlemanly gestures and tone only heightened my wariness.

"Misunderstanding?"

[Indeed. I deeply apologize for the harm caused to the human king and the threats my subordinates posed to humans. This was not originally my intention.]

"Yet, that Mizonas fellow is still causing trouble, and a swarm of bats is flying around the Imperial Palace?"

[Of course. That's why I personally came here.]

Saying that, Satan stretched out one hand.

Suddenly.

Swoosh!!

A sound like air being sucked in echoed from the Dragon Heart, and then,

"Kyaaaak!!"

"Aaaak!"

A gate opened in front of Satan, and black things from all directions were sucked into the gate.

They were the demons, losing their physical bodies here and having their souls transferred to the other world.

'Even though he borrowed the Dragon Heart to open the gate, forcing the demons back is solely his power.'

Moreover, judging by the screams of the demons, it seems like he's forcibly sucking them in.

To drag all those demons back to his world with a single gesture.

And lastly, after all the demons were sucked in.

"Ugh! Keuk! L-Lord Satan...!"

In Satan's right hand, Mizonas's neck was gripped.

[There, I have made all the demons retreat. Will you accept my apology?]

Saying that, Satan threw Mizonas beyond the gate. From the beginning, the act of grabbing him with his own hand was just to appeal to me.

"...Quite courteous for the demon of Wrath."

I said. It was more of a question.

Satan briefly widened his eyes at my words and then laughed out loud.

[Hahaha. Isn't that natural?]

"Natural?"

[The one who embodies wrath wouldn't be consumed by wrath, would they?]

Those words.

Spoken as if it were the most common sense, those words gave me a clue to the question I had been pondering.

'That's right. Of course. The one who embodies wrath wouldn't be overwhelmed by wrath. That would be being dominated, not dominating.'

The demons who embody sins are the ones furthest from those sins. demons are not consumed by sin.

[I simply like wrath. The emotion of wrath is my nourishment. I prefer those who are wrathful and pursue situations that evoke wrath. Enjoying that is the role of demons who carry sin.]

"...I see."

Then, by the same logic.

The demon of Sloth, 'Belphegor,' wouldn't be a demon swallowed by sloth either. They would be the one who bestows sloth.

'Let's leave that for later.'

I gathered my thoughts and asked Satan.

"So, did the demon of Wrath, Satan, personally come all the way here to apologize?"

[Of course. This whole incident was entirely my fault, and it's only right that I apologize. That was the biggest reason.]

...The biggest reason, huh.

"Then would you mind leaving? I need to destroy this Dragon Heart now. I'm too nervous with a demon watching."

I said with a smile.

In short, it was telling him to get lost.

[Ah, before that.]

Satan shook his head.

[I have a proposal, what do you think?]

As if it were nothing special, Satan spoke.

He claims that apologizing was the biggest reason, but

I knew all too well that the story he was about to tell was the true reason for his personal visit here.

"A proposal?"

[Yes. To put it bluntly.]

Satan lowered his eyes and looked at me.

[The monster you have imprisoned.]

Almost exactly as expected.

[Return that calamity. It's not something you should have.]

It's not something I should have.

That's quite a statement, considering how wary he was of me encountering that creature.

I asked with an unwavering smile.

"You said proposal. If I return that creature, I should get something in return, shouldn't I?"

[Of course, of course. Naturally. Why wouldn't I understand that?]

Satan nodded as if he understood deeply.

And then he said.

[Your life will be spared.]

He spoke in an overly polite voice.

[Not only yours, but all the citizens of the Empire, no, all of humanity will not die by my hand. I could crush that heart at any moment, but I won't. I've decided not to.]

He said, spreading his hands in a gentlemanly gesture.

[In other words, I have saved all of humanity. Isn't it alright to receive that monster in return as a reward for saving humanity?]

The demon of Wrath said that.

With a face devoid of any trace of wrath.