The Devil's Playmate

SIX

"You seem nervous. I hope that isn't because of me."

"I'm sorry."

Benjamin and Eligos were alone together inside of his bedroom in the palace. They were sitting on the sofas as the demon tried starting a conversation. The devil had to leave early due to an emergency, so he reluctantly allowed Eligos and Benjamin to get to know each other.

Eligos seemed nice enough to where he won't hurt Benjamin, but the boy didn't know that for sure. He was still nervous.

Eligos grinned. "You're probably still confused about a lot of things. Feel free to ask me anything."

"U-Um, do you usually talk to your master like that?"

Eligos' smile widened. "The old man is easy to pick on. He's sort of a pushover. Hardly has his own pride, so I never miss an opportunity to mess with him. The others are too reluctant to do so, which is great for me. Oh, but don't worry, I wouldn't pick on you. We're friends now, aren't we?"

Benjamin found himself flustered at the declaration. He should've focused his attention more on the fact that the devil apparently has no pride for himself, but he was more attentive and embarrassed at how he gained another friend so easily. It was really hard for him to make one back at his school, so he couldn't believe he made a second friend down here in Hell.

Eligos noticed the blush on his cheeks and cooed, "You're just so cute. I'm so glad you made a deal with the master. Actually, I'm impressed you managed to do such a thing. He's never been summoned before by a human. Just how did you do it?"

"Oh, I was given... this book and such..."

"What book?"

"I don't know. The woman who gave it to me just told me to chant this sentence and it'd give me a friend," Benjamin confessed uneasily. "I-I didn't think it'd work."

The whole thing was still strange for the demon. He could hardly believe there was a book that could directly summon their master, so his main curiosity was the woman. But it seemed like Benjamin didn't know much about her. Eligos will just have to ask about the book some other time.

"Um, Lucifer told me how Hell works and stuff... but I don't think I understand everything. I heard there's a system of hierarchies for demons."

"Yes, that's right. Me, for instance, I've been given the title as a grand duke. There's plenty of nobles around, so I'm not the only grand duke in the Infernal Council."

"How do demons get their ranks?"

Eligos thought about it for a second. "It usually depends. The majority of the fallen angels have been given ranks, but it's mostly how well they performed back in the first war up in Heaven or what their previous standings were. Like a seraphim is equivalent to a king of hell. As I said, it depends. And when Hell was finally established, the ranks of nobility were given to specific demons for stability and order. I was given the responsibility of ruling over sixty legions of demons for warfare. Other nobles have their own duties as well."

Benjamin was actually impressed. He didn't think about that. "How... much is a legion exactly?"

"It's different for every demon who own legions, but it should be around three to seven thousand? Possibly even more. Who knows? I don't keep count of mine," Eligos shrugged as Benjamin's face grew white. "I'm amazing though, right? As your best friend, I'll give you some of them to entertain you."

A legion has that many demons... and Eligos owns sixty of them.

Benjamin shakily continued to eat some of the treats Lucifer gave him as he watched the demon smile brightly, as if he was bragging to show off just how amazing he was. Benjamin forced a grin. "You're really cool."