Ball of Nothing

As the youngest and newest Demon Lord, Beelzebub didn't know what to expect after graduation. Rhinestone had been caught and given his punishment. Hell was at peace again and Zero was leaving.

Morning Star Academy's graduation ceremony wasn't very grand as the public made it out to be. However, there was still the recent destruction of campus property to take into consideration. Beelzebub didn't really care much about the formalities and the glory. He just wanted to go to the feast after the valedictorian speech. From the conversation of the cooks in the cafeteria, the school was catering for this year's graduation party. Belles and Begonia had also been very busy lately and Beelzebub hoped that his guess wasn't wrong.

The thunderous applause alerted Beelzebub that the valedictorian's speech was over. Now, it was time for the closing speech by the dean and Lucifer stepped forward. Beelzebub found that with his sight returned and his lost angel heritage semi-recovered, the Demon Lord looked a lot more intimidating.

The dean's speech was short and professional. Beelzebub took mental notes about how regal Lucifer behaved. Was this what would be expected of him as well? Mammon also looked rather cold and aloof. Perhaps all Demon Lords are this way with the exception of Baal who was usually seen sleeping in his pyjamas even if he had to make an appearance. Beelzebub admired Baal's ability to not conform to the expectations of a Demon Lord. Then again, of all the Demon Lords, Baal had the shabbiest domain and not a single devil note to his name. His castle was in shambles and he had no aides until Coux came along.

Finally, the graduates were dismissed for Beelzebub's favourite part of the graduation ceremony - the feast.

The cafeteria was redecorated into something worthy of a noble's party. Beelzebub felt slightly out of place with everything looking very sparkly. He was even slightly afraid of touching any cutlery in case they got dirty. The Academy really went all out on the graduation ceremony and Beelzebub didn't know if he should wait till most of the students have eaten their fill to start eating.

"Lord Beelzebub?" a waitress smiled and greeted him.

Beelzebub turned around with a puzzled expression. "Yes, can I help you?" he asked, shocking the lady slightly. It wasn't usual for Demon Lords to be so courteous to lower class demons and the waitress stammered.

"Th-there's a special table of the feast reserved for you. Please follow me... sir."

Beelzebub was pleasantly surprised that he had special treatment from the school. Then again, the woman looked terribly flustered. Beelzebub didn't quite understand what was going on but having his initial dilemma resolved so easily made him grin widely. There was nothing more that he desired other than being able to savour good food.

The reserved table was actually a duplicate of the food he'd seen for the general public. There was a cordoned off tape with some signs indicating that the section was reserved for Lord Beelzebub and it finally sank in for the glutton. He was now an official Demon Lord on the same title and status with Lucifer, Baal and Mammon. No wonder the waitress was stuttering and looking so nervous.

He usually got hostile stares when he was at the cafeteria but today, nobody bothered him at his reserved area. Discarding all manners, Beelzebub decided to eat as much as he wanted, taking time to savour the food. Lucifer really called for Belles and Begonia to do the catering of the feast. He was touched by the gesture. The cafeteria cooks were culinary experts too but Beelzebub still liked the taste of human food from that small cafe. After all, that was the first place that he could eat so much without having to be judged for it.

Thinking about it, the turning point of his life is because of Belles and Begonia. If it wasn't because of that competition, he would never have been discovered as the new Demon Lord. That insatiable hunger would have driven him crazy for much longer if the other Demon Lords didn't help him awaken the stigma on his back.

Awakening a Demon Lord's stigma helped them to control their instinctive urges. By governing a designated domain, it stabilised the mental state of the Demon Lord but it also anchored them to the plane. Beelzebub would not be able to leave the abyss for a very long while but on the bright side, as more people decide to settle in his domain and pledge their allegiance, the constant hunger that he feels could eventually be quelled.

Mammon and Lucifer told him that there were many matters he had to attend to after graduation but Lilith told him to simply enjoy the graduation party as much as he could and put everything off until tomorrow. The succubus might not have given Beelzebub the best advice because everyone was already treating him as a Demon Lord.

"Why the long face?" a woman asked and Beelzebub turned around quickly.

"Amaraline?" he asked in disbelief. Weren't the ladies going to be busy?

The fortune-teller giggled. "You should have seen yourself. I've never seen you eat so mechanically. Usually, you're more expressive when you eat. Is the food not to your liking?"

Beelzebub looked horrified at the thought. "No! Of course not! The food is exquisite as always, I could never dislike it."

Amaraline smiled. She helped refill Beelzebub's empty plate before getting two glasses of water and offering one to the Demon Lord.

"Eating tastes better in the company of people you enjoy," she told him.

Touched, Beelzebub nodded and followed her to a private table. "What's really on your mind? This is very unlike you... is this about Rhinestone? Zero said that you might still be troubled over what happened back there."

Again, the mention of Zero made Beelzebub lose his appetite. "Amaraline... you said that Zero is someone you follow. How do you find him as a leader? That boy constantly causes trouble for others... why do you still follow him?"

The fortune-teller laughed behind a sleeve. "Indeed, Zero makes a terrible leader compared to Zenobia who is our chieftess. However, I don't think a leader has to always be smart or capable. They can always have smart and capable people to assist them. I think what makes a good leader is the ability to bring people together."

Beelzebub looked at the other students. He'd never be a good leader then. Nobody likes him. Beelzebub was a loner through and through. If it weren't for his special abilities and qualities of a Demon Lord, he would still be digging through the trash for food.

The fortune-teller didn't have to use her clairvoyance to know what's going on. Beelzebub's thoughts were written clearly on his face. Feeling like a big sister after seeing such a vulnerable look on Beelzebub, Amaraline gave him a friendly pat on his head.

"Don't worry, you're going to be a good leader. You don't have to be like anyone else, you just need to be yourself. People who like you will follow you. I don't mean to talk bad about Baal but he's not the best exemplary leader. Yet, he has people like us following him. Zero isn't a very good leader either and often ends up causing everyone to worry over him and clean up the mess he makes. Compared to them, I think you'll be fine."

Beelzebub sighed. When he was doing his mission to catch the mastermind, he didn't think very highly of his work partner. Zero wasn't the best kind of spy and didn't abide by rules most times. However, when Beelzebub was in a crisis, it was Zero who saved him. How could he possibly compare to someone like Zero?

Beelzebub was no fool. Baal might seem lazy and unhelpful but during the redemption event, wasn't it Baal who sacrificed the most to hold the gates open to the point of exhausting himself completely beyond return? If it were Beelzebub, he wouldn't be able to fork out so much dedication for nameless demons whom he didn't even know, not even for the sake of a friend.

"A Demon Lord has the duty to use their powers to purify and stabilise their domain and in return, stabilise the plane. We cannot leave our domains and have the responsibility of holding that domain barrier for as long as we exist," he said.

Amaraline didn't interrupt. Beelzebub looked like he needed to get a lot of things off his chest. That frown deepened into a valley and she nodded while the young Demon Lord told her about all the things Mammon and Lucifer expected of him. At the same time, he was receiving very contrasting advice from Lilith and Amon. Baal didn't really care and Shittomi wasn't someone Beelzebub was very acquainted with.

Choosing her words wisely, the cockatrice descendant nodded.

"It must be tough being a Demon Lord. However, I don't think you need to listen to everything anyone tells you. After all, a Demon Lord's duty is to use their powers to maintain their domain and stabilise the plane. Things like etiquette, ruling their subjects and appearance are preferential. Every leader has a unique style of leading and they will attract different kinds of followers. I think you have a certain kind of charm being you. You're very grounded and treat everyone fairly. Everyone at Belles and Begonia likes you even if they may act otherwise."

Beelzebub didn't comment. Amaraline saw that he didn't believe her. She couldn't blame him either. The Demon Lord often stole food from other customers. How could they actually like him? However, the truth was, none of the customers minded. Everyone was aware of Beelzebub's usual visiting time. If they didn't like it, none of them would choose to turn up when the Demon Lord made his visit. Most of them chose to come during the time Beelzebub visited because they liked teasing and fighting with the Demon Lord.

"You don't have to believe me," she told him with a soft smile. "When you return to your domain and start setting it up, you'll see what I mean. There are more people who are willing to follow you than you know even now."

The duo strayed from the topic a little more and decided to leave the feast early because Beelzebub finished the rest of his food fairly quickly after Amaraline told him that Belles and Begonia were interested in setting up a branch shop in his domain when it was ready.

"Thirty-seventy."

Amaraline smiled demurely. "You'll have to take that up with Coux. I'm just here to let you know of our interest. However, as the cook in the kitchen, I am willing to give you some of the recipes of your favourite dishes. You'd better recruit cooks as some of the first servants you hire. At least ten. Not a lot of cooks can keep up with the monstrous pace we do at Belles and Begonia. Plus, we have invisible hands helping us from afar."

Beelzebub nodded and took that advice seriously. Of all the advice he received, this was by far the best. Cooks were akin to Beelzebub's lifeline. If he was going to be pushed into such an annoying position with such a terrible job, he might as well milk the benefits of it. He was going to hire the best cooks from all over and have a feast as grand as today's on a daily basis. He didn't need a fancy castle or throne, he'd spend all his money on a grand dining hall.

Amaraline laughed at Beelzebub's declaration and cheered him on. She even gave the Demon Lord some ideas for his capital. It was going to be a gourmet's world and Beelzebub took to the idea very quickly.

"Farming too. If I have chefs, I'll need farmers to grow the ingredients..." he said.

Amaraline grinned. "There you have it. That wasn't too difficult, was it? Being a Demon Lord can be a lot of fun, you don't have to do what you don't want to as long as you fulfil your duties."

The Demon Lord was at ease when he heard that. Amaraline was a good friend and he wondered if he could ask her to be the first to join his domain even if she was officially one of Baal's family. The thought lingered for a while but he quickly dismissed it. Amaraline was a loyal person and he didn't want to put her in a spot with his desires. For now, he'd be happy with this. Hopefully, she would visit him often after Belles and Begonia's second branch was set up in his domain.