1 Chapter 1
Greed is known by many things. It is also known as avarice, cupidity, or covetousness! It is the inordinate desire to possess wealth, goods, or objects of abstract value to keep it for one's self. It is applied to a markedly high desire for and pursuit of wealth, status, and power. And does it harm you? No! It gives you power! It gives you strength! Far beyond that of what any mortal could ever hope to comprehend! With power you are untouchable. Well, at least that's what my ancestor Mammon the first of my clan, and my great-grandfather said. And as I stared at the large gold-plated plaque on the wall in our clan treasury like I do most days I am reminded of what a brilliant man he must have been. Greedy but not lacking self-control, is a rather dangerous combination.
Being a Devil is fun and all but boring. I mean sure I am Rael Mammon heir of the Mammon clan and all. I'm 21 years old, 6 feet 2 inches, Well-built and athletic, with whitish-grey hair, reminiscent of iron and ice, falling in unruly waves just above his shoulders, I have green eyes with a faint rim of gold around the iris, reflecting intelligence and determination. I have dark brown skin and I have two birthmarks, one on my eyelid and another just above the brow. I'm currently wearing a tailored suit in shades of crimson and obsidian, adorned with subtle gold accents. A pendant bearing the sigil of the House of Mammon is a constant accessory.
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You see my house is an extra demon house. Extra Demons are the houses of top-class Devils who are not a part of the 72 Pillars. Currently, most of the Extra Demons have secluded themselves from Devil society, for various reasons. Not getting involved with the government was the main reason for most. A decade or so before my birth my mother had convinced my father to come out of seclusion and actively rejoin devil society and now the Mammon clan are the treasurers of hell. As for my mom, she died during my birth.
My father never blamed me and raised me well, but once in a while, he drowned his sorrows with one of the female house staff, who are predominantly succubi. But I'm bored so very bored. I begin browsing through the treasury..well the main treasury, after all as the house of greed how can we only have one? And there it was, a replica of the infamous blade Mammon used to slay all who oppose him and hell, I was called the twin blade. The Twin Blade..well the original is an ancient and powerful weapon created by Mammon and a powerful succubus known as Ellie who was said to be a powerful sorceress and his favorite concubine. It is said that It has the power to permanently kill almost anything such as demons, monsters, and even beings like like gods and dragons. The replica however can't do all of the above but is said to be on par with the strongest demoinc sword. The blade appears as a 3-4 feet long sword and has two blades protruding outward with two curved horn-like crafts on its guard, an exact replica of the original. It was The Twin Blade was said to be created through the use of these four specific components: the bones of a fallen angel, salt that was crystalized from the tears of Michael, then melted down with the ichor of a god into Damascus Steel. Due to the methods of its creation and coupled with the components it was used for, even non-lethal cuts are excruciatingly painful and eventually lead to death.
It is such a beauty, makes me wonder if it truly holds a candle to the original, in terms of aesthetics. I exit the treasury and head outside to the gardens. The Mammon estate is massive, It took me a few years to learn every nook and cranny of this place. It is the crown jewel of the Mammon territory ruled by our clan, which houses the Grand Treasury of the Underworld - Basileus. Mammon territory is known as the business center and also houses the central mines of the underworld and is as big as Kyoto of the human realm. Basileus is managed by my father Queen Piece and the head of the guards is one of his Knights. My father Lucius Mammon, is the grandson of the original Mammon one of several, now the only one left after the great and civil wars. But being so close in bloodline to the original makes an exceptionally pure family. As I enter the and make my way to my favorite spot under a tree my father claims my mother treasured most.
Members of the 72 Pillars and Extra Demons, which consist of Pure-Blooded Devil nobles can inherit special innate abilities unique to their clan, though occasionally the children of the members who marry out of the clan into another one would also inherit their abilities, becoming common practice among the remaining pillars. Like other pure-blood clans, the Mammon clan has inherited abilities from our progenitor. The Abilities that are passed down in the Mammon family are Aurumkinesis - Control of Precious Metals and Psychometry - The power to perceive the residual information of an object and/or person. Which makes our job as treasurers of hell easy. But there is one more ability our ancestor was known for that only three of his descendants ever inherited one was Alchemy or more specifically abnormal talent for the art that made its study as easy as breathing, or so they say. Mammon is credited as the creator of alchemy, specifically credited as the one who bestowed knowledge to humans on what the proper alchemical compounds are needed to create gold.
My father has all three and possesses a great mastery of them. And luckily so do I. Only a few people truly understand how powerful alchemy can be. In my suit for example Alchemical symbols are subtly woven into the fabric, showcasing my affinity for the mystical arts. Most of the so-called alchemists in the human world that we have contracts with use this art to make potions and transmute basic elements. They barely scratch the surface of its potential. But they have their uses and provide us with usable potions in bulk so meh.
I got an alert that something was trying to get through the barrier of the house. I checked using a simple scrying spell and realized it was a letter. But not just any letter but one with the sigil of House Phenex.
"Hmm" I hummed" Sebastian!" I called out to one of my Pawns. Of which I possess two each costing me 4 pieces. A few seconds pass before a magic circle with the Mammon family sigil appears 2 meters in front of me. Before me appeared Sebastian my pawn and the head butler of the family a job he takes very seriously. He was my mother's pawn piece but when she died he stayed and I took him as my pawn when I received my Evil Pieces. Sebastian is a tall, handsome adult with black hair, reddish-brown eyes, pale skin, and black fingernails. He is half devil/half demon. Demons were the inhabitants of the underworld before they were driven into the lower regions called the abyss by the original Satans. They are powerful beings who feed on sin and misfortune and have exceptional physical and magical abilities. A lot of them submitted to Lucifer and made up a large portion of his army. But most if not all perished in the great war. The remainder either fled to the abyss or joined the old satan faction.
They're few half-breed left in the underworld and more with just a hint of demon blood in them. Sebastion is the former. Sebastian typically dresses in a butler's outfit, which consists of black trousers, a six-buttoned double-breasted tailcoat, and a gray vest; on his shirt cuffs and tie is the Mammon family crest. He also sports white gloves, a pocket watch, and a chained silver lapel pin bearing the Mammon crest, which is traditionally worn by the house's head butler.
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He extended his hand with a letter in it. "Read it to me," I asked. He smiled and opened it.
"I Riser Phenex, the third son of the house of Phenex, hereby challenge Rael Mammon to a rating game in two days." he read. They looked at me with a playful smirk to which I responded by rolling my eyes.
I got up from the tree" Assemble the peerage and prepare some tea. It seems this coming Saturday I have plans." I ordered.
He bowed and replied" Right away sir " before vanishing in a magic circle.
I brushed a hand threw my hair" How trouble some" I muttered.
