Hell's Actor-Chapter 42: Solemn Revelations

When Beelzebub regained consciousness, all he could do was slur his sentences. He talked absolute gibberish, but it was enough for Belphegor to hold a conversation with his brother.

In the late afternoon, Lucifer briefly visited them.

"Irresponsible gorging has caused this. Soon, you will be in a casket." He scoffed. "People die because of hunger. Don’t be a disgrace to the family by dying of overeating. At least diet enough so we can keep an open casket funeral."

Saying he had matters to attend to, he left while replying to a text on his phone.

The silence returned to the room. The pair was used to Lucifer’s harsh words, so this wasn’t something new.

Belphegor ruffled his hair with a sigh.

"The doctor said this was your second heart attack."

Beelzebub groaned, shifting uncomfortably in the bed.

"You told me already."

"I have been thinking... Remember when you dropped that sandwich at the graveyard—"

"Ah yes, you genius. Right, you’re right. I felt something back then. That’s when it must have happened." He chuckled. "Damn sandwich gave me a heart attack."

Belphegor looked down at his clear hands. There were no jitters, no shivering. They were perfectly still.

"Do you, say, remember when it happened—when Mother died?" His voice shook a little. "I always wondered if Lucifer would have turned out to be just like us if he were there when she was stabbed to death..."

Beelzebub did not answer.

But the memory of that day was very clear in Belphegor’s mind.

Their struggling mother, the pouring blood, the shaky eyes of the attacker—it was all very vivid.

"Would Lucifer still be so prim and proper if he saw the life being squeezed out of her?"

Beelzebub threw out some profanities and ferreted around the bedside table.

"Is there nothing to eat here?"

Watching him, Belphegor looked certain.

"You need to see a doctor. You eat when you are stressed. It could be because of what happened—"

"Will you shut up!" Beelzebub screamed. "You fucking sissy! Shut up for once!"

He spent the next ten minutes on a maddened rant, calling Belphegor all sorts of emasculating names.

He mocked him for being sensitive, taunted, and slapped him in the back of the head.

Taking all sorts of abuse, Belphegor solemnly whispered, "You’re funny."

Being the youngest, his mother’s death had affected him the most. After all, he was only six when she was eviscerated in front of him.

That memory had haunted him for decades.

Half an hour later, it was Asmodeus who visited the pair in the hospital room. Surprisingly, he wasn’t alone. Sarah was with him.

Beelzebub looked at him suspiciously.

"Didn’t think you would visit today."

"I was on my evening walk when I was interrupted by the news of your collapse." He handed the fruit basket he was carrying to Belphegor. "If you are going to overeat, at least consume something healthy."

Beelzebub stared at the fruit basket for a moment then at Sarah who was standing beside Asmodeus.

It was clearly written on his face how absurd he found both of those things.

Sarah offered to peel some of the fruit, but Asmodeus did not allow her.

"We have to go," he said before turning around.

"Say," Beelzebub interrupted him. "Did anything happen recently?"

"Be specific."

"Did anyone approach you with... offers?"

Asmodeus stared into his suspicious eyes.

"No."

He left the room alongside Sarah.

Belphegor turned to Beelzebub.

"The matter of Satan aside, what was that?"

"I don’t know," Beelzebub murmured, wearing a bewildered expression. "Did you see his nails?"

"All black."

Belphegor wore a confused expression.

"I have seen him bring women to his house. Now, he is taking them out?"

"I will bet good money this fruit basket wasn’t his idea."

"Since when did he go on evening walks?"

Suffice it to say, both were shocked.

"Huh, good for him," Beelzebub muttered, still in a daze. "Out of the seven of us, I never thought he would be the first to act like an actual human being."

"Really?"

Pensive, Belphegor picked up a banana and peeled it with light fingers.

"I always thought he looked somewhat normal compared to the rest of us."

In his eyes, there was uncertainty and exhaustion.

The scene changed.

Lucifer was seated in the backseat of his car, and to his right was one of his most trusted men.

"There has been no significant progress in the police investigation into the unfortunate case of Toni Altobelli," he whispered to Lucifer.

His voice was glum and cold.

"And... there is one other thing."

"Say it."

"Just as you instructed, we looked into the finances of the rest of the family, and a discrepancy in the records of a restaurant co-owned by Beelzebub and Belphegor came to our attention."

He looked out the window.

"Beelzebub is embezzling funds from the restaurant."

"Didn’t think he had it in him." Lucifer had a slightly amused expression. "What is he using it for?"

"Cocaine."

Lucifer turned his head sharply.

"He is selling?"

The subordinate shook his head.

"He is using... a lot."

It was a great shock to Lucifer.

"Would you like me to intervene or inform Belphegor about the embezzling?"

"No, we can’t have a falling out now." He shook his head. "And if he can’t even look after his own property, then there is no need for us to interfere. What a disgrace to the family name."

"Understood."

"Does anyone else know?"

The man paused.

"Leviathan might be aware."

Meanwhile, Satan and Mammon were standing in a dark alleyway. Next to them, cornered and firmly pressed against the wall was Leviathan.

Having been caught while spying on the pair, he was dragged there by their men.

"You have been following us since this morning," Mammon uttered, reaching into his coat. "Give me one reason why we should not crack your skull open."

He retrieved a small pistol from his pocket, and after making sure it was fully loaded, he pointed the barrel at Leviathan’s forehead.

"You have one chance," Mammon hissed.

But contrary to their expectations, Leviathan did not seem intimidated. He looked Mammon dead in the eye before turning to Satan.

"I want Asmodeus dead."

He had always been jealous of Asmodeus, the wretched Leviathan. He envied his older half-brother’s carnal freedom, brothels, and gambling dens. His captivating gaze, confident posture, and firm steps were enough to invite his ire.

"I will help you in killing him."

He offered vital information and all his support, on the condition that he would receive Asmodeus’s brothels once the deed was carried out.

It didn’t take long for Satan and Mammon to agree to the arrangement.

"It’s good to have you, dear Brother."

Satan was not about to decline help, and Mammon was certain that he could make use of his brother.

With their numbers bolstered, the family was rapidly falling apart.

As the outro began, Asmodeus—who was visiting one of his gambling houses with Sarah—received a phone call.

"We found out about the girl you mentioned, sir."

The solemn voice of his subordinate continued, "She was abducted by Leviathan Binsfeld a week ago."

Squeezing the phone in his hand, Asmodeus exhaled a cold breath.

There was murder in his enraged eyes.

The fifth episode ended.

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