In response to Scarlet's request, Lucifer answered with his signature arrogant look. Can a slave make demands of their master? Of course not. Even if it's slave No. 1, still no.
He could give her many things and help her with many things. But all of that comes from him thinking it's fun to do so, not because she wants something.
"Still thinking about holding me responsible? No one except my superior has the right to hold me responsible."
The arrogant Demon King Lucifer, countless years ago, used to be an archangel. To put it plainly, there's only one being above him, so aside from that being, he doesn't need to listen to anyone.
"Hmph, so if I'm inside a church, would you dare do anything to me?"
"Huh? Church? Pfft ha ha ha…"
Lucifer burst out laughing like he'd heard some particularly big joke. He didn't know where she got the idea that he was afraid of churches, but the truth was completely different.
"What are you laughing at?"
For some reason, Scarlet felt that Lucifer's laugh was highly insulting to her. Just his laugh alone was enough to replace a ton of harsh words.
"Let me hear, why do you think I'm afraid of a church?"
This actually made him a bit curious. He always saw himself as a savior, not a demon king. How could someone so 'good' be afraid of a church?
"A low, evil, perverted, cruel guy like you is no different from a devil. Isn't it normal for a devil to be afraid of a church?"
Scarlet took the chance to curse Lucifer out. This time he asked, so he shouldn't have any reason to blame her.
Of course, that thought was way too idealistic. Does a demon king need to be reasonable? Of course not.
She bared her teeth and widened her eyes as Lucifer started pinching her butt hard again. The wound that hadn't even healed yet got worse again.
"Sob, sob… It hurts so much!"
Hearing her scream and cry like a pig being slaughtered, Lucifer found it as pleasant as listening to an upbeat song.
"Since ancient times, there's never been any devil on Earth. Humans made up those stories to scare yourselves. That pathetic civilization back then wasn't worthy of meeting a devil."
Earth isn't the only one in this universe. For a planet that he finds entertaining, at the very least it needs to have widespread internet access. If it's an Earth from feudal times or primitive times, Lucifer wouldn't even bother dropping by.
As for churches, it'd be weird if Lucifer was afraid of them. He'd fought a massive battle in heaven, let alone some tiny little church.
"So what you mean is that churches and religions are all just useless scams?"
Scarlet used the trick of putting someone's hand in a fire very skillfully. Clearly Lucifer never said churches and religions were useless, yet she still 'put words in his mouth'.
He'd just pinched her really hard, so if he pinched her again now the wound might become too severe, which is why Lucifer let her off.
"Idiot. Religion isn't useless. It's a strength of the spirit. It helps people who are in their weakest moments and feel like they're lost in this world have faith to keep moving forward."
Anyway, these kinds of issues were closely related to the job he hadn't done in a long time, so Lucifer was in the mood to explain it to her.
Suddenly hearing Lucifer talk this nicely made Scarlet think her ears were having problems. Could the bastard she knew actually speak like this?
"Never thought a bastard like you would respect religion so much. So do you believe in God?"
"No."
Lucifer said a short, blunt sentence that left Scarlet not knowing what to say next. From what she'd heard him say, at least he should believe a little bit for it to make sense.
"Why?"
"The truth doesn't need you to believe it. Have you ever believed that one plus one equals two? When you ask yourself whether you believe or not, that's just cheap faith."
What's believing or not believing? That's Lucifer's only superior. The one always staring right at him. So does he need to believe that God exists?
"Huh?"
That question made Scarlet feel strange because Lucifer's faith was too great… No, it didn't resemble faith anymore. It was an absolute affirmation of God's existence.
Moreover, she was increasingly doubting Lucifer's identity. The more she interacted with him, the more she felt he looked like a human but wasn't like a human at all.
"So what do you think a person who believes in God should do to be right?"
Scarlet was someone who on paper had a religion, but in reality she trusted the weapons her father made more. This was the first time she'd met someone like Lucifer, so she felt a bit curious.
"First of all, there are a few things you shouldn't do. You shouldn't ask God for anything like money, fame, health, happiness, relationships, luck… Whatever you deserve, God has already arranged before you even realize it.
Only fools go demanding anything from God. Try to figure out what your responsibility in this life is to this world. Walk that path to the end. If you don't finish it, come back in the future and walk on it again until you're done. Only then do you have the right to get to heaven or hell."
There was one thing Lucifer didn't say clearly: actually living in a developed civilization is one of the most fun things.
Whether heaven or hell, major events like a great war or something similar rarely happen. Normally it's just doing the same repetitive, incredibly boring work. And any being qualified to enter heaven or hell will never die, which makes the boredom multiply.
Hell is even more boring than heaven because its architecture is all gloomy colors. No technology, no games, nothing fun. Even though the entities there could create an entire universe with a single thought, the rules don't allow arbitrarily designing the space of hell.