Bell, under Leon’s Heavenly Eye Technique, is a Pit Fiend, but that does not prevent him from being a Great Devil.
Great Devils include all current and former Nine Prisons Lords, as well as those who form their cabinet, acting as advisors and constantly vying for the lord’s position — the Dukes. And each Great Devil bears a unique appearance reflecting their evil essence... in this regard, Bell seems slightly unbefitting the title of Great Devil.
Anyway, Bell’s journey has been quite legendary; he started with no noble status, merely as a twitching, mindless Lesser Demon, and rose to become a mighty Pit Fiend. Through the perfect blend of cunning and strength, he led massive devil armies, constantly waging battle against demons to gain bloody glory, and was ultimately elevated by Asmodis to the position of First Lord.
Unfortunately, with Zarriel, a mighty Solar, succumbing to the corrupting influence of the Nine Prisons and accepting Asmodis’s offer to become a Great Devil, Bell was forced to sacrifice his position as Avernus Lord for Zarriel’s elevation, becoming his advisor.
Now Zarriel and Bell despise each other, crafting various excuses to avoid seeing one another. For example, to keep Bell busy and out of sight, Zarriel had him forge weapons, armor, and devices for slaying demons.
Meanwhile, the body of the Half-dragon holds a Red Dragon, also a young dragon; Bell can tell at a glance, but that’s all.
Bell is unafraid of Leon, yet strangely finds that Leon looks at him, eager to try something.
A young Red Dragon is daunting on the Material Plane, but in the Nine Prisons, it’s just so-so — whether it can defeat a Horned Demon is one matter, and Horned Demons can only be Intermediate Officers in the devil army.
However, the Red Dragon before him could scare his subordinate Zaren into fleeing; evidently, it holds some power, no wonder it dares to be so brazen before him.
Bell does not wish to fight the Red Dragon, nor with anyone else. He prefers resolving issues through dialogue, negotiation — demons from the Bottomless Abyss being an exception — reminding, "I believe I introduced myself; I’m called Bell, you should know this name."
Bell might be one of the greatest military strategists in the Nine Prisons, but when it comes to personal strength, Leon is hardly intimidated.
Regardless of whether Bell strictly qualifies as a Great Devil, as the former Avernus Lord, his blood can certainly be utilized; Leon glanced around, finding the Forging Factory spacious enough to allow him to revert to Dragon Form — although he couldn’t stand up to wield weapons, his sharp teeth and claws could still be employed.
"Just a former Avernus Lord," Leon said dismissively.
Such an affront would have enraged Secondary Demon Lord Balatezo long ago, but Bell manages to maintain superficial politeness, restraining himself from action: "I always knew Red Dragons to be arrogant and rude, but never did I expect it to be to this extent."
"Even your majesty Tiamat—" Bell spoke leisurely, a faint smile lingering at the corners of his mouth, "She wouldn’t speak to me ."
"She is she, I am I," Leon replied coolly, his Hunting Demon Brass Crossbow steady, its arrow gleaming coldly at Bell’s throat.
"Is there any problem that can’t be solved through dialogue?" Bell spread his hands, appearing relaxed, as if the deadly weapon before him were nothing but a harmless joke.
"You seemed to have some grudge against Zaren before, but given your demeanor, it doesn’t look like you’ve come to seek revenge against him... so, what do you want at the Forging Factory?" He squinted slightly, "Perhaps I could help?"
Leon snorted, "You only propose transactions."
"Are transactions bad?" Bell shrugged, "Everyone gets what they need, everyone’s happy."
"Why bother negotiating for what can be taken?" Leon’s fingers lightly rested on the trigger, "Haggling is a waste of time."
"Only brainless demons love to take," Bell sniffed, his eyes flashing with amusement, "You carry the scent of the Abyss... you must have just returned from the Bottomless Abyss, right?"
"Compared to devils, I do prefer demons," Leon sneered, "At least they’re straightforward, no need to deal with your winding contract traps."
He’s smart, just lazy to use his brains; he reads online novels instead of classics; though he claims order, he only observes his own rules, those rules can be flexibly adjusted as necessary.
"Such thoughts are misguided," Bell shook his head, his tone akin to chiding a stubborn child, "Dealing with devils, you only need to guard against contract traps, but with demons? You’ll only face betrayal."
"I never make deals with demons," Leon replied coldly, "I never trust demons."
"You may not trust demons, but you can certainly trust devils," Bell’s smile deepened, "It’s well known—" he leaned forward slightly, his tone low and enticing, "Devils always honor their dealings."
Leon remained silent.
"Someone as savvy and cautious as you, who could ever deceive you?" Bell promptly offered Leon a flattering hat, his sincerity stretching near to insincerity.
"Why not... have a discussion first?" He coaxed, "If we can’t reach an agreement, it’s never too late to act."
Leon crossed his arms, fingers tapping gently on his forearm, pondering that the former Avernus Lord Bell is no ordinary foe, and this is territory cultivated by Bell for years; he may not come out ahead.
He slowly exhaled, lifted his gaze, and said, "You’ve been persuading me to deal, yet you still don’t know who I am."
"I don’t need to know who you are; I only need to confirm one thing," Bell idly fondled the gold-encrusted embroidery on his sleeve, "You are a sufficiently strong Red Dragon, and that’s enough." His tone was relaxed, as if discussing the weather rather than a potentially life-and-death transaction.
Bell certainly doesn’t need to care about Leon’s identity; the contract is the key, as long as the Purgatory Contract is signed, devils always have their ways to ensure terms are fulfilled without deviation.
"We can try," Leon nodded.
Bell’s lips subtly curled up, as if he had expected this answer all along.
"Wise choice." He made an elegant "please" gesture, "So, how about moving to my office for detailed talk?"
"Lead the way," Leon followed Bell to his office, thinking the Purgatory Contract must be written in Purgatory Language, of which his grasp only covers several rudimentary words... no matter, he can check now; the key is to secure final interpretation rights.
Ugh, clearly said he should never negotiate with devils, yet he can’t resist trying.