#delkira is probably in a denny's right now like 'gee I wonder if sullivan found a human to replace me yet?'

[redrobin-detective]

The Least Demonic Demon

More m!ik theorizing time! This time on Delkira’s wish for his successor to the demon throne. We’ve seen very little of the former demon king but we can infer that he was powerful, selfish, feckless and while he was able to take control of the Netherworld he seemed largely uninterested in maintaining it. This seems par for the course for a lot of demons we’ve seen, who are about strength and action but sometimes lack the resolve to see things through. Enter humanity

We know Sullivan was one of Delkira’s closest advisors and thus would have been aware if his master was dabbling in the human world. It’s unknown if the separation of human and demon occurred before or after Delkira’s disappearance but I think it’s fairly clear he was interested in humans. I think he had grown bored of trying to control the Netherworld and was preparing to abandon his post. But he knew what he wanted out of his successor and laid out tests to locate them.

I believe Delkira left this prophecy to help guide who would be the new Demon King, one who was strong enough to control the Netherworld but kind and attentive enough to heal it and it keep it together. The bit about the foreign land  is his subtle way of saying that he expected this candidate would be a human or some other non-demonic entity. And the final part of the prophecy.

Remember the Rank Owl decided who got what rank based off of how they did in the flying race. The one where Iruma was at a maximum disadvantage but not only was able to survive but he healed an injured demon, saved Sabroc and got them both to the finish line safely. The Rank Owl probably had that ring hidden in its pouch for years waiting for the one worthy to wield it. The ring has his energy infused in it but I see it as less a possession and more like a blessing, like ‘this one you idiots!’ Iruma filled all these qualities which is why it attached to him and didn’t bother with a rank. The Demon King doesn’t need ranks.

We see another example of these tests in the Harvest Festival with the collecting of the Legendary Leaf which requires dedication, creativity, cooperativeness with multiple demons. Not something demons are good at, thus the object-

This is only Babyls festival, I’m sure each of the other demon schools had their own unique human oriented tests that no one had passed before.The whole point is Delkira is leaving tests and little clues behind as to who should inherit his throne. Its very clear he wanted someone different from the usual demonic powerhouse.

How does Sullivan come into this? I think he knew of Delkira’s intent to disappear and that he wanted a human to succeed him. I’ve seen people comment that it was odd that Sullivan, as a high ranking demon, was called to the summoning by Iruma’s parents. I believe its because he’s answered many, many summons since Delkira left, searching for the appropriate candidate. But the human who are summoning demons, they’re often fairly demonic themselves and don’t fit the bill. Rinse and repeat over hundreds of years until the Suzukis offer up their teenage son as collateral. A boy who has survived undo hardship since a young age, who is kind, compassionate and personable. And then he realized he’d found his king.

I’m always a fan of the trope of a mentor takes a student for purely practical reasons and ends up genuinely loving their charge.

These two panels are obviously meant to parallel one another but look at Sullivan’s expression and posture in the second. Could be art changes yes but he also just so much more genuine in his affection for Iruma. The first looks like a servant bowing before their lord. The second looks like a family being so grateful to have the other in their life.

This is getting so long so! To summarize! Delkira, planning to abandon the Netherworld tasked his loyal servant with finding a human to assume his throne. To ensure the proper candidate was found, he left clues and tests behind to point the way to the prophecy he wrote and make sure that the individual was truly worthy. And so far Iruma has been far exceeding expectations.