- "Now, let's dance in this harem"
Deadly Sins of Evil: The Lunacy of Duke Venomania is a Light Novel in the Evillious Chronicles franchise, written by the Japanese producer Akuno-P (mothy) and illustrated mainly by Ayumi Kasai, released 2012. The story was also released at the same time as a manga of the same name set within the events of the novel, which gave more detail to one of Duke Venomania's seductions, Lilien Turner.
The story expands on the song of the same name, focusing on the titular Duke Venomania; after losing the love of his life, Sateriasis Venomania makes a contract with the Demon of Lust. Aided by the mysterious mage IR, he starts abducting and enchanting women to become hopelessly in love with him, building a harem for his personal desires, and an international incident ensues. In addition, the story focuses on the sorceress Elluka Clockworker as she idly seeks out the Demons of Sin and becomes involved in the women’s disappearances.
Set in the backdrop of Asmodean a century after the fall of the Magic Kingdom Levianta, the story contains details for the Original Sin Story and is followed by the light novel Evil Food Eater Conchita.
The novel’s website can be found here
(note however that it’s all in Japanese), and can be purchased on Amazon.
The novel and manga provide examples of:
- Abusive Parents: In the past, Ilotte Venomania had kept Cherubim in a dark basement for the first half of his life and treated him like a devil child, then forcing him to work as a servant when he finally let him out.
- Adipose Rex: The children of the Beelzenia Emperor Jupitaire are all noticeably overweight: Janus, Martius, Febria, Aprilis... Yufina even calls them the "pig siblings" (which makes sense when you know that Beelzenia and its royal family are strongly associated with the sin of Gluttony). There is only one exception, Maylis, who is very slender.
- Alone with the Psycho: This happens with Maylis, going to visit Venomania shortly before Karchess would have told her he's the one responsible for what's going on. Though, she can tell something's up immediately.
- In the latter part of the manga Lilien is alone with the Duke in Earl Ferdinand's mansion. Meanwhile, Rajih discovers the dead bodies of the Earl and his household, while Lilien learns that Venomania is the one who kidnapped the women.
- An Arm and a Leg: While kidnapping Yufina, the Marquis Donald is so persistent a fighter that Sateriasis ends up having to rip his arms off just so he can hold him still long enough to wipe his memories.
- Arranged Marriage: Gumina had been arranged to marry Sateriasis. The real Sateriasis, that is.
- Asmodeus: Duke Sateriasis Venomania makes a deal with the Demon of Lust in exchange for the power to make any woman fall in love with him and a beautiful face. The demon itself get no name in the story, but the song's official English title is "Dance with Asmodeus".
- Battle Butler: Gumina has one called Carol Shields; not only is she an expert at martial arts, but her loyalty to Gumina prioritizes higher than her brainwashing to Venomania.
- Blatant Lies: Venomania indulges in some any time he's trying to explain his harem to a woman he's planning to brainwash; it's stated by the chapter with Maylis that he actually believes it himself.Venomania: I don't force the girls. They all want to live in my harem.
- Bittersweet Ending: On Karchess’ end, he reunites with Yufina and together they take back their homeland. On the women’s end, they’re free of Venomania and some of them are able to rebuild their lives, but all of them face some level of persecution and each of these are bittersweet in themselves. On Elluka’s end, she loses the Venom Sword and the Golden Key. And then there's the overall tragedy of Gumina and Cherubim’s relationship, which can never be resolved now.
- Bishie Sparkle: Downplayed, but Karchess sparkles for a couple panels of the manga.
- Body Surf: At the end, Elluka swaps bodies with Lukana to keep her out of IR’s clutches.
- Break His Heart to Save Him: As it turns out, Gumina pulled this when she mocked Cherubim in order to save him from the (real) Sateriasis, who was jealous of their relationship and plotting to kill his brother.
- Cain and Abel: Played with: Cherubim killed the original Sateriasis, but it turned out that the original Sateriasis was also planning to kill him.
- Child by Rape: All of it, of course, from Sateriasis Venomania. Though, despite the size of his harem, Lukana, Maylis, and Mikulia are the only women who got pregnant. Venomania’s lineage (from Lukana and Maylis anyway) is the most widespread one in the series.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Duke Venomania loved Gumina, but she had scorned him in the past, and while she was in his harem she was under his charms like the others; once they were broken, she walked away from him as he died. Of course, she may have really loved him after all, but she certainly didn’t love the real Sateriasis, whom Cherubim was impersonating.
- Comforting Comforter: Venomania does this with Lukana in the first chapter when she's fallen asleep during her work. It's a brief Pet the Dog moment before the narrative goes into his struggle to keep his lust for her at bay.
- Deal with the Devil: Venomania did this in order to magically charm women and remove the second face on his cheek so that he could obtain Gumina.
- Disguised in Drag: Karchess, in order to save Yufina.
- Driven to Suicide: The titular Duke at the very beginning, due to guilt for having massacred his family and despair over his deformity, and Gumina scorning him because of it.
- Dying Alone: Venomania’s despair in death is a result of being deserted by his entire harem, the demon, and his one true love.
- Dying Declaration of Love: Subverted. Venomania tries to do this as he confesses his love for Gumina, but ultimately he's unable to speak from lack of breath. Luckily, a song from Gumina's perspective reveals that she knew all along what he was trying to say.
- Falling-in-Love Montage: Chapter 2 of the manga shows one, with Lilien falling in love with the duke while she shows him around town.
- Foregone Conclusion: Not only is it clear from the titular song what ultimately happens to Venomania and his harem, but Lukana herself has a prophetic dream warning her as much early in the novel. The real twist comes from finding out Venomania is actually the much-talked of Cherubim.
- Foreshadowing:
- Pretty much anything regarding Cherubim and his relationship with Gumina and Sateriasis is this for the reveal in the last few scenes of the novel.
- It's mentioned early on that one of the servants in the massacre of Venomania's family was disfigured beyond recognition. While not outright stated, it's clearly Sateriasis in Cherubim's clothing, his face mutilated so no one would know that they swapped places.
- Freudian Excuse: Duke Venomania was horrifically neglected by his father from a young age.
- Lady Killer In Love: Played with; Venomania claims to be in love with ALL the women in his harem and doesn't see the point in picking just one. There's also his childhood romance with Gumina, his most prominent love interest, who he realizes too late that he genuinely loves out of all of them.
- Maybe Ever After: The epilogue states that Lukana, Lilien, and Rajih moved away together after the Venomania event. While it's established that Rajih is in love with Lilien, whether the feelings were returned and they ended up romantically is left ambiguous.
- Meaningful Name: Sateriasis brings to mind the word "satyriasis", the word for male hypersexuality.
- Perverted Drooling: In the novel there's a scene where Venomania just barely stops himself from doing this, swallowing a mouthful of saliva while staring at Lukana. Later on when kidnapping Gumina he does it for real while demonically transformed.
- Phallic Weapon: Probably the main reason the Vessel of Lust is a sword.
- Questionable Consent: The entirety of Duke Venomania's harem consists of women that were seduced with magic or, in Mikulia’s case, are too naïve to understand what’s really happening. It's telling that once the spell is broken, the harem in its entirety flees the mansion in terror.
- Remembered I Could Fly: Venomania, when told to brainwash the fleeing Lukana, points out that she's already too far away for him to run to catch up; IR reminds him that he has use of a demon's power to fly with.
- Rightful Queen Returns: After marrying Karchess, Yufina returns to Marlon and campaigns against her former husband, citing her royal Marlon blood as making her the legitimate heir.
- Self-Made Orphan: Venomania kills his own parents, in addition to the rest of his household, at the start of the novel.
- The Magic Goes Away: It's mentioned that after the Catastrophe, people with magical talent became scarcer, until magic became no more than a myth in the Story of Evil. Lukana seems to be one of the few people with considerable magical talent left by 137 EC.
- This Was His True Form: A minor example; after the Demon leaves his body, Venomania's face returns to its deformed state.
- Title Drop: In the ending narration of the "The Lunacy of Duke Venomania" manga.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Duke Venomania himself, since no one has caught on that he’s behind the disappearances.
