Volume 8 Chapter 21 The Scenery Toxy And Sandra Saw
After being lectured by Ice for a small hour, the 2 of them were exhausted. The conversation had turned into a discussion about what had happened so far.
"...So, I'll tell you..." "Yeah..."
"I thought you'd be more exhausted, but what did you say, Ice?"
"..."
Ice just smiled silently at my question. I got scared and quickly looked away, returning my gaze to the 2 of them. Clay muttered, "That's the right answer, yeah."
"Uh, so... what happened was that Sandra went on a rampage, that's all."
Everyone's eyes turned to Sandra as Toxy explained. Sandra, as usual, had a blank expression and said,
"I'm the king of this village."
"...In other words?"
"Ah, yeah. You wouldn't understand Sandra's explanation, so I'll explain it myself."
I thought Toxy was lucky to have Sandra with her as I watched their exchange.
"I think everyone else feels the same way, but we were attacked by Lord's cannon fire in the Great Dungeon's tower, right?"
"Yeah."
Looking back, I realized that the blood splatter and everything else were just human cannonballs. Lord Bael, after all. He was saying something like "Marvelous" as the tower collapsed.
"After that, we were attacked by bandits. We defeated them all, but it turned out they were villagers from a nearby village. Then Sandra said something about 'counterattacking'..."
"You should be prepared to lose what you've gained, Toxy."
"I know, so that's why we attacked."
"That's right."
Toxy patted Sandra's head, which was making a peace sign. Sandra was Sandra, with her own unique sense of morality. Maybe she was compatible with hell or something.
"So, Sandra didn't listen, and we had no choice but to attack with just the 2 of us. Sandra went on a rampage, and after saying 'I'm full,' she knocked everyone out."
"Toxy and I plundered food, but we couldn't eat it all, so we returned it."
"And then, for some reason, we were thanked... After that, I also helped treat the villagers' injuries, and somehow, I got used to it..."
"That's how it is now, Wade."
"I see, so it's all because of Sandra, huh?"
"I'm the King of the Village."
Sandra's usual expressionless, poker-faced look is back. I think Sandra is really enjoying life.
Then, Toxy spoke up.
"Anyway, there's someone we absolutely have to introduce you to when everyone arrives."
"Huh? Who is it?"
"Both of you, come on over~"
When Toxy called out, a lively voice responded with "Yes!" The shadow that appeared made our eyes widen in surprise.
"...Aren't these people?"
"Yeah, that's right. The "demons" we killed on the surface."
We couldn't help but be shocked by the familiar demon couple. The 2 of them were extremely obedient, as if they had been subjected to some kind of control by Toxy and Sandra.
"It's been a few days, everyone. I'm Renril, the older brother."
"And I'm Rollo, the younger sister!"
Renril was a tall, male demon with numerous sorcery marks etched into his throat. On the other hand, Rollo was a small, devil-like female demon with sorcery marks peeking out from her chest.
Since it's Nordic mythology-based sorcery, the source is probably runes. They've got it embedded in their bodies. Sur must have had it carved into his skin and muscle fibers too. These 2 probably have it to some extent as well.
As I observed them, the demon siblings bowed their heads deeply in unison.
"We apologize for our repeated rudeness the last time we met...!"
"I'm so sorry!"
The 2 of them apologized vigorously.
I listened in.
"...What did you do? Don't they know we're human?"
"Uh, well~...Sandra did that~..."
"I used Reskill."
"Hey! You didn't have to go that far, did you, Sandra?!"
When Sandra spoke, the demon couple stiffened, their backs straightening, and began to tremble violently.
"We don't know anything about humans, we've never seen one, no one is human, please forgive us, we beg of you!"
"U...uuu... Kill, revive, kill, revive, ah, ah, ahh..."
"Sandra?"
...What's with this Reskill, anyway? Did Sandra kill and revive them repeatedly, making them like this? That's even worse than what demons do, Sandra.
"The respawn point was here, what a pain in the neck. It felt like they were stuck in an endless loop of reviving and getting their ant-like legs ripped off."
"Sandra..."
I didn't want to hear the details. Yeah, I guess so. That's what it means to be undead, powerless.
But I thought, Sandra, who had high compatibility from the start, seemed to be living relatively freely compared to Clay, who was having a terrible time.
So, I naturally asked her.
"Hey, Sandra. What's this Nilfheim... hell like to you?"
"? Hell."
"No, I mean, it's different. The moral values are too different, and it's hard to grasp. I don't know how to interpret it."
When I asked, Ice and Clay nodded in agreement. Sandra seemed to understand our nuance, nodded, and said.
"Actually, I don't dislike it. Everyone's honest."
"...Honest?"
"Yeah, honest. They might lie to others, but there's no demon who lies to themselves."
"..."
I felt like I understood what kind of place this hell was again from Sandra's words. I nodded silently and urged her to continue.
"There's no patience in hell. There's no sadness. There's pain, so there are screams, but that's not sadness."
"..."
"So, everyone laughs, gets angry, or screams. It's fun to take things away. It's annoying to have things taken away. The act of taking itself is painful, and that's why they scream. And."
Sandra said.
"All of that is just a thrill."
"...A thrill..."
"Yeah. Because everything is temporary. For demons who live forever, eternity doesn't exist. It's a real feeling. It's fun to keep sl*ves. It's annoying to become a sl*ve, but the joy of revenge is waiting."
I couldn't interject a word about Sandra's deep understanding of demons.
"Hell is a simple world. Since everyone's undead, they don't really care even if they're insulted. They know that any glory will eventually be taken away, and any pain will eventually end."
"...So, is that why everyone's so short-sighted, Sandra?"
"That's right. Predicting the future is pointless. Everything will eventually disappear somewhere, and it's possible that I'll be gone before that. So, I'll just pursue the fun of the moment."
I think to myself. Unlike me, not being immortal as an ability. If I say so, it's like 'Oath' Arthur--in this world, no one can truly die.
No matter how high you rise, you'll eventually fail and fall somewhere. Even if you're reduced to a sl*ve, your master will eventually make a mistake and set you free.
"So, everything is just a thrill. Kings and sl*ves alike enjoy themselves. The happiness of being a king will eventually become meaningless, and the pain of being a sl*ve will become numb if you get used to it."
That's what it means to be in hell, demon. With Sandra's words, I finally understand this place called Nilfheim.
"...Is that what Mudi meant by 'demons are sane and rational'?"
When they think about eternity, happiness and pain are just momentary things. That's why they're doing this--I don't want to get tired of it.
Happiness will eventually become ordinary if it continues. Then, everything will seem worthless. It's like the Japanese who can use water like it's worthless, not knowing the joy of an oasis.
So, the demons accept losing things. The demon know that having happiness taken away increases its value, so they don't get angry when it's taken away, but they don't feel sad either.
The demons in this village are a good example. Even if the village is destroyed by artillery, they don't get angry, but they don't lament either. People won't truly disappear, and they can rebuild their homes.
Looting is the same. It's fun to take things. Even if they're killed in retaliation, it's not a big deal. That's why everyone does it. Whether they succeed or fail, it's all just a thrill.
"!"
I finally understand, and I think, what is this place?
The people who seemed crazy were all sane. They were sane, and that's why they took crazy actions--it was the best way to live.
"Wade, you're smiling."
Sandra tells me, and I touch the corner of my mouth. My smile is indeed rising.
I scratch my head and say to Sandra.
"Hey, Sandra... I'm starting to think that maybe, just maybe, this could be more fun than I thought."
"What a coincidence. Let's become outlaws together. It's all just a thrill anyway."
"Hmm~, can you hold off on that sentiment for a bit~?"
Just as Sandra and I were about to make a pact, Toxy suddenly butted in with a casual tone.
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