Volume 8 Chapter 28 Entering The Village
My vision returned. I was standing in the original house.
"Hey."
Mudi was the first to greet me. Looking around, I saw Philia, Sur, and even the rest of the party who I thought had split up.
"So, Mudi, you guys joined."
"We got bored after sleeping our fill. We noticed something interesting was going on so we came to check it out,."
"More like we came to cause trouble, kyahahaha."
"I finished my investigation as well, so I wanted to report my findings,."
"Alright, let's share information first."
I said, and everyone nodded. Sur went first.
"There wasn't much. The only thing of note was a basement."
"A basement?"
"Yes. Apparently, Cabby-sama used it to imprison and torture the women he liked. Bael-sama had it prepared."
The women looked disgusted at that. I didn't know what kind of expression to make. If anything, I just thought that they all got what they deserved.
"That's about it."
"Then it's my turn. I have a lot of important information, so listen carefully."
I started to tell everyone. Why the fog couldn't be dispelled. About the evil god summoning. And that the purpose was Cabby, who was just mentioned.
Only Mudi and Philia were laughing hysterically, but the others didn't know what expression to make. Well, Sandra was nodding.
"This really feels like hell. Everyone here is trash! Trash! Trash! That's why I can't quit hell."
"It's so nice that there's not a single person here who deserves sympathy~. Everyone is just acting on their desires. They're all about taking and killing. No one thinks about the risks. That's why."
"――Yeah. That's why."
The 2 of them laughed viciously, like devils.
""That's why we can slaughter as we please.""
Mudi and Philia, having been active in Hell for a long time, seemed to be enjoying this hell to the fullest. They could do anything. Ultimate freedom. With power, Hell was more than a paradise.
A realm where screams, shouts, and laughter never cease. As I thought, wherever there are Demons, these sounds are sure to arise.
I look at Sur. Sur is looking down at the ground, seemingly embarrassed.
For someone like Sur, who has learned the common sense of the surface world, having this as his birthplace must be a shameful thing. I would feel ashamed too if Karditsa was like this.
Finally, I look at the rest of the party members.
Their expressions vary. Clay has a sullen look. Surprisingly, Toxy looks the same as usual. Sandra seems a little happier than usual.
And Ice is looking at me with a smile.
"Wade, kun."
Ice calls my name as usual.
"Wade, you've seen a lot of hell in Nilfheim, haven't you...?"
"Yeah."
"Wade-kun, I heard from Sandra-chan, but what kind of place is hell to you...?"
Everyone's gaze naturally turns to me. I think for a moment, then open my mouth.
"At first, it was a place I couldn't understand. The law and order were literally hellish. Everyone was beyond redemption. Clay still thinks that, doesn't he? 'This is the worst hell.'"
"...That's right. I guess I need a minimum level of ethics."
Clay's wry smile is literally bitter.
"I thought so too at first. But unlike Clay, I'm not good at heart. Even if my opponent was just, I would defeat them if they were in my way. I don't regret that."
I guess I was raised poorly. When I mock myself, Clay makes a sour face.
"But I could never fully understand this Nilfheim. That's why I always had a nagging feeling. But now it's different. Mudi and Sandra taught me what hell is."
After a pause, I say.
"――This is the land of the dead. All demons are undead. They don't have lives."
"Oh, you figured it out on your own."
Mudi laughs. Then, amused, he asks, "When did you figure it out?"
"It's kinda a hunch, but most people don't call this place the Demon World. They call it Hell. Demons respawn here no matter where they die. And..."
I glanced at Ice.
"They don't have a 'will to live'."
"!"
"That's it. Their aggression is just another way of saying they have nothing to protect. Or rather, the only life they really need to protect is already being protected by the world."
Demons don't fear death. They hate pain because it's painful, and they'll get angry and scream, but it's just part of the fun for them.
I mean, if they were really scared, if they were really terrified of Sandra's reskill, the demon siblings wouldn't have followed us so calmly.
Probably, they're just pretending to be scared because they can still feel the remnants of their past emotions. It's just for fun.
Mudi said,
"Wade, you're totally right. Not just Nilfheim, but Hell is literally the afterlife. It's the other side. Demons are essentially spirits. The reason dungeons are full of evil is that the dungeons themselves are paths to Hell."
Mudi laughed.
"Demons are guaranteed life here, and they use their time to indulge in all their desires. They spend an almost infinite amount of time. And then, eventually, they get truly bored. That's when they lose their desires and get purified."
"...Purified?"
"Yeah, purified. A white flame rises, and a pillar of salt appears. Salt is valuable, so the demons swarm it. But strangely, it's not death, it's just purification. Few people dislike it."
On the other hand, Mudi continued,
"Purified souls are blessed by God again and reborn in the human world."
"That's..."
"Yeah, it's reincarnation."
Mudi said with interest.
"In a way, Hell is a place where the worst of humanity is ground up. It's called Hell, but it's essentially just the afterlife. Since you can come back to life even if you die, you could say it's heaven too."
That's why, Mudi looked into my eyes.
"How you feel about this place is up to you. For Philia and me, it's a fun playground where we can do whatever we want."
"It's fun to see everyone being so silly. The human world is too sane. It doesn't suit me, kyahaha!"
Mudi and Philia argued, then looked at me. It was like they were asking, "What about you?"
"For me right now, hell is..."
I said.
"A playground for kids."
"...Oh?"
Mudi's eyes widened. I smiled slightly and said,
"Isn't it? Everyone's so immoral, but if you ignore that, they're just playing innocently. I don't hate them. I don't hate them, but I think they're small."
"...Small?"
"Yeah, small. The subjects who only enjoy plundering, devil Bael who's satisfied with crushing subjects like bugs, the village head council that calls on evil gods to cause trouble and then try to profit from it――they're all small."
Mudi thought about my words. Sur looked confused, Clay blinked while looking at me, and Toxy tilted her head, saying, "But can't we just not ignore the immorality?"
But Philia smirked at me, and Sandra looked at me with sparkling eyes.
Ice just looked at me with warm eyes.
"So, Wade-kun, what kind of big thing do you want to do...?"
"Thanks for asking."
I smiled widely and addressed everyone.
"For me, defeating the Demon King is the reason I'm in hell. Nilfheim is more fun than I thought, but the surface world is still warmer and easier to live in. So I'm going to prioritize defeating the Demon King."
"Yeah, that's reasonable."
"Right? Clay. So, honestly, I could just leave this situation alone since it's about clearing the fog, but I want to take everything I can get before I leave here."
And then I continued.
"Sur told me, but to keep the Demon King's castle unguarded, you need people, right?"
"Yes, that's right, Wade-sama. We alone probably won't be enough."
"Yeah. So I've been thinking about it for a while. I thought I'd find a small number of strong demons that I could trust, but that's probably difficult. Aside from them being strong, I don't have anyone I can trust."
Everyone nods deeply. The demons will definitely betray or do things on the spot, absolutely do it.
"So, I was thinking in a different direction."
"A different direction...?"
"Yeah. In other words, if it's more fun for the other side to fight without betraying following the flow of the situation, the demons won't betray us, right?"
Sounds of agreement from everyone. But then Clay speaks.
"It's easy to say, but isn't it difficult to create that situation?"
"Exactly. Normally, it would be difficult. But after thinking about it for a bit, I came up with something."
I smirked.
"To involve the demons in a frenzy of numbers."
Silence falls. Everyone ponders what this means.
Then Sandra speaks up.
"Wade, you're going to give another speech. Exciting!"
"Oh, I see! Indeed, if we do that, we can maintain an atmosphere where everyone follows Wade-kun!"
Clay claps his hands. All my party members understand. But Mudi, Philia, and Sur seem puzzled.
"Hey, stupid disciples, explain it so we can understand."
"Haha, basically, it's like this."
Defiantly, I declare.
"We'll kill all the annoying and irritating demons in this area. Those who obey will become slaves."
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