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Chapter 39 : Rewarding Merit
Hell.
A place where those who have committed great sins in life go after death. The home of the Demon King and demons. Religions that talk about hell usually say so.
But no human has ever experienced the real hell. No one knows the true nature of hell.
Step.
Edward crossed the dimensional gate called the Gates of Hell. He had also brought a weapon, just in case.
W̃ ӗ b́nо̌ v̆ ẽl Ӗ n ũ_m̆а
A plain stretched out endlessly. The ground was ashen, and the sky was as red as blood.
Vague, smoke-like figures roamed the desolate land like ghosts. Their number seemed to be close to ten thousand.
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Some had human forms, but more had the forms of demons or monsters. Their colors were mostly black, with gray and white mixed in.
‘Don’t tell me?’
The figures of the nearby ghosts were familiar. As he prepared to fight and approached them, they prostrated themselves before Edward.
The surrounding ghosts also followed suit.
Еṅ u̇m a . id
“Raise your heads.”
He gave an order, just in case, and they raised their heads. Their eyes, which glowed with a red phosphorescence, stared at Edward.
‘As expected.’
He hadn't recognized them at first glance because their skin was black, but upon closer inspection, it was certain.
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Shylock’s subordinates who had been guarding the slave warehouses. They were the ones Edward had killed most recently.
Edward passed them and approached the other ghosts. They also bowed to Edward.
E n̈ ům̃a
‘Shylock’s subordinates.’
Next came Logozhin’s gang, and then Pierce and the Sharp brothers.
As he continued in that way, ghosts emitting a brilliant white light appeared.
‘Paolo!’
It was the suicide squad he had absorbed in the final moments of his past life.
‘Arsene is here too.’
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The members of the suicide squad also bowed.
‘Is it the same as when I saw it with the Eye of God?’
The color of the ghosts was the same as when he had seen living souls with the Eye of God.
While all the villains he had recently killed were black, almost all the members of the suicide squad were white. There were also gray ones, but they were very faint. As befitting those who had thrown their lives away like chaff for the world, their souls were also noble.
‘Is it a kind of soul prison?’
This was a place where the souls he had absorbed with Black Soul in his past and present lives stayed.
Еn̂ü ḿ.а
His heart ached to see his comrades, who should have been at rest, in a state no different from slaves.
‘Can’t I release them?’
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The Demon King’s memory said that it was only possible when he became strong enough to overwhelm the members of the suicide squad.
‘Is summoning the only thing I can do now?’
Although it was temporary, he could send the ghosts here outside the dimensional gate. A kind of summoning magic.
The more souls he sent out, the stronger the souls, and the longer the summoning time, the more mana was needed.
Ẃ ěb ǹ оv̊ è l Е̊ ňûm а̌.
Even with the power Edward currently had, he could summon dozens of thugs or horse bandits who couldn't use mana.
In the case of the members of the suicide squad, about five seconds was the limit. It was the same for the powerful monsters he had killed in his past life.
In other words, if Edward became stronger, he could fight alongside the suicide squad. The enemies he had killed in the process of becoming stronger also remained here.
Later, it would be possible to summon ghosts and face a legion by himself.
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‘Just wait a little. I’ll release you all.’
Although it was unsettling to leave his friends in such a state, he was happy to have confirmed a new possibility.
W̆_е b̆n̈о̇ v ẽ l̄ Èn ūm̊ ӓ
‘Wait.’
As he was about to turn his steps, a question arose.
‘Where is the Demon King?’
The more recently absorbed souls were closer to the dimensional gate. In order, the Demon King should have been there before he met the suicide squad.
But the Demon King was nowhere to be found.
‘Is he inside me?’
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The only being that could make this dimension possible was the Demon King. No matter how powerful a mage, they could not create such a vast dimension. It was also funny that the being who had created this dimension was trapped in it.
‘Did the Demon King also use Black Soul?’
According to his memory, this dimension had existed even when the Demon King was alive. That meant that the Demon King had also absorbed the souls of the dead. But the ones the Demon King had absorbed were not visible.
The questions continued endlessly, but he couldn't find an answer with the knowledge and memories he currently had. He decided to find out later and went out of the dimensional gate.
* * *
Before dinner, he decided to check the goods sent from Balduran first.
Е ǹǔ_mа̇
“They didn’t fit in His Lordship’s safe, so I moved them to the underground warehouse.”
Frederick said.
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“Is the security certain?”
“It’s the place with the sturdiest door after His Lordship’s safe. Because it’s where we store food. There’s also only one way in, so it’s easy to stop or catch intruders.”
When a castle was under siege, food became more important than gold and treasures. In any castle, the place where food for emergencies was stored had tight security.
“Let’s go down and check the contents.”
Еn̄ŭ m̈a
Edward went down to the underground warehouse with William and Frederick.
Seven chests were neatly stacked.
Edward touched the magic lock and recalled the password Shylock had told him in his head.
‘…6969.’
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Clank.
The magic lock was released. He also unlocked the remaining lock using the key he had received from Shylock.
Wе̂b n о̊v̊ё l̊ Е́ñúm_а
“Oh, my goodness.”
Frederick let out a gasp. The chest was full of glittering gold coins.
“Hehehe.”
William rubbed his hands together, satisfied. Edward checked the other chests as well.
All the chests were full of gold coins.
“Let’s count them one by one.”
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“What? Why?”
“We need to know exactly how much there is.”
Although he had heard roughly how much it was from Shylock, he hadn't counted it himself. To run the domain efficiently, he needed to know the exact amount.
“Frederick, please light it up.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
The task of counting the money took almost an hour.
W̄ёb n̈ ôv̊ е̇l̂ Еn̄ùṁ ӓ
“It’s 712,154 gold.”
“Phew, the smell of money. I never thought the day would come when I would get sick of the sight of gold coins.”
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“There’s still more.”
Edward poured out all the gold and treasures in the subspace storage.
It was what was left of the 200,000 gold that had been in Pierce and Logozhin’s mansions and Shylock’s assets, which he had set aside to give to the slaves.
Frederick turned pale, and William scowled.
W e b̄ nо̂ v̇e l̊ En um̀ а
“Haha, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at this.”
Frederick let out a hearty laugh.
“We have to finish before dinner. Gather the jewels separately and just count the gold coins.”
Since the amount was less than the previous one, it didn't take that long.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Excluding the jewels, it’s a total of 1,127,425 gold. Congratulations. You have become one of the wealthiest people in the west.”
“You both worked hard.”
Е̇ǹ u.m а̂. і̌ď
“What about the debt?”
“Since there is no heir, the debt will be extinguished when Shylock dies. The documents that prove it have also all been incinerated, so it’s as good as gone.”
“A novel way to repay a debt.”
“We were the poorest family in the kingdom, but now we have become one of the richest.”
Frederick was moved.
“Frederick.”
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“Yes, Young Master.”
“Take all your overdue salary, and take ten times your salary as a bonus. It’s a reward.”
“What? Why all of a sudden?”
“It’s the price for showing unchanging loyalty even when Griffith was in its dark days.”
“I cannot do that. I will only receive my overdue salary.”
“I will not allow any objections. It’s an order.”
Еň ùm̌а̄_
“…”
“I’ll be counting on you in the future as well.”
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Frederick bowed his head with teary eyes.
“I will serve you with all my loyalty until the moment my life ends.”
“Pay the soldiers and servants their overdue salaries and a bonus of ten times their salary. Also, give the people who were injured in the last battle treatment costs and living expenses according to the severity of their injuries. Don’t forget to take care of the families of the fallen. And pay back all the money borrowed from other families. With interest.”
“Your words are wise. I will implement it immediately.”
Ŵе̂ b ǹ ȯ v̊ èl̃ E̊ń ũm а̃
“Why don’t you give me any?”
William grumbled.
Although Edward had stolen Shylock’s assets, William had also made a great contribution when he had stolen Pierce and Logozhin’s assets.
He had also played a big role in the fight against the horse bandits.
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Excluding Edward, the person who had made the greatest contribution was William.
“You take this.”
Е́ǹ ū ḿå . і̊ d
Edward took off the bracelet and held it out.
“This?”
William’s eyes widened.
As a result of various experiments, he had found out that he could also use the Gates of Hell like a subspace storage.
The subspace storage was at most the size of a room, but beyond the Gates of Hell was a world whose end could not be known. Since the storage space was close to infinite, the subspace storage was unnecessary.
“Take all the jewels too.”
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William grinned.
“My brother is very generous. I like it.”
“The more you have, the more fun it is to extort it from you with a bet.”
William’s smile disappeared, and he gave him the middle finger.
“There’s something you have to do for me.”
“What is it?”
Е̄n̊_um̆ ä
“The military training of the villagers.”
“Me? I can’t.”
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Judging by his expression, it wasn't that he couldn't, but that he was lazy.
“You also went to the academy, so you should know about military strategy.”
“I was kicked out before I could learn properly. The teacher who taught military strategy was also an idiot.”
Although he didn't know it himself, William had the qualities to become a great general. If he tried it, he would realize that it was his calling.
Е̂n̆ú ṁ а́.іd̊
“If you don’t want to, then spit out all the jewels.”
“I killed half of those guys.”
“They were all small fry. It was also me who found out where the money and treasures were hidden.”
“…”
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“Take the jewels and train them, or just take the bracelet and get lost.”
“Alright, damn it.”
W̊ e b n o v_ėĺ E ń ûm̆á_
He had to raise him from now on so that he could entrust him with an important role later. As he did so, his sense of belonging to Griffith would also grow.
* * *
Dinner time. When he went to the dining room, a splendid meal was set up.
“Sit here.”
After sitting at the head of the table, Edward offered William the seat right next to him.
“Mr. Bron has arrived.”
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Kogan, who was now called Bron, came in. He had come at Edward’s invitation.
“Hey, dwarf’s turd, you’re dazzling. Why are you suddenly using Blind magic.”
William teased him, covering his eyes with his hand. Bron’s shaved head was shining, reflecting the light.
“Do you think I’m doing this because I want to!”
Bron huffed with a flushed face.
“Sit.”
Е̊ n̆ ŭ m ӓ . id
Edward offered him the seat on the other side. He had also adjusted the height of the chair to make it easier for Bron to sit.
As Bron sat down, the prepared dishes came out one by one.
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Frederick’s words that he would prepare a feast were by no means a bluff.
“How are you doing?”
“Everything is fine except for the loneliness.”
“It’s to avoid the eyes of the church, so please bear with it for a little while.”
Wе bn̊_о v̄ е̌.l Ẽ ñǔṁ ã
“I know. It’s much better than when I was captured by the Baal guys, so don’t worry. Thank you for letting me taste freedom like this.”
“We didn't have time to talk much in Balduran. I’m curious about how you’ve lived.”
Bron told his story.
He was from the dwarf kingdom <Moira>, which was located in the Cloud Mountains, and had risen to the position of Master Miner, who was in charge of the mines.
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The fact that he had snatched that position from among the dwarves, who were natural miners, meant that Bron’s talent was special.
“You?”
E n̊ um̄â.іd
“That’s right.”
The way William looked at Bron changed.
“You’re bluffing, right?”
“I’m not bluffing. You’ll know if you let me work in a mine.”
Bron said with an attitude full of pride.
“How did you get caught by the Baal guys?”
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The Kingdom of Moira was in an alliance with the nearby human kingdom <Southerheim>.
The dwarves sold their metal crafts to the humans and bought food with that money. Since they were essential to each other, their relationship was also strong.
Then one day, a mineral vein was discovered in the territory of Southerheim. At the request of the humans, Bron decided to lead the development of the new mine.
Bron had left the mountains to take on the job and had been attacked and kidnapped by the Baal Church.
“They were bold and strong enough to attack the Royal Knights of a human kingdom.”
The Royal Knights were usually the elite forces of that country. Although Southerheim was not as strong as the Holy Empire, it was far stronger than Aerok. There was no way the Royal Knights of such a country would be weak.
W.е b̂ n̈ о̆ v́ e ľ Ė ňům̌ а̀
Although not all of them were deployed, from the perspective of the human kingdom, Bron was a guest of honor. His escort would by no means have been small.
And yet, the fact that they had kidnapped Bron meant that the Baal Church had a greater fighting force than that. The hideout in Balduran was probably just a small branch run by a low-ranking member.
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“I was kidnapped like that and wandered around here and there until I came here.”
“Did you ever work as a miner while you were captured?”
Bron shook his head.
“Then you weren’t the target.”
Е nu m̆а
“What do you mean?”
“If the purpose was to kidnap a Master Miner, they would have made you work as a miner. But that wasn't the case. It means the purpose was somewhere else. It was probably to drive a wedge between the two kingdoms.”
“…Now that I hear it, it seems so.”
“I don’t know well because it’s beyond the mountains, but the relationship between the two countries is probably not the same as before.”
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At those words, Bron’s face became gloomy.
Edward paid attention to the fact that the Baal Church had made Bron work as a blacksmith instead of a miner, even though they knew his value.
Ŵ е.bn̆о̌ ve l̆ Е n̊û m̆а
It was probably not because they were stupid, but because there was no need for it. If it was a group with an abundance of human and material resources, it was entirely possible.
“I’ll look into how the situation in the north is going. Even if the relationship between the two kingdoms has worsened, it might change if you go back and tell them the truth.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll send you off in two years no matter what, so don’t worry. I swear on the name of Griffith that I will keep my promise.”
“I’ll also earn my keep during that time.”
“You can rest freely when we get a mine.”
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“Thank you.”
Just then, Frederick came into the dining room and bowed his head.
“What is it?”
“The circus has arrived.”
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