episode_0001

Gradually-.

The heavy and painful sound of cast iron rubbing against iron seeps into my ears. Every time I hear this sound, I feel pain as if my whole body is being torn apart.

Because the four iron chains holding my poor limbs are the source of the sound.

chains. This cold piece of iron made of adamantium does not allow me freedom. Instead, they only enforce the punishment of cruel and merciless imprisonment.

Suddenly-.

The sound of chains is heard again. It means that my physical seizures are not over yet. Damn, it lasts so long.

Anyway, it’s a miserable life where my head will be cut off in a week.

Suddenly-.

The sound of metal was heard regularly. The seizures seem to be regular. Great Sage Merlin, what on earth has that damned old man done?

In fact, if you’re like me, you end up with these mild cramps and terrible pain.

If it were an ordinary demon, its ugly body would have exploded with every seizure, spewing out flesh in all directions.

This is the 9th circle great magic that Merlin Gregory, the only great wizard on the continent, used his own life force as material. My body, which tenaciously endures such magic, is something very special.

Gradually-.

There is a great prison called the Tower of Babel. It is a strangely shaped prison that rises underground rather than above ground, and is a place where only the most violent criminals on the continent are imprisoned.

It is said to be a name given to a collection of ugly desires, and I think it is quite fitting.

And, the place where I am now is Tartarus, the lowest level within the Tower of Babel, called the abyss of hell.

To explain a little more, this is a place where only death row inmates, who are said to not deserve life imprisonment, are imprisoned. In addition, because it is the top of the Tower of Babel, which rises upside down, it is also the place buried deepest underground.

In fact, they are death row inmates, and I am the only one imprisoned in Tartarus right now.

The Black King, who ruled the back alleys of the continent, and Elquines, the water spirit king who brought a huge flood to the continent, moved levels when I was imprisoned in Tartarus. Upstairs.

“Whoo, whoo… .”

Envious guys. It’s nice to be alone, but since Tartarus is so far underground, the geothermal heat rises and the entire floor is as hot as magma. In the meantime, not even a drop of drinking water is provided, which is the misfortune of misfortunes.

Gradually-.

Except for the occasional seizure, my body remains glued to the stone floor and does not move.

This is partly because the weight of the adamantium chain is so heavy, and above all, because my physical condition is so bad that I cannot even lift a finger.

Thanks to this, I can only look at the high ceiling with my limbs stretched out to the north, south, east and west.

Rattling-.

thud-.

For the first time in a while, I heard a sound different from the sound of chains or heavy breathing. I guess it’s time for food distribution. Today too, two pieces of crumbly bread without any flavor.

“Hey, Joker. How are you feeling? Is it worth living?”

I don’t have the strength to lift a finger, but I have the strength to use my tongue. So I open my mouth.

“Celt, don’t be sarcastic.”

“If not at times like this, when will I be sarcastic to that person? Please understand.”

“No matter what, it’s not right to make fun of someone who is going to die soon, isn’t it?”

I feel out of breath while talking. That’s because the ground is so hot. This thing seems to be as warm as most magma.

“Then would you like me to give you some water? Do you want to quench your thirst for the first time in a while?”

“… No, it’s okay. I’m about to die, so what kind of water is this?”

“You’re saying you’re not thirsty, right? Truly worthy of the Demon World North Duke.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, Celt. Because I’m trying to cultivate the virtue of patience before I die.”

While exchanging nonsense words with his mouth, Kelt opened the iron gate of Tartalos with a skillful hand and entered. Holding two cruelly hard-looking pieces of bread in both hands.

Indeed, he looks like a jailer who manages the Tower of Babel and even Tartarus.

I have a very reasonable thought that as much as I am a legend of the demons, he is also a legend of the guards.

“Celt, what was the position of the Celt in society?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“When you’re in Tartarus, there’s no one you can talk to except Celt. Do you know how boring it is?”

“… After hearing it, I think it makes sense.”

Kelt cleared his throat for a moment and then opened his mouth as if bragging.

“Once upon a time, I was also a noble white knight of a great kingdom.”

“A white knight? Then shouldn’t you be in Tartarus with me now?”

“If I had been a white knight until the end, that would have been the case. But I quit halfway through. And then I transferred to prison guard.”

“Transfer? why? Why are you kicking me out of that good job?”

“Because it seemed that the Demon King’s army would win the war. To put it bluntly, if I had been acting like a Holy Knight back then, wouldn’t I have been in there with you by now?”

Kelt hinted at the seat next to me. I smiled crookedly.

Throbbing-.

At that time, I felt pain deep inside my body, as if my internal organs were melting. It was my body’s warning that it was impossible to open my mouth any more.

One, I don’t want to stop talking. It’s the only time during the day when I talk to other living things. How dare you miss this golden moment?

Gradually-. Throbbing-.

… … ouch.

I tried not to give in to the pain in my body, but it’s against the law to feel the pain of a seizure and the pain in my throat at the same time.

Perhaps because he read my emotions by looking at my expression, Kelt started talking to himself without even asking. It seems like he knows I want to talk.

Celt is a very good human being.

“Did you hear the news? The news is that even the saint who was resisting the devil’s army alone at the last line of resistance has collapsed.”

‘How can I listen to this in a place where the only source of information is the Celts? Of course, this is my first time hearing it.’

Even if you just think about it, it shows on your face. Then Celt reads it on its own. We can communicate that way.

It is a new concept of conversation method created while imprisoned in Tartarus for over three months. If this method spreads throughout academia, the assassin and merchant industry will probably be very excited. Because they value facial expression management more than anyone else.

“I heard that you were ultimately defeated by the devil’s masters except you. I didn’t know that the mighty saint would lose.”

‘It was a war that was decided from the beginning. The indomitable warrior surrendered to the devil, and the twilight archmage gave me his aging heart. What kind of fight would this be?’

“That’s correct. Just maintaining the defense line alone was amazing.”

‘But, did you just say alone? ‘What about the Pope?’

“It’s been a long time since the Pope surrendered to the devil after the hero.”

‘Puhahaha! ‘No way, that noble man!’

I can’t see my face right now, but I think I’m probably smiling in a strangely distorted way. Because it would have contained both the pain of a seizure and arsenic.

Kelt seemed to be reading my expression and continued calmly.

“You made that choice because you were noble. He surrendered by cutting off both of his arms in exchange for guaranteeing the lives of his subjects.”

‘iced coffee… That side was hidden. Also, I thought, like a warrior, he lowered his tail like a puppy.’

“Don’t treat the servile warrior and the Pope as the same. Damn, what a son of a bitch. If it weren’t for him, the Allied Forces could have united!”

‘Celt, you know that if those words fall into the ears of the Demon Lord right now, it’s very dangerous, right?’

Despite my warning, the Celts did not stop talking about the warrior. It doesn’t matter since there are only two of us in Tartarus anyway.

“The saint fought until the end, but the hero is so humbled. You idiot.”

There was a fury in the Celt’s tone that could not be concealed. I understand. Since he was human, he must have felt a great sense of betrayal at having surrendered to the Demon King while trying to become a hero who was the hope of the entire continent.

I can’t sympathize with him because I’m a demon who was on the other side of him.

‘Don’t talk about boring things, but tell me about the saint who resisted until the end.’

“You mean the saint?”

‘Wait a minute, now that I think about it, Celt was a white knight of the Holy Kingdom, so he must have met the Holy Woman, right? how is it? What is the beauty of this noble saint, of whom there is a great reputation?’

“You, I didn’t see it like that, but you were a pretty lewd friend.”

If you call me lewd just because I asked about your appearance, if you see a really lewd person, you will foam at the mouth and faint.

Even though he became a guard at the Tower of Babel, where only the worst criminals gather, he seems to have forgotten the laws he learned during his time as a white knight.

‘I didn’t ask about the size of the holy woman’s holy three, but at best I asked about her beauty. Why are you being so harsh? ‘Be flexible.’

“Hmm… … Okay, well, this is a request from someone who will die soon, but I guess I was being too sensitive. Okay, I’ll answer you.”

‘… ‘Do you really have to make me realize that I’m going to die?’

“The saint… You were the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. Her white hair, shining in the sunlight, overflowed with elegance, and her fair skin exuded a nobility that even a goddess could not match. What about his eyes? I can say without a doubt that even if the saint’s pure white eyes contained all the wisdom in the world, they were not enough!”

Celt gave a lengthy explanation with an exalted expression, like a priest trying to describe a god. I’ve never seen a saint since I’ve always been in the northern battlefields of the continent, but seeing her dressed up like that makes me feel greedy.

‘Oh, it’s a shame I didn’t get to see you before I die.’

Before I die, I have an impossible desire to see the smooth face of that famous saint.

“What a face! What kind of blasphemous words are you talking about now?”

‘Oh, what if they read my inner thoughts? ‘You must guarantee my privacy.’

“… ! Shut up! You blasphemous sinner!”

‘Ay, Celt. Don’t get too excited. It’s already a hot place, but it’s going to get even hotter.’

Push-!

‘Ke, Celt! Anyway, how can I make bread!’

Kelt threw down the two pieces of bread roughly and slammed the iron door. He stays silent when people call him petty, but immediately changes his mind when he insults a saint.

It is a reaction that makes the author of the saint even more curious.

How can I be respected that much if I behave well? Even if I die and wake up, I won’t receive something like that.

By the way, what should I do now? Celt threw the bread out of my reach and walked away.

If you leave it like that, there’s no way I can eat it since I can’t move. You can’t just take out your mouth and eat.

Sreuk-.

As the iron door closed, darkness fell upon me again. No matter how much of a demon I am, I hate the dark.

Really, this Tartarus is a place I can’t get enough of.

Gradually-.

The pain of the attack slowly seeps in. Anyway, I have never regretted anything in my life, and my only regret is not killing the Great Sage sooner. Some wizard uses magic even after losing his mana heart.

Gradually-.

There is one week left until he is executed on the guillotine. I really regret how I could endure this pain that prevented me from sleeping for a week.

Gradually-.

I am on death row. I’m not ashamed. Because I don’t understand the sin I committed.

Gradually-.

It’s true. Although I have massacred humans, decapitated dragon lords, and burned great forests of elves. That doesn’t mean he was a villain.

Gradually-.

Who can blame me? The humans beheaded my sister in front of everyone, the dragons beheaded my mother, and the elves burned my father.

I just avenged my blood.

Gradually-.

And crucially, they weren’t the ones who put me in Tartarus.

The Demon King, my oldest close friend and the one I dedicated my life to. That guy is the one who put me here. Exactly three months and four days ago. For charging him with lese majeste. I was a more faithful servant than anyone else.

Gradually-.

So… What kind of a bastard am I? If you do that, it’s not like that.

I, Oscar Lucifer. He was merely a grand duke who ruled the palm-sized northern part of the demon world. This means that he was an insignificant guy who was one of as many as four demonic swindlers.

Strictly speaking, being the second-in-command of the Demon King’s army is not that great. At most, he was only the second-in-command of the Demon King’s army, which numbered a little over 10 million. What is truly great is the Demon King who is the leader.

What on earth were they thinking of trapping me like that? It’s not like the demon lord is stubborn about power.

This is truly unknown.

Gradually-.

Gradually-.

Suddenly… … .

*****

It must have been about six hours since Celt gave us food.

When I was sweating profusely and breathing heavily in a fiery hell with only the clanking and clanging sounds intermittently.

Rattling-.

thud-.

The sound of a heavy iron door opening was heard.

Now is not the time for food distribution. Why? Or, has my sense of time become dull?

That’s quite possible. Because this place is completely dark and steamy. It wouldn’t be surprising if my sense organs were broken.

Fortunately, what made me realize that my sense organs were intact was the Celtic cry that rang through Tartarus.

“I’m new! Please accept it well!”

“Oh… A newcomer to this terrible hell.”

It was good news, but at the same time it was unpleasant news. That means he must be a huge figure to be imprisoned in Tartarus. That too, very bad quality.

Again, my limbs are bound to the north, south, east and west. Of course, you can’t move.

What I’m saying is that even if a new guy attacks me, I have to hit him without any hesitation.

There is no just thing like a prisoner protection system in place here.

“Ha… … Let’s take a look at what kind of guy he is.”

I turned my head away with a feeling of despair. To capture the human image that will be held in the hands of the Celts.

But, something was strange.

I don’t know if it’s because it’s my first time seeing this new person here. But don’t guards usually treat prisoners with the utmost respect?

I chat with the prisoners about trivial matters, and sometimes, on days when things aren’t going well, I use a baton to relieve stress with the prisoners. This is the average jailer I know.

Celt was a person who treated him a little more kindly than the average guard.

“Please go in.”

“… … .”

“What are you talking about? Is there really something wrong with this new recruit?”

“Shut your mouth. He is a precious person. You are not the kind of person who can use your mouth carelessly.”

“If the Celts are so respectful… Has the prison guard come? Giggling.”

“This guy!!”

Kelt called me in an overbearing tone. Accompanied by intense feelings of anger. It meant he wasn’t in the mood to joke around.

In addition, it also implied that he was feeling quite unhappy right now.

“Ah, I understand. I’ll shut up. By the way, who on earth is this new recruit? … .”

He grunted humorously, narrowed his eyes, and concentrated his strength on his eyesight. Then, a street that was originally invisible came into view.

Gradually-.

The seizure that had stopped for a moment occurred again. One, I no longer felt the pain that felt like my whole body was being cut off.

To be exact, I didn’t even have any sense of excitement.

“… … ?”

I was so surprised. It’s absurd. I saw a scene I thought I would never see.

Today was the first time I realized that when demons are truly surprised, they don’t even feel pain.

“Why are you here?”

He asked a question in a puzzled voice. The answer that came back was Celtic. He spoke calmly in a somewhat gloomy voice.

“… The execution date will be the same as the author.”

“Okay. Thank you for letting me know.”

What responded to Kelt’s words was a harsh, cracked voice. There was a dignity inherent in the voice that could not be hidden.

Celt pushed the seal into Tartarus. It was a polite and gentle touch that is rarely seen as a guard’s attitude toward a prisoner. Inyoung did not protest at all and calmly entered the prison.

The first thing I saw was my white hair, which had become all frayed and loose.

It’s not hair that has been bleached white. Because from the moment I was born, my hair was shiny and gray, as if I was born with it. However, the amount of shine was so small compared to the amount of dust that most of it was buried.

The second thing in sight was the facial features that had faded to white.

Cracked lips that didn’t feel lifelike, a pale, bleached face, and even eyes covered in dark red blood-stained bandages.

It was my first time seeing this face, but I recognized it right away. Although she was not as beautiful or elegant as Kelt had said, her grace and dignity clearly revealed the identity of the newcomer.

I have never seen a newcomer. But I could tell. Because I have fought many times with the beings of the Holy Empire. The new arrival possessed more elegance than any being I had ever seen.

“Who is this?”

I should correct the fact that I called him a guy. It was a year. Also, the most noble and noble year on the continent.

“Nice to meet you. Thank you very much.”

“Aren’t you the great Saint of the Sun?”

The woman who was the biggest nuisance and opponent to me, the second-in-command of the Demon King’s army.

A woman with hair as white as a snowflake, holding a black rosary tightly in her hand.

A woman who, as the leader of tens of thousands of saints, resisted the devil to the end and was called the only hope of the continent.

In the long war between the Demon World and the Continent, the Demon King’s army finally won, and a woman who was probably driven out as a criminal by the Demon King’s army.

Maria, the noble and noble saint of the Holy Empire.

“How did such a precious person come here?”

It was the identity of a newcomer.