Chapter 20 - My Love For You Isn't Fake

They went past the bolgia of Thieves and now approach the one for the Counsellors of Fraud.

In here, one couldn't see anything but geysers of flame rising from the ground, but you can hear loud shouts. Then you'll realize that the people were actually being burned in these individual flames.

"These people are all advisers or in a high enough position to instruct leaders into engaging in fraud." The Serpent continued giving his son-in-law a tour. "I find this one silly. It's like blaming the rain or sunlight for making the seed grow into a large tree. The sin is too adjacent to be even called a sin."

To their surprise, Daniele nodded in agreement. "If it was only advise that the person give, and especially if they have no other choice but to supply their leaders tactics that involve fraud because they are bounded by their duties..... Then I also agree that their punishment is unfair."

Zhe Chouhen raised an eyebrow. (He's influencing Daniele to doubt god.... Isn't that counterproductive?)

Panda was intrigued by this. [How so?]

(Because he needs Daniele's saintly status to get to the Ninth Circle. Why would he make Daniele doubt god when it could affect his plans?)

The BL author thought about it carefully for a while. Zhe Chouhen thought this must not be his forte since he's only ever good with remixing plots of classic literature and adding in stereotypes.

But his answer surprised him. [Maybe not. Maybe the rules of hell itself are not under God's control, but its own divine entity that judges separately from Him. Therefore, whether or not God favors Daniele, doesn't matter. As long as Daniele is good and just, that's all there is to it.]

Zhe Chouhen rubbed his chin and nodded. (True.... That could be it. It just sucks that there's no 100% certainty, since you still don't know much about your own world.)

(How did you become a system, by the way?) He wondered. (Did you just wake up as your panda avatar and decide to use it to torture me? Then that wish manifested into reality?)

[....How can you fucking guess everything right!?]

(Because I'm one hell of a reader. And I'm just very smart.)

[Nah, you're just a BL addict that's why you mastered all the possible plots.]

(Does that mean I'm better at BL 101 compared to you, Panda-laoshi? I should drop the laoshi now, you should be the one calling me teacher! I can teach you many things! Like not writing a stereotypical BL for one!)

[Hah, mock me all you want. That doesn't change the fact that you spent hours day and night reading my stereotypical novels. Doesn't that make you the stupid one?]

As they kept on bickering inside Zhe Chouhen's head, which is actually Leandro's head, they already passed by a tower of flames that was different from the rest.

It had two people sharing inside the space, not one.

"You were going to kill me! Me who thought up all the methods and fought valiantly among all the generals, the one gifted by Athena to be the brains of the operation!"

"What 'brains of the operation'!? I lead my Athenian men and trained them to conquer all the lands and sea they encounter! I am the true hero of Troy, and yet you tried to steal it from me by taking the Palladium all for yourself!?"

They were having an eternal swordfight while continuously burning in flames.

"Who are they, Signore Leviathan?" Daniele asked.

"They are Odysseus and Diomedes. They play very important roles in the Trojan War, and they serve as consultants by Agamemnon on how to forge their path to victory." The Serpent said. "And in exchange for that triumph, they are punished here. Just because the god you adore prefers the Romans, which were said to come from Troy, the city they destroyed."

'Leandro' shook his head. "That may not be it."

The Serpent tilted his head to the side. "How do you say so, my child?"

"I just thought.... That perhaps god has no control over hell after all. After all, over-indulgence of demons when it comes to torture remains rampant. Some sinners are not suffering as much as they are supposed to, because they have found love and solace from one another, like the sodomites in the Circle of Violence."

[Hey, that was my idea and you're stealing it to show off!!!!]

(But you didn't supply the evidence I listed, didn't you?)

[Oh, so you're going full-on Diomedes on me now? Claiming something that was not fully up to you to gain credit from?]

(So what? You're gonna try to kill me for it like Odysseus? It's not the first time you threatened my life, what's new with that?)

While they were busy fighting, just like the two men stuck in flames together for all eternity, they have reached the ninth bolgia.

"The Sowers of Discord. But truly, these are just religious leaders and maybe some political ones that fell out of god's favor." The Serpent spread his arms. "Like the one over here. He is the founder of another Abrahamic religion, and now he is being ripped into shreds by the sword, just like how they rip apart nations and cause strife."

The Serpent then grinned. "But did you know? His religion is not much better than Christianity, but it's also not worse. The intent was good, and they just wanted people to adhere to beliefs like not eating pork and fasting."

"How awful!" Daniele was moving hit by bit into the side of Satan from the new knowledge he had learned.

Just like Eve whose eyes opened up to everything once she had bitten the fruit.

[Do something about this, stupid!]

(Why? I thought you said it didn't matter if Daniele is influenced to not like god, as long as he has kindness in his heart.)

[But now, this Serpent which is NOT my character is the one influencing Daniele into the dark side instead of you! This story is supposed to be about you two, yet this Serpent is stealing all your screentime!]

Zhe Chouhen rolled his eyes. (Fine, fine. Now you want me to show off. Make up your mind.)

As 'Leandro', he put an arm around Daniele's shoulder and pointed to distract him from the Serpent's lectures.

"Oh, but look over there, Daniele! Isn't the people on over the last bolgia not looking pitiful at all? They're even biting each other and fighting among themselves, let's go over and have a look if they deserve their punishment or not!"

The tenth bolgia, which was reserved for the Falsifiers is divided into four categories. This is where the worst of frauds are, the disease of society.

'Leandro' explained this in full detail with the wide-eyed Daniele, and the Serpent following close behind them, his slit his eyes watching.

He doesn't seem to mind Leandro taking over the talking, as he had other thoughts in his mind to deal with. An entire billion years' worth of them.

All of them, of course, revolve closely around Lucifer.

"Hell is not controlled by god....." He muttered to himself. "Then who does?"

He stared at the dark sky of hell. "It cannot possibly be you, can it? My Lord. Because why would you punish yourself then? After all the things we sacrificed for our cause, you cannot possibly succumb to this by choice!"

He shook his head. "No, that can't be it. I won't accept it."

Zhe Chouhen was busy being an Inferno Encyclopedia again when he overheard. "And over here, are the Alchemists, Falsifiers of Things that get to have diseases that they pretended to cure and—"

He turned to his fictional father. "Were you saying something, Serpent?"

"Nothing, my child! Carry on!" He grinned with a slither of his tongue.

But Zhe Chouhen already heard everything.

He sighed. (Ah, another angsty ship has come into play, and it's not even one of Daoist Panda's creations.)

[Lucifer and Lilith/Leviathan? I don't like that ship, too alliterative. So many Ls, Leandro starts with L already and that's enough.]

(You really are prideful when it comes to your work, huh?)

[No. I just don't care for side ships. The main couple is what matters, the extras mean nothing to me unless I could use them as fanservice.]

(Well, these side ships are what I enjoy in books, actually. There are unlimited possibilities with side ships because their love isn't the one that we're following. We only get a few glimpses of it and leave the rest to our imaginations. The most we could get are side stories and chapters at the end.)

(I value those chapters a lot, especially if the side couple works things out in a slow and peaceful way. I can't help but compare them to the main couple. Why can they be so cute and fun, while the main pairing is so problematic?)

[Because you don't see their problems much. You spend more time with the main pairing that's why all their flaws are visible to you.]

Zhe Chouhen agreed. (True. But then again... Your main pairings just suck, bro.)

Panda:[... I almost thought we're gonna come to an agreement like rational folks without an extra quip from you.]

(Hah! You and me getting along? That'll be the day.)

He continued explaining the bolgia to Daniele. "Look at this pit, see those people biting and punching each other over there like wild animals? Those are Imposters, Falsifiers of Persons. And that bloated man that can't move? He sold Counterfeits, a Falsifier of Money. And finally, those people with a burning fever are Perjurers, Falsifiers of Words."

Daniele's face fell from all the fallacies and frauds presented to him. "There's so many that could be faked in this world. Fake things, fake people, fake money, even words..... Is there nothing real left?"

Zhe Chouhen realized what this was. He nodded solemnly patting Daniele's head. "You're now seeing the world for what it truly is, Daniele."

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes. You're no longer blinded by faith or naive." 'Leandro' smiled. "How do you feel about that?"

"I feel....." Daniele thought carefully, placing a hand on his chin. "Strange. Like.... So.... Cold. And bitter. And empty. I.... Never felt this way before."

"Sometimes, I would have a burning hatred for the unfairness and ugliness of it all." Daniele touched his chest. "Sometimes, I would be moved by sympathy for these people. Sometimes, I would also feel helpless, like there's no point in hoping for good anymore when evil is everywhere and can come so quickly."

He rested his head on 'Leandro's' shoulder. "It's all so.... confusing. I'm getting overwhelmed with all these emotions at once that in the end.... I'm just tired."

(Poor kid.) He let him rest a bit on his shoulder, just staying at that place where they stood. He comforted him by saying. "We're almost there, Daniele. The final Circle."

"I know." Daniele slowly closed his eyes. "I don't know if I want to get there as soon as I can or just stay here. The world..... Everything. I wish none of it was real or existed at all."

Zhe Chouhen could only give an ironic smile. "Don't say that. And don't think that though everything could be fake, it means that they all are. There is one thing that will always, ALWAYS, be true."

He placed a solemn kiss on Daniele's hand. "My love for you. Remember that, Daniele."

Daniele looked at him with those bright blue eyes, seeming to be a little afraid. But he found what he wanted to find in 'Leandro's' eyes, and smiled.

"I know. And I'm glad I do."

Zhe Chouhen was just enjoying this scene for what it is, not caring about anything else but this boy smiling so beautifully at him, that he was surprised when he received an unexpected ding!

[Love Meter raised to 100%! However, a penalty would be given soon for breaking the rules.]

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