Chapter 399

Chapter 399

"..."

Mason had long since broken free from Salome's enchantment.

He was released from the enchantment when he fell from the bridge to this bottom village. As death loomed close, his instincts cast off the shackles binding his consciousness.

However, Mason deliberately concealed the fact that he was no longer enchanted and faithfully followed Ash's orders.

"Hey, big guy! Put some muscle into it!"

"Such a big frame! Move it quickly and cheaply!"

"..."

Ash's order for Mason in this bottom village was to do as the two highwaymen of the Desperation Homeward Band, Sword Devil and Spear Devil, commanded.

Thus, Sword Devil and Spear Devil were gleefully exploiting Mason.

From cleaning around the village to repairing ruined houses, he was called for all sorts of heavy labor.

Mason found these tasks tedious and troublesome, but he didn't show it and carried them all out.

Perhaps it was because Mason was seen as a reliable and reticent worker.

Sword Devil and Spear Devil led Mason to quietly dig up a secret vault buried in their house's yard.

After unearthing the vault, Mason carried it on his back and headed towards the corner of the village.

With every move, the sound of metal coins clinking echoed from inside the vault.

Mason easily realized that the vault was filled with gold coins.

Where were they moving this gold to?

Mason soon found the answer.

In a corner of the bottom village, there was a small well with shallow, black water. Inside the well, a pile of heavily rusted gold coins lay submerged.

"Pour it in."

"Into here, quickly!"

"..."

As instructed, Mason opened the vault and poured its contents.

Chrrrrrr!

Splash...!

The gold coins, covered in the patina of age, bubbled as they sank into the well.

With the vault emptied and the newly poured gold coins reaching the bottom of the well, Sword Devil and Spear Devil turned away without a second thought.

"...Why?"

But Mason didn't understand.

"Why throw away gold coins you worked so hard to collect?"

It was the first time Mason had spoken since arriving in the village.

Startled, Sword Devil and Spear Devil turned around, but soon answered with a snicker.

"Before the Lake Kingdom came to this state, all the villagers eagerly collected money. There was a rumor that if you gathered enough gold coins, you could buy 'citizenship'."

"And then?"

"Well, that turned out to be a mere rumor. There was no such system. There was never a way for us, the non-citizens, to become citizens of the Lake Kingdom."

"Right after we, as a couple, learned this truth, the Lake Kingdom sank downward and perished. We became cursed, unable to live or die."

Sword Devil and Spear Devil laughed together.

"Since then, with much hardship, we managed to gather the villagers again in this hellish pit. But what could we possibly do here?"

They knew all too well.

That even if they died and were reborn, they could never become citizens of the Lake Kingdom. And that the Lake Kingdom could never return to its former beauty.

"In a life where we can neither live nor die, we still need to remember."

"The goal we had back when we still had the drive to dream and live. To gather money and enter paradise."

Even knowing it was an unattainable goal from five hundred years ago or now. Even knowing it was a foolish and futile dream. for new novels

"Without such vain hopes, how could we possibly live in this hell?"

The body might live forever.

But without a purpose to live, the mind... the soul, dies.

So, the people here collected gold coins to survive.

Scouring the bottom of this hell, continuing out of sheer inertia.

And to maintain that inertia - when enough gold coins are gathered, they throw them down here.

The vault was emptied, and the people set out again with a new goal to fill it... surviving yet another day.

"...Haha."

Mason, who had just begun to understand the principle behind this bottom village's survival, let out a hollow laugh. Sword Devil and Spear Devil glanced at him.

"Do we amuse you?"

"It must be hard for a living soul from the outside world to understand."

"No."

Mason shook his head.

"I realized that this hell isn't so different from the outside world."

Carrying the empty vault on his shoulder, Mason walked between the two elders.

Chastising my own stereotypes, I awkwardly smiled.

"You must have been together for a long time? Keeping her portrait like this."

"No. We've only been on about five dates? We haven't been together long."

"..."

Cough! Clearing my throat, I asked carefully.

"Still, she must be very special to you. How did you meet?"

"There was a time I had to attend a couples party during a mission, and being a clumsy fool who had never held a woman's hand, I was in a fix. Then I found a service where you pay to have someone pretend to be your partner."

"..."

"And after that mission, we continued to meet, feeling good about each other."

"...Paying?"

"If I dont pay, she wouldn't meet me."

"What a fool, this man!"

This isn't a romantic relationship, but something... darker!

But Mason nodded seriously.

"Our feelings for each other are genuine. Especially before I came down for this mission!"

"Especially?"

"We... we even held hands!"

"You dont look it, but you're a real fool, sir!"

While its okay if the participant is happy, this is too far beyond my imagination! I'm a fool too, but this man is much worse!

"...I've spent my whole life supporting my family."

Mason muttered, staring vacantly at the sewer on the other side.

"I had no life of my own. Even before I left for this mission, I had to spend my last penny to move my family and relatives into the Imperial Capital."

"..."

"So, when I said I had no money this time and she didn't have to meet me, she came to see me off on the day I left... and she gave me that portrait. She told me to think of her when things get tough."

Mason paused for a moment, then slowly continued.

"Your Highness. I am going to die soon."

"..."

"Due to the excessive strain of forced beastification and the severe injuries I sustained on my way here, I wont last long. I probably wont see the light of the outside world again."

"So?"

"If you happen to see that woman in the Imperial Capital... please return this portrait to her."

Mason, his face now that of a beast, smiled awkwardly.

"A beautiful thing like this shouldnt rot away with someone like me."

"...Why are you asking me to do this? Do we have some sort of good connection? You think I'd entertain such a bothersome request?"

Then Mason shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I do? Down here in this hell, you're the only person I can ask for a favor."

"..."

"I'm just desperately clutching at straws."

I silently pocketed the pocket watch.

"Any message for Fernandez?"

"None."

Mason shook his head.

"I've completed my mission. His Highness Fernandez only asked me to deliver the message to the Demon King. If I don't return, he'll assume the Demon King has refused."

"..."

"His Highness Fernandez believed I would definitely succeed in the mission, and I did. Nothing more is needed."

Silence ensued.

As I glanced at the side profile of this furry bureaucrat, whose thoughts were inscrutable, I was about to say something more.

Thud.

Suddenly, something cold dropped on my cheek. I looked up. Mason also looked up.

Thud, plip-plop, pitter-patter -

Raindrops began to fall from the sky.

"This is..."

I extended my palm forward.

The water collecting in my hand was black.

"...Black rain."

I quickly stood up.

The water that had pooled on the ground was slowly flowing towards the sewer. I clenched my fist tightly.

The time of overflow had come.

It was time to return to the surface.