By Zephyria =======
〔I will explain the method of the task. Please pay close attention.〕
〔The task is not difficult. Rescue the fairy trapped in the box. You must finish before the Jester completes fifteen rotations.〕
〔Ah, one thing to explain. Currently, you are not non-material entities so-called ‘souls.’ You are human individuals whose biological functions have been restored through my master’s technique.〕
〔To summarize for your understanding: you died once, but my master brought you back to life.〕
Wolf snapped awake. He lowered his head slightly and placed a hand on his chest. He could feel his heart beating. So it was true…
But why is that voice talking like that? I can barely understand half of it.
〔This place is not hell either. It is my master’s observation domain.〕
〔If you complete the task successfully, my master will grant you a reward. After that, you will be sent back to where you originally came from.〕
Wolf’s gaze momentarily shifted toward Black Weasel. Silver also looked as if he had been hit hard on the back of the head. At the boys’ glances, Black Weasel shrugged as if to say “see?” and straightened his back.
Wolf swallowed hard. This is unbelievable. Those absurd words were actually true?
〔Hell does not exist. It is a fictional space created by humans to efficiently control social order and its members.〕
〔You were selected as my master’s observation subject group and mobilized here. Please respond sincerely to the task so that meaningful results may be obtained.〕
Once again, Wolf went blank. Even Silver’s guess—that the villagers had been wiped out because they were unlucky enough to be caught by some transcendental being—had turned out to be correct. No, how… He had inwardly sneered, thinking that if one believes in superstitions too much, they can come up with such stupid ideas…
As if conscious of Wolf staring at him with his mouth agape, Silver cleared his throat and lifted his head slightly. Wolf’s heart pounded.
Can we actually go back?
Perhaps this desperate nightmare could be remembered as a terrible adventure in the future?
〔The task will now begin. The Jester begins the first rotation.〕
As soon as the words ended, the floor shook violently with a thud. Wolf squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them a short while later, he gasped.
At some point, a giant dome had surrounded them. A faint light emanated from the surface of the dome. In this vast space, there were only six people: Wolf himself, Red Eagle, Black Weasel, Silver, the Warrior Chief, and the Eyepatch Woman. They had been moved from the dark cave to the dome. Literally in the blink of an eye.
The deep gray floor was flat like a carpet. In the center, five wooden crates were placed in a row. And…
〔Help me! My sister is trapped in one of those five crates! Help me!〕
A fairy, about the size of a fist, flew through the air, crying out desperately. With a wooden body showing growth rings, ball-jointed joints, and a lower jaw that clicked every time it opened, Wolf questioned whether the term ‘fairy’ was appropriate.
Thumping sounds of banging came from inside all five crates.
First crate.
〔Please open it! There is a fairy here! Do not believe the words of the third crate!〕
Second crate.
〔Please open it! There is a fairy here! Do not believe the words of the third crate!〕
Third crate.
〔Please open it! There is a fairy here! Do not believe the words of the first crate!〕
Fourth crate.
〔Please open it! There is a fairy here! You must believe the words of the fifth crate!〕
Fifth crate.
〔Do not open it! There is no fairy here! Do not believe the words of the fourth crate!〕
The screams from the crates soon became a jumbled mess, making them hard to understand. In this chaotic situation, there was only one thought in Wolf’s mind.
There’s no way I’m getting home alive.
“Ugh… so noisy… what is this…”
Red Eagle, who had opened his eyes groggily, let out a yelp and hurriedly stood up.
“W-Wolf, what is this? Is there a person trapped in a box? Explain it to me!”
“Prince. Please keep sleeping.”
“Is it really that serious right now?”
“I want to summarize it for you, Prince, but my ability is different. It seems the Skeleton God has given a gift box to the lowly humans. The gift is probably a very, very big piece of shit.”
Silver kicked Red Eagle’s backside.
“Just sleep like the Attendant said, you brat. You’re just going to faint again anyway.”
“Wolf…”
As Red Eagle made a tearful face, he screamed “Ack!” as the fairy flew in and hit him in the forehead.
“Gross! What is this! Princess!”
〔Help me! Rescue my sister!〕
The fairy flew in circles around Red Eagle. Even as Red Eagle flailed his arms like someone being attacked by a swarm of bees, it wouldn’t leave him alone. Silver whistled.
“That wooden doll is ugly even in its heart. It’s teasing the Prince on purpose.”
Black Weasel and the Warrior Chief also seemed dizzy from the screams emanating from the crates. The Eyepatch Woman threw aside her crutch.
「I can’t understand a word of this! Speak in turn, you damn things!」
「Anyway, it means a fairy is trapped in one of those, right?」
The Warrior Chief said, stroking his beard with the back of his hand.
「Simple, isn’t it? We can just smash the crates one by one.」
「If it were that simple, would they have gone through the trouble of killing people and dragging them here? Each person must break one crate. My intuition tells me so.」
The Warrior Chief shook his head at the Eyepatch Woman’s response.
「No, no. There are six of us. If five of us break the crates at once, one person will be left over.」
「Two people can just break one crate together.」
「That’s true… Wait, could the crates be very hard? To the point where they wouldn’t budge even if several people struck one crate together. The reason they made us into groups of six might be…」
Black Weasel, who had been quietly listening to his companions’ conversation, turned his head toward the boys.
“Kids. I think I accidentally picked up nothing but pebbles. I need the heads of the Prince and the Attendant.”
“You can still talk about heads after seeing that state?”
Silver gestured with his chin toward Red Eagle. Avoiding the fairy, Red Eagle was running here and there, weeping and wailing. Meanwhile, the Warrior Chief approached the crates.
「I’ll try breaking one. You cowards just watch.」
The Warrior Chief drew the axe from his waist and raised it high. At that sight, the back of Wolf’s neck grew cold. He’s going to break the crate? But the task couldn’t be that simple.
“Wait! Don’t be rash…”
It was the moment Wolf tried to jump forward. The Warrior Chief’s axe slammed into a crate. It was the fourth crate. The axe sank deep, and wood splinters flew.
「…It went in!」
The Warrior Chief grinned and looked back at the others.
「Cowards, see? If I hit it a few more times, it’ll break…」
Before he could finish his sentence, everyone screamed in horror. Not only Wolf, Red Eagle, and the Eyepatch Woman, but even Silver and Black Weasel.
The crate where the axe was embedded instantly transformed into a giant finger. It was as large as a temple pillar. The Warrior Chief didn’t even have time to look back. The finger pressed down on the Warrior Chief. The man, with a physique like a bison, was flattened like a crushed tin can, and a massive amount of blood erupted. It was as if hundreds of blood-filled sacks had burst all at once.
Wolf froze on the spot, unable to move. Blood poured down like a rainstorm. Red Eagle collapsed. Silver and Black Weasel drew their weapons in unison and aimed them at the finger monster. The Eyepatch Woman turned away, covering her face with both hands.
“…Huh.”
Wolf’s eyes widened. The finger monster was gone.
It… disappeared?
As Wolf looked around, he soon felt a chill. The fourth crate had returned to its original state as if nothing had happened. With the Warrior Chief’s axe still embedded in the lid. It was a brazen sight, like a cat that steals cheese while the owner is looking away and then pretends to be innocent.
Those crates… they’re all monsters.
If you pick the wrong answer, you die.
〔You don’t have to use an axe! They open easily by hand!〕
The fairy flew among the people, shouting nonchalantly. No one spoke. Even Black Weasel and Silver kept their eyes cast down.
“Wolf. Wolf.”
Suddenly, Red Eagle grabbed the hem of Wolf’s robe and shook it. Wolf quickly looked down at Red Eagle.
“Are you hurt, Prince? You must have been very surprised.”
“That’s not the problem… W-water is rising.”
“What?”
Wolf looked, thinking no way. Just as Red Eagle said, clear water flowing from somewhere was mixing with the blood scattered on the floor. A sudden realization struck. The true meaning of the ‘water bottle game.’
Everyone will be drowned like rats in a well. If they fail to rescue the fairy.
42 – Hell Execution Order