By Zephyria =======
And then, hell.
The ‘hell’ that entered Wolf’s sight was a scene that matched human imagination. A massive rocky cavern covered in jagged stones. Damp humidity. Countless stalactites hanging from the ceiling pointed at people like the tips of sharp spears.
Suddenly, smells wafted through the air. The fishy scent of water crawling along the floor. A nauseating smell of earth, as if rising from a freshly dug grave. However, the six-legged goats or skinless giants known to guard hell were nowhere to be seen.
Wolf looked up at the monster once more. Could that be a local deity of Stohl?
Aside from the stalactites and the stench, the overall appearance of hell was similar to Black Weasel’s hideout. The ores emitting bright light were exactly the same. The madmen howling from all directions also appeared to be people from Stohl. From their attire…
Eh?
Suddenly, goosebumps rose on Wolf’s back. An eerie intuition struck him sharply. Those people… could it be?
Men and women with shaved sides of their heads were visible here and there. Their noses were red, like sailors who had been trapped on a ship for a couple of months drinking nothing but liquor instead of water, and they carried axes or longswords at their waists. No matter how he looked at them, they seemed like the warriors who had caused a ruckus at the tavern in Hahang. Looking further, there were also the rabble who had surrounded and caused a commotion for the visitors of Hahang.
Separately, there were quite a few men, women, and children in ordinary clothing. Most of them were huddled together in groups of seven or eight, clinging tightly to one another. Combinations consisting of adult men and women and children, or teenage boys and girls. These looked like the villagers of Hahang.
Only then did Wolf remember. The most basic question he had completely overlooked.
Why did we die? Who killed us?
“Hey.”
Silver suddenly poked Wolf in the side. Since he had been deep in thought, Wolf nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Uh… what?”
“Look over there.”
In the direction Silver gestured with his chin, a family was trembling while hugging each other tightly. One of the girls among them looked familiar to Wolf. She was the girl who had been guarding the tavern’s checkout counter.
“The people here. They’re all people who were in Hahang.”
“It certainly looks that way to me…”
“Over there. That uncle who picked a fight with us is here too.”
Sure enough, a familiar man was visible where Silver pointed. That warrior, who looked like Black Weasel’s twin, was staring at the monster with a face full of awe, his arms stretched wide.
「Bark! It’s Bark!」
“Bark…”
As Wolf muttered inquisitively, Silver spoke.
“In the Stohl language, it means ‘Death.’ It also refers to the God of Death. In mythology, the God of Death appears as a white skeleton, so that uncle probably sees that thing floating in the air as the God of Death.”
“Isn’t it the God of Death? At least to my eyes, that doesn’t look like the God of Love or the God of Medicine. Looks aren’t everything, but that thing looks far too hideous. Besides, since we’re dead, wouldn’t it naturally be the God of Death… right?”
Wolf’s voice unconsciously trailed off. For some reason, Silver didn’t seem to think the monster was the God of Death.
Does Silver know something?
“Silver, is it because that looks more like an evil spirit than a god to you? Is there a specific evil spirit you have in mind?”
Wolf asked the question cautiously. Silver shook his head.
“I don’t know if it’s a god or an evil spirit. But…”
“But?”
Instead of answering, Silver crossed his arms and glared downward. It was a gaze like someone staring at rolling dice. As the silence lengthened, Black Weasel also seemed curious and glanced at Silver. After a long time, Silver finally opened his mouth.
“The Stohl golden taboo that says ‘The sky is howling.’ Remember that?”
“Ah, that? Yeah.”
Wolf nodded. A tribal village that had been wiped out suddenly one day. A mysterious incident where there were no signs of looting, and only the people had been brutally murdered.
In other words, Silver suspected the ‘sky’ as the main culprit who killed the people. It was a conclusion befitting a believer in superstitions.
“Uh, Silver. That’s too much of a leap. Couldn’t it be the work of the Prince’s half-brother? We were attacked by assassins, and the warrior unit probably swept through the Hahang village entirely,” just as Wolf was about to say carefully,
“Oh!”
Black Weasel clapped his hands.
“That’s it! That makes sense! For the first time since I was born, I’m impressed by you, Silver.”
“Lower your voice, you brat. If I were that skeleton, I’d strike you with lightning for being so noisy.”
Silver, who poked Black Weasel’s chest with his elbow, signaled Wolf with his eyes.
“Hey, what do you think? It fits perfectly, doesn’t it? The people here just had bad luck and got caught by some transcendental being and died.”
“Uh… well… maybe…”
Hesitating, Wolf subtly shifted the topic.
“By the way, what did that monster say earlier?”
“Execution.”
“Execution?”
“Yeah. I don’t know what it’s trying to execute, though.”
Silver gave a light shrug.
“Looking at its appearance, it’s not hide-and-seek or finger puppet play. No doubt it’ll be torture.”
“Well, since it is hell…”
It was while Wolf was muttering. Red Eagle, who had been burying his face in Wolf’s chest the whole time, suddenly snapped his head up.
“It’s unfair! I’m a person of Atania!”
“Wa-Wah, Prince?”
“O God of Stohl! Please bring Wolf and me back to life! We are people of Atania! We aren’t people of Stohl! We don’t even know the Stohl language! People of Atania should be punished in the hell of the Atanian god…”
Red Eagle shouted, stretching both arms toward the monster. Wolf grabbed Red Eagle’s shoulders and shook him.
“Calm down, calm down! Stop these meaningless protests, Prince. Actually, we aren’t even really people of Atania.”
“I don’t want to! I don’t! I’m going back to the princess! Charlotte!”
「This bastard has gone completely crazy.」
Black Weasel muttered, spitting on the floor. Silver pushed Wolf aside and grabbed Red Eagle by the collar. He then delivered a sharp slap to Red Eagle’s cheek.
“Silver! What are you doing!”
Wolf shouted in surprise, but Silver didn’t care. He slapped him five or six times in quick succession and then stepped back. Red Eagle just blinked vacantly. Handprints were stamped on both cheeks like red ink.
“Prince, are you oka—”
It was as Wolf was supporting Red Eagle. Silver widened his eyes and looked up. Wolf, following his gaze, was also horrified.
A giant doll was floating in the air, having appeared at some point. Colorful rags. A coarse face. The lips, painted with red pigment, held a smile. Bells jingled from the tip of its pointed hat.
What was most chilling was its movement. The doll’s limbs were connected by thin silver threads extending from the skeleton monster’s fingers, and it danced, snapping its limbs along those threads.
A clear voice echoed from somewhere.
〔I will begin observing the reaction of the target group.〕
〔You just need to follow along step by step as I guide you. It’s not difficult.〕
* * *
〔I will explain the task you will participate in. The task is the
The voice continued. Even to Wolf, who was deaf to the Stohl language, the tone was kind, polite, and calm. The timbre was similar to the skeleton monster… wait?
Isn’t this the Atania language?
As soon as he thought that, the voice spoke.
〔Were you perhaps surprised? I am giving you special treatment.〕
Red Eagle, who had been slouching like a defeated soldier, widened his eyes and looked up. Wolf’s mouth also hung open. Technically, a foreign language would be nothing to a subordinate of a transcendental being, but it was still surprising.
〔First, please form groups of six. Gender or age does not matter. Form groups of six while the Jester rotates six times.〕
The voice repeated the same words.
〔Gender or age does not matter. Form groups of six while the Jester rotates six times.〕
Murmuring broke out here and there. Silver narrowed his eyes, observing the Jester and counting on his fingers.
“That thing is a bit weird, but it’s dancing quite well to the beat. A slow 4/4 time?”
“I’ll go find the comrades. Silver, you stay here and protect the Prince and the Attendant.”
Black Weasel, turning away immediately, added:
“By this age, you only develop an eye for people.”
“Your habit of talking nonsense remains even after you’ve died.”
Silver flipped the middle finger toward the receding Black Weasel. Wolf was surprised by that sight. Because there wasn’t a hint of agitation in either Black Weasel or Silver.
As expected, there’s something to them.
39 – Hell Execution Order