Welcome to Hell!

Chapter 175: Meeting with Aiwass

“First, let me inform you of your current situation. Zwei, please.”

“Understood.”

To my astonishment, the response to Aiwass came not from a person but from the hanging crystal orb on the ceiling. I hadn’t expected it to speak, and I was left in a daze, but this was just the beginning of the surprises. The crystal orb emitted a soft glow, and then a sphere made of light appeared in the air.

The sphere was mostly blue, adorned with peculiar green and brown patterns here and there. It was translucent like Orvo. When I saw it, I immediately had the intuition that this was the representation of the planet we lived on.

“This is an overview of our planet. The Enzo continent, where you were, is this part.”

As Aiwass spoke, one of the larger patterns on the sphere began to glow intensely. It seemed that when viewed from above, the Enzo continent had a shape like that. Whether that was the exact form, I couldn’t say, but it wasn’t the time to delve into that now. I wanted to hear the whole story.

“And our current location is here, a small island to the northeast when viewed from the Enzo continent. The local islanders call it Rakis Island; it was named after a shrine maiden who migrated to this island. That shrine maiden was wandering on the Enzo continent. At that time, she received the favor of one of the six great ancient gods…

Aiwass then began to narrate the history of this island. I had no interest in such matters, and it didn’t matter to me. What I needed right now was different.

However, Aiwass, who appeared quite refined, was the possessor of an immense spiritual power, and he could easily sweep me aside if he wished. Fortunately, he didn’t seem like the kind of person who would harm others arbitrarily, being rational and considerate to some extent, so he might tolerate a bit of impoliteness…. But relying on that wasn’t an option for me.

“Master, you’ gettin’ off track.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry about that. It’s a bad habit of mine to want to explain everything. I’d like to change, but one’s nature is quite troublesome…”

“Master! You’ gettin’ off track again!”

“Oh, my apologies.”

…What on earth was I being shown? I felt like a fool for being so cautiously alert, but I couldn’t let my guard down; that’s exactly what Aiwass said about one’s nature that didn’t change. My own nature wouldn’t allow me to become unguarded.

“Um, did I mention the name of the island? Do you know how you ended up on this island?”

“Of course. I could never forget an experience like being swallowed whole by a whale.”

I responded quickly to Aiwass’s question. After sinking into the sea while shielding Marcellus and Asumi, I ended up being swallowed whole by a giant whale. Later, I passed through its throat and into its stomach.

The inside of the stomach had a terrible smell, but what was more dangerous than that was the strength of its gastric fluids. When I reached the stomach, I saw the remnants of a disintegrating weapon.

Once I learned that it could easily dissolve metal, I quickly created a shell of sand to protect myself. However, even the sand shell began to melt as soon as it came into contact with the stomach fluids. To repair it, I created more sand, but it was being melted as fast as I could repair it, so I remained vigilant every moment.

“I see. So, you killed the Sea Emperor Whale as well?”

“If the cause of death was poison, then I suppose so.”

However, I wasn’t just being overwhelmed by the situation. I persevered, enduring the excruciating pain while thrusting the tail’s stinger into the stomach’s wall, injecting poison little by little.

The poison I injected was the deadliest concoction I could produce, enough to bring instant death to any human… However, the massive whale that had devoured me proved resilient to the poison due to its enormous size, and the act of delivering the poison required extending the tail outside the sand shell. This, in turn, threatened to dissolve the tail repeatedly. Even my exoskeleton was weak against the whale’s corrosive stomach fluids.

I extended my tail from the sand shell, inserted the poison stinger, and administered the deadly poison. Before my exoskeleton deteriorated completely, I would retract the tail and start healing it within the sand shell. Once the tail was repaired, I’d repeat the process. At times, I even entertained doubts about the effectiveness of my efforts, but I persisted in injecting the poison.

My physical strength dwindled rapidly as I continued to channel spiritual power for defense and fighting spirit for healing. I continued doing so with the sole intention of not wanting to die.

Originally, I had always been accustomed to minimal sleep, and even short periods of rest posed no problem for me. However, the inability to sleep at all was an entirely different challenge. The extreme exhaustion clouded my consciousness. Gradually, I noticed that the whale’s stomach, which had been constantly churning, had become still. Summoning the last of my strength, I tore through the stomach and the flesh of its belly with my bare hands and escaped alive.

If I thought about it calmly, just because the movements of the stomach had ceased, that didn’t necessarily mean the outside was safe. There was still the possibility of breaking through in the midst of the sea. I now felt a shiver running down my spine as I realized that I had made a risky gamble.

Nevertheless, here I was, alive and well. My memories had a gap at that point, and when I came to, I found myself reunited with Orvo. After being consumed, survival had been my sole focus. I am quite surprised at how tenaciously I clung to life.

“So, it was indeed you who killed the Sea Emperor Whale. It died from poison, after all. I owe you my thanks.” Aiwass said.

“Thanks?”

“I am a spiritualist and consider myself a researcher in the pursuit of the world’s truths. But at the same time, I’m an avid collector who delights in acquiring rare items. That Sea Emperor Whale would make the ultimate addition to my collection. Coincidence or not, I’m grateful to you for delivering it to me.”

A collection… I couldn’t quite fathom the value of that whale’s corpse to that extent, but for Aiwass, it clearly held great value. If I had unknowingly earned his gratitude, it was something to leverage to the fullest.

“Then, I’d like your help in returning to my original location,” I said.

“Return… Are you truly sure about that?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I may be a hermit residing on this island, but I keep a firm grasp on outside information. While I’m far from all-knowing and all-powerful, I do know quite a bit more than the ordinary folks out there.”

The conversation had veered off course earlier, and this time the preamble was getting lengthy. I wished for a more concise response, but I restrained my impatience and urged him to continue.

“So, what’s your point?”

“My point is that I know. I know what creatures like you, demons, endure on the Enzo Continent. I know about the fact that you’re always on the front lines, continuously wearing down your lives.”

“…”

As Aiwass said, the treatment of demons was exceedingly harsh. Marcellus had made various attempts to improve our conditions, but he never came close to meeting the standards he aimed for.

Aiwass seemed to be questioning the purpose of returning to such a place. However, before I could respond, he continued to speak, revealing something astonishing.

“Furthermore, it seems that the Enzo Continent will continue to be plagued by conflicts in the foreseeable future. The central and western regions are still at war with the Republic, and in the empire where you once resided, the emperor was assassinated and a civil war broke out.”

“What did you say!?”

The news of a civil war in the Empire shook me to the core. I had only seen the Emperor’s face once, but even in that brief encounter, he had exuded an overwhelming aura of dignity; it was hard to believe that he died all of a sudden.

Or rather, what had those arrogant guards been doing? They were supposed to be seasoned professionals… But no, that didn’t matter. There were more important matters at hand. That was…

“I’ve heard from Orvo that your intelligence is quite high. If you’re as clever as he says, you should understand. Returning to the Enzo continent now would be going out of your way to court danger.”

“…”

“So, the wisest choice for you is to stay on this island. Don’t worry. I can support you here, even as a guest.”

“…”

“Besides, the island’s residents are all simple and gentle folk. They’ve accepted even Eins as a matter of course. I can guarantee that they won’t discriminate against a demon, even if you have a bit of an exoskeleton and a tail.”

“…. No discrimination, huh? That sounds… good.”

Everything the wise man Aiwass was saying made perfect sense. Heading to a continent gripped by wars, with invasions to the west and civil war in the east, was as dangerous as it got. After narrowly escaping death, it would be foolish to willingly return to the battlefield.

Moreover, Aiwass seemed to be a wealthy individual, and if he could provide for me as a guest, I wouldn’t have to worry about my livelihood. I might have to take on some minor responsibilities, but if I thought of it as rent, it was quite the bargain.

What’s more, the idea that the island’s residents had no discriminatory tendencies was the most appealing. For those of us who had been oppressed for so long, the prospect of belonging to a community free of such concerns was both astonishing and pleasing. Getting along with these people and living among them would surely be enjoyable.

“That’s right; that’s why…”

“But I must return. My comrades are out there fighting, and if I were to abandon them, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”

Living on this island was undoubtedly a wise choice. The prospect of leading a carefree life away from the turmoil of battle was a dream come true. It was an offer that I found very appealing.

However, I couldn’t leave my comrades behind to solely enjoy peace. A part of me, which could be described as my soul, wouldn’t allow such a thing. I have to go to my friends regardless of the risks.

“Is that alright with you? I’d say this island is a paradise for you,” Aiwass said.

“Being in paradise alone would feel empty. Even if it’s hell, I choose to be with my comrades. They’re good enough to make me feel that way.”

Aiwass asked me again, but my commitment remained unchanged. I felt guilty about denying the favor of someone stronger than me, and it might make him feel bad, but… I couldn’t lie to myself.

For a while, Aiwass scrutinized my face, and then, without any warning, he started to laugh. It seemed I wasn’t the only one puzzled by his true intentions, as both Eins and Orvo also looked at him with confusion.

“Hehehe… Well, my apologies. I would have been disappointed if you had eagerly taken the bait, but you’ve given a response beyond my expectations.”

“…. Would I have been killed if I had taken the bait?”

“No, I wouldn’t go as far as taking a life over something like that. I might have been disappointed, but I intended to keep my promise. It wouldn’t be too much of a burden to support you. However, my admiration for you would have dwindled considerably. Alright, I’ll need some time, but how about I arrange for your return to the Enzo continent?”

Apparently, I was being tested. And my response appeared to please Aiwass. It might be safe to say that I had at least got the passing score.

Furthermore, I secured a promise regarding my return. I didn’t know how he would arrange to send me back, but with someone of Aiwass’s caliber, he would likely find a way. Just wait for me, everyone. I will definitely make my way back!