Circulating Worlds (4)
화자원관리공사.
≪ O "
Rete sat at the desk in the president's office, staring at the wall and making meaningless noises.
Why am I so uneasy?
The fire output was stable, and the circulation of the branch flows was running smoothly.
"Monoras." All of her unease boiled down to the same thing: the lowest-ranked demon in the Otherworld was nowhere to be seen.
"No, when did he leave for Rabiette and stop answering? Has he wandered off somewhere again?"
She smacked the desk, stood, and shook her head.
"No, no, he wouldn't."
Even if Monoras had duped her a hundred million times, she still trusted him.
"He wouldn't really do that even in an unprecedented situation like this. He's an administrator. No—that can't be it."
Rian had severed his Karma Chain and was wandering the Otherworld.
"All beings in the universe carry their own karma. You can't just jump over that."
So it must be a system error.
And even in the Otherworld, demons who could fix a problem of this scale were few and far between.
"This is annoying. I already have too much to deal with."
Uneasy, Rete left the president's office and went to the Karma Management Department.
Along the corridor, dozens of informants were watching the living beings through visions.
"Haah! Haah!"
One of them was moaning in excitement and busily touching herself.
"Riona."
She was the one handling Etella and Shagal. Hearing Rete's voice, she hurriedly turned.
"Ah, President."
Rete put a hand on her shoulder.
"You're working hard. These are the ones you meant? I heard they climbed the rankings."
Riona babbled with excitement.
"Yes, they're seventh in history. Purification time: eighty-seven years. Imagine how massive the combined forces of good and evil must be. Just thinking about it makes my body heat up—I can barely stand it."
Rete felt a little dizzy as well.
"Taiji is the principle that birthed the universe. The cycle of yin and yang contains incredible power. It fuses two opposing concepts into one."
Riona looked back at Rete.
"So the first universe was born through a cycle too. Which cycle are we talking about?"
"Probably… electricity."
Only an administrator would make such a speculative guess.
"Energy produced by the cycle of positive and negative poles. Any concept born from that energetic principle can be split into two, and that's essentially what we call the universe."
Rete lifted a finger.
"Reality and the Otherworld. Two completely different worlds can coexist because everything was designed around the Taiji principle. But when that principle is applied to humans rather than worlds, it gets very dangerous."
"Why?"
"Because it tends to trace every definition in the universe in reverse. Good and evil, black and white, matter and immaterial, up and down—if you integrate all concepts, what happens?"
The first singularity.
"The only concept that can step outside the universe would be born. That's what we call the First One. It's not strange that those two bear such enormous karma."
Riona swallowed and stared at the screen.
"…That's an incredible bond."
"Hoho! This is only the beginning. Whoever bears karma can never be at ease—you'd better keep an eye on it."
Humans might not understand, but the union of good and evil stirred a strange romance in demons.
"I hope it goes well."
She didn't know what would come of it, but she meant it.
"By the way."
Rete clicked her tongue. "Any word from that pig? Any informant say where he is?"
"No. Even the chief secretary is an administrator, so tracing him on the Karma screen has limits. In any case… there are no reports of him near Rabiette."
Rete gripped her hair.
"Sigh—where on earth is he and what is he doing? He'll manage, right? Yes, he'll manage. I asked him sincerely this time; he'll handle it properly. Right?"
Riona pursed her lips.
I don't think so.
Perhaps Rete was the one who knew Monoras the least in the Otherworld.
River of Impiety, the 78th Tributary.
A village built along the snake-like river of fire formed a marquisate in the Otherworld.
The marquis was Picaras.
A tributary manager whose daily average purification time reached 3.5 million hours, he was currently entertaining Monoras.
"Come, come! Our chief secretary who does great things for Hell—have a drink." The marquis, with a face like a venomous serpent, tilted a bottle toward the pig-faced secretary.
"Good, good! Kuaek ekek!"
Picaras' marquisate was still less than halfway to Monoras' business destination.
The marquis barked an order.
"Come on, come on, you lot! What are you waiting for? We're hosting such a magnificent and handsome guest."
Twenty succubi got to work, and drool streamed from Monoras' mouth.
"Kuaek! Kuaek!"
When the heat reached a fever pitch, Picaras slyly produced a document.
"Um, chief secretary. This…"
"Hm? What is it?"
The title read "Report on the Expansion Development of the 78th Tributary," but the contents didn't register.
"The demon population in the marquisate has increased significantly. And, well, if demons increase, wouldn't mouths increase too?"
"Ah, true, true."
Monoras only wanted to focus on sensation.
"So I prepared a countermeasure. If the influential chief secretary of the Fire Management Corporation would just sign here—"
Ooh!
At that sensitive reaction, Picaras turned and clapped.
A horned retainer bowed and brought in a small box.
"You'll see when you open it…"
Inside the box, a palm-sized golden key gleamed.
"A key forged from pure flame—"
Monoras slammed the table with a bang; the succubi scattered in shock.
"Marquis Picaras!" The voice was strained with anger, and Picaras quickly bowed his head.
"Yes, yes!"
"Are you insulting me? Do I look like someone who would handle official business with something so trivial?"
Taking the rebuke to heart, the marquis half rose and shouted.
"Bring it out!"
This time the door flew open and burly demons carried in enormous treasure chests.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
There were four. Picaras hurried over and fit the golden key into a lock.
When the lids were lifted, the chests overflowed with blinding riches.
Picaras turned awkwardly and pointed at the chests.
"The one who holds this key is the rightful owner of these treasures, or something to that effect." Monoras, who had been staring hard at the chests, suddenly threw his head back and laughed.
"Kekekeke! Kuaek! Kuaek!"
"Ha ha! Hahahaha!"
When Picaras laughed, the succubi clapped and swooped down again.
"What generosity! Now that's largesse! This is why I recognize you!" "Who could doubt it? This is all thanks to Monoras' diligent handling of official duties."
Back at the drinking table, Picaras slid the document over with a flourish.
"Kuaek! I always do well. Let's see, what were we saying earlier? The tributary—?"
"Oh, it's not worth your worry. To be frank, is it fitting for the one who controls all Hell's fire to fret over a minor tributary? There are others who paint the big picture in Hell."
"That's what I've been saying! You knew, but the boss—no, only Rete—didn't. Isn't that maddening?"
"It's frustrating."
Picaras snapped his fingers.
"Ah, now I see why our chief secretary looked so gloomy. At times like this, subordinates should properly attend to their superior. I'll take care of it myself!"
"Kekekek, well, you're good at it anyway."
Picaras quietly handed over a pen, and Monoras signed the approval line in blood.
"Bravo! You're explosive!"
The succubi giggled and applauded as Picaras waved his hand.
"What are you doing outside? Bring it all in, quickly!"
Carts piled high with liquor and food flowed in endlessly, filling and clearing the table.
"You should have a drink. There are succubi lined up outside who can't even enter the manor."
"Kekekek! Is that so?"
Over the next hour the marquis passed no fewer than seven approval documents.
"Now, this is a dispute with the Marquisate of Mideurn over control of the fire dam."
"Hey! Let's play a bit!"
Picaras nodded like a madman and leaned toward Monoras.
"This is the last one. Really! The final oath!"
And so the dispute over the 78th Tributary, which had become a hot topic at the Fire Management Corporation, was settled.
"Ugh."
Rete rubbed her left shoulder and muttered, "Why do my shoulders hurt so much these days?" Riona glanced over.
"Aren't you overdoing it? You closed the Spirit Zone and couldn't sleep—you've been working nonstop. Want me to rub them for you?"
"I'm fine for now. If nothing else breaks down. Anyway, the Grand Duke should arrive soon."
Looking at Rete's tired face, Riona made a bitter expression.
"She's really capable."
If not for her, Hell would have fallen into chaos after the Spirit Zone was closed.
"Do you think the Grand Duke will be able to fix it?"
"I don't know. But he's the number one when it comes to hidden codes in Hell. Speaking of which, who's the informant in charge of Rian?"
"Probably Vivian."
"Is that so…?"
Rete patted her shoulder and headed to Vivian's station.
"Chains of Gehenna. What are you doing now?"
"Advancing without pause. Judging by direction, it looks like the Fire Management Corporation is the destination."
She sighed.
"How far along are they?"
"We'll be passing the Wall of Wailing soon. But, President, once they pass the Wall of Wailing…"
Vivian raised the altitude on the screen.
"They'll reach Rabiette before long. The city of arcane engineering. Isn't that where the chief secretary went on business?"
"Huh?"
Rete's eyes widened.
"Oh! Right! Rian's error could be fixed right there! Monoras can handle it!"
She clapped like a girl. Vivian studied the high-altitude feed again.
They had arrived.
A black wall thousands of kilometers across waited for Shirone and Rian.
Wooooooo!
Even before reaching it, the horrific wails made one want to cover their ears.
So this was the Wall of Wailing.
No matter which way they looked, the wall's end was invisible; its thickness was likely the same.
Rian stopped walking.
"This is huge."
Compared to the wall, their existence was smaller than dust.
"Pain… get me out of here… how many are there?"
Every single thing making up the wall, without exception, was a human body.
"It's grotesque."
Even the pus had rotted into oil-black fluid; faces and limbs bulged from the surface in nightmarish shapes.
"I'm hungry… my throat is parched… no one even has the strength to cry out, but because there are so many, it's noisy."
"To get to the Fire Management Corporation we have to pass through this gate."
A vertical fissure, smaller than any crack in the whole thing, split the wall into two.
"All right. Let's go, Shirone."
The Chains of Gehenna could activate at any time, but Rian's compass always pointed true.