Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World Chapter 118

The Hell of Falsehood begins in a single village.

 

The protagonist of this Hell was a girl who had vanished from that village.

 

To survive in a wretched village, this girl chose ‘lies.’ It was a small lie, claiming she knew how to use magic. However, born in a tiny rural village and not even knowing exactly what kind of power magic was, she had to lie incessantly.

 

She claimed to have heard things she hadn’t, said she could do things she couldn’t, and pretended to know things she didn’t.

 

Every time a lie swelled, she felt her mouth becoming increasingly filled with a foul stench.

 

Yet, she couldn’t stop. The stench spread from her mouth to her chest, from her chest to her knees, and from her knees to her entire body. Once her whole body was seized by that black stench, she could no longer cease the lies.

 

Then came a day when she incited discord against a village child who had claimed she couldn’t use magic.

 

The girl felt that she truly had to stop here. But the lies continued to bloat, and by the time she reached a point where she could no longer control herself, someone harbored suspicion toward her once again. They told her that if she knew magic, she should go to the capital and prove it.

 

The girl had to prove herself. Thus, having arrived at the capital, she decided to commit an act she never should have.

 

‘Let’s steal the Red Sap of the World Tree.’

 

They said that if anyone drank that sap, they could become a Great Mage and receive the love of the spirits. If she did that, all the lies she had told so far would no longer be lies. Then, everyone would love her, and this wretched stench would vanish.

 

***

 

“Is everyone alright?”

 

Normally, they would have been caught among the citizens of Seoul and killed, but they had survived perfectly intact. An old man who looked like the village head ran over from the very back in a flurry and grabbed Cha Jaeha’s hands.

 

“T-Thank you. Thank you so much.”

 

Cha Jaeha, facing the man who was bowing repeatedly, looked around.

 

“Is there anyone else who was injured?”

 

“No, we are all fine.”

 

The whispering voices gathered, and eventually, one of them threw a question toward Cha Jaeha.

 

“…By any chance, are you mages of the capital? Is it really alright for you to defy the royal family and save u-us like this?”

 

Yoo Jian approached while strapping the axe she used to block the soldiers back onto her back. Smearing her finger across her philtrum, she replied magnanimously. 

 

“As long as you guys are fine, it doesn’t matter to us. ….Ah, and those back there.” 

 

She pointed behind her with her thumb.

 

“The ones who were decapitated—please handle the funerals yourselves.”

 

Lee Suho, looking at the vivid corpses, seemed quite shocked; he stood in a corner, gagging.

 

The gaze of the old village head, who was holding Cha Jaeha’s hand, drifted subtly toward the others. He seemed to be measuring how much of a help the heroes would be to them. The only one on the spot who noticed the old gaffer’s lowered, old-fox-like expression was a single person. 

 

The gluttonous expression of the old fox vanished as he seemingly finished his assessment of the situation, returning to a human face. The old man, with a kind face and drooping eyes, spoke up.

 

“You are our l-life-savers, so we cannot simply send you away like this. How about resting in our village for a while? As mages, wouldn’t you have been heading to the capital from here anyway?”

 

“T-That’s right! We’ll make you cheese fondue with the milk we milked yesterday!”

 

“We have freshly baked bread too, so we can treat you to a wonderful meal! Please stay with us for a while!”

 

As if someone had given a signal, they all shouted in turn, telling them to stay. Cha Jaeha, listening quietly, nodded his head as if he had no choice.

 

Watching that scene, Hwashin rubbed the back of his neck.

 

‘Man, despite how he looks, he really can’t say no.’

 

….But he refused my words often; is that something he does only to me? 

 

‘Well, that’s special and nice in its own way, too.’

 

“Is it alright with you all?”

 

When Cha Jaeha turned his head back to seek agreement, the rest of the members gave him a light okay signal. Jeong Mueum, who was patting Lee Suho’s back, also drew a small circle in the air on his behalf.

 

In any case, no hints had been given yet to find the protagonist, and if a hint appeared, they could simply leave the village immediately.

 

However, unusually, Hwashin didn’t say a word this time.

 

Cha Jaeha gestured with his chin.

 

“Yoo Hwashin, what about you?”

 

“….Mmm, let’s see. Aaas for me.”

 

Hwashin, who had his arms crossed, ultimately curled the corners of his mouth and smiled. 

 

“Well! If it’s your decision, I must follow.” 

 

As he replied while shrugging his shoulders, Cha Jaeha glared at Hwashin as if it were absurd. 

 

“You say that as if you’ve ever respected my opinion before.”

 

“Aw, you know I’m always thinking of nothing but you.”

 

“Save the bullshit for later.”

 

***

 

Not long after Hwashin’s group accepted the village’s hospitality, they were guided to the village head’s house.

 

The house of the old village head was located at the end of a lush northern path past the village market, and it was a size that looked several times larger than an ordinary house.

 

‘The village head’s house has been built this large for generations because the villagers use it collectively. There are many rooms. We will serve dinner soon, so please choose the rooms you want and take some rest. I will come to get you when dinner is ready.’

 

After the village head left, Hwashin’s group began to inspect the second-floor rooms one by one. It was an old mansion, but the interior of each room was clean, as if they had recently finished remodeling. Hwashin, flopping down onto a fluffy mattress, spread his arms wide.

 

—The Hell of Falsehood is actually better than I thought? Is it because it’s the first Hell?

 

Riel asked from the air, sounding suspicious.

 

True, it was a worthy thought. When one says hell, isn’t there something naturally expected. A blazing hellfire, or lava, a sky so dark that things like sunlight cannot be found, a flying demon race, and the like. 

 

Ah, I should probably add the fallen Ska tribe to that.

 

‘But those Ska guys are too weak. Maybe it’s because they were originally angels. They can’t really hold their own in Hell as much as you’d think.’

 

However, these were all just characteristics of the Hell in ‘the place where Elric lived,’ not the Hell referred to in .

 

Elric closed his eyes and answered Riel’s question.

 

‘Just wait a bit. That’s not all there is to the annoyance of Falsehood.’

 

Knock, knock.

 

The sound of knocking was heard.

 

“Mages, you can come down now!”

 

It was the sound of the villagers urging them, saying the meal was ready.

 

When they, who had been resting scattered in their rooms, went down to the first-floor dining room, the villagers were gathered and standing in a line beside a long dining table, waiting for them. On the table were stew made from freshly milked milk, cheese fondue, warm bread, and chunks of meat dripping with juice. In front of the table, which was laid out as a feast with other menus they were seeing for the first time, the village head stepped forward, rubbing his hands together.

 

“We prepared this diligently. Please enjoy, mages.”

 

“Whoa, insane.”

 

Yoo Jian marveled, her eyes sparkling. Jeong Mueum also looked half-won over by the food, but he muttered with a face that hadn’t completely cleared of suspicion.

 

“….But is it okay to eat this? There are myths that if you eat the food of Hell, you can never return to the outside world.”

 

“This isn’t inside a myth either, so it shouldn’t matter. We ate food in the gate where Mister Kim Daechul lived too.” 

 

“….I suppose that’s true.”

 

Jeong Mueum, pulling his chair back, sat down following Yoo Jian. Presently, once all the Heroes were seated, the villagers brought out a massive amount of wine from the storehouse as if a banquet had begun. The wine, filled to the brim in wooden barrels, seemed endless.

 

Among the villagers, the women especially swarmed toward Cha Jaeha and Yoo Hwashin. Perhaps because the two were sitting side by side, the young women flocked over to look at their faces.

 

“Are the mages of the capital all handsome like this?” 

 

“We don’t have anyone like this in our village. They all look like scorched potatoes.”

 

Hwashin rested his chin on his hand and watched the women as they grumbled and twirled their hair. When his long eyes curved down like crescent moons, the earlobes of the woman looking at him reddened on their own.

 

“By the way, how is the mage’s skin so fair like this. Might you have a secret by any chance?” 

 

Hwashin replied.

 

“This is what happens when you look at beautiful things often. Isn’t this fellow next to me incredibly handsome? Ah, but today, there are so many beautiful people here that it’s hard for me to keep my wits about me.”

 

“Oh my… goodness. How is your way of speaking so wonderful, too?”

 

In the middle of the harmonious atmosphere, only Cha Jaeha’s face was gradually turning rotten.

 

He thought.

 

Yes, this guy finally…

 

Gone mad.

 

Perhaps because he was thirsty from Yoo Hwashin’s honeyed flattery, Cha Jaeha began to gulp down the wine before him. The alcohol went down endlessly.

 

Hwashin, who had been enjoying the situation for a while, whispered into the ear of Cha Jaeha, whose eyes were half-glazed.

 

‘Why are you drinking so much all of a sudden?’

 

‘…Just look at what you’re doing.’

 

It meant don’t show him something he can’t bear to watch. Having spoken thus, not long after, Cha Jaeha planted his nose straight onto the table just as he was. 

 

Yoo Jian, Jeong Mueum, and Lee Suho also looked relaxed, as if they had forgotten this was Hell.

 

They too knew by now. That after entering a gate, it was impossible to remain in a tense state for twenty-four hours straight. Rather, such tension was no different from a waste of strength. Especially inside a hell where they had to waste a long period of time, it was all the more so. 

 

“Mage Hwashin, are you not drinking the wine?”

 

A villager wearing glasses, who had been in a corner, approached and asked. He was glancing around as if anxious for some reason. Hwashin asked with a bright smile.

 

“Why do you ask?”

 

“Because our village’s specialty is…. wine. There are also types without alcohol, so children can drink it too.”

 

“Is that so? ….Then I must taste it all the more.”

 

Hwashin smiled and lightly swirled the glass he was holding. The clear purple wine drew dark red rims along the glass walls.

 

The villager, seeing his action, opened his eyes even wider and blinked.

 

“Mage? Why are you doing that to the glass…”

 

“Ah, it’s because I heard something when I was learning about alcohol in the capital in the past.”

 

“W-W-What are you referring to?”

 

He forced a bright smile. The corners of his mouth trembled.

 

“They say that the more rims a wine leaves like this…”

 

Gulp.

 

“The better it tastes!”

 

Hwashin smiled broadly. When he smiled, the atmosphere settled as if flowers were in full bloom.

 

“I—Is that so.” 

 

“Mmm! It tastes wonderful, just as you said! Could I have another glass?”

 

Relieved by Hwashin’s smile, the villagers on both sides began to chime in one by one.

 

“Oh my, Mage.”

 

“Our mister certainly has a charm that makes the atmosphere feel tight! Yes, there’s definitely a saying like that. That’s why our village’s wine tastes the best, isn’t it?”

 

After the rowdy dinner ended, Hwashin’s group returned to their respective rooms.

 

***

 

After returning, Hwashin took a quick shower and sat on the edge of the bed wearing a robe. It was because there was something he had to check immediately.

 

And.

 

‘As expected.’

 

The situation was as predicted. Hwashin called out “Light” to initiate magic, but no light rose from his fingertips.

 

Unlike Karma, ordinary magic cannot escape the shackles of mana. Hwashin, whose circles had been half-ruined by past events, did not use any magic other than basic spells or Karma. In other words, basic magic was that simple in its mana operation and could be performed with even a small amount.

 

If he couldn’t trigger even such basic magic, it meant the situation would be the same for the abilities of the Unit 1 members who use mana. 

 

This was the Hell of Falsehood. A place filled with hideous lies. There was no way the bodies of people living in such a world wouldn’t reek of a stench.

 

Just then.

 

“Mages who defied the royal decree, come out and receive your punishment!!”

 

Before anyone knew it, the torches of the magical cavalry unit surrounding the mansion dyed the black empty air crimson.