Hell Inn: Rebirth - I Became a Chef in Hell

Chapter 116 Golden Tears

That was indeed Shirley's face.

She fits the human definition of beauty and cuteness; even in hell, she would be considered the most beautiful.

She was tall and slender, and her expression always carried a kind of innocence and naivety that shouldn't belong to hell.

...You miss the real Shirley.

You actually know that most people don't like her naiveté and almost blind kindness; they might even find her arrogant and foolish.

But you like Shirley's almost reckless kindness so much.

After all, if it weren't for her selfless desire to save others, and her kindness that would be considered "foolish" even in hell... you probably wouldn't be yourself anymore.

You probably have a lot to say about Shirley's kindness.

But at this moment, as you gaze at Shirley's face, an urge to sneer arises within you.

……

"Have you made enough of a scene?"

After that knife pierced your chest, you remained silent for a long time before looking at Shirley in front of you, and said coldly.

When she saw you suddenly speak clearly, she immediately widened her eyes, clearly not expecting this.

Even though you are ugly now, you stare directly into her eyes as if you were looking at a dead person.

You did allow Shirley to kill you, but "He" has crossed your line.

It's probably because "He" was confident that He could completely control you in such a moment, so He couldn't react when faced with your sudden resistance.

Faced with His untimely momentary daze, you reacted extremely quickly, and in just a short instant, you wrested control of your consciousness back from His hands.

You don't have much time, because you don't know what you might do when neither you nor He are in control of your body. You must leave before you unconsciously harm the inn's demons.

...Leave this "place of exile" deep within your heart.

After all, you shouldn't have come here at a time like this.

Having no intention of giving "He" any more chances, you expressionlessly reach out and grasp the dagger piercing your chest.

"Damn, you're still as crazy as ever."

"...When your consciousness was pierced, your first thought was to draw your sword?"

Seeing what you were trying to do, He widened His eyes and muttered something with a look of disgust.

A sharp blade slices through your swollen palm. Familiar, deep red, scalding blood oozes from your palm, then drips down your rotten, radish-like wrist, falling into the dark abyss He has prepared for you.

Seeing that you seemed serious, Shirley, who had stabbed you, showed a slightly regretful expression.

But he was clever.

Because before you could make any further moves, He nimbly leaped back away from you, as if to warn you of what you might do.

"……Ah."

Seeing this, you found it amusing and let out a short, cold snort, then gripped the dagger deeply embedded in your chest.

As you pull out the weapon, the bloated body He deliberately gave you begins to melt and fall off like butter.

Your slender, pale arms swayed gently, like two thin branches trying to shake off the frost and snow.

...But the knife went in so deep that you have to use all your strength.

The cold iron blade scraped against the bones in your chest cavity, your organs groaned, and your flesh writhed.

But unlike before, when I was tossed around by the sea and then crashed against the cliff face, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

The pain of being stabbed in the chest is sharp and malicious, making your scalp tingle.

But the more intense the pain, the tighter you grip the blade, as if trying to force yourself to stay awake.

The sharp blade pierced your flesh and pressed firmly against your finger bone—

Until you ripped the knife out.

"Cough! ... Ho, ho... Huff."

Although you've long been used to this pain, the previous torment still makes you feel dizzy and your vision goes black.

The moment you pulled out the dagger that had pierced your chest, the world that He had created shattered with the gushing blood!

With a deafening roar, a powerful and turbulent gust of wind bursts forth from your body.

They blew away the scattered fragments, making your long black hair dance wildly in the air.

—And your originally dark world becomes magnificent in this breathtaking moment.

The "final curtain" He prepared for you has been shattered.

The originally cramped emptiness was peeled away like a disguise.

The violent surge of energy in the space made you, who remained completely still, look like a pillar of strength.

At this moment, the world that should have belonged to you is being rapidly reconstructed after being deconstructed.

A cloudless yet somewhat hazy sky hangs high above you, while the mirror-like water lies at your feet—

The scenery now is the "place of exile" you remember.

You will never forget what this place looks like, after all, your name and many memories that were taken from you are wandering here, waiting for the day you can redeem them.

you:"……"

You stare silently at the pitch-black water, its bottom invisible, your hands braced against the ground, breathing heavily as if you've survived a near-death experience.

In the brief moment, you see your familiar face reflected on the mirror-like surface of the water.

...I saw ■■■'s face.

A pale, indifferent face.

Even after a period of disarray, a beautiful face that remains dignified and endearing replaces your original ugly, soggy face.

A few drops of liquid gold, tinged with flames, rolled down your face—those were the tears you shed only after you became a certain person.

……

It's truly remarkable that you can't even remember the last time you shed tears.

Because your tears are now burning gold, they are difficult to process. Furthermore, the fact that you now possess only half a soul means you have very few vulnerable emotions, which results in you rarely crying.

The red-hot gold left two sorrowful red marks on your face, like tears of blood.

The flowing golden body, carrying an ever-burning white flame, fell into the water. After lingering calmly for a moment, it shimmered and sank beneath your feet.

You stare at it silently until the light completely disappears into the abyss.

While you covered your healing chest with your hand, you frowned slightly and wiped away the "tears" on your face.

The dazzling gold burned in the mouth of your hand.

The last time you shed tears was before you met Shirley.

At that time, you didn't know that you had to extinguish your own tears yourself.

Fortunately, your tears were relatively "docile," otherwise the burning of the cheap apartments might not have been due to fighting, but rather your tears.

...It really is a bittersweet memory.

You lowered your eyelashes, first gently wiping away your tears with your other hand. Then you washed the remaining golden tear stains from your hands with the water at your feet.

The golden sands flowed calmly into the abyss like a thin stream.

"This is real gold. If you had sold all this stuff back then, you wouldn't be living in such a filthy place."

Seeing that you still had that indifferent expression, He asked this question with some dissatisfaction.

You never expected that He would speak up after tricking you so badly. But because your anger had exceeded a certain threshold, you now feel strangely calm when you look at him.

You glanced at him casually and pursed your lips. But soon, as if amused by his words, you smiled in a cryptic way.

"...If you want to kill me, your aim is still a bit off."

You slowly raise your face to look at "He" standing in front of you.

At this moment, He has shed all the skin of an actor and become your own true self.

The dragon goddess gazing at Him had a serene and peaceful expression.

If it weren't for her exhausted appearance, blood on her cheeks, and the bleeding wound she was covering with her hand, probably no one would believe what she had gone through.

"cut."

Seeing that ■■■ was completely unmoved, He couldn't help but let out a short, disdainful sound when He didn't get the scene He wanted to see.

"It's boring..."

Faced with His infuriating remarks, you remained silent, simply staring at Him with your calm, unwavering golden eyes.

Due to his strength, he always has a blank expression and remains unmoved by anything. In the eyes of most demons, he is an omnipotent know-it-all.

But at this moment, she looked incredibly thin.

She knelt on one knee with an almost stubborn posture, one hand covering her wound and the other supporting her on the ground.

She raised her head to meet His gaze, her eyes calm yet resolute.

This makes her look like a solitary, snow-covered pine tree on a cliff.

Despite her fragility, which seemed as if she could be blown away at any moment, she stubbornly stood there all alone for countless years.