Hell Inn: Rebirth - I Became a Chef in Hell

Chapter 124 Things Beyond the Land of Exile - S01 E05

...Regarding why Alastor appeared in the place of exile in ■■■, perhaps we should turn back the clock even further.

Shirley's claim that she made a soul deal with ■■■ was clearly unbelievable to everyone in the Demon City.

While soul trading is nothing unusual in Hell, the nature of it changes entirely when the demons involved in the soul trading become Shirley Morningstar and [unclear].

Who is Shirley Morning Star? She's a kind-hearted girl who, despite being looked down upon by sinners, insists on upholding her beliefs—a girl who, at least in the eyes of the demons in hell, is utterly incomprehensible!

From the perspective of the demons in the inn, how could Xia Lichenxing, who had to confirm her princess rights repeatedly and still didn't do them very well, possibly make a soul deal with someone else?

And even if they racked their brains, they couldn't have imagined that Shirley had made a soul deal... but the other party was actually that...?

...Please! That's a...!

It should be noted that in the eyes of the demons, ■■■ has become a mysterious symbol of unknowable strength.

The mysterious demons from the far east are cautious, powerful, and rational to the point of being unreasonable; although they don't say it, ■■■ and Alastor are the two pillars of the entire inn.

■■■'s intelligence carries a calmness that even demons find strange and chilling, to the point that some demons doubt whether ■■■ possesses the normal cognition and emotions that a human soul should have.

She was as intelligent as Alastor, but the female demon from the East had a better temper and was gentler. Although she possessed terrifying and powerful abilities, she was willing to blend into the crowd and did not use her powers casually.

From an intellectual standpoint, it's like a version of Alastor who has a good personality and can even cook.

In terms of personality, ■■■ is like a decisive, rational, and calm little princess from hell.

...In short, there must be a reason why Shirley always says that ■■■ is the perfect inn chef.

The dragon girl from another land countered every move with ease, dealing with every challenge as it came, and even her seemingly unapproachable heart appeared flawless.

No one can live alone, not even if they go to hell and become a devil.

But in the eyes of most demons, ■■■ seems to be so powerful that she doesn't need anyone to make her whole.

She doesn't seem to need other demons to enter her life, but the other demons do need her.

To this day, even the cunning Alastor has failed to pry out anything the demons want from this impenetrable diamond castle.

So now you're telling everyone that the kind little princess, already considered foolish in hell, actually made a soul deal with this terrifying, always stern-faced guy??

...Who could accept this immediately? For all the demons in the inn, this event was as shocking as Heaven suddenly deciding to make peace with Hell and even signing an unequal treaty!

Clearly, this shocking revelation has left everyone in Shanghai completely stunned.

But when faced with all the demons' questions, except for some things that could be used to appease everyone and were allowed to be made public, Shirley's answer was always "no comment," even regarding her own father Lucifer or her lover Vicky.

...Although Shirley is idealistic and kind most of the time, she is not stupid.

She knew, of course, that there were many things in that weighty transaction that were extremely disadvantageous to ■■■.

So she only talked about their contract and trust, as well as her plan to lead sinners to heaven, saying that in the contract, ■■■ promised her that she would never harm any of the demons in the Hell Inn; and that was why she was confident that even if ■■■ turned into a beast, she would not let any of the demons in the inn get hurt.

...Of course, the little princess didn't actually know that at that time, the person was completely unconscious and all their actions were based on instinct.

Out of a strange sense of security and trust in ■■■, Vicky was not happy that Shirley hadn't told her such an important thing.

However, since it was Shirley who brought up the soul trade, and ■■■ didn't ask Shirley to do anything too outrageous, the white-haired female demon, who seemed to have something on her mind, didn't pursue the matter too much.

Lucifer's side is even simpler.

After Shirley confessed that she had made a soul deal with ■■■, the somewhat naive King of Hell was simply shocked that his daughter had actually made a soul deal with a law-level character from another system.

But after learning that Shirley had been keeping the soul of the person involved in the entire transaction, and that Shirley seemed to have gained more benefits, Lucifer's face was filled with pride and satisfaction, thinking, "She is indeed my daughter."

Regarding the fact that ■■■ is actually suffering from contamination and torment in hell, the only thing that can help her is herself. ■■■'s insane act of tearing her own soul in two requires complete trust in everything she does…

And ■■■The fact that if one dies, one can never be resurrected from hell.

In fact, aside from Vicky knowing that ■■■ could not be resurrected like an ordinary sinner, Shirley did not tell the demons at the inn most important things.

The main reason Shirley was willing to reveal her deal with [redacted] was simply because she hoped her father, Lucifer, would side with her.

At least she hoped that her father, the King of Hell, whose mental state had always been poor, would stop having that terrible idea of ​​"when you encounter trouble, just solve it at its root."

The demons in hell are always good at self-deception and knowing when to stop.

Aside from Vicky and Lucifer, who were willing to believe Shirley, and the naive Pantheon and Nefertiti, the other demons could see that Shirley had most likely not revealed the true focus of this deal.

However, because the two demons involved in this matter were both heavyweights, and Shirley was intentionally concealing the truth, Angel and Hesker ultimately chose to tacitly agree not to pursue the matter further.

Of all those involved, the only one who probably felt regret and dissatisfaction was Alastor.

"So, my dear, do you know what to do in this situation?"

Seeing that Shirley was unwilling to say any more about the secret of ■■■, Wendigo, who was lost in thought, narrowed his eyes dangerously, and the smile on his face gradually widened.

"Since you're unwilling to say more about the chef, how do you plan to resolve the current situation—or are you going to just let her continue like this?"

The scarlet-clad foreign gentleman casually tapped the massive, snow-covered body beside him with his cane.

At this moment, most of the black dragon's body was covered by fine snow that appeared out of nowhere, with only a small patch of black scales floating quietly like an isolated island in the sea.

"...Oh, poor cook."

With a feigned look of melancholy on his face, Alastor said, "Now that she's become like this, it must be very difficult for her to go back to normal, right?"

With his eyes closed, Wendigo raised an eyebrow and made a regretful "tsk tsk" sound, which sounded rather light.

"...What the hell are you trying to say!?"

Vicky, who had always been at odds with Alastor, glared fiercely at the scarlet gentleman in front of her, who kept making sarcastic remarks but offered no useful advice.

She wanted to grab the other person's collar, but Alastor only glanced at her indifferently, and Vicky's movements involuntarily froze.

Unfortunately, the white-haired sinner wasn't particularly susceptible to the radio demon's scheme.

However, to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, Vicky, who was already furious, chose to angrily point her finger upwards at Alastor, who looked relaxed.

Perhaps because the current situation is facing what is probably the worst crisis in history, Vicky, whose alarm bells are ringing for every action of the Broadcasting Demon, now wishes she could just kick this troublesome thing out of here.

"Oh dear! You're so angry, darling... But what can I say?"

Alastor, leaning on his cane, looked down at the seemingly furious white-haired witch with his eyelids drooping, seemingly unconcerned.

"Besides, even if I could help the chef, how could I possibly..."

"boom--!!"

Just then, the broadcast demon's obviously sarcastic words were interrupted by a sudden loud noise.

Although Vicky was almost furious with Alastor's damned attitude, her face contorted and her eyes bloodshot, the sudden commotion was so loud that she and Alastor eventually looked toward the source of the commotion.

Suddenly, a small patch of white flame appeared in the spot closest to Shirley, which had been covered by snow.

After that considerable commotion, a passable rift appeared to split open in the dragon's body.

The white flames looked gentle and bright, possessing a beauty that hell could never possess.

The beings in hell have never had anything to fear. They are rebellious and wicked, scoffing at most pure goodness, and some even take pleasure in destroying perfect things, after all, they are now demons of hell.

...But that white flame possessed a kind of beauty and holiness that would frighten even demons.

Unlike the punishment from heaven, the white flames on the black dragon's body seem to be some kind of creature from nature.

It has no bias, no likes or dislikes; it may love everything and hate everything.

It just burned quietly.

When demons see that fire in hell, they feel more like someone with thalassophobia gazing at the heart of the sea, or someone with acrophobia suspended in the air peering at the endless golden mountains bathed in sunlight.

It is a kind of life's trembling before something enormous, a fear and caution towards the unknown, and a natural respect for something beautiful.

“……■■■?”

Seeing this, Xia Li, who had an unusual relationship with the Eastern Sinner, reached out and touched the white flame with some uncertainty.

She had seen this fire before, so she naturally knew who it belonged to.

"Charlie."

Just before Shirley was about to touch the white flame, Lucifer, who had been worried about his daughter's safety, flapped his six wings and gracefully landed beside the blonde woman.

Although he didn't approve of her touching the strange, suddenly appearing flame, the King of Hell, knowing his daughter wouldn't just stand by and watch, stood beside Shirley, hesitant to speak, his face showing worry.

Xia Li glanced at her anxious father with a comforting look, then at the demons who had surrounded the inn, before resolutely reaching out her hand towards the ball of fire.

Shirley had actually witnessed the power of this white flame before.

She had witnessed how a single spark could have wiped out hundreds of criminals and burned down a building.

This fire seems to judge friend from foe based on the consciousness of the beings, and the temperature felt by different factions is different.

But Shirley could hardly imagine the temperature of that white fire, which could even burn the unconscious fires of hell to ashes—

But she is now touching that white flame with her own hand.

That white flame was gentle to her.

It's like reaching your hand into the ever-undulating tide, or being soaked by a surging cloud.

Somehow, Shirley could sense that the other side of this flame might be a world she had never seen before.

Out of concern for ■■■ and the seemingly inviting affection of this white flame, and also out of curiosity about the other side of the white flame, the blonde woman bravely bent down and tried to pass through this white flame.

But before she could fully extend her hand, she suddenly felt a gradually increasing resistance.

Her hand, which had been reaching into the white fire, seemed to touch a transparent membrane.

Feeling puzzled, Shirley tried to force her way through the barrier; but soon, the white flame that had previously allowed her to pass suddenly emitted a blinding white light.

With a crackling sound, Shirley, whose body was half-submerged in white flames, was suddenly thrown back.

The strong, humid wind, carrying the scent of the sea, nearly knocked Shirley and the noticeably smaller King of Hell over, but the force was merely impressive and frightening; it did not actually cause any real harm to the two members of the Hell royal family.

...But Shirley, with a stunned expression, understood the significance of the scene before her—

Her visit was refused by ■■■.