Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The Treacherous Minister Still Has His Uses
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Beonald von Neumel, Duke.
In the history of this continent, he is counted among the treacherous ministers of treacherous ministers.
Becoming a close confidant of the weak-willed Emperor, he monopolized politics, military affairs, and various enterprises for a full sixty years. His mansion in his territory, 'Benofis', was recorded as a place more vast and splendid than the Imperial Palace itself.
Beneath the banner bearing his family's symbol, the 'Hydra Crest', were rows of beautiful, gem-encrusted artworks and statues. On another side, a river of gold coins, created using magical facilities he'd wanted to try making just once, flowed endlessly.
Furthermore, there was a zoo filled with all sorts of rare magical beasts and animals, and on one side of the mansion, an arena was built where those animals, beasts, slaves, and gladiators were made to compete. That place was filled daily with the sounds of screams and death.
Not only that, he led a life so debauched and greedy regarding women it was unspeakable, bordering on inhuman. The treasure vault was filled to the brim with countless treasures extorted from the people and other nobles.
Also, though he was a treacherous minister, he was not lacking in political skill, business acumen, or the wisdom of cunning, so numerous villains under him, corrupted by the power, sexual, and material desires he provided, protected him.
Moreover, perhaps due to his long-held desire to enjoy power forever, he had deeply researched immortality through all sorts of methods, gaining profound knowledge in alchemy and medical arts to the point that attempts at poisoning were nullified, and he could even carry out assassinations using poisons himself.
An overwhelming powerholder who enjoyed all wealth, honor, and glory from a position above all others, second only to one. The tyranny of Beonald von Neumel, Duke, which seemed like it would last forever, continued through two generations, including the sickly previous Emperor and the young current Emperor, and thus he reigned as the empire's second-in-command for about sixty years. However, it finally came to an end through the efforts of the Emperor, who had come of age, and numerous loyal subjects.
"...The crimes committed by the treacherous minister of the age, the wicked Beonald von Neumel, are not limited to these alone......"
'So this is how it ends after all?'
Thus thought Beonald, the white-haired old man who had been the continent's and empire's second-in-command. Contrary to the common image of a treacherous minister, he was a sturdy old man with a good impression. It was yet another indicator that the good and evil within a human being has no relation to their appearance.
Anyway, he was now standing on the execution platform, wearing nothing but a tattered rag of a prisoner's uniform, waiting for his execution.
In front and behind him, various nobles, commoners, and priests were clamoring over his list of crimes, and the gathered crowd was responding to the person reciting the charges, shouting this and that, but he couldn't hear them.
He simply watched with eyes that found everything futile, observing the collapse of everything he had built over a lifetime, waiting to die.
'Fulfilling a noble's duty until the moment of death is so terribly difficult. Haah~'
The fear of death is the same for all living beings, but he had lived his entire life as a high noble since becoming the family head, so his pride was high.
To protect that, he was maintaining an aloof pretense, a calm expression without showing any outward signs, but in truth, he felt like crying and wailing, or maybe making a confession, or lamenting his life story until the very end.
'I don't know why they have so much to say when they're going to kill me anyway. Everyone's true nature is no different from mine, so why do they talk as if they're so great? Really now~'
While waiting for execution, bored, he tuned out the tedious speech and looked at the distant scenery.
Various parts of 'Benofis Territory', which he had poured his heart and soul into building over a lifetime, were burning. He could see soldiers and commoners fighting over or busily moving the treasures he had worked his whole life to gather.
He also saw the sight of his retainers, who had cooperated with him to eat and live well, already executed and hanging by their necks. The sounds of buildings exploding and collapsing continued.
'Suddenly it seems laughable.'
That scene was in such stark, ironic contrast to all the talk of justice and divine punishment being shouted for his execution.
Those bastards also wanted to become like him.
They used to look up to him, who possessed wealth, honor, power, women—everything. Now, borrowing the names of gods and justice, they are taking it all. It was so hard for Beonald to hold back his laughter.
'But looking at how they're destroying it, it seems they intend to turn this place into complete ruins. Tsk tsk tsk, since it's already built, someone should take it and use it. Really~ It cost a lot of money, you know. From the looks of it, they intend to make it a complete wasteland.'
"Father......"
A familiar voice reached the ears of Duke Beonald, who felt a bit sorry to see his hard-made work being destroyed. Turning his head toward it, he saw the figure of his own son, seated as a witness to this execution.
'That damned brat......'
One of those who ended his tyranny, a traitor who struck the family head from behind despite being the legitimate heir of the Neumel Family. A fool who, though born a noble, advocated for nonsensical values like loyalty or the people over the family. Yet, he was clever and talented, so Beonald had designated him as the next family head.
'What exactly was your grievance? I still don't understand. Are the people or the Emperor so precious to you?'
He had some idealism, but Beonald thought that would change once he experienced the world. He never expected him to betray before that. It was a shock to Duke Beonald in many ways.
'Still, it's a relief that the family line won't be cut off. No, perhaps that foolishness might get his own neck caught and he could die?'
"...Thus! We shall begin the execution of the criminal!"
'It will be a meaningless affair for me, who dies today. Finally, I will fulfill my last duty and be freed from everything.'
It seemed time had come. Beonald Duke was now fixed to the guillotine by sturdy executioners.
His field of vision was now much lower; all he could see before him was the barrel meant to catch the blood that would pour from his head and neck. Lifting his head, all he saw was the slowly setting sun.
Thus, with the setting sun as the last thing in his sight, his consciousness was severed.
Beonald von Neumel, Duke, the worst 'treacherous minister' in imperial history, ended his life at the age of 94.
Duke Beonald, who had met his death, was not one to particularly believe in the existence of an afterlife.
Because he wondered: if such things existed, like the Goddess the priests preached about, why bother creating the real world in the first place?
It was a useful tool for controlling the foolish masses, and he had to converse with priests as well, so he had studied theology to some extent, but he never imagined it would truly exist after death.
"Oh... this is quite something~"
"Sinner Beonald von Neumel, age at death 94, born as one of the illegitimate sons of the Neumel Earldom......"
"Hmm~ Had I known this would happen, I should have been more diligent with my offerings. I didn't pay attention because I didn't send enough priestesses, you see."
When he regained consciousness and opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a place like a courtroom above the clouds. Before him, a beautiful angel was holding a note and reciting his history and list of crimes.
Behind him, numerous souls were lined up in the form of will-o'-the-wisps, and on one side, 'demons' resembling the demon race he had seen in his human life were waiting with spears.
They were probably the ones who would take souls bound for Hell.
"In this sacred court of souls... how dare you be so irreverent!"
"You're right about that. Hahaha, if God were truly omniscient and omnipotent, She shouldn't have created a human like me. Anyway, I'm relieved that a beautiful angel like you is delivering the sentence to Hell. Men are rather disgusting, after all. Hehehe."
"...The verdict requires no further words. You shall suffer in Hell for 10,000 years. The crimes are too numerous... the punishments will be in rotation."
"Oof... this is bad."
Thus, Beonald, true to his lived life, was escorted by demons and fell into Hell.
Hell, a region burning with sulfur. There, Beonald spent his time in torment, subjected to all sorts of tortures.
He was suffering the exact landscapes and tortures described in the books he'd read—how humans had learned about Hell, he didn't know.
"Ughhhhhhk!"
"Kihihihit! Now that I've pulled out your tongue! That clever mouth won't be able to wag anymore. Come back once it grows again! Kihihihit!"
"Grrrrrrr......"
Most evildoers usually receive torture corresponding to one sin, but a major villain like Beonald, who caused massive harm to an entire world, doesn't receive just one torture. He toured all of Hell, receiving various tortures.
After having his tongue pulled out, he'd be fried alive in oil next. After screaming in agony for a set time, another demon would take him to another part of Hell for another torture.
"Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat more! Kihihihit! A spirit body can't lose consciousness or vomit! You'll probably suffer endlessly!"
"Urp! Urp! Uuurp!"
And among these, the place where Beonald received the greatest punishment was the Hell related to his womanizing, adultery, and fornication.
For a lecher like Beonald, who had been obsessed with women all his life and used his power to gather the world's beauties as concubines, no other method was needed.
Simply chaining him up and having lovely succubi spin around in seductive poses was enough to make his soul scream in agony.
"Oohoot~ Look at this reaction. Huhuhut!"
"It's a shame, but in spirit form, you can't 'do that', so it must be even more tormenting? Huhuhut."
"Urghhhhhhk! Uuuuurghhk!"
The agony of his inner desires burning him was more torturous than any external pain.
The pain felt like his soul would burn away. It seemed better to just have his tongue pulled out, be sliced by knives, or be thrown back into the boiling oil.
Anyway, Beonald spent his time rotating through Hell's tortures, countless times watching other tormented spirits pay their dues and be released to reincarnate, or simply fail to endure and turn into spiritual energy, feeling the depth of his own sin.
"...Gghhaaagakaaaak!"
His soul screamed again as his tongue was ripped out, a pain he could never get used to.
The demon who had ripped out his tongue raw handed his soul over to another demon while cackling.
"Kihihihik! Go visit other places again until it grows back. Kihihihit!"
"Now, the oil vat is full right now, so that's not possible. Let's go to the Lust Hell where the succubi are waiting one more time!"
"Urghhk! Hira! Hehinuh Sihurururu (Urghhk! No! Not thereeeee)!"
Beonald, knowing the pain he would have to endure again, screamed and struggled even with his tongue torn out, but the demon cruelly dragged him away, bound in chains.
This was daily life in Hell, an endless cycle of infinite torment. An ordinary soul would have long since burned away into spiritual energy, but perhaps even among evildoers, he was no ordinary human, as he did not disappear but suffered endlessly.
"Urghhhhk!"
Thus, tormented by pain that felt like his soul would leave him, Beonald was thrown back toward the oil vat.
Seeing him fried alive in boiling oil was enough to draw admiration even from the hell demon carrying out the execution.
"Gwaaaaaaaak!"
"Khkhkh, just how wicked was that soul in life? No matter how many times we fry him, he keeps coming back...... Khkhkh. Hmm? What's this?"
*Sssssss!*
While immersed in his duties, the hell demon received a single scroll brought by a smaller demon and began to unroll and read it.
Then, suddenly, he fished out Beonald's soul, which had just been in the boiling oil vat, with his trident.
"Gghhk! Hah... hah... hah......"
"Hmm~ This is a first in my long career in Hell. Follow me!"
'What are they going to do now... Ughhk!'
Beonald, who had been suffering the pain of being fried crispy outside and tender inside, assumed he was being taken to another course in Hell and decided to enjoy this brief moment of stability as much as possible.
Soon enough, he would be subjected to another torment.
'What is this?'
Dragged along while trying to enjoy his rest time before the next pain, Beonald suddenly noticed that the unpleasant smell blowing from Hell and the scorching heat were gone, replaced by a warm breeze, and the screams echoing from everywhere had disappeared. He opened his eyes.
"...What is this? Is this a new Hell? Are they trying to torture me with hope or something?"
[This is not Hell. Beonald, the treacherous minister among treacherous ministers, the embodiment of desire who led the mortal world into chaos, great evildoer......]
Simultaneously, from a high place came the clear, serene voice of a woman.
Looking at the being from whom infinite benevolence and softness could be felt just from the sound, he saw a benevolent-looking woman seated on a throne made of pure white clouds, commanding numerous armed angels.
"Goddess...?"
Beonald could sense at a glance an aura different from ordinary humans, and he even recalled from a corner of his memory that her appearance was exactly the same as the statue in the temple, which an artisan had made according to the design provided by the Archbishop.
'Why me? Ah... Is it because I bribed the Archbishop to make the goddess statue a bit more risqué, promising 1.5 times the usual offering?'
Though he didn't believe in gods, he remembered that the goddess statue's design was very beautiful, so he had tried to add his own taste by bribing the Archbishop.
At the time, his very existence, riding high with the Emperor's backing, made him question the existence of gods, so it seemed like a blasphemous act, but anyway, the Archbishop had refused angrily back then.
'Or is it because I secretly bribed the stonemason as well, asking him to separately make a risqué version and place it in our territory?'
[That is sufficiently blasphemous, but that is not why I have called you, who has been receiving punishment in Hell for quite some time.]
"Oh... As expected of the Goddess. So, what business do you have with this wicked soul suffering Hell's torments? Please explain in as long, detailed, and meticulous a manner as possible, including all trivial matters. I wish to prolong this peaceful time as long as I can, you see?"
[I have a task for you.]
"Please explain it to this ignorant human in a very, very detailed, careful, and specific manner."
Whether he would agree or not was one thing, but first, Beonald, true to his treacherous nature, was trying to prolong this moment of respite from Hell's torture by playing tricks even with the Goddess.
[...Hoo~]
The Goddess frowned, but as if there was no time for this, she quickly composed herself and began to calmly explain the reason she had brought him out from his torment in Hell and the task he was to perform.