Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Diabolical Salesmanship
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“So, what you're saying right now is...?”
Baal asked with a somewhat flustered look on his face.
“That you escaped my influence without the help of any holy relic, any entity, or any transcendent being?”
“If escaping means I no longer feel excessive hunger, then you're wrong. I kept feeling that appetite until you withdrew your power.”
For a brief moment, I caught sight of not a human pupil, but one made of thousands of compound eyes.
“By any chance, do you have a saint in your ancestry?”
“No, my family tree is perfectly ordinary.”
“Did you receive baptism from a saint, a holy person, or a religious figure when you were young?”
“I respect religious freedom and have no intention of denying their beliefs, but neither I nor my late parents were religious.”
“Have you touched something special or come into contact with someone special without realizing it?”
“That's a contradiction. The phrase 'without realizing it' can't coexist with a question that asks for confirmation of the act.”
His fly-like pupils flashed with a gaze that seemed to tear my flesh apart and peer into my soul, but it vanished cleanly in an instant.
“Well, I thought you were hiding something I didn't know about. I figured that's how you escaped my influence, but after a proper look, you really don't have it.”
“Yes.”
“You weren't born with any special bloodline like that carpenter from Nazareth, either.”
“I'm an ordinary human.”
“Well, your body is a bit special, but still within human limits. However...”
He stared piercingly into my right eye, then shook his head with a shudder.
“It feels ominous, so I won't mention it. Anyway, that eye doesn't seem to suppress desire either, and your soul is an ordinary human one, yet you endured my influence through mental strength alone. That's another unprecedented event in history.”
“It's unwise to assume the unprecedented will remain so forever. Just like the people who thought swans would always be white were shocked to discover black swans in Australia—there are many things that can happen in the world.”
“It's not just a matter of color.”
“Then let's say platypus. When it was first presented to academia, scholars of the time denounced the discoverer as a fraud. They claimed no such creature could exist, that it was a stuffed fake sewn from various animal corpses.”
Only then did Baal laugh.
“I bet it is. If I report this, I doubt anyone will believe me. They'll probably mock me mercilessly.”
“More importantly, are you done investigating? It's about time for me to head back.”
“Yes, I'm done, but I'll visit again soon.”
The shop was noisy, but as he passed, people unconsciously made way without even noticing him.
“We never miss a single customer. That's the motto of Lucifer Company.”
“You're back again.”
“As I said, we never miss a single customer.”
Early in the morning, as I was preparing for the new batch of otherworld transfer hopefuls, Baal showed up at the office.
“Are you trying to turn me into a customer for the purpose of selling products?”
“Yes, exactly. The item you'll see today is one we stake purely on quality, without any cheap marketing tricks from our department.”
“Intriguing. Show me.”
I still had time before the agreed meeting with the otherworld transfer hopefuls, so I decided to take a look.
“What's this?”
The first item was a stone. A rough one just the right size to grip in one hand, stained with a dark red hue from dried old blood.
“It's a replica of the tool used in humanity's first murder. It lacks the first spirituality and the first murderous intent, but it contains the first defilement.”
“What does it do?”
“Whoever possesses this stone will be overcome with intense murderous rage directed at their closest blood relative, compelling them to smash that relative's head with it.”
“Hmm.”
“If you have someone you hate, hide it secretly in their mansion or garden. Simply doing that will recognize you as the owner and activate it.”
“You said it activates upon recognizing the owner, so wouldn't it trigger the moment I buy it?”
“Yes, exactly. Can't you spare one or two family members? And if you're an orphan, it'd be even easier to use.”
“I am an orphan, but I have no desire to kill anyone.”
“Oh dear.”
The next was a pair of gloves.
“These are made from the palm skin of a foolish king from ancient human history. Anything you touch while wearing them turns to gold. Even if it's a living creature.”
“Does that include yourself?”
“You catch on quick. Yes, it does.”
“I'll pass. And I already have more gold than I know what to do with.”
“Oh dear.”
The third was a small seed.
“It's the seed from the fruit eaten by the first humans. Grow it into a tree and eat its fruit, and you'll gain immortality. It takes just a month to reach maturity, so time isn't an issue.”
“Any side effects from the fruit?”
“There is one minor side effect. The original fruit awakened shame in those who ate it, but the fruit from this seed does the opposite—it erases shame and amplifies sexual desire. You'll lose control at the sight of the opposite sex and immediately pounce for intercourse. Oh, don't worry. The fruit's power grants you strength dozens of times greater than an ordinary human, so subduing your partner is effortless.”
“Hmm.”
“Why the hesitation? Reproduction and propagation are humanity's natural duty, aren't they?”
“Doesn't appeal to me.”
“Oh dear.”
Every product Baal brought evoked something specific.
‘Wrath, greed, lust.’
From the company name Lucifer Company to the man's name Baal, their identity was obvious.
“Lucifer Company's items mostly bring danger through the user's carelessness or a single small mistake.”
“Human products are the same, aren't they? A car kills others if you're even slightly careless. Guns and cannons too. Items are inherently convenient but come with risks you must accept.”
“It's a company's job to reduce those risks with proper warnings or designs that maintain performance while minimizing danger.”
“Why bother? Isn't that the customer's responsibility? If they don't like our products, they won't buy. It's up to the customer to judge the risks. That's free market economy.”
As expected from a demon, words fell on deaf ears.
“Anyway, I'm not buying, so please leave.”
“Oh, let me show you other products. Just wait a moment.”
“No, my clients are arriving now.”
Right on cue, there was a knock at the office door.
“Uh, is this the Resolver's office?”
“Yes, it is. Come on in.”
I first guided the otherworld transfer hopefuls into the office. As soon as others arrived, Baal had vanished without a trace.
“Otherworlds aren't all sunshine and rainbows. Most have low survival rates, and you're likely to suffer greatly from the start. And suffering might be the least of it—you could die. The list I'm handing out now contains the names and causes of death of those who went to otherworlds and didn't make it.”
I shattered their hopeful illusions of otherworlds, then implanted necessary knowledge in those still determined to go.
“Soap-making currently offers the highest success rate. Medieval fantasy nobles love luxuries, so scented soaps can make you a successful merchant. However, until you build some connections...”
Finally, I made them stew on it for another day and return the next.
“Have you thought it over sufficiently?”
“Yes, p-please send us!”
“No regrets? If there are any, I absolutely cannot send you.”
“I thought about it all day, and I'm confident I'll do great in the otherworld! I studied hard too! Send me right now!”
And so, I sent off six people to otherworlds.
‘A bit many today.’
Thinking of taking a short break, I went to the reception room and found Baal sitting there waiting.
“Ooh...”
He grabbed my hand.
“You're incredible. Truly diabolical salesmanship! I respect you, Mr. Lee Seung-hoon!”
“Why are you doing that? Let go first. As a guest, I'll bring some tea.”
“Ah, thank you. Coffee powder for me, please.”
I brought out a cup of black tea and a teacup with mixed coffee powder.
“You called it diabolical salesmanship—what do you mean?”
“I saw it all. You sold them off to otherworlds, didn't you?”
He said while scooping coffee powder with his finger and eating it. Unlike before, his eyes glistened with excitement, like someone beholding an idol he admired.
“We tried that business once too. No matter how much we tempted them, hardly anyone went through with otherworld transfers, so we had to shut it down. Most otherworlds are dangerous places, so they'd show interest at first but flee a hundred out of a hundred once they learned the truth.”
“You could have lied and said otherworlds were great.”
“Demons like us can't lie. We can withhold truth or twist it to the point of not lying outright, but... otherworld transfers are such a big deal that people asked detailed questions.”
With a slightly flushed face, he asked.
“How did you do it? The conditions were the same as ours.”
“First, a correction: what I did wasn't diabolical salesmanship. It wasn't demonically wicked, and I didn't take any payment from them.”
“What? You did it for free? No claiming their souls postmortem or billing their families?”
“They were people weary of the world's hardships, dreaming of new lives. I simply provided them opportunities to settle into new lives in new worlds. And as a pure human, what do I care about souls?”
Baal looked slightly taken aback.
“Even among humans, some trade souls. More importantly, helping them... You do know how dangerous otherworlds are, right?”
“I know full well. Places where mortality exceeds 50%. Even sending them with thorough preparation now keeps it around 30% or lower.”
“And you call that helping?”
“Mr. Baal.”
I moistened my throat with black tea. Shame I didn't have time to make cucumber sandwiches.
“Challenges always come with costs. Humanity has always seized the future at great price, and the same goes for individuals. No matter how much I help, that truth doesn't change, so it's unavoidable.”
“Let me ask once more. Not diabolical salesmanship?”
“Yes.”
Instead, I took out a digestive biscuit, dipped it in the black tea, and took a bite.
“Stop belittling my goodwill in guiding lost lambs to new worlds as diabolical salesmanship.”
“......”
Whole wheat is nice, but chocolate digestives suit mornings better.
“Ha, haha, hahaha, hahahahaha! Uhahahahaha!”
Baal burst into laughter. A noise like thousands—no, hundreds of millions—of flies buzzing filled my ears, disorienting me.
“Truly the pinnacle. Heh heh, to witness such pure malice in this world.”
His belittling of my goodwill right to my face was pure demon.
“After our defeat to that carpenter from Nazareth long ago, we demons fell into a deep slump. We shifted from directly tempting humans to trapping them instead, and it reminded us of something we'd forgotten. To learn in reverse from a human... How embarrassing.”
He handed me a business card.
“Let me make a proposal, Mr. Lee Seung-hoon—no, esteemed Lee Seung-hoon.”
Bowing politely like a noble, he said.
“Won't you join our company? We'll appoint you as a department head immediately.”
I downed the remaining black tea and opened the office door.
“I refuse. Please leave.”