"..."
Mason had long since broken free from Salo's enchantnt.
He was released from the enchantnt when he fell from the bridge to this bottom village. As death lood close, his instincts cast off the shackles binding his consciousness.
However, Mason deliberately concealed the fact that he was no longer enchanted and faithfully followed Ash's orders.
"Hey, big guy! Put so muscle into it!"
"Such a big fra! Move it quickly and cheaply!"
"..."
Ash's order for Mason in this bottom village was to do as the two highwayn of the Desperation Howard Band, Sword Devil and Spear Devil, commanded.
Thus, Sword Devil and Spear Devil were gleefully exploiting Mason.
From cleaning around the village to repairing ruined houses, he was called for all sorts of heavy labor.
Mason found these tasks tedious and troubleso, but he didn't show it and carried them all out.
Perhaps it was because Mason was seen as a reliable and reticent worker.
Sword Devil and Spear Devil led Mason to quietly dig up a secret vault buried in their house's yard.
After unearthing the vault, Mason carried it on his back and headed towards the corner of the village.
With every move, the sound of tal coins clinking echoed from inside the vault.
Mason easily realized that the vault was filled with gold coins.
Where were they moving this gold to?
Mason soon found the answer.
In a corner of the bottom village, there was a small well with shallow, black water. Inside the well, a pile of heavily rusted gold coins lay subrged.
"Pour it in."
"Into here, quickly!"
"..."
As instructed, Mason opened the vault and poured its contents.
Chrrrrrr!
Splash...!
The gold coins, covered in the patina of age, bubbled as they sank into the well.
With the vault emptied and the newly poured gold coins reaching the bottom of the well, Sword Devil and Spear Devil turned away without a second thought.
"...Why?"
But Mason didn't understand.
"Why throw away gold coins you worked so hard to collect?"
It was the first ti Mason had spoken since arriving in the village.
Startled, Sword Devil and Spear Devil turned around, but soon answered with a snicker.
"Before the Lake Kingdom ca to this state, all the villagers eagerly collected money. There was a rumor that if you gathered enough gold coins, you could buy 'citizenship'."
"And then?"
"Well, that turned out to be a re rumor. There was no such system. There was never a way for us, the non-citizens, to beco citizens of the Lake Kingdom."
"Right after we, as a couple, learned this truth, the Lake Kingdom sank downward and perished. We beca cursed, unable to live or die."
Sword Devil and Spear Devil laughed together.
"Since then, with much hardship, we managed to gather the villagers again in this hellish pit. But what could we possibly do here?"
They knew all too well.
That even if they died and were reborn, they could never beco citizens of the Lake Kingdom. And that the Lake Kingdom could never return to its forr beauty.
"In a life where we can neither live nor die, we still need to rember."
"The goal we had back when we still had the drive to dream and live. To gather money and enter paradise."
Even knowing it was an unattainable goal from five hundred years ago or now. Even knowing it was a foolish and futile dream.
"Without such vain hopes, how could we possibly live in this hell?"
The body might live forever.
But without a purpose to live, the mind... the soul, dies.
So, the people here collected gold coins to survive.
Scouring the bottom of this hell, continuing out of sheer inertia.
And to maintain that inertia - when enough gold coins are gathered, they throw them down here.
The vault was emptied, and the people set out again with a new goal to fill it... surviving yet another day.
"...Haha."
Mason, who had just begun to understand the principle behind this bottom village's survival, let out a hollow laugh. Sword Devil and Spear Devil glanced at him.
"Do we amuse you?"
"It must be hard for a living soul from the outside world to understand."
"No."
Mason shook his head.
"I realized that this hell isn't so different from the outside world."
Carrying the empty vault on his shoulder, Mason walked between the two elders.
"I learned to wield a sword to support my family. My parents and relatives were old and sick, and I was the only one in the family capable of doing a proper day's work."
"..."
"At first, it was enough to eat without starving. But as soon as we stopped going hungry, other problems erupted. Winter was cold in re rags, and without a proper house, it was hard to sleep for fear of thieves."
Clothes were needed. A house was needed.
Thus, Mason easily fell into temptation. Instead of loyalty to the McGregor family, who taught him the sword, he started associating with others who filled his pockets right away.
"Just not starving wasn't enough to live as a person. So, I kept switching masters, looking for those who paid more."
And then - he t Fernandez.
Like getting wet in a drizzle, by the ti Mason realized it, he had completely beco Fernandez's dog.
But one day, his master said sothing. That the world was dood anyway. Everyone would die, but he would try to save the people within the Imperial Capital, New Terra.
Fernandez had his own firm cause.
Facing the end of the world, he wanted to save as many people as he could.
He wanted to save at least those living in the Imperial Capital, New Terra.
The problem was that Mason's family wasn't wealthy enough to live within the Imperial Capital. They lived in the suburbs, far from the capital.
"I hastily sold my family's house in the suburbs, but the money was not enough to move into and live within the Imperial Capital."
Mason laughed bitterly.
"No matter how hard I tried, my family and I could never beco 'people'."
"..."
"So, I went to my master, knelt down, and begged. If he could make my family live within the Imperial Capital, turn us into 'people', I would do anything for him."
Mason looked down at his hands, which had turned beastly.
"And this is what happened."
He wanted to live like a human.
For that simple purpose, he gave up being human.
Betraying the family that taught him swordsmanship, arranging for the death of his benefactor, threatening his son with a sword... and ultimately, after being injected with serum, he degenerated into a beastly form.
He spent his whole life striving to be human.
But when he ca to his senses, he had beco sothing far from human.
Mason laughed bitterly.
"Maybe living is like pouring gold coins into a dry well..."
To collect gold coins, they throw gold coins away.
To live as humans, they give up being human.
In the end, both gold and humanity lose their original value, and the process itself becos the purpose, turning like a wheel...
Chewing over this irony, Mason looked up as he arrived at the house of Sword Devil and Spear Devil -
"I've heard a good story..."
There stood Ash, right in front of him.
Startled, Mason's shoulders tensed. Ash scratched his ear with his finger and then glared at Mason.
"But you, when did you break free from the enchantnt?"
Mason laughed hollowly.
...Caught red-handed.
***
Mason and I were crouching together in front of the sewer.
Even though he was freed from the enchantnt, Mason showed no intention of harming , and I likewise had no desire to deal with him.
We sat side by side, silently killing ti together.
After a long silence, Mason, with his furry body, rummaged around and suddenly pulled out a pocket watch. I was startled.
"Whoa, what?! Where did you get that from!"
Wasn't it that nothing ca out during the previous search! Where did he pull that from!
"Having a body like this, with twisted bone structure and fur, gives many places to hide things."
He then handed the pocket watch. I recoiled, surprised.
"You didnt keep it sowhere dirty, did you?"
"It's precious to . I kept it in a relatively clean place."
Relatively clean...?
With a skeptical look, I took the pocket watch. Mason gestured for to open it, so I flipped open the tal cover.
Click.
Inside were a plain pocket watch showing the ti, and... a portrait of a woman on the cover.
Mason's gaze at the portrait was filled with deep affection.
"Who is this?"
I asked cautiously. Could it be Mason's wife?
His answer was sowhat unexpected.
"My girlfriend."
"Eh."
Considering Mason looked at least fifty, I didn't expect him to say girlfriend instead of spouse.
Chastising my own stereotypes, I awkwardly smiled.
"You must have been together for a long ti? Keeping her portrait like this."
"No. We've only been on about five dates? We haven't been together long."
"..."
Cough! Clearing my throat, I asked carefully.
"Still, she must be very special to you. How did you et?"
"There was a ti I had to attend a couples party during a mission, and being a clumsy fool who had never held a woman's hand, I was in a fix. Then I found a service where you pay to have soone pretend to be your partner."
"..."
"And after that mission, we continued to et, feeling good about each other."
"...Paying?"
"If I dont pay, she wouldn't et ."
"What a fool, this man!"
This isn't a romantic relationship, but sothing... darker!
But Mason nodded seriously.
"Our feelings for each other are genuine. Especially before I ca down for this mission!"
"Especially?"
"We... we even held hands!"
"You dont look it, but you're a real fool, sir!"
While its okay if the participant is happy, this is too far beyond my imagination! I'm a fool too, but this man is much worse!
"...I've spent my whole life supporting my family."
Mason muttered, staring vacantly at the sewer on the other side.
"I had no life of my own. Even before I left for this mission, I had to spend my last penny to move my family and relatives into the Imperial Capital."
"..."
"So, when I said I had no money this ti and she didn't have to et , she ca to see off on the day I left... and she gave that portrait. She told to think of her when things get tough."
Mason paused for a mont, then slowly continued.
"Your Highness. I am going to die soon."
"..."
"Due to the excessive strain of forced beastification and the severe injuries I sustained on my way here, I wont last long. I probably wont see the light of the outside world again."
"So?"
"If you happen to see that woman in the Imperial Capital... please return this portrait to her."
Mason, his face now that of a beast, smiled awkwardly.
"A beautiful thing like this shouldnt rot away with soone like ."
"...Why are you asking to do this? Do we have so sort of good connection? You think I'd entertain such a botherso request?"
Then Mason shrugged his shoulders.
"What can I do? Down here in this hell, you're the only person I can ask for a favor."
"..."
"I'm just desperately clutching at straws."
I silently pocketed the pocket watch.
"Any ssage for Fernandez?"
"None."
Mason shook his head.
"I've completed my mission. His Highness Fernandez only asked to deliver the ssage to the Demon King. If I don't return, he'll assu the Demon King has refused."
"..."
"His Highness Fernandez believed I would definitely succeed in the mission, and I did. Nothing more is needed."
Silence ensued.
As I glanced at the side profile of this furry bureaucrat, whose thoughts were inscrutable, I was about to say sothing more.
Thud.
Suddenly, sothing cold dropped on my cheek. I looked up. Mason also looked up.
Thud, plip-plop, pitter-patter -
Raindrops began to fall from the sky.
"This is..."
I extended my palm forward.
The water collecting in my hand was black.
"...Black rain."
I quickly stood up.
The water that had pooled on the ground was slowly flowing towards the sewer. I clenched my fist tightly.
The ti of overflow had co.
It was ti to return to the surface.
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