Hell Inn: Rebirth - I Became a Chef in Hell

Chapter 127 The Worst Guest - S01 E05

“...Alastor?”

Upon recognizing the person in front of him, ■■■ clearly showed a moment of bewilderment.

The woman looked utterly bewildered, as if she had never seen the radio demon before.

But before she could fully see the red-haired demon, he vanished again, as if something was deliberately preventing her from communicating with him, just like what she had seen earlier...

……

……

...?

Who saw it again?

During your recollection, you suddenly froze.

In a daze, you suddenly realize that you have forgotten something, but you can't remember what you forgot, so you open your mouth.

Your memories slip away like silk, impossible to grasp.

For the past half hour, you haven't been able to utter a single word except for the name of that sinful lord.

His appearance and a blurry shadow vanished completely, as if the video had been rewound to its beginning.

You struggle to turn your nearly shattered head—thankfully, the flowers clinging to you haven't wrapped around your neck, so you still have some visual freedom.

At first, you thought that seeing that scarlet gentleman from hell was just your imagination.

But when you actually see a red figure not far from you, your eyes widen immediately.

Because you can only see with one eye, the conspicuous, slender red figure is indistinct in the distance, but that is enough to tell you that there are other people in the place of exile besides you at this moment.

"...I really was having a nightmare."

Unable to accept reality, you muttered to yourself in disbelief, but you never looked away.

You can't imagine how Alastor came to the "place of exile" deep within your heart.

After all, the Land of Exile is essentially your inner world, and this place is under His control. But even if we take a step back, you can't imagine yourself imagining Alastor's appearance deep within your own mind.

Only an idiot would fantasize about a dangerous and cunning demon to torment him in his safest place.

At first, Wendigo was just strolling around in the distance, looking as relaxed as if he were on a trip. But after you spoke, you saw him quickly turn his gaze toward you.

His gaze met yours perfectly, as if he were waiting for you to look in his direction.

His voice and the image of him reaching out to you still linger in your mind... but you don't understand why you have such an impression.

You squint your eyes.

"Oh—look who's here? Isn't this our star chef? What a coincidence! Darling~"

……

……

It's me.

It was actually him...?

But...why?

Although his greeting differed from what you remembered, you immediately recognized him just by listening to him speak, and your heart sank.

The devil’s enormous and emotionally charged radio broadcast echoed throughout the land of exile.

Even though this place is no longer the demons' territory, you still see that red, gloomy male ghost walking towards you from the other side without any politeness.

His steps were light, yet his speed was swift.

You hear the soft rustling of his high heels sinking into the sand, but he doesn't stumble as you might expect; he remains steady and methodical.

Soon, the grayish-blue face of the broadcasting demon, always bearing a strange, enormous smile, obscured the gray sky that had been shrouded in darkness for countless centuries.

While experiencing the cycle of life and death in the Land of Exile, you seem to lose your sense of time; you feel as if a long time has passed, so long that you even think Alastor might have already died of old age... But sinners and demons shouldn't die of old age, right?

……

...Why would you think about such a strange question?

Is it because you're missing half of your brain that you're thinking about such bizarre questions?

……

……

Forget it.

You suddenly feel a terrible headache, but the pain comes from the part of your head that you use for thinking, not from the part of your head that already has a huge hole in it.

Lost in thought, ■■■ seemed unaware that Wendigo, whom she hadn't even confirmed was real, had actually heard her sing.

To the demons, whose very souls are almost etched with music, the silent female demon in the inn is like a dying nightingale.

Alastor couldn't understand what ■■■ was singing, but he liked ■■■'s tone.

Her singing has a unique, gentle quality.

Although it sounds like a sad song, the Western gentleman who appreciates the innkeeper's chef's emotional fluctuations thinks he would be happy to have a drink and then curl up in his chair to listen to this mysterious nightingale from the East sing a few more songs.

...Heh...he thought the so-called perfect inn's chef couldn't sing at all...

This was an unexpected surprise.

The demon rolled its eyes, which glowed with an eerie red light.

"Oh... my poor sweetheart."

Alastor, leaning on his cane, feigned a pitying expression and sighed.

"I guess that's why you've always kept that look on, huh? Are you in trouble, darling?"

He let out a few short laughs, which, though not malicious, revealed obvious schadenfreude in the Western gentleman's expression.

You, knowing the other person is teasing you: "..."

Annoying guy.

"So, what do you want to say to me now, my beautiful lady?"

Seeing that ■■■ remained silent, the seemingly unhurried sinner lord was not annoyed.

He casually bent down, asking you this question in a light yet persistent voice.

You stare at him expressionlessly, your lips twitching.

To you, Alastor's smile always seemed ambiguous.

Although we're in hell right now, I've always felt that he's not a very kind demon.

Because of his thoughtfulness and gentlemanly manners, some of this elegant tyrant's behaviors and mentality appear even more wicked and cruel.

Lying on the ground, unable to do anything, you stare at his sharp teeth that he reveals when he smiles, hesitant to say anything in response.

Your wretchedness and disarray have now been fully exposed to this demon from the West, yet you recently made a grand vow to save your compatriots.

And so, because of this disparity, an indescribable sense of shame and anger swept over you without warning.

You don't understand why Alastor is here, but you don't really want Alastor, or any of the demons in hell, to see you in this miserable and wretched state.

You hate showing your vulnerable side, especially in this hell where there is almost no compassion.

What will the demons think when they see you like this? Will they take advantage of your misfortune, or will they laugh at you for being nothing special?

What will Alastor think?

Or rather, isn't he the devil who's most adept at taking advantage of people's misfortunes?

Shouldn't your fire keep everything out?

...Why did the broadcasting demon have to come?

……

But the shame and anger you feel will probably subside quickly.

They leave a fleeting heat on your face that quickly fades, followed by disappointment and a sense of powerlessness.

Perhaps it's because Alastor is, after all, your elder, that he's here for no apparent reason, and because of his familiar greeting, that you feel a pang of grievance and resentment.

...It's ridiculous. You usually retort, but in this critical moment, you don't know what to say.

"..."

Why are you here?

That's what you wanted to ask him.

But as the remaining half of your soul, you are now mostly driven by reason, allowing your emotions to prevail. So even if you feel reactive anger, you won't speak out easily.

But as the emotions subside like the tide, you soon realize that Alastor's arrival was more like a timely gift when you were sleepy.

After all, earlier you were worried you wouldn't be able to leave. But since Alastor managed to get in, you must have a way to get him to take you out—

what.

But you still really want to know why Alastor would come to a place where he can't be sure of his safety... Such reckless behavior is not in line with the character of the Broadcast Demon.

You can't help but look into the eyes of the broadcasting demon.

If you want to get out, you won't have to satisfy some of Alastor's perverse desires, will you? After all, he's a demon... What if he takes this opportunity to harm you...?

Although Alastor hasn't made any moves yet, all sorts of terrible possibilities are popping into your mind.

You might not realize whether you look particularly unwell right now...

But you certainly don't want to run into a cunning and dangerous trading expert at such a special time.