Hell Inn: Rebirth - I Became a Chef in Hell

Chapter 118 All or Nothing - S01E05

Now it seems He has turned the tables.

...At least that's probably what He himself thought.

You raise one eyebrow, waiting for him to say what he's about to say.

"Your soul and your other half do indeed belong to Ji Xinglan. But after you separated, everything you did belong only to [unclear - possibly a specific person or entity]."

Seeing that you had stopped talking, He, who seemed eager to tell you all the terrible futures, frowned and pretended to be serious, tapping your chest with his own hand as a [redacted] (a type of character).

Do you think you haven't done enough evil deeds in hell?

He grinned at you.

"Perhaps you are better off than those hopeless sinners in hell, but how many sinners do you think you have killed? How many sinners have you caused to lose their chance to be reincarnated and have their souls scattered?"

Because you haven't said anything, He, feeling like He's gotten his revenge, has started showing that confident, triumphant expression again.

"Guess how hell and heaven are actually divided?"

"..."

"puff."

"……why are you laughing!?"

Upon hearing your discordant voice, He immediately turned and glared at you.

To be honest, you rarely let out these uncontrollable laugh sounds, but He always uses things that make you laugh to coerce you.

Once or twice is fine, but if it happens too often, you'll start to feel sorry for the other person.

"Let's not even talk about how you shamelessly draw a line between heaven and hell here..."

"But who says that the half of the soul that stays here must go to heaven?"

Too lazy to explain to His unpredictable nature, you raise your head and ask Him a question in a flat, condescending voice.

But this time He didn't ask "what" again, but instead stared wide-eyed in the form of [unclear].

"You don't really think I separated my soul just to avoid being corrupted, do you?"

Although He didn't understand the meaning of your words at first, you still asked that question, which was a bit funny.

"...You...what...? Huh?"

Although he had considered that possibility, he felt it was too crazy. He tried to grab your wrist in disbelief, but you nimbly dodged it.

"Do you think I wouldn't have thought of that? Although the method to get to heaven is still unclear..."

You rolled up your sleeves, which He had crumpled, with a hint of disgust, and frowned slightly.

“But I always change my identity when I go out to review restaurants. Why do you think that after making such a negative decision as ‘I don’t care if I kill souls for the sake of the goal,’ I didn’t make any preparations or adjustments?”

"...But at least you realized the problem after I pointed it out."

"Let's say you've made some progress."

You chuckled softly, then glanced casually at your fingernails.

"...By now, isn't everything clear?"

“From the very beginning, I never thought that this ‘me’ in hell could go to heaven.”

……

He gazed at the woman who had uttered these cruel and unbelievable words to him in the most understated tone, and fell silent.

"..."

"You're crazy."

After a long silence, He looked at you and spoke these words.

His face, as he portrayed, was filled with shock and incomprehension.

After all, the fact that ■■■ tore her soul apart was already beyond Her expectations... Although it's really stupid to use such a sentence structure, she actually tore her own soul in two!

Previously, she only realized once in the "Land of Exile" that the agony she experienced before death was an illusion created by Him, and then chose to "get used to" it...

Even though He was an "existence" born after Ji Xinglan went to hell, He still felt that beneath the rational and calm exterior of the human in front of Him, there was probably a touch of madness.

However, after witnessing ■■■ do something so astonishing and incomprehensible to Him that “tears the soul in two,” He became completely certain that ■■■ was simply a madman.

How could a normal human being think of solving a problem by tearing their own soul in two?

If the old man named Alastor she met outside was a madman in his 30s who was not in good mental condition, but was still a smart madman who fit the hellish environment.

That person is the kind of person who is unpredictable, but likes to do things that others would never dare to think of... a madman so insane that even He doesn't know how to describe him.

She's said to be in poor mental condition, yet she's always the calmest one when things happen. Her rationality, to the point of sacrificing herself, has reached a frightening level.

At first, He couldn't understand what ■■■ meant by "absolute rationality is just another form of madness," but He really didn't expect that ■■■ would personally interpret the meaning of this sentence.

"Do you know what your words mean?! It means... I fucking don't know how to say it!"

Feeling increasingly that ■■■ was simply incomprehensible, He questioned the calm-faced Dragon Girl in front of him with a disgruntled expression.

"You have indeed preserved the part of Ji Xinglan in your heart, but does that mean you have given up on your other half?"

"You want to go home, don't you? But because of the mistakes you've made, you might never be able to leave hell!"

"And...aren't you afraid of dying?"

He raised his voice, as if to emphasize this point.

"Have you forgotten?"

“You are not like the sinners in hell. If they die, as long as their souls are not destroyed, they can be resurrected no matter how many times they die!”

■■■？ He moved closer to you, staring intently at you with those eyes that even carried a hint of aggression.

Two beams of golden, furious eyes seemed to pierce your skull, trying to see what was going on in your head.

"You know perfectly well that you only have one chance."

"If you die, you're truly dead! You have absolutely no chance of being resurrected!"

"Although no one in the entire hell can pose a threat to you, don't forget that your soul isn't as resilient as the trash in hell..."

"What's more, you brought trouble upon yourself by only keeping half your soul, and then you willingly handed over your weakness to an incredibly stupid and daydreaming blonde!"

"You always say you've prepared many escape routes for yourself, but in reality, they're full of loopholes."

"Guess what saved your life?"

"After your body exploded due to triggering the conditions for entering the Exile Land, it was your soul that consumed its own power to continuously repair and rebuild your damaged body!"

"The half of you that's left behind is like a tool that's not valued, but let me tell you clearly, if you continue to treat yourself so roughly, you will die!"

"After doing all this, not only will you not be able to go to heaven, but you may also be completely destroyed. Right now, all your consciousness will be completely gone!"

He seemed to have sorted out his thoughts a bit, and looked somewhat amused by the choice you made.

He seems unwilling to believe that you, who are with Him now, are the half that can be easily abandoned, so He keeps talking about what you, who are with Him outside, have gone through, and about your future.

After all, giving up half of one's soul is not a decision that a normal person would make.

"Do you even understand what 'completely disappear' means? I mean your current consciousness will vanish forever, you won't even be able to reincarnate! Aren't you afraid!?"

Why can you talk about giving up on yourself so easily?

Even if the future you face now is far worse than if I were to pollute it?

He couldn't help but question you.

……

"Yes, is that hard to understand?"

After a brief silence, you tilted your head in confusion, wondering why He seemed so emotional.

"First of all, when 'existence that has paid a price' is itself a discarded pawn, there is no longer any such thing as 'full of loopholes'... Or rather, if it doesn't endanger the other half of my soul, it doesn't matter what happens to me now."

“I was abandoned from the very beginning, so it doesn’t matter what pain and torment I experience. But my sacrifice can perfectly support everything now and achieve the best result, right?”

"Secondly, I made a promise with Shirley... or perhaps you've forgotten? The original intention behind the split version of me that you see now was to suppress you."

You crossed your arms, looking calm and relaxed.

“When I was first separated, I knew that when things went to the worst possible end, I would be the one left behind.”

You shrugged.

"Ji Xinglan shouldn't stay in hell. Even though her name has been taken away, I'm still willing to sacrifice myself for her."

"Because I am a part of her, because I haven't hurt anyone, isn't it good to sacrifice myself for myself in the worst-case scenario?"

You smiled nonchalantly and asked Him in return.

"Besides, someone has to stay behind to discipline you."

"..."

"..."

"...Are you really going to give up your other half of your soul?"

He asked you again, unwilling to give up.

"I suppose so. But I always have a backup plan. My good side is just missing a way to get to heaven, and it would be best if the blood-stained side could leave, but even if it doesn't, I don't mind."

Faced with questions that He is unwilling to accept reality, you tirelessly repeat the choices you have made for Him, as if you are maliciously emphasizing your shared fate of life and death.

“From the very beginning, all I wanted was for her to leave, and my life or death didn’t matter at all… or rather, ha… why do you think you can use something like this to threaten me?”

You smiled at Him, having long understood why He was in such a hurry.

The Dragon Girl was unaware that the smile on her face was unrestrained and arrogant.

"..."

It's probably because your attitude left no room for negotiation that he seemed to have nothing more to say.

Only then did He realize that the woman who could still be called Ji Xinglan in the land of exile had actually given up on herself from the very beginning, who was with her second soul.

She even fooled the blonde girl she cared about most; she didn't tell the princess of hell the whole story about her bet!

Shirley Morningstar knew that ■■■ only had one life, so she was always worried that something might happen to ■■■.

But does she know that the person she's with now is a crazy woman who sees her as a pawn and a sacrifice?

She didn't care whether she could live or die, but she didn't mind dying with anyone!

"But in that case, aren't you also deceiving that stupid woman named Shirley?"

He asked, puzzled.

"You clearly care about and trust that innocent girl so much, so why don't you tell her that you were the victim?"

"..."

■■■ Unexpectedly, he did not answer His question, but remained silent and gave Him a deep look.

Unable to understand ■■■'s choice and actions, and after repeatedly confirming but still only receiving the worst possible answer, He stood there with his mouth agape, dumbfounded.

"...What, why did you stop singing? Aren't you going to keep saying that this body was given to me by you? Aren't I your pitiful human friend?"

Seeing His silence, you, whose brow hadn't relaxed since He started slandering Xia Li, pressed on relentlessly.

"Weren't you supposed to be very clever? You really have no self-awareness. What were you thinking when I split my soul in two?"

You frowned, puzzled.

"Do you really think that I, now a tool of another, would leave this hell with my other half, Ji Xinglan?"

"But haven't you always wanted to go home?! Your mother, father, brother, all your other family members...!"

He spreads his hands at you, who are being aggressive, and looks somewhat helpless with a troubled and uncertain expression.

You never imagined that your own body would one day display such an expression.

"..."

"Yes, I want to go home, but I will never see them again."

Compared to His emotional outburst, you appeared noticeably calmer, raising one eyebrow, crossing your arms, and standing serenely before Him with a faint smile.

"Actually, I gave up after I realized I couldn't get close to them."

"I am human, and the cycle of life and death has its own way. The dead should not disturb the living; this is an unchanging principle that we firmly believe in."

"If my thoughts would hinder the progress of all things or affect the lives of my family, then I will not have those thoughts."

"Ha... I have countless ways out."

"What you see is only the most eye-catching one."

"...But you can only survive by clinging to the rationality in my heart and the remaining half of your soul."

Looking at His face, which was full of anger, you curled the corners of your mouth mockingly and slowly approached Him.

"But the ridiculous thing is, your only lifeline right now is nothing more than a disposable pawn to me—you're just desperate because of this, aren't you?"

"..."

"...Why aren't you afraid of death?"

Why should I be afraid of death?

"..."

Because He was not long after His birth, He only knew how to imitate Him and considered life and freedom extremely important.

He couldn't understand why ■■■ would willingly put herself in chains and hand the key to an arrogant yet oblivious and foolish princess of hell, nor could he understand where her fearless courage and recklessness came from.

"...Ha...Is death worse than the pain of tearing the soul apart, or worse than the sorrow of enduring loss?"

"Since I can choose not to see my family in order to ensure their happiness and well-being, I am naturally also determined to make sacrifices."

"I've sacrificed so much, what difference would one or two more make?"

After a few extremely simple results, a hint of helplessness, even eerily so, suddenly appeared on the Dragon Girl's beautiful face.

She gently bent down and suddenly asked Him:

How does it feel to be outmaneuvered by the very humans you despise the most?

"Even though you asked me first..."

"Yes, I'm not afraid of death."

"But what about you?"

"Are you afraid of it?"