Chapter 229

Rooooar!

Somewhere in an unknown part of Hell, a Hellgate spun in midair.

Like an enraged beast, it sputtered and spewed flames.

Then it spat out two “objects.”

Lloyd and Javier.

“…Ouch!”

Lloyd barely managed to keep his balance.

He avoided landing on his butt and came down on his feet.

Right after that, he reflexively jerked one foot back.

“Ouch!”

Sizzle!

A half-melted, gooey rock.

The sole of his right shoe, which had stepped on it, was slightly scorched.

‘Whoa.’

This really is Hell.

Clicking his tongue inwardly, Lloyd looked around.

Then he suddenly remembered what had happened right before they crossed through the Hellgate.

♣

“So, Lloyd Frontera. Are you going straight to Hell?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“How heartless. I wish you could help with the aftermath here.”

“I will leave Bibeong behind, Your Majesty.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

He bowed deeply.

A bitter smile lingered on Her Majesty the Queen’s lips.

A faintly disappointed smile.

She shrugged.

“Well, you received a request from a dragon, so it’s natural you’d want to deal with that first. Fortunately, considering the scale of the incident, there weren’t many who were seriously injured or killed.”

Indeed, it was right after the Bone Dragon had rampaged.

Yet the damage wasn’t as severe as one might expect.

Aside from the chief court magician who was initially sacrificed to the Bone Dragon, and a few guards, there were almost no casualties.

“This is all thanks to you, isn’t it.”

“That’s…”

“No. There’s no need to deny it. It’s thanks to you taking out that giant beaver and leading the guests to escape.”

“…”

“What if you hadn’t done that? Countless guests would have been caught up in the incident and sacrificed. I am truly grateful for your courage and initiative.”

“Your Majesty is too kind.”

“Tsk. That insincere gratitude.”

“…”

“Every time, you’re so infuriating that I sometimes want to send you to Hell in a different way.”

“…”

‘Um, Your Majesty. Please put down the knife before you speak.’

Lloyd could only offer an awkward smile.

In truth, he understood Her Majesty the Queen’s feelings well.

A reliable and trustworthy vassal.

A vassal who was quick-witted and had no ambition.

It wasn’t easy to find someone who met all those conditions.

No, finding someone like that was practically a miracle.

She wouldn’t want to lose such a person.

So she must feel regret.

Because of the strength he now possessed.

Because she could no longer order him around as she pleased.

That was why she made barbed jokes like that.

‘It’s kind of funny that I’m evaluating myself as some grand talent.’

In the first place, he was just an ordinary person with a little knowledge that didn’t exist in this world.

His quick wits and instincts?

Most of that was thanks to having read Iron Blooded Knight and knowing more about this world’s setting—and what was coming.

So Lloyd never overestimated himself.

If anything, he decided to be even more cautious.

‘Don’t get carried away just because things are going well. How many people in history ruined their lives doing exactly that?’

He thought that was true even now, with the Bone Dragon and Grand Master Javier under his command.

No matter how well things were going.

Even if he had a powerful force behind him.

Life could still end with some absurd, unlucky assassination.

There was no guarantee it wouldn’t.

So he vowed never to fall out with Her Majesty the Queen.

And that was still true now.

“Your Majesty, if I go to Hell the way I’ve chosen, won’t I be able to return to Your Majesty’s side?”

“…Is that so.”

“Yes, that is so.”

“But even if your head were cut off, I feel like you could seduce the devils of Hell and come back to life.”

“That’s an excessive compliment, Your Majesty.”

“Is it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“The more you act so nonchalant, the more I want to test you.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. I’m just kidding.”

“Your Majesty is too kind.”

“If you truly think of my kindness, return to my side safely.”

“I will keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”

‘I want to come back.’

That part was sincere.

Because he had no desire to do something insane like staying in Hell for long.

After that, Lloyd helped with some of the aftermath.

He brought Bibeong, who was limping from the aftereffects of the 3,000-ton butt body press.

After comforting and appeasing him, he entrusted him to Her Majesty the Queen.

Then he tucked Ppodong, Bangul, Hamang, and Ggoming into his inner pocket.

He also gave the Bone Dragon a standby order.

“You just stay hidden nearby.”

Squeak?

The Bone Dragon tilted its huge head.

It looked like a gentle, oversized dog trying to understand its owner’s words.

A bitter smile formed on Lloyd’s lips.

“The people here will react strongly if they see you. They’ll be scared. You don’t want that, do you?”

Squeak! Squeak!

The Bone Dragon nodded vigorously.

“That’s why. Hide near the royal capital until I come back from Hell. Out of sight. If possible, it’d be good to soak in the sea where there aren’t any people.”

Squeak!

“It’s fine. You won’t die even if you do. You don’t even breathe, do you?”

Squeak!

“Even if Giga Titans attack, just flick them on the forehead. You’re stronger.”

Squeak!

“Okay. I’ll be back soon. I promise.”

…Somehow, the Bone Dragon’s new personality—formed under Undead Domination—felt like a big dog.

Only after hearing Lloyd’s promise did the Bone Dragon finally fly up, relieved.

It headed for the sea north of the royal capital.

Lloyd did some rough cleanup and left the rest to Her Majesty the Queen.

“Then, I’ll be back.”

With that, he headed to the Hellgate.

And he crossed into Hell alongside Javier.

♣

“…Hooa.”

Even though he’d been lost in thought, his nose stung.

‘The smell of rotten eggs is everywhere.’

A pungent, rotten stench that pricked at the inside of his nose.

The air reeked of sulfur.

The scenery wasn’t any better.

Almost everywhere he looked, there were volcanoes.

Mountain ranges, big and small, oozed lava like milk cartons torn open on the side.

Grass? Vegetation? Lush trees?

None of that existed.

The sky was completely black, choked with smog.

Maybe that was why.

“Ahem, cough, cough.”

Javier coughed deliberately beside him.

He didn’t seem used to the smog-filled air.

On the other hand, Lloyd was perfectly fine.

‘Well, this is roughly the same as the air in Seoul.’

More precisely, it was like Hongdae Street on a day when ultra-fine dust hit its worst.

‘Anyway, I didn’t have money for a mask back then, so whatever.’

Fine dust was terrible for your body, but there was no avoiding it.

The only times it felt a little better were when he got lucky and found a dust mask on-site.

Even when he couldn’t, he just had to endure with his tough bronchial tubes.

Thanks to that, the alveoli in his chest—trained countless times—were showing their true worth here in Hell.

“Tsk. You’re coughing from just this?”

“…Ahem! That’s not—cough!”

“Ugh. You’re a Grand Master.”

“…”

“But you can’t handle this?”

“…Cough!”

“Tsk. A weak flower who’s only breathed clean air his whole life.”

“…”

Lloyd glanced into his inner pocket.

“Are you all okay?”

“Ppodong! Bangul! Hamang! Ggoming!”

Ppodong, Bangul, Hamang, and Ggoming nodded in unison.

“Not hot?”

“Ppodong! Bangul! Hamang! Ggoming!”

“Are you sure? But Ppodong and Ggoming look a little hot.”

“Ppodong! Ggoming!”

As expected.

Unlike Bangul and Hamang, whose bodies were smooth, Ppodong and Ggoming—both fluffy—seemed to be struggling a bit.

“Then let’s just come out. Ggoming?”

“Ggoming!”

“Here. Eat this.”

“Ggoming!”

He fed Ggoming red sunflower seeds.

Then he climbed onto the back of the giant Ggoming with Javier.

He also put Ppodong, who was panting from the heat, on his shoulder.

“Then let’s ascend!”

“Ggoming!”

Ggoming beat his wings and shot upward into Hell’s sky.

Once they gained altitude, the view cleared considerably.

And with it, Lloyd finally spotted something that looked like their destination.

‘Is it over there?’

Beyond a certain horizon, he could vaguely make out a volcano with a distinctive shape.

It looked nothing like an ordinary mountain.

To put it bluntly, it looked like a twisted breadstick standing upright.

That twisted breadstick mountain bubbled and spewed lava like some shy, chaotic steamed egg.

Seeing it, Lloyd suddenly recalled a passage from Iron Blooded Knight describing Hell.

‘The Hell Castle where the King of Hell resides is said to be shaped like a person writhing in pain. The King of Hell reigns at the top and rules over all the souls that have fallen into Hell.’

That twisted breadstick mountain in the distance looked exactly like that.

So the conclusion was simple.

‘It’s over there.’

The King of Hell had to be there.

And Ancient Dragon Enticus’s soul would be held there as well.

“Ggoming, shall we fly over there?”

“Ggoming!”

Once you know the direction, you just fly.

There was no need to wander around for the sake of “adventure.”

Thinking that, Lloyd urged Ggoming on.

The unfamiliar landscape of Hell swept rapidly beneath them.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

Five hours.

And nine hours.

‘…We’ve been flying this long. Why isn’t it getting any closer?’

After nearly half a day, Lloyd grabbed the back of his neck.

The twisted breadstick mountain—where the King of Hell likely was—wasn’t getting any closer at all.

No matter how hard Ggoming flapped and flew, it stayed the same distance away.

He was definitely flying in that direction.

The ground was racing by below.

Yet, strangely, the gap never shrank.

‘I’m going crazy.’

Something was going on.

There had to be a reason they couldn’t get closer.

But he had no idea what it was.

Even when he searched his memory of Iron Blooded Knight, nothing came to mind about this phenomenon.

He was starting to feel lost.

But then—

‘Hmm?’

Something caught Lloyd’s eye as he scanned the ground with a troubled expression.

He called out to Javier behind him.

“Hey, Javier. Your eyesight’s better than mine, right?”

“I suppose it is.”

“Then can you see that over there?”

Lloyd pointed down at a spot on the ground.

Javier frowned slightly and stared.

“I can see it. It looks like a person.”

“Right? And the skin color’s strange, too, yeah?”

“Yes. You saw correctly. Its skin is as red as blood. And on its head… it seems to have horns.”

“Horns?”

Lloyd tilted his head.

He couldn’t see that.

Javier answered firmly.

“It’s certain. It has horns.”

“Then that means…”

“It must be a devil—one of the Satans that live in Hell.”

“That’s right. Bingo. I was just thinking we needed to ask for directions.”

“You’re not seriously going to approach a Satan, are you?”

“Of course. Why would I be afraid of a Satan when I’ve got a Grand Master with me?”

Lloyd replied nonchalantly.

And he immediately brought Ggoming down to land.

Straight toward the Satan in the distance.

Like a driver circling a strange intersection in an unfamiliar city—then casually asking a passerby for directions.

He landed Ggoming near the Satan without the slightest hesitation.

“Hey!”

The Satan flinched at the sudden landing and shout.

Lloyd gave the Hell resident a friendly smile.

“Hey, from now on, if you don’t answer my questions properly, you’ll have to be filial to your parents.”

“……!”

The Satan’s eyes filled with rage at the sudden blessing.