Hell Inn: Rebirth - I Became a Chef in Hell

Chapter 132 Do you want me to take you away? - S01 E05

"...Didn't you think about this when you came in? Even I can't get out of this place, but you think you can take me out?"

When you see that Alastor actually asked you such a question, you immediately reply to him in an annoyed manner.

"But darling, do I need to remind you? You opened that 'door' of your own accord!"

Seeing that you were deliberately avoiding the most pressing issue at hand, Alastor was neither anxious nor angry.

Wendigo, his voice high-pitched and excited, merely glanced at you, his tone even carrying a hint of innocence.

"Besides, even if we both compromise, even if you manage to get out... how will the chef, who can't even leave that flower bush, get to the exit?"

"..."

Since Alastor was right, you were unsurprisingly choked up.

But... a door?

Your brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

However, although you are puzzled by the "door" that Alastor mentioned, you will soon realize that Alastor's presence here is most likely related to that door.

Moreover, judging from his remarks, you must have opened that door yourself.

...But...the "door" that you opened?

This is too weird.

Putting aside the fact that you have absolutely no recollection of whether or not you opened the "door," or how you opened it... or perhaps, that door appeared when you were confronting Him?

Could it be that the door was actually cracked because of the commotion you caused back then?

The moment you thought of that possibility, the corner of your eye twitched involuntarily.

...You don't really like this hypothesis.

Because if that's really the case, then the situation is actually quite serious for you.

After all, the Land of Exile has occupied your mind. This is not only why you are so surprised that Alastor is here, but also why you are so disgusted by Alastor's presence here.

If your mind can also be invaded by others... how much more trouble will you have in the future?

"..."

The dragon girl, who was preoccupied with her own thoughts, was not a talkative person to begin with, and she fell completely silent after Wendigo said those words.

After all, some things can't be said openly—especially to the person in front of you!

But that damn Wendigo always enjoys seeing you speechless after he says something, and he won't miss any opportunity to tease you.

Perhaps seeing your momentary speechlessness, the mean devil suddenly lowered his terrifying head towards you with a delighted expression: "Ah~ my poor lady, you now look like a shattered glass vase glued back together by children! You look truly ridiculous and laughable—"

"..."

The sinner lord before you, with his narrowed eyes... the emotions conveyed in his tone were so rich that they could only be described as sarcastic!

...Hmph, or perhaps, this is what he really meant.

"But you're lucky! I'll see these weird things as works of art, just like I appreciate the tracks selected by every prime-time radio station~"

"Hmm?~"

"..."

……

Alastor, who was always testing the limits of your anger, saw that your expression remained cold and unresponsive, and with a somewhat ambiguous compliment, he ended his increasingly excessive teasing with a sarcastic remark.

But you feel that he actually enjoys it, because a few words from him can make you look even uglier.

"...In short, you should move forward first and get off this island first."

You couldn't be bothered with Alastor, who was particularly good at annoying people. You simply turned your stiff neck and looked around at the empty and peaceful surroundings with a bit of a headache.

"..."

After you uttered this completely inconclusive statement, a chaotic murmur of doubt rose from the broadcast demon's throat, which quickly turned into a helpless sigh of regret.

The hissing sound lasted for a long time before it stopped.

But after picking you up, Alastor has actually been moving in one direction the whole time.

He could tell from your reaction that you didn't have a fixed direction and that if you wanted to leave, the best solution was to try moving around.

After all, if you just stand still and think or hope for some silent dragon girl, you'll definitely not get out of here... Alastor understood this perfectly.

Wendigo's light, deer-like footsteps left a series of interconnected, spreading arcs on the calm water.

The Land of Exile has no concept of time, but the Alastor who is holding you right now is a devil whose actions are completely unpredictable.

After sensing hundreds of breaths from the other person, you finally became curious as to why the usually talkative broadcast demon hadn't spoken to you for so long—

...Yes, the taciturn ■■■ has no intention of speaking up yet.

She actually had many more questions for Alastor.

She still wanted to know why Alastor had come in, even though she knew that his long-winded explanation might only be masked by the two fundamental reasons of "curiosity" and "fun".

She wanted to ask why Alastor was willing to waste his time with her like this, why he wasn't angry, and what he really wanted.

It seemed that only if Alastor told her that he had the terrifying schemes that all devils have against her, instead of just putting on an act like he had just done, would she truly feel at ease.

Even if endowed with divinity, ■■■ would secretly be glad that she is human, so even if she is scolded for being despicable in some ways, she can feel at ease.

But this is essentially just fear of not being able to control the unknown.

"Don't go, Alastor."

With a thousand thoughts swirling in your mind, you called a halt to your "hardworking" "vehicle."

Upon hearing this, Alastor immediately stopped in his tracks... so obedient that he was hardly like a devil.

"...If you keep holding me like this, we'll probably never find our way out."

You look up at Wendigo's jawline, your tone indifferent.

From this angle, Alastor actually looks quite handsome... You never thought you'd be looking at him from this angle one day.

"Hmph...why?"

Alastor, seemingly unconcerned by your words, drooped his eyelids and spoke in a nonchalant tone.

"Because I don't want to leave, they won't let me go here."

You frowned slightly, then sighed helplessly as if you had given up on something.

"Leave me here for now, and then you can go out by yourself... If you're alone, you should be able to get out of here."

"Oh, so when you want to get out... does the chef plan to use her tongue to support herself and crawl out?"

Alastor looked somewhat surprised, his eyes widening, but you didn't miss the malicious mockery that flashed in his eyes. "If that's really the truth... then I'll definitely stay and watch this spectacular show that I absolutely can't miss!"

The sarcastic and mean-spirited broadcaster didn't say anything nice from the start, and his remarks made your eyes twitch with anger.

"Unfortunately, the scenario you're imagining won't happen. If you don't want to go out, that's fine, but do you really think I'm asking you to leave because I'm worried about your safety?"

Faced with Alastor's nasty remarks, you rolled your eyes, thinking that even if he smashed you to pieces right there in a fit of anger, you would accept it... You were determined to win this verbal battle with him today!

"I told you to leave quickly because it's annoying! The current situation is already annoying enough! If I'm like this, there will definitely be chaos outside. Not to mention how I'll explain it to the King of Hell, I'll also have to deal with Shirley's excessive concern for who knows how long, clean up the mess in the inn, and get rid of those sinners who saw my true form outside the inn...!"

The more you list out what you'll have to do after you leave, the more your head will ache.

Seeing Alastor's amused and relaxed expression, you added with a forced smile, "Today was already annoying enough with all this happening. Do you think we usually have a good relationship, or do you think what you just said made people happy?"

"You came here to save me. Didn't you ever think that after you rescued me, I would hold a grudge against you for your filthy and unreliable behavior, and then pin you to the ground and beat you up..."

"Then, miss, would you like me to take you away?"

Wendigo, who was holding you, suddenly interrupted you in a nonchalant tone.

When faced with Alastor's question, you, who should have hesitated at all, were stunned.

The radio demon's tone is only so light on certain special occasions.

That lightness might remind you of a seductive butterfly that devours flesh and blood.

But Alastor's voice was always playful and charming.

The words he uttered were beautiful, like pressing "f" to take you away from this world.

The words "take you away" are full of a sense of control and boundless energy.

Alastor used "leave" instead of "escape," which reflects the ease and nonchalance of the powerful.

Wendigo possesses a certain unwavering magic.

You have no doubt that he truly has the ability to take you away silently. After leaving the land of exile, he will lead you away from everything you are trying to escape, and then let you live a new life in hell.

This fresh start is like a free sea breeze brushing your cheek, sweet and without cost, like flowers blooming on your chest.

...But you're not stupid, you know things aren't like that at all.

The freedom spoken of by the devil has always been stained with blood and danger, especially when the other party is the infamous Alastor.

And because this statement is addressed to you... this promise, in essence, carries a hint of paleness and emptiness.

Your status and power give you the arrogance to look down on others.

Alastor's words carried a certain precise allure that could tempt anyone, but how could a lowly sinner lord, who was not even a nobleman, possibly take you away?

"Had your resolve?"

Seeing that you, who had just been speaking vehemently, suddenly fall silent, Alastor, who was not even referred to by a pronoun, suddenly laughed.

He lowered his head and looked at you, his scarlet eyes slightly narrowed.

You see the corners of his mouth, which conceal his sharp teeth, involuntarily turning upwards... until he continues his speech:

"■■■, you're probably thinking, 'Oh! Alastor? He's just a lowly sinner! At best, a sinner lord!'"

Wendigo suddenly raised his head as if about to burst into song, one eye closed, the other eye staring at your face with a mocking gaze.

"Yes, yes, I am indeed just a lowly sinner in the Western Hell, how could I take you away, my dear..."

As he said this, Alastor slowly lowered his head.

The devil's face drooped lower and lower eerily, until it far exceeded the limits of what a human could do, until you heard a snapping sound.

“But you can wait and see. As long as I want to do it, absolutely nothing can stop me. Nothing can suppress the broadcast demon except torn to shreds and trampled under my feet—it’s all about time, miss. You can wait and see, you will see.”

Alastor did not show any anger; his expression revealed an intense desire for something hopeless.

His brows were lowered, and a complex mix of emotions—pain, despair, and pleasure—was etched on his face.

This made Alastor's expression look like a mix of crying and laughing, and made the devil, who always had a ferocious smile and strange behavior, look beautiful and fragile.

And regarding Alastor's sudden change, you immediately thought of the secret Alastor himself was hiding.

Do you know what kind of devil this wicked old gentleman is? The feeling of being led by a rope would surely drive Alastor, who doesn't want to be restrained by anyone, crazy...

"So, miss, I'll ask you this one more time... if you want—if you need me, do you want to leave with you?"

And so, the scarlet devil repeated the same statement you had previously made that questioned him.

Does Alastor also need your approval?

He was naturally confident in breaking free from constraints, and he hated others being arrogant towards him, and even more so, he hated others doubting his own abilities.

Since he can't explicitly ask you to say "Alastor is capable of being free again," does he also need your approval that he can take you away from everything that's causing you headaches?

Alastor wasn't the kind of person who needed others' approval; after all, he would simply categorize those who didn't approve of him as ignorant and tasteless idiots.

However, when faced with questions from someone like you, this devil who is always high and mighty and likes to define everything himself must be a little annoyed, right?

...But...the question, "Do you want me to take you away?"...

Alastor's statement sounds a bit off, so how should you respond to him?

Thinking this, you suddenly chuckled helplessly.