The underworld of the Seil Kingdom.
A shadowed place where all manner of criminals gathered to live.
Because of this, some called it the underside of society, or the back alleys.
But criminals were not the only ones who lived here.
People with all kinds of circumstances—those expelled from their families, or those too poor to pay taxes—also drifted into the underworld.
This was a region neither the Seil Kingdom nor even the White Order touched, making it the perfect place to hide.
From the nation’s point of view, it was little more than a gathering place for pests.
Even so, the Seil Kingdom left the underworld alone.
There was also the reason that having all sorts of criminals gathered in one place made them easier to manage.
Rather than stirring things up and causing trouble, it was better to maintain the situation as it was.
And now, another reason had been added.
Necros had become the new ruler of the underworld.
Using Kaleido’s illusion magic, he had brainwashed the representatives of the organization that had previously ruled the underworld, the “Hand of Pitch-Black.”
Although Malcolm, one of the representatives, had met his death in the arena, and the whereabouts of the Hand of Pitch-Black’s true ruler, “Master,” as well as the unidentified dark mage, remained unknown, that did not matter.
Whatever the case, Necros had not only taken the underworld into his grasp, but was also exerting tremendous influence with the monster arena as his foothold.
With Necros rising as its ruler, Celia’s influence came to bear heavily on the underworld.
Thus Queen Irena paid no attention to it, and the White Order likewise did not interfere, citing it as an internal matter of the kingdom.
And so, people called those of the underworld the ones abandoned by the goddess and the state.
Today, too, many stepped into the underworld.
* * *
A man in ordinary clothes headed into a dark alley.
The deeper he went, the more sinister the atmosphere became.
If he went just a little farther, the streets of the underworld would spread out before him.
The man heading toward the underworld was Edwin, an apprentice priest of the White Order.
Edwin was walking the Path of Hardship in order to become a full priest.
Before receiving priestly ordination, this was both a sacred duty of traveling across the continent and doing good deeds, and a vow to serve the goddess.
As such, it was important to Edwin.
There was only one reason he had set foot in the underworld: he thought it would be full of people in need of help.
‘The underworld… There must be many people here who want my help.’
The underworld was a place overflowing with criminals and the poor.
If only he could help them, he thought he would be able to build up achievements with ease.
‘The underworld is a place both the kingdom and the Order have turned away from. If my name resounds in a place like this… I’ll be able to rise high!’
One’s position within the Order was determined by the achievements accumulated on the Path of Hardship.
What if he reformed the people of the underworld and made them all believe in the goddess?
Edwin’s status, having earned such merit, would soar to the heavens.
If he succeeded, the door to becoming a high-ranking priest would open wide.
If he was lucky, he might even be bestowed a sacred relic as a reward.
‘Heh heh heh, I’ll definitely succeed!’
Arriving in the underworld while entertaining such hopeful fantasies, Edwin was startled.
He had expected a gloomy neighborhood where all manner of criminals and poor folk gathered to live, but the streets were livelier than he had thought.
“This isn’t what I heard.”
He had heard the streets were full of children begging, but now that he had actually come, it seemed ordinary.
Judging by the streets alone, it was enough to make him wonder whether this truly was the underworld.
Wondering if this really was the underworld, Edwin looked around.
“Excuse me…”
At that moment, someone approached Edwin.
Thinking they might be asking for help, he quickly turned his head toward the voice, but—
“Do you need any help?”
Edwin looked at the other person.
It was a young girl.
She wore a black robe, and at a glance, it seemed to be made from expensive, high-quality fabric.
‘A noble?’
But there was no way a noble would be in an underworld like this.
No matter how he thought about it, she was a strange-feeling girl.
Just as Edwin was about to shake his head and say he was fine—
“If you need help, please come to that building! Lady Sharia always tells us to show kindness!”
Sharia?
Even as Edwin tilted his head, the girl did not stop speaking.
“Oh, and if you come there, we’ll give you soft bread and meat too, so please make sure to come!”
After pointing at a building, the girl said only what she had to say and left.
Edwin carefully thought over what the girl had said, then reached one conclusion.
‘So there are people doing volunteer work even in the underworld.’
The person called Sharia that the girl mentioned must surely be someone who gave bread and meat to the poor.
And the reason the girl had approached him was…
‘Did I look that destitute…?’
He smiled bitterly at the fact that he had come to the underworld to help, only to receive pity instead.
Apprentice priests undertaking the Path of Hardship were not allowed to wear clothing related to the Order.
Edwin, too, was currently wearing ordinary clothes.
‘I should meet this person called Sharia.’
Edwin smiled and fixed his gaze in the direction the girl had disappeared.
“She said it was that building over there, right?”
But what captured his attention was not the building the girl had pointed to.
An unusually large crowd was gathering at the building across from it.
“What’s going on over there?”
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Edwin also made his way toward that building.
As he drew closer, he could see the various reactions of the people.
“Good grief, I lost money again. What am I supposed to tell my wife…?”
One man clutched his head and muttered in a voice full of despair.
“Hey, hey! You saw that, right? I told you. I said that guy would win! Kehehe, today everything’s on me!”
Another man cheered and bragged to the people around him.
Thus, the area in front of the building was filled with a noise where cheers and sighs, excitement and despair, all mixed together.
If they had one thing in common, it was that they had all come out of the same building.
‘What on earth is inside this building?’
Edwin looked up at the building.
It was an ordinary building. If he had to point out something, perhaps it felt a little more refined than the others?
‘Let’s go in first.’
Since he had taken the time to come all the way here, it seemed fine to satisfy a brief curiosity.
As he stepped inside the building, someone spoke to him.
“That’s a face I haven’t seen before. Is this your first time here?”
At the contact from a stranger, Edwin grew wary.
He reminded himself once again that this was the underworld.
When Edwin showed an overly guarded attitude, the man raised his hands.
“Whoa, whoa. My name’s Matthew. I just thought you looked like it was your first time here, so I was going to explain things.”
When the other party took a step back, Edwin relaxed his guard slightly.
In any case, this was his first time in the underworld.
At the moment, he did not even know why people were gathering in this building.
If the other party could tell him about this place, that did not seem bad.
“What is the price?”
Even so, there was no such thing as kindness without reason.
Edwin asked Matthew what he wanted in return.
“Well now, you’re a pretty stiff fellow, aren’t you? If you insist, buy me a drink later.”
Only then did Edwin lower his guard toward Matthew.
A single drink was something he could gladly buy.
Even if the other party harbored ill intentions, Edwin belonged to the White Order.
No matter how much of an apprentice priest he was, anyone who laid a hand on him would be punished.
To begin with, when apprentice priests arrived in any nation through the Path of Hardship, they were required to contact the Order immediately.
Naturally, Edwin had also contacted both the kingdom and the Order as soon as he arrived in the Seil Kingdom.
“Now then, head down to the basement first. It’s quite heated down there.”
Following Matthew’s guidance, Edwin descended to the basement of the building.
The farther he went down the stairs, the more the heated roar of voices engulfed him.
It felt as though he were leaping into a massive brazier.
When he reached the basement, Edwin nearly stopped breathing at the sight before his eyes.
The enormous underground space was filled with countless spectators. At the very center stood a round arena.
The atmosphere was so overwhelming that it felt as though it would swallow him whole.
“Welcome to the monster arena!”
When Edwin stood there in a daze, Matthew grinned and spoke.
Staggered by the unbelievable sight, Edwin stammered.
“M-Monster arena?”
He knew very well what an arena was.
But with the word “monster” attached to the front, it sounded unfamiliar.
“Do they actually fight monsters?”
Edwin spoke without realizing it.
He had never imagined such a place existed in the underworld.
Matthew shrugged and answered.
“That’s right. This is the famous monster arena. For people living day to day, it’s practically their only pleasure. Well, you’ll soon come to understand the taste of it yourself.”
Even though the match had not yet begun, the people were already flushed with excitement.
There were men drunkenly shouting at the top of their lungs, old men absorbed in betting, and even families accompanied by children.
“Hah…”
To think they had brought children to such a vulgar place…
To Edwin, it was truly hard to believe.
At first, he had wanted to save the people of the underworld, but the reality that such cruel entertainment had become part of their daily lives saddened him.
Thinking that such amusement was their only escape left a strange ache in one corner of his heart.
At that moment, a man standing tall at the edge of the arena raised both hands and shouted.
“Ladies and gentlemen! We will now begin today’s main match!”
He was the host who would oversee the match.
At the host’s appearance, the plaza fell silent in an instant.
Every gaze focused on the center of the arena.
The host smiled as if enjoying the brief silence, then soon shouted in a powerful voice.
“Today’s main match! One ghoul versus ten soldiers!”
At the word “ghoul,” the people booed.
Boooo— Boooo—
“What’s this about a ghoul!”
Strictly speaking, a ghoul was a weak monster. And only one at that?
This was practically a match whose result was obvious without even watching.
However, the host smiled faintly and continued.
“But! Do you think we would prepare such an obvious match?”
No sooner had he finished speaking than every light except those around the arena went out.
Then the doors on both sides of the arena opened.
“Allow me to introduce the challengers who will fight the ghoul! Every one of them has actual service experience as a soldier!”
Following the host’s words, ten people entered the arena with disciplined movements.
In their hands were swords and shields.
“Disappointed that they aren’t former knights? Haha, these challengers are no ordinary soldiers. They’re soldiers who served in the very brave and notorious Kalleun Empire!”
As soon as the host finished speaking, the ghoul appeared from the opposite side.
As he had said earlier, there was only one.
“Now! This time, choose who will win between the ghoul and the humans! And please also choose who will die last!”
People began busily placing their money.
If it were simply a matter of choosing between the ghoul and the humans, it would be easy.
But in this match, they also had to choose who would die last.
Of course, because it was a difficult game, the payout was no joke either.
People placed their bets while leaving open all sorts of possibilities.
“Aren’t you going to bet?”
Matthew asked Edwin casually, but Edwin stared blankly at the arena.
His gaze was fixed on the ghoul, a specimen he had never seen before.
It was purple in color, and something was coiled around various parts of its body.
Even as an apprentice priest, he could tell.
That ghoul was no ordinary ghoul.
It was a ghoul that had fed and grown on tremendous death.
This time, he examined the challengers on the opposite side.
No matter how much they had served in the Kalleun Empire, they could not defeat that ghoul.
He was certain of it.
“Hey, are you not going to bet?”
This time, Matthew touched Edwin’s shoulder. At that, Edwin snapped out of his thoughts.
“Ah, you mean betting…?”
He did not know exactly what kind of system the arena operated on.
Even so, he had roughly grasped how it worked.
A system where, if one placed a bet and won, one would be rewarded with several times the money.
But Edwin hesitated.
Did he really have to do it?
As Edwin pondered, Matthew’s voice reached his ears.
“Just try it once for fun. Once should be fine, shouldn’t it?”
“Ah… I suppose that’s true.”
And more than anything, it was obvious to Edwin who would win.
‘The ghoul….’
If he didn't bet when he already knew the answer, he'd be a fool.
He was just doing it once for fun.
‘And the one who dies last is….’
After some deliberation, Edwin placed his bet.
Matthew clicked his tongue at his final choice.
“Hah… Humans getting annihilated by that mere ghoul? And all at once? Now I see you’re an interesting fellow.”
Matthew smiled as he quietly observed Edwin.
And a short while later, the match began.
But the contents of the match were truly shocking.
As soon as the match began, the ghoul spewed green smoke.
The challengers instinctively raised their shields, but it was futile.
The smoke engulfed the challengers, and their skin melted away, flesh falling from their bones.
Screams echoed throughout the arena.
“…….”
At that sight, the arena was engulfed in silence.
The spectators were stunned, and Edwin was no different.
‘G-Goddess, what is it that I am witnessing….’
It was shocking.
People’s skin melting away the moment they touched the green smoke.
But the silence lasted only a moment.
Soon, the spectators went wild, cheering for the ghoul.
“…….”
Even though people had died to the ghoul, not a single person grieved.
Instead, they shouted that it was fun.
He sensed madness in their demeanor, and goosebumps rose.
For a moment, disgust welled up within him.
‘Goddess….’
Edwin quietly prayed to calm his heart.
He still knew far too little about this place.
Even just looking at this arena, he could see their true nature.
For a moment, Edwin couldn’t be sure if he could save them.
Because in their frenzy for slaughter, he saw the primal instinct hidden within human nature.
“…….”
As Edwin suffered such inner conflict, a sweet whisper reached his ears.
“Hello, sir. Didn’t you bet on ‘the ghoul wins and the humans are annihilated simultaneously’ in this match?”
The one who approached was an arena official.
“Congratulations. You were the only one to get everything right in this match.”
He was the only one who had gotten it all right?
“And since the amount you bet was ten silver coins… here, please take this pouch.”
The official handed over a pouch filled with something.
Having taken the pouch in a daze, Edwin’s expression grew strange.
The pouch was quite heavy.
Was he truly allowed to accept this?
The heavy weight seemed to press down on his conscience.
He was surely someone set to become a priest of the righteous order.
And yet this measly pouch….
“…….”
Edwin’s expression changed when he opened the pouch.
He had thought it would be filled with silver and bronze coins at best, but it emitted a brilliant golden glow.
“G-Gold coins…?”
“Yes, the odds this time were two thousand to one. With your bet of ten silver coins, you’ve won a total of twenty thousand silver coins. Of course, carrying twenty thousand silver coins would be rather difficult, so we’ve prepared two hundred gold coins instead.”
“Ha… hahaha.”
He felt hollow.
In his current position as an apprentice priest, he received thirty silver coins a month.
Considering that an ordinary family’s monthly living expenses were twenty silver coins, it was not a small amount.
Moreover, since the church provided all food, clothing, and shelter, it hadn’t been a major problem.
A full priest received one gold coin per month.
Of course, it would increase with time, but simply put, it was an amount he would have to work for nearly twenty years to earn.
Yet with a single bet just now, he had earned two hundred gold coins.
Unable to believe it, Edwin pinched his own cheek.
Pain flooded in.
Which meant this wasn’t a dream.
But human greed knew no bounds.
A crack formed in Edwin’s heart.
‘If I had bet gold coins instead of silver….’
Could he not have lived out the rest of his life in leisure?
Then life in the church would have been easier, and his future would have changed….
‘Why did I only bet that much?’
Regret washed over him.
At the same time, he hated his own choice.
‘Should I bet more on the next match?’
His pupils shook.
There were plenty of matches anyway.
Couldn’t he just bet for fun?
For some reason, he felt like he could win more money in the next match.
‘Y-Yes. This is fate bestowed upon me by the Goddess! She must mean for me to earn a lot of money to save the poor, right?’
Edwin comforted himself and waited for the next match.
The reason he had come to the underworld no longer mattered to him.
Already, the seed of desire had begun to bloom within him.
Matthew, who had been watching Edwin from beside him, rose from his seat.
“I’ll step away to the restroom for a moment.”
Even at Matthew’s words, Edwin did not react.
He merely wished for the next match to begin.
Matthew smiled at that sight and headed outside.
Once outside, Matthew approached another person instead of going to the restroom.
It was the official who had approached Edwin earlier.
“Relay to Lord Necros. The fish has taken the bait.”
Matthew spoke with a sinister smile.
He had approached Edwin knowing from the very beginning that he was an apprentice priest.
When an apprentice priest arrives in a specific country, they report their location to that country and the church.
And Edwin had likewise reported to the kingdom and the church that he had arrived in the Seil Kingdom.
That much was fine, but Edwin had never dreamed.
That the Seil Kingdom itself was within that man’s grasp.
“I shall take my leave now. For the Twilight Church—”
“For the Twilight Church—”
* * *
The current situation was being reported to Necros in real time.
Matthew, brainwashed by Kaleido’s illusion magic, had successfully reeled in the apprentice priest.
“Clack, clack.”
Perhaps because he was an ordinary human, the brainwashing had been completely successful in less than a day.
Other humans besides Matthew were also devoting themselves to the Twilight Church’s missionary work.
Now they only needed to draw in the apprentice priest, Edwin.
The reason for drawing in apprentice priests was simple.
Currently, the White Church existed as branches throughout the continent.
They increased the number of branches and thereby multiplied the number of believers.
The Twilight Church, on the other hand, lacked such a system.
Ordinary recruitment alone could never match the White Church’s missionary speed.
So he had thought.
They would poach believers.
First, turn the relatively easy-to-handle apprentice priests into believers of the Twilight Church.
And what if they infiltrated priests into the White Church to steal believers?
It was the so-called ‘Believer Poaching’ plan.
Necros’s plan did not end there.
“Clack, clack, clack. Clack.”
(Send all the humans who win big at the arena to Kaleido.)
He intended to make proper use of Kaleido’s abilities while he was at it.