EP.117 History of the Bottomless Pit
"I expected too much from a novice."
If you don't know, at least go study. Why do you always charge in first and think later?
The regressor bristled at my provocation.
"I know that too! The Bottomless Pit is a hole that formed when a tyrant massacred prisoners in the past and incurred the wrath of the Earth Mother Goddess!"
"That's exactly what they teach in elementary citizen school. Now, here is the explanation from the top graduate of the military middle school."
Since it was an undeniable fact, the regressor couldn't even get angry. At a loss for words, the regressor childishly picked a fault.
"You said you're level 0? How can someone like you be the top of middle school?"
"Oh my, you really don't know. If you disappear like a ghost without notifying the school at all, you immediately become level 0. We call that dropping out."
He couldn't even refute it. The regressor would have never experienced it.
While the regressor hesitated, I explained the advanced history course learned in the military middle school.
"After the Conqueror King, who had defeated the rebels with an invincible advance, captured countless prisoners, he decided to kill all 300,000 prisoners to easily solve the food problem and set an example. However, at that time when the faith of the Earth Mother Goddess had spread throughout the world, killing enemies and not burying them was considered a taboo. It was even more unacceptable for the Conqueror King, who was already dragging around corpses. So the Conqueror King sought to eliminate the faith of the Earth Mother Goddess along with the prisoners."
What is the easiest way to eliminate a faith?
It's simple. Ruin its reputation.
Thoroughly, to the point where it can never be restored.
"In those days, there existed vagabonds who called themselves Buriers, earning meals by burying the dead instead of performing proper rites. Early on, civilians welcomed them for taking on such rough work, but as the war dragged on and the number of vagabonds who only begged for food increased, they gradually came to be despised. Occasionally, bandits would also roam around calling themselves Buriers.
The Conqueror King targeted that point. He claimed that countless deaths awaited, and summoned all the Buriers across the country. Using the burial goods of the soldiers who would die as bait."
The Earth Mother Goddess, who was once the mother of all who stood upon the earth, began to slowly decline from then on. It was an era of a splintered empire and a vanished emperor, where kings seeking to reunify the empire and become emperor waged bloody wars.
Numerous wars broke out, mountains were piled with corpses, and rivers were dyed with blood. Amidst the consecutive deaths and tragedies equal to their number, the candidates for emperor were narrowed down to two.
The Conqueror King (Paewang) and the Monk King (Seungwang).
Two kings who were complete opposites in everything, including the results.
"The Buriers, whose numbers had swelled tremendously by then, gathered like clouds without even realizing it was the beginning of a massive massacre. Or perhaps they knew but pretended not to. They must have come aiming for the burial goods of the prisoners who were going to die."
Thus, toward the Earth Mother Goddess's workers who had gathered like a swarm of insects, the Conqueror King's herald shouted.
"The Conqueror King commanded the gathered Buriers. I will kill all of these people and put them in the pits you dig. Therefore, dig as large a pit as possible. The more people that go into it, the more burial goods you will be able to claim."
At that declaration, the Buriers, whose eyes had turned to riches, competed to dig the ground."
The vagabond Buriers needed the deaths of others to fill their own bellies. Pretending not to know how their actions would appear, they prepared a tomb for 300,000 under the pretext of carrying out the will of the Earth Mother Goddess.
The Buriers dug the ground for three days and nights. With each passing day, the ground sank, and mounds of earth as large as hills formed around it.
Their vessel of desire was larger than anything else. Even a pit to hold 300,000 corpses would not be enough to fill their desires.
After merely three days, three days of time had passed.
The Buriers dug out a massive pit that could easily accommodate 300,000 people.
"So, when the tomb was completed... the first ones pushed down into it were none other than the Buriers, their eyes sparkling with anticipation. The Conqueror King never intended to spare them from the beginning, as they were a thorn in his side."
"Oh my!"
The Immortal let out an exclamation. The regressor, having forgotten all about his displeasure, was fully concentrating on my words.
Only Tirr wore a somewhat puzzled expression.
What is it? She's the one who should find this the most interesting. Normally, she would be more focused on an old tale than anyone else.
'The story is a bit different from the one I know...'
Huh? You know this story? You living historian?
Damn it, Military Nation! What the hell did you teach me? Don't you cross-reference?
Telling a wrong story further would only be embarrassing. I hastily wrapped up the story.
"At that time, the Buriers who died along with the 300,000 rained curses upon the Conqueror King. The Earth Mother Goddess heeded their request and laid a curse upon the Conqueror King. The place where he committed the massacre. This place became the Bottomless Pit, and the surrounding area became a desolate wasteland where not a single drop of water flowed and not a single blade of grass could grow."
I had more to say, but I quickly finished the explanation, fearing it would be embarrassing if the living witness to history denied it.
"That historical place is right here, the Bottomless Pit."
As I finished the story, the Immortal asked as if he had been waiting.
"Wait, Teacher. Did the merciful Earth Mother Goddess truly do such a thing? Rendering an entire piece of land completely unusable?"
I also thought so until just a moment ago. Because that's what I was taught.
What's needed at times like this is the art of evading responsibility.
"That's what I learned. At the Military Nation's military middle school. If my story is wrong, please contact the Military Nation's Board of Education. It's not my fault."
"No. It's just a bit different from the story I heard. I thought the Bottomless Pit was formed by the wrath of the Heavenly God."
The Immortal shared the story he had heard, but it was only absurd to me.
I understand Tirr, who is a living history book and lived through a similar time back then, objecting. She's the person involved, after all.
But I can't accept you pointing it out. This is the pride of a civilized person.
...Even if I say that, there's nothing I can really do.
"As Mr. Rashid said, there are other perspectives as well. The Buriers who actively cooperated in the massacre by distorting the will of the Earth Mother Goddess. There is also a theory that the Bottomless Pit is the trace of divine punishment bestowed by the Heavenly God to punish them for all eternity."
Whether you fall into a pit or the Bottomless Pit, death is the same. The only difference is that those who fall into the Bottomless Pit cannot be embraced in the arms of the Earth Mother Goddess after death.
If so, wouldn't the curse of the Bottomless Pit be directed at the Buriers... There was such an opinion too.
"Anyway, that's all of the story I know."
At the abrupt conclusion, the regressor became displeased again.
"What? It's over? The ending of the story feels somewhat sloppy."
"As for what comes after, well, everyone knows, right? The Conqueror King, cursed by the Earth Mother Goddess, walked the path of ruin. A massacre of 300,000, and his territory turning into a desert with the creation of the Bottomless Pit. No matter how strong the Conqueror King was, having completely lost his support base, he couldn't remain fine. He suffered from a disadvantage the whole time after that, and eventually yielded victory to the Monk King in the final battle."
A king so mighty that his spirit covered the world, but ultimately fell to ruin, the Conqueror King.
And the Monk King, who was taken lightly for being no different from a monk in his aversion to killing, but ultimately seized victory in the end.
The Conqueror King (Paewang) who became the Defeated King (Paewang).
The Monk King (Seungwang) who became the Victorious King (Seungwang).
It is said that the event that became the turning point of their power dynamics was exactly this...
"How strange. It's quite different from the story I knew."
"Alright! However, even a single line written in a history book is no match for a single word from someone who experienced that era! Everyone, listen closely. This is vivid, living history told by a living history book!"
Without even realizing I was subtly teasing her, Tirr began her story.
"Do not take it as a certainty. It is also a story I heard passed down. The time I lived was when the empire founded by the Monk King was suffering from enemies invading from beyond the wasteland. Even in that era when the followers of the Heavenly God held sway, the Buriers used to wander the world."
That makes sense. Just because the Holy Palace was established doesn't mean the Earth Mother faith entirely disappeared.
Even though the perception of it worsened significantly, the Earth Mother faith is as widespread as weeds. You can't root it out even if you set your mind to it.
"From what I heard from them, that entire series of events was the Holy Palace's cowardly scheme. The apostles of the Heavenly God, who had decided to side with the Monk King from the beginning, lured the Conqueror King with sweet words, and they were outraged, saying they guided him to trample on the Earth Mother faith while he massacred the 300,000."
"Oh. That's a truly interesting story. It's information that completely negates the interpretation so far. Is there any basis for it?"
Tirr nodded and expressed her opinion with a more proactive attitude than ever.
"The Monk King, who emerged victorious and became emperor, made the Church of the Heavenly God the state religion. Also, he supported them in building the Holy Palace. They, who were merely priests of a vagrant tribe, came to possess a powerful force that dominated the world in less than half a century... Doesn't that seem suspicious?"
Certainly, the story Tirr heard is the closest chronologically. If I were a historian, it would be important content that I would really want to spend a lifetime living and digging into.
But it's too biased.
Tirr fought against the Holy Palace her entire life, and most of the storytellers she met were followers of the Earth Mother Goddess, so it can't be helped, but...
"This too, would be one interesting perspective."
At my lukewarm reaction, Tirr looked noticeably disappointed.
"You don't believe me... However, there is not an ounce of falsehood in my words."
"I'm not doubting Tirr. Tirr's story alone has the value of an ancient document."
However, whether that document is reliable is a different matter.
"You know well how much history gets twisted depending on the perspective. Even though you yourself were immensely slandered by the Holy Palace."
"...So, isn't it an even more valid argument? The hypocrites of the Heavenly God, their greatest weapon was always their voice. They were masters at arbitrarily twisting and distorting the sounds that echoed in the world. The Buriers of the Earth Mother Goddess might have also been caught up in that."
'How many stories did I hear in those days! Even though I lived my whole life as an enemy of the Holy Palace, I went around uncovering their corruption and weaknesses to hunt them. It's somewhat... reliable information, yet even you...'
She's actually trying to feel hurt.
When her heart stopped, didn't she nonchalantly brush off any misunderstandings? Why the attitude now?
"Come on. If Tirr had seen the incident directly, I'd believe it. Living in the same era would make it certain, but Tirr is younger than the Bottomless Pit. Even if Tirr is right, I can't think everything you heard from someone is true."
There seems to be some major problem with the fact that the comparison target is a terrain feature, but at the word "young," Tirr softened somewhat and accepted my words.
"...That is, indeed true. I was born over a hundred years after the Monk King ascended to the throne."
"That's right. Compared to the Bottomless Pit, Tirr is a baby. You don't know how the story back then could have been distorted, or what rumors might have circulated. As you know, the world changes a bit fast."
"Definitely..."
'Since I didn't see it directly, I can't declare it for certain. As you said, I'm younger than the Bottomless Pit...'
Tirr nodding her head looked as if she was watching an absurd play of the times.
Before Tirr could come to her senses, I clapped my hands and shouted.
"Alright! Misunderstandings are cleared, and knowledge has increased, so shall we wrap it up for now? Today, let's use the ingredients Mr. Shay brought to our heart's content and eat heartily!"
Just as I was trying to gloss over it like that, Tirr, who had been quietly lost in thought, moved.
Approaching with quick steps, Tirr looked up at me and spoke.
"...Phew. I've thought about it carefully. You keep comparing my age to the Bottomless Pit. Are you perhaps making fun of me?"
Oops. Busted.
What do I do with this.
I said in a dumbfounded voice.
"Ah, haha?"
"..."
Thud. A tiny fist drove into my solar plexus. At that moment, my waist bent at a 90-degree angle, and a beat later, a terrible pain arrived.
Blood Manipulation Art, that's way too strong. The speed doesn't decrease even after the fist touches the body. My body lifted a little.
"Ugh! Wait, Tirr...! Your punch is a bit spicy...!"
"...Hmph."
Tirr turned her body sharply and left the room. I lay on the floor groaning in the meantime.
While I was rolling on the floor for a moment, the Immortal looked down at me and clicked his tongue.
"Tsk tsk. I knew this would happen. I stayed quiet considering my teacher's position, but this is your own fault, Teacher."
"You should mind your own business...!"
Even if my solar plexus gets hit, I won't get eaten...! It's a situation several times better than yours.
"Ah, speaking of that matter. Could you perhaps make the room warmer? Perhaps because she lost a lot of blood, Callis keeps saying she's cold."
Rubbing my stomach, I replied bluntly.
"Where would a prison have individual heating? Just give her more blankets."
"I'm already doing that!"
"If she's still cold, what can you do. Sleep holding each other."
"That's... already... too."
What. They already went that far?
"Don't misunderstand! Even if I don't turn away any woman who comes, I wouldn't make someone with an injured body overexert herself! It would be a big problem if her wounds worsen!"
So he's planning to reap his harvest slowly once Callis gets better. I replied sullenly.
"Then you're already doing everything you need to do. Go take good care of the food."
The Immortal rarely showed an unconfident attitude.
"Must... I really take care of it?"
"Otherwise, what, should I do it?"
"That... strangely gives me a sense of revulsion. Forget it. I will do it."
You were going to do it anyway. Once you're on the plate, just quietly get eaten. Don't be annoying.
I lay spread-eagle on the floor and fell into thought.
The past the regressor saw, when the Immortal awakened.
Considering his statements and actions, the Lieutenant General probably came looking then too. Back then, no one in Tantalus could have stopped the Lieutenant General who brought the King of Cats.
The past me would have died then.
In contrast, I am alive now.
I succeeded.
I did my best and escaped death. With this, I have fulfilled my duty to myself.
Escaped death, swapped fate, calculating how I should act after escaping.
Suddenly, my thoughts reached beneath the Bottomless Pit.
Wait. Come to think of it, does this mean there are vengeful spirits of the Buriers and 300,000 corpses beneath the ground? Corpses that haven't rotted or been eaten by bugs for over 1,300 years beneath the Bottomless Pit?
...Well, nothing will happen probably.
"Woof?"
Since I wasn't getting up, Aji pressed my body with her front paws. Receiving that call, I sprang up.
"Then shall we now process the ingredients and perform heat treatment, engaging in an act that adds a little taste and fragrance while having absolutely no value in terms of nutrition?"
"Woof!"
Without even knowing what that meant, Aji barked happily.