Chapter 0 : Prologue

In any mythology, it’s natural for sinners to be punished in hell.

And those responsible for carrying out that punishment were always the beings who lived in hell…

“Dantalion-sama, today we have a total of 47,421 trials to—”

“Sitri, if I’m not mistaken, that number has increased from yesterday.”

“Don’t worry.

The other judges are handling even more than this.”

Dantalion was one of the highest-ranking demons, a Great Judge of Hell.

But what made him unique was that he wasn’t originally from hell—he was a demon born from the earthly realm.

The canned coffee and cigarettes on his desk were proof of that.

Since when did demons start drinking canned coffee?

His secretary, Sitri, shook a coffee cup with a café mascot printed on it.

“Seriously, why don’t you buy your coffee from a proper café?

These days, all the demons are getting theirs from Starbucks.

You’re not advertising a special recruitment drive or something, are you?” 

“You don’t understand the comfort of habit, do you? 

And it’s not ‘special recruitment’—‘abduction’ would be the more accurate term. 

I never asked to be seated in this position.”

Dantalion grumbled as he opened his canned coffee.

One day, he had woken up and found himself assigned the role of a Great Judge of Hell—who could have predicted that?

Still, it was an honorable position, and since he had no lingering attachments to his past life, he decided to continue his work.

Hell wasn’t much different from the earthly realm anyway.

‘Honestly, it was ridiculous.’ 

No one in their right mind would offer coffee as a tribute to a demon.

Hell had its own companies, restaurants, and entertainment that far surpassed Earth’s.

Aside from the demons’ main duty—punishing sinners—hell functioned much like a regular city.

But lately…

“Oh, Creator! 

Please, take these earthly souls to heaven already!!!”

“Gyaaaah! 

I can’t do this anymore!!!”

The working conditions had been deteriorating significantly.

Dantalion got up and looked out the window.

It was a bright afternoon, with a black sun burning in the sky.

Below, judges were shrieking as they dealt with the endless influx of sinners.

As he watched, sipping his canned coffee, Sitri approached him.

“You don’t even have a mouth, but you drink so well.”

“Do you realize that’s discrimination based on appearance?

Are you bragging about being born with a human-like form in front of your superior?”

Sitri was a beautiful demon, resembling a dark elf from a fantasy novel.

Among demons, human-like features were considered highly attractive.

“It’s just fascinating. 

I mean, you can create a face if you want, so why absorb coffee through your skin?”

“It’s convenient.”

“If you want convenience, why not just pour it all over yourself instead of pretending to drink it?”

Dantalion had no face.

His skin resembled semi-cooled lava, and he had prominent, towering horns.

Still, by hell’s standards, he was quite handsome—at least compared to the many bizarre-looking demons.

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on trivial matters.

“So, how’s the petition to heaven progressing?”

Dantalion returned to his desk and asked Sitri.

Hell’s role was to punish sinners and purify their souls.

Once purified, souls would flow through dimensional rifts, waiting for reincarnation.

Heaven’s role, on the other hand, was to nurture exhausted souls and foster morality in the earthly realm.

Demons and angels both worked for the world in their own ways.

But lately…

“Nope. 

The white-winged ones are too busy to bother with the earthly realm.”

As expected.

Dantalion clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. 

That’s what happens when you only learn the easy jobs.”

“You know that’s an insult to angels, right?”

“Did you already forget what I just said?”

“That was admiration!

I want an easy job too—mmph!”

Snap!

With a flick of Dantalion’s fingers, a red cloth materialized in the air and covered Sitri’s mouth.

Ignoring her muffled protests, he placed a hand on his chest.

Shaaah—

A book emerged from within him.

A crimson tome, bound in the skin and blood of sinners.

As its pages flipped, thousands of names filled the blank spaces.

Each one belonged to a sinner awaiting trial in hell.

Snap!

Another flick of his fingers, and the cloth disappeared from Sitri’s mouth.

“Enough fooling around.

Let’s head to the Supreme Court.”

“Shall I prepare a carriage as usual?”

“There’s no time for that.”

Sitri nodded and placed a hand on Dantalion’s shoulder.

Her golden eyes gleamed, and a shadow swallowed them whole.

Moments later, the shadows dissipated.

“We’ve arrived.”

They stood before the Supreme Court—the largest building in hell.

However, despite its immense size, the courthouse was completely empty.

Of course, it was.

It had been prepared solely for Dantalion’s use.

Due to his preference for simplicity, the Supreme Court contained nothing but a single throne.

“Bring in the sinners.

The trial begins now.”

“Yes.”

At Sitri’s command, massive doorkeepers pulled open the colossal doors.

Dantalion watched and sighed internally.

‘Sitri could open them much faster, but they insist on using doorkeepers for grandeur…’

Two giant, slug-like creatures struggled to pull the doors apart.

It would be quicker if Sitri did it with one hand.

But no, the so-called ‘dignity of the Supreme Court’ required doorkeepers.

‘Am I just too old-fashioned to understand modern customs?’

Shaking off his thoughts, Dantalion opened his crimson book.

He gently brushed over the first page—the one he had received upon becoming a Great Judge.

“The Supreme Judge, Dantalion, commands: Let the eyes of hell witness the sinners.”

Above, the roofless sky of the courthouse split open, revealing a massive eye, burning like the sun.

That eye would observe the sinners’ pasts and uncover their sins.

“The Supreme Judge, Dantalion, commands: Let the soil of the courthouse rise and defend the sinners.”

The ground trembled as countless figures emerged—lawyers formed from earth, representing the sinners’ fading memories.

As the doors fully opened, thousands of sinners poured in.

The burning eye above scrutinized them.

Hundreds of earthen defenders stared at them.

And amidst it all…

“The trial begins now.”

Dantalion’s calm voice echoed through the Supreme Court.

Judging sinners was tedious work.

Hearing tragic stories once or twice was fine.

 But after the hundredth time, it became numbing.

How many times could one listen to tales of lovers dying for each other before it stopped stirring emotions?

After sentencing all 47,421 sinners, Dantalion…

“If I keep doing this, I’ll lose my mind.”

He collapsed onto his office couch.

Not even a transcendent being could escape boredom.

Sitri, sipping her coffee, gave him a puzzled look.

“Dantalion-sama?

The longest-serving Great Judge in hell?”

 “…Was that a compliment?”

“Of course. 

Thanks to you, we don’t have to deal with a war over electing a new judge.”

Sitri, for once, expressed genuine admiration.

Whenever a new Great Judge had to be chosen, the entire underworld descended into chaos.

No demon wanted a job they hated.

Honestly, the only reason hell’s demons could enjoy their leisure time was that Dantalion had held the position for millennia.

He wasn’t placed here by accident.

“I appreciate the flattery.”

“It’s not flattery…”

But this system wouldn’t hold forever.

If the workload continued to increase, both the system and the demons would break down.

‘Come to think of it, this is unfair.’

It was the angels’ job to maintain morality on Earth.

Because they neglected their duties, more sinners were pouring into hell.

What if demons took matters into their own hands…?

Wait, what kind of ridiculous thought was that?

—To be continued—