Sister, I Hit You Because There Was a Ghost Behind You - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 15. Hell Tax Is Paid in Advance, My Lord
It was not the voice of the creature I thought had died.
It was far deeper, ancient, and profoundly malevolent.
[Breaking my toy… how impressive, little woman.]
Black smoke coalesced in the void, forming the shape of a colossal eye that fixed its gaze directly upon me.
“Who are you?”
Kairik von Herzen demanded, his sword raised.
[I am the Abyss. The master of this land where you struggle so futilely.]
The Lord of the Abyss. The true puppet master who had manipulated the Archbishop and the Emperor now revealed himself. Though merely a phantom and not his true form, the oppressive aura radiating from him made breathing nearly impossible.
[You must pay the price for slaying my child.]
The colossal eye blazed crimson, and the entire gorge began to convulse. Boulders tumbled from the cliff faces, the earth fractured, and inky crevasses split open with sickening sounds.
“Damn it! It’s collapsing!”
Demian cried out.
“We have to run! If the entrance seals, we’ll be buried alive!”
Kairik von Herzen seized my arm and dragged me forward. But I could not move. Or rather, I could not move. That colossal eye held me in its thrall like a hypnotist’s gaze, my very soul imprisoned in its grip.
[You… are mine. Those eyes of yours are most desirable.]
Its voice burrowed into my mind. Memories from my past life, nightmares, and terror swirled together, blurring my vision.
‘No… I have to focus…’
Just as my legs gave way and I began to collapse.
Smack!
Someone cradled my cheeks in both hands. Warm, calloused skin. And the crisp scent of the forest.
“Violetta! Look at me!”
It was Demian. He held my face and forced our eyes to meet. His blue eyes trembled with concern and fear.
“Don’t look at that thing! Look only at me!”
His cry snapped me back to clarity. I shook my head and glared at the phantom.
“Who do you think you are, you deranged stalker!”
With all my strength, I hefted my hammer and hurled it toward the creature’s eye phantom.
Whoosh—Crack!
The hammer passed straight through the phantom. Black smoke scattered as its laughter echoed around us.
[Kekeke… wait for me. In my sanctuary.]
As the phantom vanished, the tremors ceased. But there was no relief. The gorge entrance was now completely sealed by fallen rock.
“…We’re trapped.”
Kairik von Herzen muttered, staring at the blocked entrance. We had become rats in a cage. Cliffs surrounded us on all sides, the way forward was sealed, and behind us remained thousands of undefeated beasts.
Yet Kairik von Herzen’s eyes showed no fear—rather, they gleamed with something like exhilaration.
He smirked and asked.
“The exit is blocked. What’s your plan now?”
I picked up the hammer from the ground and slung it across my shoulder. Then, instead of looking at the entrance choked with rubble, I turned my gaze toward the deepest part of the gorge.
Where I had thought the steep cliffs converged into a dead end, a massive rock face now gaped open vertically, revealing the entrance to a cavern as dark as the abyss itself—the very underground passage through which The Master had crept moments before, oozing that terrible demonic miasma.
I pointed my hammer’s head toward that gaping chasm of profound darkness and declared with unwavering resolve.
“That’s where we’re going.”
I grinned wickedly and added, “Let’s march straight into his inner sanctum and collect rent.”
“All the way to that bastard’s inner room. Let’s break in and collect the rent.”
“Ha! I like your spirit.”
Kairik von Herzen chuckled. Demian exhaled deeply but remained at my side.
“Wherever you go, I will follow—even into the depths of hell itself.”
We turned away from the light and descended into deeper darkness. This was no longer a simple exorcism. This was war.
* * *
Thud, thud.
Our footsteps echoed unnaturally loud through the darkness.
Inside the canyon, the air was far colder and damper than outside. The ground glistened with an unidentifiable viscous liquid, and from the ceiling, bat-like demons peered down at us with glowing crimson eyes.
“It’s pitch black.”
Kairik von Herzen grumbled. Even with a wolf’s keen sight, the darkness was too dense to see ahead.
“Don’t worry. We have a human lantern.”
I casually tapped Demian’s arm beside me.
“Come on, light it up. Not mood lighting—I’m talking searchlight intensity.”
“…You still treat me like a tool, I see.”
Demian sighed but drew his sword without complaint. With a resonant hum, brilliant light erupted from the blade. A Holy Knight’s divine power was the most potent light source in darkness and simultaneously a barrier that incinerated approaching malevolent spirits.
[Kyieeeek!]
[It burns! So bright!]
The moment light touched them, the demons clinging to the ceiling shrieked and fled. Our vision cleared instantly.
“Wow. Definitely effective.”
I gave a thumbs up. The cavern walls were covered in grotesque murals—humans offering sacrifices to demons, slaughtering one another, writhing in the grip of greed. The kind of images that made your skin crawl just looking at them.
“These are…ancient demon worship rituals.”
Demian furrowed his brow as he studied the murals.
“This isn’t merely a nest. It’s more like a temple—one that has existed since ancient times, built by the Cult.”
“Temple? More like a slaughterhouse.”
Kairik von Herzen sniffed the air and added his observation.
“The stench of blood is overwhelming. Rotted blood, and…the smell of old metal.”
“Old metal?”
“Yes. Smells like money.”
Money? My ears perked up at those words. I quickened my pace.
“Then we need to move faster. There’s no fragrance quite like the scent of someone else’s fortune.”
We ventured deeper into the cavern. The passage grew narrower as we advanced, and the demonic aura grew denser. The whispers clawing at my mind intensified.
[Turn back…]
[Once you enter, you cannot leave…]
[Your greed will consume you…]
“Ugh, they’re really whining, aren’t they?”
I scratched my ear in annoyance. It was louder than dealing with malicious complaints in my past life.
That’s when a massive double door materialized before us—a grand structure over ten meters tall, constructed from human bones and black metal. Carved into its surface was a relief of a hungry ghost with its mouth agape.
“We’ve arrived.”
Kairik von Herzen adjusted his greatsword with renewed grip. Demian tensed as well, raising his shield defensively.
“I sense an overwhelming presence beyond that door. We must exercise caution.”
I swallowed hard and gripped my hammer’s haft tightly. Once I opened this door, that creature calling itself the Lord of the Abyss would undoubtedly be waiting.
“I’ll open it.”
Rather than hide behind the two men, I stepped forward boldly. Then, lifting my foot high, I drove it straight through the center of the door.
“Tenant inspection! Come out!”
Crash—!
The massive door swung open with a deafening roar. The light that poured forth nearly blinded us all.
“…!”
When my eyes adjusted, I found myself speechless. This was no hell. It was gold.
The cavern overflowed with mountains of coins and jewels stacked from floor to ceiling, leaving not a single foothold uncovered. Rubies, sapphires, and diamonds caught the light, scattering brilliant hues across the chamber.
“What in the world is all this…?”
Demian muttered in bewilderment. The sight was so overwhelming that even a virtuous paladin would be captivated.
Then, a honeyed voice echoed through the air.
[Welcome, my honored guests.]
Black smoke coalesced, and a Gentleman Demon dressed in a tailcoat materialized before us. His face was absent—only two crimson eyes gleamed within the dark mist.
[You have labored greatly. I commend the skill you have demonstrated in slaying my children and reaching this place.]
The gentleman bowed with utmost courtesy.
[I am magnanimous. If you desire it, I shall grant you all of this.]
“…All of it?”
I echoed his words back to him.
[Indeed. These coins, these jewels, and dominion over this land itself. I shall fulfill every desire your hearts harbor. However, there is a condition.]
The gentleman extended his hand, pointing directly at me.
[Lower that cudgel and bow before me. Then I shall place this entire Empire beneath your feet.]
A demon’s temptation. Clichéd, perhaps, but for someone corrupted by capitalism, it was the most potent and lethal of all clichés.
My heart raced wildly at the sight of that colossal mountain of gold before me. With that, I could live in luxury not just for a lifetime, but for generations to come.
Clearing the shameful debts and loans I’d secretly drawn against my name to plug the holes in my family’s finances would be trivial.
No—I could transcend mere debt repayment and purchase the choicest lands in the Empire wholesale, becoming a real estate magnate who rivaled the Emperor himself.
I stepped forward, entranced.
“Violetta! You cannot! This is an illusion!”
Demian reached for my shoulder, but Kairik von Herzen blocked his path.
“Let her be. The choice is hers to make.”
Kairik watched me with evident interest, arms crossed. He understood—my eyes weren’t gleaming with greed, but with something else entirely.
I walked toward the pile of coins and reached down to pick one up. The weight was substantial. The sensation of cold metal against my skin. It felt far too real.
“Hmm.”
I placed the coin between my teeth and bit down hard. Then I spat it out.
“Hey.”
I tilted my head with a crooked smile and glared at the demon.
“Do I look like a fool to you?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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