The Tale of Goemon
"Taro-chan really does work hard. Takamura praised you."
"Please, have some takoyaki."
"More mayonnaise and bonito flakes please."
"I understand."
This is the back of the Enma Palace, a playground called the bedroom of King Enma. Whenever I'm summoned, I'm usually forced to drink with him.
Today, he said he wanted to eat takoyaki, so I went to the kitchen to borrow a grill and cut up the octopus myself. With hatred for this man.
"Right now, Takamura has his eye on a few kids. Among them, Taro-chan is the one who has lasted the longest."
"I'm honored by the compliment."
"As expected of someone who has lived a long life in hell~"
I placed a plate in front of him, sprinkling so much bonito flakes on it that the takoyaki was no longer visible.
"Infinite Hell is the most painful and difficult place because it's where the worst villains go. But Taro-chan still looks healthy! Amaziiiiing!!!"
"I've decided that one day I'm going to punch you and Takamura."
"That's right, I'm looking forward to it."
The sound of bones echoed over King Enma's laughter. The bone scepter that this man always carried in his hand seemed to have a mind of its own, even though it did not speak, clinking as if to respond and jeer at you.
"Meow."
"Yes, yes, Carmen. Let's let the takoyaki cool a bit before eating it."
"Nyaaan"
I generally like animals, but I don't like this pure white cat. It's not that I dislike it, I don't want to bully it, and I'd like to be friends with it if possible, but it's always sitting on the king's lap and giving me a cold look.
It seems that it doesn't acknowledge the existence of anyone other than King Enma, along with the bone scepter.
"Now that I think about it, my dear daughter baked me some cookies the other day."
"Congratulations."
"It was so delicious that my cheeks nearly fell off!!"
"Glad to hear it."
"I'm so happy to have a daughter like that! But her only flaw is that she hates men!"
"It's because she has a terrible father and a mean teacher."
"Did something happen to her before she died?"
I couldn't help but bite my lip.
"Oh, but! These takoyaki are delicious too! It's fun to have a capable servant like Taro~"
"Shall I grill another plate?"
"Please~"
Flashback: "Hmm, so you're the legendary Ishikawa Goemon. The great villain who was executed at Sanjogawara, whose name was heard all the way to hell."
Even though it was their first meeting, he spoke in a way that felt strangely harsh. When a human dies, they cross the Sanzu River and arrive at this palace.
There, they are judged, and those who have done good deeds are sent to heaven, while those who have done bad deeds are sent to one of the hells. All of their actions during life are reflected in the Pure Glass Mirror, so no excuses are valid. Perhaps that is why…
"Taro-chan, do you know this song? ‘The Mitsuse River is so deep for me, I wonder who will carry me across later.’
"I know, a little."
"Oh, I see, you knew about it. Well, now that I think about it, he even composed a death poem when he was executed, so he was quite an intellectual."
"What are you trying to say?"
"A while ago, that fool from Black Rope Hell was trying to seduce my daughter, so I beat him up and added 50 years to his sentence."
"He probably won't last 50 years anyway."
"Yes! From what I read, he’s gonna last for about a year."
In human legend, if you go to hell, you'll be tortured for trillions of years.
However, in reality, they cannot last that long. They die every day due to the torture, and each time they are torn apart, their souls are worn out and destroyed, and they are reborn into the next life.
But I managed to survive, so tenaciously that I had stopped counting how much time had passed.
The stronger the regret, the longer it lasts. That was the common belief in this hell. Those who had something engraved in their soul would never disappear, no matter how many times they died and were reborn in this hell. They would remain here.
Flashback to Rin: “Can you take me and run away?”
The only thing I still have regrets about is her.
Flashback, Goemon: "But the flower season will soon be over."
Why? She is a sincere and devout person, and there is no way she would commit a crime that would send her to hell.
… There is one possible reason.
"Taro, you haven't seen my daughter's face yet, have you?"
I didn't say anything and just threw the chopped octopus into the grill, filled with self-hatred.
"Don't ignore my words, sinner."
I thought about throwing the whole baking dish at him, but I resisted.
"I've never seen her once. It's no use, you know, because you chase away any man who comes near her."
"I'm protecting her until I find a man worthy of my daughter."
"Thank you for your hard work."
"Don't you want to see her soon?"
Daphne flowers danced in my peripheral vision.
“Then be strong.”
She was noble.
“Become strong so that not even a single needle can hurt me. Become strong so that you won’t be defeated by anyone. Do you have any doubts about yourselves?”
What was she thinking as she stared at us with a resolute expression?
I really must hit King Enma someday. Both she and we were completely fooled. Yona, Sharaku, and Kikunosuke are all people who have stubbornly remained in hell. This is because we are bound by regrets and attachments.
However, in order to defeat Asaemon and his men, we must untie the threads that bind us.
"Or do we just leave them alone? Then, what did we come here for?"
The answer was obvious: our mission was to capture the escaped prisoners, and that was not something we could have fun doing in this shared house.
"You're going to run away after receiving such a vicious declaration of war? Aren't you frustrated that you keep losing?"
We, who have "regret" that kept us alive in hell… may finally die from this mission. And her.
We can't turn back. But moving forward means danger to her. Her [Desire] is extremely special, and in exchange for strengthening our abilities, she bears the pain.
Flashback: "I'm so happy to have a daughter like that! But her only flaw is that she hates men!"
King Enma, what kind of plot is this? You dote on your daughter, and you're not the kind of man who would put her in danger for no reason.
Takamura may be sarcastic and foul-mouthed, but he can be trusted.
I, we are not stupid enough to become pawns of someone who treats us with contempt.
Flashback: “Can you take me and run away?”
I can't run away, I must not run away, not this time.
Flashback: "But the other day... I smelled the scent of wintersweet daphnes and it brought back memories."
I wonder if something is engraved in you, even though you should have lost all your memories of your life.
If so, then this time… This time… will you be able to smile by my side?
(T/N: This was soooo painful to translate! T^T)
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