"So, even if someone becomes an executive, they still have to serve the full sentence they were given during the trial?"
"Generally, yes."
"Generally?"
"Yes. The sentence handed down during judgment is supposed to be completed by everyone before they earn a shot at reincarnation.
But… some people, touched by the grace of the Divine, manage to get that sentence shortened and live here until they're reborn.
And since only the Divine can grant reincarnation, everyone here worships Them, hoping—praying—for a blessing.
I'm no exception to that.
Ah! And then… there are some executives who don't even want to be reborn.
Truth be told, I'm one of them.
I've only got 250 years left until I'm eligible, but…
The idea of reincarnation scares me.
You never know who—or what—you'll be born as.
And there's no guarantee the life you're given will be better than this one.
A lot of my friends feel the same. You'd be surprised how many of us would rather stay here."
What? A god?
Did I just hear that right? A god... in Hell?
I needed to make sure I hadn't misheard.
"There's a god here in Hell?"
"Yes! Of course! The Divine created this Hell—and They're still building it, even now."
The guide looked at me like I'd asked whether the sun rose in the east.
I stared back, eyes narrow with doubt. I hadn't believed in any gods when I was alive. Why start now?
"A god in Hell… Sounds like the Divine is some kind of ultimate power, huh? Just… snapping fingers, reducing sentences, deciding who gets reincarnated…
But hold on—when you reincarnate, do you return as yourself in the world of the living?"
I'd suddenly grown hungry for answers.
"When someone reincarnates from Hell to the world above, they're born as a completely new person.
So no, Eric—no one comes back as who they were.
Oh! But there are rare cases—very lucky ones—where someone isn't sent to Hell after judgment. Instead, they return directly to the land of the living.
Those people, they do wake up in their old body.
Time moves differently here—one month in Hell might be less than half a day up there.
They'd just wake up… like from a long, strange dream.
But they never remember what happened here."
"Damn… But I have to come back as Eric.
If I don't, I can't go back to my grandmother.
Can't hold her, help her walk…
Isn't there any other way to return as my old self besides through judgment?"
"I don't know… I've never heard of one.
But… if anyone could do it, it would be the Divine."
"I see… Have you ever met this Divine?"
"Hah! No, that's impossible."
"Why? You said the Divine really exists, right?"
"Yes, of course They do.
Some high-level executives say they've met the Divine in person.
But the details—what was said, what happened—those are sealed.
Still, the Divine is real. And They can be met.
Just not by someone lowly like me. Heh."
"So only top-ranking officials can meet the Divine? That sounds… like a king."
"What?! How dare you!
The Divine is not some lowly monarch!
They're not a king—they're God!
Omnipotent, omniscient, and the sole reason this Hell exists and keeps running!
And why aren't you showing any respect?! You keep saying 'Divine' without the honorific!
If a religious inspector heard you, you'd be tossed into the hellfire in no time!"
The moment I questioned the sanctity of their god, the guide's demeanor flipped like a switch.
Eyes wild, voice raised—she'd gone full zealot.
"Fine. What can the Divine do, then? Have you heard anything specific from your higher-ups?"
I finally gave in and added the honorific. Just to keep the peace.
"The Divine can do anything.
If we need food, the Divine creates factories.
If we need transport, the Divine conjures trains.
They can alter the social order, rewrite your rank.
Oh! And the most important thing—
The Divine is the only one who can extinguish the hellfire."
"The most important…?"
"Yes!
Only the merciful Divine can stop the flames of Hell.
Only They can grant rebirth and salvation.
That's why everyone here loves the Divine with all their heart!"
I felt my thoughts scattering as I spoke to her.
Factories? Trains? Anyone with enough time and money could build those.
But the eternal fires of Hell… extinguished?
That's not just power. That's something else entirely.
And reincarnating a soul into the world of the living…? That's beyond human.
If a being like that exists—one who can control flame, time, fate…
Then maybe there really is a god in Hell.
For the first time in my life—or death—I began to believe.
"A living god…
Is there any way to meet Them?"
"The Divine is always busy.
Only those with extraordinary gifts ever get the chance."
"What kind of gifts? Do you know?"
"Well… for example—
Do you know Adolf Hitler?
The one who started World War II while alive?
He was judged directly by the Divine.
Appointed First Executive.
Now he commands Hell's army."
Hitler?!
"And… I think Edison met the Divine too.
Yeah. He became an executive after death."
Hitler and Edison?
Figures from history, living again in the furnace of Hell?
And not just living—but ruling?
Wait a minute…
If they were appointed to top ranks right after judgment, doesn't that mean they got VIP treatment in death too?
According to Section 21 of Hell Law, 'Anyone who inflicts physical or mental suffering upon others in life shall be punished accordingly in death.'
If that's true, then Hitler should be burning for a billion years, not running the place.
Does Hell have gold spoons and silver spoons too?
I stared at the guide. My world—this afterworld—had been shattered.
More than anything, the stories of Hitler and Edison had cracked something deep within.
I had thought Hell, if anything, would be just.
But maybe…
Down here, justice was neither blind nor fair—it simply didn't exist.