Chapter 83
The roles had been reversed.
The police, former prison guards, and once-arrogant elites who ruled the city with indulgent extravagance—were now prisoners, locked up inside the labor camp.
And the laborers, who had once been treated as mere inmates, were now the ones managing the newly arrived prisoners.
Day One at the Camp.
Mayor Bias was, thankfully, not alone.
Factory owners and police officers had entered alongside him as fellow inmates.
“You son of a bitch! You snitched, didn’t you?! If you hadn’t ratted us out—!”
“This backstabbing bastard! Who gave you the right to open your damn mouth?!”
Now that dignity and appearances no longer served any purpose, the factory owners and the city’s upper class behaved no differently than the lower class they had long despised and looked down upon.
They screamed. They fought. They grabbed each other by the collar, rolling on the ground like animals.
It was hell.
It was a nightmare.
At any moment, it felt like they would wake up in the cozy, warm comfort of their mansion bedrooms.
But that moment never came.
Day One at the Camp was brutal.
“You expect me to do this kind of labor? Me? As if I—!”
“Frederick ! This gentleman says he doesn’t want to work!”
“Oh? Is that so?”
After a good clubbing and a day without food, no prisoner dared to act defiant again.
At night, cries echoed through the barracks.
The shocking reality that they were to spend the rest of their lives in this place had begun to set in, leaving most too stunned to even think straight.
But Mayor Bias was the only one who didn’t cry.
There must still be a way out of here.
He believed there was still a method of escape.
They said even a ruined rich man’s wealth lasted three generations.
His knowledge, assets, and experience might still prove useful.
Even the tiniest opportunity would suffice.
What mattered most was getting out of here.
Once he was out, he was certain he could find a way to bounce back.
“Inmate 982! You have a visitor!!”
One day, instead of being yelled at to report for labor, a guard announced that someone had come to see him. That’s when Bias realized—his moment had finally arrived.
He knew it.
After all, he had once run this city.
Surely someone would need him. A man like him wasn’t disposable.
Someone must have come seeking his help.
Wearing a confident smirk, Bias headed to the visitation room.
But the moment he stepped inside—
His face froze.
“Dad…”
“Sweetheart…”
His wife and children were there, waiting for him.
But they didn’t look like the family he remembered. They wore unfamiliar, threadbare clothing that reeked of poverty.
And standing behind them, arms folded and eyes locked on him with an indifferent gaze, was Jonathan Karma.
“Welcome, Mr. Bias,” said Jonathan with a smile.
“...Why is my family here?”
“They said they wanted to come. They missed their husband and father. Who was I to stop them?”
Bias’s hands began to tremble.
Calmly, Jonathan gestured toward the chair in front of him.
“Please, sit. This won’t take long.”
He flashed a crooked grin.
“Let me be direct. I’ll take care of your family. Not in luxury, of course—but they’ll live a decent middle-class life.”
“........”
“In return, hand over your entire company to me.”
At those words, Bias felt the world go black for a moment. A nervous twitch curled at his lips.
“Are you threatening me?”
“Does this seem like a threat to you? I’d say it’s an incredibly generous offer. Think about it.
Without a single coin to their name, your family would be thrown into the cold, cruel world. And honestly? No one would stop me if I turned my back on them.”
“.......”
“You can refuse, of course. That’s your right. But given the things you’ve done... well, I doubt your family would enjoy a very pleasant life. Let’s just say you’ve made more enemies than you can count.”
Behind Jonathan Karma’s composed smile, Bias could almost see the face of the devil.
He couldn’t hold out long.
“...I’ll sign. Bring me the documents.”
“A wise decision, Mr. Bias.”
With trembling hands, Bias signed the contract.
He had no other choice.
And the same went for the rest of the factory owners locked up in the camp.
That very day—
Every company in the Scrap Yard was absorbed into Karma Company.
***
I had lost track of how many days had passed.
I was treating the sick—one after another, again and again.
Thanks to my experience back in the capital, it wasn’t too hard.
But I barely had time to reflect on how things had gotten this way.
I couldn’t even begin to understand what the thing inside my soul had done to cause all this.
Between caring for injured children and critical patients, I’d snatch quick meals, collapse into bed, and steal moments of sleep.
Whenever someone was in critical condition, I’d have to jump up again. That was a given.
Then one day, amidst the chaos—
“Saint-nim.”
Karl Lenaro and the laborists approached, clad in dignified uniforms.
“Would you come with us for a moment? There’s a place you must visit.”
“What is it?”
“His Majesty the Emperor has granted us a building to serve as the Imperial Department of Labor. Now that the capitalists of this city have been lawfully punished, it’s time for us to head to the capital. Our mission: to inspect and manage the state of workers across the empire.”
At those words, I felt a strange weariness settle in.
“Is that so…”
Who would believe that everything started with a simple piece of black bread?
Thinking back on it, all I could do was laugh bitterly.
“Before we officially begin operations at the new building… we were hoping you could deliver a short congratulatory speech.”
“Yes. All our comrades are hoping for it.”
“Would you please do us the honor?”
Their earnest expressions made me pause—but then I nodded.
Sure.
Before I leave, I might as well close this chapter properly.
In the end, my mission had technically failed. But still—life in this city would improve.
Maybe… maybe that counts as a success?
“Peter. Anna. Jim. Amy.”
I called over the four family members who’d been helping me since the beginning.
“Saint-nim?”
“Yes, you called?”
I smiled warmly at the family that had completely ruined my peaceful hermit life.
But strangely, seeing them smile didn’t feel bad at all.
“I’m going back to the capital now.”
“Huh?”
“I can’t stay here forever, can I? From now on, Karma Company and the Department of Labor will take care of this place.”
I placed my hand gently on their heads.
“Please don’t fall ill again. Stay healthy and happy… I truly hope you live like that. And don’t forget the heart behind the black bread you handed me back then.”
Their eyes welled with tears.
“I’ll remember it for the rest of my life, Saint-nim.”
“We’ll never take the life you saved for granted.”
I gave a slow nod.
Then I turned and followed the laborists.
“Saint-nim!!”
“You’re really leaving?”
“Yes. My role here is complete.”
As I waved back at all the people calling out to me, Yodel stepped forward.
“Sir Yodel.”
“Yes, Saint-nim?”
“Please continue caring for this city’s sick and poor. I’m counting on you.”
“Of course. You have my word.”
After offering one final request to the Order of Grace, I departed for the capital alongside the laborists.
We took a teleportation portal installed by the Tower’s mages. In an instant, the familiar scenery of the capital returned to view.
Not far from Mars Tower, I saw a large building.
It looked more like a temple than an official institution.
“We received an old temple from the Order of the Sun free of charge. This will be our new workplace, Saint-nim,” Karl Lenaro explained.
That’s when the temple-like appearance made sense to me.
As I approached the ornate structure, words carved above the massive doors caught my eye:
Department Operarium.
“Shall we go in?”
Inside, the hall was already full.
Senators in noble robes. Mages from the Tower. Clerics and paladins from the Pantheon. Judges from the High Court.
And at the very head of it all—
His Majesty the Emperor. Her Majesty the Empress.
Almeine, Iomene, and Erfa as well.
Every pillar of the empire had gathered here.
“The Saint of Healing has arrived!!”
As I entered, a thunderous applause exploded throughout the hall.
I was guided to the center, where someone handed me a small pair of ceremonial scissors.
A long red ribbon had been stretched across the lobby. The scissors were clearly for cutting it.
“Please offer a congratulatory speech before cutting the ribbon,” Karl Lenaro said before stepping back.
The applause faded.
Everyone stared at me in silence.
Reporters snapped pictures endlessly. Nobles and commoners alike, believers and skeptics—
Their eyes sparkled as they fixed their gaze on me.
A speech, huh.
What kind of grand words could a cowardly, pathetic guy like me—who just wanted to destroy his soul and go back to Korea—possibly offer?
I looked down at the scissors, shrugged, and began to speak.
There was only one thing I could say.
“I don’t think I’m that great of a person.”
I tried to steady my trembling voice as I continued.
“But if there’s one thing I did right after coming to this world… it’s that I tried to protect those weaker than me.”
Even now, I sometimes wonder.
What if I had used my powers like the lewd game they were meant for…?
Maybe it would’ve been fun at first.
But in the end, knowing these powers were demonic in origin—I would’ve succumbed to corruption eventually.
If I’ve done anything right, it’s that I kept a heart of mercy for the weak. That alone.
“The future isn’t set in stone. Depending on what kind of heart you live with, a person can create either a hell… or a heaven. That’s what I believe. So please—”
I looked at the laborists.
“Don’t let your compassion for workers become hatred for the wealthy. And don’t lose yourselves to the sweetness of power.”
Then I turned to the nobles and business owners.
“Give generously. Without those below, those above will eventually fall. Just as I gave to others, I hope you too will give from the heart. That’s all I ask.”
Maybe it was too obvious a speech.
Embarrassed, I swallowed dryly and quickly raised the scissors.
With a soft snip, the ribbon fell away.
The Emperor rose to his feet and declared in a booming voice:
“From this moment forward, I declare the Department Operarium—the Imperial Department of Labor—officially established!”
And in that moment—
Everyone stood.
Thunderous applause echoed through the grand hall.
“Stand tall!!”
“Rise, everyone!!”
“For the Empire!!”
“For the workers!!”
Laborists and capitalists alike clapped and smiled together.
An unprecedented sight.
Watching it all, the weight of reality suddenly hit me like a brick.
What the hell am I doing?
Was this really what I ran away for?
Considering how many people I “converted” back at Scrap Yard, I couldn’t even begin to guess how much faith the demon inside my soul had harvested by now.
The realization hit me all over again—just how badly I’d messed up.
Next time… I’ll go somewhere completely deserted. No people. No problems.
As I sighed internally and made that vow…
I spotted Erfa, Iomene, and Almeine, all standing and clapping.
They moved their lips, mouthing something to me.
‘We’ll come see you tonight.’
‘We’ll be waiting.’
…Right.
I forgot about those three.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
So instead, I just smiled awkwardly.
“Don’t you get it? This is exactly why Father chose Operarium out of all the imperial branches to handle this. He wanted to show the people that the Crown hasn’t abandoned them. We can’t ruin this moment.”
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