Chapter 17

“Shock! Punishment Division and Department 1 Involved in Unprecedented Corruption…?!”

“Unregistered weapons and missing supplies found in the thousand-year cactus field he purchased!”

“Employee C requests protection for his family in exchange for a confession. Claims he was threatened by Section Chief Joy of Happy World─.”

“The unregistered weapons are suspected to belong to rebel factions─.”

I read the newspaper again.

And again.

Krates, that bastard—why did he go and turn himself in without telling me?

And what do they mean they found something in the field?

What the hell is going on?

‘Ah. This must be a dream.’

It had to be.

Probably a horrid nightmare.

And just as I started slapping my cheeks—smack smack—Chief Bones from the Punishment Division walked over.

“How terrifying must your methods have been for Krates to spill everything and surrender? Section Chief Joy, I’m… starting to get scared of you.”

“Where is that demon Joy! Demon Joy!”

Someone suddenly stormed into the office yelling that ridiculous nickname.

I turned my head and saw the real demon Astarote, horns and all, marching toward me, her face flushed red with rage.

“You! You dare pull a stunt like this right before our audit? Trying to trap the Audit Team in your debt, huh? No wonder you proudly go by the name ‘demon’—you’ve earned it with schemes like this!”

What the hell is she even talking about?

I frowned, and Chief Bones gave me a nudge in the ribs.

“Under Happy World policy, the harvest of any land belongs solely to the land’s owner. And the weapons found on the land you bought to threaten Krates… that ownership…”

“Is yours! And if we want to investigate, we need the landowner’s permission—yours. I see now. You’re trying to stall our audit and shift the focus. Quite the strategist, aren’t you?”

Tsk.

Astarote clicked her tongue.

“This audit for Happy World will have to be shortened. We’ve finally found the tail of the rebel scum, and we don’t have the manpower to audit the Punishment Division. Joy, looks like we’ll have to postpone our battle. What a shame!”

…What?

The massive audit is getting skipped?

“That’s ridiculous—”

“Yay! All hail Section Chief Joy!”

“No audit?! This is unprecedented!”

“We’re saved! No more endless document shredding!”

“Chief Joy, you’re our savior!”

My little protest was no match for the storm of cheers erupting in the office.

Like a paper boat caught in crashing waves, I sank back into my chair.

***

“If I hadn’t turned myself in, there’s no telling what Section Chief Joy might’ve done to my family! That guy—he’s capable of anything!”

Krates poured out his frustration to Astarote, the investigator from the Audit Team.

“I know firsthand how terrifying that man can be! We worked together, and I saw it all! Turning myself in and asking for protection was the safest thing I could do!”

What if Joy, who had sweet-talked even the iron-willed Sisyphus and Chronos, decided to target Krates’s family?

Even imagining it was horrifying.

Astarote nodded grimly.

“You made the right call. Chief Joy is nicknamed ‘the demon’ in Happy World for a reason. Torture and threats must come as naturally to him as breathing. If you hadn’t confessed—”

Her eyes gleamed with understanding.

“Joy would’ve ripped your family apart, piece by piece. I know because I’m a demon too. He’s the kind of guy who would pawn their souls and do the unthinkable. The absolutely horrifying.”

“Ugh… horrifying…”

“Yes! Horrifying and terrifying! That’s what it means to be a demon!”

“Waaahhh!”

At those words, Krates shivered, goosebumps rising all over his skin.

He trembled like a ten-year-old who’d lost his mother.

Then the demon’s voice turned sweet.

“So tell us everything you know. We’ll reduce your sentence. Why’d you buy the land? Were you always in league with the rebels?”

“…No, I wasn’t! I was just obsessed with saving money… but someone slipped a letter into my locker. It said they knew about my embezzlement… and that I should keep quiet if I didn’t want it exposed…”

Someone had blackmailed Krates, using his own crimes against him, hiding weapons on his land.

He knew it could lead to his ruin—but couldn’t bring himself to confess the truth.

If he got fired, his wife and son would be thrown back into hardship.

“I was… afraid of being poor.”

Krates was a prince from the tiny, forgotten kingdom of Phoenicia.

A land so obscure, not even mentioned in history books.

But a prince nonetheless, once living in moderate comfort.

Then came an unusually long winter.

He lost his kingdom—and was cast out onto the streets.

As royalty, he’d never worked a day in his life.

He starved for days on end. His wife, Kshalri, barely kept them afloat sewing or working in other people’s fields.

But even that didn’t last.

The endless winter stole their son’s health, and Kshalri began to wither too.

—P-please… spare some food. My wife and son… they’re starving… Please… anything…

Krates abandoned his pride and begged.

He didn’t even flinch picking food scraps off the ground that people had thrown at him.

But in the end, neither his wife nor son survived the brutal winter.

Krates fell into despair.

Colder and quieter than winter itself.

Truly sorrowful people… can’t even scream.

They don’t cry out.

They simply fall silent.

Krates jumped from what was left of the crumbling castle wall.

And that’s how he ended up a prisoner in Happy World—

Where he was finally reunited with his family.

The prince of misfortune…

Krates found happiness in the depths of despair.

Because he could see his wife and son again.

And he made a vow.

He would never let them go hungry again.

He would climb—no matter the means—just to give them a better life.

Maybe that’s where it all went wrong.

Krates got tangled in things he never should’ve touched.

“I swear… I knew nothing about the rebels. I only knew they were hiding something in my field. My wife and son—please—they did nothing wrong…”

He couldn’t even beg for mercy out loud.

Not in this place.

Not in Happy World—where certainty is a luxury.

So, what would happen to Krates now?

Would the one who once delivered punishments… now become the punished?

It wasn’t common.

But it wasn’t unheard of either.

“Tch. I thought we’d caught a big fish, but turns out he’s just a low-level grunt. Storage keeper at best. You’ll probably just get fired.”

“F-fired…? Not punished…?”

“Well, someone’s been pleading your case—saying it’s all their fault. Section Chief Joy, to be exact. He’s been yelling that he orchestrated the whole thing.”

“…W-what!? Joy did!?”

Krates was stunned.

Of all people, the last one he expected to defend him was Joy.

Joy wasn’t involved in any of this.

If anything, he was the one who saw through the embezzlement and tried to fix it quietly.

Why… Why was he taking the blame?

“He’s even claiming he bought the land with stolen money. Honestly, he lives up to his nickname—‘the demon,’ huh?”

Krates fell silent.

He was lost in thought.

He’s… on a whole different level than me.

If the roles were reversed, and Joy had ended up like Krates…

Krates would’ve laughed at him. Mocked him.

But Joy didn’t.

He didn’t laugh.

Didn’t mock.

No wonder he became a section chief in just two years.

Even if I tried a hundred times, I’d never catch up to him.

A few days later—

Beneath the scorching sun of the underworld—

Krates was released.

The Audit Team had ruled there was nothing more to extract from him.

In the rebel case, he was merely a pawn—someone whose land had been used.

He wasn’t blameless.

He was given a probationary sentence.

And with it came a strict supervisor.

That supervisor…

Was none other than the man called “the demon” even among the terrifying employees of Happy World.

“Krates, I’ll be monitoring you during your probation.

If you mess up even once, you’ll face punishment—no mercy, no second chances.”

“…Joy.”

“I hope you mess up. That way, I can drop this whole burden of responsibility.

But don’t. Please… don’t live like that again, Krates.”

Thud—

Joy pointed with his chin to one corner of the courtyard.

There—

A small boy and a woman in a shabby coat stood hand in hand.

“They’ve been waiting there for you since the day you were taken.”

“M-my love… my son…”

Krates collapsed to his knees.

The mist of Happy World blurred with the fog of his tears.

But he felt them.

His wife and son’s hands, gently resting on his shoulders.

The scent of hardship and suffering still clung to them.

That bitter smell of poverty and pain—

The very life he tried so hard to protect them from… had returned.

He had lost his job.

And now, they would all have to survive in this unforgiving Happy World once again.

As Krates sobbed, whispering “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” over and over—

His wife, Kshalri, softly spoke.

“My love, don’t worry. I’ve saved up quite a bit. Someone bought the cacti I was growing—for a good price. I’m going to open a flower shop. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

A flower shop…

It would be hard work.

Her hands would be covered in dirt.

To have made his wife suffer again…

Krates felt painfully small.

“Kshalri… You were raised like a princess. And now, you’ll have to work so hard again… I promised I’d never let that happen here in Happy World…”

He was unworthy.

Unworthy to be called a husband.

If that was a crime, then he deserved punishment.

But then—

Kshalri gently cupped his cheek.

“My love… look at my hands. They’re rough and ugly from gardening.

But…”

Lift—

She softly helped Krates to his feet.

“With these hands, I can hold you and help you stand.

At least here in Happy World… we can always be together.

This is a world without death or partings.”

“But I… I…”

“Or do you not find my hands beautiful anymore? Do they no longer deserve to stay beside you?”

At her quiet question, Krates slowly looked down at her hands.

The once-soft fingers she used to brag were prettier than Helene’s…

Were now rough, callused.

And yet—

They looked more beautiful than any flower he’d ever seen.

“No… Your hands are still more beautiful than Helene’s.”

The small family embraced at last.

Watching from afar, Joy turned to leave quietly.

“Not only did you get fired, but you even have a perfect family…

Krates, I’m honestly jealous.”

Of course, no one heard him.

Joy returned to his home—

A house full of thorny cacti.

Seeing him come and go each day, people whispered:

“Why does he have so many scary torture tools in his house?”

“I heard he can’t even sleep on a normal bed. He lies on top of cacti to feel at peace—”

“A terrifying demon of thorns!”