The World's Strongest and Most Evil Noble Strives Humbly and Diligently ~ Using Knowledge of the Original Story and Unique Magic to Avoid a Destruction End ~ - Chapter 9: Void Town

Chapter 9: Void Town

While the thieves’ faces darkened with despair, Grad alone showed grit.

“No matter how much you threaten me, I won’t do what you say… Thieves have pride too. Boil me, burn me, do whatever you want…!”

He said that and glared at me fiercely.

To speak so boldly while exposed to Void’s magic, he’s got some real guts.

I lowered my magic to zero and smiled gently.

“I see, I underestimated you a bit.”

This type of person can’t be subdued by force alone.

To begin with, ruling through fear isn’t what I want.

That kind of tyrannical town-building creates a stifling atmosphere.

Let’s proceed with the original plan, ‘Plan M.’

“Well then, see you later.”

I opened the Void again and returned to Ronzorkia’s world.

Now, there’s something called the ‘Rule of Three’ in this world.

Without air, a person dies in three minutes; without water, in three days; without food, in about three weeks—that’s the rough measure of lethal limits.

The Void Realm has air.

Water… well, I can send some rain their way occasionally.

The problem is—food.

Without eating, a person dies in three weeks.

In other words, they can survive three weeks without food.

Sixteen days after kidnapping the thieves—

I brought a table set into the Void Realm and ate a lavish dinner with a knife and fork.

“Ahh, top-grade marbled steak is so delicious…!”

As I devoured the meat like I was showing off,

“““Ugh, ugh…!”””

The hungry thieves swallowed hard.

(Good, good, it’s working nicely.)

I knew they—especially their boss, Grad—had grit.

A man that determined won’t break easily.

He’d probably endure pain and suffering.

But hunger is different.

One of the three basic desires, ‘appetite.’

Violent hunger can easily drive a person mad.

“I… I can’t take it anymore…”

“Meat… meat…!”

“Give it, give it, give it, give it…!”

The men, consumed by hunger, rushed to the table like a flood, reaching for the steak.

At that moment, I snapped my fingers and put a thin Void membrane over the meat.

As a result, their hands grasped at nothing, never reaching the steak.

“Ah, ahh… ahhh!”

“What’s this… what the hell’s going on!?”

“Damn it, damn it… it’s right there, so why…!?”

The thieves fell into despair.

I looked down at them while slowly bringing the last piece of steak to my mouth.

“Mmm, the refined taste of fat and the rich sweetness of the meat! It’s irresistible, the best! This must be what they call ‘the taste of happiness’…”

As I gave a heartfelt food review,

“Hollow von Heisenberg, as wicked as the rumors say…!”

“This isn’t something a human would do…!”

“You devil in human skin…!”

The gaunt-faced thieves glared at me with resentment.

This is ‘Plan M—Meat,’ a strategy to starve the thieves and break them with the power of meat.

(I must say, I come up with truly devilish ideas…)

The original Hollow’s thinking is utterly evil.

When it comes to thinking of things people hate, he’s unmatched.

(At this rate, they’ll break soon.)

I stood from the chair and opened the Void in front of me to return to the original world.

“See you tomorrow.”

As I stepped one foot into the black vortex,

“Wait.”

Grad, who hadn’t moved like a turtle until now, finally spoke.

“Hollow, what do you want…?”

“I think I told you before, but I want to build a great town here—‘Void Town.’”

“You want us to help build that town?”

“Exactly.”

I turned on my heel and walked toward Grad.

“This is a deal that benefits you too, you know? You’re criminals who broke the territory’s laws; you can’t live honestly in the outside world anymore. So why not have fun and be productive in the hidden Void world?”

“…Is this what they call ‘the devil’s whisper’?”

“Or maybe it’s ‘an angel’s guidance’?”

“Hah, some wicked angel you are.”

As we talked, the thieves spoke up.

“Lord Grad, let’s do it! Let’s build Void Town here!”

“Hollow’s a real psycho! Even if we die here, he won’t care—he’ll just bring in more thieves!”

“Being stubborn here is a pointless death! It’s frustrating to listen to this devil, but… let’s give up on the outside world and make something big here!”

Swayed by his men’s persuasion, Grad made a bitter decision.

“…Fine. From now on, we’ll work as your hands and feet. But give us food. We’re at our limit…”

“Oh, great, I’m glad! Now we’re family! Let’s build a splendid Void Town together!”

As I said that, I pointed to a spot in the Void Realm.

There, a massive pile of dirt I brought from outside was stacked high, with many shovels stuck into it.

“For starters, can you level out that dirt over there?”

The Void Realm has no ceiling, and the floor is pure white, so it feels like floating.

Humans are land creatures, after all, and having ground feels more grounding.

So, the first step in developing Void Town is creating brown ground.

“Hey, wait a minute, that’s not what we agreed on! What about the food!?”

Grad’s eyes widened as he protested.

“You know the saying, ‘Those who don’t work don’t eat’? If you do the job properly, I’ll prepare delicious food. Don’t worry, according to the ‘Rule of Three,’ you’ve got five more days before you die.”

For the next three hours, the thieves worked hard, sweating buckets.

Brown soil spread over the once-white floor, forming a solid ground.

“Huff, huff… is this good enough?”

“Yup, perfect. Good job, everyone. As promised, I’ve prepared delicious food.”

When I snapped my fingers, a large long table appeared from nowhere.

On the table, three huge pots stood in a row, filled with white rice, meat, and miso soup—simple, satisfying food.

I had the Heisenberg family maids prepare it specially.

“““…!”””

Glossy white rice, chunks of bold meat, fragrant miso. The thieves gulped at the sudden feast.

“Everyone, grab a plate from over there and line up here. No need to rush; there’s enough for everyone—”

As I, wearing an apron and headscarf, started serving in a soup-kitchen style,

“““Ugh, woooahhh…!”””

The thieves, unable to hold back, rushed forward.

“Hey, hey, eat calmly. Water’s over there, so help yourselves.”

I quickly dished out rice, meat, and miso soup, clearing the line at lightning speed.

“What’s this? Plain rice tastes so damn good…!”

“Meat, meat, meat!”

“Warm miso soup soaks into my body…!”

“Mom… I’m gonna live right this time…!”

They shed big tears while enjoying their first meal in sixteen days.

(Heh, they’re completely broken now.)

As I thought that, Grad walked toward me.

“Hey, Hollow, about building Void Town—what do we start with?”

“Wow, that’s proactive.”

“Once I decide to do something, I go all in. Besides, we can’t ever leave this place, right?”

“Yup.”

Grad and the others learned the secret of my <Void>.

Unfortunately, I can’t let them out of the Void Realm.

To begin with, they’re serious criminals, so releasing them to the public would be dangerous.

“If we’re stuck here for life, we’ll make Void Town so huge it rivals the outside world! That way, we won’t have any regrets about the outside!”

“Nice, that’s the spirit.”

I don’t dislike that kind of positive thinking.

If you’re gonna do it, you might as well enjoy it.

“Back to my question—what do we start with? You’re the boss, give us orders.”

“Hmm, let’s see… How about making sleeping quarters for you guys? Sleeping on the floor is bad for your health.”

“Oh, that’d help. One of our guys used to dabble in construction. If you get us materials, we can make most things work.”

“Then I’ll bring in whatever materials you might need from the outside world. For now, let’s use that spot as a material storage area.”

I pointed to a spot in the Void Realm.

“Big trees, rocks, dirt—they’ll come flying in without mercy, so don’t get too close. You might die if you get caught.”

“Got it.”

With the immediate plans set, Grad shouted loudly.

“Listen up, you lot! Looks like we can’t go back to the outside world. But that doesn’t mean our lives are over! Let’s build a massive town here and have some fun…!”

“““Yeah!”””

As expected of thieves, they live such fleeting lives.

That quick adaptability is something to learn from.

(Things are going smoothly so far.)

I’ve mastered the basics of swordsmanship and magic, secured the Forbidden Archives as a source of knowledge, and gained my own town, Void Town.

I’m steadily building my power, piece by piece.

With everything going so well, the next thing I should tackle is—‘healing magic,’ definitely.