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

Amid the despair on the faces of the thieves, only Grad showed some backbone.

“No matter how much you threaten me, I won’t follow your orders…! Even thieves have pride. Do whatever you want with me—boil me, roast me, I don’t care…!”

He glared at me sharply as he said this.

Despite being exposed to Void’s magical power, he still had the courage to say such things. I had to admit, he had quite the spirit.

I suppressed my magical power to zero and gave him a gentle smile.

“I see. I underestimated you a little.”

This type wouldn’t bow down, no matter how much force was used.

And to begin with, ruling through fear wasn’t what I wanted. That kind of authoritarian city-building would just make life suffocating.

So, I decided to proceed with the initial plan: Plan M.

“Well then, see you later.”

I once again unfolded Void and returned to Ronzorkia’s world.

There’s something called “The Rule of Threes” in this world. It goes: If you don’t breathe, you’ll die in three minutes; if you don’t drink water, you’ll die in three days; if you don’t eat, you’ll die in three weeks. It’s a rough guideline for human survival.

The Void Realm has air. Water? Well, occasionally I can make it rain. The problem is—food.

Without food, people die in three weeks. Conversely, this means they won’t die for three weeks even if they don’t eat anything.

Sixteen days after I abducted the thieves—

I brought a dining set into the Void Realm and enjoyed a luxurious dinner, cutting into it with a knife and fork.

“Ahh, there’s nothing better than top-grade marbled steak…!”

I took a big, exaggerated bite of the meat as if to show it off.

“Guh… Ugh…”

The starving thieves swallowed their saliva audibly.

(Nice, it’s working perfectly.)

I already understood that these men, particularly their boss, Grad, had some backbone. A man who could steel himself like that wouldn’t easily break.

He would likely endure pain and suffering.

But hunger was different.

One of the three primal urges—hunger. Its violent pangs could easily drive a person mad.

“I… can’t take it anymore…”

“Meat…!”

“Give me… Give me, give me, GIVE ME!”

The men, consumed by hunger, surged toward the table like a torrent, their hands reaching out for the marbled steak.

At that moment, I snapped my fingers, and a thin film of Void covered the steak.

As a result, their hands only grasped at air, unable to touch the steak no matter how hard they tried.

“Ahhh… AAAAAHHHH!”

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

“Damn it, damn it! It’s right in front of me, so why can’t I…!?”

The thieves were plunged into despair.

Watching from above, I slowly brought the final piece of steak to my mouth.

“Mmm~~! The refined richness of the fat and the savory sweetness of the meat! It’s simply irresistible, the best! This must be what they call ‘the taste of happiness.'”

After delivering a full-on food critique—

“Damn aristocrat Hollow von Heisenberg, his cruelty lives up to the rumors…!”

“This is no act of a human…!”

“He’s a devil in human skin…”

The gaunt-faced thieves glared at me with resentment.

This was Plan M—Meat: the strategy to push the thieves into starvation and break them using the power of meat.

(I really am a devil for coming up with this…)

The thoughts of the original Hollow were nothing short of wicked. When it came to thinking of ways to make people miserable, he was unparalleled.

(At this rate, they’ll break soon enough.)

Standing from my chair, I created a Void in front of me to return to the original world.

“Well then, see you tomorrow.”

Just as I stepped one foot into the black vortex—

“—Wait.”

Grad, who had stayed as motionless as a turtle, finally spoke up.

“Hollow, what do you want…?”

“As I said before, I want to build a magnificent town here—a place called ‘Void Town.'”

“You want us to help you build it?”

“Exactly.”

I spun around and walked toward Grad.

“I think this deal benefits you too. You’re criminals who broke the law; you can’t live a proper life in the normal world anymore. In that case, wouldn’t it be more productive to enjoy yourselves in this hidden Void world?”

“…This is what they call ‘the devil’s whisper,’ isn’t it?”

“Or perhaps ‘the angel’s guidance’?”

“Heh, what a wicked angel you are.”

As we bantered, the thieves raised their voices.

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

“Hollow is a bona fide psycho! Even if we starve to death here, he’ll just bring in another group of thieves to replace us!”

“There’s no point in being stubborn here! It would be a pointless death! It’s frustrating to listen to this demon, but… let’s give up on the outside world and make a mark here instead!”

With his subordinates’ persuasion, Grad made a bitter decision.

“…Fine. From now on, we’ll work as your hands and feet. But give us food. I’m at my limit here.”

“Oh, great, I’m so happy! Now we’re family! Let’s work together to build a wonderful Void Town!”

As I spoke, I pointed to a specific spot in the Void Realm.
There, a mountain of soil and sand I had brought in from outside was piled up, with countless shovels stuck into it.

“Let’s start right away. Could you level that soil over there?”

The Void Realm doesn’t have a ceiling, and the floor is completely white, which gives off a floating sensation.
Since humans are land creatures, having a proper ground feels more stable.
Thus, the first step in the Void Town development project is to create a brown ground.

“H-Hey, wait a minute! This wasn’t part of the deal! Where’s the food? What about the food!?”

Grad widened his eyes and voiced his complaint.

“‘Those who don’t work, don’t eat,’ right? If you do the work properly, I’ll prepare delicious meals for you. Don’t worry, you’ve still got about five days left according to the ‘Rule of Three,’ so you won’t die.”

For the next three hours, the members of the thief gang worked desperately, sweating profusely.

The once white ground began to spread with brown soil, forming a proper surface.

“Hah… hah… Is this good enough?”

“Yeah, it’s perfect. Good job, everyone. As promised, I’ve prepared a delicious meal for you.”

With a snap of my fingers, a large banquet table appeared out of nowhere.
On the table were three large pots, each containing plain white rice, meat, and miso soup—a classic, hearty meal.
The food was specially prepared by the maids of the Heisenberg household at my request.

“…!”

Shiny white rice, massive chunks of meat, and fragrant miso soup. At the sudden appearance of the feast, the thieves gulped audibly.

“Everyone, please grab a plate from over there and line up. Don’t worry; there’s plenty for everyone—”

The moment I, wearing a triangle kerchief and an apron, started to distribute the food like a soup kitchen…

“Uwooooohhhhh!”

Unable to hold back any longer, the thieves rushed forward.

“Alright, calm down and eat properly! Water is over there, so help yourselves!”

I swiftly dished out rice, meat, and soup, efficiently serving the line at super speed.

“This… this plain rice is insanely good…!”

“Meat! Meat! Meeeeeaaat!”

“This warm miso soup is sinking deep into my body…!”

“Mom… I swear, this time, I’ll live an honest life…!”

Tears streamed down their faces as they enjoyed their first meal in sixteen days.

(Hehe, they’re completely hooked now.)

While I was thinking that, Grad approached me.

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

“Oh, you’re motivated now.”

“If we’re doing this, we’re going all in. Besides, we can’t leave this place ever again, right?”

“Yeah.”

Grad and the others now understood the secret of the Void Realm.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t let them leave.
Besides, they were notorious criminals—it would be dangerous to release them back into society.

“If we’re stuck here for life, then let’s make Void Town into such a huge, thriving city that it rivals the outside world! That way, we won’t have any lingering attachments to the outside!”

“That’s the spirit.”

I don’t dislike that kind of positive thinking.
If you’re going to do something, you might as well enjoy it.

“Back to my earlier question—what should we start with? You’re the boss now, so give us instructions.”

“Let’s see… First, let’s make a place for Grad and the others to sleep. Sleeping on the floor isn’t good for your health.”

“That’d be great. One of our guys used to dabble in construction. If we have the materials, we can manage most things.”

“Then I’ll gather what we need from the outside world. For now, let’s make that spot over there the material storage.”

I pointed to a certain area in the Void Realm.

“Massive trees, rocks, dirt, and other materials will come flying in relentlessly, so don’t get too close, okay? If you get caught, you might die.”

“Got it.”

With the immediate plan decided, Grad raised his voice to rally his comrades.

“Listen up, boys! Looks like we’re not going back to the outside world. But that doesn’t mean life’s over! Let’s build a huge town here and have some fun while we’re at it!”

“Oooooh!”

As expected of thieves, they live with a fleeting, moment-by-moment mindset.
Their quick adaptability might be something worth learning.

(—So far, so good.)

I had mastered the basics of swordsmanship and magic, secured the knowledge-rich Forbidden Archives, and now owned my own city, Void Town.
Step by step, I was steadily building up my power.

The next thing I should focus on—healing magic. That has to be it.