Chapter 8: Evangelist of Happiness in the Abandoned Land (2)
The bird dropping collection was complete.
An abundance of eggshells came as a bonus.
Thanks to that, an overwhelming warmth filled his heart! Like opening a pack of ramen and finding five sheets of kelp pop out with a “ta-dah!”—that kind of abundance! Like the flutter in one’s chest upon collecting exactly nine free sweet and sour pork coupons from the neighborhood Chinese restaurant stuck to the side of the fridge!
...With that feeling in his heart, Kim Jangcheol returned to the Demon Lord’s castle.
Then, he summoned Zephyros and Baal.
“From now on, we’re making compost.”
“Compost... you say?”
“Do you know what that is?”
He asked Zephyros.
The man pushed up his glasses and replied.
“I’ve heard of it. Humans apparently spread something on their fields before they start farming. They call it compost.”
“Yeah. That’s right. That’s compost. It improves soil quality and enriches it with nutrients.”
“But I’ve never seen it or made it myself.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Why not?”
“Because no one in the Abandoned Land knew how to make it.”
“......”
“That includes the Demon Lord as well.”
Zephyros glanced over as he said this. At that gaze, a muscle in Kim Jangcheol’s neck involuntarily twitched. Right. There was no way Demon Lord Credos would’ve known how to make compost.
“Ahem.”
Kim Jangcheol let out a needless cough. Then he laid down a metaphorical triple-layer titanium-embossed steel plate across his face.
“...Yeah. You’re right. The old me didn’t know how to make compost. But now, I do.”
“Now, you say?”
“That’s right.”
In times like these, one had to be shameless.
Half-baked lies were easy to uncover, but bold-faced, shameless ones often worked surprisingly well.
So...
“I saw it in a dream.”
“......”
“It’s true.”
“......”
“So we’re going to try it.”
“...Does that even make sense?”
“Of course it doesn’t. It sounds ridiculous to me too. But I saw such a detailed method in the dream that it’s hard to just dismiss it. It was like someone had given me a lesson.”
“What do you mean...?”
“So we’ll find out whether what I saw is legit or just nonsense once we try it. Don’t you think?”
“You want to confirm it?”
“Exactly.”
“But if we fail...”
“Do we have anything to lose?”
“......”
Zephyros fell silent.
Now that he thought about it, what Credos said was true. Everyone in the Abandoned Land had nothing to lose anyway. The miserable hunger embedded in their daily lives. The horrific reality of having to eat one another just to survive.
But even if they failed to make compost, would anything really change?
They would simply remain hungry.
Merely to avoid being eaten.
Merely to fill their stomachs even a little.
Just as they had done until now—enduring the pain of hunger while wandering aimlessly, only to collapse and die.
Wasn’t that the reality most in the Abandoned Land faced?
“That’s why we’re going to try it. There’s nothing to lose if we fail, and if by any chance what I saw in the dream turns out to be tru—”
“—e, then perhaps we might catch a glimpse of hope.”
“Exactly.”
“I see.”
“But why did you cut me off?”
“My apologies.”
“You don’t look very sorry.”
“That’s not true. I truly am sorry.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“Of course not. I mean it.”
“Tsk.”
Kim Jangcheol narrowed his eyes into a mock glare and stared at Zephyros. Internally, however, he let out a sigh of relief.
‘Phew. Thank goodness.’
He hadn’t been found out.
For a moment, his heart had dropped.
He had panicked at the thought that, through a moment’s carelessness, his identity might be revealed. That they would find out he wasn’t the real Demon Lord Credos. The anxiety had drained all the blood from his hands and feet.
Fortunately, his improvised and reckless bluff seemed to have worked.
‘...I need to be more careful next time.’
His current position was still precarious.
The Demons were still starving and resented the cancelled invasion of the human world. The Four Great Demon Generals were likely eyeing his head, and perhaps Zephyros was no exception.
He couldn’t afford to show any weaknesses.
Especially not ones related to his identity.
“...Then, Lord Credos, please share the compost-making method you saw in the dream.”
A brief moment of reflection and anxiety. Zephyros’s voice cut right through it. Kim Jangcheol quickly controlled his expression and raised his head.
“Of course.”
That was when it began.
“Step one! Grind, grind, grind!”
He finely ground all the materials.
He ground up the gull droppings and eggshells scraped from the cliffside. He burned and pulverized the rotting wooden handles of low-ranking demons’ weapons to make ash.
Then, he mixed in soil from the fields.
“Step two! Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle!”
He sprinkled water over the blended compost ingredients.
“...But Baal is confused about how much water to use!”
“Tsk. Still can’t get a feel for it?”
“Baal really doesn’t know!”
“Click your tongue all you want. Just come here and look. See this compost? Try grabbing a handful with your hand.”
“Baal doesn’t wanna touch it!”
“Why not?”
“It stinks!”
“Then do you want to stay hungry?”
“Baal being hungry sucks!”
“Then you gotta do what you’re told, right?”
“...Baal will do it.”
“Yeah, yeah. This is the compost material. Squeeze it tight with your hand.”
“...Nnngh.”
“How is it when you squeeze it?”
“Baal’s palm feels damp.”
“Right? The moisture is just starting to seep out, right?”
“Baal wants to wipe his hands!”
“Hold on a bit longer. Feel it. That’s the perfect level. Just enough that a bit of moisture seeps out when you squeeze it. Not too much. Just barely—almost annoyingly little. Got it?”
“Baal got it!”
“Good, good. Just teach the low-ranking demons the same way.”
“Baal understood!”
The Four Great Demon General thundered across the field with heavy steps. He commanded the low-ranking demons. Hundreds of demons busily moved about in the compost field.
Thanks to that, they could smoothly move on to the next stage.
“Step three! Stack, stack, stack!”
They stacked the moist compost in a dry area. Taking the chilly weather into account, the stack was made about 70 centimeters high. Over the top, they generously covered it with gull feathers like a blanket.
“...To be honest, I don’t quite understand.”
Zephyros, who had been overseeing the feather layering over the stacked compost, tilted his head. He furrowed his brows slightly as he spoke.
“If the materials are ground, mixed with water, and well blended, doesn’t that mean the compost is complete? Why must we go through the extra step of stacking it like this...?”
“It’s an essential process.”
“An essential process?”
“Yeah. Fermentation.”
It was a necessary step.
People often thought of compost as just a pile of rot, but that wasn’t the case. Compost was, in fact, a living collection of organic matter.
“Actually, if it’s just rotten, it’s useless. You have to use compost that’s been properly and fully fermented.”
“And if it doesn’t ferment... it causes problems?”
“Yeah. Compost gives off ammonia gas. That gas is deadly to crops. If you just use it as-is, the crops’ll all die—every last one of them.”
“So that’s why you stack it like this and let it go through a process called fermentation?”
“Exactly. You catch on quick.”
“But...”
“You’re wondering how I know about this whole fermentation thing, right?”
“Yes.”
“I saw it in a dream.”
“......”
“So that’s why I want to confirm it. Whether it’s real or not.”
“......”
Zephyros fell silent.
He clearly had more to say.
But what could he do if Kim Jangcheol had already laid down his steel plate of shamelessness?
‘It was a dream, alright! It’s not like he can look into my dreams!’
And so—bluff successful!
Kim Jangcheol smiled in satisfaction and focused on letting the compost mature.
In actual farming, well-fermented compost was preferred whenever possible. The only problem was that fully matured compost tended to be expensive. So, many compromised with cheaper, less mature compost, though even then, they used it carefully.
For example, they might wait at least 7 to 15 days after spreading the compost before planting crops, or they’d use immature compost bought the previous year after it had been left to mature.
‘So now it’s just a matter of waiting.’
As the compost matured nicely, days and nights passed.
Seven suns rose, and seven moons set.
Around that time, Kim Jangcheol mobilized the low-ranking demons.
They cleared away the feathers piled atop the compost mound. They were made to turn and mix the compost. Water was sprinkled in moderation. This was all to ensure fermentation occurred evenly throughout.
Of course, it wasn’t easy.
That was due to the overwhelming concentration of ammonia released during fermentation.
“Guaaagh, the smell—!”
“My nose... my nose is disappearing—!”
“HaAaAaAaAng…↗”
Thud.
“Hey, hey? You alright?”
“This guy’s heart isn’t beating!”
“Then start emergency treatment!”
“But we don’t know his blood type!”
“Just the zodiac sign and MBTI will do! Compressing! Three! Four!”
“Up we go!”
“...Bbpuk-wahak!”
“He’s alive!”
“We saved him!”
It was chaos beyond chaos. Kim Jangcheol couldn’t help but wear a wry smile. But at the same time, he also felt something else, something difficult to name.
“......”
The low-ranking demons, awkward as they were, diligently turned over the compost. Every one of them was skin and bones. Looking closely, their eyes were sunken, and their complexions were a sickly yellow.
Even so, they didn’t show signs of complaining about the hard labor.
Why?
As he kept watching, the reason became clear.
“By the way, squad leader?”
“Yeah. What?”
“We couldn’t invade the human world... but it’s still okay, right?”
“Beats me.”
“But still. If this farming thing works out, doesn’t that mean we could also survive like the humans—just working the land and feeding ourselves?”
“...You think that’s possible?”
“Sorry?”
“Don’t get your hopes up. You’ll only end up disappointed. This is the Abandoned Land. Farming? With this compost or whatever it is? You think that’ll change anything?”
“But...”
“Why are we doing it then? Because we were ordered to. If we disobey, we’ll die. We’ll become slabs of meat to fill the bellies of high-ranking demons. That’s why—just to keep breathing a little longer.”
“So... that’s what this is.”
"Yeah. If I want my kid to survive even a little longer, I have to stay alive. A low-ranking demon's child who's lost their parent—don’t you think that's the perfect easy prey? Just looking at them makes your mouth water."
"Ah..."
"You’ve got a kid too, right?"
"Yes."
"Then keep your head down and just do what you’re told. Don’t stand out. Don’t get too hopeful. That’s the only way you’ll even have a chance at surviving."
"I... I understand."
"Good. Then finish turning that pile. Slack off, and they’ll mark you."
"......"
Was it because he now had the Demon Lord’s body?
Thanks to his greatly heightened senses compared to when he was human, Kim Jangcheol could hear them even from afar. The mutterings of the low-ranking demons who’d been forced to dig through compost. Their laments. Their hopeless resignation.
He heard them all.
"......"
He had killed countless demons like those.
Even if it had just been for fun in the game.
He had practiced how to kill them most efficiently.
It had been the greatest joy in his daily life.
‘Maybe... maybe the one who was truly monstrous like a demon wasn’t them—it was me.’
He wasn’t trying to think like that.
But a strange emotion kept rising up.
And somehow, it reminded him of his own days in grad school, when he had been exploited endlessly without proper reward or recognition.
Maybe that was why.
Why he walked toward them.
"Are you all... hungry?"
"......"
No one could answer carelessly.
Of course, Kim Jangcheol already knew the silent answer they had swallowed.
Of course they were hungry.
And exhausted.
Probably resentful too.
Without a word, Kim Jangcheol picked up a stone from the ground. Then he clenched it tightly.
Crunch!
His nails left marks in the rock.
He held out the marked stone to the low-ranking demon closest to him.
"Take this."
"...Excuse me?"
"It’s a meal ticket, in place of an afternoon snack."
The low-ranking demon who had earlier spoken in a voice full of resignation, saying he lived only to protect his child, looked up in surprise at Kim Jangcheol.
Kim Jangcheol gave a faint smile.
"Yeah. You’re hungry, right? You’ve been dragged out to work the fields, but you can’t even fill your stomach—of course you’re tired, of course you feel wronged. That’s why I’m giving this to you. I can’t give you food right now. But in its place, I give you this—your right to, someday, receive and enjoy that snack with dignity."
"The... right to eat a snack..."
"That’s right."
"This... snack. Is it delicious?"
"Hmm. I’ll make a promise right here, right now. It’ll be sweet as honey."
"Is that really true?"
"It is."
Kim Jangcheol gave a nod.
He meant it.
Snacks eaten while working the fields—those were always the sweetest. One day, he truly wanted to let these people experience that taste. He also wanted them to know that if they worked hard, they could receive fair compensation.
But just then—
"Um, but, Your Majesty the Demon Lord...?"
One of the low-ranking demons hesitantly raised a question.
"I think I get what this snack is... more or less. And, well... I understand you’re promising us that. I get that we need to farm hard too, but..."
"But?"
"It’s just... I’m kind of wondering... if we even have anything to plant..."
The low-ranking demon shrank back a little and glanced nervously at Kim Jangcheol. In truth, many of the surrounding demons had the same question on their minds.
‘This is the Abandoned Land. There’s nothing to plant in the first place. No crops worth growing. We didn’t even stockpile any fruit or seeds looted from the human realm.’
So then, what exactly were they supposed to plant?
Was there anything to plant at all?
Everyone had the same thought.
In this place—
In this cursed Abandoned Land—
There were no crops to plant to begin with. So what in the world was the Demon Lord thinking? With that silent doubt building, all eyes turned to Kim Jangcheol.
At that moment—
"Something to plant? Of course there is."
"...What?"
"I said there is. Something to plant."
The Demon Lord smiled faintly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
The low-ranking demon blinked.
"You say there is... but where...?"
"Where else?"
Kim Jangcheol’s smile deepened.
Something to plant?
Yes.
It had been there from the start.
He had already seen it.
From the very first day he entered the Demon Lord’s body.
In various places, in the corners of the ceremonial hall where the departure ritual was held, and even now. They had never realized it. And even if they had, they had no idea how to eat it safely, so they could do nothing.
"Look beneath your feet."
"...Huh?"
The low-ranking demon looked down at Kim Jangcheol’s words. And there, at his feet, he spotted a single scraggly purple flower blooming.
A common flower.
One that bloomed all over the Abandoned Land.
But one thought to be utterly useless when it came to easing hunger.
"This is..."
There was no way the low-ranking demon could have known.
That this flower blooming beneath his feet was the very plant that once sustained the great empires of Earth’s Andes in South America.
A legendary wild diploid potato—the first ever to be domesticated by human hands.
Solanum stenotomum.