Chapter 19 — A Plan, A New Beginning
After an exhausting existential crisis, Razan sat on the floor, legs crossed and back slouched, staring at nothing for a long moment. Only when his mind finally settled did he turn toward Loona and speak with a dry, tired sigh:
"Well, at least we have money. So it's just today. Tomorrow will already be a new day, and we can buy a house or an apartment that's much better."
Loona looked at him with a mischievous smile — the kind of expression someone makes right before pulling a prank or revealing a secret they've been waiting to drop. Her tail swayed lazily behind her as she leaned slightly closer.
"Well… there's another problem you need to solve."
Razan blinked, confused. He didn't even have time to ask what she meant before they stepped out of the ruined factory — and immediately, Razan froze.
A huge crowd was waiting outside.
Dozens upon dozens of sinners lined up in the cracked streets, stretching all the way to the collapsed metal fence. Some were still bleeding, others bruised, others terrified — but every single one of them had the same expression: awe.
Razan pointed at the crowd with a dead stare.
"What does this mean, Loona?"
Loona gave him an awkward, guilty smile, scratching her cheek with one claw.
"Well… they wanted to thank their savior."
Razan felt the urge to turn around and walk right back into the factory. A whole crowd of people staring at him was the last thing he needed. He stared blankly at them, mind still trying to process the situation, not knowing at all how to handle it.
That was when a massive bull demon stepped forward — towering, muscular, with deep scars carved across his arms. He dropped to his knees in front of Razan, head lowered in absolute respect.
"Sir, we are grateful for saving our lives. So please, allow us to be your subordinates, Lord Dragon."
The words echoed across the street.
Then the whole crowd — every single sinner — dropped to their knees, their voices merging into one desperate, hopeful chorus:
"Please! Allow us to be your subordinates!"
Razan stared at them, overwhelmed. His brain completely stopped working for a second. He reached up and scratched his head, visibly frustrated. He didn't need subordinates. He didn't even want a faction — that would require effort, planning, and responsibility, three things he had absolutely no interest in.
He opened his mouth, ready to refuse the entire idea on the spot.
But then the system's cold voice echoed in his mind:
"Host, you must accept."
Razan frowned.
"Why?"
The system explained calmly, with an almost lecturing tone:
"You see, host. You've already been exposed to all of Hell. With your current power, intelligent beings like the Seven Sins, the Goetias, and the Overlords won't mess with you unless they have a REALLY good reason."
"However… weaker demons will annoy you day and night, because they're stupid. Just like when Stolas took his daughter to the park and demons tried to kill or kidnap him."
The system sighed dramatically.
"It's not about fear; it's about annoyance. Think about it: imagine the Four Emperors from One Piece having to go outside every time some pirate with an 80-million bounty shows up at their door to fight."
Razan paused.
As much as he hated to admit it… the system had a point.
The powerful would leave him alone. But Hell was full of idiots. And idiots were persistent.
The system continued:
"Besides, if you have subordinates, you can order them to do the annoying tasks you don't want to do."
"For example: right now, if you had subordinates, you could send them to find a place for you and Loona to stay."
"And since all of Hell wants to know what someone as powerful as you plans to do — even though WE know you're just a lazy otaku who wants to sit around playing with your hellhound girl's ears — no one would believe that."
Razan groaned.
"So what you're saying is that we need a motive?"
"Yes. If you form a faction now, after fighting Adam, everyone will think your goal is to become a sovereign. Your fight with Adam will look like you were just showing power to the other rulers, proving you can sit on that throne."
Razan rubbed his face with both hands.
"Why can't I just be a lazy nerd living peacefully with my little wolf girl while I get stronger?"
"Unfortunately, this is Hell, host. War, death, and chaos are the main themes. No peace.
But with your strength, you can at least have moderate peace."
Razan took a deep breath, processing everything.
"I've decided, system. I'll follow your plan. But we have two problems to solve."
"What are they?"
Razan lifted two fingers.
"First: every ruler in Hell has a domain. That's why they have power. Sinners obey Vox because of the TVs and information, Valentino for the adult content, Velvette for social media, Carmine for weapons. Each one has their empire."
"Second: how am I supposed to know the level of stupidity of the sinners I'm dealing with? Even among sinners, there's a difference between a psychopath who kills for fun and a suicidal person who couldn't bear the weight of the world. If I don't know who's who, it's impossible to have subordinates. Even if the contract prevents betrayal… I don't want to improve the life of trash."
The system was silent for a moment — then answered:
"For the first question, you already have an empire without needing to dirty your hands with weapons or brothels."
Razan raised an eyebrow.
"I do?"
"Yes. You have the Recovery Girl's power. If you make contracts with subordinates, you can give that power to them. That means you could open several hospitals."
"In Hell, where everyone gets hurt every minute, a hospital that heals quickly will have high demand."
"And if you acquire other healing abilities, like the Ope Ope no Mi from One Piece, you can give that too. Your hospital will become even more efficient. And who can guarantee they won't get sick or injured?"
Razan's eyes widened.
It was a brilliant idea.
A clean empire. One that didn't require him to become a pimp, a weapons dealer, or a media tyrant. Something useful. Something powerful. Something that would naturally attract attention but not disgust him.
The system continued:
"As for the second problem, I'll give you this."
A small, ornate item materialized in his hand — a mysterious crystal-like eye.
Eye of Truth.
"With this, you can ask questions and know if they're lying. And even with a crowd, if you ask those with a clean conscience to step forward, any liar will be marked in red."
A slow smile spread on Razan's face.
"You already thought of everything. Then let's put the plan into action."
He stood up and walked toward the kneeling crowd.
His voice was calm but firm, echoing across the street:
"Well, I accept you as my subordinates. But with one condition."
"Even though I'm not a good person — after all, I'm in Hell — I am not trash."
"So I'll only accept as subordinates those who haven't done unforgivable things, like killing for fun, torturing, or cannibalism."
"If you killed a bastard to defend yourself or protect someone, that doesn't count."
"But if you killed because you were bored or because someone stepped on your foot… then no."
Razan activated the Eye of Truth.
Everyone stepped forward — but instantly, eighty sinners were marked in bright red.
Razan didn't hesitate. He opened individual portals under each red sinner, teleporting them to random locations in Hell. Some would land safely… others might end up inside a volcano.
Not his problem.
He looked at the remaining ones.
"Congratulations, you passed. You can sleep here today. Tomorrow I'll make the contracts and explain your roles. Good night."
He turned away and walked inside with Loona.
Loona, curious, asked as they walked:
"Why did you accept the subordinates?"
Razan explained everything — the annoyance of weak demons, the necessity of a faction, the hospital empire, the eye, the responsibilities. Loona listened quietly.
Then she nodded.
"I get it. Those are indeed problems we would face without subordinates."
Razan smiled softly.
"I'm glad you think so… because you're going to be their boss."
Loona froze.
"Me?!"
Razan laughed.
"Yes. You know I'm not good with business or leading people. So I'll be the muscles, and you'll be the brain. I'm counting on you."
He pulled her into a hug.
Loona blushed furiously, her tail wagging despite her attempt to look serious.
She smiled and gave a small nod, accepting her new role.
Their new beginning had officially started.