The Just Devil
novel
In Hell, "justice" is a word so foul that saying it aloud makes bystanders bleed from the ears. Justinian was named after it. He is an orphan whose luck has already cost his parish two roofs, a bridge and a duck. When his home burns and everyone he loves dies with it, he frees the Devil in exchange for revenge. Unfortunately the Devil is an idiot, and Hell is a cultivation sect held together by paperwork and vanity. Every soul stone in the quarry flees from Justinian's name. The one that finally accepts him is the worst of the lot, and it turns into a blank ledger. To grow stronger, he must write his own answer to the question that broke him. To survive, he must get through tournaments, courtrooms and courtships while every devil around him mistakes honest stubbornness for diabolical genius. "Even if I become a devil, I'll be a just one." What to expect - Dark comedy: the opening is a tragedy, what follows is mostly very funny, and the stakes stay real - Cultivation driven by moral reasoning instead of stat sheets, with slow, earned progression - An underdog who wins through stubbornness, honesty and bookkeeping - Devils from Slavic folklore and a conspiracy that pays off - No system