Chapter 26: The Second Sin (5)
[…Huh?]
Nothing happened at all.
To the extent that everyone felt something was off.
Blake shouted again.
[Spuer! Kill them all, by God!]
Still, nothing happened.
[W-What in the…]
There were no eyes on the heart dripping with blood.
Yet, it was clear he was flustered.
[Spuer!]
Bishop Blake cried out as if denying reality itself.
[Hurry up, I said kill them all!]
“…”
He issued an order to Spuer.
The shackles imposed since birth.
Using fate.
An unbreakable shackle unless one breaks free from fate.
Possible intervention because they were the vessel God himself desired.
However, Spuer showed no movement whatsoever.
As if… having broken free from fate itself.
[T-This is… what…]
Something’s gone wrong.
Bishop Blake realized instinctively.
‘It was perfect, certainly perfect!’
A masterpiece built upon countless failures, corpses, and sacrifices.
It couldn’t be replicated.
Flaws?
They weren’t nonexistent.There was a limitation: those unworthy couldn’t remember her.
But that was trivial.
With Spuer alone, he could restore the sun god to prominence.
But now that chance had vanished meaninglessly.
Including the perfection of control!
[Dare… dare…!! What have you done!!!]
Bishop Blake unleashed his fury.
The target of his anger was the black-haired boy with golden eyes.
He maintained an unbelievable composure for someone so young in such a place.
Or was it even composure?
Coldness.
Yeah, that was right.
A gaze devoid of any emotion, treating everything as worthless.
That only fueled the rage further.
“How dare you, an infidel, ruin our perfection?!”
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It doesn’t matter if you pretend ignorance! God Himself has already seen your sins!”
If everything’s ruined, I’ll just kill them all here!The last desperate act of Bishop Blake, who was now reduced to a floating heart.
Just as he was about to unleash his power…
“How foolish.”
Arthur’s voice came from beside.
“Have you forgotten who called me?”
[…!?]
“You’ve already become a mere plaything in His hands.”
Sssshhhhhh!
Silver aura began burning away the red blood surrounding the heart.
Arthur’s unique attribute that burns divine power.The most excruciating pain humans can feel: searing agony.
[Kyyyyaaaahhhh!]
Bishop Blake’s screams filled the chamber.
And Arthur wasn’t the only one.
“Yeah.”
A white-haired girl appeared seemingly out of nowhere, munching on a carrot with a loud crunch.Lapis shot out threads while her eyes glowed red.
Rage.
‘Could it be… this kid also broke free from the sin’s fate…?!’
How could there be two sins?!
“Don’t insult my savior anymore. Die.”
“Quietly follow your fate.”
The Knight of Full Moon and the Sin of Wrath.Two beings who shouldn’t even get along, let alone cooperate.
For the first time, they united their strength.
For one person alone.
Evan.
“…”
Spuer looked down at his own hands.
He had definitely received an order.But his body didn’t move at all.As if it wasn’t an order anymore.
How?
Spuer knew he was special.
An artificially created lifeform modified since fetal stage, stronger than normal humans.A bio-weapon of the heretics and a vessel for the god.
Since birth, he’d sensed this truth and another destiny.To either destroy or manipulate the world.
Spuer was the latter.The sin of pride.The fate to dominate the world.
Even if he didn’t want it, he couldn’t refuse.Only acceptance remained.
Resisting would only mean being yanked around by the leash.
Even if only Bishop Blake remembered Spuer now, it wouldn’t change anything.As long as he existed, this nightmare wouldn’t end.
Rather, it might be better to accept his fate and enjoy it a little.
But something changed in Spuer’s life.First, there was Arthur’s attack.
-Flee! We must protect this child… gahk!
When Bishop Blake fell critically wounded,Spuer followed his son and left the scene while hiding.
There was no particular reason.Actually, dying would’ve been fine.It would’ve been a chance to escape this tiresome existence.
But Spuer chose to survive, following some instinctive whisper.
Later, he was captured by Dreik who mistook him for a sacrifice, then rescued.
Surprisingly, by another sin.
At first, he was happy, then confused.
Surely, the same sin.The ‘Wrath’ destined to burn the entire continent.But Lapis wasn’t showing any signs of anger.
‘…So it started from then.’
Evan Alkart.Everything changed when he met him.
The endless whispers inside his head.The oppressive feeling of fate pressing down whenever he slept.
All of that disappeared, flowing naturally like water.
Even reaching this point seemed coincidental,but only after arriving did he realize.Every step was meticulously planned.
‘Everything… was planned for this very moment.’
Just like how it all started with Arthur’s attack.
All of it led here.An even bigger picture beyond even Spuer’s comprehension.Perhaps even the ability to change fate itself.
‘But…’
Doubt still lingered.Though pride meant excessive confidence, it often stemmed from low self-esteem.
Endless self-doubt and suspicion.Cutting others down to compensate.That’s what bound Spuer.
‘Can I really trust him?’
His eyes wavered slightly.
It’s fine now since he’s with Evan.But what if Evan leaves?
Or worse, abandons him?
‘I’m doomed to live as Spuer, the Pride, forever.’
In this hell.
[Spuer!!!]
Bishop Blake screamed desperately, sensing Spuer’s wavering instincts.
“Don’t defy your fate! Follow your fate! Aaaaaaah!”
“Spuer.”
Then.A completely emotionless voice.Precisely because it lacked emotion, it sounded reassuring.
“Are you alright?”
Evan approached Spuer and asked.Unable to read his own expression, Spuer covered his face with his hand.
“I… um…”
His voice broke uncertainly.Despite the potential irritation, Evan simply regarded him with understanding in his emotionless gaze.
“Hmm… do you have any personal desires?”
“Desires…?”
“Considering you’re asking for something here, I assume you don’t expect to gain anything else. Are you satisfied with just recovering all the siblings?”
Desires.Something that had never changed.
Freedom.Proof of complete liberation from these shackles.Proof that he didn’t need Evan.
Not that he could ask for anything specific.Like a part of Evan’s body?That would be absurd.
“Lapis wanted a name. She didn’t like her original one.”
…Name.Right.
‘That’s it.’
It struck him.Maybe giving him a name could grant him freedom.
Spuer nodded.
“A name. Give me a name.”
“…A name, huh.”
After pondering briefly, Evan glanced at Spuer’s blue hair and casually suggested a word.
“Frey.”
A name from the mythology of Earth where Evan used to live.
Also similar in sound to ‘Pride’, which symbolized his sin.Not bad, right?
“Your name from now on is Frey.”
A new name.The moment he shed the name Spuer.
Frey felt his mind clearing.
-Evan. He’s my savior. And perhaps the savior of us all.
The voice Lapis whispered every night like brainwashing finally made sense.
He truly is…
‘Savior.’
Salvation.He was the one who granted salvation through freedom to those destined to be bound by fate forever.
“…”
Meanwhile, Evan thought silently behind his expressionless facade.
‘Hmph. Thought he’d go berserk there for a second.’
Looks like Frey – formerly Spuer – has calmed down, much to Evan’s relief.
‘This actually works. Tried it on Lapis too.’
Can stopping the sins’ rampages really be this simple by just changing their names?
That’s what real men do.Evan felt satisfied internally.
*
Things were heading toward their conclusion.For Evan, it had been an exhausting week.
Getting involved with heretics at the ball, encountering a floating heart in the ancient dungeon.Any one of those events would’ve been thrilling enough, but he also worried about Spuer potentially betraying them.
Still, the end was near.The root cause of all this.That heart, Bishop Blake.Eliminate him and it’s over.
‘Killing someone does make me hesitate a bit though…’
Arthur and Lapis seem capable of handling it themselves?The only concern is…‘If we deviate too much from the original story.’
Truthfully, he accepted the fact that the original story would change long ago.If he cared about preserving it, he shouldn’t have met the helper.
There’s no guarantee things will follow the game’s script from the point of possession onward.Thus, taking initiative seems to be the best course.
‘Mustn’t forget to claim my rewards.’
Arthur’s reward was healing from injuries.Already taken care of.What’s next?
‘The Holy Maiden of the Sun, right?’
The Maiden gained some benefit through the heretics.Not sure exactly what, but she’ll probably figure it out if given the opportunity.
Besides, it’s been a while since she received letters.
‘Should be fine.’
As always, Evan praised himself internally.
“Hmm, hmm.”
Let’s calm things down first.Evan cleared his throat.Immediately, both Lapis and Arthur turned their heads sharply.
“Is something wrong?”“Is there an issue?”
‘Whoa, intense!’
Is it the blood splattered from Bishop Blake?Their faces are completely covered in blood.A horror movie-level scene.
Evan took a small step back.In his most neutral tone, he asked:
“Do you intend to kill the bishop?”“Since he harmed Evan, letting him live would be dangerous.”“I agree with your assessment. However, I don’t recommend sparing him. This man is dangerous.”“I’m not particularly inclined to spare him either. I merely thought it might be worth considering handing him over to someone with a personal vendetta.”
After thinking for a moment, Lapis approached Evan and grabbed his hand.
“As long as Evan likes it, I’m fine with anything.”“I shall follow His will.”“Spuer, what about you?”
Evan asked Spuer.Slightly startled, Spuer raised his head after a brief pause.After considering for a moment, he nodded.
“…I’ll follow Evan’s decision too.”“Lapis, please restrain him.”“Okay!”“I can do it.”
Spuer headed to a corner of the chamber and retrieved some chains.
“What’s that?”“Material for creating a Life Vessel. It slowly drains life when it touches skin.”“[Y-You dare use the precious materials of the church…!]”“Search underground. There should be useful documents.”“Are they all related to biological experiments?”“…Yeah. Probably.”“Cool. Don’t need them then.”
Casually giving up, Evan shrugged.
Arthur was momentarily confused.Didn’t he come here seeking research materials?
‘Wait, is he planning to use that heart as a specimen?’
That makes sense.Where else would you find such a unique specimen?
Chhhhh, zzzzrrr.
“[…I don’t understand.]”
The chains wrapping around his body.The bone-chilling cold seeping into his soul.Bishop Blake trembled.
It wasn’t solely due to the chains.Given how meticulous this plan was, calling it coincidence would be naive.
Evan Alkart.
“[Do you… understand?]”
A voice filled with terror.Bishop Blake was the sole individual within the heretics who knew everything about Spuer.What kind of destiny he carried, what kind of monster he was.
He also understood the extent to which Spuer, now uncontrollable, could transform into a monster.
And yet, Evan obtained him.No clue what grand design he’s planning.Completely unpredictable.
“No.”
Frey shook his head.
“When humans encounter the unknown, they choose one of two options: eternal fear…”Or…
Frey smirked faintly.
“Adoration.”
“[Y-You…]
“I think I finally understand what I need to do.”
Wants to observe further.Just how far does this grand design extend?
And he wanted to follow.He wanted to believe in and follow Evan, who granted him freedom, for the rest of his life.
“[You intend to revere humans?]”
“Yeah.”
Frey smiled faintly as he tightly gripped the heart with his hand.
“All I’ve ever known is faith, right?”“[Y-You…]
The heretics weren’t them.Right before his eyes.A new being was being born in real-time.
“All of this…”
Frey whispered softly into the heart.
“For Evan.”
The sin born to bring humanity’s destruction.Had become the second follower who worshipped a single human being.
