Delphrium’s star, symbolizing the original Seven Sins, and the strongest forces of the Dark Cult that inherited its power.
Yulen lowered her tone as if it was a fortunate time for my inquiry.
“Listen well, the Seven Deadly Sins are monsters second only to Delphrium within the Dark Cult. A considerable level of skill wouldn’t even give you a scratch! You’d need to be at least a ‘High Expert’ or ‘Archmage’ to have any chance of facing them.”
“Then what about the Master?”
“Are you insane? No matter how much of a Seven Deadly Sin they are, they can’t compare to the Master… not yet.”
The last phrase she added held significant meaning.
‘Not yet,’ in other words, it implied that the Seven Deadly Sins might grow to a level comparable to the Master.
If that happened, it would mean the end.
Seven beings on the level of the Master? The Dark Cult would no longer have a reason to remain in hiding.
With the forces they already possess, they could sweep across the continent.
Making an escape from here had become even more impossible.
Most importantly, a lingering concern still remained.
My gaze flickered towards the blood-red sun hanging in the sky. And towards the blood-red cocoon that enveloped the little girl.
Now that I had located the main body, I needed to retrieve the child, but there hadn’t been an opportunity to do so. I had to save that child quickly.
Perhaps sensing my feelings, Yulen let out a faint sigh and spoke.
“That little girl will be fine.”
“How do you know?”
“Because there was a ‘contract.’”
It was a problem that seemed quite simple, Yulen asserted.
“The contract is binding for both sides. Since they have promised to return her unharmed, it is highly likely that the child is not in any danger, just trapped in the cocoon. In other words, all we need to do is find a way to survive.”
“And that involves offering myself up?”
At that, Yulen shrugged, jesting.
“Do I really need to sacrifice you? Try adjusting the terms a bit more. Just looking at that woman, she seemed quite enchanted by you… Rather than losing you, she might be willing to endure some tricky conditions.”
“Wouldn’t she prefer to just kill everyone except me?”
Only then did the counterarguments cease.
Yulen and Selin wore gloomy expressions, and Senior Elsi rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
I, too, reflected on the conversation I had shared with Yulen in silence.
It was then that Senior Elsi spoke up.
“These blood-red threads…”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Senior Elsi. She was carefully observing the blood-red threads tangled around us.
The blood-red threads that spread throughout this confined space were being controlled by the girl.
And that was also why we couldn’t recklessly attempt an escape.
Regardless, our entire range of action had been overtaken by the blood-red threads. No matter how much we struggled, it was futile.
“It’s composed of magical power.”
“That goes without saying.”
Yulen replied instead of chuckling.
However, at that moment, a thought flashed through my mind.
‘Archmage.’
In other words, if I could reach even just a brief level of ‘High Expert.’
“There might be a way…?”
All eyes once again turned towards me at my small murmur. Yulen’s expression crumpled significantly at this.
As if she feared what nonsense I might say next.
But I was already committed. I continued to explain right away.
“Escaping from here isn’t impossible. However, I’ll need some time if it comes to fighting…”
“Time?”
Selin cocked her head, and Yulen instinctively traced the direction my eyes were fixed upon.
There still stood the girl, staring at me intently.
Yulen let out a resigned laugh as she realized what I meant.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Of course, it was merely a futile resistance.
Defeated by the strong support of the other two women, Yulen, hiding her face with both hands, spoke.
“I-an, do you think you can do it?”
My steps, now firmly resolved, abruptly halted.
The question bore more fear than a hundred counterarguments.
“Your sister… do you think you can hesitate?”
I was unable to answer for a long time.
My gaze wandered from side to side, then downwards, my lips parted and closed several times.
Finally, I sighed and took another step forward.
A heavy voice followed that trajectory.
“……You’ve chosen this, I-an.”
There was no need to return an answer in words.
Silently, I patted Yulen’s shoulder a few times. Then, stepping forward, I addressed the girl, whose face gleamed with excitement.
“I’d like to modify the contract terms.”
The girl’s expression, waiting eagerly for my response, momentarily became intricate.
She seemed to find it difficult to understand what I was saying.
Then, with a tsk, a sound came from her lips.
Her cold gaze was directed at me.
“Brother, are you having strange thoughts again? There’s a way to somehow break through this predicament if you don’t give up….”
Pff, the girl couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Even that was for a moment.
With a crash, a hint of her anger crashed down onto the ground.
A sharp sound followed.
“Don’t make me laugh! That doesn’t exist!”
“Then prove it.”
Without a hint of hesitation, I countered the girl’s words.
“Let’s change the terms. If I manage to inflict even a small wound on you before we are subdued… don’t touch me anymore.”
A soft giggle escaped the girl’s lips.
A lingering smile graced her face. It seemed to mock me.
“Alright, give it a try… If you inflict even a small wound, I won’t touch you at least for today. Does that work?”
“It’s a ‘contract.’”
The girl scoffed as if it were only natural.
Before we knew it, blood-red coins were in our hands. Two coins appeared with a clear noise directed toward a blood-red scale that emerged between us.
Round and round.
As the blood-red coin spun atop each tray and fell.
Yulen whispered softly.
“I-an, remember… you have made a choice.”
After that, the blood-red threads intertwined and formed a spiderweb, and faceless monsters burst forth from the ground.
Moreover, the girl lifted the blood-red whip once more.
All of that assault was directed towards me. Immediately after my companions charged forward, I gripped my sword and closed my eyes.
I had to concentrate.
To recreate the scenery I had witnessed that day.
*
A layer of consciousness sank deeply.
Shouts, screams, and the noise of blades clashing echoed around me.
I had to forget.
I painstakingly searched for a point in the past. The day I fought against the Archmage, wanting to see beyond that boundary once again.
Wouldn’t anyone else feel the same?
That was the path I needed to take. It felt like I was almost there.
Ever since that day, I have suffered from insomnia for days. Imagining the shards of truth that I hadn’t seen.
But no matter how hard I tried, they didn’t appear.
Only the silver flames burning my sword served as the sole illumination reflecting my inner self.
I had confidence.
I was not a fool. I wouldn’t risk the lives of my precious comrades on a hopeless gamble. I was certain that if I sought long enough, I would see the path.
If that was the only answer.
My hand groped through the darkness. Before I knew it, my space was enveloped in stillness and pitch black. Somehow, I had to find something.
Cold sweat rolled down my face. I had strained so much that my expression twisted and turned repeatedly.
Just as a droplet of sweat rolled down my cheek and hit the ground.
“……It’s impossible.”
I was startled back to reality.
My body was standing on an open field. Countless tents formed a line far away, and the torches that had gathered under the dark night fluttered.
A voice filled with suppressed heat followed the words I had blurted out of my mouth on its own.
“Why is that?”
“Because supplies are insufficient.”
A dry voice devoid of any emotions.
On the contrary, the expression of the woman next to me changed in real time. At first, she couldn’t hide her anger, then shot me a resentful glance, and eventually kicked the ground several times as if to suppress her fury.
She was an interesting woman.
Once, she had hidden her true nature, but now she openly revealed her emotions.
Her sharp gaze turned towards me.
“Ha, well then… you’re telling me to maintain the front lines with supplies that are endlessly lacking for more than a month? Just so we can wait for new supplies to arrive, and even then, you can’t guarantee the quantity?”
“Every front line has similar circumstances.”
“Are you bragging?!”
No longer able to contain her anger, the woman pointed with a harsh gesture towards the assembled tents.
There were soldiers gathered, all wearing tired expressions.
Water was boiling, but food was scarce. They munched on jerky while drinking hot water repeatedly.
Hoping that the salty taste wouldn’t disappear.
“We stand here to protect humanity. Everyone is risking their lives! At the very least, let us die on the battlefield. We can’t be left to starve because of a shortage of supplies…!”
“Shouldn’t we comply?”
It was a thoughtless remark that I spat out.
Even I realized how provocative my words were, enough to make me think ‘oops’ after saying them. There was no way the woman, who was already furious, would let that slide.
It was a sign that I was too worn out.
The situation on every front line was at its worst. Feeling that the lines hadn’t collapsed yet seemed like a miracle.
All those people were demanding supplies from me.
But no matter how hard I tried, supplies wouldn’t magically appear. After enduring this sort of argument hundreds of times, I too had become more anxious.
It was a mistake.
It was a line I should not have crossed with those standing on the battlefield risking their lives. Thus, I quickly lowered my head and apologized.
“I’m sorry. I misspoke…”
“Forget it.”
Her tone was strangely lonely.
The Lady Virgin Saint let out a deep sigh and then picked up the flask she usually carried at her waist. Casually tilting the flask, she began to gulp down alcohol.
She wasn’t someone with a strong constitution for liquor.
After that, the Lady Virgin Saint plopped down on the overgrown hillside. Her expression was clearly filled with a sense of despair.
My heart grew heavier with guilt.
“So you were human too… Ha! Why didn’t I realize that? If only I could provide supplies, you would be someone I’d want to help no matter what.”
“……I’m sorry.”
Words of apology spilled from my mouth continuously.
Regardless of my sentiments, the woman only wore a crooked smirk.
“I also see that you are quite ignorant of the doctrines. ‘Compliance’… Hehe, do you even know what that means?”
I remained silent, offering no response.
Her point was indeed correct.
Then the woman began to deliver a long lecture. Just from this appearance, she resembled a true clergyman.
How did she end up becoming twisted?
“‘Compliance’ does not mean lying down and falling over because the wind is strong. It doesn’t mean keeping your head held high while hoping for luck.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
To my counterquestion, the woman displayed a haughty smile.
“Find the answer for yourself. I’m not the type of woman who will simply show you the answers.”
Of course, I had expected that; I let out a long sigh and shook my head.
I had long given up any expectations. It had already been several months since I had gotten to know the woman.
I wasn’t naïve enough to not understand her twisted nature.
Rather, these days, I could faintly see the wounds she bore beneath her surface.
On a night passed into the summer, a cool breeze brushed against thin fabric.
The woman, gulping down her alcohol, was wearing an even thinner garment. It was the cost of making clothing out of inexpensive fabric to conserve supplies.
Thus, I found myself unable to take my eyes off her for a while.
When alcohol goes in, the body first warms up. But the more intoxicated one becomes, the lower their body temperature inevitably drops.
It meant becoming even more vulnerable to the cold in the end.
After much hesitation, I finally sighed and took off my coat. Before the woman could say anything, I draped it over her shoulders.
At this sudden act of kindness, the woman flinched and stiffened.
But it was only for a moment.
Instead of a common expression of gratitude, she narrowed her eyes and teased me.
“Aha, are you trying to make a move during this moment? Given how notorious my beauty is, I suppose that’s understandable. In the end, you’re just one of those countless men drooling over me…”
“Are you afraid of kindness without a reason?”
At my brief retort, the woman was momentarily rendered speechless.
