Chapter 354 : The Ball (3)

“Think about it, Alon. This world has been destroyed over and over again, with nothing carried on afterward. Even though such omnipotent magic existed long ago.”

At Heinkel’s words, Alon fell silent for a moment.

He mulled over the sentence before slowly opening his mouth.

“So, to sum up what you’re saying, Lady Heinkel, even those who existed before the era of forgotten gods couldn’t deal with sin despite having such omnipotent magic… is that it?”

“That’s right.”

The conversation continued in quiet tones.

“There’s one thing I’d like to ask. Is the magic that confirmed their true form really that omnipotent? Enough to deal with sin in one blow, perhaps?”

Heinkel, like Alon, was silent for a while before speaking.

“Let me say this first—I’ve never once seen sin with my own eyes. I don’t even know what qualities they truly have. What I do know is the extent of the damage they caused when they appeared in the world.”

“......”

“But even considering all of that, I don’t think this magic wouldn’t work. If this magic doesn’t work, that would mean the opponent isn’t even a living being in the first place.”

Instead of answering, Alon sank into thought.

‘Only Wrath remains…’

The sins of Psychedelia basically appeared in a set order if the player followed the story.

That also meant the order of appearance could change depending on the player’s choices.

Naturally, since this was a game, the specs of the sins differed depending on when they appeared.

For example, the Sloth that appeared first and the Sloth that appeared last were incomparable in strength.

The same applied to Wrath.

But even so, sin was always meant to be extinguished by the player.

Not sealed or exiled—extinguished.

No matter which sin appeared last with the greatest power.

In the end, Eliban defeated sin.

In other words, no matter how powerful Wrath had become now, it should not have reached the level of true omnipotence.

That was why Alon, lost in thought, suddenly—

“Ah.”

—came to a realization.

“Time.”

Time.

By nature, every sin, like an outer god, required time to fully manifest.

And the sins that players fought were always incomplete manifestations.

With that thought, Alon reached a reasonable conclusion.

“Then… could it be that a sin appearing fifth, if fully incarnated, would reach an untouchable level?”

Sloth, too.

It nearly destroyed the continent when it appeared later than it should have been handled.

Recalling that event, he shared the conclusion he reached with Heinkel.

“Hm.”

Heinkel nodded.

“You’re saying that once a sin manifests and enough time passes, it becomes unstoppable?”

“That’s right. If the people of the forgotten gods’ era perished to sin despite wielding such magic, what else could it mean? Unless…”

“Unless what?”

Alon nodded.

Because it reminded him of something Rine had told him last time.

“They say it also changes depending on the host’s strength.”

“The host’s strength?”

“Yes.”

He explained the fact he only learned when Rine visited the Marquis’ house, something he hadn’t known before.

“So you’re saying there are a huge number of variables.”

“Exactly. Which means it’s not as though we don’t have a chance.”

Heinkel reluctantly nodded again.

There was an odd bitterness lingering on her face.

But before Alon could ask, she quickly erased it.

“Well, if that’s the case, I understand.”

Even as he continued, Alon couldn’t shake off the suspicion from the fleeting expression she had shown.

“Still, I didn’t know you were so interested.”

“Interested? In what part?”

“In sin. I didn’t know you were actually worried about them.”

Heinkel gave a small laugh.

“Isn’t it obvious? If sin destroys this world, I’ll be dead too. Though to be honest, it’s less that I’ve been constantly worried and more that I keep wondering—could they really have lost even with this kind of magic?”

“Hmm~”

“Oh, that reminds me—you asked why wizards are so obsessed with it, right? I’ve said everything I meant to say, so I’ll explain now.”

And she began telling Alon about the fragments of insight that had fallen out while interpreting the magic.

***

Time passed, and after leaving the inner world—

“Then I’ll be going now.”

“Alright. Oh, and if possible, tidy up the wizards a bit too.”

“Are you telling me to recruit more?”

“Up to you. Honestly, it’s enough as it is, but if you want to bring in more, that’s your choice.”

“Understood.”

Alon walked out of the library—

Step.

Behind him.

From the unseen place, Heinkel watched the hidden eyes move in secret.

And once Alon had finally left—

“Phew.”

Heinkel let out a long sigh.

“Worry, huh.”

Of course, Heinkel had her own worries.

When the world perished, she too, rooted in the library of this Magic Tower, would vanish without fulfilling her wish.

But the worry she truly meant to bring up wasn’t about sin.

“Variables…”

She muttered the word Alon had spoken.

If what he said was true—that so many variables affected the strength of sin—

Then her hypothesis might have been wrong.

What’s more, the magic she had interpreted wasn’t even fully decoded yet.

She had only figured out how it activated, nothing beyond that.

Perhaps Alon was right.

A sin born from countless converging variables could be strong enough to ignore even this near-omnipotent magic.

Which might explain why the distant past fell to sin.

Heinkel forcibly pushed aside another assumption rising in her mind.

And she reached a conclusion that left a strange bitterness in her mouth.

***

The reason the Apostle of Envy was able to deduce Wrath’s identity.

It was because of that final moment.

When he failed to incarnate the Great One and fled, hoping to preserve a chance for next time—

The Apostle of Wrath appeared before Envy and killed him.

Brutally, by bursting him apart.

And even that wasn’t enough.

Wrath destroyed all of the cells Envy had prepared in advance.

So that he would meet death forever.

But Envy did not die.

Because there were cells she did not know about.

No—cells she could not possibly know about.

The bodies of those transformed into pure white beings, left behind on the cliff when the sin of Envy had manifested.

As sin perished, those cells naturally dissolved into nothing.

By sheer luck, before he could completely disappear, Envy experienced physical death and was able to resurrect by shifting his soul into the remaining cells.

As long as there were cells, creating a body wasn’t difficult.

That was why Envy, though stripped of most of his power, survived—

And in that moment, he realized the identity of the Apostle of Wrath.

No, it was impossible not to realize it.

Because the fragments of his body that exploded and disintegrated in real time—

Clung most heavily to Yutia Bloodia’s body.

From that moment on, the Apostle of Envy investigated Yutia Bloodia.

And he learned several things.

That she, who should have been confined within the Severed Space, had been active in the outside world for ten years.

That she shared an extremely close relationship with Alon Palatio, the one hindering the manifestation of sin.

And that Yutia Bloodia—

Was “adjusting” the manifestations of sin itself.

Each fact, from Envy’s perspective, was impossible to understand.

All apostles were supposed to be confined without exception in the Severed Space.

So how had Yutia managed to act outside for ten whole years?

And why was she controlling the manifestations of sin?

He could not comprehend it.

In the end, he only managed to uncover one truth and one speculation.

That the Apostle of Wrath cherished Alon Palatio above all else.

And that the Apostle of Wrath had, at some point, been replaced.

Even if the latter was only speculation, the former truth was enough for Envy.

Enough to manipulate the very Apostle of Wrath who had killed him without hesitation—

Like a puppet.

“How did you know?”

“The moment I reformed my body, the one soaked in my dying fragments was you.”

“Oh my, you can tell just from that? I didn’t know that.”

Yutia answered calmly.

And just as Envy began to think his suspicions were indeed correct—

“So, I’d like to continue where we left off. How exactly does my identity become a weakness?”

Yutia asked, smiling as if intrigued.

Envy replied.

“Don’t pretend to be calm, Wrath. If this fact reaches your dear Marquis Palatio, won’t you be in trouble?”

“Seems like you’re not considering the possibility that I could just reduce you to blood first.”

“Oh, I’ve considered it plenty. But—”

Smirk.

“Do you really think I would come here without any preparation?”

“And what preparations might those be?”

“The moment I die, everything I’ve uncovered will be announced across the entire Allied Kingdom.”

“Did you seize the Information Guild?”

“No, it’s more certain than that. Do you know this? My replicas can keep functioning for about a month after I disappear. And that’s more than enough time to expose your truth to this world.”

A vile smile tugged at Envy’s lips.

Even just the revelation of this fact would deal a major blow to Yutia.

But more importantly—

It would wound Marquis Palatio as well, since he was so closely bound to her.

And that was something Yutia Bloodia absolutely would not want.

So Envy grew arrogant.

But Yutia remained calm.

“I see.”

Suddenly, she grasped something in her hand.

A pocket watch.

Small enough to fit in her palm.

And as Envy frowned in confusion at the gesture—

Click.

She opened it and checked it, still smiling with perfect composure.

“Let me go over a few points.”

She spoke evenly.

“First, as you investigated, I am not the Apostle of Wrath. Just as you suspected, there was a switch. At some point.”

“…?”

Envy’s mind went blank for an instant.

Something felt off.

What was it?

As he faltered, Yutia calmly continued.

“Second, I wasn’t the one controlling the timing of the apostles’ appearances.”

And at last Envy realized what felt strange.

Yes, he had uncovered several facts about Yutia.

But he had never actually said which facts they were.

“Third, you claimed I was in close contact with Alon, didn’t you?”

As Yutia’s voice went on, Envy felt his mind twisting into knots.

What was this?

Had the investigation been finished from the moment he sent the letter to summon her? Or was it mind-reading?

No, impossible.

There was no such convenient ability.

“It’s a little sad to phrase it that way. Alon and I share a much deeper, inseparable bond.”

“…”

Fixing his eyes on Yutia, who had not once lost her smile, Envy realized something was wrong.

She had done nothing with brute force.

She hadn’t released mana.

She hadn’t made threats.

She had only spoken.

And yet, the Apostle of Envy instinctively felt threatened.

Something was very wrong.

Then.

“Oh, should I mention the fourth as well?”

At her question, he asked reflexively, entranced.

“…The fourth?”

“Yes, the fourth. Or maybe I shouldn’t call it that. I’m talking about the truth you planned to reveal if you failed to survive by any means.”

“…!”

His eyes flew wide.

She was right.

Beyond the three facts he intended to use, Envy had reserved one final card.

No—one final curse.

A truth meant to plunge the Apostle of Wrath—no, Yutia Bloodia—into despair at the moment of his death.

“‘Alon Palatio is not the one Yutia Bloodia seeks.’ That was it, wasn’t it?”

“!”

And at those words, he finally realized.

This wasn’t mind-reading.

Nor prior investigation.

This was—

Crunch!

“Wha—?”

His racing thoughts stopped short.

And only then did he realize—

His limbs were gone.

As if they had never existed.

“Aaaaghhh!”

A dull thud.

And over it, a wretched scream echoed.

Blood filled the cracks in the shattered stone floor.

Writhing in agony, Envy sank into chaos.

But not because of pain.

“Why?! Why?!”

Because his cells—did not regenerate.

They simply stopped.

As he writhed in confusion and agony, Yutia’s voice reached his ears.

“Oh, you don’t have to say anything more. I already know what proof you had, what basis you were relying on. But what should we do about this?”

Her tone remained utterly calm.

“I already knew everything.”

“…What?”

“All of it. That Alon isn’t the ‘master.’ That his letters meant nothing more than simple correspondence. And—”

Her voice stayed level.

“—That’s all they ever were.”

“…Then why?”

Envy muttered in disbelief.

Yutia only raised a finger, still smiling.

“Because that was never what mattered to me.”

“Wait! Do you even realize what you’re about to do?!”

Finally sensing her true intent, Envy shouted desperately.

“Yes, I know. If you die, the Allied Kingdom will suffer great damage. You made many preparations, after all. Some you haven’t even told me.”

Yutia remained calm.

“In the major capitals, the hidden pure ones will rise and slaughter the citizens once more. Yes, there will be many casualties.”

“The monsters and fools will rampage all the harder, thanks to the abyssal entities you and your replicas will have spawned as a last resort.”

“The rumors your replicas spread will interfere with Alon’s plans, which had been going so smoothly… But it doesn’t matter. Because—”

Because it will never happen.

Yutia whispered softly.

Envy tried to open his mouth.

But no voice came.

Instead, his vision sank lower.

Lower.

Lower.

Lower.

Lower and lower still.

Until at last—

His vision filled with the blood-drenched floor.

“And even if it does happen, it doesn’t matter.”

The last thing he heard was—

“Whether Rosario’s faithful are massacred, or the citizens of the Allied Kingdom are butchered, or even if every human in the Allied Kingdom is cut down—”

A whisper,

“As long as it’s not Alon, nothing else matters.”

It was absolute.

“No matter what happens to anything else.”