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thesevencrimesandpunishments · 5 years

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Extra Episode Story-Clandestine Meeting; Scene 2

Seven Crimes and Punishments bonus story

The place of trial, the “Court”.

That was what this dark alternate dimension was called.

According to Rahab’s calculations, the bottom of the sea near Jakoku led here. Brushing the water droplets off her body, her form was no longer that of a fish, but had changed to human.

This was not a transformation that Rahab had willed. In this place, every being here had to expose their true nature. “Fish monster”, “Mermaid”, “Demon of Envy”. These were all merely temporary forms for Rahab. Standing in this place now was a blond-haired, middle aged woman—That was none other than her true appearance.

This place had an enormous circular scaffolding, and nothing else outside of that.

A single old gentleman stood there in the center of the scaffolding. He had well-groomed facial hair, and was wearing a very high quality deep purple suit and silk hat. And he had his favored wooden walking stick. All of it was as it had been long ago.

“I recall that it’s been an extremely long time since I’ve seen you looking like that,” Rahab said, smiling as she approached the man.

“…Same to you. Rahab, you weren’t bad as a demon, but I must say this form is most sublime and beautiful.”

Never forgetting to praise a woman no matter what—How like him, Rahab though.

He had been the most refined of all the crew onboard the ark “Sin”, as well as a womanizer.

There was no one among the female crewmembers who hadn’t been been hit on by him at least once. Several of them had fallen for his charms, and there were those who had actually become his lovers.

Rahab herself had been one such woman.

“Why did you go to all the trouble to call me to a place like this?” Rahab asked.

He looked briefly around at their surroundings and replied, “I wanted to talk to you with a place where no people could see us. Well…not people so much as ‘gods’, I suppose.”

“I see. In that case, then certainly your options are limited in that respect. There’s just here, or the ‘Grave Yard’, or the ‘Hellish Yard’.”

“The ‘Court’ here was the easiest for us to reach. …That’s all.”

Simply put, he had called Rahab to this place because he hadn’t wanted their conversation to be overheard by the “gods”. As for who the word “gods” was referring to…Well, probably the whole crew could qualify, but in any case certainly the “gods” would not be able to lay eyes on them here.

He abruptly turned around and pointed his walking stick towards a place that didn’t have anything in particular in it. When he did, some sort of hologram projection started to float up to it.

That white, cylindrical object had the same shape as none other than the ark “Sin” that Rahab and the others had once ridden in.

“In time long past—we completed an escape from the planet we lived on using this spaceship. Similar spaceships were launched from every region in the world…but several of them exploded before they could leave the planet, and those remaining we eventually lost contact with.”

“Yes, that sounds right.”

“The crew members on the ship that we rode in were seventy-two in number—we decided to pool our strengths and ‘create’ a new world. …We had many sacrifices, but we were able to accomplish it somehow.”

Rahab realized that he was looking her way with a brief side-eye as he spoke.

She could easily imagine what was going through his mind then. The “sacrifices” he spoke of—their number included his lovers, excluding Rahab.

Sadly, those women had all died in an “unforeseen accident”.

…Yes, that had just been an “accident”.

Seeing Rahab’s expression not changing, he quickly returned his gaze to the hologram and continued to speak.

“What we ended up producing was the ‘Third Period’. The four scientists who excelled the most among those involved in the world’s creation became this world’s ‘gods’. …But a fight broke out there, and in the end the ‘Twin Gods’ and us six who supported them became sealed inside of the spaceship that had fallen down to the ground world. The two remaining decided to watch over the world; the ‘Great Land God’ from the ground world, and the ‘Sun God’ from the sky—”

And there, he once more turned back to Rahab.

“…Do you remember that much?”

In response to the question Rahab nodded.

“Yeah. I always remembered it, I never forgot.

“I see…To tell the truth, I’d forgotten it all until just recently. Not just that—I’d lost all my memories from before I was resurrected in this world as a demon.”

“…”

“The only thing left in my mind was the command to bring chaos to the world. I had nothing other than to follow that command as the ‘Demon of Lust’, without knowing my reason why or my aim in doing so—”

“And so you’re saying that now that you’ve regained your memory, you remember the reason for that command?

“No…That part is…still a bit fuzzy.”

He held his head, as though deeply troubled.

“…?”

“Revenge towards the sun god who sealed us away—thinking on it simply, it must have been that. But…Was that really all it was? And…are these memories I’ve recalled really correct in the first place? I…don’t know.”

Rahab moved around behind him as he was wracked with confusion and gently put her hands on his shoulders.

“Please calm yourself, Gilles.”

It had been centuries since she’d called him his name like this…no, more like a millennium.

“Ah…Sorry. I got a little carried away there.”

“So then, you called me here to verify what you’ve remembered?”

But Gilles shook his head.

“That’s not it. That’s not what I wanted to ask you about.”

He pointed his walking stick at the hologram space ship. When he did, it changed shape until it then resembled a single red book.

“…The story of this world’s creation was recorded in human textbooks.”

“A holy book, hm? That’s something that people of Magic Kingdom Levianta wrote, so it was probably composed as-is based on the ‘prophecies’ of Levia or Behemo.”

“In that case, the memories of creation that the ‘Twin Gods’ have should be the same as ours.”

“Yes.”

“But that’s why it’s so odd.”

“…What is?”

After Gilles once more took a moment to swallow, he cut in, looking into Rahab’s face, “This holy book recording the world’s creation. Why is it—that there’s no recording of her in here?”

So that’s what this was—Rahab reflexively cast her eyes down.

Gille had remembered.

Remembered that woman.

Though she was someone that should have been impossible to recall, according to the rules set down by the Sun God.

“That expression…You remember her too, do you Rahab?”

“Indeed…It seems that unlike the others, I somehow became a demon while still retaining all my memories.”

Rahab thought for a moment on how Gilles might have remembered her.

Perhaps the gods’ “Rules” had begun to crumble due to the world’s destruction?

Or…Perhaps it was simply due to Gilles’ fondness for women.

Naturally, he had tried to woo her too.

Yet she had never become one of his lovers.

Gilles’ expression suddenly darkened, as though having thought of something.

“It couldn’t be…you had her killed—”

“I didn’t,” came Rahab’s clipped refusal. “I knew there was nothing between the two of you. I had no reason to be envious of her.”

“I see…Then tell me, Rahab. Where has she—”

--the “Moon Goddess”, disappeared to?

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thesevencrimesandpunishments · 5 years

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Extra Episode Story-Clandestine Meeting; Scene 1

Seven Crimes and Punishments bonus story

After carrying out her role, Rahab once more jumped into the sea.

And then she dived deep deep into the bottom of the black ocean, moving the fins on her back and side.

She was the “Demon of Envy”, and at the same time had the form of a fish. Rahab was able to reach deep places that normal humans—or even proper fish could not dive to.

By all rights she should eventually reach the bottom of the ocean floor.

But she already knew that this was no longer the case.

The world’s time and space were already warping. Taking that into her calculations, the place she would arrive at, at the end of continuing to dive down--

At this place, Rahab planned to meet with her former lover.

The man now called the “Demon of Lust”.

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thesevencrimesandpunishments · 5 years

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Epilogue; Scene 2

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 146-148

“How are you faring, Allen?” the face peering in from above asked me.

He sounded the same as always. He was smiling as always.

I floated up into the air, and flew from the Blackbox.

Beneath my gaze were heads of rice that stretched over the surface of the ground.

Even though the world below had ended, nothing had changed about the world of heaven above.

“Well, your turn has arrived.”

I quietly nodded at Sickle’s words.

--Had that been a dream?

The “Grave Yard” that I had visited with Hänsel.

I had been swallowed up by the light of “Punishment” there—

And when I came to, I was once more in a black box.

That wasn’t a dream.

I was convinced of that.

Sickle didn’t tell me anything.

But I knew that I had gone through the destroyed world, and met with the seven deadly sin contractors.

There wasn’t one conclusion.

The end would certainly come.

Punishment for our sins would come, without a doubt.

Among those endings, one of them had been entrusted into my hands.

I would once more head down to the ground world.

I knew that this would be my last chance.

I still needed to meet with Riliane.

And—

The item I gripped in my left hand.

It was—a golden key.

The one I’d stolen from Nemesis back then.

It was there in my hand.

Come, let’s start now.

For a new beginning.

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thesevencrimesandpunishments · 5 years

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Epilogue; Scene 1

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 144-145

The world created by the four pillar gods

It will continue to prosper

For a thousand years

After that

The end will arrive

And it will be chosen by the four masters

The Master of the Graveyard brings death

Everything will go to the master’s stomach

And then only bones

Will sleep in the depths of the earth

The Master of the Court brings the trial

All must receive their judgment

The righteous will be led to heaven

The sinful will be led to hell

The Master of the Hellish Yard brings hell

No one will ever be forgiven

They will continue to wander a world

Where nothing has changed but everything has changed

The Master of the Heavenly Yard brings atonement

All will greet the end

But that is a new beginning

The souls who have melted down will be led to a new paradise

The ending that will come someday

Will visit us

We cannot avoid it

Punishment will fall

On us all equally

--From the twenty seventh book of the New Testament Levin Bible, “Revelations”

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thesevencrimesandpunishments · 5 years

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Chapter 8-Wrath; Scene 3

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 134-140

“…Damn, she’s fast on her feet,” Hänsel murmured, growing exasperated.

We had completely lost sight of Nemesis.

“Hänsel. Let’s try dropping back down again. Maybe she’s hiding somewhere that we can’t see from the air.”

“…Yeah.”

For the time being we descended down to the ground.

We had already gotten a far distance away from the area where the black gravestones were. There were no gear ruins laying around here. However, in their stead the place was dotted with several spherical devices that seemed to be a mass of countless tubes.

Most of these machines weren’t moving, but there were some of them that were oscillating slightly, and were emitting black smoke from the tubes.

“What are these? These machines?” I asked Hänsel.

But it seemed that he didn’t know the particulars either.

“What’s most important for us is not how to use these machines. It’s that Nemesis might be somewhere among these.”

Though we both searched several places she could hide, we didn’t find Nemesis.

Perhaps she wasn’t around here any longer.

“Hey, look over there.”

Hänsel pointed to a slightly elevated hill, and when I looked closer I could see a tree growing there.

“That tree looks like it’s got fruit growing on it. ‘Grave Yard’ fruit…That might be a good present for Lady Banica. Come on, let’s go pick some.”

“Hey…Take this seriously. And I would hardly think any fruit that would grow in a place like this would be normal.”

“What are you talking about? That’s why Lady Banica will like it.”

Hänsel ran up to the hill, ignoring my advice.

Why was he helping me in the first place? Thinking on it simply, it was probably for the same reason as the demons. They had lost their purpose due to all the living things in the world dying out, and so were searching for a new one—

Chiefly…He just had some free time.

It didn’t seem that Nemesis was here. For now, I figured I would follow after Hänsel, and started to climb up the hill. And that tree that was growing on the hill’s summit did attract my curiosity. I hadn’t seen any other plants growing anywhere else in the “Grave Yard”.

Right before I reached the top of the hill, I saw Hänsel.

--Accurately speaking, there was someone else there aside from him.

Hänsel was having a confrontation with that person. And surprisingly, it was a boy that looked identical to Hänsel.

And if they looked like Hänsel, of course that meant that they looked like me too.

Three people who had the same face were here. Come to think of it, the sorceress Elluka had once said the same thing. “In this world, people who resemble each other come in threes”.

I see. She had been correct.

More or less—Only “more or less”. Not to that extent–Unlike me, struggling with confusion, Hänsel apparently knew this other look-alike.

“Wow, what a surprise to see you in a place like this.”

Though Hänsel spoke to him, the boy didn’t make any sort of response. He was just gazing around with empty eyes, not at Hänsel, nor at me, but simply empty space.

“Hey, Hänsel. Who in the world is this kid—”

“Oh, you followed me, Allen. –Him? He’s like you. An…’Irregular’, born just before the end.”

“—What!?”

“Naturally, he died before he was able to form a proper ego. Right now he’s little more than a spirit simply wandering about without any will.”

The other “Irregular”—he seemed to take interest in the doll that Hänsel was holding onto.

He pointed to it, and murmured, “M…oth…er?”

In response, Hänsel lifted up the doll a little. “Yeah—that’s right. I remember, this is the ‘Mother’ who gave birth to you. Though there’s a different person dwelling inside it now.”

“Y…yeah…”

The boy approached Hänsel, and tried to take the doll.

But Hänsel raised his arms up higher, keeping him from getting his hands on the doll.

“Oop, I can’t just hand this to you.”

“Ah…Mother…Motherrr…”

The boy tried to steal the doll several times, but each time he did Hänsel would move it out of his reach.

“…This is just sad. Can’t you lend it to him for a little while?” I pressed Hänsel without thinking.

“Don’t be stupid. Even you know that this doll is dangerous, don’t you? –Come on, let’s ditch this guy already,” Hänsel said, beginning to walk again.

I resignedly followed after him.

“Mother…”

And then the boy also started to slowly move after us.

“Hey, Hänsel. He’s walking after us.”

“Don’t mind him. He can’t do anything anyway.”

“Even so…”

“What, do you feel bad for him? Don’t be such a soft touch.”

“…”

“Look, we’re almost to the tree….Ooh! That fruit looks absolutely delicious. It’s as red as blood.”

It was a tree so enormous that it rivalled the Millenium Tree. The fruits that were dangling from its branches resembled apples, but certainly they were far redder than normal apples. Or else, perhaps these only looked so red because they stood out more against the monochrome blackness of the “Grave Yard”.

“Huh…? What, that boy somehow got ahead of us.”

I pointed to a figure I could see next to the tree.

There was a boy there who looked like us there.

“…That can’t be. He’s still walking behind us now.”

When Hänsel said that, I turned around.

--And sure enough, there he was. Still following along with those empty eyes.

Then, that person next to the tree—

“You’re not saying that this is yet another ‘Irregular’?”

“…Oi, this is bad, Allen. Behind the tree. I can see there’s someone else there too.”

“Is that—Nemesis!? She’s holding some kind of black box. And she’s got some golden key—”

“Shit, we’ve gotta hurry! Take that key from her right now!”

Hänsel broke into a mad dash to get to Nemesis.

“Huh!?”

I started sprinting after him.

Hänsel leaped at her first. But she adroitly dodged him.

“Ah…Mother.”

I didn’t know if it was Nemesis who said that, or the boy who was behind us.

The only thing clear to me now was that Nemesis was inserting the key in her hand into the black box—that fact alone.

“--!”

Taking advantage of the gap while Nemesis was distracted with Hänsel, I lunged at her.

And I successfully took the key away from her hands.

“You’re too late—‘Punishment’ has been handed down.”

Whose words were those? No, rather—

The figure next to the tree…The fourth boy who looked like me.

His body had started to emit light.

He looked to be smiling.

But that was eventually erased by the light that he let off.

Lu li la…Lu li la…

It was some noise.

Or a voice.

Or—a song.

Myself.

Hänsel.

Nemesis.

The great tree.

And all of the “grave Yard”.

It was swallowed up by the light.

And then, everything was erased.

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thesevencrimesandpunishments · 5 years

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Chapter 7-Wrath; Scene 2

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 125-134

“Master” died due to the Leviantan insurrection.

But even more important than that, thanks to that insurrection the USE collapsed into partial inefficacy.

What began to rise to prominence within the country of Elphegort in all the chaos was the Tasan Party, which was comprised of the former members of an anti-USE organization.

The imprisoned Nemesis Sudou was released on amnesty, and, as she was popular with the people, the Tasan Party gave her the seat of deputy party head. When the actual party head Gammon Octo went missing later, Nemesis became the new one.

Eventually, Nemesis and the Tasan Party, having gathered support both internationally and domestically, launched a coup against Elphegort’s government.

As dictator, Nemesis ordered Elphegort’s army to invade the Republic of Lucifenia. Elphegort was excommunicated from the USE for that act, but Elphegort’s army made no move to slow their invasion, instead forming military alliances with Beelzenia and Jakoku once they had fully subjugated Lucifenia.

The USE army headed by Marlon and Holy Levianta resisted them, and made plans for a large-scale siege of Elphegort. The neutral power Maistia also declared their support for the various countries connected to the USE. Due to Jakoku then declaring war on Maistia, the seeds of battle spread across the globe.

Elphegort, in a bind by the onslaught of the USE’s army, secretly undertook development of a new weapon under the orders of Fuhrer Nemesis—this determined the construction and actual deployment of the popularly-named “Punishment”.

A prototype “Punishment” that was released for a trial run completely burned the entire Millenium Tree Forest to the ground.

Next, Elphegort fired “Punishment” at Maistia, but due to a mistake in their aim it fell on their ally, Jakoku. It reduced Onigashima to ashes.

By the time USE forces, having learned of the change in situation, surrounded Elphegort, countless “Punishment”s had already been aimed to be fired throughout Evillious.

And then—

Nemesis inserted the golden key into “Punishment”s firing mechanism.

The result of that was the current state of affairs.

The masked woman had said that she was launching me to where Nemesis was. Strictly speaking, it might be better to say she’d “dropped” me here rather than “launched”.

At any rate, I—we had reached a new place.

“This is…” murmured a boy who stood on the cliff before me.

It was Hänsel. He was taking in the scenery around us, eyes wide.

We had fallen on top of a pile of rubble. We had fallen from such a height that if we had still-living bodies, we would have most certainly died.

I wasn’t sure where we were right then, but it was a little different from everywhere I had been up to that point.

The sky was covered with a plane of bedrock, and no sunlight got through. But in spite of that, it wasn’t exactly pitch black here. The ceiling bedrock itself emitted a faint light. Thanks to that, though it was dim, I was able to see relatively far.

The rubble scattered about beneath our feet looked to be gears used in some kind of machine. Various sizes of gear, large and small, were piled together into a mountain.

And, at the foot of the cliff that Hänsel was gazing at were lined countless black gravestone-like objects.

“These gears, and these gravestones…Are they all illusions too?” I asked Hänsel from behind.

He shook his head, still continuing to look at the bottom of the cliff. “Nope. Everything here really exists.”

“Then is this some place that’s escaped from the destruction caused by ‘Punishment’?”

“Yeah, looks like. …If Lady Banica saw this place I bet she’d she’d jump for joy.”

“Conchita? –Just what kind of place is this, anyway?”

“This is the land where sleeps the legacy of the ‘Second Period’…The place that Lady Banica has always been searching for; the ‘Grave Yard’.”

“The civilization of the previous era—You mean, the gears here are their wreckage? Then, that means Conchita’s been after this advanced technology.”

“Yeah, though like she herself said, it might not mean anything now that the world’s been destroyed. …Anyway, let’s go. Assuming the ‘Master of the Hellish Yard’ wasn’t lying, Nemesis should be somewhere in here, right?” Hänsel said, turning around. He was still clutching the doll.

After that he began to search for a way to move on ahead.

“’The Master of the Hellish Yard’…You mean that masked woman?”

“Yeah. Though I don’t really know what her aims are. Or if she’s that way out of her own will, or if she’s being manipulated by that mask…Oop! Looks like we can get down this way.”

Hänsel broke into a run, so I decided to follow after him.

The gravestones at the foot of the cliff were erected in a systematic order. When I got close enough to peer at one of them, I was able to see that its material properties looked to be the same as the Blackbox that I had spent so much time inside.

“This is…Well, obviously these aren’t ordinary graves, right?”

In response to my question Hänsel replied, as he continued walking, “Yeah. You shouldn’t go around touching them all willy-nilly. You might get shocked, Geheehee.”

“Leaving that aside…This place is big. Looks like it’ll be considerably exhausting to find Nemesis in here.”

“Well, let’s be patient. Maybe she’ll come over here to find us.”

“You have any basis for that?”

“Nah, not really.”

“Sigh…”

For a short while, we continued walking through the grave yard. We caught sight of several fascinating items within, but right now we didn’t have time to concern ourselves with those. I had come here to meet with Nemesis. There was no point if it wasn’t connected to her.

“…That’s right. Come to think of it, Hänsel, can’t you fly?”

“Yeah.”

“So then search for Nemesis in the air.”

“—Oh, yeah, that might be a good plan.”

Why didn’t he realize that sooner? While lamenting all the wasted time spent, I had Hänsel gently float upward, and then fly into the air.

However, due to the bedrock ceiling he couldn’t fly very high up. Nonetheless, he rose to a hair’s breadth from the ceiling and looked around them.

In no time at all, he once more descended to the ground.

“—There. I saw something moving over there,” Hänsel said, pointing in a certain direction—I wasn’t sure if it was east or west.

In that direction was something that looked like a clocktower, one that wasn’t terribly tall.

The hands of the clock tower didn’t look to be moving.

“Although I don’t know if it was Nemesis or not.”

“Well, for now at least we should fly over there and check it out.”

“You can’t fly, right? What are you going to do?”

“Even though I can’t fly, that’s not so for you, yeah?”

“…You want me to carry you. Fine, whatever. Come on, let’s go.”

Hänsel shifted the doll to under his left arm, then with his right he roughly picked me up and once more fluttered up into the air.

The clocktower was black, like the gravestones, and near the giant clock was a viewing platform.

From the air I was able to see that on top of that viewing platform was a girl wearing a black, sleeveless uniform.

“Is that…Nemesis?” I asked Hänsel.

“Why are you asking me? You have all the data on Nemesis’ appearance too, don’t you? That green hair, those sharp eyes—there’s no mistaking it, that’s her alright.”

“I guess so…But she’s not wearing the Tasan Party’s military uniform, and she looks way younger.”

“A spirit’s appearance isn’t always influenced by the way they looked when they died. There were probably people like that among all those you’ve met up to now, yeah?”

I had to agree, it was true. Among the people I’d seen at the Lucifenian Palace, there’d been several who were much, much younger in appearance than the age they’d been when they actually died.

“But what’s she doing in a place like this? What do you think, Allen?”

Nemesis was loitering about and frequently looking down, without making any move to get down from the viewing platform.

“Looks like she’s searching for something to me. Maybe she’s looking for us?”

“Who knows. The fastest way to find out would be to ask the girl herself, wouldn’t it?”

“If that’s what you think then you shouldn’t ask that from the start. Well…anyway, I guess we should go talk to her.”

“Okay!”

Hänsel picked up speed and headed for the clocktower.

We slowed as we approached the tower, and right before we got there we completely came to a halt.

I let go of Hänsel and arrived at the viewing platform with my own two feet. A little bit later Hänsel dropped down at the same spot. Nemesis had already noticed us there. After she gazed at us with a little bit of surprise, she quietly murmured, “You two…why are you here…? No, that’s wrong. Neither of you are the “boy” that I know of.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…but I’m Allen. You—are Furher Nemesis Sudou, aren’t you? What are you doing in a place like this?”

“I’m…I’m looking for my mother. I came here seeking her whereabouts.”

At that, Hänsel spoke up from behind me. “We were just looking around here, and there wasn’t anyone aside from you. Maybe she’s not here?”

But Nemesis shook her head.

“That can’t be. My mother must surely be here.”

“I can’t imagine any ordinary soul can make their way down here. Though, I don’t know how you got here then.”

“My mother…hasn’t become a spirit. She—Ma is still alive, and somewhere here on the ground world.”

“…Ah, it’s no use. She’s gone completely crazy.” Hänsel scratched at his own head, astonished. And then he moved closer to Nemesis, telling her, “You get it? First of all, this place isn’t the ‘ground world’. It’s the ‘grave yard’—the resting place of the old civilization. And another thing...there’s no one still alive anywhere. Because they were all put to their deaths by the ‘Punishment’s that you fired all over the place! You destroyed the world!”

“I…destroyed the world?”

“You’re kidding, you don’t even know that you’ve died? You stupidly used ‘Punishment’ on your own country. And thanks to that—we’re all sons of bitches!”

“I…No. I can’t have wrecked the world. What I destroyed was ‘hell’. Yes—the hell named ‘Evillious’. And…the one who killed me was that ‘boy’. Yes, the one you two look identical to—Ee—Eeeeeek!”

Suddenly, Nemesis’ face warped with terror.

And then she gripped the railing of the viewing platform, and a moment later, jumped down.

“Hey! –She’s getting away!” Hänsel shouted.

After Nemesis got to the surface of the ground, she started to sprint full-tilt towards a nearby hill. She was unusually fast on her feet.

We would chase her as she ran—we didn’t have any other choice. A lot of the things that Nemesis had said were incomprehensible, but there were several things that had piqued my interest.

We needed to ask her on the specifics a bit more…

I once more gripped Hänsel.

As though on cue, he propelled himself from the viewing platform.

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thesevencrimesandpunishments · 5 years

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Chapter 7-Wrath; Scene 1

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 124-125

Nemesis Sudou was born in an abandoned shack in the Millenium Tree forest.

She was secretly raised by her mother as an illegitimate child.

On seeing an adult man happen to pass her by in town, she overlaid him with the image of her father, who she had never seen before.

As she grew up, Nemesis’ heart grew warped, and her hands became steeped in wrongdoing.

Eventually, she and her friends were captured together, and in their trial were sentenced to be executed.

In exchange for being exempt from execution, Nemesis ended up becoming a member of the Dark Star Bureau’s special task force, “PN”.

While living life as an ordinary citizen on the surface, behind the scenes she became an assassin who would kill targets under the organization’s orders.

Once, Nemesis fell in love with someone.

But he had been arrested under a false charge.

Nemesis had concealed her lover, who had escaped from his legal confinement.

The new order handed down from the organization was to kill the man she loved.

Nemesis killed him, and then tried to follow after him.

But even though she fired a bullet into her temple, she would not die.

The only thing that can kill a deadly sin contractor is someone who has also given themselves to a deadly sin.

It was then that she learned for the first time that she herself was a contractor.

Under some persuasion from her lover’s younger brother, Nemesis swore revenge on the head of “PN”, “Master”.

Taking advantage of a rebellion, she entered the home of the Master.

The “Vessel of Wrath”, which stabbed Venomania’s chest, sapped Conchita of her power, almost killed Riliane at the beach, and lopped off Kayo’s head—that was the golden key, Grim the End.

This time, the vessel that changed shape through the eras had become golden bullets, and she fired one into the Master’s forehead.

The Master’s true identity was Nemesis’ father.

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thesevencrimesandpunishments · 5 years

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Chapter 6-Greed; Scene 2

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 111-122

The USE Dark Star Courthouse—if the information that I had was accurate, then this should not be in Jakoku, but rather Holy Levianta.

Holy Levianta was a country to the north of Elphegort, and very far removed from Jakoku.

Of course, this building was itself an illusion that had been made real, and so for that reason alone he couldn’t imagine that I had been so easily shifted from Jakoku. Gallerian Marlon was here, so it was more natural to think that the court had been envisioned in Jakoku due to his influence.

However. That didn’t explain what Gallerian was doing in Jakoku. All of the contractors up to now had all been in their respective homes. There were no records of Gallerian having visited Jakoku in life. Gallerian’s soul appearing in a place that he’d never gone to while he was still alive was a little bit difficult to imagine based on the examples I’d had up to this point.

So then, was this Levianta? –But when I thought that, that led to an inconsistency with Kayo-san. In her whole lifetime she had never gone anywhere outside of Jakoku. Obviously she had never gone to Levianta either.

But now Kayo-san’s and Gallerian’s souls were both here at the same time, in the same place.

The theory that I derived from that fact was that this place was a composite space between Jakoku and Levianta that had arisen as a result of the distortions of time and space, or else it was some new dimension entirely that was neither of those places.

I was not allowed to stand near the defendant’s seat, and so I ended up watching over the trial from the visitor’s gallery.

The trial proceeded solemnly.

Kayo-san’s crime was “murder”. Essentially, in this place she was being judged again for the sin that she had committed while she was alive.

And Kayo-san looked to be quietly listening in to the exchanges between the prosecution and the defense without appearing to have any doubts at all about the current situation.

--What a farce. She had already received judgment for the crimes she’d committed long, long before. There was no point in punishing that crime a second time.

It was just madmen bound to their memories from life.

The defendant and the judge both.

Neither of their minds were imprisoned by a demon of deadly sin any longer. And yet, they still continued this farce.

Venomania had still been giving up his body to lust.

Conchita was still in pursuit of food.

Riliane too was still as selfish as ever.

And the Sleep Princess as well had showed no sign of stopping her actions to bring sloth.

Why?

Why did they persist in being that way, even after being released from the demons?

“I shall announce my verdict.”

Gallerian began to read off his decree without delay.

His voice resounded through the otherwise silent courtroom.

“—For the aforementioned charges, the defendant Kayo Sudou will be decapitated. The execution will be carried out…here, and immediately!”

The moment he’d concluded giving his verdict, an execution device that I was very familiar with suddenly appeared in the space in the middle of the courtroom where just a moment ago there had been nothing.

--A guillotine.

Two men grabbed Kayo-san by her arms, and took her towards this implement of execution. She didn’t show any sign of resistance.

She calmly laid her head down on the guillotine platform. Once the blade fell on her neck, the carrying-out of her execution would be complete.

As a spirit, she couldn’t die a second time.

But…I knew.

The terror of that moment when that enormous blade is falling towards you—

“Stop!” I screamed without thinking.

All of the souls in the gallery gazed at me.

“There’s no meaning in doing any of this! Why must you make her feel such suffering again!? Enough already…Stop…please, stop…”

I realized that I was crying.

These tears may have been little more than illusions. But my sorrow was genuine. I knew these feelings weren’t just because I sympathized with Kayo-san. With that guillotine—I was probably seeing my old self in her place.

Even after the deadly sin contractors had died, they hadn’t changed. But that was the same for me, too.

A selfish servant, drunk on his own self-righteousness. And despite that, a foolish man who grew shamelessly terrified in the moment of his death. I hadn’t grown since then one iota.

Someone looked down on me as I cowered and criedg out. When I looked up, I saw that it was Gallerian.

“Hm…I had merely thought that some brat had gotten lost in the courthouse, but now that I look closer I see you are the Irregular I have heard of. –Very well. I shall exonerate Kayo Sudou regarding her execution,” he said, and then brought up his right hand to his chest, making a circle with his thumb and index finger. “Of course—it depends on if you have money.”

“…I have none.”

“Then I need compensation. Someone to take the place of the accused…Very well. I shall have you executed in her stead.”

“…Huh?”

“I am saying you will fall prey to the guillotine instead. And then I will pardon her.”

No. I didn’t want to go to the guillotine. It was frightening…I was frightened.

“What’s this? Trembling? Honestly, what ‘Irregular’ is this? You’re just a simple, timid child. …However, I will not allow that at this stage. Come! Take this brat to the guillotine!”

The two men who stood beside Kayo started to head my way.

No. No, don’t take me to the guillotine.

Someone…anyone.

Save me.

--And right in that moment.

“Stop, Papa!”

A voice came from the direction of the defense lawyer’s chair. Everyone looked towards it at once.

There she was—or rather, there it was. A doll. The green haired doll that had been the “Vessel of Sloth” was quietly sitting on the defense desk.

Gallerian’s expression, a sadistic smile on his face, quite clearly changed to one of consternation the moment that he saw the doll.

“Oh…Michelle. It’s you, Michelle! Where have you been all this time? Papa’s been looking all over for you.”

“Papa, you must stop! You can’t kill someone without following the proper legal proceedings! If you’re going to execute him, you have to properly judge his sins first!”

“Hmph…That’s true. It’s as you say, Michelle. You always say the right thing. Yes! Then once more—we shall open judgment on the defendant, Irregular! His charge…The crime of having let the world be destroyed!”

My arms were grabbed by the two men, and then I was taken to the defendant’s chair.

Kayo-san was looking at me with a vacant expression. It looked as though she couldn’t keep up with the rapidly changing situation. However, when guided by one of the men to the visitor’s gallery, she obediently did so.

On my part, I had finally started regaining my composure back.

Good grief, trauma embedded into one’s heart was a frightful thing. Considering that just seeing the guillotine had shaken me up to that extent.

But I guess I can’t help that. I did get my head cut off by the thing after all.

After I had settled down in my head, I once more looked at the doll in the defense lawyer’s chair.

“Well then, I will be acting as his defense!” the doll whispered.

That voice of course couldn’t have been the doll’s. It also didn’t belong to the “Sleep Princess” who was probably still sealed inside. It was high-pitched, so I didn’t realize it immediately, but without a doubt, that was—a male voice.

Come to think of it, I couldn’t see the soul who had been acting as Kayo-san’s defense earlier. When I looked around, I was able to spot him sitting behind the visitor’s gallery. His eyes were closed, and he was snoring.

Souls didn’t sleep—not normally, anyway.

So then, he was probably sleeping with the Sleep Princess’ ‘gift’. She would never help save me.

Had the doll’s owner temporarily borrowed her power--?

…Could it be Hänsel!?

I couldn’t see behind the defense’s desk from here. But he was probably hiding there.

The voice that was impersonating Gallerian’s daughter must have been coming from under the desk, so that it would seem like the doll itself was talking.

First a Pierrot, and now a ventriloquist—talented guy.

In any case, that meant that he’s saved me two times now. Though I didn’t know if he’d really saved me yet or not.

Gallerian had said that my charge was the crime of having allowed the world to be destroyed. I had no memory of doing that whatsoever. It was “Punishment” that destroyed the world, and the one who unleashed it was Nemesis. No relation to me.

Maybe there was no need for me to pay heed to the ramblings of a madman. But I couldn’t imagine that Gallerian was saying such things without any basis for them. If he was making up some vague charge to get me on, then surely he would have come up with a crime more appropriate.

Why the sin of having destroyed the world--?

“Well, this is a quandary. Even if Michelle is acting as the defense attorney, there’s no one here who can act as a prosecutor for his crime. With this, the trial can’t proceed.”

Gallerian was apparently focusing on the undertaking of the trial, without paying attention to my doubts.

“Where can we find a good prosecutor—Oh?”

It seemed he’d realized something. His gaze shifted to the entrance door, which had been left wide open.

A faint sound of footsteps grew gradually louder, and then a figure wearing a hood appeared.

“Who are you?” Gallerian asked.

Thanks to the hood I couldn’t see very well, but judging by the body shape that I could catch from gaps in the tattered robe it seemed to be a woman.

“—Here for the trial,” she said singularly.

“Oh? Are you going to serve as prosecutor in this trial?”

“No. I will be—the role of judge.”

“What? …That presents a problem. I am Master of the Court. This is something I will not pass on to anyone else.”

“No. Whatever you say, I am presiding judge. And the defendant—is you, Gallerian Marlon.”

“What!?”

The woman lifted her head. Despite that, I still couldn’t see her face. She was wearing a mask underneath that hid her eyes.

“You’re—”

The woman slowly approached the judge’s stand where Gallerian was.

“You cannot just do as you please, Gallerian. Though the hellish yard and ground world have fused, you—you all are still, under my control. Quietly return to the depths of the earth.”

“…Indeed, I will go back. Once I’ve collected all of the ‘Vessels of Deadly Sin’!”

“I see. Is that why, Allen was invited here?”

“That was mere coincidence. I only recently realized his true identity.”

“Not you…I meant the ‘Demon of Greed’. Good grief, like the name implies, such a greedy fellow as always. –Enough. This conversation is over.”

The woman snapped her fingers.

Immediately, Gallerian’s body abruptly started to sink into the ground.

“Aaaaaa….”

Gallerian all too quickly vanished, letting out a death scream. When I looked closer, I could see that a large hole had opened up at his feet. He’d fallen through it.

“…”

The woman once more snapped her fingers. At that, the hole that Gallerian had fallen through closed up.

No, it wasn’t just the hole. The courthouse itself that we were presently in gradually started to fade away. Now that Gallerian, the person who had made it appear there, was gone.

Before I knew it, I was standing in a bare, empty field. Those in the visitor’s gallery realized that the trial was no longer being held, and left without a word. Eventually the only people left were myself, the masked woman, Kayo-san, and Hänsel, who was holding the doll.

“Now then—” The masked woman began to talk to Kayo-san. “I need you back too. Okay?”

But Kayo-san shook her head. “I still haven’t received my punishment.”

“Your atonement was finished long before. No matter how much you repeat it, you will not see your family again. Now spend your time leisurely, in the depths of the earth.”

On hearing those words, Kayo-san’s shoulders drooped. The masked woman put a hand on her back, and began to move to take her away somewhere.

“Hold it! Where do you think you’re taking Kayo-san?” I shouted. The masked woman turned around and looked at me.

“—Be polite.”

“Huh?”

“Speak politely, with your elders.”

“…Where do you plan to take Kayo-san?”

“Don’t worry. I’m just taking her, to where she was before. Gallerian from before…and Venomania both I have already sent back. Now it’s just Kayo—and one more.”

There was something familiar about her speaking style.

I felt as though we may have met sometime before.

“Who is this ‘one more’?”

“Nemesis. The reason the world has turned out like this.”

“Where is Nemesis now?”

“If you want to meet her, then I will launch you there immediately. –Though not through ordinary methods.”

When she said that, she held up her right hand.

“Wait a second. I have other things I want to ask—”

“We’ll, meet again—Allen.”

A hole opened at my feet.

I tried to grab at the hole’s edge, but I was too late.

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Chapter 6-Greed; Scene 1

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 110-111

The man who went down as the worst judge in the history of the USE (Union State of Evillious) Dark Star Bureau, Gallerian Marlon.

All of the judgments that he passed down were dependent on money.

As long as they gave Gallerian a bribe, a criminal who had committed their offense would always be found innocent, and conversely those who were of poor financial means would be found guilty even if they hadn’t done anything wrong.

Gallerian had a reason to go so far to accumulate money.

He had a “daughter” that he loved dearly, and that daughter was afflicted with illness.

In order to heal his daughter’s disabled legs, he needed demonic power.

Just one was not enough. He needed seven.

His wish would not be granted unless he had gathered all the demons.

The person to tell him of the existence of demons was a playwright that he was intimate with.

Gallerian had no way of knowing whether it was the truth or not.

Even so, he could only press forward.

His reckless actions invited the anger of the people, and a revolt broke out.

Gallerian was given the killing blow by a golden bullet that a girl fired.

Naturally that bullet was also a “Vessel of Deadly Sin”.

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Chapter 5-Envy; Scene 4

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 104-108

Before I knew it, I had reached the summit of the hill.

I looked downhill at what lay behind me. It appeared that I had managed to escape the time and space distortion for now, but I had already long passed the tailor shop.

When I reexamined my surroundings, I couldn’t see the demon of Greed anywhere.

Hadn’t he come with me?

“…That is…it couldn’t be.”

Instead, I found a figure in the right of my vision.

It was a woman in a red kimono, with a green obi. She had a yellow hairpin in her pink hair--

I could tell that she had noticed me too. She leisurely made her way towards me.

“Ren…You’ve come home.”

“Yeah…”

Without a doubt, that was Kayo-san.

“Are you well? Are you not with your friends today?”

“Yeah. What about you, Kayo-san?”

“Like I do everyday, I sew kimono, fix obi, and wait for my husband’s return—such as my days have been.”

“Yes—”

Hänsel had told me that she was still a madwoman. It seemed that this was apt.

Her expression, her bearing, the way she spoke…There was nothing unusual about it in the least.

And yet, despite that she was not a usual person.

Nothing had changed about her from when I first met Kayo-san.

But from that time she had already gone insane.

“Well then, I think I shall head home and make preparations for dinner—But, what shall I do. I do have to leave on some business later.”

“Business?”

“Yes. You see, I…have to go receive punishment now.”

When she said that, she shifted her gaze to behind me.

I followed her glance and turned around.

“This is…”

Right then, for the first time I realized that there was a building there.

It was clearly constructed with artificial stone, an obviously different style than the other buildings in Enbizaka.

A building like this wouldn’t have been in Enbizaka at the time.

“I must…I must receive punishment.” Kayo-san pressed onward inside the building while continuing to murmur that to herself, as though rambling deliriously.

“Wait a second! Hey, Kayo-san!”

Something was off. What in the world was this building?

I ran inside after her.

The building’s interior had red carpeting spread over the floor. With this solemn atmosphere—Yes, rather than Jakoku it felt close to a style that I had seen often in my home country.

Kayo-san progressed steadily forward. I followed her. Finally, we reached a large open room.

Many souls were inside. They were all sitting in seats arranged throughout the room, and gazing at Kayo-san as she stood in the center. And they were all whispering something to each other.

“Silence!”

Someone’s loud voice resounded through, and all the souls gathered in the room grew quiet at once.

A man entered from further inside. He was the one who had spoken.

The moment I saw him, I understood everything.

Here…this place I’m in right now…isn’t Jakoku.

Yes, this place—

And the man who was standing there at the head platform--

“Now then, the judgment of the defendant Kayo Sudou is now in session!”

There was no doubt about it.

The judge of the USE Dark Star Bureau.

And the man who had contracted with the “Demon of Greed”.

Gallerian Marlon.

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Chapter 5-Envy; Scene 3

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 100-104

Jakoku.

The yet smaller island laid out inside this small island nation was Onigashima.

I spent the majority of my time after my death in the black box in the “heavenly yard”, but with Sickle’s permission (or without his notice), I would go down to the ground world from time to time. In most cases I came down as a dead soul, and so—excepting rare people with extremely good perception or those with connections to demons and gods—living people couldn’t see me.

But due to some particular circumstances, when I descended down to Jakoku it was with the form of a living human. Though it was only for a brief time, I had been reborn as a person of this country.

I came to know several people. I made several friends.

And it was there that I met Sudou Kayo—Kayo-san.

The neighborhood of Enbizaka had shops and residences lined up in it just like it did back then.

I was no longer confused. This was all an illusion. The area of Onigashima had been destroyed by “punishment” a short time before the destruction of the world

The buildings themselves looked as they did back then, but there were no people there—or rather, souls. I had held onto some hope of being able to reunite with my friends here, but they were nowhere to be seen.

Before my eyes was a long, long slope that went up, buildings on either side of it. If I climbed it, I would reach the tailor shop where Kayo-san would be.

“I think it would wear me out to walk up that,” the demon of Envy murmured with a sigh, having returned to her bipedal humanoid form. “I’m not good with walking…I’ll wait for you here.”

So saying, she leaned against the banister of a nearby bridge.

That was fine with me. I would be at my destination soon even without her help.

I began to ascend the slope.

The rocks that were spread all over. The filth of the walls. All of it was like it was back then.

That meant that all of this was an illusion that had been derived from the memories of someone who was alive back then—Kayo-san.

I continued to climb the hill. There was no one to talk to now. I just silently moved ahead, moved upward, step by step—

…Was this slope this long before?

I’d been walking for a while now. I should reach the tailor shop soon.

But the hill stretched onward before me for quite a ways yet. I couldn’t see the tailor shop’s building.

Back then I had been a living person, and now I was a spirit. Maybe there was some change in my perception that I hadn’t noticed by myself.

Once more I continued to climb the slope. Determinedly, with no thought but my goal, pressing ahead—

Yeah, this is strange. It feels like I’m just going by the same places over again.

I was positive I’d already passed by that hairpin shop front.

Even though I’d been heading straight ahead, with no deviations.

Time and space was being distorted—I recalled what the demon of Envy had said.

Maybe this phenomenon was because of that distortion?

--Even if that was the case, I couldn’t afford to just stand around there. If I stopped walking, I would never get there.

I tried to move on a little bit farther.

If it proved to be fruitless anyway, then I had no choice but to give up for now and return.

…Although, I might not even be able to go back now.

I continued to walk for a bit longer, but it didn’t look like I was getting anywhere close to reaching my destination.

I’d already gotten tired of seeing that hairpin shop sign.

Like before, I wouldn’t be meeting with anyone outside of myself.

I suddenly sank, and sat down on the spot.

There was no point to foolhardily continuing to walk. I needed to come up with some sort of measures.

But no matter how much I pondered it, no plans to resolve my situation came to mind.

What should I do…?

That was when it happened.

I could see a single bird descend from the sky.

It was an owl.

If it was appearing in a place like this, then obviously it wasn’t an ordinary bird. That was what my gut told me.

Well then, was it a god, or a demon—

“You look to be in a bind, boy.”

When I looked closely, I saw that the owl had six wings. Just like the demons of Lust, Pride, and Envy. He calmly alighted on the ground while skillfully maneuvering them.

“If it would be of aid to you, might I lend you my power as the ‘Demon of Greed’? …Of course, I will require certain compensation fees.”

It seemed that it was a demon, then.

“I’d be really appreciative if you did. Although I don’t have any money on me right now. I wouldn’t think that coins and bills have any worth now that the world’s turned out like this.”

“Hmph, I suppose so. …Very well, this one time I will put it on your tab. I won’t get anything by leaving you here forever, boy.”

“Anything, as long as it gets me out of here.”

“Well then, with haste—let’s go! Come, give over all to me!”

A bright flash seethed from the demon’s body.

The light swallowed up the scenery around us. But, oddly, I didn’t feel any radiance from the light.

After our surroundings were engulfed with light, then a black shadow appeared at my feet. That shadow stretched straight in one direction.

“Move on following that shadow, boy! Come, hurry! Before the light and shadow disappear!” the demon directed me.

I didn’t have any choices available to me outside of obeying. I pushed on ahead, praying that this demon wasn’t a swindler.

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Chapter 5-Envy; Scene 2

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 97-100

The ocean was not the blue color that I knew.

There was the Demon of Envy, advancing calmly along the clouded black water, and myself riding on top of her.

As I had no compass I couldn’t be certain, but it seemed the demon was moving south. She likely intended to head to Jakoku in the East by moving around the bottom side of the continent.

“Wouldn’t flying have been faster after all? Or maybe cutting through the continent on Josephine…” I suggested to her, but the demon didn’t seem to have any intention to answer me. She made no reply, simply continuing to move through the sea silently.

How much longer would we be going?

I could no longer see land around us.

I’d gotten extremely queasy. I learned for the first time that I could become motion-sick even though I was a spirit.

I would have thought such a thing impossible considering I didn’t have a physical body, but maybe this too was a mood-based thing. If someone thought, “There’s a palace here”, then an illusory building of it would appear. Then that might mean that, in much the same way, the notion that I got motion-sick easily that was etched deeply into my memory could have been causing this nausea to occur.

Right as I was about to ask how long until we reached Enbizaka, the demon spoke up first.

“…How odd.” She sounded a touch confused.

“What’s up?”

“Look over there.”

The demon pointed ahead using her fins.

It was faint, but I could see the faint silhouette of an island.

“That’s—”

“Jakoku.”

“I guess we’ve made it. Finally some land’s come up. That’s good, isn’t it? At least, it’s good news for me.”

But the demon maintained a stern expression.

“—It’s too soon.”

“Huh?”

“By my calculations, it should have taken a little bit more time for us to arrive at Jakoku. And yet, now we’ve made it here much earlier.”

“Maybe you got better at swimming without realizing it?”

“I wish. …This gives me a bad feeling, for some reason. Maybe the ground world’s time and space is beginning to warp due to its connection to the Hellish yard.”

“…What!?”

“Maybe that’s the reason why the professor is hurrying things along.”

“’The professor’? Who’s that?”

“If I said ‘the Sun God’, would that make it a bit clearer for you? Well, anyway, let’s get aground quickly. This area should probably be the coast of Jakoku’s southernmost point—Onigashima should be just a bit farther on.”

While giving me several doubts and worries, the demon once more began to move across the ocean.

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Chapter 5-Envy; Scene 1

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 81-94

Jakoku—this island nation that lay far to the east of the Evillious region had restricted all interaction with outside countries until the year of 850EC, and for that reason it developed its own unique culture.

Only, as an exception there did exist some areas that allowed foreigners to reside there.

The island of “Onigashima” in its southern region was one of those regions that housed foreigners, and in the town of “Enbizaka” that lay at the heart of the island there were a great many foreigners living alongside Jakokuan people.

Sudou Kayo was a woman who rain a tailor shop in the corner of Enbizaka.

Good-natured, and with definite skill, she was a popular girl in the neighborhood.

In Onigashima, with its many foreigners, Kayo’s pink hair and white skin weren’t thought of as being particularly strange. This was because many people knew that she had foreign ancestry in her.

However, for some reason there was not a single person who remembered that Kayo had once had an entirely different appearance, that of a black haired woman.

Everyone had forgotten it.

It was as though they’d had some kind of hypnotism put on them--

Once, the owner of a dry goods store, Mei who was the wife of Miroku Kai, was found in Enbizaka as a naked corpse. It was thought she’d been stabbed in the chest with a sharp blade.

Starting with that, the people of the Miroku family were killed one by one, until finally the head of the family, Kai, met with the same fate.

They were fearsome serial murders--the woman captured as the culprit had her head cut off, and had that head put on display for three days as a warning to others.

The blade that cut off her head was another “Vessel of Deadly Sin” that had changed forms.

But there’s few who know that fact.

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Chapter 4-Sloth; Scene 2

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 81-94

When we were still just a little ways from Toragay, we found someone standing in the way of our white horse as she ran.

“--!?”

Clarith panicked and tugged on the bridle, bringing Josephine to a stop.

“Yo…If you can you should let me ride with you.”

The one who spoke up then was a golden-haired boy dressed as a clown.

I got down from the horse, half in shock.

“You again…Hänsel. Shouldn’t you be with your ‘Lord Banica’?”

Though he was wearing Pierrot makeup, it wasn’t enough to obscure his general features or the sound of his voice.

Why was he here now in this place, when he should have still been at the Conchita mansion?

I could somewhat guess. I knew that the “Sleep Princess” who waited for us up ahead was deeply connected to him.

Up on the horse Clarith made a somewhat troubled expression, and said to him, “I can’t allow you and the ‘Sleep Princess’ to meet.”

“Is that under ‘Michaela’’s orders?”

“Indeed, Hänsel—or, perhaps it would be more accurate to call you by ‘Fifth, Pierrot’, the way you are now. A direct meeting between you two may cause yet more chaos to occur.”

“Well, you don’t have to be so stubborn about it. She’s a colleague of mine from ‘Pere Noel’…I just want to clear up her misconduct. And I came here to give you something you forgot, while I’m at it.”

So saying, Pierrot held out a doll.

One of the “Vessels of Deadly Sin”—the doll that contained Sloth.

“I swiped this from Michaela and got over here,” Pierrot said with a triumphant expression. But Clarith expressionlessly shook her head.

“A doll like that has no use here anymore. It’s just an empty shell, with no demon inside.”

“…I guess that means you really are just a powerless, ordinary person, Clarith. Fine, then I’ll just carry it with me. I’ll tell you how to use it properly—Come on, let’s get going huh?”

“I just told you that I can’t take you with us.”

“Tch…I wouldn’t get too cocky if I were you, servant of Michaela. If you like, I could make you comply by force?”

I could tell that a hostile atmosphere had arisen between the two of them.

I stepped between then, and said to Clarith,

“We don’t have the time to waste on this. While we’re arguing, more and more of the souls in the palace are being put to sleep. We have to hurry on.”

And then I turned to Pierrot.

“If you want to come with us then do as you please. But we can’t let you ride on Josephine. There’s not enough space on her back for three people.”

“That’s my look-alike; down to earth.”

“I don’t look like you. You look like me.”

“Whatever. Well then, in gratitude for your generous spirit, I’ll show you something interesting now—here, look at this.”

Pierrot held out the doll he was carrying before me.

“The more I look, the more that doll just looks like Michaela.”

“The doll doesn’t look like Michaela. Michaela looks like the doll.”

“Whatever. –So then, what about the doll?”

“Your powers of observation are lacking too, Allen. Let me show you its stomach,” Pierrot said, beginning to take off the doll’s clothes.

I stared at the naked doll.

The right half of its body was greatly burned.

What was more, there was a large hole in the stomach area.

“It’s quite worn out. Did it get this way from ‘Punishment’—when the world was destroyed?”

“If that was the case it would’ve been a lot worse. This hole in the stomach wasn’t from ‘Punishment’. It was given earlier than that—from inside the doll.”

“From inside?”

“That’s all the hints you’re getting. Well, you’ll figure it out soon enough. …Alright, I’ll tag along behind you two. Unlike you, I can fly when on the ground world. I’ll catch up with you immediately.”

Good lord, everything out of his mouth was half-baked. I didn’t get what he meant at all.

For her part Clarith looked like she wanted to say something, but thanks to my words realized that there wasn’t time for it.

“Nothing for it, I guess. –Come, Lord Allen, let’s leave this guy behind and get going now.”

And then after saying that she grabbed the arm of—not me, but Pierrot, hauling him up onto the horse.

“Clarith, that’s not me. You got the wrong one. That’s Pierrot. I’m Allen.”

“…Huh!? I could have sworn he was—"

…How she could have possibly mistaken us for each other?—despite having the same face we were dressed totally different.

Unlike with the other deadly sin contractors, there was no illusory town of Toragay.

It was an empty wasteland that stretched on endlessly. There were no other souls around.

For that reason, it was quite simple to find her. The “Sleep Princess” was simply standing there, clad in a green mist, her arms spread wide.

Apparently she noticed myself, Clarith, and Josephine there. She started talking first, directed at me.

“—Come to kill me again, have you?”

“’Sleep Princess’. Why are you doing this? Putting souls to sleep with your poison…What purpose could that serve?”

“You are truly awful children. Forgetting your gratitude towards me for raising you and going against me. …I no longer need the likes of you. I have no more need for children that I have no control over.”

“What are you talking about? –Answer my question!”

“Unlike you, my ‘gifts’ are good children… They will obediently listen to me no matter what I ask, as long as I’m the one saying it. –Come, more! Play more to your heart’s content! My adorable ‘gift’!”

Clarith whispered to me, “…It’s no use. It’s like nothing’s getting through to her. She’s lost her mind.”

“Is that the influence of the world’s collapse?”

“No. I don’t think it’s related. She’s been like that this entire time. Maybe she’s running wild as a result of having been released for the first time in ages…It’s entirely possible she doesn’t even know what she’s doing. That she’s just acting on instinct.”

“In that case we can’t hope to talk her down. …So then, what specifically should we do to stop her?”

“I don’t know.”

“…Huh!?”

“Michaela told me you’d find some way to manage.”

Clarith gazed at me with eyes full of expectation.

No no, even if you say that—

Why did gods never feel the need to explain anything!?

The Sleep Princess continued to spread the green mist. As it moved away from her body, it would grow increasingly translucent and invisible to the naked eye. At this stage I wasn’t feeling any onset drowsiness, but I didn’t know what would happen if I came into direct contact with the mist.

Even so, I wouldn’t get anywhere without getting close to her first. I had nothing with me that I could use as a long-ranged weapon.

I gradually closed the distance between us, step by step.

First I would get close enough that my arms could reach…And then what? Try to knock her unconscious? We were both spirits, so I could make contact with her, but I doubted whether such an attack would have any effect. Spirits couldn’t die. And normally they could not be forced to sleep against their will. So then, it should be impossible to make them lose consciousness, right?

When I looked up at the Sleep Princess, I saw that she was glaring at me as I approached.

A green-eyed beast. Her eyes were so full of madness that it was enough to make me think that though she took the form of a human, her true identity was without a doubt an unrestrained monster.

“…Don’t come closer.”

Those few words served as a signal. In that moment, the green mist began to head towards me at once as though it had a mind of its own, and entered my nose and mouth.

“Ghuh…!?”

It wasn’t harder to breathe. On the contrary, I was onset by an inexpressible sense of comfort.

Ah…how pleasant…

Like this…I could just…go to sleep…right here…

--No!

I just barely regained my composure and immediately pulled away from her once more.

When I did, the mist that had coiled about me began to disperse.

Once I’d gotten a certain ways away from her, I was no longer at risk of being directly afflicted by the mist.

But…now I’ve made no progress.

Should I try to get closer to her while plugging up my nose and mouth? …Though I imagined I wouldn’t be able to avoid the mist through such means.

I turned towards Clarith. She was just watching over me with a concerned look on her face.

I guess I can’t expect any advice from her, looking like that.

I didn’t actually need to do anything about the Sleep Princess. As long as I could stop that ‘Gift’ mist, that would be enough.

But I couldn’t think of any way to achieve that.

What should I—

“—Good grief. Looks like you guys are powerless after all. …Then that means it’s time for the star performer to take his turn!”

I could hear a voice coming from the sky.

I couldn’t see his appearance, but it was obvious that the voice was Hänsel’s—Pierrot’s.

“Ho!”

Pierrot floated down from above, holding the doll.

Right next to the Sleep Princess.

“Well then, for the first strike. Now we shall commence the show of the great Lemy Abela—”

“Look out, Hänsel!”

The green mist was advancing on Pierrot without delay. I had made my cry without thinking, but Pierrot didn’t seem at all uneasy over my warning or the mist.

He boldly held out the doll. When he did—surprisingly, bit by bit the mist was sucked into the doll.

“A receptable for souls—A very convenient item that that a sorceress created. Even if it’s gotten raggedy, it still hasn’t lost its potency…It’s a pretty big deal.”

When she saw that the “Gift” wasn’t having any effect, a great disturbance began to show on the Sleep Princess’ face.

“Stop…don’t come closer…”

“Relax. I won’t be shoving you in an oven today. The place you will enter—is this!”

Pierrot raised the doll much higher in his arms.

And with that, it all ended.

The Sleep Princess suddenly disappeared.

Along with the “Gift”.

“Welcome home, Mama,” Pierrot quietly murmured, holding the doll to his chest.

And then next he turned to me.

“Well…Got ended safely enough, no thanks to you deadheads.”

I didn’t have anything to shoot back. Just as he said, I had been absolutely useless.”

If it hadn’t been for Pierrot…or rather, the doll that he had, we would have been powerless against the Sleep Princess.

“My bad,” I said to Pierrot, earnestly conveying my apologies and thanks.

“It’s fine. I told you at the start, didn’t I? I’m taking responsibility for a colleague’s misconduct and cleaning up the mess.”

“That doll…You said you stole it from Michaela…but is that the truth?”

“…Well, who knows?”

I couldn’t help but think that Michaela must have anticipated this situation occurring.

She must have given the doll to Hänsel in preparation for my being useless--

I guess…I wasn’t able to meet her expectations when it mattered most.

“We don’t have time for you to feel sorry for yourself, Allen.” Pierrot put a hand on my shoulder. “Next is…’Envy’. You should probably be prepared for the contractors you’re going to talk to from here on out being resistant to discussion, just like the Sleep Princess just now. Kayo, Gallerian, and Nemesis. I fear they’re all still madmen, like they were in life. …Thanks to ‘Ma’.”

“…But is there even any point to meeting with them?”

“I don’t know. But the Sun God told you to go see all of them, right? Well, you don’t have to worry about being killed, so you can probably take it easy, yeah?”

“I’d like to learn that carefree attitude of yours.”

“Gee, thanks. …I’ll head back to Lady Banica soon, I think. I’m a bit worn out. Oop, I gotta go take this doll back before I do.”

“Is…that wise? If the ‘Sleep Princess’ should escape and start rampaging again—”

“I think it’s fine for now. Well, it’s not my responsibility any further than that, so they’ll manage somehow I think. See ya!”

Pierrot flew towards the forest, doll in hand.

“Now then…” I turned to Clarith. “The ‘Envy’ contractor is Sudou Kayo…She’s in Jakoku. Will you be taking me there?”

“No, that would be—”

--Clap, clap, clap.

I heard the sound of someone clapping.

It was behind Clarith.

“Well done. That was quite the elegant spectacle.”

The voice itself was lovely, but her form was bizarre. Despite having a humanoid appearance, her body was covered in scales. On her back were six wings—no, maybe they were fins--and her face was that of a fish.

Eventually I was able to understand her true identity by seeing the two pairs of scissors she was holding in her hand.

“You must be the…’Demon of Envy’.”

“I figured it would be my turn soon so I came up here to greet you, though it seems I was a little early… Ah well, it’s thanks to that I got to see something most interesting.”

“You mean watching my shameful display?”

“Yes, quite humbling I would think. It’s a long ways to Jakoku. I can’t imagine you’re in much state to cross the ocean with such timidity, ha ha ha…”

“The ocean…Can you not fly?”

“There is nothing I cannot do, but in my case, swimming is faster. We don’t have time to lose, after all.”

Jakoku—I had only been to that island once.

It wasn’t when I was alive. It had been after I had become a spirit like this.

And at that time…I had met Sudou Kayo.

“Lord Allen…” Clarith said to me. “Here is where we part. I can’t cross the sea with Josephine.”

“I see. Thank you for everything.”

“Oh no, I was hardly any use at all—” Clarith then turned to the Demon of Envy. “Miss crab demon. I leave Allen in your capable hands.”

“…What a rude girl you are. How are you looking at me that you think I’m a crab?”

“Huh!? Are you not? You’re carrying the scissors, so I thought for sure your avatar was a crab—"

“…If I had the time, I’d cut you limb from limb…but for now I will forgive you. –Come, let’s go, ‘Irregular’. Get on my back.”

After saying that, the crab--No, the Demon of Envy--immediately transformed, becoming completely a fish.

“…The fins on your back hurt, so it’s a bit hard to ride.”

“Just deal with it like a man. –Onward!”

The fish spread its six fins and jumped.

We flew through the air with a great, leaping force--and before I knew it, we had landed on the western sea.

And then our brief journey across the ocean began.

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