The Believer
A colossal dragon looked down upon me, radiating a chilling, violet aura.
"So... you're saying you're that little snake that bit me?"
{To be precise, that was merely an avatar of mine.}
"And this is your true form?"
{I would hesitate to call it so, for I have lost my strength and lie sealed. Let us simply say this is but one among my many manifestations.}
"Sealed? What, are you an Evil God or a Demon King or something?"
{Let us say... I am an existence far more ancient than such trivial things as Demon Kings or Evil Gods.}
An existence older than a Demon King? In Tome of Arcana, the only entities older than the Demon King were the Evil Gods mentioned purely in background lore. Or was there something I had completely overlooked?
{Child.}
The serpent called out, shaking me from my spiraling thoughts. A sinister violet aura... a serpent... an existence older than the Evil Gods? Suddenly, a forgotten piece of lore from Tome of Arcana flashed through my mind.
"The Seven Deadly Sins..."
{...Dost thou know of me?}
Crimson eyes bored into me. In that gaze, there was neither wariness nor hostility—only deep curiosity and intrigue.
"I've heard of them before. The gifts and curses bestowed upon humanity by God... the seven sins."
{The first gift bestowed upon the girl beloved by God, and the very sin she unleashed upon the world. Thou truly knowest. Such records should have been lost to the ashes of time long ago...}
"I just happened to hear about it by chance."
Encountering someone who recognized its true nature after an eternity seemed to put the serpent in good spirits, as its gaze softened with genuine goodwill.
"So which sin are you? Sloth? Lust? Or maybe... Pride?"
Truth be told, one look at the serpent was enough to deduce which sin it was. Still, I gave it the courtesy of introducing itself. It was far more dramatic that way, and besides, letting an ancient entity drop its own title just sounded cool.
{I am...}
The serpent's crimson eyes flared with brilliant light as its jaws parted slowly.
{...Envy.}
Envy. The bitter emotion of resenting and begrudging others for their fortune and success. The gnawing void of deficiency that craves what belongs to another. And the colossal serpent before me was the very primordial origin of that emotion—one of the Seven Deadly Sins from the world of Tome of Arcana.
{It brings back ancient memories, speaking mine own name aloud after so long.}
"A bit cringe, but undeniably cool."
Playing along with the serpent's mood, I struck up a casual conversation.
{The Imperial Calendar, thou sayest? What... is that?}
I explained what era we were currently in.
{Mankind does not even remember the names of the Seven Sins now?}
We discussed the whereabouts of the other sins.
{What? The Demon King hath been sealed? To think that stubborn wretch was still breathing until recently...}
We covered whether the Demon King still lived.
{Thou art surprisingly sensible. What is thy name?}
"Lina. That's what people call me."
{Lina...}
"By the way, is your real name actually Envy?"
{Nay... Envy is merely an epithet by which I am called. My true name has slipped even my own memory.}
The serpent flicked its tongue with a melancholy hiss. Watching it pout somehow reminded me of the mutt I had raised back in my past life, and the words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself.
"Then want me to give you one?"
{Thou wouldst bestow a name upon me?}
"Yeah. Looking at you, a fitting one came to mind."
A great sea dragon from the mythologies of my previous world. Given its serpent-like guise, only one name felt right.
"Leviathan."
{Leviathan... It hath a pleasant ring to it.}
The serpent bobbed its head in clear satisfaction. Technically, it was the name of a demon of envy from Earth's mythos, but since it was Envy either way, who cares? It liked the name, so all was well.
My warm sense of accomplishment lasted only a brief moment before a chill of clarity struck me. Wait... why am I even here in the first place?
"Hey, Leviathan? Why did you bring me here?"
When I posed the question to the culprit who had dragged me into this space—or should I say culprit serpent?—an unexpected reply came back.
{I was seeking one to become my believer.}
A believer? As in a worshiper who devoutly follows a religion or faith?
"For someone of your caliber, wouldn't you have believers lined around the block?"
{I have been sealed for an eternity. Those who once worshiped me have long turned to dust.}
Right... the Holy Kingdom's ruthless heresy purges were a thing in the lore too.
{For such reasons, the other Seven Sins are likewise rendered powerless, merely biding their time.}
With the Demon King sealed, the world was currently at peace. In an era where the Holy Kingdom stood unassailable and every last member of the Hero's party was still alive and kicking, there was simply no room for rival factions to flex their muscles.
"Then how were you able to roam around freely? You know, as that little snake?"
{Because the festering, rotting envy within that village weakened my seal.}
Leviathan answered smoothly. It sensed envy and came to the village? Wait, don't tell me...
"...Are you talking about me?"
{Thou hast finally realized.}
It brought me here because it tasted the rotting envy reeking off me? Then...
"You're telling me to become your believer?"
{Indeed. Thou hast nothing to lose.}
"Do I have a right of refusal?"
{I would think—}
Before Leviathan could even finish its sentence, I dropped straight to my knees.
"Please take me under your wing!"
{Thou art a peculiar child.}
If I became its believer, I could wield the mythical power of the Seven Deadly Sins—power that had only existed in setting documents! With that, I could finally set out on the grand adventures I had always dreamed of. Better yet, I'd have the strength to deliver a massive sucker punch to whatever damn 'god' put me through this mess. I didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second.
Sinister flames billowed from Leviathan's maw, swirling violently to engulf me.
Whooosh!
"Aaaagh!"
The agony of my physical body incinerating ripped through every nerve.
"You never said it would hurt like this!!"
{Child, painful though it may be, this is the pact. And this is merely the first trial.}
The first...? You mean there's more?! Gritting my teeth through the inferno devouring my flesh, I choked back a ragged gasp and glared up at Leviathan.
This was the crucible to claim the power I craved. Stages that demanded days, months, and years of grueling effort from others could be mine in exchange for a few moments of sheer agony. In that case...
"Hey... hurry up and blast me with the next one..."
{Thou endurest? Remarkable... Most mortals would have broken by now.}
Violet sparks began crackling around Leviathan's jaws.
"...Hey."
{What is it? Art thou afraid?}
Thinking I had chickened out, Leviathan briefly quelled the gathering power.
"No... fire them all at once! At this rate, the sun's gonna come up before we're done!"
{...}
Leviathan gazed down at me with boundless fascination.
{What magnificent resolve. I pray thou dost not break.}
Violet sparks detonated from its maw once more, accompanied by a colossal tsunami surging forth from deep within its throat. A tempest raged in all directions, crashing relentlessly down upon my blazing body.
KBOOOOM!
{Child.}
"..."
Lina lay motionless, her eyes shut tight. Leviathan silently watched over her still form.
One reason the Seven Sins had so few believers lay in the brutal requirements for acquiring their power: a mortal had to withstand the techniques wielded by the Sin with their very being to assimilate them. While trivial for transcendent entities, it inflicted excruciating torment upon fragile mortals. Even if this agony took place within the realm of the mind rather than physical reality, the sheer psychological trauma was no less devastating.
Just as Leviathan was about to mourn the girl who had bestowed a name upon it, a bizarre aura brushed against its senses. It was envy—a burning, ravenous envy. And astonishingly, that envy was directed straight at Leviathan itself, the very embodiment of the concept. It was pouring from the unconscious girl.
Receiving its power, her pitch-black strands were rapidly transforming into a vivid violet. When her eyes snapped open, a stifling pressure detonated through the surrounding air.
{Ah... How long has it been since I tasted such magnificent envy?}
Leviathan was enraptured. It was a depth of jealousy it had not savored in eons. The fact that this envy was aimed at Leviathan itself did not bother it in the slightest.
The girl, her eyes now gleaming with brilliant amethyst light, stared back.
"This feels... weird. But not bad at all."
Though Lina felt the alien dissonance of the power coursing through her veins, she was already assimilating it. Blazing fire. Crashing lightning. Swallowing tsunamis. Howling storms. Every single one had become her own strength.
Patron: Leviathan (Sin of Envy)
Contractor: Lina
Authority Granted: Envy — Replicate and assimilate that which is coveted
"Can I become as strong as you?" Lina asked.
{Of course. So long as thou desirest it, so long as thou cravest it, so long as thou dost envy...} Leviathan nodded in assent. {Besides...}
Leviathan flicked its tongue in deep satisfaction as it regarded the girl.
{Hast thou not already claimed immense power?}
"...I want to be stronger." Lina pressed on, her voice tightening with raw hunger. "I envy the knights' swordsmanship, and I envy the mages' spells. I'm jealous of the Saintess and the Hero's divine power... I want it all for myself!"
As a sinister violet haze rolled off her body in waves, Leviathan's satisfaction deepened.
{Indeed, child. Venture into the world and seize all that thy heart desires. Only then... may I too attain my freedom.}
"Ha, don't you worry about that. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's paying back my debts." A cocky grin spread across her lips. "Is that all, or is there anything else?"
{In that case...}
Leviathan made one single request of the girl.
When the contract with Leviathan drew to a close, Lina opened her eyes in the very clearing where the violet snake had bitten her.
The night sky remained pitch-black. Pushing herself up from the ground, Lina caught sight of the tresses tumbling into her field of view. Vivid violet hair. Strands that had once been ordinary black were now a striking, luminous purple, framing her face.
In Tome of Arcana, there was an established lore setting that those with colossal mana reserves or those who reached transcendent realms saw their hair transform into vivid, unnatural colors. Though her transformation was the result of contracting with a Sin, she could easily bluff her way through by claiming she had awakened massive mana.
Before setting out into the world to embark on a grand journey armed with the authority of Envy, she resolved to fulfill Leviathan's request first. And that request was simple: the complete downfall of the Holy Kingdom.
Lina had accepted the task without the slightest hesitation; after all, she harbored zero love for whatever god had reincarnated her into this world without so much as a single cheat skill. She hadn't even asked to be reborn in the first place. If anything, she felt God bore at least partial responsibility for failing to protect an ordinary guy minding his own business from a dumb, accidental death.
"Mmh, where should I start lopping things off?"
Unable to contain the thrill bubbling up from deep within her chest, Lina hummed a little tune and made her way back toward her lodgings.