Highway Robbery
Slipping out of the auction house, I tailed the knight and the white-robed girl as they turned into the alleyway, cloaking my presence with the Queen's power as I moved.
Having cleanly snatched up the Arcana, they had left the venue without lingering for a single second, as if that had been their sole objective from the very start. You people are filthy rich, so it's not like you're hurting for cash. Why not hand over the Arcana as a charitable donation to an underprivileged neighbor, huh, Lady Saintess?
I stalked behind them, indulging in my own delightfully sinister thoughts.
{Thou... sounded precisely like a third-rate villain just now.}
Shut up.
"Miel, someone is tailing us."
"Yes, my lady. I sensed them just now as well."
The girl in the white robe and the knight at her side, Miel, had already caught on to the pursuer on their heels. A presence that felt like an amalgamation of menace, ill omens, and an uncanny strangeness was creeping behind them.
Could it be that violet-haired girl?
Yet they hadn't done anything to earn a grudge, nor had they made any blunders. The girl in the white robe racked her brain.
No, there was one thing.
Winning the Arcana at the auction.
Had that violet girl been aiming for the Arcana as well?
For what purpose is she pursuing the Arcana? Could she really be tied to demons or an evil god, just as Miel suspected? Or is it pure curiosity? A mage seeking research material?
Whatever the truth was, no good would come of the Arcana falling into her hands. Of that, the girl in the white robe was entirely certain.
"Halt right there."
A city guard stepped forward, raising a hand to block the path of the white-robed girl and the knight.
"Is there a problem?" Miel asked, maintaining a calm demeanor.
"We received a report about pickpockets operating in this sector. Said it was a duo... Would you mind sparing a moment of your time?"
The guard stared at the white robe and the knight with glassy, unfocused eyes.
What should we do?
We must not cause a disturbance, so let us cooperate with the questioning for now.
Exchanging silent glances, the white-robed girl and the knight complied with the guard's order and stepped aside to be questioned. The violet girl had stopped pursuing them. Had she given up?
"We were just at—"
"Your alibi certainly holds up... The timeline doesn't match when the pickpockets were sighted, either..."
As the questioning dragged on, the girl in the white robe began to grow bored.
So dull... Miel is too busy dealing with the guard to pay any attention to me... Still, I have to be patient...
Seeking any distraction from her boredom, the girl glanced around the alley. That was when she spotted an extraordinary, violet-hued serpent nestled in the corner.
A snake...? Why is there a snake here?
Her suspicion was fleeting. As though entranced by an unseen force, she began to follow the serpent as it slithered deeper into the winding alleys.
"Huh...? Where am I...?"
By the time the girl in the white robe came back to her senses, she was standing in the depths of a dark, secluded alley.
"I was definitely following a snake..."
Why had she chased after a snake in the first place? It wasn't as if she had any fondness for reptiles. She had simply followed it, utterly bewitched, as though some mysterious power had tugged her along.
"Hello there."
Before she could piece her thoughts together, another girl's voice drifted from behind her.
"You know who I am, right?"
A girl with violet hair and violet eyes, radiating an aura that was simultaneously ominous, bizarre, and menacing, stood watching her. More specifically, her gaze was fixed right on the spot beneath the white robe where the Arcana was hidden.
"Yes, I know. You've been tailing me all the way from the auction hall."
"Then this will be quick. You know what I want, don't you?"
The Arcana. A relic imbued with divine power. That was what this violet girl was after.
Knowing nothing of what sinister purpose she might use it for, there was no way she would hand it over willingly. Clenching the fabric over her chest, the girl in the white robe firmly signaled her refusal.
"It would've been so much nicer if we could've settled this with words..."
Violet sparks crackled across the other girl's hand, leaping through the air straight toward her. The white-robed girl channeled her divine power to manifest a radiant shield of light, but it proved utterly insufficient to halt the violet girl's assault.
Shatter—!
The shield fractured into shards, sending a brutal shock of lightning coursing straight into the white-robed girl's body.
"Ah... Aaargh!"
With a strangled cry, the girl collapsed limply to the cobblestones.
{Thou... Didst thou just slay that girl, the Saintess?}
As if. I don't go around killing people pointlessly.
I walked over to the fallen figure in white. Her use of divine power was all the proof needed to show she hailed from the Holy Kingdom. Well, she was a saintess, so that went without saying.
Wait, she got a good look at my face. Won't this turn us into mortal enemies down the line?
{Thou already harborest designs to crush the Holy Kingdom anyway, so what matters it if thou makest an enemy of them early?}
No, timing is everything. If you make enemies when you're weak, you just get uprooted and crushed before you even have a chance to bloom.
This world was crawling with gifted youths who had died before their talents ever saw the light of day. Picking a fight with the Holy Kingdom had to be timed with utmost care.
"Ah, found it."
Rummaging through the folds of the white robe, I successfully got my hands on the Arcana. My hands were moving strictly to search for the card. Truly.
As I shifted the fabric, the hood fell back, revealing her face. She was an adorable girl with snow-white hair. Coupled with the golden eyes I had glimpsed when she raised her barrier, I could now be entirely certain whose child she was.
This kid is the daughter of the Saintess and the Hero.
{The daughter of the Saintess and the Hero?!}
Leviathan shot out from my hair in utter disbelief.
Yeah. You said it yourself, remember? That you felt the Saintess's aura on her. And I've seen the Hero before—a guy with golden hair and golden eyes. This girl has those exact same eyes.
Leviathan glared down at the white-haired girl as though staring at its most hated, sworn nemesis.
{She must be slain this instant! Slay her now, so the bloodline of the Hero and the Saintess shall continue no further... Strike her down this very—}
Leviathan, chill out. You're Envy, not Wrath. Don't let yourself get consumed by rage.
Did my sharp rebuke snap it out of it? Leviathan quietly stared back at me.
{Dost thou have another way, then?}
Of course I do. It's the same trick I used when I puppeted that guard earlier.
To pry the white-haired girl away from her escort, I had used the Queen's power on the guard to briefly manipulate his mind. The effect was probably wearing off right about now, so I needed to wrap this up quickly.
I channeled violet energy toward the unconscious girl.
Or rather, I was about to.
Catching sight of a blade hurtling straight toward me, I had no choice but to throw myself backward.
Whoosh—!
Wreathed in radiant sacred power, the sword surged toward me with terrifying momentum. I blocked the strike using the power sealed within my ring. Black energy poured from the band, expanding into a massive vortex.
Clang—!
Perhaps because the ring was already on the verge of crumbling, the black circle failed to swallow the sword whole, merely deflecting the blade before dissolving into thin air. The ricocheted sword spun back in the direction it had come.
Crack—
The black ring shattered completely.
Refusing to let this moment slip away, I coveted that black circle with scorching envy.
If only that barrier capable of deflecting every attack were mine forever... If only I could wield the Queen's power in its entirety... If only I were the relic itself... I'm so jealous...
I felt a thrill of satisfaction as envy welled up within my chest. With this, the black circle had become my power as well.
Now, shall we see who threw that strike? Not that I even needed to look. It was obviously that knight.
"Lady Saintess!"
Proving my prediction right on the mark, the knight who had accompanied the white-haired girl arrived in a single bound, rushing straight to her side. Checking her pulse, he glared at me with pure venom in his eyes.
"You bastard... What have you done to the Lady Saintess?!"
"Nothing much, really. She wasn't willing to talk it out, so I just gave her a little sting, you could say..."
I snapped my fingers, letting violet sparks dance across my fingertips.
"You... You are an apostle of an evil god...!"
{This one refuses to be lumped together with the likes of mere evil gods!}
Offended by the knight's words, Leviathan poked its head out from my hair to retort.
"To think you even command a familiar...!"
The knight seemed to mistake Leviathan for a summoned beast. By the way, it seemed Leviathan's voice truly was audible only to me. Good to have that confirmed.
Facing the knight whose glare hadn't wavered for a second, I offered a compromise.
"I'll give you a chance, mister."
"I refuse! An apostle of an evil god daring to propose a deal with the Holy Kingdom—have you no shame?!"
Having zero intention of negotiating, the knight leveled his blade at me, radiating a brilliant golden aura.
{Divine power... That one is from the Holy Kingdom as well...}
Leviathan fixed its crimson eyes on the knight. Strictly speaking, the matchup was deeply disadvantageous for me. Even according to the game's lore, the one power capable of countering the Seven Deadly Sins was divine power.
The only reason I had overpowered the white-haired girl earlier was because her power had yet to fully awaken, and she had focused entirely on defense.
{Wilt thou flee, then?}
I already had the Arcana in hand. I could simply run, but there was still one glaring problem left. Namely...
Both of them got a clear look at my face. I need to wipe their memories first.
Whether the Queen's power could manipulate memories remained to be seen, but right now, that power was my only bet.
How was I supposed to fight a knight wielding divine power...? Searching for an answer, I studied him closely.
The knight stood shielding the unconscious white-haired girl, his entire body bathed in a golden radiance. His sword gleamed with the exact same brilliance.
Looking sharp.
Man, if only I could use divine power too...
Wait.
Divine power?
Can I... use that too?
Why couldn't I?
I locked my gaze onto the knight, stoking the flames of envy within my soul.
That sacred power should have been mine... If only I had been born a saintess... no, a saint instead... If only I were the Hero... I'm so damn jealous...
Whoosh—
A profound sense of fullness surged from deep within, and violet mist coiled around my body.
It worked.
Golden light and violet radiance erupted simultaneously from my skin, coexisting in perfect harmony, dispelling any lingering doubt.
"Y-You... You should be an apostle of an evil god... How can you possibly...?"
The knight stared at me, doubting his own eyes, his face frozen in pure shock.
{Thou... Why doth that filthy stench emanate from thee as well...?!}
Shut up.