Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Evidence
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Wrath tossed aside Greed, who had been reduced to a filthy rag.
Thud—
"Isn't that a bit too rough?"
"A mere tool talks too much."
The plan had failed, and he'd only brought back half the map he'd promised, yet here he was yapping away. Wrath simply found Greed viscerally repulsive on a physical level, despite his lightweight appearance and utter lack of ability.
It was like a disgust imprinted at the genetic level.
"Why were you so desperate to get your hands on that stupid map in the first place?"
"Haha. That's not for you to know yet."
Greed just laughed it off while regenerating his body.
"...Tch."
Realizing further prodding wouldn't yield anything, Wrath turned away.
...Really,
'What the hell am I supposed to do...'
Wrath had no memories of her past.
Her first memory upon opening her eyes was of Pandemonium's Seven Deadly Sins looking down at her.
Since then, bound by powerful constraints, she'd lived for about a year as the Sin of Wrath, utterly clueless about why.
But.
'Honestly, I don't like it.'
Why they loved demons so much, why they sought to overthrow perfectly fine nations, what the point was in killing people under the guise of salvation.
None of it made any sense.
And on top of that,
'They didn't even accept me as one of their own.'
She felt like a disposable pawn to be used and discarded.
A member of Pandemonium's leadership, the Seven Deadly Sins?
What good was a Sin Seat? The other Sins never shared plans or information with her. They just issued vague orders like "go here, swing your sword there."
...As if she were some underling.
How was that any way to treat a fellow executive?
...She was nothing but a pawn.
Clench—
Wrath unconsciously balled her fist. A wave of loneliness washed over her, as if she were utterly alone in the world, alienated from everything.
...If not for the constraints, she would've ditched this group long ago—
"Ugh."
A squeezing pain gripped her heart.
"...Ha. Can't even think freely, huh."
…
...Yeah, she really hated this.
Tremble—
Suddenly, her hand began to shake faintly.
"...?"
She looked down at her hand.
'...Trembling?'
...All of a sudden?
'Why?'
What reason was there for her hand to tremble... Ah.
...There was one.
'...Yujin Banus...'
The Empire's youngest Sword Master and one of the continent's mightiest warriors, whose fame shook the land. The hand that had clashed swords with him was trembling.
Even now, that man felt incredibly strong. The sensation was that if she let her guard down even slightly, she'd lose an arm.
She'd only ever felt that from one other Sin: Pride.
But...
"...Why?"
Why had that man given her such a strange look? At one point, his eyes had wavered, sending her a distant, wistful gaze.
…
...That man,
'...Does he know?'
Not her as the Sin of Wrath, but her from before she became Wrath,
...Her past self, whose name she couldn't even remember... Does he know her?
'...No way.'
She let out a self-deprecating laugh.
...In this world, who would know a Sin's past?
Following the sudden attack, the entire Empire erupted in outrage.
[An Absurd Incident Occurs! Is the Empire's Security Collapsing?]
[Demons Emerge in the Capital. What Happened in the Imperial City That Day?]
[An Era Where Pride and Lust Rampage]
[No Responsibility for the Subjects in That Day's Capital Incident?]
[Martial Law Declared Across the Empire. The Capital's Defenses, Unbreached Even in War, Collapse in a Single Moment]
[In-Depth Analysis of Pandemonium]
[Marquis Banus's Overwhelming Feats! Traces of Battle with Pandemonium's Seven Deadly Sins Still Remain Outside the Capital]
Pandemonium, the demon-worshipping cultists, had attacked the capital. The incident claimed the lives of countless citizens, knights, and soldiers.
The Empire's people were furious.
The mere fact that lowly cultists dared assault the Empire's heartland scratched their pride raw.
What kind of nation was the Empire?
The largest hegemon in continental history, with the widest territory. It had just triumphed over a coalition of eastern kingdoms not long ago...
Yet it had been raided in its capital by mere demon worshippers.
…
...The silver lining was that news of Pandemonium breaching the Imperial Palace hadn't spread.
A few nobles knew secretly through back channels, but tight information control kept it from reaching the public.
'If it had leaked, there would've been serious riots.'
The subjects rising up across the Empire...
...Not a pleasant thought.
It would've meant a true stain on the Empire's name.
"Yujin."
Lucia approached him as he sat lost in thought.
She hadn't seen much of him since the Pandemonium attack. Even as a distant royal from the line of succession, she'd been busy aiding the aftermath.
'Come to think of it, that boosted the Second Prince's support?'
They say crisis breeds opportunity.
The Second Prince stepped up front and center to handle the incident, proving his competence in stark contrast to the bumbling Crown Prince.
With Lucia supporting from behind, it was a perfect trifecta.
If he quietly gathered support like this and some major event erupted...
'The Crown Prince seat might seriously change hands.'
...And sooner than expected.
"The things you asked me to investigate have taken shape."
"Good news."
He'd asked her for a few favors.
Namely...
"First, that Seven Deadly Sin from Pandemonium—Greed, was it? The map he stole by breaking into our imperial treasury... It seems connected to the Holy Kingdom."
"...Holy Kingdom?"
"Yes. Related to the Primordial God. Though strangely, the info was wiped, so that's all we got."
"The Primordial God..."
...Guess that means a trip to the Holy Kingdom sometime.
…
"...I didn't know the Holy Kingdom was tied to the Primordial God."
"Right? The Sun Goddess they worship—her father is the Primordial God."
It was a foolish question.
Well, yeah.
The Holy Kingdom reveres the Sun Goddess, practically the current world's chief deity. Why wouldn't they honor her father, the Primordial God?
...He felt a bit embarrassed.
Lucia kept feeding him info to spare his awkwardness.
"As for the Northern Grand Duke... It's confirmed he left the arena first with Lady Marilsian that day. His trail vanished briefly after... and that's when the Pandemonium attack began."
...Huh.
"...Quite the coincidence."
"Far too coincidental."
It was impossible not to suspect.
…
"That Fenrir from the last hunt... No Northern Grand Duke mana detected there?"
Lucia's expression darkened more than ever at his question.
"...It was. Very faint, but present. If you hadn't mentioned it then, we'd have overlooked it."
"Ha. So it was him after all."
He was convinced the Northern Grand Duke was involved, directly or indirectly, in every incident so far.
After all, the Fenrir bore his mana,
the tournament attack started right when his trail cut off,
and he'd whisked away Sena because...
'Trying to look good for the girl he likes.'
He was a rofan male lead, after all.
...But why the hell was that guy the male lead?
Hmm...
…
...Anyway, there was no hard evidence, but the circumstantial case was solid.
"Do you think the Northern Grand Duke is committing treason against the Empire?"
Nod—
"Yes."
The strained relations between the imperial family and the Northern Grand Duke's house had been an open secret for years. Everyone knew they growled at each other; they just didn't say it aloud.
"I don't know his motives for treason, but he's definitely harboring rebellious thoughts."
It reeked.
...A truly nauseating stench.
"How about digging deeper into the Grand Duke's past actions while we're at it?"
Thinking back, there were other oddities.
During the ongoing war with the eastern alliance, supplies sent under the Northern Grand Duke's name were all defective, or generals from his faction kept retreating despite victories.
Back then, he'd chalked it up to incompetence... but now it seemed suspicious.
Like deliberate war sabotage.
"...Got it. I'll push the Inspectorate harder."
Nod—
.
.
.
To lighten the heavy mood, Lucia hugged Yujin's arm and pressed her body close.
Squish—
Her ample breasts flattened against him.
"By the way, Yujin, how's Irene doing?"
"Hm? Haven't talked?"
"Yeah... She's been busy."
"I see."
Irene...
"Looks like she's diligently training her magic at the ducal house."
Apparently, failing to enter the palace with him during the last attack had gotten under her skin.
Her loved one walking into danger while she couldn't be by his side—it hurt her heart or something.
'Guess I should pat her head.'
She was such a good girl.
…
Yujin and Lucia chatted a bit more before parting.
...And shortly after, while on a date, Yujin successfully obtained decisive evidence linking the Northern Grand Duke to Pandemonium.