Chapter 73
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Return
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At that moment, somewhere in the eastern part of the continent,
"Why did you gather all of us?"
A man with a hoarse voice—Gluttony—asked the woman seated at the head of the table.
Black hair, crimson eyes, and a beautiful appearance paired with a cold expression.
At a glance, she seemed like just a stunning woman, but as those present could attest, she was anything but ordinary.
Inside that woman dwelled an absolute being who had lived for over centuries.
Even if everyone here ganged up on her alone, their chances of victory would be slim. And that was despite every single one of them having set foot in the Master or Archmage realms.
"What reason could there be? Obviously because you're an idiot."
A woman in a skin-tight dress sitting across from him shot back at Gluttony's question.
"Ha! Blind with jealousy and just as stupid as ever."
"What nonsense. I wouldn't waste jealousy on a pig like you."
Sparks flew between them.
Not figuratively, but literally.
Rumble rumble rumble—
As their auras clashed, dust trickled down from the ceiling.
"Hey, this is annoying. Can you two stop fighting?"
At that moment, a white-haired man dozing in the corner neutralized both their auras.
"I'm sleepy. I wanna hear the story quick and go back to bed... Yawn..."
"Sloth. That's your problem. How do you sleep all the time? Do some work for our grand plan, for once."
"But I'm Sloth..."
Sloth was nodding off even now, in this very moment.
He was the man who grew stronger just by sleeping, after all.
Of course, the moment he fully woke up, some of that accumulated power would fade.
"And... yawn... you sent Wrath, right...?"
"...Hah."
Gluttony scoffed at the remark. Clear displeasure etched across his face.
"You sent that wench because you couldn't trust anyone else?"
"Pig, you still hate Wrath, huh."
Envy sneered at Gluttony.
She couldn't quite understand why he despised Wrath so much.
"She's just a nobody because of the restrictions engraved on her heart anyway."
That was why Envy, despite being Envy, had no reason to envy Wrath.
No matter how capable she was, she was ultimately just their pawn.
"Yawwwn... By the way, where are Lust and Greed... yawn... not coming?"
"Probably off playing somewhere. After all this time, you still don't know?"
Envy tilted her chin up.
Gluttony ground his teeth at her words.
Everything she said grated on his nerves. How did she always manage to say the most infuriating things?
It made him want to smash her head in.
As Envy and Gluttony geared up for another clash—
"...Quiet down, everyone."
Pride, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
Her single word crushed the air in the room.
...Gulp.
Someone swallowed hard.
The Seven Deadly Sins Seats of Pandemonium rarely gathered in one place. Each was a criminal that entire nations mobilized to capture, so assembling meant risking exposure.
Of course, with their combined power, escaping a siege was possible... but the continent had more active Masters.
Especially if Elvenheim's World Tree Guardian intervened, at least one or two of them would surely die.
So it had been ages since they'd seen Pride in person... and she felt even stronger than before.
'...Insane.'
'...She's insane.'
'...Annoying, and insane...'
Gluttony wanted to devour Pride's power.
Envy envied her lofty demeanor.
Even Sloth perked up, shaking off his laziness toward her.
In that instant, they all harbored desires toward Pride.
But they quickly shook it off. She wasn't a tree they could climb, after all.
Be it the Grand Duke of Pride in the demon realm or her seat on the continent, she was overwhelmingly superior.
Soon, Gluttony eyed Pride strangely and spoke.
"...Why did you call us here?"
Pride met each of their gazes in silence.
"..."
As if peering into their souls to check for traitors among them.
And then—
"Lust and Greed are dead."
"""......!!!!!!!!!!"""
...
"Who killed them?"
"Hah... I never thought that whore and that merchant would die..."
"...? They're really dead?"
They all shot to their feet.
It was that shocking. The blessed Seven Seats of the demon grand dukes dying? It was hard to imagine.
...But Lust and Greed were dead...?
They all stared at Pride, eyes screaming not to lie. Gluttony especially thought it was a cruel prank.
But—
Pride nodded crisply in affirmation.
"Yes, they're dead."
"......!!!!!"
"Any chance it's a mistake?"
"No possibility of that."
This world no longer carried their presence.
That meant their very existence had been erased.
And the signal had cut off from...
"The Holy Kingdom."
"Holy Kingdom?"
"Yawn... Where's the Holy Kingdom again...?"
"Your slothfulness rotted your memory too? It's where the Knight of Dominion is sealed."
"Ah."
Sloth nodded faintly at Envy's jab.
Meanwhile, Gluttony buzzed with excitement.
"The culprit—who is it? The Holy Knights' Captains, maybe?"
Why had Pandemonium's Seven Seats known about the Knight of Dominion in the Holy Kingdom yet never invaded?
Pride was tied up with some matter, so the rest had to step up—but even all six couldn't do it easily. The Holy Knight Captains were all Masters.
Factor in the occasional Inquisitors at full strength... and the odds weren't great.
So they'd shifted to infiltrating from within.
Yet Lust and Greed still died...
"No. Not the Holy Knights."
"?"
"The culprit is the Empire's Duke, Yujin Banus."
A man whose might could rival Elvenheim's Guardian.
"...The man called the continent's greatest talent."
...
The room fell silent at her words.
They each mulled over the name Yujin Banus in their minds.
He was the youngest Master to make his mark in the war, right...?
Envy murmured quietly.
"The continent's greatest talent..."
What an enviable title. Didn't the humans question such an overblown moniker?
'No, it must mean he's that exceptional.'
Jealousy surged even stronger. But it soon twisted into interest in Yujin.
Handsome too, from what she'd heard... What if she drained his power and turned him into her personal doll?
'My womb's tingling.'
Her panties grew damp.
Gluttony acted like he might bolt out right then.
"I need to go kill that arrogant human."
"Pfft... Stupid pig. You'd just die if you went."
"What?"
"Can't even do simple math? Greed and Lust died to one guy at once. You'd just die faster."
"This bitch—keep pushing and see. You really think I'd die?"
Gluttony growled in humiliation.
He was on a different level from that vulgar Lust or gold-obsessed Greed.
Me, dying to the guy who barely took down those two lowlifes?
"Pfft. You think you'd win?"
"You fucking—!!"
Gluttony slammed the table.
Just before they clashed—
"Enough."
Pride saw no point in their squabbles here. Dead or not, nothing changed.
Pandemonium would proceed as before, filling the empty seats by putting exceptional cultists through trials.
Or like with Wrath, fetch someone overflowing with talent but nearing death.
"Above all, Yujin Banus must die anyway."
He'd be a stumbling block on Pandemonium's path. Removing obstacles before advancing was only natural.
She'd love to end him personally... but being tied down was regrettable.
Pride quietly twisted her lips.
We arrived at the Empire and got out of the carriage.
No sooner had we stepped down than someone latched onto me like they'd been waiting.
"Yujin! I missed you...!"
It was none other than the purple-haired Irene.
She burrowed into my arms and rubbed her face all over me, like a puppy greeting its long-lost owner.
I chuckled and hugged her back, stroking her hair.
"I missed you too."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Hehe..."
I didn't remember her smiling like this before...
Irene laughed like a melting sugar candy.
'Must mean she missed me that much.'
I hugged her tighter.
Then Lucia approached from the opposite side.
"Hehe. Good work out there, my husband."
"...Husband?"
"We're marrying anyway. I decided on 'husband' after some thought. Don't like it?"
"No, it's fresh. I like it."
"Good. Hehe."
She gazed at me with a mischievous smile.
"But aren't you going to hug me?"
I gently pulled Irene away, grinned, and spread my arms.
Lucia swiftly claimed the spot Irene had vacated and rubbed her face against me just like her.
"Mmm... Feels good."
As we exchanged affection after so long, another person stepped out of the carriage.
"...Righteous One?"
It was Lua.
In an instant, Lua's gaze met the wary stares from Lucia and Irene—the other woman from the same carriage.
Seemed like cold sweat... Nah, just my imagination?