I'm Not That Kind of Person (4)
While Evan was being subjected to the most absurd of misunderstandings…
On the road toward the barrier, Lapis interrogated Frey.
“Why’d you suddenly say we had to go? Because of this, Evan couldn’t even enjoy the ball!”
“He wasn’t enjoying it anyway, was he?”
“…….”
At Frey’s words, Evan found himself speechless.
Ugh!
It felt like a cold dagger had been driven straight into his heart.
Couldn’t enjoy it?!
It wasn’t that I couldn’t. I just… didn’t.
Classic loser trait: refusing to admit the truth.
True to form, Evan rejected reality like the pathetic man he was.
Unaware of any of this, Frey stole a careful glance at Evan’s face, as if checking whether he had soured the mood. Looking faintly apologetic, he added quietly,
“……I wasn’t mocking you.”
“Hmph. If you had been, I’d have given you a knuckle sandwich.”
Ahem.
The moment the apology came, Evan’s resolve crumbled.
Fine.
He said he didn’t mean it.
It wasn’t like I was worried he’d get even angrier if I snapped back or anything.
Absolutely not.
Frey spoke again.
“……I do feel bad about it. But I have to meet that person.”
“Who is it?”
“The name…… I don’t know either. But.”
Frey hesitated for a moment.
Lapis stared at him, her crimson eyes flashing with a strange light. Before anyone noticed, a carrot had appeared in her hand, gripped reverse like a dagger.
Uh…… she’s not actually going to swing that like a knife, right?
Come on.
How do you even kill someone with a carrot?
“……The one who used to ‘manage’ me.”
“Manage?”
“Yeah.”
As if declaring he would say no more, Frey closed his mouth.
Is this the talent of Pride or what?
He’s got a real gift for making people curious.
First method: stop talking mid-sentence. Second method……
A connection between the heretics and Frey, huh.
There wasn’t anything like that in the original.
Frey had been one of the Sins who appeared out of nowhere—the hidden mastermind who had been pulling the strings of the unified Church from the shadows, and the true final boss. That single appearance had been both his first and last.
Ah. Or is he after revenge?
The ones who kept him locked up were remnants of the heretics, weren’t they?
Probably an old grudge.
His pride must be wounded.
He is a future Sin, after all—even if he doesn’t know it himself.
Revenge…… I can let him have that, right?
Lapis, well—they had grown close enough by now. She wouldn’t touch Evan unless something extreme happened. Protecting him was more likely.
Frey, however, was still different. Their bond was thinner.
If Evan suggested turning back here, there was a real chance Frey would explode in rage at having his revenge interrupted.
……That’s a little scary.
I can’t just tell him to go alone, can I?
While Evan was seriously weighing his options—
Kuuuuuuung!
A tremendous roar thundered from beyond the barrier. At the same moment, a pillar of silver aura shot skyward.
Ah.
That’s Arthur’s aura.
It was the first time he had seen it in person. Evan watched with genuine interest.
It really is restored.
The aura was thick as a column and bright enough to light the surroundings. And that was supposedly only half of his prime?
No—maybe even weaker than that?
Arthur’s greatest flaw had been the destruction of his Aura Hole. But that wasn’t the only problem. There was also the curse left by the Moon God.
The Curse of the Full Moon.
A curse that inflicted agony during every hour that was not night, forcing Arthur to depend on the moon. The reason he had failed to wipe out the heretics completely was almost certainly that curse.
Maybe I should give him that potion first……
Evan patted his coat. He had prepared two potions this time. One to further restore the Aura Hole. The other to lift the curse left by the Moon God. He had made it just in case.
I’ll have to ask him about it later.
Our customer did leave an after-sales inquiry, after all……
No, wait.
If I play this right, I can use it, can’t I?
As bait to reel Arthur in. A transaction, to be precise. Something to make him handle the scary parts in Evan’s place!
Not bad at all.
He had already been fretting over Frey. If Arthur joined them, he would gain a reliable knight escort. They had even exchanged letters. A request of this size should be fine.
“……All right. Let’s go in.”
“Yes!”
Lapis answered brightly.
Evan placed both hands on Unit 4. Through the golem he opened the barrier and stepped through—
—only to find a blood-soaked wolf-beastman collapsed on the ground and Arthur standing over him.
……Yeah.
Maybe this isn’t the best timing?
“Cough!”
Greaze of the Red Nails spat a mouthful of blood. The ground around him was littered with the corpses of heretics. Not a single survivor remained.
Annihilation.
They had not even faced an army. Just one man—the nightmare of every heretic, who had chased them all the way here.
“……You monster—”
“Cough!”
Greaze glared up at Arthur.
“You chased us all the way out here?”
“No.”
Arthur calmly wiped the blood from his blade with a cloth.
“Coincidence.”
“Coincidence…… my ass.”
“I mean it literally. I had no intention of hunting you.”
Arthur glanced toward the mansion where the ball was still in full swing.
“Bad luck for you. Good luck for me.”
Or is it even luck?
Once could be called coincidence. Twice was something else.
“Or perhaps…… someone else’s plan.”
“……What?”
Greaze realized Arthur was speaking of another person. A faint emotion colored the knight’s voice—fear or respect, he could not tell. That this devil could feel either was almost more terrifying.
“You…… expected we would come?”
What kind of monster……!
Greaze ground his teeth. Whoever it was, they were clearly a heavyweight. To toy with this devil so freely…… It felt as though he himself had been reduced to a mere piece on a chessboard. He had to escape somehow and warn his remaining comrades who were still fighting alone!
Just then—
Ziiiiing!
The barrier imprisoning them began to tremble.
Kuuuuung!
Could it be?
Reinforcements?
A flicker of hope crossed Greaze’s face.
Creak!
The barrier opened like a door, and someone stepped through.
It was a golem. Its limbs were unnaturally long, its body of pure obsidian glittering under the moonlight.
That is……
Greaze’s eyes rose to the figure riding atop it.
A cloak billowing in the night wind. Jet-black hair and golden eyes. A face so expressionless that not a single emotion could be read.
Arthur murmured under his breath,
“……Evan Alcarte.”
That brat…… is Evan Alcarte?
A boy who hasn’t even held his coming-of-age ceremony yet?
It was hard to believe. The atmosphere alone would have convinced anyone he was the Duke himself.
……He looks just like him.
Heretics inevitably became entangled with the underworld. As a bishop, Greaze had seen the Duke several times. Those golden eyes were identical.
After staring at Evan for a moment, cold sweat beaded on Greaze’s forehead.
……A monster!
He could read nothing. Greaze’s greatest strengths were his sense of smell and sight; he could count the fine hairs on a person’s body. And still he could read nothing?
That level of perfect control was something he had only ever felt from the Duke or Bishop Blake. To sense it from a child like this……
I have to run—right now……
Thud.
The golem took one step forward. Evan slowly turned his gaze upon him. The instant those emotionless eyes met his, Greaze’s body locked up.
Gently, the golem lowered Evan to the ground.
Evan stood alone.
“……A pleasure to meet you.”
He looked at Arthur and spoke.
“Arthur Moraite. Is that correct?”
“……It is.”
As if he had never been standing at a slant, Arthur sheathed his sword at his waist and offered a formal bow.
“Arthur Moraite, Knight of the Full Moon. It is an honor to meet you in person.”
“The honor is mine as well.”
Formal speech. It suited him so perfectly it sent a chill down the spine. Even the smallest courtesy was observed with precision—as though he were the mastermind controlling every piece on the board.
Evan turned his head slightly.
“……And this gentleman?”
“Bishop Greaze. One of those who lead the remaining heretics.”
Greaze read the faint discomfort in Arthur’s tone.
“……A remnant left behind because my work was incomplete.”
“……It’s all right.”
Evan slowly shook his head, soothing him the way a merciful sovereign might overlook a subordinate’s mistake.
Don’t tell me……
“You handled it cleanly. More than sufficiently.”
“!”
Evan Alcarte was Arthur’s backer?
Then……
Our entire slaughter was all……!
Part of Evan Alcarte’s scheme!
“If anything, I worry I may have interfered.”
“……Thanks to you I recognized my own shortcomings. I never felt inconvenienced.”
“Then I am glad.”
The true enemy had never been Arthur.
It was Evan Alcarte!
He was the heretics’ real foe!
Grrrrrr……!
The moment Greaze lost control and began to draw up his rage, a murderous killing intent slammed into him from the golem’s direction.
His body trembled with pure terror. Forcing his head up, he saw a white-haired, red-eyed girl glaring down from atop the golem. In her hand was…… a carrot?
Food he would normally never even glance at. Right now it felt more dangerous than any famous blade.
And beside her sat a blue-haired child he recognized all too well.
“You…… Frey……!”
Frey.
The child of colossal destiny whom the god himself had ordered them to manage. The one whose three-inch tongue could bewitch even bishops—why was he here?
Has he already started toying with Evan?
……No.
Evan was not even looking at him. There was no dependence whatsoever. Frey, for his part, was staring at Greaze as if trying to burn him alive with his eyes alone.
……He already has Frey in the palm of his hand?
A destiny even a god cannot freely touch?
How far has he already read?
What does he want?
The emotion of rage began to twist into something else.
Fear.
The same fear he had felt the first time he received a god’s presence—
……No! That doesn’t matter right now!
Greaze shook his head hard. The result no longer mattered. The water was already spilled. All he could do was give everything to the present.
“Frey!!!!”
Greaze roared. Arthur had no time to react.
“By the god’s command!”
The single privilege granted to those who managed such beings.
The right of command.
A privilege that one who carried a destiny as vast as Frey’s could never refuse!
“Kill that man at once!”
“…….”
“…….”
Frey’s hand twitched.
That was all.
He did not move an inch.
……Huh?
Why isn’t he moving?
He said he would obey……
At that moment Lapis’s hand moved, and something pure white flashed before Greaze’s eyes.
Seok—
His vision suddenly soared into the sky. Only belatedly did Greaze realize his own head had been severed. Lapis’s voice, steeped in pure Wrath, reached him.
“How dare you. Against Evan? You?”
Eyes dyed blood-red. Inside them, gears clicked and turned. Too late, he understood.
That white-haired child also carried the same destiny as Frey.
The same…… Sin…… two of them……?
A destiny even a god could not bear. And he was walking around with two of them as if it were nothing?
How heavy a fate must he carry?
……They had tangled with the wrong person.
A monster far too large.
Ah, O God……
Greaze slowly closed his eyes. Before consciousness faded, he offered one last prayer—that the remaining comrades might receive the god’s blessing.
“…….”
Thud-roll-roll!
The severed head tumbled across the ground.
Evan looked down at it with an expressionless face. Arthur spoke.
“……She seems quite angry.”
“Lapis.”
“……I’m sorry, Evan.”
Lapis, realizing she had gone too far, grew subdued.
Evan stared for a moment.
Shit! I’m scared to death.
I was already shaking just facing Arthur, and now this!
I wouldn’t even be surprised if I fainted right here!
Somehow he managed to hold his mind together. If he collapsed now, everything was over. He had to endure no matter what!
“I’m sorry…….”
“……It’s fine. You did well.”
Evan gently stroked Lapis’s head, then turned to Frey.
“Have you…… achieved your purpose?”
“…….”
Frey remained silent. His expression alone made it clear he was unsatisfied.
One bishop wasn’t enough?
Then Arthur spoke.
“……There are more heretics nearby.”
“!”
“To be precise, there is an ‘ancient dungeon’ they were using as a base.”
An ancient dungeon?
Ah.
He remembered. An instanced dungeon, one might say. Single-use. Once cleared, it was gone for good. Usually filled with strange murals.
The rewards were useful, weren’t they?
Mostly ancient golem cores or valuable materials. He had planned to visit it in about two years.
Why not now?
Not because he was scared, of course. His body was still weak. You never knew.
Going now wouldn’t be so bad, would it?
If he went alone he might die of something stupid. Always better to be careful.
“It would be dangerous for me alone, but with you present…… I am not so certain.”
“……?”
Excuse me? Me?
While Evan was still reeling, Frey—apparently tempted by the offer—looked at him.
“……I want to go.”
“Frey.”
“If we go there…… I feel I might find the answer I’ve been looking for.”
For the first time, Frey showed something close to pleading. A reaction from the Sin of Pride itself. What could be inside that dungeon?
Ah, I really can’t resist a hidden piece……
The old loser Lee Han-ol might have hesitated, but the veteran survivor Evan Alcarte, one year into this world, was already hooked. Hidden pieces and dungeon-clear rewards would be more than enough to help him stay alive. Who knew? There might be precious materials for golem crafting. And he had reliable companions right here.
“……Arthur.”
“Speak.”
“I would like to propose a transaction.”
Clinging to his trembling heart, Evan slipped a hand into his pocket.
If he accepts, we go. If he refuses…… we still go!
“A potion that can further restore your Aura Hole, and a potion that can lift your curse.”
“!”
“I will give you one of them. Will you accompany us?”
Arthur’s eyes widened in pure shock.
How does he know about my curse?
Not even the Saintess or my own sister knows of it.
Is he connected to a god?
No. If he were entangled with that hateful god, Arthur would have sensed it. Then had he simply…… seen through it? With those two eyes?
……Terrifying.
Everything might already be a board he had arranged. Even more terrifying was the knowledge that there was no escaping it.
Is the curse truly liftable?
If so…… then just as the Saintess had said, he might be able to save his sister.
“……The curse.”
Arthur opened his mouth.
“I will choose the curse.”
Even if it meant becoming this man’s piece, so be it. If he could cut down that loathsome moon and cast off this curse……
Everything was for the sake of severing the moon.
If that is what you wish, I will gladly become your sword.
Willingly, he would dance upon this board.