Chapter 162

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 162

Chapter Title: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Life Vessel

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The underground area of the ruins where I was staying was pretty spacious.

Especially since there was hardly any proper lighting, it felt even wider amid the pitch-black darkness.

On top of that, despite cleaning it several times, the musty corpse stench that refused to fade, plus the damp humidity from Whitey recently coming down here and messing everything up with its soaked body...

In every way, it was the worst environment imaginable, so I'd avoided heading underground unless I absolutely had to.

But right now.

"It was around here..."

I wandered the underground holding a suitable lighting magic tool, searching for something.

Actually, there were goggles among the cleaning tools that would let me see ahead if I wore them, but honestly, they were too ugly to bother with. The pressure from them was intense, leaving the skin around my eyes sore.

...Ah. Wait, do I even need to lug this thing around?

"Desik. Hold this and shine some light."

"...Grind. As I've said time and again, my name is..."

When I tossed the lighting magic tool to Desik as he started protesting, Desmond shot me a rebellious glare but reluctantly followed behind me, holding the light.

It was a world away from how defiant he'd been right after awakening.

"To think the sovereign above all things would endure such humiliation...!"

"Ah... So our little Desik hates following me around, huh?"

But grumbling complaints kept spilling from his mouth, so I offered Desmond some kind words in consideration.

"Then let's head up. They say a good forest bath is the best cure for a gloomy mood. Tell that to Dry..."

"...I never said I hated it."

At that, Desmond immediately tucked in his tail and wordlessly hoisted the lighting tool a bit higher.

Now that's more like it.

'...Just how much did it drain out of him.'

I'd been genuinely fed up with Desmond's attitude and planned to scrap using him altogether by tossing him to Dry as a snack, but in a mere three days, Desmond surrendered. He begged for negotiations, promising to obey my orders within reason if I freed him from that damned tree.

For someone who'd rather embrace death, wasn't that surrender a bit too easy...?

"That's because you don't know the feeling of being devoured by that cursed tree! It's not mere energy drain—it invades my very essence and chews through everything...!"

"Hey now. Cursed tree? Should I go tell Dry?"

"........."

Honestly, I had no clue what that felt like, but getting siphoned for nutrients by Dry didn't seem pleasant at all.

Then what about the hero prisoners I had locked up? Drained for nutrients while asleep under Lilith's spell—were they suffering the same torment?

...I should treat Dry a little better from now on.

"Damn it. To think I'd end up as direct fodder for Gluttony..."

"...What was that?"

"...Hm? What're you talking about."

"...Hmph."

And after being relentlessly drained by Dry until surrender, Desmond had undergone a subtle change.

'His mind seems to be flickering in and out.'

Was it a side effect of losing too much energy? Or had something malfunctioned right when the contract was overwritten?

Desmond would often mutter to himself unconsciously like this.

'I get the rough idea.'

Thanks to Bartoria joining us—with her memories intact from the Mythical Age—I'd learned quite a bit more about the Seven Deadly Sins.

And this world's Seven Deadly Sins matched the exact lineup of Christianity's seven deadly sins back on Earth.

'Dry is Gluttony?'

Honestly, it didn't fit all that well... Sure, Dry had a hearty appetite, constantly begging for snacks and slurping up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nutrients efficiently, but was it Gluttony-worthy? If anything, wouldn't Erzsebet—who sucked blood from others—fit the bill better?

Well, Lilith carried the epithet of Lust, so maybe it wasn't all that surprising.

"Found it."

After dragging Desik along and scouring the underground for a good while, I finally spotted my target.

"Grrrr! What have you done to my magnificent throne...!"

The moment I found what I was after, Desmond—trailing behind me—started foaming at the mouth.

The grand throne borne like a palanquin by hordes of undead when I first encountered Desmond.

That opulent, imposing seat showcasing his full majesty now appeared utterly pathetic, tossed aside carelessly.

'I stripped all the jewels off to sell to the dungeon merchant...'

After my first run-in with the dungeon merchant, I'd desperately scraped together cash by looting every last one of Desmond's underground belongings(?). This throne, decked out in gems galore, was naturally no exception.

Rather than hawking the bulky throne whole, peddling the individual gems seemed smarter, so I'd left the heavy seat behind and pocketed just the jewels... and totally forgotten about it.

'No idea this was important.'

Chiding my past self, I inspected the throne from all angles.

'This is it.'

And since this throne counted as a proper part of the ruins—not "contaminant"—a system message popped up with its name, just like when I'd differentiated walls from traps during past cleanings.

I pressed the section the system labeled a switch.

The throne's center parted open, ejecting an ominous jet-black orb from within.

'They say the lamp casts the darkest shadow...'

Who'd have guessed he'd stash his Life Vessel right in his own throne? Or maybe it suited Desmond's vain, arrogant nature perfectly?

"...! Y-You! How in the world...!"

Desmond had shown unease ever since I dragged him underground, grew visibly antsy upon spotting the throne, and now stared in utter shock, as if on the verge of collapse.

No matter how much he'd buckled under Dry's Gluttony, he'd never breathed a word about the Life Vessel's location.

But how'd I find it?

'No way I'd have guessed this would show up.'

It was in Desmond's [Employee Info] section, under racial traits.

Among them, his Archlich trait boasted the bonkers effect of total death immunity while the Life Vessel held...

'Just tapped it on a whim.'

While idly browsing his [Employee] info window after so long—now that he was awake—I tapped the highlighted 'Life Vessel' bit, and bam, the location spilled out.

He obeyed now thanks to the contract, but holding his literal lifeline would make him much more pliable going forward.

"Hands off, you filth! How dare the likes of you touch my Life Vessel...!"

As I reached for the Life Vessel, Desmond lost his mind completely.

Yet even amid the outburst, a sly little smile tugged at Desmond's lips.

'Grab it, you idiot...!'

A Life Vessel was the condensed life essence of a sorcerer who'd turned himself into a lich.

An Archlich gained immortality while it endured, but shattering it scattered their life force instantly, spelling death.

Why wouldn't he safeguard something so crucial?

The Life Vessel bore 18 protective spells even he couldn't breach lightly, plus 12 vile curses primed to slaughter any toucher on contact.

And this fool blundered right up to it, blind to the magic...!

'If only that pest dies, my chance...!'

Slay the one who'd forcibly overwritten his contract, and all would resolve.

Endure as that wretch's slave? His pride forbade it utterly.

Thanks to his Archlich trait and the contract's quirks, his paths boiled down to eternal undead servitude or becoming that horrific tree's chew toy.

Better to use the Life Vessel and end it. No one—not even gods—stood above him.

Contract backlash might ripple to him upon that one's death, but far preferable to a pride-shattered existence!

'Grab it!'

Outwardly rampaging wildly, inwardly Desmond desperately willed Eugene to seize the Life Vessel—and as if answering, Eugene grasped it without a second thought.

"Ha! Gotcha. You fool...?"

Dodging frantically for the expected blast of spells and curses, Desmond waited... and waited. Nothing. His jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Wh-What... is this...?"

Not dispelled. It hadn't even triggered? What in the...?

'What's he muttering to himself about?'

I snatched Desmond's blatantly sinister Life Vessel with my gloved [Janitor's Gloves]. Curse or whatever danger clung to it, these babies would handle it fine.

"C'mon. Let's go, Desik."

"........."

I whacked the back of Desmond's head—he looked like his soul had up and left—and prodded him along.

Ah, but technically, his soul was in the Life Vessel now, so yeah, soul gone? Haha.

...No more solo jokes from here on out.

"Hm?"

Ignoring Desmond, who still couldn't snap out of it, as I turned to head back up, my eyes caught a mural on the underground wall.

Come to think of it, that mural... First time I saw it, no clue what it was, but looking back now? Gotta be depictions of the Seven Deadly Sins. Those white and black light blobs overhead... the Demon God and that One God?

"Desik."

"......"

"Hey."

"...What."

Frowning at Desmond's incorrigible informal tone—no amount of smacks or threats fixed it—I jabbed a finger at the mural.

"There's a mural down here in the spot where you opened your eyes... You make it?"

"...Ha. Think I'd depict anyone above myself?"

Hm. Yeah, no way.

So Desmond didn't make the mural... Then who? Same entity that built these ruins?

"Besides, such repulsive artwork clashes with my refined tastes."

"...Repulsive."

There was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one that clearly depicted him, and the other murals of various beings all looked badass to boot. Repulsive, my foot...

"Which one's got you saying that. The repulsive one I mean is right there."

"......?"

Desmond griped about his own shoddy tastes, but somewhat recovered, he jabbed a finger indignantly at a spot.

That's...

'...The ceiling? Why the ceiling...'

Deep in the dim underground. A pitch-black ceiling.

I puzzled over Desmond suddenly harping on the mural as "repulsive" and pointing upward, but the instant the lighting tool's beam hit the ceiling, I jolted in shock.

'A-A picture...?'

The "sky" of the underground I'd dismissed as plain black ceiling.

The illuminated surface bore lines and contours far too deliberate for mere darkness.

I whipped out the [Cleaning Safety Goggles (lv.max)] I'd skipped to avoid eye strain.

Unlisted in the description, but packing night vision as a bonus effect. Slipping them on and peering up, I gasped.

"...!!"

The grand black-and-white light clusters splashed across the walls.

Something far vaster, far more sinister in pitch black sprawled across the entire ceiling.