Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: Envy Submits
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Penny shot up from her seat.
"O, Juliet, your beauty has made me this strong."
She then gazed at the ceiling with a rapt expression, one foot propped on the sofa.
"Even death holds no fear!"
Envy watched, forgetting to even blink.
Penny was a brilliant artist.
And Envy was a spectator utterly captivated by the tale.
They were moments away from the climax of this tragic love story.
Her mouth went dry, her entire body tensing.
"Now, I come to your side."
Envy's mind spun in chaos.
Really? For real?
What was Romeo planning to do?
When would Juliet wake up!
As Penny delivered her final line, the highlight of Romeo and Juliet reached its peak!
"Yeah, that's it."
"Ah!"
Penny reverted to her usual expressionless face and sat primly on the sofa.
Reality crashed back in an instant.
Envy, still bound, trembled violently before exploding in fury.
"Hey... you demon-worse-than-a-demon bitch!"
Had she ever reacted this emotionally before?
At Envy's snarling face, Penny winked one eye.
"Thanks."
She was a demon, after all.
"Die, just die! You're a disgrace to the Seven Deadly Sins—the weakest, the dumbest! And...!"
"Yeah, praise, praise."
Curses were compliments to a demon.
Envy could never win against Penny.
"Eek!"
But no matter how she struggled, the handcuffs wouldn't budge.
They were made of steel, after all.
She might manage if she could swing with full force, but exerting power while trussed up tight was impossible.
In the end, Envy couldn't endure having the classic masterpiece interrupted twice right at the finale.
"Sh-shit..."
"Crying?"
Tears welled up in her emerald eyes, spilling like chicken droppings.
She could tolerate physical pain to some extent.
She was born immortal, after all.
Getting sliced or chopped was child's play.
As long as no one like Judak with his insane grinder idea existed, nothing could beat her.
"This is too much..."
But mental torment was different.
As she huddled, sniffling with teary eyes,
"Hey."
Penny suddenly tapped her shoulder.
"Mmph?!"
Just as she tried to ignore it, something was abruptly shoved into her mouth.
"Wh-what's this!"
Reflexively, she tried to spit out the intruder due to the sudden foreign sensation.
"Huh...?"
Insane sweetness.
Insane crispness and tartness.
Until the flavors exploded in her mouth, like a collection of every type of sugar imaginable.
"...What's this?"
The same words, but a different tone.
She chewed obediently, swallowed, and only then asked Penny.
To think such sweetness existed in the world.
It was a sweetness unimaginable outside, just like in novels.
"Tanghulu."
"Huh?"
"One of the thousands—tens of thousands—of desserts Judak has."
Tanghulu was a trendy dessert from the modern world.
But the name didn't matter now.
"What did you just say..."
"The name?"
"No. There are thousands of kinds?"
She couldn't believe it.
She even suspected it was a lie to lure her in.
But proof was simple.
[Snacks, Desserts]
[Matcha Brownies 2 pcs]
[Homemade Donuts 15 kinds]
[Vanilla Sand]
[Strawberry Fresh Cream Cake]
.
.
Judak*: Believe me now?
"Wow..."
Judak had sent a screenshot of part of the shop.
Naturally, points and shop details were cropped out, leaving only dessert images.
Among the countless desserts, the only familiar one was the fresh cream cake Penny had enjoyed.
'It was really delicious.'
Fluffy and light like clouds.
If she hadn't known, it wouldn't have mattered, but that one savory bite had seared it into her brain.
The rest probably tasted just as good.
Unconsciously, Envy swallowed.
Judak*: I'll give you whatever you want to eat
"!"
That unbelievable chat arrived.
"R-really?"
Judak*: But there's a condition
Nothing in the world was free, of course.
There was a condition.
Judak*: If you go under Penny
She would be consumed by Penny.
But it didn't mean death.
Envy's power would bind to Penny, with Penny as the host.
"That's...!"
Envy's face crumpled in misery.
She had finally escaped, only to be told to give up all freedom?
If Penny took her power, she'd lose every bit of freedom.
They could share tastes and thoughts, sure.
But acting on them or eating would depend on Penny's will.
"You idiot."
"Ow!"
Penny flicked her forehead.
As Envy glared fiercely at Penny, she calmly laid out reality.
"You have no choice anyway."
"Hmph, if I really wanted to...!"
"What could you do?"
Envy was bound head to toe.
She had already killed a dwarf.
She wanted to say what was the big deal, but now that she was captured, she realized.
In this world, it was an unforgivable crime.
"You thought you could kill someone and face no consequences?"
"Th-that doesn't matter! They were just weak!"
Outside, power ruled everything.
They were weak, so they died.
She was stronger, so she did as she pleased.
But that same logic applied here.
Judak*: Me too, though?
"...Huh?"
The world beyond where Judak existed.
By the law of power, Judak was the strongest.
And rules were set by Judak's whim.
Permanent ban for killing, he said.
"P-permanent ban?"
Envy shuddered in fear.
She didn't know the term, but it felt ominous.
Something she must never experience.
Of course, it was a meaningless rule for Envy, not a gallery troll...
But Envy didn't know that.
- A troll's future is just food resources...
- (Knight con holding fork and knife)
- Judak that jerk! Throw him in the grinder?
"Eek."
Only the gallery users' joking taunts swirled in her head.
Envy's face paled as reality sank in.
Judak*: But freedom ← is that really good?
"Yes?"
Then Judak.
The incomprehensible entity of floating text whispered before her eyes.
Judak*: Outside is ruins, right? A gray void with nothing?
"How do you..."
It was actually a place she fled into to escape assassins.
But to Envy, unaware, Judak seemed to see through everything.
"Can't tell even looking at me?"
"Huh?"
"Judak's giving you a chance. To avoid punishment and live happily."
Penny chimed in perfectly timed.
Really?
Envy, who had never experienced gaslighting, blinked rapidly.
Judak*: Better than the freedom of sleeping in ruins with nothing to eat
Judak*: Don't you think daily delicious food and soft beds under control is better?
Left to right.
Right to left.
Judak's chats tickled her mind like a demon's whisper.
"I-is that so?"
Judak*: (Real frog con, no idea)
Fair point.
Her lifetime outside wasn't even worth the last few hours.
The quality was worlds apart.
If punishment was inevitable, maybe accepting Judak's offer was right?
Sweet control over painful freedom?
"R-really, you want nothing in return?"
Envy asked Penny one last time.
The reason powerlessly Penny could live happily here.
It was all thanks to Judak.
"I guarantee it—this is ten thousand times better than those days of living strong out there."
"Aah..."
Envy's heart began to sway.
Then Judak landed the finishing blow.
Judak*: If you come now...
"Come...?"
Judak*: I'll tell you the endings to Romeo and Juliet, Peter Pan
In that instant, Envy dropped to her knees.
As Penny looked at her in the sudden turn, Envy slowly raised her head and murmured.
"Promise..."
Judak*: Yeah?
"You have to keep the promise?"
She had seen Penny as a traitor.
Now she understood that choice.
Judak*: Of course
The essence of the Seven Deadly Sins was both a source of power and a shackle.
Envy had lived envying others her whole life.
But now, no need.
She could enjoy Judak's unimaginable goods.
A life envied, not envying.
"Heh, hehehe."
Betrayal was sweeter than imagined.
Seeing Envy giggling gooily, Penny slowly opened her mouth and approached.
"You've really decided to join me?"
"Take this power quick. Take it and show me the ending already!"
Penny marveled inwardly.
To crumble that arrogant Envy with a few books and desserts.
Penny bared her pearly whites, bit Envy's shoulder, and replied.
"Of course."
Soon, Penny's form began to change.
*
"Ooh yeah."
Penny's essence was Lust.
She had thought it didn't suit her at all.
But now she understood.
As she absorbed Envy's source, her body transformed into an adult's.
A different, alluring form from Dryer.
And the absorption process itself.
"What if Lust absorbs another power?"
What followed was too risqué to describe myself;;
"Aah!"
After absorbing the power for a while, Penny threw her head back with a satisfied smile.
Judak*: How is it?
"The best... I feel so much stronger. Even more than my old self."
Penny had become an adult.
It felt a bit unfamiliar.
"Where did my cute Penny-Penny go..."
The Penny I knew was gone.
"You've grown up now."
Penny was no longer someone to protect.
Penny wasn't a baby anymore.
I smiled along with Penny's grin, then gathered my thoughts.
"Keeping you around more would be inconvenient too."
Feeling like a parent watching their grown child, I spoke to the happy Penny.
Judak*: Hey, no, Penny
"Yeah?"
Judak*: Go out and live now
Penny must be struggling too.
She was grown, no reason to keep her.
Above all, living underground with a basement gallery NEET didn't seem appealing.
That's what I meant.
"...What?"
But suddenly, the mood turned strange.
The focus faded from Penny's ruby eyes.