You Wanna Die First?
Jealousy of the Seven Deadly Sins, Enoch, was staying in a three-story building in Norden Village.
The spacious room on the upper floor was hung with countless works of art—paintings, poems, compositions, and more. Every last one of them was of master-craftsman quality, and astonishingly, every last one had been born from Enoch’s own hands.
Still not enough.
Even so, Enoch hungered. He could not forgive the existence of anyone who surpassed him in even a single thing. So he would bring the talented to his side, copy their gifts, and then kill them so they could never surpass him again.
And somewhere along the way, I became Jealousy of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Enoch thought the moniker suited him perfectly. No matter how hard he tried, that thirst, that itch, never went away.
He had been painting the view outside the window when he suddenly grew bored and flung the brush aside with a rough motion.
“I heard there’s a decent painter around these parts. When’s he supposed to come into the village?”
The subordinate standing nearby answered at once.
“They say he’ll be back by tomorrow morning. He always returns around this time.”
“Bring him the moment he arrives. Tell him I’ll pay whatever he wants.”
“Yes, sir.”
That was the reason Enoch had been hiding in this remote little town for a full month.
“Any new movement from the Holy Empire since then?”
Lately he had noticed pests sniffing around the area. Ordinary people would never have sensed them, but Enoch was a notorious mage; his mana detection was razor-sharp.
“We don’t know the details, but they’re probably assembling a subjugation force and drawing up a plan.”
“Tch. Of course they are.”
The Holy Empire had sent people after him before, and every one of them had been swallowed by his magic. This time they might even bring one of the Twelve Holy Knights to make certain of the kill.
“Once the painter shows up, we grab him and leave this place immediately. Then we pretend we don’t know the Holy Empire is moving, pull back, and slaughter the lot of them. Until then, act like nothing’s wrong.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll pass the word to the others.”
“The Holy Empire dogs have been burned by me enough times that they’ll move carefully. We’ll use that against them.”
“Your wisdom is ever peerless, Lord Enoch.”
Enoch snorted.
“Get out.”
“Yes, sir.”
Just then someone pounded on the door and shouted.
“Lord Enoch! Urgent news!”
“Come in and speak.”
A man opened the door. Enoch asked,
“Well? What is it?”
“A group we believe belongs to the Holy Empire is heading straight for this building!”
“What?”
Enoch shot to his feet and strode to the window.
In the pitch darkness, figures in assorted garb were walking slowly toward them from the distance.
It really is the Holy Empire. And they’ve even brought a member of the Twelve Holy Knights and an Inquisitor.
A Holy Empire that had failed to catch him until now should have been moving with caution. Yet here they were, coming at him head-on?
The completely unexpected sight drew a hollow laugh from Enoch.
“Has the Holy Empire finally lost its mind?”
But he did not know.
The Holy Empire had not gone mad. There was simply one madman mixed in with that group….
We gathered as one and advanced on the building where Enoch was staying.
Villagers poked their heads out now and then to see what the fuss was about. I gave them a light wave.
“That’s right. We’re the ones who came from the Holy Empire.”
Beside me, Sebastian made a sour face.
“I agreed to this, but… is this really wise? Enoch will have noticed us by now. It wouldn’t be strange if he attacked at any moment.”
Sebastian was clad head to toe in silver armor that glittered even in the dark under the moonlight.
“It’s fine. By coming out like this we’ve given him plenty to think about. He’ll watch how we move and respond accordingly. It’s already too late for him to run.”
“And if he attacks before that, contrary to your expectation?”
“Then…”
I gave the shield in Sebastian’s hands a couple of light taps.
“You block it with this. Not confident?”
“Urgh, that’s not it, but…”
Sebastian scratched his cheek, then nodded.
“Understood. I said I would trust you once, so I won’t question it further.”
“A wise choice.”
I glanced at his gleaming shield.
“How much did that cost? Looks expensive.”
“…I don’t know. The Holy See issued it to me.”
“For free?”
“Well, I am one of the Twelve Holy Knights, so…”
“Hmm.”
I looked down at my own sword. It had been fine while I was using the Sword of Joy, but the heat of the Sword of Wrath had warped the edge somewhat.
Should I just tell the Holy Empire I’m a Holy Knight too?
No. Right now, the looks people give me aren’t exactly friendly. The Goddess’s scriptures even say that one of the Holy Knights will betray them. Asking for a sword I could obtain with my own strength just for that reason wasn’t a great idea.
Before long we reached the building where Enoch was staying. A three-story structure ringed by an outer wall—more like a small manor than an inn.
“The rest of you stay back for now. We’ll handle this first.”
Only Bella and I stepped forward. Bella spoke with a solemn look.
“Is it my turn to act?”
I glanced at Sebastian and answered.
“No. Today your magic is only for protecting others. Start by protecting me.”
“Yes!”
I stopped at a suitable distance from the front gate and used Tailwind to scan every corner of the building.
Fifty-two people total. No civilians. Enoch’s on the third floor, then.
The moment I finished assessing the situation, some punk stepped out of the front gate.
“Might you be gentlemen from the Holy See?”
“We are.”
“Then what brings such distinguished personages all the way out here? I’m afraid we haven’t any rooms that could accommodate you…”
Playing dumb for now, was he?
“Then we’ll just kill the ones already staying there first.”
“Pardon?”
“You wanna die first? What’s with the cheap act? Is your master here or not?”
The man’s eyes sharpened at once, and his tone turned insolent.
“Why pull such a stupid stunt that doesn’t suit the Holy Empire? Looking to die, all of you?”
I tilted my head at the question.
“You’re the one who’s going to kill us? Why are you putting on airs?”
“……”
“This won’t do. I’ll introduce you arrogant little shit to the Goddess first.”
I drew my sword and settled into a stance—not a cutting form, but one meant to pierce the enemy’s heart.
Whooooosh—
Flames coiled around the blade. My fire-wreathed sword blazed in the darkness.
Of course they weren’t going to just stand there and watch.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
A massive volley of something being loosed echoed through the night. Dozens of arrows poured down from the black sky like falling stars.
Even I wouldn’t survive if that many shafts punched through me—but I didn’t move.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Arrows that should have skewered me bounced away before they could touch my body. A translucent barrier surrounded me—Bella’s magic.
She’s growing fast, as expected.
Given that she was originally destined to become Jealousy of the Seven Deadly Sins, it was only natural.
With the enemies now forced to simply watch, I stoked the flames even higher.
Whooooosh!
Fire, by nature, expands outward. So what would happen if I compressed those flames down to the size of a marble? And what if I didn’t stop there, but kept feeding more fire into that tiny space?
Grrrrrrrrrk!!
Whatever happened next wasn’t my problem. I gathered the flames at the tip of my sword.
The fireball vibrated as if it would explode at any second, its color deepening into a vivid crimson. The heat was so intense that the sword tip began to melt and blunt—but it was still more than sharp enough to pierce a throat, so I kept compressing.
Grrrrrrrrrnnnnk!!
The instant the flames packed into the sphere passed their limit and were about to burst free, I thrust my sword straight forward into empty air.
A compressed sphere of Wrath-forged flame, driven to the brink of detonation, is released in a single piercing thrust—erupting into a roaring column of searing heat that annihilates everything in its path.
KRAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
An enormous boom tore the night apart as the superheated flames shot forward in a straight line. Bella’s barrier dropped of its own accord at just the right moment, and the fireball rocketed toward the building that housed Enoch.
“……!”
The minion who had been trying to flee after sensing something was wrong was swallowed whole by the flames. But the fire wasn’t satisfied with him alone. It smashed through the front gate and reached the building itself.
KRA-KOOM-KOOM-KOOM!
A massive explosion obliterated the lower floors. For a brief instant the dark sky brightened as if dawn had arrived early.
Ssssssss….
The flames that had erupted from my sword tip gradually died down, and silence settled over the area once more. The punk who had been yapping at the gate was gone, and a gaping hole now punched clean through the building, opening up the view. All that remained in the explosion’s wake was a wave of stifling heat.
I wiped the sweat from my brow.
“Hot. Is it summer already?”
It wasn’t even May yet….
Rumble-rumble-rumble….
With its first floor blown through, the building lost its center of gravity and began to collapse. A quick check with Tailwind told me roughly twenty people on the second floor were still alive. Taking out thirty with a single technique was impressive, but I wasn’t particularly satisfied.
Hmm…
I had originally planned to leave only about ten and, if possible, hurt Enoch himself. Apparently he hadn’t just been sitting there watching; he’d used protective magic to minimize the damage. No wonder the Holy Empire had officially designated him one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
I can see why everyone who came after him ended up dead.
Then a voice from behind shattered the silence.
“W-what in the world….”
“Was that… sword aura?”
It was neither sword aura nor anything of the sort. Just a technique that combined my personal swordsmanship with my ability to regulate holy power. Still, it must have been a shocking sight to them.
“Inquisitor Cael, that just now was surely….”
Sebastian looked even more rattled than the others. As one of the Twelve Holy Knights who wielded holy power, he would have sensed that my technique had been imbued with it.
“……”
I pressed a finger to my lips. Sebastian swallowed hard and gave a small nod. I had no intention of desperately hiding that I was a Holy Knight. I simply preferred to keep one more card in hand for as long as possible.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Enoch’s surviving subordinates began charging at us from the collapsed building. I spoke to the people behind me.
“I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m going to take Enoch’s head before this heat dies down.”
“I’ll catch up shortly.”
“Do as you like.”
I turned my gaze from Sebastian.
“And Sub-deacon Bella.”
“Yes, Inquisitor!”
“Protect the others with your magic as much as you can so they don’t get hurt.”
Bella had reached the point where she could control her spells well enough not to catch allies in the crossfire. She had already wrapped me in a perfectly timed barrier a moment ago.
“Understood!”
The instant I heard her reply, I kicked off the ground. Enoch, who had been on the upper floors, was now somewhere behind his minions on the ground thanks to the collapse. I cut down only the ones directly in my path and charged straight ahead.
Just as I was about to carve through the last minion at the edge—
Whoooooooosh!
Flames filled my entire field of vision and came crashing down. For a second I wondered if hell had suddenly come calling, but it turned out to be fire magic.
Taat!
I leaped sideways and dodged. The flames roasted an unlucky subordinate instead. Having escaped hell, I wiped the sweat from my brow one more time.
“Hot. Enough with the fire play already.”
I wrapped Joy around the blade. A cool breeze soothed the heat clinging to my body.
“Hah. Feels better already. Want some yourself?”
I leveled the tip of my sword at the mage.
A gaunt, long-haired man with a haggard face. Jealousy of the Seven Deadly Sins—Enoch.
Enoch narrowed his eyes.
“You’re strong. The strongest of anyone I’ve fought so far.”
“And you’ve got the longest hair of any man I’ve ever seen.”
It was long enough to drag on the ground.
“Do you use it as a broom?”
Enoch let out a hollow laugh.
“You seem awfully composed. That last attack must have drained a great deal of your strength.”
Even for me, using a big technique like Single Point Explosion left a sense of lethargy in the body. But it wasn’t enough to stop me from moving, and Enoch had burned through plenty of mana blocking that strike as well. So it was a wash.
“Doesn’t look like you’re in any position to be worrying about me.”
Enoch ground his teeth and spoke.
“I hate bastards like you the most. Born with everything.”
“……”
“Tall, handsome, and ridiculously strong at such a young age… Every time I see someone like you, my guts start to itch.”
Enoch’s eyes gleamed with vicious light. Truly the thinking of Jealousy of the Seven Deadly Sins.
I met that gaze, thick with envy, and nodded.
“That’s right. That’s exactly who I am.”
“…What?”
Was this bastard actually flattering me in the hopes of being spared? Unfortunately for him, I hadn’t been born with the kindness to show mercy even to villains. While he stood there looking dumbfounded, I kicked off the ground.
“Thanks for the compliment.”
My sword reached him in an instant and came crashing down.