Chapter 19: The Second Sin (2)

Every Sin instinctively knew their fate from the moment they were born.

The Sin of Pride, Schuper.

A lifetime spent exalting himself.

Deceiving and confounding both enemies and allies.

Seeking to undermine the uniqueness of a god-like being, to stand as an equal, or even surpass them.

At times, destroying a nation or manipulating it at will.

Such was the fate Schuper was born with.

A life where he could never belong or feel a sense of kinship.

A fate always accompanied by loneliness.

For the first time, Schuper felt a connection with someone.

Bound by the same framework of “Sin”—Wrath.

A being destined to live in the unquenchable flames of anger.

What’s with this girl?

Yet, Schuper felt confused.

Shockingly.

Why can’t I feel anything?

He couldn’t sense the blazing anger one would expect from the Sin of Wrath.

“How… how can you do that…?”

Flustered, Schuper even stuttered.

It was understandable.

For those born as puppets, moving with self-awareness despite having no strings was astonishing.

Especially for someone born as a fellow scarecrow.

“I just followed my fate…”

“I had a stroke of fortune.”

Lapis spoke to Schuper in a calm tone.

“A small, precious foreign object got caught in the gears of fate.”

“A foreign… object? Isn’t that a bad thing?”

“It depends on how you interpret it. But for us, it’s not. You know that, right?”

Similar yet different fates.

Both were destined to lose their sense of self, swept away by fate.

They had escaped that compulsion.

Having finished his thoughts, Schuper lunged forward.

Grab!

“How!? Please, tell me how!”

He clung to Lapis’s leg.

Fate?

It sounded nice, but in reality, it was a compulsion that ignored Schuper’s individuality.

Whether he wanted it or not, he had to live according to his fate.

A mutant born from the union of fallen heretics and ancient powers.

Born twisted, he had no choice but to cling like this.

“Tell you?”

“Yeah, yeah. You know, don’t you? What kind of fate you and I were born with.”

“I know. All too well.”

Too well, for better or worse.

“Alright. I’ll tell you.”

Lapis pointed a straight finger at the carriage.

“Believe in him.”

“…Believe? Just believe? That’s it?”

Schuper’s face twisted.

“Are you messing with me?”

“No. I’m telling you what actually worked for me.”

“What am I supposed to believe in? A god?”

“No. The savior who changed my fate.”

“A savior?”

“Yeah.”

Truthfully, Lapis hadn’t believed at first either.

She questioned why he showed such kindness, why he gave her such delicious food.

But as the impulse of wrath faded,

And the moment she met another Sin under the guise of coincidence, she became certain.

He was truly the one to save her from this fate.

At the same time, a small doubt arose.

Why had he come for this child?

If he deemed her useless and sought another Sin’s fate?

If he abandoned Lapis like this?

The mere thought made her heart feel hollow and painful.

The first object of her will, her family.

The desire not to lose him.

All of it mingled into this moment.

“All for… God…”

Drake, dangling pitifully in the air, dying.

In this moment, Lapis, like that foolish devotee, wanted to cling to the faith called belief.

Faith…

What is faith?

Belief.

Simply directed toward a “god.”

So, what defines a “god”?

Omnipotent power?

No.

A god is neither omnipotent nor competent enough to care for all.

Thus, faith is just a type of belief, a word for fanatical devotion.

The meaning could change depending on how it’s framed.

Could Lapis then say she has faith in Evan?

Even if Evan isn’t a god?

Yeah, that feels right.

Lapis thought, clenching her hand over her chest.

All for God.

She liked the sound of it.

But she’d leave out the word “God.”

God held no value to her.

All this…

Something incomparable to a god.

A small, precious foreign object that could interrupt the gears of life.

She gave it his name.

For Evan.

Yes.

That’s it.

A short resonance.

It sent ripples through Lapis’s heart, once filled with wrath.

Yes.

This is it.

Grin.

A smile formed on Lapis’s lips.

A natural smile spread across her face.

“Now, repeat after me.”

Lapis took Schuper’s hands.

The pressure radiating from her.

Schuper instinctively gripped her hands tightly.

“All for Evan.”

Lapis whispered softly.

***

“Hehe, all done, Evan!”

Inside the carriage.

Evan looked out the window with mixed feelings.

Outside, blood was everywhere.

The heretics lay crippled, collapsed.

I didn’t tell her to go this far…

For heretics, being crippled wasn’t a huge issue.

With their pathetic god, as long as they had faith and sacrifices, they’d recover quickly.

They’d likely hole up somewhere and survive.

They were experts at escaping.

Arthur probably wouldn’t bother chasing them either.

His Aura Hole was still incomplete.

He’d wait until he fully recovered or stabilized.

In other words, this normalized part of the story.

“Hehe, I did good, right?”

…You did well.

Might as well praise her.

He patted her head gently.

Lapis, delighted, grinned and hugged Evan’s leg.

Schuper watched this.

His expression soured completely.

Like watching a best friend flirt with their partner.

“…Untie me already.”

Schuper held out his bound hands.

The ropes tightly wound around them.

Evan stared for a moment.

Should he untie him or not?

Tch, isn’t it a bit risky?

Lapis was now like a complete rabbit.

A murderous rabbit when her eyes turned wild.

As long as she wasn’t angry, she was fine.

But Schuper?

He wasn’t sure.

Once awakened, he’d grind the kingdom into blood.

Schuper’s goal was to rule the kingdom.

In the end, he’d try to surpass even divine authority and fall—that was about all the info Evan had.

He didn’t even use his unique abilities back then.

It felt like he cherry-picked the best abilities and slotted them in.

No consistency.

Was it the same now?

“You’d better untie me.”

Schuper whispered in a low, strangely captivating voice.

“Then I’ll give you power.”

“…Power?”

“Yeah. Don’t you want to rule the world? With our two fates, it’s totally possible.”

Rule the world?

“I’ll make you a powerful ruler. How about it?”

Become a real man?

Hmm, not interested.

Evan wasn’t tempted.

Why?

Because I’m already a real man.

Surviving over a year in this harsh world.

That made him a man among men.

Maybe even on par with Bear Grylls.

Well, he couldn’t eat bugs raw, but…

“I’m not interested in that.”

“What?”

Evan replied in a flat, utterly uninterested tone.

“I’m not interested in fame, power, or money.”

Money was somewhat tempting.

But he already had plenty.

His allowance was generous.

No need to be swayed by a kid like this.

“What are you talking about? You’re not tempted at all?”

“Nope.”

“No way. No one could be that free of desire…”

Schuper, mid-sentence, widened his eyes.

Evan hadn’t noticed before, but there was a strange pattern in his pupils.

It wasn’t clear, though.

Like it was mosaiced.

That’s interesting.

In a world where magic, monsters, and gods existed,

Mosaiced pupils?

Just a bit curious, that’s all.

As Evan stared into his eyes,

Schuper’s hands trembled.

“No way.”

“?!”

“I can’t read you…?”

“Read what?”

“You… you’re not some kind of puppet, are you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

A puppet?

How rude.

Oh, does he mean I’m handsome?

That, he’d accept.

“Why can’t I read anything… huh?”

Schuper’s eyes widened, trembling.

“What are you looking at…?”

“Your eyes.”

Might as well compliment him here.

“Your eyes are quite pretty.”

“!!”

Schuper shook as if electrocuted.

“I-I…”

Schuper stammered.

This wasn’t like his game persona.

Was it because he was young?

Such an unfamiliar side.

Like Lapis, maybe because he was young?

Was he trembling from nerves?

Better help him relax.

To stay this calm in front of a Sin.

Truly, I’m a real man.

Evan, inwardly proud, spoke up.

“What’s your name?”

“Schuper.”

“I’m Evan. If it’s not rude, may I ask how you ended up here?”

“…Just by chance.”

“I see.”

He didn’t want to talk.

Evan didn’t pry.

No need to upset him.

Not because he was scared.

It was about respecting personal thoughts.

Schuper suddenly bit his lip and asked Evan.

“…You didn’t pull some trick on me, did you?”

“?”

Evan looked at him like he was spouting nonsense.

His golems and potions were all idle.

What trick was he talking about?

He’s not misunderstanding something weird, is he?

Evan’s taste wasn’t for kids like this.

Lapis approached with a relaxed expression, patting Schuper’s shoulder.

“Schuper, calm down. I’m right, aren’t I?”

“But…”

“You’re not feeling any impulses right now, are you?”

“…”

Pride and Wrath.

Evan didn’t know what it felt like, but sometimes impulses seemed to subside.

“You can have this peace.”

That’s…

“So, come play with us. Okay?”

Lapis smiled brightly, like a child, swinging Schuper’s hands back and forth.

“You must have had a tough time.”

Evan replied casually, not caring if Schuper followed or not.

“Do as you feel, follow your heart.”

“Okay.”

Do as he wants?

He planned to say goodbye from the start.

That’s why he told him to do as he pleased.

“You’re free.”

Sizzle!

After [Comprehending] and [Decomposing] the rope’s material, it vanished.

Schuper watched for a moment,

Then nodded.

Wait, why?

“Fine. I need to cross-verify. Alright.”

“Great! Hehe, Evan! You wanted to bring him along, right?”

No, I didn’t.

Lapis was enough as a Sin met by “coincidence.”

Why collect more Sins?

He wasn’t some mastermind.

The Sins all seemed young.

If he gathered them, how was that different from running an orphanage…

Wait, an orphanage?

Not a bad idea.

It’d be called an orphanage, but really, it’d be a place to protect them from harm or awakening as Sins.

It might make conquering this world easier.

The reason for preparing.

Once might be coincidence, but twice is different.

Twice is inevitable, and three times is fate—so preparation wouldn’t hurt.

Not a bad plan.

Good idea.

He had plenty of money, so he’d check it out later.

“Let’s get going.”

“Okay! Schuper, want some of this?”

“Get that grass away from me.”

“It’s not grass… it’s delicious.”

Lapis and Schuper bickered.

It felt like watching friends, making Evan oddly proud.

Though it didn’t show on his face.

Oh, right.

“Number Four, toss a few high-grade potions.”

Clink, clink!

Just in case they died, he kindly threw some potions.

They’d survive on their own with that.

Rumble.

“Dolph.”

Evan asked quietly.

“How much money do I have?”

“Huh? Probably enough to buy a mansion!”

Good.

Decided.

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m going to set up an orphanage.”

One where Sins could potentially stay.

Evan kept the latter part to himself.

Some plans were better kept private.

***

Days later, Evan returned to the Alkart Ducal Family.

The moment he returned, he realized something.

Rumors spread frighteningly fast in this world.

A strange rumor was circulating in the Alkart territory.

“They say I came back because I didn’t like the supply of test subjects?”

“Yes…”

What kind of nonsense was this?

Count Blue Beard, really?

After Evan spared his life!

What a disappointment, Blue Count!

Should he burn that beard clean off?

As Evan ground his teeth in frustration at the rumor,

Evan, Evan!”

“I really want to burn all those carrots.”

Lapis, who had been forcing Schuper to eat vegetables, pointed out the window.

“A huge carriage is coming!”

…Oh, dear heavens.

For once, Evan was visibly shocked.

The head of the Alkart Ducal Family,

A powerhouse in the underworld,

Evan’s father.

Duke Alkart had returned to the mansion after months.