Judgment of Corruption

Episode 0

Episode 1–The Boy Embraces His Ambition

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4

Episode 2–Encounter with the Screenwriter

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5

Episode 3–He Dies in the Snow Field

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5

Episode 4–Farewell My Friend

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6—-Scene 7

Episode 5–The Relationship Chills

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4

Episode 6–The Sinking Story

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3

Episode 7–Your Daughter is There

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4

Episode 8–Sweet Seduction

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5

Episode 9–House of the Undead

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4

Episode 10–The Court Ends

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6—-Scene 7—-Scene 8

ZERO

Afterword

Often when I’m sitting in at drinking parties, I’ll get asked all these questions like, “You’ve earned a lot with VOCALOID, haven’t you”, or “how much have you saved up?”, or else, “What do you plan to do with all the money you’ve earned?”

No matter how good I feel from being drunk at these things, I always dodge any questions that relate to money. Because it’s obvious that if I answered honestly, there is no chance that conversation would lead anywhere good. That’s how it goes, right? If the other person had no interest in money, the conversation would just end with, “huh, that’s nice”, and if conversely it was someone who couldn’t help wanting money, there’s a strong chance they would start launching into these horrible get-rich-quick schemes like, “I’d like to talk to you about a loan”. It’s not great.

“Greed”, one of the seven deadly sins, is not strictly related to just a desire for money, however in our present society if you want to satisfy your desires then you will always need money for it. As something to satisfy your materialistic wants, first. And then after they’ve achieved that, next people will start to use that money to gain their own happiness. Hobbies, relationships, family…The specifics depend on the person.

The question of whether or not money can buy happiness is oft-disputed, but in my personal opinion it can mostly buy happiness, so there’s no need to be ashamed of having it, as long as it’s not money you earned by illegal means.

Nevertheless, “mostly” in this case is a pretty strong bottleneck; ironically the few things that don’t qualify in that framework are often the source of the happiness that people are truly seeking.

And another thing. You do need money to obtain happiness, but in order to get that money there are times you’ll need to sell happiness of equivalent value. Like your time, or your  health. And depending on the person you may even lose friends, or people you love. You have to let go of happiness to obtain happiness…That’s something you do well in this society.

Anyway, to touch on the novel here, I intentionally cut down on the episodes that were in the song that the novel’s based on. Perhaps those of you who’ve listened to all of the “Deadly Sins of Evil” series songs can make a rough guess as to why.

In addition to that, there are many bits of foreshadowing that haven’t been resolved yet—the answers to all of that will be revealed in the story of the other protagonist that was born into this era.

And the long-continued “Deadly Sins of Evil” light novel series is planned to be wrapped up in just two more installments.

There may be some of you who are confused, thinking “Huh!? Shouldn’t there be only one left?”, but please be patient. There’s no way I could fit all of the outcome in one book. Please permit me to extend it to two.

And so, let’s meet again in the next work.

.

AkunoP (mothy)

It’s been eight years since I escaped from prison.

.

I had been captured quite clumsily by the militia when I fought as the leader of the Dark Star Bureau’s PN forces during the Leviantan civil war. Of course, I hadn’t been a good fit for the leader of the unit to begin with, having little skill in warfare. Shiro and Feng had been our last ray of hope, and without them PN had no strength left to be able to win a fair fight against the militia.

I read the newspaper in the jail that the militia had set up. Written in there—was a report on Gallerian’s death. It said that his mansion had been set on fire.

They found his corpse in the burned-out wreckage.

He’d apparently been clutching a clockwork doll in his arms.

…Had that doll been clockwork? Frankly speaking I never got a good look at it. Especially after Gallerian became convinced that it was his daughter. I hadn’t been strong enough to face head-on the subject of my friend’s madness.

Perhaps in my weakness I had tried to escape reality by merely obeying him, without thinking for myself. Eventually, even my standards for good and evil had become blurred.

Perhaps if I had fought harder to persuade him, I could have made Gallerian get back on his feet. But by then his only reason for living had been Michelle. I—hadn’t wanted to think about what would happen to Gallerian once that had been stolen away from him.

And this was the final outcome of my renouncing thought and running away.

I am the source of every evil.

It’s as though I killed Gallerian myself.

.

In the six months that it took for the civil war to end, instead of being killed I spent my time in jail.

As a result of the civil war the USE allied government collapsed into uselessness, and the war with Asmodean and Beelzenia was also brought to an anticlimax by peace talks.

The USE allied forces won the civil war itself, and I was released from the clutches of the militia. Whereupon I was immediately put on trial for my misdeeds during my time in PN.

It was a trial with the new director of the restored Dark Star Bureau working as head judge. The judgment I was given was life imprisonment.

I figured then that I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my days at the prison. I no longer held any interest in the world without Gallerian in it.

However. The moment that I saw a certain piece of news while there, I became unable to sit idly by.

--The theater that he’d built in the Millennium Tree Forest. There was a rumor that Gallerian’s legacy lay sleeping in it.

But all of the people who invade the forest looking for it would go missing without a trace.

I was familiar with the structure of the prison from my time in PN. I was the one who helped Jorm when he escaped, after all. And they had foolishly let be the vulnerabilities in their security from back then.

Once I had escaped from the prison, I headed for the Millennium Tree Forest on foot.

.

After Gallerian’s death, all of the money that he had saved up at the bank was apparently withdrawn by someone. The culprit wasn’t clear yet, but the main subject of the rumor was that all that money was in the theater.

I didn’t know if that was the truth, and I had no interest in it besides.

The issue was how the rumor got started, and the fact that all the people who went to the theater were going missing.

If someone was tricking people into entering the forest, then I figured, at the time, that I had to stop them. If the theater that Gallerian had brought into existence was being used in a manner that he hadn’t intended, then—I couldn’t just let that slide.

That was what I had imagined, but the people responsible turned out to be Lich and Eater. Now that they could no longer use Gallerian, the two of them were trying to revive their “master” into the world with their own particular methods. They were searching for people they could use as sacrifices for that purpose.

I had thought they could be reasoned with, but that was foolish of me. I was, sadly, captured by them, and made to face yet another “trial”.

Only, this wasn’t a normal trial like what would be held at the Dark Star Bureau. This was a “farce” conducted by the residents of the theater.

The doll that I had thought burned up in Gallerian’s mansion was there. She had become the director of the theater, and in this farce called a trial she declared me innocent.

When asked for her reasoning, she had explained thusly:

“I don’t think Papa would have had you executed, in my place.”

It’s pitiful to admit, but my heart was saved by those words, just a little bit.

.

That’s a cursed forest now. There’s nothing I can do about that.

Currently I have retuned to a place where the hands of the USE cannot reach—my homeland, the Republic of Maistia. There, I am working as aid to the president.

As I am a fugitive, I can’t be assigned to a position that stands out. I essentially work as a secret intelligence operative while serving as the president’s butler under a false name.

There is something else that I have to do.

One other being that Gallerian brought into existence—

Is now trying to destroy the world.

.

Elphegort, which has now fallen to rule by dictatorship, has fired a terrifying new weapon at Jakoku. And because of that, a section of Jakoku has been reduced to a land of ash.

The sight of that new weapon is now aimed at everywhere in the world, including Maistia.

I have to stop it.

“Come on…Let’s go.”

Spurring on my old body, I rode along to that place with my friends.

The headquarters of the Tasan party in Elphegort.

Inside were the top brass of the Tasan party…

And the criminal behind it all, Elphegort’s führer.

.

--I should not have allowed her to live.

I should have killed her the moment I met her in that forest as the “beastmaster”.

.

The führer of Elphegort, Nemesis.

Gallerian’s daughter that Ma had birthed in secret.

--At some point, the mansion had started to burn.

The militia had set fire to it in revenge for their friends burning from those inexplicable flames.

Gallerian took the doll back with him to the study.

There was nowhere left to run.

Whether he jumped outside or remained in here, he didn’t have much longer to live.

“Michelle, I’m—I’m so sorry you got caught up in this,” Gallerian said to the doll.

“—It’s alright. At least I’m with you, Papa.”

Now that he had lost his contract with Adam, Gallerian couldn’t hear that doll’s reply.

Even so, he continued to speak to her. “Still. I am a little bit glad. …As long as I can be here with you, I don’t even fear death.”

“I feel the same, Papa.”

“I wonder, if I had been able to restore you—or if you had been able to grow up without being caught up in that incident--what would you have become…”

“I would have become a judge like you, Papa! And I would have married someone I liked—and had a child.”

“Even if I die now and fall to hell—It won’t be an issue. I have plenty of money. And ‘money is the best lawyer in hell’. And if I have money, I can collect the ‘Vessels of Deadly Sin’, even down there. When I do, I will come to get you. As long as we’re together—No matter where we are, it will be a Utopia, I know it.”

“Yeah!”

As for what would happen to Gallerian after his death—depending on the “Master of the Hellish Yard’s” judgment, he may very well go to hell just as he said.

To contract with a Vessel of Deadly Sin was a grave crime. Even if what was inside of it wasn’t a demon.

And he had committed many other sins besides. He had sacrificed a great many people for the sake of his own happiness, so I was certain that would not be forgiven.

Even if those deeds were done out of one’s own purity, that was still, in the end—greed, Gallerian.

.

There were reasons why Elluka—or rather, Ma, birthed Gallerian.

One of them was so that he would collect the Vessels of Deadly Sin by making him contract with Adam.

But that was ultimately just a bonus to her.

It was something she could have done even without Gallerian.

She simply wished to become pure.

Perhaps to Ma, Gallerian was nothing more than a process by which she could do so.

Ma. Her nickname. There were several meanings to that word.

Sorceress, Mem Aleph (meaning water and beginning), and—mother.

.

The flames steadily began to enclose the house.

Eventually—from this burned out mansion they would find.

The corpse of a solitary “parent”.

.

If I stick around, even I’ll get caught up in the flames.

I’m just a normal bat, so I don’t do well against fire.

I’ve “observed” Gallerian’s life up until now—but that ends today.

I once more set out to fly up to the moon—

“Wait a second.”

.

Gallerian called out to someone.

It wasn’t to the doll. It was to someone else—

.

Yes…he was talking to me.

.

Gallerian’s hand swiftly shot out.

And before I had a chance to flee—he had seized me fast.

“I want to talk to you in the end, before I die,” he said with a grin.

Ridiculous.

There’s no way…that Gallerian could have noticed me.

No one noticed me.

Even if they did, they were supposed to think of me as merely a normal bat.

That—was one of the Rules of the world.

“You’ve always been flying around me. I don’t know when you started—maybe you’ve always been there, from the moment I was born. Weirdly enough, no one outside of me ever seems to notice you there. So eventually I just resolved not to pay you any mind.”

…But if the “Rules of the world” were breaking down?

In other words, these bizarre changes in the world—their manifestation was something brought on by the breakdown of the Rules.

So it wasn’t out of the question for a forest to rapidly dry up, and there was no helping a tiger being born to a human family. Maybe there was even a pattern of humans being born to snakes. Dead soldiers ran amok without any connection to the Demon of Gluttony, nights would be abnormally short or unusually long—

So—

.

There was nothing strange at all about a human appearing who could converse with a “god”

.

“—Yes. I have been observing you this whole time,” I replied honestly.

He seemed able to hear what I was saying.

This wasn’t Adam’s power. That contract had already been severed.

“There are countless people in the world. Why did you choose me?”

“Because you were Elluka’s son. She had impurities mixed up into her will. Including a fragment of the consciousness of a ‘god’ that’s a colleague of mine. That’s why I was interested in you.”

“I see. Then that would mean that you yourself are a ‘god’, or something like it.”

“You’re accepting this quite readily.”

“It’s a bit late to wonder at that now. Until this point I’ve been fairly involved with demons like ‘Adam’ and other strange beings. Even Ma—That’s right, while you’re here there is something I’d like you to tell me.”

“No. I can’t get involved with humans. So I can’t answer any questions outside of the ones that pertain to me.”

And yet, Gallerian asked anyway. “What’s this secret Adam mentioned, the one Ma and Bruno hid from me? Surely you must know, don’t you?”

“…I can’t. It’s a Rule.”

“I’m dying soon. Surely my hearing it won’t have any impact on the world this late in the game?”

“…You would gain nothing from hearing it; it would be meaningless to you.”

“Then isn’t that all the more justification for it? If it won’t mean anything, then there’s no reason not to tell me.”

“…”

Perhaps I had spent a little too long observing him.

Or, perhaps I simply couldn’t deny that I may have had something close to this “compassion” that humans had, when it came to Gallerian.

Well, alright…

.

I granted him one piece of knowledge.

.

“…”

Gallerian was dumbstruck.

“Didn’t I tell you? It gains you nothing.”

Once I realized that the strength had left his hand, I slipped out of his grip and flew away.

.

Then I made it out the window and headed for the distant sky.

--Midway there I looked down to the ground, and spied a figure about to head into the burning mansion.

.

And on seeing that, I deeply regretted having shared that information with him.

It was thought that the revolts would quickly be suppressed by the release of the military.

But on the contrary, it was here that something unexpected occurred for the government. A portion of USE allied forces that they deployed defected to the side of the militia.

The former soldier Gammon likely laid the groundwork for that in advance.

Due to this, the fight spread to one of much larger scale, until what had at first been a simple uprising began to take on the look of a full-fledged civil war.

On August 10th, the Dark Star Bureau was attacked by the militia.

The allied forces and the soldiers of PN put up a fight, but they were at a loss against the militia’s strength of numbers, and in just eighteen hours the Dark Star Bureau fell into the militia’s hands.

The next day, reports surfaced that the chief of PN, Bruno Zero, had been captured by the militia.

.

Gallerian had somehow managed to escape from the militia’s clutches, and slipped out of the bureau.

He used a secret passageway hidden in the back of his fireplace—a device that had been used for the princess to escape from the palace in the “Daughter of Evil” story. The same thing had been put in the Dark Star Bureau.

While avoiding the public eye, Gallerian headed for his estate.

He was sure he had at least some final strength left to him for battle.

“Eater! Where are you!?”

Gallerian cried out the name of the one who controlled his dead soldiers—the “dead god”.

But there was no reply.

He couldn’t find that large frame anywhere in either the house or the gardens.

“…Maybe he ran away.”

The other dead god Lich must have still been with Ma in “Evils Theater” in Elphegort.    

--Gallerian no longer had anyone left here he could count on as an ally.

He was the militia’s target. He had provoked too greatly the people’s animosity with his many corrupted judgments.

Gallerian knew that it would be dangerous to stay in his own home. He outfitted himself appropriately and then immediately moved to leave the mansion.

But once he saw what was outside his window, he halted.

“…I’m already surrounded…It’s too late.”

At that moment, running out there would be fatal. He turned on his heel and returned to the study, sitting down in his favorite chair.

And then, though I don’t know why, he switched on the radio that was sitting on his desk.

“—Breaking news. The corpse of Major General Tony Ausdin of the USE allied forces was recently discovered in the garden of his home. There were several wounds on his body, but the one thought to be the killing blow is a .44 calibre revolver bullet that was fired into his temple. General Tony was declared innocent in a trial held—”

After listening that far, he shut off the radio.

Then he noticed a smoking pipe that had been left next to the radio.

Something Ma had forgotten.

Gallerian picked it up and lit it.

Right after he put it to his mouth and sucked in the smoke,

“Cough”

He vigorously started hacking, and immediately set the pipe back down on the desk, putting it out.

“…Not my thing.”

He stood and this time passed his eyes over the bookcase next to him.

His eyes rested on the third shelf, whereon seven thin volumes that looked hand-written were lined up.

Other things Ma had forgotten.

The titles to each were written in small print on the spines.

.

The Lunacy of Duke Venomania

Evil Food Eater Conchita

The Daughter of Evil

Gift from the Princess Who Brought Sleep

The Tailor of Enbizaka

.

The remaining two works didn’t have titles written on them.

These were screenplays that were based on tales Ma had gathered on the seven Vessels of Deadly Sin.

“The Vessels of Deadly Sin…I’d been so close. I was—almost about to save Michelle.”

He took one of the screenplays in hand.

Then he sat back down in his chair.

“Michelle…Papa wasn’t able to save you. But at the very least, you must keep living. Where no one can find you, in that theater in the forest—”

After murmuring that, Gallerian leisurely opened the book and started to read.

.

The Dark Star Bureau had already fallen.

He no longer had any friends or colleagues.

The money that he had saved up was now worthless to him.

Having lost everything, this isolated man waited in his mansion for that moment.

As he read.

That moment when the enraged militiamen would break into his home.

.

“…They haven’t come in.”

Gallerian closed the book and put it on his desk.

He stood and then peered out his study window.

Just like before, the militia soldiers were surrounding the mansion.

“Why haven’t they advanced?”

There was no one in the mansion anymore to answer his question.

--Or at least, they shouldn’t have been.

“They’re waiting.”

Gallerian turned around in surprise at the voice he heard behind him.

Standing there—was a blue-haired man who looked similar to…or rather, exactly like Gallerian.

“They’re waiting for her to arrive. The person who would be most appropriate for killing you.”

“Who…are you?”

They were two Gallerians, facing each other.

“Who am I? What cruel words. Don’t you know this face better than anyone?”

“Ah…You are me. …No, that’s ridiculous. I can’t be standing in front of myself—”

“But it’s the truth. I am you, and you are me.”

The other Gallerian laughed mockingly.

--But I knew, watching from the side.

It was a terrible joke. He…though he may be identical in form—

He was not Gallerian.

Gallerian himself appeared to realize this.

“I see, you—are ‘Adam’. The being in the spoon.” So saying, Gallerian pulled out the spoon that he always kept on his person. “It was through contracting with you that I became able to speak to Michelle.”

“Correct. It is by my power that you were able to converse with the soul that resides inside the doll.”

“Michelle…lost her body in that incident. But her spirit lived on, and rests inside the doll. If I were to gather the ‘Vessels of Deadly Sin’, I could restore my daughter’s body to her once more—it is believing in that that has brought me this far.”

“But you failed. Before you could finish collecting them all--here you are in this sorry state. Why could you not notice sooner that your own sin would ruin you one of these days?”

As the two of them spoke to each other with their identical faces, I lost track of who was who.

Gallerian—no, Adam, started to laugh as though to make fun of the other.

”Keh heh heh.  I’m disappointed in you. –Even with mine and ‘Eve’’s power you failed to gather the vessels, in the end.”

“And ‘Eve’ is?”

“The soul that resides in the doll—You thought that was your daughter, didn’t you? That crafty Ma had you completely fooled. But you’re mistaken. It’s Eve’s soul. Eve and I are fated to be attracted to each other…It’s for that reason that I can converse with her soul.”

“…No. That’s Michelle.”

“That’s what you want to believe, isn’t it? Your mind would be broken if you didn’t. It’s because you know how severe your own weakness is that you’ve clung so heavily to Eve’s soul and the Vessels of Deadly Sin. You’ve continued to accumulate money for an impossible wish. Ordinarily the ‘Marlon Spoon’ houses the demon of ‘Greed’—but whatever the case might have been, you had no need of that. Even without contracting with it, from the very start you’ve been a man greedy for what’s beyond his lot.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Keep saying that. –It is true that once you gather all the Vessels of Deadly Sin, a wish will be granted. But that wish is mine and Eve’s. Once all are assembled, Eve and I will have a second advent. We will recreate this broken-down world. And then we will enjoy eternal happiness in our true Utopia—”

“You’re wrong!” Gallerian cried in rage, moving to knock the other man against the wall.

But his hand passed right through Adam’s body.

“You certainly are obstinate. –Very well. How about I have the very woman herself come here? I’ll call the doll here now…and then we’ll ask her directly whether her soul is that of ‘Eve’ or ‘Michelle’.”

“Can you…do that?”

“I can. Didn’t Ma tell you? I have the power to weaken the repulsion effect of the Vessels of Deadly Sin. Naturally, this isn’t normally a power I can actively use, myself. The power is endowed to the person that I contract with. …However. During my long years of wandering the world, I made my own studies. As long as I am in the middle of contracting with someone, I can receive the benefits of this power. And if I use it skillfully enough—”

“—No, hold on. This place is surrounded by the militia right now. Don’t call her here under these conditions!”

Gallerian tried to stop him, but it apparently fell on deaf ears.

“Now then—come here, Eve!”

.

--There was no severe change or anything like that.

There was no sound, no flash of light.

She just appeared there beside Gallerian and Adam.

Bizarrely, as she sat in her wheelchair, she was no longer a small doll.

She was the same size as a person—as though she were a living human being.

Even I couldn’t tell if that was reality, or else some illusion that Adam was displaying.

--Well, that’s only natural. I am just a bat, after all.

“Eve!”

“Michelle…”

The two of them both spoke up to the doll at the same time.

When they did, the doll’s eyes quietly opened.

Those calm blue-green eyes looked at the two of them.

“…There’s two of you, Papa?”

The doll inclined its head curiously.

“I’m not your Papa. It’s me, Eve—It’s Adam. Your husband.”

Adam sprang towards the doll.

“No. You’re Michelle, aren’t you? Papa’s beloved daughter.”

Undaunted, Gallerian approached the doll.

The doll compared both of their faces for a short time, but eventually she suddenly faced Gallerian and said, “Papa. I want to see outside.”

“…O-of course. Right away…”

Despite appearing confused, Gallerian went to move the wheelchair so that the doll was facing the window to the outside.

“Who are those people out there?”

“…They’re militia. A revolt—a war has broken out in this country. They’re angry with me, and are all leading an assault on this place.”

“That’s terrible! You haven’t done anything wrong, Papa!”

“No…I—”

“It’s alright, Papa. I—will protect you.”

The color of the doll’s eyes seemed to faintly change.

And immediately afterward—

“AAAAAUGH!”

Screams became audible from outside the window.

One of the militia-men was writhing, blue flames billowing up from his body.

“Did…you do that, Michelle?”

“Don’t worry. That fire only burns people, so it won’t catch on the trees in the garden, or the house.”

One by one, the militia solders burst into flame. They didn’t seem to have any idea what was happening. They tried to put out the fire on their comrades even as they flew into a panic.

The doll said happily to Gallerian, “Everyone at the theater tells me this: ‘You and us are one and the same’. –But they’re wrong. ‘Cause I have this incredible power I can use.”

Gallerian was speechless.

And behind him, Adam was trembling all over.

“What…is that power. Eve…can’t…do that. Who the hell—are you!?”

The doll replied to that question, as though it were perfectly normal, “I am—Papa’s daughter. No more, no less.”

“…Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuah…” Then Adam suddenly started to wail pitifully, “Ma, you bitch! You fucking set me up! This isn’t Eve. This is—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGH!”

Gallerian gazed upon this scene with a cool expression.

“Have you broken, Adam?”

“Ha ha ha! Satisfied? Are you satisfied, now that you’ve beaten me, Gallerian!? But! You’re mistaken! We’ve both lost! We were both deceived! Not just with the doll. There’s a secret that woman didn’t tell you! –Did you think Bruno was your friend? Then I pity you. Even he lied to you. He figured that secret out but he didn’t tell you!”

“What are you saying? I don’t at all get what you’re—That’s enough now, isn’t it Adam? Send Michelle back to the forest where she was.”

“NO! My contract with you is now over! I’m going back to the forest alone—And you two can stay here and burn away in this house together! HA HA HA!”

And with those as his parting words, Adam disappeared with a pop.

.

The only ones left were Gallerian, and—

An ordinary doll, no longer able to move.

With Adam gone, and the contract between him and Gallerian broken—it was now powerless.

The ones targeted most in the revolts were wealthy people who had been favored by Gallerian’s judgments.

The USE united government immediately tried to suppress the rioting populace inside Levianta by mobilizing their World Police forces.

But the chaos continued unabated, emboldened by the influence of the news, and the next day the government decided to send in the military.

There were rumors that it was Asmodean guerillas stirring up the people beneath all the revolts. And that these guerillas were linked to the Tasan party.

As far as I know, such rumors were nothing less than the truth. After all was said and done, the one rampaging as the leader of the militia that stood at the heart of the uprising was Gammon Octo.

The fact that the first casualty of the revolt was former Levin University professor Jason Jack supported this. Gammon’s older brother Nyoze had been sentenced under false chargers to take this man’s place, after all. It’s only natural that he would be the first target for violence.

Around the outbreak of the violence, Bindi Freezis—who had been staying in Alicegrad—immediately made plans to flee to another nation, but before he could all the main land and air routes were blockaded by the militia, and he was forced to remain.

In a bind, the person he sought for help was—

.

“I’d like to borrow your ‘mail carrier’,” Bindi declared to Gallerian on his visit to the Dark Star Bureau.

“You mean Postman?”

“Yes, that one. I know of his merits. A pro who can safely deliver anything that they’re entrusted with—even if that’s a person.”

“Just as I might expect from someone of the Freezis Conglomerate—your information is sound.”

“Yes, I remembered my older brother talking once about how he was saved by Postman in the past. Is he still with you?”

“Yes…But not here at the building. If you wish to use Postman I’ll have to call first,” Gallerian said, picking up the receiver of the phone on his desk.

He dialed the number and made a call to someone.

“Hello—Yeah, it’s me. It’s about what we were discussing earlier…Yes, exactly. He’s in the director’s room right now. So, please have Postman sent over here…Yes, yes, I’ll leave it to you. Bye.”

After that brief conversation, he hung up.

“—They should arrive in about four hours.”

Bindi sounded awed. “You’re awfully well prepared. Did you know things would turn out like this beforehand?”

“Well, something like that. …But the military has already started mobilizing. I’d think there’s little need to risk danger to flee the country at this stage.”

“I have to make absolutely sure of things. If I were to get caught up in the revolts and lose my life, that would be a severe loss to both the USE unified government and to the Freezis Conglomerate. –Naturally, to you as well.”

“You took good care of me when Tasan tried to indict me. Please think of my loaning you Postman as being repaying you for that.”

Gallerian inclined his head.

“Ho ho ho, you needn’t be so self-effacing, Gallerian. I’d like for our mutually beneficial relationship to continue to flourish hereafter, after all—Well then, I will wait here until Postman arrives.”

Bindi sat down on a nearby sofa.

.

After four hours, Postman arrived before the two of them right on time.

Gallerian said to Postman, “Well then, as we planned—you know where you’re to go?”

Postman nodded.

“You are to take Sir Bindi safely to his destination. –Please go along, Minister. It looks like Postman came here by car today.”

Postman’s favored, deep red gasoline powered automobile was visible outside the window.

“Won’t it stand out with that color?”

“It’s alright. Everyone will simply thing it’s a mail carrier’s vehicle.”

Postman gestured for Bindi to follow them outside.

“I suppose I’ll get going now…Thank you, Gallerian. You take extra care you don’t get caught up in the uprising yourself.”

“Don’t worry. I have no plans to leave the bureau until they’re over with, and we have excellent security here.”

“PN, right? They’re not proper soldiers, but they should be alright against simple militia.”

“Well then—Farewell, Mister Bindi.”

Gallerian cheerfully waved him off.

.

The red vehicle that Postman drove splendidly slipped through the militia’s besiegement, and safely snuck out of Alicegrad.

“Stupendous! You live up to your name of ‘Postman’. Exactly as skilled as I heard. I’ll trust you to handle matters from here.”

“…”

After that, the car pushed through a snowy field.

“My, how odd that there’s so much snow left around here despite it being summer.”

“…”

“By the by, where is this car headed? I was wanting to get to Marlon—”

“…”

“Ah…that’s right, you don’t talk. I think my brother said something about that. Oh well. As long as you deliver me safely I have no complaints.”

“…”

Eventually the vehicle came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the field.

“Hm, what’s wrong? Did the car break down?”

“…”

Postman got down from the car and gestured for Bindi to do the same.

“Why in the world would we get off at a place like—What’s this metal panel? Should I touch this?”

Postman pointed, and Bindi obediently put his hand on the metal panel that had been stuck into the snowy field.

“…Wha!? Everything’s just turned to nighttime! But it was bright out just a second ago…No, it isn’t just that. There’s a field of stars all over the ground, too! What a bizarre—”

Bindi was so surprised by the scenery that had been brought about by “Lunaca Labora”’s mechanism that he didn’t notice that there were people approaching him from behind.

“Hey there, boss.”

Bindi whirled around, startled at the throaty voice.

“You’re—Gusuma Yarera!?”

“It’s been decades since we were able to meet face to face like this, Bindi. Ha ha ha.”

Gusuma laughed loudly alongside the five subordinates he had brought with him.

“Why!? Why are you in this—What’s the meaning of this, Postman!?”

Postman ignored Bindi’s cry and gestured for Gusuma to sign some documents.

“—There, I signed it with my full name of ‘Great Super Marvelous’. Is that enough? …Alright then, thank you for your service.”

Taking back the signed documents, Postman then passed through a hole in the space and vanished somewhere.

Gusuma once more turned to Bindi.

“The person who commissioned this delivery—was me. I dispatched Postman to bring you here. …You, who killed my little sister and my niece.”

Gusuma took a shotgun from one of his underlings and pointed the muzzle directly at Bindi’s brow.

“Eek!”

“I’ve gotta thank Gallerian. He made all the arrangements for you to be brought over like this, after all.”

“Th…that bastard! He’s betrayed me, after all I’ve done for him!?”

“Yep. He betrayed you…Or rather, I suppose it’s a little different.” Gusuma tilted his head, still holding the gun steady. “He did have a pretty long acquaintanceship with you…So this is how I’ve come to think of it. –Gallerian had no intention of ever letting you off from the start.”

“Huh?”

“The poor man’s gotten a bit touched. He’s convinced a doll is his daughter, and this is what he said to me. ‘Michelle was paralyzed in the incident with the ship. I need money to return her to normal’. I got fed up with him, and severed ties. So then he goes and joins up with you of all people, and gives you an innocence verdict in trial. But…there was no way he was going to let slip the man who had made Michelle suffer, given he loved that girl more than anyone.”

“What are you saying? Just put the gun down already!”

“If I’d been him—Just out of the blue I started considering that. What I would do to the one responsible, if I’d lost my wife and daughter…It wouldn’t be enough just to kill him. I would use him for all that he’s worth, and then cast him to the depths of despair just as he was getting cocky…I’m positive that’s what Gallerian was thinking, don’t you agree? And that’s why he gets in touch with me recently. Tells me I’m free to use this place, Postman, and Jorm as I see fit.”

“Jorm?”

“Don’t you know about him? The man who killed the members of ‘Zeus’ and escaped from prison—my adopted younger brother.”

There was the sound of something knocking on the other side of the field of stars.

Along with a man’s wheedling voice.

“—Big bro, you done yeeet? I’m tired of waitiiiing. I’m almost out of meds, and I’m itching to get going.”

“Oh, our conversation’s just about over, Jorm.” After replying to the voice, Gusuma lowered the gun. “I thought about killing you myself, but—everyone has their own domain. I have never once killed someone with my own hands. Though it’s easy to think otherwise from my appearance. Making the Yarera Zusco Conglomerate into a world-spanning corporation is the domain that was granted to me, and that is my objective. For that reason I can’t sully my hands with someone’s blood.”

Bindi collapsed on the spot, losing his strength. “Th-thank you—”

“That’s why I’m going to leave it to Jorm.”

The moment that Gusuma said that, Bindi vanished.

Eventually, his voice became audible from somewhere.

“Wh-what is this!? Where did you all go? –Wh-who are you!?”

And Gusuma replied to that.

Facing the starry sky.

“Let me introduce you two, boss. That’s my younger brother, Jorm. The serial killer who can chop people up empty-handed. He’s so dangerous even I can’t be in the same room with him.”

“Y-you put someone like that in here with me—Help! Let me out of here!”

Once more, there was the sound of something knocking.

“I don’t wanna say it, but Jorm’s even more far gone than Gallerian. He’s getting on in years and he still can’t stop killing. Jorm’s domain, his objective of killing people, has become everything to him. It’s sad, but since that’s the case—at the very least, all I can do as his big brother is to help him.”

“Stop clowning around! You’re crazy too—O-ow!”

Bindi screamed.

“Maybe so…That’s the world we live in. Maybe there isn’t anyone left who’s sane anymore.”

“My arm! My arm! Please let me out! I’m begging you!”

“No. Well, be sure to have fun, little brother.”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!”

Was that Bindi screaming?

Or was that Jorm’s war cry?

“…Come on, let’s get back to headquarters.”

Gusuma and his subordinates slipped out the hole in space and returned to the outside world.

These spectacles by the name of “trials”—when was it that Gallerian had first made them into a farce, I wonder.

Was it when he declared Bindi innocent? Was it what happened with Loki? Or perhaps it was when he first acted as head judge in Ma’s trial.

No, now that I think on it, it was the first trial that Gallerian had been witness to—when he was a baby, and Elluka had received the death penalty.

From birth, he had always been involved in sham trials.

.

“I shall declare my verdict.”

Head judge Gallerian’s calm voice rang through the courtroom.

The visitor’s gallery was packed with people. This spoke to how closely society was watching this trial.

“Kill the vicious general!” someone from the gallery shouted.

As the courtroom began to fall into an uproar, Gallerian pounded the gavel he held in his hand twice.

“Silence.”

With just that single, calm word, the courtroom immediately fell silent.

The power to command the room—you could say that was one of the abilities sought after by a head judge.

…Looking at Gallerian now, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was seeing what Hanma Baldured had once been.

I know what happened to him after he left the Dark Star Bureau.

But I have no need to explain that here.

This is Gallerian’s story, not Hanma’s.

“Defendant Tony Ausdin—is innocent.”

Just as expected, the gallery exploded into chaos and shouts from Gallerian’s pronouncement.

“You’re bullshitting me!”

“There’s no way you’ll get away with this tyranny!”

Most of them were leveled at Tony and Gallerian.

He ignored them, and proceeded on to explain the reasons for his verdict.

--To sum up, he essentially accepted Tony’s version of events.

That the act of the second division was a just deed, committed due to the possibility of the Zenosai villagers having defected to the enemy, and to protect their unit.

His reasoning was that it was a villager who attacked first, and thus the unit’s counterattack was not an issue in wartime conditions.

Second Lieutenant Shiro Netsuma’s death was an accident due to a gun misfire, and not through any error of the defendant…And so on.

After finishing his explanation, Gallerian announced amidst the continuing racket:

“Court is adjourned.”

Then he struck his gavel one last time.

After taking a look at Tony’s satisfied smile, Gallerian stood and started to head for the exit.

--There was a figure in the final row of the visitor’s gallery who quietly watched him go.

It was the former sergeant major of the USE allied forces, Gammon Octo.

He had quit the military after his older brother’s trial. It seemed that presently he had become a member of the “Tasan” party in Elphegort.

After Gallerian left the courtroom, Gammon muttered to himself, “…Now you’re finished. Gallerian Marlon.”

.

Just as he said, this was to be—the final trial Gallerian would conduct as head judge.

There to greet Gallerian when he returned to the director’s room was Bruno, Hel, and Feng.

“Oh, what’s wrong? You’re all three here.”

Hel stood in front of Gallerian as he cheerfully took his seat, and declared:

“—I’ve decided to quit PN and the Dark Star Bureau, effective today.”

“…What!? You can’t just do that without permission from—” As Gallerian thoughtlessly moved to stand, Hel smacked his cheek with the palm of her hand. “…What are you thinking, Hel?”

“I’ve had enough. First it was Bindi, and now you’ve declared Tony innocent. –Tony, the man who murdered our friend Shiro. I’ve tried to put up with it, but I can no longer stand to be by your side. I don’t want my child to be ashamed of me, working for such a corrupt man as you.”

“…Were you not watching the trial? Shiro’s death was an accident.”

“Like I’d believe you after you accepted a bribe from the defendant!”

“That’s nothing but a rumor!”

Bruno moved between the two of them as they shouted at each other.

“—Director. We’ve received word from our secret intelligence unit. It seems that the Tasan party in Elphegort has obtained information that Tony’s defense attorney deposited money into your account. They’ve already started on the proceedings to indict you for this.”

“…Why did you not inform me of this before the trial!?”

“I only heard about it just now. After you had already gone ahead and declared your verdict. Tasan also apparently intends to investigate into suspicious areas of your past as well, Director.”

Gallerian turned back to Hel.

“I see. So you heard all that and thus hardened your resolve to leave me. –Hey, Feng. She struck me just now. That’s an act of assault. …Arrest Hel!”

But Feng didn’t move. Instead, he said to Gallerian, “Sorry, but I’m also no longer a member of PN.”

“…You’re abandoning me too!?”

“That’s not it. You betrayed us first, Gallerian. That I’ve obeyed you for this long was out of my sense of duty for you…But you threw that away yourself.”

“—Tch.” Gallerian pulled out a pistol from a drawer in his desk and pointed the muzzle at Feng. “If you two are to become my enemies, then I’ll kill you right here.”

“Hold on. I don’t know what’ll happen if that goes off in a place like this, and I don’t think you know either. And anyway…I wouldn’t be felled so easily by a peashooter like that. It’d be simple enough to rip out your throat before I die, at the very least.”

“…”

Appearing to give up on thoughts of detaining them, Gallerian quietly put the gun down.

“Gallerian. We’re leaving the Dark Star Bureau…but we don’t intend to become your enemy. We have no designs on your life—Though I won’t deny that I have thought about it. You need to face the judgment of the law, after all. The law that you twisted to your own ends.” Feng turned around, and said finally, “…For that’s what you yourself believed in, once.”

Then he left the room with Hel in tow.

.

Gallerian and Bruno were left alone in the director’s room.

“—What do you intend to do?” Gallerian asked Bruno.

“…Nothing. Only continue to serve you as I have done.”

“Your friends have left me. That just leaves Ma and—and two dead soldiers, a serial killer, and an inscrutable mail carrier. …You’re the only one who’s decent.”

“I wonder at that. I might just be the craziest of us all. I haven’t turned on you yet, despite these circumstances.”

“Why? Why have you not betrayed me?”

Bruno replied, chuckling faintly, “If I wanted to, I would have done so long ago. …To speak frankly, right now you are just as Feng says—you’ve forgotten the convictions you once held. You’re trash. Even if you have Michelle.”

“…”

“But I suppose it’s enough that there be at least one person who will stand by such trash until the end.…Just like the ‘Servant of Evil’, who once remained as an ally to the prideful princess, the ‘Daughter of Evil’, even dying in her place.”

“What, did you borrow that book from Ma and read it too?”

“Unfortunately I look nothing like you, so I wouldn’t make much of a body double, Director,” Bruno said, this time laughing more openly.

.

Several days later, just as Bruno’s information said, the Tasan party moved to indict Gallerian.

But contrary to expectation, they weren’t able to arrest him immediately. On Gallerian’s request Bindi had made preparations beforehand in secret, forbidding the World Police from acting.

--But this in turn invited the worst possible result.

Losing their temper, the Tasan Party leaked all of their information on the corruption of Gallerian and those around him to all forms of mass media.

These changes affecting the world that still hadn’t stopped, the continuing warfare—already miserable from these things, the hearts of the populace were ignited by these reports on the corruption that enfolded their government, their military, and their justice system.

.

On September 4th, year 983, a portion of the people in Holy Levianta’s capital Alicegrad started an uprising.

And from there, Levianta was engulfed in the flames of a civil war.

The massacre of the villagers of Zenosai committed by Tony Ausdin’s unit soon became known throughout Levianta.

“Zenosai Village Destroyed by USE Armed Forces Second Division! Military Morals Under Question”

“General Tony Ausdin, Vicious Slaughterer of Civilians! A Fool Who Was Promoted Only By Connections”

These were the provocative headlines that decorated the front page of the newspaper.

Glancing over these newspaper articles in the director’s room, Gallerian asked Bruno, “—I’m quite certain that the USE unified government had been concealing the matter of Zenosai Village…How did it leak to the press?”

“…This is just a guess, but I imagine it’s the work of the anti-war movement.”

“The anti-war movement?”

“People who have begun to make their presence known due to the heavy casualties of the war. The people of Levianta have not experienced war in quite some time. They have no immunity for it—And there are rumors that the anti-war movement is being propped up by Elphegort’s ‘Tasan Party’.”

“Those are the ones that made such strong objections after Heleus Gone’s trial.”

“The name of the organization is taken from that empire in the ancient era, but outside of that the party is fairly vague. First they start agitating for war, then suddenly they shift to being against it—There are some who mock them as simply wishing to make a show of themselves.”

“Whatever the case, now that all this has hit the papers—I suppose we can’t hold off on indicting Tony.” Gallerian stood.

“What do you intend to do, sir?”

“I’m going to see Tony. Once this goes to trial I’m certain I will be acting as head judge, but…I want to hear his side of things at least once before then.”

“If that happens then wouldn’t it be unwise for you to meet with him, given he’s the defendant?”

“I don’t see any problem. It’s for times like these that I’ve given the head of the prison such large sums of money.”

Gallerian straightened up and moved to leave the room.

Bruno called out to him, “Director Marlon—No, Gallerian.”

“…It’s been quite a long time since you’ve addressed me without honorifics. What is it?”

“Please bear this fact in mind. This time it was a friend of yours—Shiro, who was killed by this man.”

“…I know.”

Gallerian left, showing neither a smile nor a scowl.

.

Tony had been slim from the start, but the man who arrived in the visiting area of the first detention block of the prison looked far bonier than he had been before.

“—Are you not eating?”

Tony smiled weakly at Gallerian’s greeting. “The food here doesn’t suit me. …Well, I’m glad to see you.”

“You showed up in the paper.”

“I know. I can read the newspaper even here in prison, and I can listen to the radio too. –Someone in the unit must have been the whistleblower.”

There was a single jailer on the other side of the glass behind Tony, observing the both of them. But it seemed he couldn’t hear the contents of their conversation.

After giving that jailer a brief glance, Gallerian turned back to Tony and asked, “I need to know if everything they reported is true.”

Tony didn’t respond right away.

But eventually he resumed speaking, appearing to steady his resolve.

“The gist of it, yes. It is true that the unit that I led killed all of the villagers at Zenosai. That’s a fact. But…It wasn’t something I did out of curiosity or fun like they wrote in the paper. –They were all connected with the Asmodean army.”

“You’re certain of that?”

“A child of the village attacked me with a bomb…I came close to being killed.”

“And do you have any proof that the rest of the villagers were like that?”

“…You sound like my defense attorney.” Tony covered his face with his palms. “Proof? –No, I don’t. But if I hadn’t done something they probably would have done me in. That’s just what war is like! …Maybe you don’t understand that, staying cooped up in the Dark Star Bureau as you do.”

“…And Shiro?”

“That…was an accident. The gun just went off. Please believe me. I had no intention in the least of killing her—For what happened to her I am truly sorry. To both you and Bruno as well.”

I don’t know if Gallerian believed his words. I couldn’t tell that from his expression.

However, he made a face that was far more grief-stricken than Tony’s before him.

“You—will most likely be indicted, and then put to trial. It’s a grave crime for military soldiers to kill unresisting civilians. Given that you were in command of that unit, you’ll likely receive either life imprisonment if found guilty, or…capital punishment.”

“That’s why…I’ve been telling you, they were attacking me!”

“It’s doubtful your defense attorney will be able to substantiate that. Even if I’m the one acting as head judge, I can’t say anything to give the defendant an advantage in open court.”

“But isn’t it the judge that passes down the final verdict?”

“Well, that’s true, but—"

“…Please help me. I don’t…I don’t want to die in this place. My wife’s only just given birth to our second child…”

What did Gallerian think, watching Tony as he pitifully made his entreaties? His memories of college, the time he and Tony drank together to celebrate his promotion, or perhaps…Loki?

I had no way of knowing. I’m just a mere bat, so I cannot read someone’s mind.

--After a short silence, Gallerian opened his mouth.

“I understand, Tony. I will do my best to—”

“…I have money.”

“—Huh?”

“I’ve heard the rumors. That as long as they can pay, you’ll declare anyone innocent. In spite of all this, I’m still the general of the allied forces. I have enough saved up to pay a bribe for you.”

“…”

Tony continued speaking, irrespective of Gallerian’s speechlessness.

“Just say the amount and I’ll have my lawyer deposit the money into your account. He’s an attorney on retainer from my father’s day. There’s no way he’ll let any of this information slip to the public, so you can relax there. Come on—tell me how much, Gallerian.”

“…Ha ha ha…I see, that’s right…”

“…? What’s wrong?”

Gallerian hid his face with his hand.

When he removed it again, there was a wicked smile there.

“…Two million Ev. Deposit it within three days. Then you’ll pay me another two million once you’re declared innocent.”

“Oh, that’s cheaper than I was expecting. I thought you took more.”

“It’s a ‘friend discount’. Special—just for you.”

“Thank you, Gallerian. You’re the kind of friend a guy should have after all.”

The jailer came out of the door behind Tony.

“Time’s up.”

At that, Gallerian stood.

“See you, Tony. Let’s meet again in court.”

“Right!”

Turning his back on Tony, Gallerian left the visiting area.

.

I cannot read someone’s mind.

Even so, there is something I can tell.

Gallerian was, in the end…alone.

However—that was something that his own actions had brought upon him.

February, year 983.

The second division of the USE allied forces led by major general Tony Ausdin were marching through the snowy field of Samadin in the southeast region of Levianta.

Their destination was the border of Asmodean that lay behind the field.

“Excuse me.”

Wielding her rifle, Shiro Netsuma stood in front of armored vehicle that Tony was riding in.

“What’s wrong, second lieutenant Netsuma?” Colonel Mars, riding along in the same vehicle, poked his head out.

“We received some correspondence from the front line. They say that the snowfall has gotten too deep, and that it’s dangerous to advance any farther. They want to find a place to stop for a time.”

“…So then—What would you like to do, Major General?” Colonel Mars asked Tony, sitting in the back seat.

“Hmph…Nothing for it, I guess.”

“There’s a village named Zenosai in the direction we’re headed. Might we let the troops rest there?”

“Zenosai, huh—Alright, that sounds good.”

“Roger that, sir.” Colonel Mars once more poked his head out of the car, and told Shiro, “You have permission. Everyone is to pause the march at the village of Zenosai and take a rest until the weather improves.”

“Understood,” Shiro replied, and then grinned slightly.

Zenosai was one of the few settlements where Netsuma lived.

It was a place of great nostalgia to Shiro.

.

Hating how she had been made a subject of worship for Held devotees, Shiro had fled from the place where she was born.

At the end of her wandering she arrived here at Zenosai Village, and it was here that she met friends who were Netsuma like herself—as well as a mercenary who would later become her adopted father.

He was also a white-haired Netsuma, and a master sniper.

Shiro had learned how to use a gun from him. To both protect herself and to change her timid nature.

Before she knew it, Shiro was running onto the field of battle alongside her adoptive father. It was what she had wanted for herself. He would praise her for her achievements in these battles, despite looking somewhat bitter about it.

Chiefly she would fight Asmodean anti-government militia, but once she wound up going as far as the continent of Maistia far across the ocean. That was to rescue a friend of her adoptive father who was caught in a predicament down there.

She’d been able to safely rescue this friend’s life—at the cost of her adoptive father’s.

In her despair, Shiro had then thrown herself into a small-scale civil war going on in Maistia.

It was there that she had been noticed by the commander of the Freezis Conglomerate, and hired on as his bodyguard—

All of this is a summarization of things that Shiro had told Bruno while under the influence of alcohol.

.

The people of Zenosai Village were glad to see the soldiers, and welcomed them in most courteously.

To this village that was near the border of the country, the soldiers of the USE were a promising sight.

As the soldiers all went to relax on their own, Shiro was entrusted with guarding Tony.

“Sorry. I’m sure you want to get some rest too, but these are regulations,” Tony told her apologetically.

“There’s no issue here. I know that the front-line soldiers and the generals and officers take precedence when it comes to taking a breather.”

“Well, it’ll be time for a shift change soon. Just try to hold out until then—I’d like to clean my face off, do you know where I can get some water?”

“There should be a small river if you go down that side street, although at this time of year I’d think it’s most likely frozen over.”

“’Should be’? Is this where you’re from?”

“No, although I did live here for a time.”

“Then I’m even more sorry. …I guess I’ll just have to give up on the water. It’d be a bit of a bother to melt snow solely to wash my face.”

Tony told her that he’d like to look around the village, and so Shiro ended up accompanying him.

When they reached the village square, two women ran up to Shiro’s side.

“Shiro! If it isn’t Shiro!”

Upon seeing them, Shiro’s face lit up.

“Hua, and Mido! Long time no see!”

Tony watched them hug from off to the side, and then asked Shiro, “Friends of yours?”

“Yeah. From long ago—Er—”

“Oh, go on, I don’t mind. I was just thinking that I might like to take a smoke around here. You talk as you like while I do,” Tony said, pulling out a cigarette from his pocket.

“—Thank you.” After thanking Tony, Shiro then started to engage in a lively conversation with her old friends. “Have you been doing alright? Hua?”

“Well, I’ve been having to take care of my husband and my kid every day, so that’s been a pain in the butt.”

“I see…That sounds rough. Mido?”

“I’m in the same boat. –What about you, Shiro? You’re of a good age, you must be married by now.”

“…Um…uh…sorry.”

“She said it! You just said your catchphrase, ‘um…uh…sorry’!”

“No…it’s not really a catchphrase…”

With a side glance to the chattering and giggling women, Tony began to wander around, puffing on his cigarette.

--A young Netsuma girl carrying a flower basket approached him then.

“—Mister.”

“Hm? What is it, little miss?”

“Are you a general, mister?”

“Indeed I am. I’m the most distinguished general in this army,” Tony said, patting the girl on the head.

“I see—then, this is for you.”

The girl stuck her hand into her flower basket.

“Oh, do you have a flower to give to me?”

.

What the girl brought out—was dynamite with the fuse lit.

.

“—Wha!?”

Hearing Tony’s scream, Shiro rapidly turned in his direction and noticed what the girl was holding.

“General!”

She immediately launched herself at Tony’s body and knocked him away.

--Immediately afterward there was an explosion, and fire rained on the square.

“Ghu--!?”

Tony was stunned, but he didn’t seem to have been significantly harmed.

But Shiro’s right leg had been caught up in the blast…and it was miserably charred black.

It was still attached, but only barely.

There was no sign of the girl who had been in the blast radius, nor Hua and Mido.

They had likely been blown away without a trace by the dynamite explosion.

“—They’re enemies! This town has fallen into Asmodean hands!”

Nearby soldiers had already taken up battle stances before Tony started screaming.

The people of the village watched on in agitation.

“Kill them! Kill all the villagers! If you don’t, they’ll do it to us!”

Shiro tried to stop Tony in a panic as he gave those orders to the soldiers.

“Wait! We don’t know that for sure y—”

There was no doubt that that girl had been an assassin from Asmodean.

But just as Shiro had said, perhaps it had been just that one girl, by chance. Perhaps the other villagers hadn’t known anything.

--But Tony wasn’t in any state to listen to her.

“Do it! Now! That’s a direct order!”

He had gone completely deranged.

He stood, and picked up his gun with shaking hands.

--Tony had never commanded a large unit like this as a general until this point.

He had never taken part in a large-scale war that went up against an entire country.

The only direct battles that he had participated in were against shoddy militiamen or sluggish dead soldiers.

He had already been made general by the time the dead soldiers had started to mutate, and so by then he wasn’t standing on the front lines.

Despite being a military man, Tony had never before felt death so close to himself.

Evillious had simply been too peaceful up until that point.

--But now it was different.

“AAAAAAAGH!”

Tony started firing blindly.

The unresisting villagers fell with a clatter.

“Please stop, General! –I said stop!”

Shiro tried to grab at Tony while dragging along her leg.

“Shut up!”

Tony turned to her, the rifle in his hands.

And then, without thinking, he pulled the trigger.

“Ah…”

“—Huh—”

The bullet left Tony’s gun.

It flew straight to Shiro’s chest.

And then it pierced right through her.

“…Bruno…”

That became Shiro’s last word.

Just as Nyoze predicted, a war began.

In September, Asmodean declared war on the Republic of Lucifenia. They then launched an invasion into said-country.

In October, the USE country Holy Levianta received a request for aid from Lucifenia, and so they declared war on Asmodean. But Elphegort refused to help, despite having received a similar request. Marlon began to look into a resolution through diplomatic channels. Due to differences in how each of the signatory nations were treated, the USE unified government was unable to put forth a collective stance, and so parliament merely continued to argue in circles.

Giving up on diplomacy, Marlon joined in the war that November. Upon receiving this information, the Kingdom of Beelzenia declared war on all member nations of the USE outside of Elphegort.

The war quickly developed into something that would engulf all of Evillious. And yet, the USE’s unified government displayed no leadership, collapsing to the point where the soldiers of their allied forces each began to take action on their own in accordance with the plans of their respective home countries.

.

Elphegort, the Millennium Tree Forest.

The construction of a new building was being finished here under Ma’s direction.

Gallerian and Ma stood side by side, watching as it was put together.

“—In just a month, ‘Evils Theater’ will be complete,” Ma said with a smile.

“A theater for demons, huh. I don’t much care for the name, but if that’s what you want it to be, then fine. …It will end up being just as the name suggests, after all.”

“Once it’s finished, let’s move all of the ‘Vessels of Deadly Sin’ that we have right now here. With all of the other regions breaking out in war, Elphegort is the only safe place right now.”

Upon constructing the theater, Gallerian and Ma had first bribed the Sisters of Clarith who watched over the forest. As the order had already shifted its priorities from faith to money-grubbing, they were all too quick to give Gallerian permission to build as he had requested.

He dismantled an abandoned hut in the woods, and this became the site where the theater was planned to be built. Ma had drawn up the blueprints for it, putting in several of the technologies that had been present in the Magic Kingdom. Thanks to that the construction work became far more large-scale than initially planned, and the amount of time and money it needed increased. But still, they’d managed to get it finished.

“The trees of this forest will be a big help in obstructing invaders. The camouflage effect of the Forest of Bewilderment will be greatly amplified by the ancient technology installed in the theater,” Ma said with satisfaction.

“As for who’ll manage this place…I’d heard you would be doing it by yourself, Ma—”

“Oh yes, of course. One of my dreams as a screenwriter is to have a theater of my own, you see.”

“Lich is against it. He said it ran counter to your promise not to get close to ‘The Glass of Conchita’.”

“What a frustrating man…Then tell Lich he can come here too. He should keep an eye on things so that I don’t get near the glass, just like he has been. –He’ll make a good guard for Michelle, too.”

“Michelle…It’ll be hard to have to live apart from my daughter for so long.”

“This building is also for her security. I’m positive that the peaceful atmosphere of the forest will have a good effect on her recovery from her illness as well.”

.

One month later, “Evils Theater” was finished as planned; the “Venom Sword”, “Glass of Conchita”, “Four Mirrors of Lucifenia”, and the doll—that is, “The Clockworker’s Doll”, were all moved there. Aside from the “Marlon Spoon”, which Gallerian continued to carry on his person as before.

With this, that left two “Vessels of Deadly Sin”—Or so you would think.

.

Sitting in a guest seat in the finished theater, Ma was gazing at a movie playing out on the screen.

The title of the film that was playing was “The Tailor of Enbizaka”. It was based on a screenplay that she had written in her past.

There were no other members of the audience. When the words “The End” finally showed on the screen, Ma stood and clapped quietly all alone.

Deeper in the main hall was the director’s room.

All of the “Vessels of Deadly Sin” they had gathered were neatly on display inside. As soon as Ma entered, Lich—who was inside—glowered at her.

“…Relax. I won’t go near the glass,” Ma said, though Lich remained displeased.

“—Really, I could have never imagined that I would be returning to the forest in this fashion.”

“Ha ha, maybe you could go see your old friends while you’re here? –Even your little brother—”

“If I met them with this form it would only cause a stir. Worst case, I get run out of the forest again. If that happened there would be no one to protect my master.”

“…I think if that was what they wanted, they would have done it long ago.”

Ma moved away from Lich and laid something metallic down next to the “Venom Sword”.

“And that is?” Lich asked.

“Considering the kind of items we leave in here—do you really need me to tell you?”

“…I see, still a cunning one, aren’t you? You’ve—already obtained it.”

What she had set down were two pairs of scissors.

--One of the Vessels of Deadly Sin, “Kayo’s Scissors”.

.

With that, there was only one left.

As a benefit of the founding of the USE, for a long time no major border-spanning wars occurred in the Evillious region.

Conversely, this had the effect of making its people forget that war was something that brought great tragedy.

Asmodean and Beelzenia, both being non-member nations of USE, were each fumbling around for their connection to each other. In January of year 982, the two of them made an alliance with Elphegort of the USE. On the surface, their reason for it was to form a beneficial military pact to counter the increasing number of dead soldiers. But it was clear that their true goal was to keep in check the Republic of Lucifenia that they shared a border with.

In Lucifenia, which had suffered the most casualties from the dead soldiers, a great discontent was spreading through its citizenry due to political decay. Rumors were circulating that the Kingdom of Beelzenia was the source of the dead soldier outbreak, and there were many public voices calling for them to ignore the USE’s military pact (USE member countries were forbidden from launching any invasions on outside countries on their own without permission from the joint government) and invade Beelzenia.

It was with an impending sense of doom that Beelzenia had sought aid from Asmodean, and Elphegort had gotten on board as well owing to the fact that their relationship with Lucifenia hadn’t been all that great to begin with, due to their history of warfare in the past.

Wanting to avoid a war breaking out, the USE unified government tacitly accepted Elphegort’s participation in the alliance. They had likely believed that this would result in Lucifenia quieting down from the turbulent actions they were displaying.

--But that is not what happened. On the contrary, this lit the flames of anger for the bulk of Lucifenia’s populace.

.

In June of year 982, the crown prince of Asmodean was assassinated on a visit to Elphegort’s capital of Aceid.

The one arrested as perpetrator was a young man of the Lucifenian Republic by the name of Heleus Gone.

He was put to trial in the Dark Star Bureau.

In the room of an apartment in the town of Rolled in the Lucifenian Republic.

A single man sat in a chair, and tuned in to the news coming from his radio.

“—Defendant Heleus Gone, prosecuted as the culprit behind the assassination of the crown prince of Asmodean, was sentenced to ten years of penal servitude. The prosecutor had sought the death penalty, but head judge Gallerian Marlon lightened the severity of the sentence in account for the defendant’s young age and that he showed sufficient remorse for the deed. –Upon receiving this verdict the Asmodean government has immediately declared their objections, and there has also been criticism coming from the third political party ‘Tasan’ of their ally nation, Elphegort—"

The man flicked the radio’s switch off, expressionless.

“…Heleus Gone is the nephew of the rich merchant Perse—You never change, Gallerian Marlon.”

He stood and adjusted his appearance.

“With this…war will probably break out. I wonder what Gammon will do—"

The door to the living room opened, and his girlfriend entered.

“Oh, you’re done getting dressed up.”

When he said that, she smiled. “Yeah…”

“Well then, shall we go? The summer festival’s gonna start soon.”

He and his girlfriend left the room together.

.

The man’s real name was Nyoze Octo.

The former soldier that Gallerian had imprisoned on false charges.

He had escaped from prison, changed his name, and went into hiding in Lucifenia.

.

He is little more than a single example.

Those who were plotting to grant Gallerian his “punishment” were budding all over the USE.

By now, Gallerian had gained a reputation from society at large as being a completely corrupted judge.

Big-shots in politics, popular actors, the top brass of the underworld—he would give anyone with money an innocent verdict, and then conversely send anyone who opposed them to prison on false charges.

Gallerian gained many new friends that way. Fairweather friends linked only through money and interest. But they were all people who stood to serve him in his goal of collecting the vessels.

There was once a great merchant by the name of Keel Freezis. He was always saying this as his catchphrase:

“Those who control information control the world”.

He had amassed a quite sizable fortune, but that was only because he had been proficient at gathering information that circulated through society.

Information begat money, and that money begat more information.

Money and information had an inseparable relationship.

The people that Gallerian currently called friends were those that had money and information. And on the other hand, destitute people who had neither of those steadily grew to despise him.

At times, Gallerian’s enemies would make attempts on his life. Not just directly—there were those who would try to drag Gallerian from his position as director through strategy.

All such people were consigned to darkness. They would be done in by Lich, Eater, or Jorm. Monsters who crept through the night, and a serial killer who could control invisible blades. With them at his disposal, Gallerian had no blind spots even in the underworld.

Many people ridiculed Gallerian as being “money-mad”.

But there was hardly anyone who knew how he was using that money, or why he had gathered so much.

Gallerian immersed himself more and more in his affection for his “daughter”.

.

Gallerian was gathering money in order to get his hands on the Vessels of Deadly Sin.

He was convinced that those vessels would restore his beloved daughter back to normal, unable to freely move as she was currently.

--That was utter nonsense. Granting a wish by collecting vessels of deadly sin? That’s impossible.

Certainly they did have the power to fulfill a person’s desires. But at the same time, they also invited misfortune for those who used them.

A great “sin” carries a commensurate “punishment”.

There was no way that collecting all seven would bring one happiness.

Ma was the one who pushed this lie on Gallerian. However—perhaps to her, this did have a grain of truth to it.

A wish would be granted by collecting all of the vessels—

But that wish would be Ma’s.

When she had all of the demons assembled, she would be able to grant her wish.

She would be able to become a truly “pure” being.

.

I am a simple bat, but I’m at least able to converse with a doll.

While Gallerian was away from home, I decided to go into Michelle’s room.

--In the center of the room was the doll, sitting upright in its wheelchair.

“Hello, good day,” I said to the doll.

“…Good day,” the doll replied. It had an adorable voice that no one outside of Gallerian, who had contracted with “Adam”, could hear. “You’re the bat that’s always fluttering around Papa.”

“Yeah, I am. –Aren’t you bored, always being here by yourself?”

“I don’t mind. I have Papa.”

“But your papa has to go out to work during the day, doesn’t he?”

“That’s alright. I have other friends here.”

“Oh my. Who are they?”

“I have my big-sis in the wineglass. She always talks to me. She has twin servants named Hänsel and Gretel.”

“I see. It must be very lively here, then.”

“Outside of them, I have my big-bro in the spoon. He looks a lot like Papa, and he’s very kind. …But he’s always with Papa, so he doesn’t play with me much. After that—”

“There’s others?”

“There’s gramps in the katana. But he left the sword recently. No matter how I call on him he won’t answer. –But Papa told me that he’ll bring me even more new friends. Papa left today to go to something called an ‘auction’ for that.”

One of the Vessels of Deadly Sin was the “Four Mirrors of Lucifenia”. It was two sets of double mirrors—in other words, a set of four mirrors in all. Gallerian had obtained some information that this set was being sold at an auction being held in the Republic of Maistia. So he had taken a vacation from work and went to the continent of Maistia with Ma.

“You’ll have more fun when your new friend arrives.”

“Yeah. But…I might have to move out of this room soon.”

“Why’s that?”

“Apparently some bad people are after this place, so Papa’s making a new home in the forest and moving me there. Papa says the new home is going to be a theater. That I won’t be bored, because I’ll be able to watch movies every day. But I’m not bored at all, even now, and I don’t want to say goodbye to everyone.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure your Papa will bring the others to the theater with you.”

“Then I’m glad.”

“You seem happy, Michelle, to be loved by your father so.”

“…”

The doll had been chattering on quite talkatively, but there suddenly fell silent.

“What’s wrong?”

“…I don’t like that name. Papa calls me that too, but that’s—not really my name. But if I tell him that, Papa won’t love me anymore.”

“—Huh. Then, what is your real name?”

“…You won’t tell Papa?”

“Of course, I promise.”

“Really? Then I’ll tell you.”

“Alright.”

“My—my real name is—”

.

Through this conversation with the doll, I learned something new.

Or rather, perhaps it would be better to say that I knew something again.

The person—whose soul Ma had put into the doll.

She…was a considerable villain, and had deceived many people.

Both Gallerian—and “Adam”.

The next day, Eater and Feng were having a conversation in the garden of Gallerian’s estate.

“…That’s an impressively large frame you have. I suppose I ought to be pleased to have gained such a promising ally.”

“Auuugh…”

“Your skin is awfully white. Are you sick with something?”

“Auu…I…”

“—No, that was too personal a question. I myself have had many negative experiences due to my appearance, since I was very young. These are the times we live in. There’s nothing strange whatever about someone like you with such white skin. I look forward to working with you, anyhow.”

“…Mhm…Same.”

Ma’s eyes had widened as she gazed upon that scene from inside the mansion.

“’Eater’…and ‘Lich’. To think that I would be reunited with these two in this way…Frankly it makes my head hurt…”

“Do you know them?” Gallerian asked, standing with her.

“Know them…Yes, from long ago. I once met them ages past in the ‘Millennium Tree Forest’. It would…take quite a bit of time to explain the whole story to you, so I will leave it at that.”

Ma’s hesitation to say much further was understandable.

Lich and Eater…the two of them had once been forest spirits who served the Millennium Tree.

Once, Lich had committed the taboo of creating a human being out of mud, perhaps out of a desire for mischief. This invited his god’s wrath, and so Lich was driven from the forest. Eater, who had been a good friend of his, followed him out.

--At some point, the two of them were spotted by the demon of ‘Gluttony’, and became that demon’s subordinates. The demon then recklessly changed these spirits into dead soldiers.

The result of that was that they became their current forms…”dead gods”. Long had they resided with the demon inside the glass, but as Michaela had explained to me, recently they had left to the outside world and for reasons unknown started running a restaurant.

“They have forbidden you from getting near the ‘Glass of Conchita’. I have it in one of my rooms further in, and Lich watches over it. –Apologies, but it seems like it’ll be difficult for you to seal the demon in the glass, at this rate.”

“I believe that is their—or rather, the demon that is their master’s—objective. To keep me from stealing its power…Well, that’s alright for the time being, I suppose. As long as we abide by its demands, the demon isn’t liable to bring us any harm.”

“Oh well. It seems as though Lich and Eater are getting along alright with the other members of PN. …Though there is the problem of them having a bit of a rotten smell.”

All else aside, with this Gallerian had been able to obtain the “Marlon Spoon”, “Venom Sword”, and “Glass of Conchita”.

…Or rather, to be strictly accurate, in addition to those he also had the “Clockworker’s Doll” in hand as well. That doll that he was convinced was his daughter, Michelle. That was also a Vessel of Deadly Sin, but poor Gallerian hadn’t realized that fact.

.

Gallerian’s task of collecting the Vessels of Deadly Sin seemed to be progressing steadily enough, but it wasn’t completely so. Close to a year had passed between him obtaining the “Venom Sword” and the “Glass of Conchita”. Despite the results of his making a contract with “Adam”—this was the reason why Lich had called Gallerian the “Collector”—he would still need time and luck to gather the remaining vessels.

And he would need to foot the bill for researching into them.

Having severed his connection to the Yarera Zusco Conglomerate, Gallerian used his own position as the director of the Dark Star Bureau to save up that money. Whenever wealthy and socially influential people like Bindi and Jason were put on trial, he would declare them innocent in exchange for bribes.

Gallerian sank all of the money that he had obtained that way into finding the Vessels of Deadly Sin.

Him becoming a judge had been for the purpose of reforming the witch trials. That may have been done out of Gallerian’s sense of justice and affection for his deceased mother, but Gallerian had not been a completely upright and honest person from the start. If it was to fulfill his goals he would even use bribery, a misdeed on its own. That was what he had done with Loki.

Having been surrounded by wealthy friends since his time at school, Gallerian must have felt the notion of being “poor” as being a shameful thing sink deeply into his mind.

In the end, in this world it was the people with money who won. Poverty dulled one’s wit. Money was the best lawyer in hell. –Maybe that was what he started to believe. Perhaps the rumors that circulated when he married Mira, that he was after the fortune that the Yarera Zusco Conglomerate possessed, were the truth after all.

As I have continued to observe him, thirty years have gone by. For me it is a very slight span of time, but for Gallerian it is long enough that it could even be considered half of his life. It’s very rare for me to continue to watch a single human being for such a period.

I feel as though I have come to greatly understand this man called Gallerian.

It was nighttime on Gallerian’s estate. Gusts of snow blowing in from the crosswind continued to slam against the windows. It seemed the blizzard wasn’t going to let up for some time.

The red wineglass that he had retrieved from the ‘Graveyard’ restaurant sat on the table. Bruno took it up in his hands, bringing it closer to his eyes.

“…So this is a ‘Vessel of Deadly Sin’. To me it just looks like an ordinary glass—”

“You probably shouldn’t touch it. There’s supposed to be a demon lurking within it. Apparently, those who contract with it become ‘evil food eaters’ who can eat whatever they want,” Gallerian informed him, wiping his face with a napkin after having finished his meal.

“A demon of ‘Gluttony’, huh…Perhaps you ought to contract with this one instead, sir. You haven’t been eating as well lately.”

“It’s not that I can’t eat. I’m just trying not to eat as much. I did just put away an entire full course meal at ‘Graveyard’, you know.”

The phone started to ring. Bruno picked up the receiver and began to speak to the other person.

After a moment he set the receiver back down and said to Gallerian, “It’s Ma. She’ll have to come over here tomorrow morning.”

“I see. Well, that’s understandable, with this blizzard.”

“She says that we must make sure to keep the glass under observation until she can apply her sealing magic to the demon.”

“You say that, but it’s not like it can do anything right now. Just put it in an interior room with the sword.”

Bruno once again gazed at the wineglass in his hand.

“…I’m thinking that perhaps it isn’t so wise to leave these items in the house. I don’t know much about demons, but what is clear to me is that these are items you have obtained via unlawful means. You never know if the people who run the bureau’s storage might betray you someday.”

“I do have an idea for that. Ma’s made a certain request of me recently. My idea could not only grant that request, but also provide me a place to store the vessels—Though it requires a bit of money.”

“Ma’s greed isn’t a recent development. Perhaps she thinks that she can withdraw any amount of money from you. …I’m not sure you should be hearing out any of her whims.”

“But—"

There was the sound of something breaking in the living room.

Gallerian stopped talking and looked in that direction.

“What was that?”

“Maybe the window glass shattered from the force of the wind. I’ll go check.”

“…Take care. We don’t have anyone on guard for tonight.”

“—I’ll take the gun with me.”

Bruno took a pistol that had been left in a cupboard and set the wineglass there in its stead.

But in the very next moment—There was a loud crash, and a window right near him exploded inward.

“--!?”

Then something pure white entered from there—and it wasn’t snow. It was the arm of a human being, with skin that was unnaturally white.

Bruno fired at the spot without thinking. But the creature pulled its body into the dining room without flinching away.

The moment his eyes locked on its form, Bruno shouted in surprise, “It’s—a dead soldier?! Sir, run!”

Gallerian shot to his feet, and fled into the hallway from a door further in.

--But then he immediately whirled back inside, closing the door and locking it.

“It’s no use, Bruno! They’re already swarming the hallway!”

“What!? …Dammit, how did dead soldiers get into a mansion in the middle of town—”

As Bruno fired at the dead soldier that had come in from the window, he once more picked up the wineglass with his other hand and backed towards a corner of the dining room, moving as though to shield Gallerian.

From the other side of the door they could hear vicious blows. They were likely trying to break the door down. Before they knew it there were three dead soldiers in the dining room, and they were steadily advancing on the two men.

And then—an even worse invader leaped into the room from the broken window.

“GWAAAAAARRR!”

--And that was an enormous giant human over two meters tall. No, they couldn’t even tell if he was truly human. He was wearing a uniform. A faintly sullied chef uniform. They couldn’t tell if the red fluid that was splattered across it was animal blood from cooking or human blood. In his right hand he held a large cleaver, and his skin was a quicklime white like the rest of the dead soldiers around him.

“—So, you Gallerian?”

The man thrusted the cleaver before Gallerian’s eyes.

“Give back our master.”

“Master…!? What are you talking about? Just who are you in the first place? Are you—not a dead soldier?”

“Urgh…Don’t give me questions! Don’t ask me anything hard! Hand back our master now!”

The man grew enraged, and lifted the cleaver high.

“--!”

Bruno shot him twice in the stomach.

--But that only seemed to make his target angrier.

“That hurt! Whadda you doing, asshole!?”

After clutching at his stomach with his left hand, he then reached out and grabbed Bruno by the neck.

“Bruno!”

“Grk…”

While in clear suffering, Bruno pointed the muzzle of the gun at the man’s head and pulled the trigger.

But the gun only made a hollow click, appearing to have run out of bullets.

All the color steadily drained from Bruno’s face.

“—Cut it out, ‘Eater’.”

At that moment, a voice called out from the window to stop the man.

“…”

The man obeyed the voice, and released Bruno.

The owner of the voice gracefully jumped in from the window, clearing away snow from his shoulders.

“Sigh…I’ve spoiled my best tuxedo.”

It wasn’t to the degree of the man called Eater, but this one was extremely tall. He wore a black tuxedo and silk tophat, gripping a walking stick in his left hand. Additionally, he too had skin far whiter than was humanly possible.

Upon seeing his figure, the dead soldiers all ceased moving and stood in place.

The noise from outside the door had also died down.

“I apologize for my colleagues, Mister Zero. And—” The man in the tuxedo peered at Gallerian’s face with great interest. “—I see, so you are Mister Marlon…The ‘collector’.”

“Collector?”

“Yes, that’s right. I have heard you are gathering the ‘Vessels of Deadly Sin’, are you not? That is what I would call someone with such capabilities—Oop, do forgive me.” The man took a step backward and then neatly bowed. “I should introduce myself. I am the proprietor of ‘Graveyard’—My name is Lich Arklow. This one beside me here is Eater Sabear. He is my chef.”

“The—proprietor of Graveyard!?”

“Correct. You can surmise the reason for our having come here tonight, I expect? …We came to request the return of the vessel you stole from my establishment—the ‘Glass of Conchita’—and the immediate release of my waitstaff, ‘Waiter’.”

“Ho, and is this what you call a ‘request’, to break in the windows of a person’s home and strangle their servants?”

Lich replied to Gallerian’s provocation with an unruffled expression, “Oohoohoo, I could say the same for you. Thanks to you my establishment is in shambles. There’s no way we can open for business again.”

“You called me the ‘collector’ earlier. You said that was someone who is capable of holding onto the Vessels of Deadly Sin. –So then there shouldn’t be any problem with me owning the ‘Glass of Conchita’, right?”

“You might have the capability, but that doesn’t mean you can just steal someone’s property. –I’ll be taking it back now,” Lich said, snatching back the wineglass from the fallen Bruno’s hand. “Relax, Mister Marlon. As long as you obey my demands we won’t make any more trouble for you.”

“You’re telling me to listen to the kind of person who comes accompanied by dead soldiers?”

“…Oh my, this puts me in a bind. How can you take such a stubborn position in a situation like this…?” Lich pushed his index finger into Gallerian’s throat. “Don’t you forget. Your life is currently in our hands.”

“…”

“—Oh?”

Lich noticed a change in the wineglass that he was holding.

The glass was giving off a red light, flickering repeatedly.

“…Eater. Hold this for a bit.”

Lich handed the ‘Glass of Conchita’ to Eater.

And then in that next moment—before their eyes Lich’s body was swallowed up inside the glass.

“--!?”

Gallerian watched on this with an expression of shock.

--After a few seconds, Lich once more flew out of the glass, sporting an expression of slight dissatisfaction.

“…Honestly, that one’s willfulness is quite vexing.” Surprisingly, Lich turned to Gallerian and kneeled, adopting a subservient posture. “Our master has accepted you becoming the owner of the ‘Glass of Conchita’, Mister Marlon. And as such, I must acquiesce to your decision. This very night, I, Lich Arklow, and Eater Sabear shall become your servants.”

“Wh-wha!?” Gallerian was dumbfounded. “What’s with this sudden development?”

“—However, our master has some conditions. That you not bring the ‘Glass of Conchita’ anywhere near your companion, Miss Ma, and additionally—that you look for the ‘grave yard’.”

“The ‘grave yard’? You mean your restaurant?”

“No, they’re different. The restaurant ‘Graveyard’ originally took its name from that. The discovery of the ‘grave yard’ is our master’s fondest wish. Our master has told me that if you are able to collect all of the Vessels of Deadly Sin, Mister Marlon, then that location will naturally become clear to you—And also that if you do not agree to this demand, then Eater is to lop off your head with his cleaver.”

“…So in the end, the fact that I’m being threatened hasn’t changed.”

“I don’t think it’s such a bad proposal. You will be able to come into possession of one of the Vessels of Deadly Sin. And…you will obtain a loyal unit of dead men.”

“You must be joking! Having dead soldiers as my underlings will only make me an enemy of the army!”

When Gallerian cried out in anger, Lich merely shook his head in disappointment. “You appear to be under a misconception; the dead soldiers that are laying waste to the territory of the USE have nothing to do with us. Rather, they are an annoyance. Thanks to them we wound up being attacked by the military once.”

“You say that, but to the average person a dead soldier is just a dead soldier.”

“Well then, let’s do this. Outside of emergencies, we will have all of the dead soldiers outside of myself and Eater sleep in their graves. As you can see, there is little different between us and normal humans at a glance, and we are able to communicate. If I may, I heard that you were being targeted by the Yarera Zusco Conglomerate. If you leave your security to us, then we will be able to ensure your safety.”

“Just to be sure…You and the big guy there are both dead soldiers after all?”

“Yes. Though our origins are different from these others. You may even refer to Eater and I as--‘dead gods’.”

“…What an extremely unpleasant designation.”

“Come then, what will it be? Decide quickly. Come on, quickly now!”

“…”

As Gallerian struggled to make a decision, the fallen Bruno finally stirred.

“…I think it best you quietly go along with them, sir.”

“Bruno, you’ve come to. How much did you hear?”

“Everything from around the point where this man said he would become your servant. Whatever the case, this situation doesn’t leave much room for us to decide.”

“True enough—I guess there’s no helping it.” Gallerian turned to Lich again. “Very well, Lich Arklow. From this point on, you will be tasked with the security of this mansion as members of PN…Make sure not to go around telling other people your true identity.”

“Oohoohoo, don’t worry. I did manage to run a restaurant for several years, after all. Although, well…Most of the actual serving of customers was done by ‘Waiter’.”

“Now that you mention it, what should I do about this ‘Waiter’? You did demand her release earlier—”

“Ah, that will be unnecessary. There’s no need to rush, now that we’ve become your servants. She’ll be let out in six months anyway; let her remain in prison for now.”

“…That’s quite cold of you.”

“Eater may have worked with her in the restaurant, but I had no real acquaintanceship with her.”

“…I see.”

And in this way, the uninvited Lich and Eater were forcibly added into Gallerian’s circle of allies.

The great courtroom wasn’t the only place in the Dark Star Courthouse where trials were held.

There was also a small courtroom that was used when dealing with less important cases.

That day, the trial that Gallerian was serving as head judge for was being held in that small courtroom.

Apparently, it was quite irregular for the director to be serving as head judge in a small courtroom trial.

There was one head judge, one defense attorney, one prosecutor, one defendant, one security guard, and no aides.

It wasn’t a private hearing, but nonetheless there was no one in the visitor’s gallery.

That was because the trial was of no interest to the world at large.

The defense attorney was beginning to yawn, the prosecutor was beginning to polish their nails, and the female defendant was sitting with a sulky posture in her chair.

.

“Well then, I shall announce my verdict…The defendant is sentenced to six months penal servitude. The defendant…Erm, nickname ‘Waiter’, worked at the restaurant ‘Graveyard’ that was operating without a business license, and served dubious meals to its customers. This fact is verified by myself, Gallerian Marlon, having actually gone to eat at ‘Graveyard’, as well as the screenwriter Lady Kayo Sudou, and several other ‘Police Neutrality’ officers. While there was no poison in the meals we were provided, I must say that operating a busines without a license from the USE coupled with years of tax evasion is quite loathsome. However, the defendant has claimed to have no involvement with the restaurant’s administration, and as both the proprietor thought to be the mastermind and the chef are still at large, we have insufficient evidence to refute the defendant’s claim. For that reason, I feel the primary sentencing is appropriate.”

After his short verdict explanation was over, Gallerian turned to the girl in the defendant’s chair.

“Does the defendant have any last words to say?”

“Pay up!” the girl suddenly screamed. “You took advantange of the confusion to dine and dash you son of a—”

“…I guess not. Alright, then court is adjourned. –In addition, all of the utensils and ingredients in the restaurant will be confiscated as evidence and stored in the Dark Star Bureau until the owner is captured. That is all.”

Gallerian swiftly left the small courtroom, ignoring the girl as she continued to rant and rave.

Bindi came to visit Gallerian as he was finishing up some documents in the director’s room.

“Hey hey. Thanks for your help earlier.”

He looked to be in good spirits.

“You seem to be doing well, Minister of Finance Freezis.”

“Thanks to you.”

“What business do you have here today? I would think there’s no more need for you to deliberately set foot in the Dark Star Bureau yourself.”

“Oh yes, I’m fine. But my friend is in a little bit of trouble. –Jason Jack. Do you know that name?”

“…I know it very well. He was originally a professor at Levin University. I had a class with him back when I was a student. I heard that he was arrested a week ago on suspicion of murder.”

“The World Police hasn’t been so accommodating lately. The detective in charge of the case apparently had no idea that Jason was a friend of mine. But…I know better than anyone that he’s not the sort of man who would stab a prostitute to death.” Bindi sighed, making a sad face. “There’s nothing in the world I would like more than to see him declared innocent at trial…And I’m certain Jason would be grateful to you as well.”

“Is that right.”

“This completely unrelated, but from the looks of things you’re saving up quite the bundle, aren’t you? Your account in the Freezis bank has a rather enormous amount in it.”

“…Well, I’ll make doubly sure to have Jason tell me his side of the story this time.”

Upon hearing that, Bindi’s smile lit up his whole face.

“I see. Well then, I leave this in your hands, sir Director.”

After watching Bindi off, his smile unbroken, from the mountain of documents on his desk Gallerian drew out the one that pertained to Jason’s case.

“…” He scanned his eyes over it, reading the contents aloud. “…The victim is Medea Col. Occupation, prostitution. She was found stabbed to death in her home…The murder weapon is assumed to be a Jakokuan katana that was hanging up as decoration…Jason was under suspicion as having visited her as a client just before…I see. Well, if they didn’t catch him red-handed, then I’m sure—”

There, Gallerian once more pulled the documents close to his face, seeming to realize something.

“The weapon was a Jakokuan katana—perhaps I can use this.”

Gallerian stood, and then moved to leave the director’s room.

But just as he got to the door, he ran into Bruno.

“Director. Are you heading out?”

“—No. I was actually going to see you. You have good timing.”

“You have some business with me?”

“Mhm. Here.” Gallerian showed Bruno the documents on Jason’s case. “I was thinking of ordering PN to reopen this case.”

.

Two weeks later.

In the meeting room, Hel’s irritation had reached its peak.

“…This doesn’t make any sense.”

Feng looked up at her face with a carefree air. “It’s not good for your looks to get so worked up.”

“Don’t you think this is strange!? For this—for this to have gone so smoothly.”

“That’s true. Thanks to our investigation we were able to arrest the real murderer.”

“And with only a tiny bit of searching we were not only able to find a new weapon, but determine that it was indeed the one used in the murder. Doesn’t that sound a bit convenient?”

“Perhaps the World Police’s investigation was just that sloppy.”

But Hel didn’t look convinced.  

“—It’s been verified that Jason who was initially thought to be the culprit had an alibi, and has conversely been made clear that the owner of the ‘Venom Sword’, Nyoze Octo, was nearby when the crime took place. …If we’re to take all of this as the truth, then the World Police should be disqualified as a police organization. Nyoze has no involvement with the Freezises. It’s hard to imagine the World Police intentionally hid the truth to cover up for him.”

“But it was none other than us here in PN who found the evidence that Nyoze was the real killer. You intend to deny that?”

“…That’s why I’m saying it doesn’t make sense.”

Feng suddenly stood up on his hind legs.

It was generally hard to notice, but when he stood up like that, his body was close to three meters tall. Hel pulled back from him on instinct.

But he gently put his paws on Hel’s shoulders.

“You’re heavy, Feng.”

“—Hel. It seems to me that ever since Bindi’s trial, you’ve been carrying a lot of resentment. How about we share a drink this time, for a change? I’ll listen to your complaints.”

“…Are you making a pass at me?”

“Sorry, but I’ve got no interest in putting a hand on someone else’s wife.”

“My husband and I split up two years ago. Didn’t you know? I’ve been getting stressed because I have to raise my daughter all on my own. And it’s not like I can quit my job.”

“What? You’re thinking of quitting?”

“When I see what Gallerian’s become, yeah. I never thought he’d be the sort of man who would distort the truth for his own greed.”

“—Hm.”

On hearing Feng give a snort, Hel once more raised her voice.

“What’s so funny!?”

“It’s a bit late for that. After all—what was it that we did back in Loki’s trial?”

“We bribed the head judge with money—B-but that was different! Back then we did it for a just cause—”

“And maybe Gallerian has his own just cause now.  Though I don’t know what that might be. –We’ve known him for a long time. We should try to believe in him, shouldn’t we?”

“…”

“However—” Feng took his paws off of Hel’s shoulders and let them drop back to the floor. “—If he really has fallen to evil…The moment that becomes clear, I—will be exactly like the tiger I appear to be. I’ll tear his throat out like a beast.”

“Feng…”

“I pray that doesn’t happen. …Come on, let’s get going. We have to get our evidence to storage.”

The two of them left the room, while bathed in the rays of twilight streaming in from the window.

.

--After that, USE allied forces second lieutenant Nyoze Octo was indicted as the culprit of the prostitute murder case, and was sentenced to fifteen years hard labor by the head judge Gallerian.

The Jakokuan sword that was treated as the murder weapon, the “Venom Sword”, was stored in the Dark Star Bureau, but like the Marlon Spoon it wound up being passed to Gallerian’s hands through forging documents and bribing all involved.

.

Naturally, it would have been difficult for Gallerian to fabricate this hoax that Nyoze was the criminal by himself.

Gallerian accomplishing this was largely due to having help from a collaborator.

--Who was that collaborator, you ask?

Why, that needs no real thought.

.

It was the proxy commander of PN, Bruno.

Gallerian wound up meeting with second lieutenant Nyoze Octo of the USE allied forces by an introduction from Ma.

They met at the Octo brothers’ personal home in Samadin, located in the southeastern region of Levianta.

“—This is it.”

Nyoze had set down on his living room table a single Jakokuan katana.

“My, this is quite—”

Gallerian moved to take it in his hands, but Nyoze stopped him.

“Please do not touch it. An ominous spirit lies within this katana, and so if anyone outside of the Octo family touches it, they may become possessed.”

“…I do certainly sense an unusual presence here. –Ma.”

Gallerian inclined his head towards Ma, standing next to him.

“Oh yes. I am certain that this is indeed what we have been searching for—it is none other than the ‘Venom Sword’.”

“I see…Second Lieutenant Nyoze. You just said that if I were to touch this sword I would be possessed by a spirit, but why is it alright for members of the Octo family?”

“We have a cleansing sigil passed down from our ancestor that is tattooed onto our bodies. It has considerable power to resist the spirit.”

Gallerian then asked Nyoze why it was that they had the sword.

According to him, this cursed blade was an heirloom passed down in the Octo family.

“My great-grandfather, Anan Okuto, came to the continent of Maistia from Jakoku in order to recover this heirloom that had been stolen by thieves, and then after that he arrived in the Evillious region. After a span of forty years he finally found the cursed blade…but he passed away in this land instead of making it home to Jakoku. As his descendants, we continue to protect this katana throughout the generations—I own it as the current head of the Octo family.”

“Hmmm…” Gallerian tapped his cheek, then suggested to Nyoze, “But if you say that this katana is dangerous, do you really think it’s wise to have it be in the possession of a military man such as yourself? To say nothing of the fact that, as I hear it, you and your brother Sergeant Major Gammon are often away from home on military duty. It would be terrible if some burglar were to break in.”

“I…suppose that’s true.”

“I think you already know Ma, but she is extremely learned when it comes to magic. I believe that she knows ways to keep from being possessed by the spirit in the katana.”

Ma’s eyes widened unintentionally.

That probably meant that what Gallerian was saying now was not something that they had gone over beforehand, but rather him making an excuse on his own.

In other words, it was complete bull.

“A much more secure place would be better for keeping it. Such as one of the military facilities, or the Dark Star Bureau’s storage area. –Even my house would be alright, if that suits you? At the very least it would have tighter security than here.”

If it was in a military facility he could just collude with Tony on that later, and if it was in the Dark Star Bureau he could use the same tactics as with the Marlon Spoon. And putting it in Gallerian’s home would be the quickest route overall.

In other words, he was contriving so that no matter who took custody of it, ultimately the katana would end up with Gallerian.

But Nyoze didn’t nod along to his suggestion.

“I appreciate your concern, but…I still won’t be parting with this cursed sword. I told you this already, but it is a family heirloom. I would be a disgrace to my family if I were to pass it along to someone else.”

“A family heirloom…Hm.” Ma faintly smiled, blowing out smoke from her pipe. “You have no proof that this katana is really the ancestral property of the Octo family in Jakoku, is that not true? If it took him forty years to get his hands on it, then Anan must have been at quite an advanced age by then. There’s a chance that the old boy got senile, and convinced himself that a completely different katana was his family heirloom—”

Nyoze scowled, glaring at Ma. “Pardon me, but that’s purely your own speculation. You have no proof.”

“Well…I suppose that’s true.”

“Whatever the case, given that this katana is one that was passed down by my great-grandfather, that makes it a precious treasure to me.”

Gallerian leaned forward. “I didn’t say it would be free. I’ll pay you 10—no, 20 million Ev. A sum that an officer of the USE army could never save up his entire lifetime.”

“…Why do you want this katana so badly, sir Director? I’m having trouble gauging your true motives here.”

“I’ll speak frankly. I am something of a sword enthusiast. I collect rare blades from every country, all over the world. So I absolutely must add this to my collection as well—"

“You cannot. Please leave.”

He was completely unapproachable.

.

Gallerian drove the two of them along the road that led back to Alicegrad.

“He wouldn’t go for this, he wouldn’t go for that—Despite appearances he’s a very stubborn man.” He made no move to hide the irritation on his face. “Even all that money didn’t get him to bat an eye. Just why is that blade so important to him—”

Sitting in the passenger seat, Ma said simply, “He—has already been taken over by the katana.”

“…What do you mean?”

“The demon that dwells in the Venom Sword is the demon of ‘Lust’—and it has a tendency to speak to the hearts of those who own it in order to secure a contract. –‘Give yourself over’, and things like that. The demon of ‘Lust’ in particular has powers of bewitchment, so its influence on people’s hearts is quite great. Someone who has been taken over by the demon’s allure will come to have a strong attachment to the vessel. …Almost as one might love the opposite sex.”

“But Nyoze said that he had a cleansing sigil tattooed on his body.”

“That has no bearing on it whatsoever. A tattoo’s not going to ward off a demon. Nyoze, and of course his brother Gammon, are already—”

“If that’s the case, then it’ll be difficult to get the sword from the two of them via lawful means. I’ll…have to think of something.”

The automobile moved along the path at a casual speed.