Chapter 39

《――I'm the one who cursed you.》

"......."

Jae didn't know what to think.

......This is...

The one responsible for placing a curse on Jae, and the one responsible for putting him through all kinds of pain and the experience of numerous deaths...

The Sinful God...?

In his life, Jae had contemplated many times what he would do if he ever met the Sinful God, and had been looking forward to the day where he would get the crucial answers to questions he always wanted to ask. However, the Jae right now could do nothing.

All of the things he wanted to ask; all the things he wanted to do to the one responsible for his pain

It all helplessly crumbled before his simple, yet overwhelming presence.

《Sinful God, huh... I haven't heard that name in a while. It used to just be 'God of Sin', but I hear that title was conferred to someone else.》

Reius opened his mouth, attracting Jae's blank stare, and rustling his mind. At this moment, Jae had chosen to omit all the negative consequences that have arisen due to the God in front of him, and focused solely on gathering answers.

"...Why me?"

《Oh. Well, it's simply because you are the only one fit for the position you hold. By the way, did you know that your Trait is literally perfect? If it was anything other than「Steadfast Mind」, you would've long since been corrupted by the Sins, you know?》

...Wait, really?

To Jae's surprise, Reius nodded his head.

《Mmhm. Although your current Status may not show it, your Trait evolved quite a bit since you arrived in this world.》

Crazy... Of course, I knew that「Steadfast Mind」helped me out a great deal, but I was never aware that it was to that extent...

《I give you my sincere congratulations for keeping your sanity for this long; honestly, I never expected it when I first made my move.》

The contents of his words gave off a sinister vibe, but Reius' tone and expression were all as if he were truly happy for Jae. However, it's not like this erased all doubts, of course, and Jae still had many questions to ask.

"What was that about no longer being the God of Sin? What happened?"

《Ah... Well, it's not how it sounds. I was never really the God of Sin, but it's something they used to call me. Now, though, there is actually a God of Sin, so people don't call me that anymore. They call me the Sinful God.》

"Sinful... Did you commit a crime or something?"

《Crime? Hah! I guess it could be described as such. Though that would be terribly a simplified version of it. In human terms, I suppose I'd have been charged with... Breaking and entering, murder, arson, manslaughter, desecration of holy ground, trespassing, plus various other things like theft and assault.》

"......I see."

This guy is not just a criminal. He's a fucking maniac...

《Well, that's not really important anymore. If you want, I'll tell you all about it, however, it'll have to wait for next time.》

"...Okay. But... If what you said before about me being the only suitable person is true, then why did you curse me?"

《Yeah, figures you'd ask about that. The reason is rather simple, actually. I had to. If I didn't place a strong curse on you, then you'd have been blessed by some random God. In that case, then I wouldn't have been able to give you the power of the Sin Series. So there was no choice other than for me to do so.》

I... see...

《If you want, I can remove the curse. There's no longer any need for it, after all.》

"Yes, please."

《Okayy. There you go. What else?》

"...Actually, I've always wanted to know...... If there are skills that represent the Seven Sins, then does the same thing exist for the Seven Virtues, like Patience, Kindness, and Temperance? If so, does that mean there is something like the Apostle of Virtue?"

《Hoo, what a question. Smart of you to ask, actually; didn't think you would. The short answer: yes.》

Jae felt a bit complicated at the God's quick and simple answer.

"Okay... Can I hear a bit of the long answer?"

《Well, why not? You see, there didn't use to be such a thing as skills that represent either the Seven Sins or Virtues. However, due to a certain event, they were created, and now they exist. You probably want to know whether someone currently owns them or not, but truthfully, I have no idea at all. Is there an Apostle of Virtue? I don't know, but if I had to guess, then I'd bet there is one. At the very least, there'll be a candidate for it.》

"Right... It's certainly good information to have. I'll be careful in the future. But, the Sin Series of skills... What are they, exactly?"

《Ahaha, that's a good one... It's difficult to answer easily. Mmm, to put it simply, the Sin Series was originally an experiment.》

"An experiment?"

What the hell does that mean? It's a lot different from what I expected...

"Then what about the Virtues?"

《It's the same for them, too. An experiment done by the Gods. Haha, talking about it now is nostalgic, actually... It's a fairly long story, and we only have limited time, so I'll try and keep it short. Ahem.》

《A long time ago, there existed 7 Primary Gods. They were, respectively, the Gods of Life, The Elements, Light, Nature, Space, Time, and Creation. Some of them have since been replaced or changed though, so the titles are just inherited.》

"Can I ask a question?"

《Of course you may, go right ahead.》

"What about Gods like the God of Death? Is he not a Primary God? And what even is a Primary God?"

《Right. Uh, you know how Life and Death go hand-in-hand? It's like that. The God of Life used to also rule over death. What used to be only one being, has since been split into two separate Gods. A Primary God is just one who proclaims to be in the Top 7 Gods of the world, nothing important really. There are tons of other, much less significant Gods though, hence the term 'Primary'.》

"I see... So, what would you be classified as?"

Jae felt like Reius smirked before answering the vague question, although he couldn't quite make out his face because of the distortion haze. He also had a thought.

Wait a second. Since he's a God, is he able to--...?

《Of course, if given the chance, I would slaughter those sons of bitches even if they all came at me simultaneously. However, my rank as a God? I wouldn't even be on the scale from how low down I am in importance.》

"......Huh?"

Jae uttered a sound of confusion, but Reius simply shrugged.

《What do you want from me? I was never even a God in the first place. I'm an extreme villain to these guys, and they keep me locked up in this place for eternity. As the "antagonist" of the Gods, why would I have a speck of authority in what they do as a collective?》

"What...?"

《Oh, it suddenly seems something important has come up, so unfortunately, I'll have to cut our meeting short. My apologies for the abrupt ending, but there's nothing I can do.》

"Hah? H-hey..."

《Well then, Jae. I'll see you next time.》

"N-no, wait. I have a request..."

《I'm sorry. I really look forward to our next talk. I'll continue the story then and grant any requests you may have. As my dearest apostle.》

"Please, wait! Before you go...!"

《It's been a pleasure. Goodbye.》

"Can you get Rena's memory back?!"

With a smile, the Sinful God Reius faded into black and Jae's dream quickly ended.

"―Wait!"

Jae jumped up with a shout, as he found himself back in the forest.

"........It ended..."

He quietly muttered to himself before hearing a voice beside him.

"Master...?"

It was Rena, speaking in a concerned tone.

"Master? Are you alright? Did you have a bad dream...?"

"..."

Jae stared at her for a moment, before dropping his head down and slamming his fist into the ground.

*bang!*

"Shit!"

Jae was furious at the meeting's sudden ending, and frustrated that he wasn't able to ask for Rena's memories in time. He could now only wait until the next time. The problem with that, though, is that it is impossible to know when the next meeting with the Sinful God will be.

If Rena doesn't get her memories back by the time we arrive at the castle, then it's highly possible they won't accept me as her father. I know I'm not in reality, but it'd make getting accepted into the castle so much easier...

"Haa, whatever...", Jae sighed, thinking there was nothing he could do about it right now.

Let's just continue as we were, then... I guess I can talk to her mother about it.

Standing up, Jae called out.

"Rena, Bailey! Gather up."

""Yes, Master!"", they replied energetically.

"We're going. Continue passive magic training while we walk."

"Yessir!"

"Um, Master..."

"What is it, Rena?"

"Are you going to continue giving Bailey physical and combat training?"

"? Of course."

What's this about? Oh, is she feeling bad?

"No matter what you say, I won't reduce the amount of training."

"Y-yeah! I can keep up with whatever Master throws at me!"

But Rena shook her head.

"No, it's not that... I-I would also like physical training."

Jae quickly nodded.

"I see. Well, if it's only that, then I don't see why not..."

I'd prefer to keep it to only magical training if possible because of her immense talent, but doing physical training is also a good idea. There's no point in being physically weak, even if you are a great magician, after all.

"But you have to make sure you keep up. The training will be merciless for the both of you, okay?"

"Yes! Thank you, Master!"

Jae smiled and gently stroked the two's heads before the three began walking in a southeasterly direction.

"Oh, and by the way. To exterminate any monsters we come across is you twos' duty, alright? I won't help intervene unless it's something I feel you can't handle by yourselves."

""Yes, Master!""

Like that, the two childrens' adventure began, as they followed closely behind their teacher.

About a month later.

Inside the office of a Seronian official, a female secretary read off of the thin, wooden clipboard she held.

"Report, sir. The 'Midas Reaper' has officially returned from C.Z. Outpost-17."

The face of the man the secretary reported to visibly darkened at the mention of "Midas' Reaper", and he quietly clicked his tongue before muttering.

"Tch. That thing's mission ended already...? Well, go on. What does his report state?"

"Ahem. It states, quote, "Nothing happened.", sir."

"...Cheeky fucker. Where is he?"

"At home, sir. He filed the report and immediately went home. Currently being observed by numerous, highly skilled spy agents, however, it is impossible to determine what he is doing inside, due to the nature of the building he resides in and the contract he is bound by."

"Hm... Has he shown any signs of rebellion?"

"No, sir. We believe such an event to be highly unlikely at worst, and absolutely impossible at best, due to the contract he is bound by, and thanks to the leverage we hold against him."

The official's brows furrowed as he thought.

"Leverage..... Speaking of which, how are his family? Is there any need for further alterations to his contract?"

"No, sir. We believe his relatives to be in perfect health, and not at all unhappy with the situation. Though, admittedly, an in-depth investigation or examination has not been carried out."

"Well, that's fine. It shouldn't be needed. Haa, I only pray to God that his chains stay intact..."

"We believe the situation to be all under control, sir. There are currently no signs of any unfortunate occurrences."

"Under control? Signs? Haha!"

The official mockingly chuckled and wetted his lips before refuting the secretary.

"There is one thing you should understand, Miss Secretary. When dealing with beasts like that, the very belief that they can be controlled at all, is deeply flawed. The reason I ask you if there are signs of rebellion is so I can understand the beliefs and conditions of the people around me. It's a sort of trust exercise."

"......I understand, sir."

"Mm, good. Well, it doesn't matter if you agree with me, because, either way, you'll see. That man will, one day, betray this country. It will be without fail. Beasts like him cannot be controlled by something like a mere magic contract."

"...Then, sir, if you don't mind me saying."

"Go on."

"Ahem... I highly doubt our country is so weak that we will not even be able to spot the signs of one man's rebellion when he is under such intense, constant observation."

"I see your point, but your way of thinking is fundamentally flawed."

"And how would that be, sir?"

"Because, with beasts like that, see... It's not that our country is weak, but that the beast is too strong."

"?? I don't understand, sir. There is no way that one man could be more powerful than a country. Our country, at that."

"Aye, in the eyes of common sense, you'd be correct. However, common sense doesn't apply to beasts. Or, I suppose the correct term for that man would be 'monster'."

"What exactly do you mean, sir? What is the difference between a beast and a monster?"

"Ah, you see... With enough work, a beast can be tamed. But it's different for strong monsters."

The official smirked.

"―Monsters can't be contained indefinitely."

One week after Reon Midas' return to Seronia's capital.

――He and his relatives all disappeared without a single trace.

"Master, how long until we're there again...?"

"Be quiet, Bailey. Master is concentrating. Anyway, I think the border of Asphal is only about a week away now?"

"Ughhh, a week? Are you serious?"

"Bailey, shut up when Rena tells you to."

"Uhhh..."

"Oh, Master! Are you done already?"

"Yeah, well, he's been getting a lot less rowdy lately, so it's slowly getting easier.", Jae said while placing the Death God's Scythe back into the Inventory.

A fair amount of time has passed since they left the ruins of Bahgwud Village, and now, they finally weren't that far from their destination; the Demon King's Castle, or in other words, Rena's home.

Since that time, Jae has put the two kids through a hellish training as they travelled; one that even a Spartan would find harsh. However, thanks to their diligence, hard work and talent, they have grown immensely in both the fields of physical and magical techniques.

Their power, when compared to only a couple of months ago, has more than skyrocketed.

If there was one thing for Jae to complain about, it was that Reius, the Sinful God, has not once appeared again since their first meeting which was cut short due to unforeseen circumstances. Because of this, many of Jae's questions have still gone unanswered, and the more time passes that Rena doesn't recall her short period of memories with him, the more worried he gets.

If she doesn't remember me as her father by the time we arrive at the castle, then I could be in big trouble... But, there's nothing I can do until we arrive. They might think I'm the bad guy or whatever, and then that'd make it real difficult for me to solve the traitor issue that's going on... I can only hope that he will show up in time. Even if he doesn't show up, hopefully I'll be able to resolve any issues with just a conversation with the Queen.

Jae was getting a little hasty, and quite anxious, that things would not turn out as he had initially hoped, but there was nothing he could do with his current power or knowledge.