Chapter 141 : Chapter 141

Chapter 141: The Seven Sins of the Kingdom

"Bihen! Can I take a look at it!?"

His urgency was such that even his tone was different from usual.

‘The Remnant Orb… That’s what it was called.’

I glanced down at the green fragment in my palm.

I thought Bolero might know something about it.

In this life, when we first met, he had said he found me collapsed while chasing the Blood Devil, that is, the Blood Mage.

‘It was a top-secret mission, he said.’

After that, events kept snowballing, leaving no time to properly discuss it.

Bolero only knew I was the one who defeated the Blood Devil but was unaware of the details.

"…."

Silently, I handed the fragment to Bolero.

He received it with both hands, as if handling a sacred relic.

"Phew…."

Bolero steadied his breath and narrowed his eyes.

He leaned forward while seated, almost pressing himself against the fragment.

Krnock and Deli, sitting on either side, craned their necks to get a closer look.

Their foreheads nearly touched.

"The light is being sucked into it."

"It feels like something is wriggling inside."

Their voices were tinged with excitement.

Bolero, instead of responding, held the fragment up to the light, then brought it to his ear.

"…."

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"This is definitely a Remnant Orb, brother."

"What’s a Remnant Orb?"

"Exactly as the name suggests. It’s an orb containing the will of the Seven Sins."

"The Seven Sins?"

"Hmm, before that. Where did this thing come from?"

I recounted what happened in Labotas.

Come to think of it, Bolero didn’t seem particularly curious about the Demonic Corruption in Labotas.

His expression seemed to say, You handled it, didn’t you? Well, he’d been preoccupied with establishing a branch of the Solari Order.

"…So that’s what happened."

"Now tell me. What are the Seven Sins?"

"Alright. If it’s you, brother, I can tell you now. It’s the grand mission of our Solari Order."

As usual, Bolero began with grandiose flair.

But this time, I straightened my posture and listened intently.

The Seven Sins.

The Solari Order named them as the seven roots of evil entrenched in the Kingdom.

Sloth, Vanity, Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Obsession.

The Solari Order was founded to bring judgment upon these Seven Sins, Bolero explained.

"The Seven Sins aren’t specific individuals. They’re not tangible entities but the roots of evil that manifest through the ages. They disrupt the order of the land, sow chaos, and ultimately drive countless lives to ruin."

Bolero stared at the half-broken Remnant Orb in his palm.

His eyes and hands trembled faintly, as if anger was welling up within him.

"…As long as this Remnant Orb isn’t destroyed."

The Remnant Orb, true to its name, was the core containing the vile will and soul of the Seven Sins.

"They pass down the Remnant Orb themselves. It moves from one human vessel to another, carrying their memories and will across eras, achieving immortality."

If I were Bolero, I’d find my reaction strange by now.

Here he was, explaining the profound origins of the Order and the Kingdom’s scourge, yet I wasn’t surprised or even opening my mouth, just listening quietly as if I already knew it all.

Naturally, I had no trouble understanding.

‘The Eight Demons.’

What Bolero was saying was essentially the continuation of the story Kuhn had told me.

‘The Eight Demons that crossed into the Kingdom were designated as the Seven Sins by the Solari Order’s founder.’

Thankfully, there were those in the Kingdom with awakened consciousness, and they were the Solari Order.

What a remarkable coincidence.

In the end, Bolero and I—rather, the Solari Order—shared the same goal.

My persuasion of Count Theodore, my decision to join this journey, all of it had meaning in hindsight.

‘The difference in numbers… Well, one discrepancy isn’t a big deal.’

I asked immediately.

"How many clues does the Solari Order have about the Seven Sins right now?"

That’s the critical question.

If we knew the whereabouts of the Seven Sins, this journey could end here.

Bolero closed his eyes and shook his head.

"How do you track beings that switch bodies to live forever?"

…Figures.

"The best way is to plant righteous will that opposes the Seven Sins in various places to draw them out. That’s why we’re so keen on establishing branches everywhere."

So, all that talk of Enforcing Justice and Crushing Evil had its reasons.

The Solari Order itself, gathering priests to spread this righteous will and influence, was a trap to lure the Eight Demons, or rather, the Seven Sins.

"Any success?"

"Of course."

Bolero’s resolute answer caught me off guard, as I hadn’t expected much from the question.

"We sealed ‘Greed.’"

My head tilted instinctively. I had no way of knowing which of the Eight Demons corresponded to

‘Greed.’

That aside, sealed?

"Because we couldn’t completely destroy it."

So that was possible.

"So, this sealed Greed is at the Solari Order’s headquarters?"

"The Saintess is holding it."

"So, the Saintess is guarding the sealed Greed at the headquarters?"

"No."

Bolero pointed to his chest.

"She sealed it within her body."

"…?"

"It happened before I joined, so I don’t know the exact details. The Saintess keeps silent about it, so there’s no way to ask further."

A Saintess who sealed an evil spirit within her body.

…This is dizzying.

"The Blood Mage you defeated was ‘Obsession.’ Compared to the others, it was particularly brazen, so tracking it wasn’t entirely impossible. It always left traces. Anyway, last time at the Litania Order, I got permission from Her Excellency Adeline to examine the shattered Remnant Orb myself."

The red Remnant Orb that appeared after defeating the Blood Devil had felt ominous from the start.

I crushed it immediately, and the fragments were passed to Adeline through Maserin.

"Obsession, huh? Why was it called that?"

"I don’t know the details. The interpretation of the Seven Sins’ doctrine and oracles is solely the Saintess’s authority. Among us martial priests, we treat it as a convenient alias, not assigning much significance to it."

In that case, I need to head to the Imperial Capital and meet the Saintess. Looks like we’ll have plenty to talk about.

"A Remnant Orb split cleanly in half… This is a first for me."

Bolero’s gaze returned to the green Remnant Orb in his hand after his lengthy explanation.

Knowing the full story, I couldn’t shake off an uneasy feeling.

"Let’s destroy it now. Leaving it like this will only make me feel worse."

"Don’t worry. The Remnant Orb doesn’t just jump into people’s bodies or spread evil on its own."

That’s a relief. I sighed.

"The problem is why this was in a Demonic Beast’s corpse. Damn it, I should’ve seen it myself!"

After saying it’s fine to leave it be, he looked ready to crush the orb himself.

"For now, we need to take this to the Saintess. Is that alright?"

I nodded readily.

I have zero desire to collect something like that.

Bolero kept tilting his head, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"What could it be? It’s not like it sealed itself."

"Well, maybe it did. When you live that long, doesn’t everything get tedious? They’d get tired too. Even they can’t resist the weight of time."

Of course, I said it thoughtlessly.

Right now, whether it’s the Eight Demons or the Seven Sins, I was just exhausted.

My head was pounding again. I clasped my hands behind my head and lay down.

"That makes…"

Bolero’s fiery eyes flicked toward me.

"…sense."

Sense? What sense, you idiot.

* * *

We moved south from Theodore’s territory.

Even if it meant taking a detour, we chose safer routes, avoiding mountains, rivers, Demonic Lands, bandit-infested areas, or territories known for poor security.

As promised to Count Theodore, we were practically carving out the Solari Order’s pilgrimage route, which would symbolize the Elzerus Alliance.

"An alliance led by the Duke of Conwell. And with Count Theodore joining, what’s there to hesitate about? I’ll take even the lowliest seat."

"A wise decision."

We passed through several small territories similar in scale to Labotas.

Wherever we went, convincing lords to join the Elzerus Alliance was easy.

Just mentioning the Duke of Conwell and Count Theodore made them line up eagerly.

"The Solari Order… With the people’s unrest lately, this is perfect timing."

"You’re a wise brother."

…My silver tongue, getting sharper by the day, helped too.

Though not as grand as the Litania or Labotas branches, some promised to establish small Solari Order branches.

Of course, not everything went smoothly.

Some lords refused to meet us, and others were so indecisive we left in frustration.

Amid these events, time flew by.

"It’s hot. Of all times, here…"

Bolero mumbled, slumping over his saddle, looking like he was being carried by the horse.

"Brother, the summer in the Kingdom’s south drains you just standing still."

I know.

I experienced it enough in my past life.

This journey from Conwell to the Imperial Capital was the opposite of my previous life, when I landed in the west and crossed the continent.

Perhaps because of that, I felt like I was nearing the end of my past life.

I looked up at the sky.

The gloomy clouds sagged as if soaked in water.

A familiar sight.

"The weather’s crap."

"You knew? It pours like the sky’s got a hole in it. And afterward, it’s the worst. Feels like you’re submerged in boiling water."

Bolero’s complaints about the Kingdom’s southern climate stopped only when we neared the gate.

‘Aldenfort.’

The Kingdom’s southwest’s largest trading port, a bustling territory full of goods and people, brimming with the vibrant energy typical of a port city.

But for me, it held less-than-pleasant memories.

"Conwell…?"

The gate guard checking our identification plaques tilted his head repeatedly.

He exchanged a glance with the soldier beside him, then asked us to wait and hurriedly disappeared.

"Damn it, it’s hot as hell."

Bolero was starting to show his true colors.

Even his refined priest act couldn’t hold up against the heat.

Clack, clack, clack, clack.

While watching Krnock and Deli fan themselves with their tongues out, I turned at the sound of approaching footsteps.

The disciplined march carried a sense of military precision.

They appeared.

I recognized them instantly by their distinctive uniforms and the crude curved blades at their waists.

Aldenfort’s territorial soldiers.

"Are you the guests from Conwell?"

A young man, likely the squad leader, asked.

His voice was urgent, his face flustered.

Bolero and I glanced at each other.

His expression said it all.

Something’s off.

"Yes."

I answered.

The man turned to his subordinates.

Their faces gradually brightened.

"We’ve been waiting. Come with us."

He turned back to me, speaking quickly and quietly, his face now openly beaming.

Unlike us.

"Where to?"

"Where else? The lord’s mansion. He’s been eagerly awaiting your arrival."

Then, leaning closer, he whispered as if sharing a secret.

"Didn’t you come to help our lord after receiving his letter?"

…What’s he talking about?

I couldn’t help it; the words slipped out.

"No?"

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