◈ Epis◈ Episode 369. Brushing (2)

Dune.

The Red-Eyed Clan didn’t falter in the face of the Great Evil. Eat, eat, eat, even as the Seven Deadly Sins’ Gluttony unleashed an endless barrage of status abnormalities, those red pupils never wavered.

Gluttony became curious.

‘A mere mortal?’

His natural enemies, the Akshans.

It was natural to think of them.

A demon hunter who didn’t break before him?

It was the highest praise of all.

However.

“Lord Shahin, what shall we do with them?”

Dune Clan’s demeanor was distinctly different from Akshan’s.

The man who sought Shahin’s opinion was looking at the people.

These people have already committed terrible atrocities, driven by the power of Gluttony.

Cannibalism.

A human being would be horrified at the mere sight of it.

But Shahin Dune was nonchalant.

It was as if he was used to it.

“If it was Him, He would surely save them, but we have no power to do so. Pray to Ashara, and pray for them to rest in peace with all your heart.”

When the Gluttony is killed, they may return to normal.

But the memories won’t go away.

If it were Him, He would be able to comfort those wounds as well.

But they didn’t have the confidence to do that.

“I will.”

Seogeog─

Dune’s curved sword danced fluidly.

It was a solemn dance move.

It was the reason for the bewilderment on Gluttony’s face.

“……What are these guys?”

They were the Seven Deadly Sins, a species that had watched over the Arcana Continent since the beginning of time. With such physical and mental strength, the Red-Eyed Clan would have made excellent vessels.

He himself would not have left them alone.

“But how is it that I do not know you?”

Shahin Dune did not hesitate to answer.

“Of course you don’t.”

“……what?”

“The only one who recognized us was Claudi.”

“……!”

Gluttony realized.

There was something between those Dune guys and Claudi.

Something he couldn’t penetrate.

If so.

‘I don’t like it.’

Doesn’t that mean he has no choice but to go all out?

“Shahin-nim.”

Shahin Dune nodded at the sound of his name being called.

Gluttony, which had been possessing the human’s body, had revealed its true form.

Swaaaaaaagh—!

The flesh was torn apart in all directions, and an enormous amount of flesh began to spill out of it, seemingly doubling in size every second. Gluttony’s face was similarly covered in flesh.

Mutter, mutter─

Its form changed grotesquely. Mouths appear where eyes should be. An uncountable number of mouths have begun to sprout from its fleshy body, living up to its name.

A sinister voice emanated from hundreds of mouths.

“Are you ready to interrupt my meal?”

The Demon Race grew. Since the beginning of time, it has fed on the negative emotions of the Arcana continent. Gluttony didn’t experience death like Greed did.

“Answer.”

The surroundings warped. In players’ terms, the field shifted. It’s as if it wanted to consume everything. Gluttony swallowed everything in its path.

Its gaze, its mouth, turns to the Dune Clan.

“No, your opinions are not important.”

This body is the Great Evil.

Excluding Claudi, the last of the Akshans, his natural enemy, he was confident that he could handle any being on the Arcana Continent. Just as he didn’t turn tail in front of dragons, elves, and transcendents.

But it had been overlooked by Gluttony.

“Hey, just one question. Demon.”

Where Shahin Dune came from.

Shahin Dune caught a glimpse of the Great Evil.

It was so huge it was out of sight.

As he said, it was important to capture him ‘at a glance’.

Unlike ‘back then’.

Shahin Dune’s voice continued.

“Who is stronger, you or the Demon King of the Demon World?”

Gluttony wondered what a mere mortal was talking about.

“What?”

Either way, it was offensive.

It had to be. To compare him to a mongrel who claimed to be a king was an insult, and to compare him to the Demon King of the Ten Thrones was a deceitful attempt to belittle him.

“Arrogant.”

That’s what Gluttony said.

But the human’s response was even worse.

Shaheen Dune laughed.

“Well, even with all those mouths to feed, it’s hard to admit that, so let me assess you. You are woefully weak compared to that one.”

“!”

Even if it wasn’t revealed.

Everyone has a history.

The Dune Clan was no different.

At this moment, even in the face of the terrifying Seven Deadly Sins’ Gluttony.

There was a good reason for his nonchalance.

Shahin Dune thought back to that day.

That time.

It appeared in the sky.

For the first time, Shahin Dune’s red eyes shook.

“……!”

Gluttony recognized Shahin Dune’s agitation. To think that the guy who was so confident in front of him could be overcome with negative emotions just by recalling the past…….

‘What memories did you recall?’

After a moment of questioning, Shahin Dune spoke up.

“It was just a single forearm holding a sword. It’s funny, isn’t it? The sky cracked open, and it was that one forearm that destroyed our home, the Seorn Continent.”

“Seorn……?”

Gluttony recognized the name.

The Dune Clan!

Yes, there was a reason he hadn’t recognized them.

They were not from the Arcana, but it still didn’t make sense. A single forearm was all it took to drive the entire Seorn Continent to destruction.

Such a thing was impossible even for the Seven Deadly Sins’ Wrath…….

While he was in denial, he suddenly realized.

The words ‘Demon King of the Demon World’ flashed by.

He opened his mouth in disbelief.

“The Demon Kings of the Ten Thrones……!”

“That’s what you guys call them.”

Shahin Dune recalled an old memory.

Technically, it wasn’t his memory.

The moment he fled from the destroyed Seorn Continent to the Arcana Continent.

It was the memory of his ancestors who had experienced it.

It was an unforgettable memory etched in his red eyes.

Yes, it had guided his steps to this place.

Shahin Dune opened his mouth.

“His name is Bael.”

“……!!!”

Gluttony’s mouth, which replaced the eyes, opened even wider.

It all made sense.

If it was Bael, the first of the Ten Thrones, his arm alone would be enough to bring about the destruction of a continent. That made him question their very existence.

Gluttony asked sincerely.

“How did you survive Bael?”

Not so long ago.

Shahin Dune would not have been able to answer the question.

Even he, who had inherited the deepest Dune blood, didn’t find it easy to read the memories etched in his red eyes.

Though he could see the sights of the day.

It was a blur, like looking through a foggy eye.

But then he realized.

Somehow.

Suddenly, the scene was clear.

The memory was sharpened.

Shahin Dune laughed.

“I wonder, too, why I didn’t recognize it.”

The moment of destruction.

Bael’s sword stopped, briefly but surely.

Bael’s sword was pointing into thin air.

The voices of the screaming demons echo through the memory.

-“Why waste such a great sacrifice, Bael! Do you realize how much the Demon World has sacrificed for this day? The Demon World cannot be satisfied with a mere Seorn continent. Fulfill your end of the bargain. Use that sword to open the gates to the Arcana continent!”

The demons did not witness.

But Dune’s red eyes saw it clearly.

The moment of destruction for the Seorn continent.

It was the silver-haired man who stopped Bael.

Yes, it was Claudi.

And for some reason, too.

Not long ago, at a banquet, he had met Claudi.

-“You don’t have to show me, I know everything.”

-“Bael, even how to hunt you.”

-“I did not ask for understanding from my inferiors.”

-“Consider it an honor. I will enlighten you myself.”

Claudi taunted Bael.

Thanks to his stalling, the Dune Clan survived to set foot on the Arcana continent.

“How did I not recognize you, Dune’s benefactor?”

It wasn’t just a question. He was almost resentful that he had accepted Claudi’s invitation, but hadn’t recognized him, or even thanked him properly.

Sreung—!

So now was the time to prove it.

That his loyalty to Claudi was more than that.

Not only because Claudi is a great family.

So Shahin Dune said no more.

“I’ve been muttering to myself all this time……!!!”

Pug─!

Refrain from unnecessary conversation with the demon.

That was his teaching.

.

.

.

It wasn’t just happening to the Seven Deadly Sins’ Gluttony.

Chak-chak!

Seven Deadly Sins’ Sloth opened his eyes to a cold sensation.

“……huh?”

He opened his eyes and saw himself tied to a chair with his limbs shackled.

Cold water was dumped on him.

Sloth recalled his memories.

It seemed like only a few minutes ago that he had closed his eyes for a nap…….

“Oh, Nephrite. You called for me.”

Nephrite, the demon of true name who he had hidden in the Goddess Church.

She called out to him for help.

She hadn’t gotten a response, so it seemed like she had already fallen to Hell.

Apparently, it had been a long time.

Sloth breathes out languidly.

“Hmph. I’m sorry.”

Even though he was tied up hand and foot, he didn’t feel any sense of danger.

Where are the days and nights?

He borrowed a human body and drank heavily.

Thrown in jail for not paying.

That was the last thing he remembered.

“……?”

But the scene that came into his brightening vision was disturbing.

It was too shiny to be a prison.

Everything in sight was gold and silver.

Clink─

Even the chains that bound his limbs were among the gold and silver treasures.

Sloth’s once drowsy face began to distort.

“……ha?”

The chains were made of silver.

Sloth immediately realized.

They know who I am.

A voice comes out of the darkness.

“You know, I have a great dislike for the lazy, assistant. I have a favorite saying that goes something like this. He who doesn’t work, doesn’t eat. They don’t say that for nothing.”

“I know. There are more than a few people who have lost their jobs due to the strict evaluation of the merchants. Thanks to this, I also have trouble sleeping every night. I’ve been worrying about whether flattery is the only thing I should do these days.”

“Hmmm. An unnecessary joke on an occasion when you’re supposed to be intimidating…….”

He cleared his throat, then continued.

“Anyway. Let’s see how many gold coins I’ve spent to track you down, Sloth of the Seven Deadly Sins, the cause of my greatest hatred in the world!”

Just think of it as a demon.

He’s even figured out that I’m Sloth of the Seven Deadly Sins?

Sloth felt a sense of crisis at that point.

Silver shackles or whatever.

He had to throw them off, even if it meant melting his limbs.

But did he anticipate even that?

“For your information, that silver restraint is made by dwarves. No matter how many gold coins there are, they are made by dwarves and cannot be easily obtained. Just know that if you break it, it won’t end well.”

“……!”

“Well, you probably don’t have the strength to do that”

No strength?

Sloth was angered.

I am a Great Evil.

There are no shackles that can restrain this being…….

Chwag─

The cold water poured in once more.

Chiiiiig─!

No, it wasn’t ordinary water.

“This……?”

He thought it was so hot that it made his senses feel cold, but he was mistaken.

It was an enormous amount of holy water that poured over Sloth’s head.

“With the disappearance of the Goddess Church’s holy land of Muon, we had to spend a huge amount of gold coins to procure the holy water, right, assistant? How much did our Diamond Top lose exactly?”

“Roughly ten times the price of the holy water. Transportation costs have skyrocketed fivefold.”

“Ten times and five times………. You damned demons.”

Seogeogseogeog─!

A sound in the darkness.

It was the sound of a pen nervously scratching parchment.

Sloth rolled his eyes, burning with impatience.

This was dangerous.

He gritted his teeth strategically.

“You’re being sneaky, human.”

“‘Sneaky’?”

“Don’t you hide behind the shadows to deceive me?”

“Ah.”

If he could look him in the eye, he might’ve been able to unleash his power on him and save himself. But against Sloth’s wishes, the answer still came from the darkness.

“Knowing your opponent is a merchant’s virtue. Being able to look objectively at my position and that of my adversary is the key to closing a deal, and it’s the same now. Unlike the Red Eyes, I’m not strong, and all I have is money, so I’m hunting you on my terms.”

“……!”

The voice belonged to Garmond Peel, master of the Diamond Top.

Garmond stood facing Sloth, clad in silver armor, jewelry, and, of course, holy water. It was a distinctly different method than Shahin Dune’s, but no less effective.

Garmond turned to his assistant.

“Well, that was a pretty good line, wasn’t it, assistant?”

“It has become meaningless because of the addition of sarcasm.”

“You have such high standards.”

Garmond spat back, but he wasn’t really in the mood.

Money was Garmond’s first priority.

He had nothing but hatred for the demon in front of him.

“Do you know, my Silk Road stretched across the continent, but thanks to you, demon, you have reduced the Arcana continent to rubble. Our Diamond Top has suffered tremendous damage, and as much as it makes me sick to my stomach……. Well, let’s just say it was some sort of natural disaster not covered by Imperial insurance, but…….”

Garmond’s eyes blazed.

“If it’s going to be smashed, shouldn’t the Underworld be equally smashed? Is it true, assistant, that the Underworld of the Oak Auction is untouched and unharmed?”

Diamond Top and Oak Auction.

The two tops that divided the yin and yang of the Arcana Continent.

But because of the demons, that balance had begun to waver.

Garmond wiped his forehead, which was damp with holy water.

“So this is what it feels like to have an unfair contract, assistant.”

Which is why Garmond was overjoyed when Claudi’s order came through, even if he didn’t want it to. Garmond happily poured out a large sum of gold coins. A meticulous plan was laid out and executed.

“Strange, isn’t it, how there’s an intact tavern on a ravaged continent, a place just in time for idleness, and a strangely generous owner.”

“……!”

“You wouldn’t be a demon if you cared about such things in the first place, so I guess it’s okay. The whole thing was a trap to lure you in from the start.”

Garmond weighed his options.

“I don’t like lazy people, and Claudi doesn’t like demons, so that shouldn’t be a problem, should it? So I can deal with this guy all the more cruelly, can’t I, assistant?”

For the first time, there is a murmur of agreement.

“The Lord’s words are absolutely right.”

At the same time, holy water poured down from the ceiling.

“This bugger’s going to die……!”

Chijijijijig!

*

Questions and answers danced.

Tempest bit the Great Evil’s throat.

I looked at the Great Evil.

No, I looked at my prey and said coldly.

“If you’ve forgotten, I’ll remind you.”

If it’s a picture that’s so big you can’t even see it.

I will inscribe the artist’s intent directly into its inferior mind.

I declared under the Evil Eyes that embroidered the night sky.

“I am your true terror.”