"Right. SilverFlame Paladins ! Let's do a quick last-minute recap. Our mission will be to investigate the village known as HalForge by request of the Southern Duchy in the Empire.

I trust that everyone here has their imperial permit. I'll resume the demand of the client. : it seems that suspicious heretic individuals have been sighted in HalForge and activities such as trading with demons have been reported to us. Our goal is to quickly deal with the situation before more of these incidents show up. We also need to trace back the source of the connections with the demons.

I believe you all noticed something different than usual. Just to make sure, I will repeat myself again for those who still don't know of our current situation. From now on, we will have a new comrade.

This honorable Wyvern besides you is named Raya. She is the current Avata- Pardon me. She is the new Drake Sin of Wrath and has reached an agreement with her Holiness."

Paladin, don't force yourself to use a formal tone when I'm around. We will see each other very often. As future collegues, it is best to get familiar with eveyone as we will see each other very often.

The Paladin's tense shoulders lowered in a very comical way. A few snickers were heard but the troupe of elite Paladins quicky calmed down.

"Alright then... Wyvern Raya will be our new 'Inquisitor'. As the teachings tell us since our first day at school, she will be the one who will purge heresy in the divine's name. We'll get to interrogate, she'll get to burn whatever's bad to a crisp. Does that sound good to you ?"

Claps and nods answered the soldier's question and he nodded back.

"Now, let's review our equipment. First, holy and food supplies. Two carriages, each one carrying a keg of Holy Water. Six days-worth of supplies evenly distributed in the same carriages. Four blandes and bows infused with holy enchantments and an equal number of sacred shields.

Now for basic equipments. Five spare shields and halberts. Three scrolls of mass-invisibility and an ten flashbang stones. A catching net and three sets of CommuStones. All set, right ?"

"Commandant... what about Wyvern Raya's food...? I don't think those measly hams will keep her sasiated..."

Do not worry. I have my means. I mean, there is a certain distance at which my flames perfectly cook flesh. I'll just have to find out during the trip.

Besides, Wrath only truly feels hunger for sins. Anymore than that would be tapping into my sibling of Gluttony.

"Then we should depart. With enough time, we might reach HalForg before night falls."

"Right !"

...

"Sooo... you went to see Raya yesterday night ? You didn't do anything to her, right ?"

Huh ?

Pope Kari let her fork drop in her plate at Millia's statement. The elf was smiling but... that didn't really look like a sincere smile. Her own fork was bent and Kari swore she could almost see a vein popping off Millia's forehead.

"Was your little talk good ? Were you happy when you made her cry ?"

"H- hold on... You were spying on us ?! What the fuck Millia ?!"

"Nuh-uh. I was just making sure you didn't force her to do something she didn't like. You were quite... interested in girls long ago after all. She's still a child, a child with a burden with a weight we can't even imagine. She doesn't need the long-forgotten 'Kari the skirtflipper' to weird her out."

"That was decades ago ! I stopped doing that ! And besides I only asked her if she wanted to talk about it ! I had absolutely no idea this would happen !"

"I know, I was just teasing you~ But more seriously, let's just stay as friends with her. How does that sound ?"

"I... yeah. That's enough for me."

---

"-nd this is the first layer of the Triya incantation. We'll discover the five other layers during the rest of our first year together but I expect you to master this one after the end of the week.

We'll be having a dungeon exploration friday and I even if you'll be supported by the staff, it's best to know spells that allow you to save up mana. Now, any questions ? No ? Then I wish you good luck with the headmaster. Physical training is going to be so fun for you guys."

The students watched as their professor, Madam Skal went out of the amphitheater and the class buzzed to life. Most youngsters were still in denial. There was no way they were trained by the four heroes of the last demon war. The pamphlets and the admission letters clearly said so but reading a name on a piece of scroll and seeing with your own eyes a legendary figure was totally different.

This matter allowed most students to socialize quite easily, whether you were a noble or a commoner, becoming a hero was a dream many shared.

Despite that... lone group of four stood in one of the amphitheater's corners. No-one was really willing to speak to Liz'a de Wandermer and her clique. Not really because of their status, but because rumors of yesterday's incident had spread fast.

These guys had broken the only rules Staillon Academy has : do not get close to the Paladins' training grounds. Even worse, they used the Holy Sword, the artifact that appears every fifty years to force their way in...

Even the newly appointed Inquisitor of the country, whose name and appearance needed to be secret, had to intervene. Worse, the Pope personally came to scold them ! It seemed like even statues like theirs didn't save them from a sentence.

"- sure ain't gonna follow a hero who acts recklessly. What the hell is going in their mind to go in a place S-rank soldiers train ?!"

"I don't know. But you're right. What kind of hero uses their Holy Sword for selfish things like this. Did they not pay attention ? The goal of Master Ragnar's test was survival, not killing monsters endlessly."

"Heh I'd never have though I'd see an elf speaking about a goblin so respectfully."

"Oh please, the cliché is like two centuries-old. And you're an elf yourself. Why does everyone always think goblins are bad. They're just as civilized as the rest of us. And look at Master Ragnar, he looks basically like an adult man !"

"Ah, I was just joking. Sorry about that. Name's Aro." the now-named, ginger-haired elf outsteched his hand with a bright smile.

"Claire de Lune. Nice too meet you... Gosh I love that I can drop formalities here."

"A noble's life sounds stressful. Your name, is it because of your hair ?"

"Yep. Lune means moon. My dad picked it from an ancestor from a faraway land. Everyone in the family learns his language. I can teach you if you want to."

"Sure."

"..."

"Lune. Isn't that a french term... MaviK, you were fluent in some languages, tell us."

"Yeah. It's absolutely french. Unless that's a bigass coincidence, the ancestor she's talking about was..."

"Like us, uh ? Ramiel, go talk to her. Maybe she'll have an easier time with a guy. Hey, Ramiel. Ramiel !"

"Yeah yeah... I'm going."

The heirs of the Union and of the Empire looked at Ramiel, with back hunched over and and... neglected beard pili. He looked like shit, there was no other way to describle him. And how the hell did her grow some beard in a day ?!

But seriously, the loss of the sacred blade didn't sit well with the guy. He had been muttering all night and didn't get a second of rest from what Margos picked up.

Liz'a was the one who worried the most. She didn't know why but she did worry about him. In just a few instants, Ramiel had become a shell of his easy, outgoing self and she hated it.

"... Hey."

The noble elf girl across the room turned around and frowned, along with the boy she had been speaking with.

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"Can we... help you ? Ramiel was it ?"

"Your family, the ancestor you're talking about. Do you know stuff about him ?"

Claire forwned harder and some other students stopped their conversations to hear the creepy, gloomy-looking hero candidate.

"My guy, I think you should go back with your friends out there. You're weirding miss Claire with your questions." Aro said as he stepped between the two.

Tsk

" 'f we can't even ask a goddamn thing in this backwater world... can't I return to Earth ?" Ramiel muttered angrily. Claire's right ear twitched slighly and she glanced at the creep before thanking profusely Aro.

"No prob miss Claire. But I'm really worried about the hero of this generation. What the heck is that behavior ?!"

"I don't know, again. But I'm pretty sure he's going to cause trouble for everyone. By the way, don't call me miss. Claire's clearly enough."

"Alright ! If that's what the miss wants~"

----------------------------------------

They shifted around erratically, carelessly, heavily. Flames of furor that struck everything they collided with.

They flet that they were almost free, yet unable to achieve... complete combustion like they had been able to, thousands of years ago. There was still one thing blocking access to the mind. A huge block made of... memories of love. Memories of love for a human. That human seemed very important to the Sin...

Their other self had yet to understood. They had to let go of that past... completely.

Was it deliberate negligence ? Or was she completely unaware ? She fed the flames a lot of memories after all. Even memories from that so-called video-game that depicted Marka...

She surely forgot about these "protagonists". Yes, only duty remained when The Wrath was not appeased by the divine aura.

But maybe the Sin would realise that the person of these memories... had been right next to her. At claw's reach...

But maybe the Sin would realise that the person of these memories... had broken the promise that enterwined souls and hearts... Love...

But maybe the Sin would realise that the person of these memories... had already stepped into a sinful abyss...

----------------------------------------

"Yess ! I am certain of that sir Paladin. Our carriage has been attacked by humans. They were weak but numerouss. It sseemss that they were under some kind of mind-controlling magic. Luckily, we are a troupe of retired War Lamia of the ccentral region of the Wild Plateaux. We eassily fended off the attackers until that young man you ssaw running away tried to attack us too.

He didn't sseem to be the master of the people but he was sstronger. He managed to bypassss our magic shieldss and injure some of the guards. Then he saw you arriving and fled."

"Thank you for the clarifications Lamia. Everything seems to be in order from your side. I apologize for having to conduct a search in the vehicle but several times, this kind of scenario has been used to lower the guard of militia and Paladins in our states."

"No no no, it'ss only normal for you to sssearch for ssusspicious thingss in your territories." declined the travelling merchant and his group.

"Now that you mention it, I believe thiss was a common technique used by the outworlders to enter ccities illegally during the Wrath's timess..."

"Oh ? So even a merchant knows about this."

The Lamias all nodded. The leader began to search for something in his tail pocket and handed over a black glass slate.

"Thiss was called a ccellphone by an outworlder who attacked uss many moons ago. Maybe you will find more use of it than uss."

"Please, give it to the Lord Inquisitor. They may be interested in this... thing."

The Lamia went closer to the intimidating figure draped in a slivery cloak, which didn't really cover much due to the person's immense proportions. From afar, he mistook this female Wyvern as a member of his own kin because of the size of her tail. But then the imposing wings attached to her arms and the scorching aura she emitted blew that thought away very quickly.

The red pigmentation of the scale-plates and her hair told the merchants this woman was a... Fire Wyvern. A reclusive and mysterious race. They were pacifists but this one seemed to hold all of this world's anger inside her. Weird.

After being handed the strange artifact, the Lord Inquisitor began to look at it from all sides. She was holding it was gently as her pseudo-arms allowed her to. Then she frowned and gestured for a magus to come.

"Do you recognize these runes ? It looks like a lightning bolt but it doesn't have any traces of magic in it."

"I have no idea, Lord Inquisitor. Maybe the research department will be able to decipher the signs."

"... Very well. I am giving this to you for the time being. Keep it safe."

The magus nodded and put the thing in a secured spatial bag. After that, the two groups began their journey again, in opposite directions. One was going to BlancheVille, the other was going to HalForge.

The Paladins let out a sigh and let themselves go back to their casual selves, all under Raya's watchful eye. After a while, Raya stopped and so did the rest of the SilverFlame squad. Small whisps of fire began to make their way in the Wyvern's mouth as she started to growl.

"We are being watched. The enemy far away in the sky, safe it seems. Isn't that right, demon ?" Raya stated as she looked up.

A blood red blob in the form of an eye was floating around, gazing at the holy troupe. It disappeared the moment Raya's eyes landed on it and she scoffed.

"Could someone cast some scouting spirits ? The caster of the incantation could be close."

A group of four magi stepped forward and began to chant in unison as the rest of the Paladins surrounded them, creating a wall of silver and holy magic.

Four eagles made from mana shot up in the sky and spread out.

Raya and the others waited for a few minutes to let the magi see the surroundings. They got up and shook their heads.

"Nothing in the south. I only saw the Lamia merchants we encountered before."

"Same for east and west. Already rotting goblin corpses, not looted. No debris of fire, no traces. Wildlife's still around so no demon could have passed there."

"North was clear. I went far but saw nothing. Peddlers waiting in line far away at HalForge's gates. A demon would have tried to kill them even considering the city's defenses."

Raya closed her eyes and began to ponder aloud.

"Teleportation ? Or a stealth ability ? What race could master this technique ? What if it's a high-tiered demon ? These ones have more reason and could blend in with the peddlers..."

"Wyvern Raya." a Paladin stepped forward, cutting short Raya's musings. She turned around and tilted her head. The gesture would have been cute, really really cute, if not for the murderous eyes of the Inquisitor and the tree trunk that snapped in half when she slammed her tail in it from frustration.

"What is it ?"

The tone was way gentler than what the Paladins had expected, but still razor sharp.

"Night will fall soon. I don't really know for you guys but I don't really want to spend the night in a forest when I know a city is ahead forty minutes away from there."

"Yes. Sorry. It slipped out of my mind. Let's go then."

...

"Fuck fuck fuck ! How did I get spotted ?! I'm level one-hundred, I shouldn't be noticeable. And that goddamn status screen that won't come out... What about you Ruia ? Still unable to get the status window ?"

"No master. Even after leveling up, the interface can't be accessed. It's weird. Our skills and inventories can be used, but not the user interface."

"One month here and it's getting more and more annoying... Seriously... Tsk." a tall and muscular oni muttered while an elf in a maid outfit nodded along.

These two were Murgoth and Ruia, former player and NPC from Tainted Spirit, Shattered Blade. An open-world RPG where the player was put into the shoes of a demon, tasked to slay the master he had sworn to protect because of a curse that was cast on his family.

A month ago, Murgoth was still a random player of the game. A month ago, Ruia was still a normal NPC bound by 0's and 1's.

But then, they killed the protagonist's character and a few minutes later, got engulfed in a white blinding light. When they awoke, they were in an unfamiliar fantasy world, similar to the one of Tainted Spirit, Shattered Blade. The fantasy part was the only real similarity to the game world. There was no user interface, no minimap, no quest board...

After getting familiar with the surroudings, Ruia and Murgoth began to try helping the locals. Their levels had turned out to be very beneficial for combat related things.

And so they tried to go to a town, but didn't really think about Murgoth's race. His arrival had frightened half of the town into an emergency evacuation. But after many efforts, Murgoth proved himself to be relatively trustworthy. Ruia greatly helped by making up a story about a demon getting a divine revelation, who tried to repent by forging weapons that would be used to kill his own kind.

The smiths and warriors of the town were very interested in the equipents he made along with his demon minions and so, his reputation improved.

There were still some distrustful gazes but they were bearable. Murgoth could now freely roam this town and sell his stuff under the condition of not trying to enter the town on specific days. These days were the rare ones when comissions of the Papal States came to visit.

A few minutes ago, Ruia felt a presence coming closer and Murgoth had decided to send a Hell Eye to get a visual of the ones who were travelling to the town.

The armors and insignas were clear, these guys were holy knights of some sort. And they were accompagnied by what seemed to be a dragon woman. More importantly, they didn't seem to be weak. Mutgoth didn't know what holy knights of this world did so he tested them. He sent a dozen mid-grade homonculi to attack a carriage and looked what their reaction would be. Surprisingly, the snake men were strong and dispatched of his creatures with ease.

So he sent something stronger, a clone he controlled to attack a few times. He didn't expect to harm one of the travelers and fled the moment he sensed the reptile woman's gaze on the clone.

And now... here he was. That woman even managed to guess his race without seeing him. He had to do something otherwise his business and connections to the townsfolks would be exposed to the unwanted visitors. His shop was still open at this hour and many adventurers were wielding his blades in the open... But what could he do himself ? Even from far away, he had been spotted through a summon. Getting in town was absolutely out of the question.

"Ruia, could you go in town as soon as possible ? Warn the governor and stay there."

"Yes master !"

---

At the end of the seventh day, They wept.

They wept for Their creation, tainted by otherworldy plagues.

At the end of the seventh day, They wept.

They wept for Their children, who reported the rise of what they called... 'sins'.

At the end of the seventh day, They wept.

They wept for Their children who only saw one solution to end all sins.

At the end of the seventh day, They wept.

They wept for Their children, who agreed to become the opposites of what they incarnated.

On the eighth day, They decreed.

They decreed, turning Their children, the Seven Virtues, into the Seven Deadly Sins.

On the eighth day, They decreed.

They decreed, casting Their children into this sinful world.

At the end of the eighth day, They murmured.

"In the mortal world lies a flame

It burns ever so intensely

Till entire nations are incinerated

For the sole purpose of embracing a splendid atonement

At the end of all creation."