Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru - Volume 3 - Chapter Pr

Her personal rule was to spend sunny days out in the garden until she was summoned back inside. 

It wasn’t something she particularly enjoyed, however. The garden never changed throughout the seasons, nor did she exactly care for flowers. In fact, she hated them. Their eye-catching beauty and heavenly scents that attracted all manner of insects reminded her too much of herself. 

“…” 

She stomped them all under her feet—a brief catharsis. 

Once she’d had her fill, she looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. The wall, overgrown with moss, normally blocked out the sun. But at noon, the sun’s rays were relentless. Soaking in that light was the greatest respite she could ask for. She enjoyed it while she could; she had to. Once her belly got bigger, it would be impossible to even walk around in the garden. 

The house was too dark, too fetid—too many things crawled within the darkness. She’d always been afraid that one day, she would become one of them. 

“Good day. Nice weather we’re having.” 

A voice snapped her out of her enjoyment of her temporary peace. It was calm, neutral, and unlike any voice she knew. Suspicious, she turned around to find a thin boy she’d never seen before standing there. 

“…Who are you?” 

“I could be a friend, if you like.” 

He strode briskly through the garden with the most natural of movements, taking care not to step on a single flower. When he stood before her, she glared up at him and sighed lightly. 

“Am I going to bear your child this time?” 

She asked merely to confirm, expecting nothing but an affirmation. It was difficult to think of another role for any male within the mansion’s grounds. Shockingly, however, he didn’t nod. Instead, he grinned wryly. 

“Oh, no, honey. That’s not possible for me.” 

“…? What the heck?” 

Unable to understand what he was saying, she felt the suspicion in her gaze mounting. He smiled and shrugged, as if to try and placate her. 

“But enough of that. So did you want someone to chat with or not, Princess Grumpy?” 

His gaze flicked to the ground where she stood—to the dirt-covered flowers she’d trampled. She turned away, pouting, feeling like a criminal who had been caught in the act. 

“There’s no point. You’re male, aren’t you? They all go crazy after talking to me.” 

“I can promise I won’t, love.” 

His face swooped in close to hers, and her shoulders twitched. She’d never seen a male who had maintained his sanity after getting so near to her. 

“…!” 

She was sure he was going to attack her and instinctively stiffened—but nothing happened, no matter how long she waited. Strangely, the boy was still merely standing there. 

“See? Nothing.” 

“……” 

Her eyes widened from the shock. The boy took her right hand, wrapped his palm around it, and smiled brightly. 

“There, now we’re friends. Can I call you Lia?” 

“Mm…” 

She opened her eyes, got up, and looked sleepily around. Nearby was a teacup, its contents long gone cold. Alchemic catalysts littered the surface of the desk she’d fallen asleep on as the small chimeras in charge of housework busily shuffled about the messy workshop, which was in even more disarray than normal. This was her base, which she’d used to full effect for about three years since obtaining it at the beginning of her second year of school. From time to time, she brought in prey that she’d Charmed, but she’d never once invited in a guest. This had become Ophelia’s new world ever since she’d decided to distance herself from the academy’s surface. 

“…Ironic, dreaming of them at a time like this.” 

Her lips twisted in self-derision. She rose from her chair and instantly toppled over. 

“Pant… Pant…!” 

She’d let her guard down for only a second, yet that was enough for her reason to completely slip. Desperately suppressing the blaze rising from her abdomen like a fierce, starving beast, Ophelia felt her breathing become ragged. 

“…Not yet. Not yet… I still need to keep my wits about me…” 

Shakily, she stood and dragged her listless body forward. She downed an infusion that would temporarily stabilize her mind—and suddenly, she remembered the job she’d ordered her familiars to do. She moved to the neighboring room to check on the fruits of their labor. 

“Hmm…?” she uttered softly. 

Before her was a lattice of pulsating flesh that formed a living prison. A number of underclassmen lay limp inside. This sight caused her no surprise, but among the innocent-looking boys, she spotted a familiar bespectacled student. She sighed. 

“…That Mr. Horn—I warned him about going on adventures.” 

But there was nothing to be done about it now. Without any further emotion, she silently turned around. 

Kimberly hadn’t seen a state of alert like this in a full year. It was evening, and the campus had suddenly dissolved into madness. A group of prefects, the students charged with keeping the peace on school grounds, marched through the academy halls. 

“Prepare to descend. Ready, Carlos?” Alvin Godfrey, aka Purgatory and head prefect, asked from his position at the front. A blond youth, eyes flickering with unease, responded. 

“Of course, President. We’re the Kimberly Student Council. We’re always prepared to cross into the realm of death.” 

The youth cracked their knuckles loudly. Tightly packed vials of potion threatened to burst out of the pouch at their waist. The other prefects swallowed. There was enough potion to easily kill ten thousand people without fail. The apprehensive blond youth’s neighbor, a dark-skinned girl with sharp eyes, spoke up. 

“Our reputation will take a hit if we don’t act now. But most of all, we’re to blame for this incident. Don’t you agree, Godfrey?” 

Godfrey nodded curtly. Next to him, the stunningly androgynous Carlos Whitrow cut in. “Tim and Sedi are right. We’re ready and waiting. Let’s go.” 

They had all prepared for this day. Godfrey ground his teeth. “Unfortunately, we lost the initiative… Things happened much quicker than I expected. I’d hoped for another year, at the least.” 

“She must have sensed our plans and accelerated hers. She was always a pusher, that one,” Carlos said affectionately despite the dire situation. Godfrey fumed silently. Carlos then whispered into Godfrey’s ear as they walked. 

“If I fail…the rest is up to you, Al.” 

“……” 

After a long pause, Godfrey nodded slightly. Carlos smiled. Eventually, the group stopped their march in front of a giant mirror. 

“Shall we, then? On to our final adventure.” 

Carlos, somewhat gleefully, extended their hand toward the mirror without hesitation. The reflective surface rippled as it swallowed the youth. The others nodded to one another and followed close behind.