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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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The seven Deadly Sins formed the core of the Demon Realm.
The banquet celebrating the inauguration of a new Sin was held more grandly than ever before.
The venue was the ‘Crimson Citadel’ that the Demon King had briefly used.
This enormous citadel, too vast to fully explore in a single day, was being entirely utilized for the demons’ banquet.
“This is the Crimson Citadel.”
Artel opened the carriage door.
Although they could use ‘Translation,’ the demons’ unique form of teleportation, they insisted on using a carriage instead.
It was an extraordinarily large and luxurious carriage.
It was meant to display the dignity of the Sin’s position.
Of course, Christine did not particularly care for it.
Nonetheless, as soon as she stepped out, an immense amount of attention was focused on her.
“The Sin of Pride has arrived!”
The demons lined up at the citadel’s entrance shouted in unison.
Christine walked the crimson path formed by their rows.
Countless gazes poured in from every direction, but she walked straight ahead, unfazed.
Upon entering, the atmosphere was already lively.
Excluding Christine, it seemed almost everyone had gathered.
Well, she had purposefully arrived about thirty minutes late.
Not out of laziness, but for a few political reasons.
“May curses always be with you.”
The customary demonic greeting.
Christine nodded and walked deeper inside.
The interior of the citadel, the Demon King’s former residence, was more lavish than anywhere else in the Demon Realm.
Purple lighting lit the area, as that was what demons favored, along with skulls decorating every corner.
The other Sins had already congregated, conversing among themselves.
Normally, she would have passed them by, but now that place was where Christine belonged.
The Sins of Lust, Wrath, and others.
They were venerable figures who had held the positions of Sin since the era when Jekkiel was the Sin of Pride.
Even the Sin of Sloth was present, indicating the significance of this occasion.
In the midst of it all, her gaze happened to meet someone’s.
The Sin of Envy.
A lamia born from a snake.
The white snake of the Demon Realm.
It was Vivian.
She narrowed her eyes and flicked her serpentine tongue before turning her head away without greeting Christine.
Christine did not greet her either.
One always knows best when one is unwelcome.
“In the end~ Christine came alone.”
“Of course she came alone. Did you expect Jekkiel to come?”
“How fortunate for her to simply take over the vacant Sin position like that.”
The woman who luckily obtained the position of Sin of Pride.
That was Christine’s current standing.
Was she about to be ignored and passed over?
“Oh my, oh my! I’m in the presence of the Sin of Pride!”
Someone fussily clung to Christine’s side, making a commotion.
Small eyes and a portly figure.
Though dressed formally for the banquet, his attire looked ready to burst at the seams, unable to contain his gluttonous frame.
Christine knew who he was.
A dragon kin under Lezytha’s command.
“Penlag.”
Yes, Penlag.
He was in charge of accounting under Lezytha’s command, and had recently been coveting Christine’s wealth as well.
“Yes, Sin of Pride. I am Penlag. How do you find the banquet venue today?”
“I’ve only just arrived.”
“Ahahaha. Is that so? By the way, how are things going with your fiancé these days? I heard you even took off your ring recently…”
To simultaneously ask how things were going while mentioning she had removed her ring – this was an outright act of disrespect.
Christine was well aware of it.
“If you’re asking if it’s been resolved, then it has been resolved.”
“Ah~ Is that so? But from what I see… You didn’t wear a ring to today’s banquet either. I’m so worried the other oblivious fellows might start questioning the Sin’s position.”
He was really making a fuss.
Beating around the bush, over and over.
Did he know it was only more infuriating? He was probably doing it intentionally.
To put it bluntly, he was essentially saying, ‘Now that you’re no longer Jekiel’s fiancée, what connections or abilities do you have to claim the Sin’s position?’
It wasn’t entirely incorrect.
What great power could Christine possibly have, after even giving up her heart?
The previous Sin had fled to the human realm without leaving any materials for the succession.
Christine was not incompetent; she had been forced into incompetence.
“Haha~ But who am I? I am Penlag, loyal to the Sin of Pride. The Sin of Pride has brought the best piece to immediately suppress those ignorant fools.”
The queen still did not look at Penlag’s face.
If she did, she might become too enraged.
His greasy face was probably dripping with nothing but greed.
“And what might that be? There’s a young dragon kin currently making quite a name for himself these days. Alex, a talented and handsome fellow who recently earned recognition for his swordsmanship under Queen Lezytha’s command.”
By then, Christine had turned to look at Penlag’s face.
She began to anticipate what he would say next, and if she heard it to the end, she might not be able to contain her anger.
So she hoped he would stop talking.
“It’s certain he will rise to a high position. However…”
Penlag grinned maliciously.
“If the Sin of Pride wishes, I could arrange a favorable position for him. If successful, it would strengthen the bond between vampires and dragon kin. No one would dare question the Sin of Pride’s lofty throne.”
So it was that sort of suggestion after all.
Christine’s expression wavered.
‘You lived as Jekkiel’s protector once, so do it again. But this time, be the dragon kin’s protector.’
This wretch was suggesting that a vampire would be sufficient as a dragon kin’s protector.
Christine bit her lip.
She wanted to abandon this lowly position of Sin right away.
She wanted to abandon it, but…
‘I have to live.’
Not for her own sake, but for the sake of Christine’s followers, including the vampire race, who had to survive.
If Christine relinquished her throne, they would all be killed.
That’s why she couldn’t abandon it.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Please do me that favor, just once.”
“Why not? It’s a great offer. I hear the Sin of Pride’s physical condition isn’t too good these days. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to maintain your throne simply by getting along well with others?”
“I don’t need it.”
After flatly rejecting him, Christine turned to search for Lezytha, the Sin of Greed.
She had to converse with his superior instead… If the rude wretch saw her conversing with his superior, perhaps he would back off.
“Ah… Christine, I didn’t mean to go this far.”
She ignored him.
Completely ignored him.
She continued looking around for Lezytha.
“Wouldn’t it be much easier to remain a noble dragon kin’s wife, compared to serving as Jekkiel’s chambermaid?”
Crash!
Her hand moved faster than she thought.
She had only intended to spill her drink on his face, but her hand unconsciously threw the entire glass.
A sudden surge of heat rushed through her body.
It was an anger she could not possibly suppress.
“I have never served as Jekkiel’s chambermaid. Not even once.”
A great murmur arose from the surrounding crowd.
However, no one intervened.
They could not intervene.
Christine’s followers had been ordered not to get involved in any situation today.
“Sheesh.”
Without wiping away the glass shards and liquid clinging to his body, he continued speaking.
“In the end, you’ve chosen to be at odds with the dragon kin. There’s nothing we can do now. Even when we offer such a good proposal, you respond with this attitude…”
Christine covered half her face with one hand.
If she did not calm herself, she might kill the man right then and there.
‘Why am I suddenly reminded of that promise?’
Of all the countless promises they had made, why was she reminded of the sweetest one now? The one that had been most unfulfilled?
He would not attend the banquet today either.
He was probably imagining Christine being mocked and sneering with malicious laughter.
Meanwhile, Penlag continued speaking.
Vampires were being so disrespected in the Demon Realm.
“Queen Lezytha’s reputation will soon rise. The throne of Sin of Pride will also belong to Queen Lezytha. The great Queen Lezytha is different from others. Unlike someone who has only lived the life of a servant, Queen Lezytha has always handled everything directly.”
Finally, Christine reached out her hand.
She could no longer tolerate any further.
She could not possibly listen to any more.
The surrounding murmurs were too loud.
If she did not demonstrate her authority now, it would become very troubling.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave~ You can handle this yours… Ugh, urgghh?!”
Penlag’s body suddenly levitated and shot straight up toward the ceiling like an arrow.
Bang!
With a resounding crash, his greedy head was impaled into the ceiling.
It looked as if he had been hung up like a coat on a rack.
With his head lodged in the ceiling, he finally fell silent, his body hanging limply and swaying back and forth like a bell.
However, Christine’s face turned pale.
This was not her doing.
“I greet the Sin of Pride.”
No matter how courteous the words, the arrogant voice and chilling tone were unmistakable.
“Although I hold no position and am but a humble being,”
Christine slowly turned her head.
Toward the voice behind her.
“May I dare offer my congratulations on your ascension to the Sin’s throne?”
It was that man.
Now she realized he was the reason for the murmurs.
“As your fiancé.”
Jekkiel de Navalius.
For the first time, he had kept his promise.
The promise to be by Christine’s side in times of crisis.
‘If you ever face a crisis, I will be there by your side.’
In the man’s red eyes was her own reflection, eyes wide with disbelief.
On the man’s left ring finger was the engagement ring she had discarded.
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lets go what a chad
Epic