Chapter 172 – In the Memory

Myne kept staring at me for a while.

However, she seemed to not recognize me.

Albeit feeling troubled by that, I took the initiative to approach and greet her.

[Yo, Myne.]

[.....who are you?]

Of course....

It’s just like with Greed. In this world, this would be our first meeting.

Yosh, if this world is truly inside Myne’s mind, then the first thing I need to do is to get along with her. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to talk properly.

Still sitting while hugging her knees, Myne sat still on the floor.

[My name is Fate.]

[Earlier today, I met Kairos-san by chance on the battlefield. He then brought me here. What about you, why are you here?]

[I fought Kairos and lost. He took Sloth away from me.]

[So you’re here because he won’t return it to you?]

[That’s a problem.]

I sat next to her, watching the ongoing construction work.

[Where are you from?]

She’s probably curious about my appearance. Kairos said earlier that my black hair and black eyes are unusual. It’s a dead giveaway that I’m not a Gallian.

[I came from a place far, far away from here.]

[A rural area?]

It’d be difficult to explain if I said that I came from the real world.

Meanwhile Myne’s heart was still trapped in the past.

I suppose I had no choice but to try and blend into this world for now.

[Kind of? This place doesn’t seem like a place where people should live either though?]

[It wasn’t like this in the past. There used to be a large city spreading over the area. Kairos and the others have been building everything from the rubble.]

[Who is this enemy Kairos is fighting against?]

[The enemy is not a particular person. He was fighting against a country called the Gallian Empire. And I’m just a prisoner of war.]

So they’re fighting against a country?

On that scale it can no longer be called simple battle. It’s on the level of war already.

In any case, I’m more concerned about Myne’s status as a prisoner of war.

[You look quite free for a prisoner.]

[I lost against him and thus had nowhere to go. That man knows that as well.]

Nowhere to go... So apparently Myne was an assassin sent by the Gallia empire.

[You too, don’t seem like you have any idea why you are here.]

[Is it that dangerous to be here?]

[Yes, it is. Moreover, I can feel that you have similar power to us. Very similar to Kairos actually.]

[Is that why you are willing to talk with me?]

Myne nodded quietly. Apparently in this world, mortal sin skill holders could still sense one another when nearby.

I also felt that sensation. It’s like a magnet attracting each other.

Once you get close, it’s hard to set away.

[There is that. And, for some reason... I feel calm when I’m talking to you. Have we... have we met before?]

Her crimson eyes were scanning my face.

Does this mean she still retains part of her future memory despite being trapped in the past?

What should I do? How should I answer?

Before I could say anything else, Kairos already called to the both of us.

[You two, it’s meal time. Need to fill up that empty stomach.]

[I don’t want to fight anymore.]

[Don’t give me that. We need your strength. Fate’s too.]

Kairos got Myne back up to her feet.

And pushed her from behind while saying,

[You say all that, yet you eat more than anyone else here.]

[Guh.]

I knew that as well. She’s truly a big eater.

As I watched Myne walking ahead, Kairos spoke to me.

[She eats even more than me, someone with Gluttony skill.]

[Just wondering, but where do you get your food?]

[From the empire. We were able to procure some during the previous battle.]

[That... you mean.]

[Perhaps it’s because of the Gluttony skill. But I simply can’t have enough to fill my stomach. You don’t want to know how it’s like.]

[Kairos...what in the world are you?]

[Alright then, eat up. Otherwise you’ll get nothing.]

The meal wasn’t particularly delicious to be honest.

Kairos let out a hearty laugh, telling me that it doesn’t matter as long as it fills the stomach.

Myne who sat beside me also ate quietly. I see...at this point she probably had already lost her sense of taste, so it also didn’t matter for her.

Perhaps Kairos also thought that I was the same.

[Is it really delicious, Myne?]

[Worse. The food in the facility is better.]

[What?]

[You can tell the taste of the food?]

[Obviously. This taste isn’t something I can stay silent to.]

[Really!?]

[How loud.]

She got annoyed.

But as it turned out, Myne still had her sense of taste.

Then when did she lose it?

Her personality was still the same even now.

[If you like it, then you can have my share.]

[Ooh.]

With bright eyes, she started eating the rest of my meal. Of course, Myne had already finished hers.

Kairos laughed as he watched us.

[Now I feel like I should surrender my portion as well. She’s just that feisty despite being a prisoner, ain’t she? Are you fine with that, Fate? Won’t you get hungry later?]

[I’m used to it already.]

Hearing my reply, the man laughed once more.

[That’s something you should never get used to though.]

Both of us watched Myne going through her meal merrily.

[At this rate, she’ll ask for more servings. Ain’t that right, Fate?]

[I think so too.]

[She always do that.]

After eating her fill, Myne returned to her usual spot.

But Kairos wasn’t going to let her go without a teasing.

[Full already? Nn? What’s wrong?]

I looked at him, something piqued my interest.

[Kairos-san, why do you keep fighting?]

[I wonder why... At first it was to stay alive. And it’s still to stay alive. I’m not fighting for some sort of noble goal or anything.]

Kairos then looked around, towards the people working on the construction sites.

[Then somehow, I became part of this big family.]

[To live?]

[Yeah. To live like a human being. All of us here were formerly the empire’s toys. We chose to escape, got here, and fought to keep our freedom. You remember that machine angel from the previous battle?]

[If we didn’t escape, we might end up becoming that thing.]

According to him, human experiments were commonplace in the empire.

Humans living there had ranks assigned to each of them from the time of their birth. The lowest rank didn’t even have basic human rights.

They’re willing to do anything to understand how the system behind skills, the so-called blessing of god, actually worked.

It’s said that the research was meant to understand the mechanic on how a person could be born with a particularly strong skill.

Apparently, the people here were able to escape with the help from the researchers who disagreed with the experimental methods.

[The person who helped me escape back then was already dead. But his last words,『Live on』left a huge impression on me. Everytime Gluttony skill almost overwhelmed me, those words were what kept me from going over the brink.]

Kairos seemed to have a better control over the Gluttony skill than me.

However, his condition might be similar to mine.

[You too... Gluttony skill is just troublesome, isn’t it?]

[You should know about it the most, right? I never consider this skill as some sort of a blessing. It’s more like a curse. What about you, Fate?]

[I...I’d be lying if I say that I don’t consider it as such. But without it, I won’t be able to protect the people who are important to me. Even now, I still feel inadequate.]

[I can understand that feeling.]

As far as I knew, Gallia perished.

Kairos and his group might’ve won the war. But he’d lose his life for it.

I’m pretty sure that’s the case because it’s what Greed told me.

Suddenly, I felt myself being watched again. When I turned around, there was Myne, staring at me intently.

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