"Just a merchant. Outside of Orario, those tiny nations can do little more than talk. Do they really dare speak out in opposition?"
"Extraterritoriality? That's merely a privilege granted by Orario."
"You want to use Orario's own privilege to restrain Orario? Pfft~ Only ignorant insects would make such a foolish choice."
Bell's few mocking remarks made the Operator's face darken visibly.
"The mercy granted by the gods isn't something you just use because you want to."
"It's something you're allowed to use only when the gods deem you worthy."
"When the gods find your actions distasteful, then even if you hold that right, they won't let you exercise it."
This so-called 'extraterritoriality' is merely a phrase to appease the weak.
The right may exist, but those granted it don't always get to wield it. That's the rule.
"Impossible... impossible..."
The Operator trembled violently, rejecting the idea outright.
He couldn't accept it—because doing so would mean admitting that he'd been nothing more than a clown all along.
"A clown."
The Operator snapped his head up, but Bell only smiled calmly.
"The world is a chessboard. The people of Genkai are the pieces—while the ones playing the game are the gods."
"The gods favor the potential for change in Genkai's humans. That's why they offer such generous tolerance."
"It's not just the exceptionally gifted adventurers who draw the gods' eyes. Those ignorant fools who think too highly of themselves—those clowns—also catch their attention. Because they don't know any better. Because their antics often provoke the gods' mockery. But their buffoonery can be amusing, and so the gods tolerate them."
"However..."
Bell's tone shifted. The light smile vanished, replaced with biting sarcasm.
"The gods never expected that the clown would actually do something beyond their expectations."
"A mere pawn, yet he thought he could become the player? That arrogance knows no limits."
"So this clown? He can take a break now. The gods don't care for clowns like him."
A clown... I was nothing more than a clown in the eyes of the gods...
The Operator's face twisted with resentment. He didn't want to believe it.
He was the Operator of the Grand Casino. He could have nearly anything he wanted.
But that wasn't enough for him. He didn't want to be just an operator—he wanted to be the king of Orario's underworld.
And now someone was telling him all of it was just a reward for being the gods' clown.
How could someone who had sat so high possibly endure that?
"Impossible... Impossible... IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!"
The Operator shrieked, his face contorted with rage.
"Still refusing to admit you're just a clown?"
"I'm not a clown! I am... I am the King of Orario!!!!"
"A clown is still a clown."
Bell's lips curled faintly as he watched the dwarf unravel into madness—just as he had predicted.
"Wealth, power, women—none of it was earned. It was all given to you."
"And one day, that which was given will be taken back."
"As a clown, you've never had anything of your own."
"I'm not a clown..."
The Operator howled in near-insanity. His face had twisted beyond recognition.
Unseen by the others, black mist began to gather around him, slowly wrapping around his body. It fed his desire, stripped away his reason.
"I'M NOT A CLOWN!!!!"
"RAAAAHHH!!!!"
The dwarf's voice turned into a beast's roar, irrational and frenzied.
What is going on?
Ryuu had no idea, but the Operator truly looked like he had lost his mind.
'Why is his aura changing like that?'
She didn't know, but instinctively stepped in front of Syr to protect her.
"Ryuu, get everyone out of here."
Syr watched the deranged dwarf calmly, but her worry was directed at Anna, who stood frozen in fear beside them, and the other girls who had been treated like trophies.
"Is it really okay?"
Ryuu glanced uneasily at the figure standing behind her.
Syr simply smiled and shook her head.
"He's not after us. Hurry—if you wait any longer, Miss Anna will get dragged into this."
"Mm."
After Ryuu left, Syr turned to face the person in the white robe standing behind her.
At that moment, Bell's gaze shifted toward Syr as well.
"Still as hollow and lacking selfhood as ever."
Yet there was no trace of anger on Syr's delicate face—only a serene smile.
"Freya-sama is my 'self'."
"Admiration, huh."
Seeing the unwavering conviction in the girl's eyes, Bell gave a slight shake of his head.
"That's the furthest distance from understanding."
He had said enough.
His gaze returned to the Operator, whose body was beginning to transform.
'The build-up of desire has successfully broken a person's psyche… even triggered extraordinary changes.'
'I didn't expect desire to have this kind of effect.'
Bell took a moment to examine his own state.
'My aura's stronger than before.'
'So even just regulating some of these desires leads to this kind of result.'
Originally, he'd only intended to test the effects of the "Seven Deadly Sins" in live combat—but judging by the current outcome, their power might far exceed his expectations.
'In that case, it looks like I'll have to collect the remaining three sins.'
Puff! Puff!
From the Operator's back, a pair of wings suddenly burst forth. They resembled insect wings, but were disturbingly fleshy—utterly grotesque.
"Ah! Aaaahhh!"
The gamblers around the table could no longer suppress their terror. Screams erupted in all directions.
The noise briefly drew Bell's gaze, but he quickly looked away.
"Even after mutating, a clown is still just a clown."
"I'm not a clown!!!"
The Operator roared again—but this time, his voice no longer sounded the same.
Multiple tones layered over each other. Beneath the distortion, traces of his original voice could still be heard, but the transformation was clearly intensifying.
"Very well, then. Show me."
"I'll show you! I'll make you see! I'm not a clown!!!"
...
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