Bell swept his gaze over the mutated dwarf still devouring flesh. Such fools held little interest for him.
'Then it's their turn.'
Since he'd already taken action, he couldn't afford to leave any loose ends.
The moment he struck, it was decided—everyone here who knew the truth had to be dealt with.
The Grand Casino's henchmen, naturally, were no exception.
As for the girls who had been violated, they would need some form of compensation—something to ensure their silence forever.
Bell quickly figured out what these girls needed and began walking toward them.
Ryuu flinched at his sudden approach.
But Bell paid her no mind, his attention fixed instead on the girls standing with their backs to him.
"You are all pitiful victims, kidnapped and forced here through deceitful means."
"After today, you will be released, and no one will come looking for you again."
Release... and no one will come looking for us.
Those words alone made tears well up in the eyes of the girls who had long since given up on hope.
They were all unfortunate souls sold off to repay debts.
Among them were not just commoners—some had once been noble companions from small towns, or even nobles themselves.
But they had been sold.
From the moment those 'collars' were fastened around their necks, their freedom was no longer their own.
Time and again, they had prayed for someone to rescue them, only to be met with humiliation and abuse.
Hope had gradually turned to despair, until they'd completely abandoned the thought of escape.
Yet now, such an opportunity had arrived.
It felt too good to be true.
They feared this was merely a beautiful dream—one that would vanish upon waking, leaving them trapped once more in their nightmare.
"Remember this well. Everything that happened today was the work of Evilus."
"The Grand Casino allied with Evilus to gain greater profit, betraying Orario in the process. They exploited their 'extraterritorial' status to help Evilus collect supplies and intelligence, all while using Evilus to indulge their own desires within the city."
"But this time, it wasn't just Evilus involved. The Spirits acted as well. To prepare a backup plan, they fused their eggs with the Dwarf, creating 'Spirit Soldiers'—creatures with the strength of a Lv.5."
"Understood?"
The girls listened carefully. There wasn't much information to remember, and they committed every word to heart.
They only nodded obediently, still not daring to turn around.
"In exchange for your silence, I'll give you a chance to choose your lives anew."
A chance to choose their lives anew?
Confused, the girls looked around—just as a translucent membrane formed around them, cutting them off completely from the outside world.
Ryuu instinctively tried to move forward to help.
But before she could take a step, the membrane shattered into fragments, revealing that the girls inside were unharmed.
However, Ryuu immediately noticed something different about them.
With her keen perception, she could tell that subtle changes had occurred.
'Did their figures… shrink?'
The girls emerging from the barrier could feel it themselves. Trembling, they looked down at their hands—and at their bodies.
Bell had already turned his back to them.
"Remember what happened here today."
At that moment, the girls snapped out of their daze.
They realized this was no dream—everything was real.
They knew what lay behind them, yet they still turned to face him.
None of them spoke. Instead, they knelt silently in unison.
This was their gesture of gratitude—the only thing they truly possessed.
Thud!
Their foreheads struck the floor with a solid sound.
"Thank you."
The head pressed against the ground showed no trace of hesitation.
Perhaps it had been called an "exchange," but these were girls who had already stared into the abyss. They knew better than anyone that this was not an "exchange" at all—it was mercy.
The defilement of their bodies was their deepest wound.
Once sold into this pit of despair, what reason was there to remain pure? Yet now, someone had given them a "remedy for regret," restoring that lost purity to their bodies.
How could they not be grateful?
Bell said nothing. He neither acknowledged nor accepted their gratitude.
Just as he'd said before, this was nothing more than an "exchange."
He turned his attention instead to the mutated dwarf in the distance.
'Its aura's already been elevated to Lv.4, huh.'
The mutated dwarf was feasting ravenously on his own friends and underlings.
"Oh~ So not only did it replenish its flesh, it devoured their souls as well?"
"Didn't expect Gluttony to have that kind of effect."
It was worth taking note of, though Bell himself felt little interest in the discovery.
As the master of the "Seven Deadly Sins," he was inherently immune to the sway of desire—but he did have a strong sense of cleanliness.
Devouring others' souls to strengthen himself?
No thanks. He preferred to keep his soul untainted. He wouldn't resort to something so filthy for a fleeting burst of power.
"If Gluttony can devour both flesh and soul, then perhaps it can devour strength as well."
A spark of insight flickered through Bell's mind.
He had no desire to consume others' souls or flesh, but if he could absorb their strength instead, that function could prove extremely valuable.
"Seems the abilities tied to the Desire series might actually be worth developing."
The power of the Seven Deadly Sins might be far more formidable than he had imagined.
But if that was true... wouldn't the "Seven Deadly Sins" count as Authorities?
Yet the more he felt the diversity of their abilities, the more they resembled Authorities in nature.
Still, there were subtle differences between Authorities and the Seven Deadly Sins... In short, the distinction wasn't easy to define.
"The Spirit Soldiers' strength is roughly at Lv.5, but they lack self-awareness—they can only be manipulated like puppets."
"Looks like I'll need to push a bit further."
Bell invoked another sin—Greed.
"ROAR!!!"
The instant the black mist enveloped him, the mutated dwarf lost all traces of humanity. What remained was pure, unrestrained savagery—and the lingering influence of prior suggestion.
With both desires amplifying him, the dwarf's body swelled to more than twice its former size. His form grew increasingly grotesque, resembling a monstrous, human-sized fly.
Those fleshy wings became even more horrifying, and his aura surged from Lv.4 to Lv.5—perhaps even brushing the edge of Lv.6.
...
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