«Sloth is not merely the gluttonous consumption of sleep. To know what must be done yet fail to undertake it; to stand before a task one can fulfill yet refuse to challenge it. That state of being is called Sloth. It is a transgression that applies to all humanity. It is the reason I have yet to render my verdict. Truly irritating.
However—not knowing this is also foolishness. Those who do not understand Sloth head toward ruin at an accelerated pace. Without reflection, without pausing, they sprint toward a fatal collapse, reduced to the same state as a reckless, runaway machine. The 'incompetent hard worker' is exactly this. It is because one stops, looks back, and reflects that the next result is connected. And a laborer who knows not Sloth becomes a blight.
They take pride in their own overwork, flaunt it, and force it upon those around them—a vulgar creature of a hundred harms and no gains. If it comes to that, there is only one way to deal with them: kill them quickly and send them to the Underworld. If they are but a soul, they will have no choice but to rest. If they will not work, a machine suffices; if they are bound to run wild, a human suffices. In the first place, the root of both sin and virtue is the same. It depends solely on the capacity of the one who receives it... Hm?»
—Zzz... Zzz...
«—To use a King's words as a lullaby. Truly, you possess a soul worthy of a princess. Hmph, this little creature.»
—Fou... Hero King... ah, Cast Off... no Cast Off allowed...
«Hm? To picture My beauty even in your dreams? Hahahaha. Truly an adorable thing. Very well, I forgive you. —Now then, you understand what will happen if you meddle in this one's dream, do you not, Mage of Flowers?»
(Can I kill him?)
«Do as you please once Babylonia is concluded.»
"Gah—!!"
Sloth
"Greetings, temporary Master! The time of peace is over. Come, preparations for the Hall of Judgment are complete!!"
Bang! The door flew open as the black laugher sang out loudly.
"You are always, always so noisy... Is it impossible for you to be quiet?"
"Kuhaha! It is indeed impossible! If my body and soul are akin to a roaring fire, then the words I spin must be the same! They shall be spirit-words that burn everything to ash!"
"All riiiight, let's fall into Hell again today—!"
Rikka, having enthusiastically finished her warm-up exercises, shouted cheerfully.
"Mercedes, wait here. We're just going to pop out to Hell for a bit."
"Yes. Lady Rikka, Lady Jeanne, Lord Avenger. Please be careful!"
Rikka nodded deeply in return, equipping her sword and bow.
"Yeah! Let's go! You two!"
"No matter what Hell it may be, it is nothing to fear. That is right—as long as Master and I are here!"
"The final Master seeking hope in Hell! Come, devour tonight's banquet greedily as well! Kuhahahahaha!!"
Like a group going on a picnic, the Avengers of Hope dashed out of the prison cell...
"...Everyone is so radiant... Souls without cloud; flames that are fierce yet never mistake their direction. Avenger, was it? He spoke true..."
In the corridor leading from the cells to the Hall of Trials.
"Now then, as always, I shall present you with the metric."
Walking ahead, speaking with his back to them, never looking back—Avenger spoke.
"—Have you ever devoured Sloth?"
Thump. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Sloth? You mean being lazy?"
"Precisely. Have you ever known the myriad things you should accomplish, yet failed to face them, failed to make an effort, and drowned in the temptation of peace?"
"—..."
Avenger's questioning continued.
"Have you ever experienced behaving not as a cog comprising society, but simply as an individual seeking your own pleasure?"
—
Wake up in the morning, read reference books while eating rice.
Finish eating, soccer, English conversation.
Before noon, business reference books.
Bookkeeping calculations with lunch, then piano lessons right after.
Around 3 PM: Lacrosse, Tennis, Badminton.
In the evening, research on Japanese linguistics.
At night, review the day while taking a bath.
Dance lessons late into the night.
Sleep learning while sleeping to cover what couldn't be done today.
That was my day. That was my daily life.
Daily life, study, daily life, study, study, study, study—
It's okay, I can do it.
It's okay, I can handle it.
It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. It's okay—
Ah, but.
I'm sleepy, just a little.
I'm tired, just a little.
Just for one day. Just one day is fine.
Because just one day would be enough.
Today, just for today—
'I'm sorry, Papa, Mama...'
Just a little bit—
'I... can't do it anymore...—'
—
"...Are you okay? Master?"
"!"
She snapped her head up.
"Eh, ah, no... I'm okay! I'm okay! Just fine!"
"Idiot."
Smack. Jeanne flicked her forehead.
"Ow!"
"I'm asking because you don't look okay! Don't bottle everything up! It's important to vent like I do, you know?"
"Good grief," Jeanne muttered, rubbing Rikka's back.
"Listen. No matter how strong you are, you are human. You aren't a lunatic like us Heroic Spirits. It is perfectly fine to vent weakness as weakness."
"Jeanne..."
"If it's just complaints, I'll listen to them forever. ...Well, I am a witch, so I can't say anything witty... but I can be a comfort, you know? If you like, we can eat my sweets while..."
"...Thank you! Jeanne!"
Glomp. Rikka hugged her tight. Her body was cool to the touch, yet it felt so warm.
"From now on, I'll let it out, even just a little at a time! Really, I'm so glad you came, Jeanne!"
"Isn't that obvious? I told you. I am a Servant for you alone."
"That is right. No matter what machine, no matter what living creature, it is essential to expel stagnation and discard waste. If one cannot do that, it accumulates, swells, and births something too hideous to behold. —Accusation and confession are by no means evil. Remember that unleashing what is on your mind is healthy biological activity."
"Yeah! Thank you! Avenger!"
"—Hmph. You are the only eccentric who would thank an Avenger, Master."
"Did you start wanting a Master? Too bad for you! The partner position isn't yours! It's mine!!"
Snap. Alter pointed a thumb at herself with a smug face.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself, oh bubble-like dream! Kuhahahahaha! That is good! To know joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure is the proof of humanity! Not knowing them is to be less than human! Now, brace yourself! Waiting beyond this door is the ruler of the new judgment!"
Clack. He opened the door.
"Jeanne."
"I know."
They gripped each other's hands tightly once, then slowly let go.
"The Third Hall of Judgment! Yes! That man is the very embodiment of the sin!!"
Whoosh. He flared his cape.
"Behold! And know! The final form to which humans tumble down!!"
"—Oh Lord!!!"
A voice that was once noble shook the Hall of Judgment.
"Huh!? This voice!?"
"(A peaceful face that realized everything.)"
The holy monster, clutching a hideous book in his right hand, shrieked.
"Was it You who lowered me onto this stage! Then very well! I can respond to both tragedy and comedy!"
He gestured wildly at the empty air.
"However, please do not misunderstand. For all my performances are ordained to be blasphemous!"
His face twisted in rage.
"Oh radiant one, tremble before my blasphemy! Holy one, fall to the earth and be defiled by my ridicule!"
Gyorori. Eyes that had peeked into the abyss peered at them.
"Oh, oh, blessings be here! The throbbing of my chest reaches its peak here!"
He raised both hands high.
"I shall offer the greatest COOL before God! For instance, yes, the soul of a brave hero walking full of hope as an offering!"
"Huuuh—!? He's different from the Sloth I know—!?"
"He's always giving speeches. Does he like being a mid-boss or something...?"
The party expressed their various impressions.
"You should understand, Avenger who is Edmon. Why he is the embodiment of Sloth!"
"Of course. ...Master, that thing is undoubtedly a sloth. Let's poke its eyes out and kill it quickly."
"Eh, really? Is that so?"
"Yes. Knowing God yet refusing to pray; being a knight yet failing to protect nobility and courtesy. Simply scattering wealth, devoting himself to insane magecraft and the like, losing sight of even himself... That form is the result of 'Sloth'."
Jerk. She pointed at him in exasperation.
"—Honestly. That is the sort of mess you get into when you stake your everything on a single little girl, Gilles."
"Yes! Yes! Greedily devouring sleep in a bed is not the only form of Sloth! One's mission! One's mandate! Turning one's eyes away from them to indulge in self-gratification is also Sloth! It is undeniably a sin!!"
Jeanne spoke with pity; Avenger roared.
"Not doing what must be done, turning one's eyes away from it, is a sin..."
Slowly, Rikka let the black laugher's words settle in her chest.
"I am delighted by your praise!! And we meet again, Jeanne!!"
"Yes, we know each other's faces. —There is only one thing I wish to confirm with you."
Slowly, she drew her sword and unfurled her flag.
"『You intend to obstruct my Master, correct?』"
"Of course! Of course, Jeanne! Shining dark sun! Beast of the newest generation who knows not emotion or sin! That soul! That scarred fruit, I shall devour and savor!! That is the comedy! If 'thrusting a radiant beast before the Lord' is none other than the supreme performance!!"
"Right. Then."
She laughed simply, and—her beautiful face was dyed in Rage.
"Die!! I will not forgive anyone who harms my Master, be they god, monster, or devil! Know this, Gilles: the foolishness of laying a hand on the irreplaceable thing that the Jeanne you desired and you birthed has grasped—!!!"
"Oooooooh!!! Do you burn hot in Hell! Do you shine vividly, Jeannnne!!!"
A swarm of sea demons emerged from the hideous book.
"Master! Give me just one word!"
Without looking back, Jeanne asked.
"Say 'I believe in you'! As long as I have those words, I will lose to no one!!"
"—I believe in you, from the bottom of my heart!!"
Using one stroke of her Command Spells, the Master gifted words to her beloved Avenger.
"Thank you, my precious Master! —Even at the ends of Hell, my salvation is here—!!"
Trembling with conviction and joy, Jeanne Alter charged forward—!!
"She is full of life. Is the fact of 'being needed' carved into every corner of her Spirit Origin? —Now, if you wish to save her, you must swallow it. It is time for learning and rumination, Master."
He walked up slowly and stared at her.
"The peace humans seek, and its negative aspect. The foolish temptation that one falls into, tumbles down, and can never crawl up from: Sloth. —Looking at this, what do you think?"
"...—"
—Is Sloth a sin?
Is wanting to rest, wanting to be at ease, a sin?
Really? —No.
It's wrong. It has to be wrong.
Because I always think it.
"You can rest," "Take it easy."
I always feel that for the people precious to me.
It was a scene from the old Chaldea.
There were times when Olga Marie and Roman, constantly working, would calmly stuff their cheeks with sweets.
Is that a sin? —Impossible.
There was a time when Mash, having finished training, was dozing off, and I put a jacket on her so she wouldn't catch a cold.
Is that modest sleep a sin? —Impossible.
I remember Gil, who had finished the renovations and was busily moving around Chaldea, sighing on his throne.
Is that... a sin?
Is surrendering to Sloth a sin? Is not knowing Sloth a virtue? Should we praise a robot that continues to work without rest as sinless?
—No.
Absolutely not. Sloth is not a sin.
If you call Sloth a sin—
"—Sloth might be a sin, but that thing alone isn't called a sin."
Slowly, she deployed Artemis's bow and arrow.
"If it's just Sloth, then that is 'Repose'. What's bad is... 'resting without doing what needs to be done'. And, I think, 'thinking that Sloth is unnecessary'."
Yes. Sloth is... no. Repose is not a sin.
Sleeping because you are tired. Taking a breather because you fulfilled your work.
Spending gentle time with someone.
Cherishing the time that passes slowly, without worrying about anything.
That is never a sin. It is an irreplaceable virtue given to all living things, something indispensable.
Because I have seen it.
Olga Marie, doing her best as Director.
Roman, who carried everything and ran while being afraid.
Mash, who roused her courage and fought even when scared.
And—Gil, who should be greater than anyone, yet is a harder worker than anyone.
Are you saying everyone's rest is a sin?
Are you saying you won't forgive even a moment of peace for everyone?
If so—then that impeachment is my enemy!
"'Sloth' is what swallows the soul! What heals and nestles close to the soul is 'Repose'! Sloth is never a sin! Because without it, people cannot be people!"
—Right. Days without repose are Hell.
I understand that now.
Those days when I was small.
Those days without repose... were painful, and hateful.
I—wanted to rest...
"『Roar, My Rage (La Grondement Du Haine)』!!"
Jeanne burned everything except her Master and Avenger to ash!
"I will purge your transgressions! But be prepared, I don't know the meaning of restraint! After all, I was on the side being condemned—!!"
"Hahahahahahahahaha!! This! Is this the flame that burned my beloved Jeanne! My chest is filled with delight! This is the Rage I sought! Jeanne!!"
"Shut up! I'm grateful you gave birth to me! I don't want you to suffer, so just die quickly!!"
"No, no! To overcome this judgment, you alone are not enough! Like this—!!"
In an instant, Gilles de Rais expanded.
Binding the sea demons, overlapping, bloating, hideously packing flesh together, smashing through the ceiling, and squirming even more gigantically—that magnificent deformity.
"Don't pull a 'giant growth when cornered' trope! Don't do Super Sentai clichés in a place like this—!!!"
The holy monster that once appeared in France—reenacted once again in Hell!
『Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!! How is it, Jeanne! This form is my answer! This form is the embodiment of Sloth! Come, come, come! Know the limits of your solitary self, Jeanne! Hahahahahahahahaha!!』
"Kuh— Whether I can burn this all away... No, fight, me! Avenger is a Class that fights for the Master and never knows surrender! There must be a breakthrough!"
"Kuhahahahaha!! That is wrong! You have already called 'Checkmate'! Jeanne d'Arc! Come, ring the bells of delight!! —The guest of honor has arrived!!"
"Hah?"
"Thanks! Jeanne!"
Rikka hugged Jeanne from behind.
"Hya— M-Master?"
"When this is over, let's laze around slowly!"
"...—Yes, let's do that."
Through eye contact, they conveyed their wills to each other.
"Can I leave this to you?"
"Leave it to me! ...—Let's go, Artemis."
Slowly, she walked toward the gigantic monster.
『Beast who knows not emotion! Do you stand before me! Very well! Very well! That soul knowing no sin! With what will do you fight?! What shall you achieve with that moon bow and arrow?! This is the depths of Hell! The help of any god cannot reach—!』
"Because it doesn't reach, do you think prayer is useless?"
『――――』
—Prayer is a gesture of the heart.
A correct heart performs prayer.
And correct prayer creates faith—
"Even at the bottom of Hell, even at the ends of the earth where everyone loses sight."
Slowly, the Moon Goddess's bow and arrow...
"—The Moon is always there—"
She gripped and released—
Instant.
『!?』
The Moon Goddess's arrow pierced the ceiling at ferocious speed, flying to the far-off sky above.
High, high, higher than the clouds. Flying higher than anything.
『What are you—』
Before his eyes, Rikka closed hers, clasped her hands, and prayed.
"—A prayer to you, Artemis. Please—"
"Rikka!?"
Artemis shot up from her bed.
"I heard it! I heard it just now, Darling! I heard Rikka's voice!!"
"Seriously!?"
"Yeah! 'May you be happy'—Kyaaaaaaa♥♥!! I love you, Rikka—!! You're the only one who would think that for me♥! —In that case."
"Wha!?"
"In the name of the Moon Goddess 'Artemis', I shall answer your peerless faith. A fragment of my Divine Body's power, now to you, Fujimaru Rikka—Come, let's go, Darling!! One, two!"
"Wait!? I don't understand the situation at all!?"
"『Reach you, All of the Moon: Artemisium Artemit Ray』! May Rikka be just as happy as I am! ♥ Kyuu."
"Artemis—!?"
—The prayer reached.
The Moon Goddess's arrow, having reached the stratosphere, absorbed the Night Ruler 'Moonlight' that illuminates the world far and wide without limit, amplified it, and transformed into an arrow that released 'Moonlight' itself.
There was no need to ready the bow, no need to nock an arrow.
If the light of the moon 'reaches', then all of the planet is within range.
And the power is proportional to the moon's brilliance.
Though that power, far too great for a human body, had been attenuated to one hundred-millionth...
Even with that attenuated power, the Moonlight Bombardment easily reached the realm of an 'Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm'.
Released once on a moonlit night.
—The Goddess's Blessing, its pinnacle—!!
Far exceeding the critical point.
To the bottom of Hell, the Great Arrow of the Moonlit Night was fired—!!
『Hah——————』
That became his death cry.
Just an instant of a few seconds after it flew down.
A bundle of light and brilliance far, far more vast than the monster erased the hideous lump of meat, swallowed it, and rained down.
It did not permit a scream.
It did not allow a twitch.
Simply, a merciless irradiation that seemed to say, 'Please die for the sake of the prayer ♥', swallowed the monster and illuminated it until its existence sublimated—
"W-What is this—!?"
"Kuhahahahahahahahahahaha!! I shall not overlook it! I shall not lose sight of it! The Moon shines by receiving the brilliance of the Sun! Then the light of the Moon surely roars! Yes! Because the Sun is right here—!!"
"Thank you, Artemis—"
Slowly, she dissolved her prayer. The Moon Goddess's arrow returned to her raised left hand.
"Congratulations, Master! The Third Judgment has certainly been shattered! You have learned 'Repose'! This is a victory! Without a doubt!"
—'Sloth' is 'Repose'.
—One of the karmas turns into light.
"Yaaay. Let's go home."
Shuffle shuffle. Rikka held Jeanne's hand.
"Wait and Hope~"
"M-Master? Are you okay?"
"Mana empty... tired, sleepy... let's laze around, let's do that..."
"...Jeez. You're so extreme..."
"Jeanne, be my body pillow~"
"Yes, yes. Only for you, special service."
"—Surrender yourself to the peace of victory, Master. Let us meet again at the next trial. —Sweet dreams."
Whoosh. Flaring his cape, the Avenger vanished—
"Welcome hom—"
"Aaaah~..."
"L-Lady Rikka?"
"Sleepy. Let's sleep. Ah, the bed is hard."
"Ah, don't worry about it. Master has finally learned the meaning of 'resting'."
"Jeanne~ Body pillow~"
"Yes, yes. My body is cold, you know."
"It's soft so it's fiiiine."
"...Idiot."
"...Fufu, well then, I shall prepare the bedding...—"
"Explanation time! The Artemisium Artemit Ray is! A once-a-day Moon Shot that receives Rikka's prayer from the arrow and fires with my permission! The power is actually only enough to pierce a person, though—. But I love Rikka, so I'm giving huge service! The power is, frankly, Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm class! Not enough at aaaaall!! Mystery? Settings? What's that, I don't get it! As long as there's a moon, I can shoot anywhere! If you want to block it, why not try destroying the moon? Ahaha! Good luck! Rikka! Good luck! Ahahahaha!"
"Show some restraint, you moron! A God giving serious support makes her literally a Greek Hero!! Female Hercules won't be able to come back from this!! No seriously, this is bad, Rikka-chan's evolution knows no stopping!"
"Hey Darling, which do you like better, the Baseball Club or the Rugby Club?"
"Eh? ...Rugby?"
"Then I'll pass it on! Darling says... the Rugby Club."
"???"
"If you cheat on me, I'll tattle to Rikka☆ Rikka! Let's keep getting along, okay!"
"What are you saying..."
『I have decided to crush the Rugby Club and Baseball Club members who called me "Gender: Rikka" without exception.』
"EEEEK—!!??"
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