Whoosh-.

As I pressed my forehead against Sijo's, his vision was shared with mine.

He soared through the sky, wings beating powerfully.

And through his activated vision, the world as seen by Sijo was illuminated before me.

Just as Samuel said.

I couldn't help but furrow my brow.

It was because an overwhelming number of flocks of Eater Birds were scattered throughout the Gluttony's territory.

Not only that, but the desolate sight of the ruined territory evoked a sense of pity in those who beheld it.

The birds originally raised by the Gluttony family had occupied every corner of the territory, making it their nest.

If even I felt this way, I couldn't imagine how Samuel felt.

For now, I recalled Sijo, having determined our route using the shared vision.

Good work.

Peep!

Flap-.

Sijo, perched on my arm, flapped his wings as if complaining about something.

At that sight, I furrowed my brow and fell into thought.

What was wrong with him this time?

It looked very similar to when Gu Poison urged me to give him black water droplets.

Don't tell me.

Do you want some too?

Beep beep!

[Hes become quite the pig, hasn't he?]

Samuel and I shook our heads at Sijo's plump appearance.

When we first met him, he was so small that he could fit in the palm of my hand.

Now, he was even bigger than two fists combined.

I'll have to put you on a diet later.

But I'll give you a reward for working hard this time, after such a long while.

Here, eat this.

Peep.

I took a small candy from my pocket and handed it to Sijo.

Sijo glanced at me as if dissatisfied with the small amount.

You really are full, huh.

Squeeze-.

What are we going to do about all this flab?

Peep.

I pulled at Sijos chubby belly.

Then, looking at Sijo's belly stretching out, I let out a deep sigh.

Birds weren't as heavy as they looked because they had to fly in the sky.

In fact, they were very light.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were mostly made up of feathers and bones.

But Sijo was a kind of battle-trained bird, so even if he gained weight, I thought he could still fly

This was serious.

You are to fast for the time being.

Peep.

Perhaps realizing that he had been caught, Sijo drooped his head, pretending to be pitiful.

Then, he shook his head from side to side, searching for someone.

Peep?

Unable to find the person he was looking for, Sijo tilted his head as if asking

Where did they go?.

He seemed to be looking for Luna, who had been secretly feeding him behind my back.

Luna would sneak him treats whenever I tried to manage his diet by reducing his food.

As a result, Sijo became close to Luna after me.

It was only yesterday that Samuel was jealous of that.

But.

You can't see her for a while.

Peep?

[Because this guy drove her away so mercilessly, you might not be able to see her for a long time.]

.

Samuel's supplementary explanation.

Even if Sijo didn't understand everything, I guess he realized that he couldn't see Luna because of me.

He started pecking at me with his beak in anger.

Peck, peck-!

Beep beep!

.

It hurt, but I just kept my mouth shut, knowing it was my fault.

Still, I didn't think Luna would drop out of Sytan as Samuel had said.

I'd be able to see Luna again at Sytan when the vacation was over.

If we did meet again, how should I treat Luna then?

Because of my selfishness, I pushed her away and hurt her.

It'll be impossible to face her like I used to.

Flick, flick-.

I shook my head, shaking off my gloomy thoughts.

In fact, it was uncertain if I would even be alive by then.

Anyway,

Let's get going.

[Indeed. Weve wasted too much time.]

I placed Sijo, who was reluctant to go back into my arms, on my shoulder.

Not that it mattered.

If we got lost, I'd have to take Sijo out of my arms anyway, so it was better to travel like this.

Sijo wrinkled his face, disgusted by the sticky blood on my body.

But he didn't try to get off me, as if he was enjoying the rare sight.

Let's keep moving.

Trudge, trudge-.

I moved my steps again, holding my breath with both Stealth and Silence magic activated at the same time.

We were moving to a location where Eater Birds were less likely to inhabit, but because of their sheer numbers, it was impossible to avoid encountering them completely.

However, as Samuel had said, thanks to the Eater Bird's blood smeared all over my body, they didn't react much.

Screech?

Screech.

Instead of their unfocused eyes, their massive beaks turned towards me.

They sniffed me, as if trying to catch my scent, then eventually moved away, probably deciding that I smelled similar to them.

Just as I was about to sweep my pounding heart,

[That was close.]

Wouldn't it be alright since we're covered in their blood?

[No, those guys are the kind that even cannibalize their own when they're starving. They must have let us go because they weren't hungry, but.]

Glance-.

Samuel's gaze shifted sideways.

From afar, an ear-splitting shriek echoed.

I saw a flock of Eater Birds rushing towards the source of the sound.

There, starving Eater Birds were tearing apart their own kind.

One Eater Bird lay on the ground, being devoured alive.

They were eating it alive.

With its skin being ripped apart and its beak pecking at the air, the Eater Bird thrashed its beak, as if trying to take its fellow Eater Birds with it.

It was a truly gruesome scene.

I quickly moved my feet at the repulsive sight.

I took the opportunity of the birds being distracted to move quickly.

I used Position Exchange before the Eater Birds finished their meal.

Among the countless arrows, I targeted the farthest point.

Designation-.

And my body instantly switched places with a pebble that had been lying on the ground far away.

Not stopping there, I used Position Exchange again to create more distance.

It was after I had used Position Exchange about ten times,

[Stop.]

Understood.

At Samuel's words, I stopped walking.

In front of us stood a giant mansion.

Actually, it was a stretch to even call it a mansion.

It would be more accurate to describe it as a place that had already been half-destroyed and turned into ruins.

I looked around what used to be the Gluttony's mansion and spoke.

Is this where you resided, Mr. Samuel?

[Once, yes.]

Samuel's tone was tinged with bitterness as he spoke.

I asked Samuel if this was the right place.

So we need to go inside?

[No, this is where I used to live, but it's not the temple. We need to go to the temple.]

The location of the temple.

I was able to learn about the temple's location from Samuel after entering Sytan.

The Bares family had no way of knowing where the temple was, and there was a reason for that.

I can't believe there was no temple inside the mansion.

Well, it made sense.

The temples that worshipped the Seven Deadly Sins were separate from the mansions.

They were located in the territory but had nothing to do with the mansion itself.

Then.

Where is the Temple of Gluttony?

[It's here.]

I don't see anything.

I frowned at Samuel's words.

There was nothing here but a ruined mansion.

[It's not inside the mansion. It's beneath our feet.]

An underground temple?

[That's right. That's how we survived the humans who invaded the territory.]

I see.

So that's why he said the temple remained intact even during the massacre.

But Samuel still looked bitter.

[But all the priests, except for the High Priest, participated in the war. And they were all killed. In fact, it's more accurate to say that the temple has fallen as well.]

.

Another heavy topic.

Ahem.

I cleared my throat to get Samuel's attention.

So, how do we get underground?

[There's no way for us to go down.]

?

No way to go down?

Then how were we supposed to get to the temple?

As I looked at him questioningly, Samuel replied.

[It'll probably open soon.]

Samuel's cryptic answer.

Was it some kind of Demon Realm automatic door?

I was curious, but I couldn't voice my questions out loud.

Seriously.

Crackle, crackle, boom-!

Because right beneath our feet, a giant maw lined with countless thorns like teeth gaped open.

The maw licked its slimy, thorn-covered tongue.

As I fell into the giant maw, I quickly racked my brain.

What should I do?

Position Exchange to.

Just as I was about to escape outside,

[No, there's no need to leave. This is the door opening.]

!

At Samuel's words, I had to retract the arrows I had deployed.

As he said, we were falling into the giant maw, but the thorns didn't tear us to shreds.

They remained open.

However,

How long will we keep falling?

I couldn't see the bottom.

Seconds had turned into minutes, and we still hadn't reached the ground.

We were even accelerating.

At this rate, we were sure to crash into the bottom and die.

[Even though I've been here before, I've never actually entered this way.]

What do you mean?

[Im saying that going to Sytan was my first time going out.]

In other words.

There was no way to stop?

[Well, I suppose I could stop us with magic.]

Then help me!

Thud-.

I pulled out the red dagger from my pocket and threw it at the wall.

Countless thorns protruded from the wall, making it impossible to use Position Exchange recklessly.

Hum-.

So Samuel cast a sort of mana shield around me.

Designation-.

I swapped places with the red dagger and at the same time drew out Fang of Darkness,

Crackle, crackle, boom-.

And desperately tried to slow us down.

However,

Ah.

[Ah.]

At some point.

Unable to withstand the acceleration, Fang of Darkness slipped from my grasp,

And we plummeted towards the bottom.

And just as I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impact,

Eek!

Thump-.

A woman's scream and a soft sensation against my head made me open my eyes wide.

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