Chapter 162
Chapter 162 – Ancient Gate
Groundwater leaked down from the ceiling, accumulating for who knows how long, creating a wide stream on the floor .
Splashing sound could be heard with each of our steps .
At first, I was anxious that we’d encounter monsters within . But there was no sign of anyone else inside . Just the sounds of dripping and flowing water .
I recalled what Eris had told me earlier .
That people with Mortal Sin skills were born due to the accumulated hatred of the people .
Comparing that to my old behaviour and mindset . Suffice to say that I was surprised .
From time to time, there was always this feeling of darkness slowly creeping into my heart . It was the worst when I fought Rafal at the capital . Whenever I hid myself behind that skull mask, I felt like there’s another me moving to the surface .
Having the intention to kill that Lanchester dude in the throne room . Moreover, during that incident in the military district, letting that guard die in the same way he killed others . I strangely didn’t feel any guilt back then .
I knew that it’s a bad thing . But the restraint would still come off when I felt pressured . Sometimes my emotions would explode uncontrollably .
But thanks to Roxy, I was able to get past all that . Evidently, I never wore that skull mask anymore .
While I was deep in my own thought, Greed spoke to me through 《Mind Reading》 .
『At that time, you were under the Gluttony skill’s influence . You couldn’t even hear my voice back then . 』
[My bad…I was horrible…]
『It’s the path that every Mortal Sin skill holder will inevitably trudge on . All you can do, is to experience it yourself and overcome it . It will be all over if you fail, but I believe that Fate will be just fine . 』
[He~, you’re actually encouraging me today]
『You are the wielder of this me . I have the obligation to do that much . 』
I was in a good mood after Greed praised me . But of course he followed up with his usual barbs .
[Still, thank you . Then, is there anything else you need to tell me?]
『How could you tell?』
[How long do you think I’ve put up with you?]
『Hahaha, certainly . Thinking about it, we spent more time together than you with Roxy . 』
After that light hearted exchanges, Greed switched back to a serious tone .
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『There is one thing I found strange . 』
[… . . what is it?]
『Your impulse . It’s not solely coming from the Gluttony skill influence . 』
[What do you mean by that?]
『It’s just the intuition of this me . Why? Because you are different from my previous wielder . In your case… . . 』
The sound of Eris and Roxy’s gasps cut off Greed before he could finish .
Apparently I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings during our conversation .
When I looked in the direction of their gaze, there was a gate that was even larger than the outer gate of the Royal Capital .
[This gate…looks sturdy . ]
I thought to cut it open, but Greed warned me to not do so .
And I think, I’ve seen this kind of metal before .
[This is adamantite . The sturdiest metal known in the world, which is also used to reinforce the outer wall of the fortress city Babylon . ]
[It’s exactly as Roxy said . Even Mortal Sin weapons couldn’t destroy this easily . Unless Fate is a master swordsman, I don’t think you need to even bother trying . ]
Eris threw a grin at me as she glanced sideways .
[Okay, okay, I admit that I’m not on that level yet . What about you, Eris?]
[I’m a support type combatant . There is no way I can do that . ]
[What’s the point of that blade on the black bayonet then? It must be crying over its wielder incompetence by now . ]
[You do know that I can say the same words right back at you, right?]
[… . . right . ]
I couldn’t refute her .
I had been taught swordsmanship by Aaron, and also received Greed’s guidance in the spiritual world .
But my level of proficiency still couldn’t compare to either of them .
Not going to let me sulk over that, Roxy made a follow up .
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[Fai is the type to brute force through everything though]
[… . . thank you . ]
[Well, that is certainly true . I thought that it would be impossible for him to defeat the Tenryu . But Fai is the type to evolve during the heat of battle . I actually look forward to it . ]
[Stop! I don’t wanna fight that kind of battle again . ]
[But the result is the current you, who is standing here with us . ]
We’re about to head to a mysterious place here…telling something ominous like that . Oh dear…I have a bad feeling already .
Still, how do we open this gate?
Eris tried to push it open, but it didn’t budge .
[Fuu~, this is not good as well . ]
[It is too early to give up!]
[Because it’s me who tried it, of course it failed . Right, Roxy?]
[I guess so… If Eris-sama could not do anything about it, then it is obviously impossible for me…]
Roxy seemed troubled by this .
After telling her not to worry too much about it, I took another look at the gate .
[Did Snow really go through here?]
[Perhaps . She’s a Divine Beastkin, so she probably has some sort of special ability . ]
[Special, huh…]
My hand inadvertently pushed open the gate .
[Eh!?]
[No way… But how?]
[Fai!?]
Both Eris and Roxy were surprised .
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I was also stunned . But inwardly I knew… . that this had something to do with Dad .
[So I also have the qualification]
[Now that I recall, your dad was a Zodiac Knight, wasn’t he?]
[Yeah, Libra said so . And from my Dad’s action back in the desert, I guess he really was . ]
[I see… So you are a half blood]
Eris flattened at first, but quickly smiled back .
Libra had left behind a major trauma in her . As a result, I guess she carried similar hatred toward the other Zodiac knights .
But she seemed okay with me judging from her current expression .
[Thanks to Snow, I’ve come to terms with it somewhat . And see, I could stick to Fate like I always do . ]
[Oi . ]
[Now now . ]
Eris latched herself to me in a hug .
Now I had a feeling that she does this all the time to help overcome her trauma of the Zodiac knights .
[You’re hugging too tight]
[Nah nah, perhaps I do, but I feel good by doing this . ]
I tried to peel away Eris from me to no avail .
[Don’t use Area E power for something like this]
[It’s part of the preparation]
[There is no such thing as this!]
Eris kept hugging me tightly .
While I was at loss for what to do, I sensed a cold gaze coming from behind .
When I turned around, I was reminded . Wasn’t Roxy in here watching us all the time!?
[You two really get along, are you not?]
[No, no, no matter how you look at it, that’s not the case!]
[Then why is Eris-sama grinning so widely there?]
[Eris please say something!]
[This is trauma treatment, so don’t worry about it . I have no other intention . Rest assured . ]
But Roxy wouldn’t buy any of that .
She then started to recount what Eris had done so far .
Sleeping naked in the same bed, went into the men’s bath… Could that be considered as ‘trauma treatment’?
Un, it’s not convincing at all .
[Can I ask you one thing?]
[What is it?]
[How are you feeling right now?]
[The best!!]
The kindhearted and gentle Roxy .
Even now she still had a smile on her face…
Did my eyes deceive me?
I swore that I could see a creature resembling Tenryu dancing behind her .
A tremendous pressure that I had never felt before .
This is like…when I need to run away from Aaron!
When in a situation like this, there is only one thing I can do .
[Yosh, anyway, the gate is open now . Let’s move on . ]
[Ah, Fai, hold it right there!]
[Can’t hear you . ]
[You definitely can hear me! And why is Eris-sama still hugging Fai like that? Please let go!]
In any case, we proceeded onward .