Chapter 0: Prologue

A battlefield drenched in blood.

The gesture of tearing flesh apart.

The slaughter that cuts a life short.

It was my everyday life, the work I had done, and the one thing I was best at.

I had long since forgotten the number of enemies I had killed with these hands.

Every time hot blood soaked my body, the burden of my sins grew heavier, and I believed that the chance of having those sins forgiven was drifting farther and farther away.

If a being called God truly existed, then surely he would throw this indescribable sinner into a pit of flames that reached the very end of the world.

…

Through death, I gradually came to understand.

Some might catch a glimpse of the brilliance of life bestowed by death, but there are those who refuse to turn their eyes toward the weight of karma that descends upon them with death.

I was the latter.

There is no rest for one who has wielded a sword.

From the moment you take another person’s life into your own hands, you can no longer hope for the presumptuous comfort of having a home to return to.

Therefore, I must move forward.

Approach the dying with a smile.

Shout with a smile at those whose lives you are taking.

There is no need for excuses.

If you have committed the sin of cutting short the weight of a life, then do not look back and keep moving forward, and ruthlessly cut down any pitiful life that blocks your path with hands stained in blood.

And when my turn finally comes…

“Die pathetically with a servile smile on your face.”
“That moment will be the only rest ever granted to a sinner.”

Yes, that was the ending I had sought, and the destination I had envisioned for my life.

That was how it should have been…

“Hm?”
“What are you talking about?”

“…”

How did things end up like this?

“Anyway, hurry up and put that fruit in your hands into my mouth.”

“I was reminiscing about the past just now…”

“It was probably another pointless thought where you wallowed in self-pity.”

“…Correct.”

“Anyway, hurry up and feed me that!”
“I’m so hungry I could die!”

“…”

The goddess Lilac, bound by dozens of chains.

A pitiful goddess who had waged war against the divine realm all by herself, only to ultimately lose and be sealed away for an eternity.

I had nearly fallen into self-loathing for a moment as I recalled my old memories, but the goddess’s voice, which completely ruined the mood, forcibly dragged my mind back into reality.

“Mmm!”
“Mmmph!”

“Is it good?”

“Mmm!”

“…Really?”

She smiled with such genuine happiness.

It was only a single apple, yet I couldn’t understand what had her so excited.

“Hmm-hmm~ Hmm-hmm-hmm~”

“Good grief…”
“You really can’t hum a tune for sh*t…”

“Do you want to get hit?”

…Her hearing is pretty damn good, too.

“Sorry, forgive me.”

“If you want that, then keep giving me fruit.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The pure-white goddess puffed out her cheeks and diligently moved her jaw as she chewed.

Watching the delicate movement of her lips, I let out a quiet chuckle.

‘It’s peaceful.’

How ridiculous.

A human stained black with the karma of slaughter, and a goddess clad in white who carried the burden of her mistakes.

For two extraordinary beings to meet and somehow obtain this thing called peace, something we had never dared to wish for before.

‘There could be no greater joke than this.’

The day I first saw Lilac.

The words she spoke to me became a momentary refuge for my heart as I ran onward.

【I shall forgive you.
So stop refusing to forgive yourself.】

It was absurd.

I wondered how an outsider who knew nothing about my life could dare say such a thing to me.

I thought it was arrogance, felt it was none of her business, and dismissed it as meaningless nonsense.

But.

[Could I… really allow myself to feel at peace…?]

I wanted to try grasping that lifeline of nonsense that had descended before my eyes.

‘Heh-heh…
Is this the result of grabbing onto that lifeline?’

Not bad…

“It’s delicious~”
“It’s truly so sweet~”

“Hey, slow down.”
“There’s still plenty left.”

“Mmm!”
“All right~”

I had wished for death.

I wanted that thing called an end, the one that would put the final period on my filthy life, a life in which I could do nothing but kill.

And yet, to think that my wish would so helplessly change because of the goddess’s honeyed words and gentle consolation.

“Hm?”
“Why are you staring at me so intently?”

“…”

My yearning for death has not changed.

A sinner must ultimately pay the price for his sins, and those sins can only be atoned for with the sinner’s own blood.

That is why I wished for death.

“Lilac.”

But now, I sometimes find myself thinking differently.

“Tomorrow…”
“We can meet again, right?”

Perhaps…

It wouldn’t be so bad to keep living a little longer.

“Mm!”
“Of course!”