Seravelle Continent, Lust Domain, Paradise, September 28, 2026
In all her life, the only person Cornelia had ever felt indebted to was her teacher, who had pulled her out of wrathful misery.
Aside from him, everyone else fell into two categories: those she took care of, and those she had to take care of.
From her subordinates to the people sheltering in her bastion, to every human in the Wrath Domain… she had to protect them all.
Her enemies were equally countless. Political opponents who never let her rest. Endless monsters that wanted nothing more than her destruction.
Throughout it all, only Edward James, the Kingmaker, the one who'd made her achievement of becoming King possible, had been her benefactor.
That is, until now.
Now another man had been added to the list: Ashen Hart.
Despite losing to that monstrous being, Cornelia had never lost consciousness, so she didn't need Sabrina's recount later to know who her savior was.
And as she took in the sight of the massive room where his fate would be decided, Cornelia knew that it was also her chance to repay a fraction of the favor that had granted her a second life.
But she also knew she would never be enough to change the tides on her own against those sleazy councilmen, so she'd brought someone who could.
Glancing sideways, she spoke to the man on her right. "Thank you for answering my request this time, teacher."
Edward, more commonly known as the "Coach" by tutorial recruits, shook his head. "Don't mention it. I'm also curious about Ashen, that's why I came. Seems that after so many years, my eyes for talent had started failing me."
Cornelia smiled at that. "Don't take it to heart. No one would be able to guess that a fifth step would be capable of that."
"Also, I know how much you hate dealing with those guys, but you still came despite that, so don't brush off my thanks, teach."
He crossed his arms and shrugged. "If you say so."
Cornelia knew that his curiosity about Ashen was only one factor. He could meet him any other time, after all. The main reason he came was for her.
After the death of his two students, Rowan Vance and Shin Morikawa, he'd adopted a hands-off approach toward his other students once he was done teaching them. Not interfering in their lives, but also not giving any further aid beyond his teaching.
But he seemed to still have a soft spot for her, as he'd never turned down any of her requests, even though she'd long passed her 'teaching period.'
Cornelia felt that he was more of a father figure than a teacher at this point.
As she sank into thought, the grand circular meeting room slowly began to fill.
It was divided into two half-circles, leaving a wide, empty space at the center.
On the right half, men and women took their seats one after another. They rose in ordered tiers, like an opera hall; closest to the center below, the farthest climbing upward.
These seats were claimed by Seravelle's decision-makers: nobles who wielded political power and wealthy merchants who commanded the economy.
While whispers and glances started getting exchanged on the right wing, the left half-circle was much quieter since it held the esteemed presence of the Sin Lords themselves.
Seven magnificent thrones stood at the top. Two stood empty. They belonged to the Sloth Sin Lord, who guarded their last bastion, and the Pride Lord, who still had no one worthy enough to sit on it.
Four other thrones held blurred figures that deliberately concealed themselves, not out of arrogance, but to protect their lessers from the massive concentration of Sin concepts saturating their bodies.
The only one who had enough control over his concepts to freely show his form was the Sloth Lord. But that man could be considered an ancient relic in comparison.
He was from the Reign of Terror era, which dated back more than two thousand years, and also the era of the system's first sign of emergence.
The last seat belonged to Wrath and was occupied by Cornelia. Unlike the others, she was a Step below, making her technically unworthy of sitting beside her fellow Sin Lords, but due to her undoubted strength, and their hope that she would soon join their ranks, she was granted the seat nonetheless.
Below the seven seats sat the Lords' aids and accompaniments, and in the last row sat the man who was to be judged today.
Sitting beside the pink-haired recruiter, he exuded serenity that was unfitting for a man who was shortly going to be put on trial.
He wore a black formal suit with a white inner shirt, pairing well with the woman's professional attire and contrasting wildly with the more ancient theme of the gathering.
As the last of the seats were filled, a sultry voice echoed across the room, silencing every whisper.
"Today, we have gathered for yet another time."
Everyone turned their gaze to the second throne from the right, where the silhouette of the Lust Mistress was present.
"As you may all know, for us to call for an Assembly, something of significance must have happened. Something that touches on the interests of our race as a whole."
"So, as we have always done, we gather as the guiders of humanity to discuss the cause and effect of such an event, and hopefully, conceive ways to prevent the recurrence of similar tragedies."
"With that out of the way, let the Assembly begin."
With the last of her words, the meeting started in an orderly way.
Cornelia began by recounting the events from her side first, since she was the one who oversaw the domain where the war transpired.
"...There was no prior indication or sign of such a massive attack, aside from the increased movements of the Veiled Moon cult."
"...We caught more than a thousand members before the last attack."
Cornelia truthfully narrated the sequence of events alongside the reports she'd received on the cult's activities, the discovery of the Narkal metropolises confessed by Cassius, and every detail about the monster that called itself Secrets.
Most of the information was already known by everyone, but they still listened attentively when a Sin Lord spoke.
"That is all. If there is anything to mention aside from this, it would be the demi-human empire's warning."
"It seems they were privy to far more than they should be, so we should also put the enhancement of our anti-spying measures on the agenda."
"Thank you, Cornelia dear~" The Lust Sin Lord's pleasant voice rang once more with Cornelia's conclusion. "Then, gentlemen, you may speak freely."
At her signal, reports started flying one after the other. The massive casualties of soldiers due to the Narkals and cult ambushes alike. The enormous financial deficit resulting from such a massive mobilization, and the void that these two factors left in their territories' defenses.
After more than two hours spent listing the losses and debating on how such damage could be mended, the Assembly finally moved to the next item on the agenda after settling on an acceptable solution.
"Gentlemen, thank you for your contribution to this case. Now, shall we move to conceiving countermeasures so such a tragedy doesn't repeat itself?" The Lust Mistress seemed to be in a pleasant mood from the tone of her voice alone. This Assembly was going far smoother than she'd envisioned based on previous ones.
Unfortunately, she thought too soon.
"Your holiness, before that—" A councilman spoke. "Before we do that, isn't it more appropriate to address one of the reasons this event ended in such losses?"
No one was clueless about who he was speaking to. He was pointing right at the curious-looking man in the opposite seat, after all.
'Me?' Ashen looked utterly bewildered at being pointed at with such a reason. 'What is this man smoking…?'
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