One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds was clearly keenly aware of the sudden turmoil rising in X 's heart. She smiled softly and slowly raised the hand that was not holding the cross.
With her movement, the ruined monastery around them seemed to blur at the edges, becoming faint and translucent, as though veiled by a thin layer of mist.
At the same time, within her palm, a gentle, pure-white light began to gather and take shape.
"This is also the first time… that I can speak so clearly with someone from the 'outside' like this…"
Her voice remained ethereal, tinged with a barely perceptible sense of reflection—as though she were speaking to another, or perhaps to herself. The ball of light hovered steadily in her hand, radiating a soothing, reassuring pulse.
"You seem… very tense. Even frightened."
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze resting gently on X .
"Would you like to hear… my story? Perhaps… it might help calm the heart that trembles because of the unknown…"
"Hah…"
Knowing that Old Bones was trying to ease his anxiety, X let out a long breath. The air that had been trapped in his chest by fear seemed to finally escape with it.
"Thank you,"
X replied, forcing as natural a smile as he could.
"I'd like that very much."
"Hehe~"
Seeing that he accepted, One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds seemed genuinely pleased, letting out a light, bell-like laugh.
With that laughter, the sphere of light in her hand suddenly flared, expanding outward in an instant and enveloping both of them completely.
The scenery before X 's eyes was wiped away as if by an invisible hand—
The crumbling stone walls, collapsed dome, scattered religious ornaments…
Everything belonging to the abandoned monastery faded rapidly, like peeling away old, grimy wallpaper.
What replaced it was a lush forest, brimming with life—yet concealing danger beneath its greenery.
Towering, unfamiliar trees blotted out the sky, sunlight struggling to filter through gaps in the leaves, scattering only a few flecks of light.
The air was thick with the scent of soil, decaying leaves, and some kind of wild vegetation—utterly unlike the carefully planned, meticulously maintained "forest parks" X had seen within the Nest.
This forest was raw, primal, untamed.
And that meant it was far more ominous and perilous.
Several men wearing rough hunting clothes and carrying old-fashioned hunting rifles passed not far from them.
Their sharp eyes scanned the surrounding brush, their footsteps steady and cautious. They were clearly searching for something.
"…?"
X instinctively held his breath.
But he quickly realized that the hunters didn't notice him or One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds at all. Their gazes passed straight through them, heading deeper into the forest.
Seeing this, X immediately understood. This forest—these hunters—were all memories being shown by One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds through that light.
They—or at least X himself—were now in a state akin to spirits or projections of consciousness, mere observers within a living hologram, witnessing what was about to unfold.
—
Bang!!!
A dull gunshot echoed through the forest, startling several unidentified birds into flight.
"Damn it… why are there so few deer this year?!"
A burly man with a thick beard spat angrily, glancing with a mix of envy and irritation at the game already tied to his companions' backs. He scratched his sweat-soaked head with a rough hand.
"At this rate, I won't bag my share even by nightfall! I'll be nagged to death when I get home!"
"Hey, big guy, what's there to worry about?"
A slightly younger companion nudged him with an elbow.
"Hunting's all about patience."
"Relax … calm down…"
Lowering his voice, he listened intently to the sounds of the forest, a knowing smile spreading across his face.
"I can already hear something coming this way. Light footsteps—shouldn't be far!"
"Yeah, I noticed too."
The bearded man reacted even faster—his hunting instincts clearly sharper.
Almost the instant his companion finished speaking, he raised his rifle, flicked off the safety with practiced ease, and aimed steadily at a violently rustling patch of bushes ahead. A clear rustle rustle sound came from within.
"Shh—"
The other companions instantly fell silent in tacit coordination, holding their breath, lightening their steps, eyes locked onto the shaking bushes as tension filled the air.
At that moment, the bushes parted—and a pair of small, brown antlers poked out first, flickering in and out of view under the dappled forest light!
"Ha! Got one!"
Excitement flashed in the burly man's eyes. The corners of his mouth curved into a predatory grin, and the finger on the trigger tightened reflexively.
But right at that critical instant—
"Justin! Run! Run faster for me! Hahaha!"
From the exact same direction as the antlers, a burst of crisp, childish laughter rang out without warning—bright, innocent, and full of joy.
"…No way…"
A terrible premonition rose sharply in X 's chest.
"Wh—"
One of the quicker-reacting companions paled instantly, realizing the horrifying possibility just like X had.
"Wait! Old Joe! Don't fire—!"
Another sharp-eyed hunter noticed the anomaly almost at the same time—
The antlers glinting in the sunlight reflected an unnatural, slightly coarse sheen. They looked more like imitation props made of cloth and stuffing!
You could even see, beneath the headpiece, a terrified young face.
Everyone shouted instinctively, trying to stop the man called Old Joe, whose movement had already tensed to its limit.
But it was too late.
Bang!!! Bang!!!
Two deafening gunshots tore brutally through the forest's silence, completely drowning out the children's laughter and the hunters' cries!
Before the smoke from the muzzle had even dispersed, the small figure wearing the "antlers" was struck as if by an invisible force, flung backward without any resistance.
Thud!!!
The body slammed heavily onto the leaf-covered ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Old Joe's aim was precise—too precise.
Both bullets had struck the "prey's" head area, a perfect execution born of pure hunting instinct.
But now, the Excitement and predatory thrill on the burly man's face were instantly replaced by boundless terror and a deathly pallor.
He wished with all his heart that his aim had never been so accurate.
The rifle clattered to the ground. His eyes bulged as he stared at the motionless figure lying there.
"Ah…"
Moments later, a group of children burst out from behind the bushes—and witnessed the bloody, horrifying scene in full.
"Ah… ah…?"
The leading boy's smile froze, turning into utter shock and incomprehension.
"Justin…? A—are you okay? Stop… stop joking around…"
He called out tentatively to his fallen friend, his voice beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
"Eh… eh…? We… we didn't mean…"
Another little girl stared at the glaring crimson liquid rapidly spreading beneath Justin's head, so frightened she couldn't even finish her sentence.
A drop of warm blood splashed onto the boot of one of the nearest children.
For a time, the forest held only the children's stifled, sobbing breaths—and the hunters' heavy gasps born of shock and terror.
Yes.
The "fawn" that had been shot dead was no deer at all.
He was one of the children who had been playing and chasing one another through the forest.
After this dreadful tragedy, the families of the children involved in the chase—along with Old Joe's own family—seemed to have made an unspoken agreement.
In a very short span of time, they all moved away from the town their families had lived in for generations, vanishing without a trace.
At this point, the story continued.
Light bloomed once more, and the scene shifted to another setting—
"…A-anyway, I… um… I don't know why our 'little deer' ran into the forest. Maybe… maybe it was curiosity?"
"…Um… it wasn't until an hour later that we realized he was missing. Then… then we all went out to look for him…"
Inside the containment unit, an employee wearing a Lobotomy Corporation uniform stood before One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds, haltingly recounting the story.
"In the end, um… we found him in some bushes far away. He… um… he… I—I don't know if he got lost and was too excited when he saw us… or for some other reason… but he ran toward us…"
"…That's when we heard gunshots. Yes—gunshots… We—we didn't know where they came from… When I came back to my senses after panicking, I—I… saw his blood splashed onto my boots…"
"After that… none of us ever dared to dress up as animals again… Th-that's all…"
His face bore a striking resemblance to one of the children from that group long ago.