Chapter 10: The Sin Behind the Smile
Synoh coughed as he pulled Dred away from the blade still stuck in his side. Their blood dripped onto the wooden floor, mingling under their feet.
"Yaaawn…" Elder Harven muttered, stretching with exaggerated laziness. His voice, however, no longer sounded like the kind old man everyone knew. It was deeper… layered with something ancient and slow… yet dangerous.
"You know… turning you two into puppets would've been so much easier…"
He rubbed his eye. "But then you just had to resist."
Synoh, panting, glared up. "That voice… that isn't Elder Harven."
Dred's eyes widened. "You… you're not him, are you?"
The old man tilted his head, the smile never leaving his face.
"You're right. Harven was just... a skin. A temporary form."
Harry and Harold stared, frozen.
"What did you do to our father?" Harry whispered, his voice barely stable.
Harven—no, the puppet—smiled even wider.
"Your father's body is here," he said, tapping his chest. "But his soul?"
He lifted a finger to the ceiling. "Locked away. Far from here."
"You monster!!" Harold shouted, drawing his blade—only to be blasted back by a lazy wave of pressure.
Then the puppet yawned again. "Fighting is just… so tiring. I prefer watching others squirm."
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Scene Cut: Deep Inside the Dungeon
At the core of the dungeon, in a vast chamber pulsing with cursed mana, a figure lounged on a throne of crystal bones.
Kuro, the infamous S-rank adventurer, looked completely at ease. His black cloak draped over one side, his hair messy, and a single dagger rolled lazily between his fingers.
He let out a long yawn.
"Ahhh~ I can feel the strain already. That body's starting to crack…"
A small orb hovered beside him—showing what the Harven puppet was seeing.
Kuro—the true Sloth—smiled lazily.
"Maybe I should find another puppet soon. But ugh... too much effort."
He reclined deeper into his throne, eyes half-lidded but sharp as daggers.
"The boy with the wolf spirit… interesting. If he keeps resisting, maybe I'll deal with him myself."
Then, in a lower, amused tone:
"Or maybe… I'll just nap until this whole war is over."