Ophelia crawled silently through the castle's dark corners, her small body moving like a shadow. The sound of running footsteps echoed in the distance as the infant widened her eyes, quickly pressing herself against the wall as a group of guards rushed past.
The guards' armor clanked and clanged as they ran, their faces set with determination to respond to King Jubilius' call from afar, unaware of the tiny figure hidden in the shadows. "I'll have to be quiet..." As soon as the guards disappeared around a corner, Ophelia continued her search. She crawled through the corridor until she reached a set of stairs, slowly climbing up the staircases. She was constantly on alert for any signs of the library while keeping a lookout for possible guards.
"No signs just yet, this castle is just too huge. This will take some time." Continuing her frantic search a deep sigh escaped her lips until she suddenly stopped by a door with a label on its exterior. Widening her eyes, she read 'Royal Library', which made the newborn grin mischievously. "Hoh? Just my luck." Ophelia approached the library door, though stopped in place after hearing the sounds of footsteps approaching rapidly from around the corner.
"Rats!" She turned around with haste and quickly ducked behind a decorative pillar, her small body pressed against the cool stone. The footsteps grew louder as she held her breath, watching two guards run past, clearly responding to the king's call.
"That old man must be too weak by himself if he's relying on so many of his men." Once they were gone, Ophelia cautiously peeked out from behind the pillar. The hallway was clear, but she knew she couldn't stay in one place for too long. She continued her crawl toward the library door, looking up at the doorknob with a helpless glare.
She forgot something vital.
"I didn't think this far ahead... how will I be able to open the door without assistance?" The infant frowned, now sitting on their bum as they crossed their arms in thought. "Oh, how I envy those with an adult body..." She sighed under her breath, trying her hardest to come up with a plan, but suddenly, a change occurred within her body.
"Ghnn... Uwaaah!" The newborn released a deadly cry as their magical power was extracted from their nucleus. A dark, ominous energy began to swirl around her, responding to her words. Her magical power twisted and churned, taking shape before her eyes.
The manifestation appeared small, its form becoming more defined and humanoid. It had the same dark, shadowy appearance as Ulysses at first, but its features were petite.
The Sin of Envy had been born. Created from Ophelia's desires, it towered over the newborn—its eyes glowing with an intense green light, looking down upon its master with a mix of curiosity and elegance. "You're... my master, yes?" Ophelia stared up at Envy in awe, her eyes wide with shock. The manifestation had taken physical form from her magical energy, and it was now bowing its head like a loyal servant.
Slowly, but surely, the darkness around the Sin vanished, and their appearance came into view. They seemed to be female, but with such a petite body, and the lack of any breasts, it was hard to discern.
Envy's appearance was striking - pearly skin, long black hair, and green eyes that carried an elegant glee to them. They wore a dress with black and white frills that gave them the appearance of a fashionable Gothic Lolita, and also wore a black and white bow tie atop their head, including a black choker around their neck. The first thing Ophelia saw, however, were there black boots.
"Yes... I am your master. I'm assuming you're the Sin of Envy, yes?" As the young princess processed what had just happened, a wicked smile spread across their face. The Sin of Envy was born from her desires, and given shape; this meant she could use them to her advantage like how she used Ulysses.
"Yes, Master Ophelia. My name is Invidia, the Sin of Envy. I am born to protect and serve."
Ophelia giggled softly, her childish voice now tinged with something darker. "Ufufu! Indeed! Invidia, I'm glad to have your help. Now do me a kind favor and open the door, will you?" Asked the infant, grinning.
Invidia bowed their head in submission. "Yes, Master Ophelia. Your desires are my command." Approaching the door with elegant strides, their hand reached for the doorknob, however, a powerful reflective barrier knocked their palm away. "Hm?" Almost immediately, ancient symbols manifested on the door's exterior, preventing anyone from entering. "It seems the Library is protected by a powerful Barrier Skill."
Ophelia, gritted her teeth, muttering, "Blasted! That old man probably sealed it off for moments like these." The infant crawled to the door and tried to understand the ancient symbols, but nothing came to mind.
"I envy such power..." Said Invidia, once again reaching their hand out to touch the door.
Ophelia glanced at the Sin with curious eyes, watching as they reached for the doorknob again, despite already knowing the outcome. But to her surprise, the reflective barrier didn't activate.
"What?" Invidia gripped the doorknob and casually opened the door to the library as the barrier skill dissipated, giving them access to its hidden secrets. "How intriguing, Invidia, you surprised me..." The infant crawled inside as the Sin of Envy bowed with joy, following behind their master and closing the door.
After making her way inside, Ophelia turned around to face the Sin, remaining on their hands and knees as they lifted an arm, prying open Invidia's Foundation System.
"I'm most curious, Invidia, how did you manage to bypass that Barrier Skill?" Asked the curious newborn.
"Ah. It is my Sinful Skill, known as Green Eyed Devil, Master." Said Invidia, boastful about their ability.
"Green Eyed Devil... huh?" Ophelia scrolled through their hub until they found the stats section.
[Name: Invidia
Age: 1 Minute(?)
Race: Abstract Entity
Magical Power: 1,000
Strength: 1,000
Speed: 1,000
Durability: 1,000
Skills: Green Eyed Devil (Sinful Skill)]
"Dear me… your stats are all at 1,000, that must be good…" Ophelia widened her eyes, still clueless about this world and its ranking system. She clicked on Invidia's Sinful Skill, bringing up a thorough explanation. It read as follows:
That which Invidia envies does not affect them. Envy at its most potent is not trying to obtain something that others have, but wishing they never had it, thus, with this skill, Invidia is borderline invincible to other skills that they envy, as such skills will perish by their Devilish Green Eyes, including physical attacks as well. If Invidia envies someone's strength, their physical attacks will do no harm, and if they envy their skills, such skills will be meaningless to them. Invidia would merely wish that they never had such traits, no matter how complex they were by nature.
Shocked by this discovery, Ophelia glanced at the Sin of Envy with newfound interest. "Mmm, question. Since you're part of me, within my… Nucleus, that means I naturally can use all the skills of the Cardinal Sins, correct?"
Invidia nodded their head graciously.
"Yes, Master, naturally." They said, formal in their tone. "We are part of you, as you're part of us."
"Excellent…" Ophelia's mind raced with possibilities as she wickedly smiled. She could finally get revenge on those who had wronged her in the past without needing to work for a skill. In addition, she could also start her plan early by conquering this world with all of her Cardinal Sins by her side. Everything was going swell for the newborn Villainess. "Now then… let's get to work. I'm searching for a book with a certain aging skill. I cannot stand being an infant for too long, I must return to my former glory as an adult."
"Understood, I'll begin my search immediately."
"Good. Let's make haste." The two of them split up as Invidia went one way, and Ophelia the other. Rows upon rows of towering shelves stretched out before them, each filled with ancient books and tomes. The air was thick with the scent of aged paper and magic, making Ophelia's skin tingle with excitement. She spotted unfamiliar symbols etched into the walls, confirming this was indeed the family library.
As she moved deeper into the library, her small fingers traced over the spines of the books. The titles were written in languages she didn't understand, having to use appraisal to read their contents more thoroughly. "Nothing on skills, or aging, hmm…"
Invidia's form shimmered as they moved through the library. Ophelia continued her hunt with curiosity, her fingers drumming impatiently against the floor in frustration.
Suddenly, Invidia stopped in front of a shelf, their hand reaching out to pull out an old-looking book with the title reading "Rare Skills of Algunita" on its cover. With a joyous smile, Invidia approached Ophelia, holding the book out to her with reverence. "Master Ophelia, I believe I found what you were looking for. A book of skills."
"Hoh? It makes sense, considering you're much taller than me…" Ophelia took the book with trembling hands, her heart racing with thrill. "It's about time. With this, I can finally regain my adulthood!" She could feel the magic pulsing from the book, calling out to her like a siren's song. It was time she made herself known as the Villainess this world would soon fear.