208 206 Offences and Punishments

I was nervously staring back at the goddess, and the goddess stood her finger up and spoke out.

"In the first place, the Black Cats are shackled as a divine punishment - a curse. There are two main conditions for breaking this curse."

Se, Safe? You saved my life? I was scared!

"One is a condition for de-cursing an individual. A thousand evil men. Or defeat an evil man with a threat A or higher. The individual who accomplished this will be freed from the cursed neck tree and will be able to evolve."

Huh? Is that what I'm supposed to say? 'Cause you're putting limits on what Lumina can say, purposefully erasing it from people's memories, and plotting things so they don't know that information easily, right?

"Girls are things that have already evolved. Whatever the history, that restriction does not apply to evolutionists. If it's going to be spoken out of Lumina's mouth later anyway, it would be the same if I spoke here, wouldn't it?

'Oh, is that right?

But I'm not a Black Cat, and I have Ursi. If there's a restriction on us, isn't that the same thing that ends up with a restriction on the franc we're with?

Well, if God forgets about it and talks about it, I'm gonna ask you a lot.

"Oh, summoners aren't eligible in the first place. You're my family, and I knew you weren't subject to restrictions. No problem."

Yes, they read my mind completely. No, wait a minute, okay? I thought I heard something really important right now!

"Huh? Am I a member of your family?

"Well, it's just that he's my family too, to be exact."

'Well, a little more about that there!

"No, we're talking about evolution."

What, that's best for you... But I care!

"The other is a condition for the decursion of the entire race. It is about defeating evil men above threat s or the family members of evil gods with the power of the Black Cat clan alone. When this is accomplished, it is clear that all Black Cats are forgiven for their sins and can return to the Ten Initials"

Uncursing the entire race seems messy......

"That's all you've done."

'Um, what the hell kind of sin is that?

Even when I heard it was a major crime, I realized now that I didn't know the specifics.

"The chief of the Black Cat clan at the time. Well, you were the beast royal back then. They tried to unseal the evil gods and take their power into the clan. In fact, half of them did well."

Taking it in isn't the same as trying to be evil?

"That's worse. At any rate, some royalties were evolving into beings that could also be called semidemons, semi-beast men. About half of the Black Cats had succeeded in increasing their power. Many individuals were destroyed by their own people after they became evil men and ran wild. We gods do not allow ourselves to use the power of God for our own desires, whether we are evil gods or not. In the end, the Black Cats, who gained the power of royalty and evil gods, were destroyed by God, and those who remained were cursed to restrict evolution as punishment."

That's also...... I was doing worse than I thought! I just think you're fighting and selling to God about taking in the power of the evil god and evolving into a demigod. Can't help but touch the wrath of the gods?

"Well, I see you've committed a felony."

"Yet if you were there, the Black Cats would evolve lightly. No atonement for sins."

It wasn't stared at, but it was a bitter tone that made me feel that way.

"For the Black Cats, evolution may be a sadness. But, you know, if we continue to evolve in an unorthodox way without atoning for our sins, that would be a new sin. Now there will be no greater punishment than a stagnation in evolution."

'A greater punishment... Like what?

"Separation of Races"

"Oh, it's..."

"For example. But understand this is all a big story."

"Oh, I see."

Once again, I felt like I caught a glimpse of the troubles and horrors of something called God. Isn't it a more dangerous condition than you think to be receiving direct attention to such a presence?

'Um! What am I supposed to do? Of course, I will not imitate anything other than Fran to make you use awakening! I swear!'

"I know what you're saying from the bottom of your heart. But, you know, that's weak. Demonic props that can give awakening to others. Its very existence is unacceptable."

Not allowed to exist? That means...

"Don't worry. Like I said, I'm not going to wipe you out or anything like that."

'Oh, really!

Good! Seriously good! Now I've survived the biggest pinch since I've been in this world!

"Well, hurry up -"

Pattin

'Huh? What...!

When the goddess of chaos rang her fingers, my fullness sparkled only for a moment. I know they did something, but what did they do?

"We have secured your gear registration"

"Fixed, is it?

"Yes. In the future, you will no longer be able to be equipped by any other human until the current equipper dies. If anyone tries to force them to equip themselves, they will be punished."

"Punishment?

"If you don't know anything and just accidentally try your gear on your hands, a weak thunder will just shoot you. If you knew and tried to take it, you would redeem it with your life."

I'm scared. Like redeeming with your life! Well, I'm not going to be outfitted except for Fran, and let's just assume it's got a security device on it.

"And let me take your awakening from you, just in case, okay? I'm going to make sure you can't wake up again."

You're thorough. But I'm not going to imitate it against God, and I don't care. Well, I'm a little sorry I can't use my awakening myself.

"Awakening is a skill for freeing up the power to sleep in the blood of the Beasts, so it doesn't make sense to you, does it?

"Oh, really?"

Then you really don't need it.

"We have placed new restrictions on Lumina so that she will never be able to summon an Awakened Warcraft again. But if you don't put limits on it, you won't be able to do the same for hundreds of years."

'Is it because you summoned that warcraft that Lumina was looking strange?

"Exactly. My family, Lumina, was subject to a variety of restrictions when supporting the Black Cats. The same goes for saying you can't talk about the terms of evolution, but there's a lot more to it than that. For example, if it is impossible to create an item that grants awakening skills, or if you use your dungeon to try to make the Black Cat Clan achieve the conditions, it is set to disappear instead."

'Huh?'

Are you serious? If so, that depletion of Lumina-!

Don't worry, Lumina won't disappear.

"But you've evolved Fran, haven't you?

"Indirectly. Instead of evolving that girl directly, the Devil's Sword in her possession - that is, just designed to empower you. Lumina lost a lot of power because of it, but she didn't disappear."

That's really good. Even if I could evolve, Fran would blame me if he found out Lumina disappeared instead.

"I just can't allow the same thing in the future. That's why we've set new limits."

You made Lumina quite impossible, too. I used to joke about the question that if I killed Lumina, I could evolve. That, too, must have been serious.

"That said, you're pathetic just to take it away. Give them one skill instead."

That's what I said and the goddess rang her fingers again. Have you changed anything? If you look at your status...

"Erm... evolutionary cover-up?

"As its name suggests, it's a skill that can hide what's evolved. Mostly from the other beasts."

I see, this is a good skill. If they find out that the Black Cats are evolving, if they're beast opponents, that's all they're gonna make a fuss about. And it's extra skill.

Just one thing that bothers me.

"Um, I'm down five self-evolution points."

"For once, you have a problem, and I'm here to correct that problem. You can't just give them charity. I still serve you."

"Su, excuse me"

Well, it seems like a useful skill, so let's compromise here. I can't help complaining anyway.

Then the goddess nodded satisfactorily and began to float furiously. The figure becomes clear gradually.

"I've accomplished my purpose, and I'm leaving"

Ah! The goddess is going! If I thought so, I would have left my mouth open.

'Um! I need to ask you something! Who am I! If you're related to your family, don't you know?

I heard about it. Anyway, it's the first time I've ever appeared, someone who seems to know clear answers about my own mystery.

"Hey...... It's not my job to teach you that... Let me give you one guiding principle. Meet the Divine Blacksmiths in the Land of the Beasts."

"Is there a divine blacksmith in the Land of the Beasts?

I thought Grandpa Garth, who used to make me black cat gear, said that the divine blacksmith didn't know where he was going...

The Beast King is secretly surrounding you? But it's hard to get to the Beast Nation. Because it's an enemy country on other continents. You can't put Fran in danger for me.

"But if you listen to me, you might know something, right? Well, maybe not."

Don't you know what's gonna happen to you?

"Well, yes. Even God doesn't know the future."

'Cause it's God, isn't it? Do you know the future...?

"I can't. People seem to mistake what happens in the future - that is, that God has the power to foresee destiny. I mean, some people say good or bad, it's God's destiny, right?

That's what some people say. Even I thought it was fate when I met Fran.

"Everything about the future is decided by God, and the world is moving exactly as it should."

"Well, you don't have to exaggerate that much, but some people believe you're close."

"But if God really prescribes all the operations of the world and the world is moving exactly as it is, what if I show up like this in the first place and try to correct the irregular? You won't."

"Perhaps if you asked me, I would."

"There is no fate in this world. Everything is a pile of coincidences. Bad things are your own fault, good things are your own way. That's what I'm saying."

I mean, it's a coincidence that me and Fran met.

"That's right. It's also a coincidence that you and your Black Cat daughter met. It's also a coincidence that you were the best match. No, it's probably a miracle we've met so far."

When God tells you that, don't lighten up somehow.

"I've told you a lot this time, but as a goddess of chaos, I expect you to?

Can I be happy about that?

"Hehe hehe. What do you think?

"Oh, hey!

"Good chaos, then."

The goddess left an ominous word and disappeared. That's the last, totally cursed word, isn't it?