Say Your Lines (Two-in-One)

"...No, no, no!" Neph hurriedly waved her hands, shaking her head frantically for fear Nim would miss her refusal. "I have no intention of doing that!"

She paused, then added, "If someone really needs to lie in your coffin, I hope there won't be a part where I sit up inside it."

Nim gave her a quiet look, then nodded calmly. "All right."

Neph breathed a sigh of relief. A trace of embarrassment surfaced, and she coughed before speaking again. "I think it's rather inappropriate for me to be there at all."

Nim nodded gently. He seemed capable of nothing but agreeing. Neph frowned and was about to say something when he changed the subject.

"Your Excellency Neph, I have a request."

Neph froze slightly and instinctively asked, "What is it?"

"Before that ceremony, may I use the Sealed Artifact you bestowed upon us?" he asked.

Neph was taken aback. Completely unable to understand the purpose of his question, she nodded without hesitation. "I gave it to you so you could use it, didn't I?"

"Thank you," he said with a smile. "You are a merciful being."

That made Neph pause. She glanced at Nim and couldn't help asking:

"What exactly do you see me as?"

"Didn't you say so yourself?" Nim gave her a surprised look. "You are the Lord's Oracle."

I thought you'd stopped believing that ages ago... Neph pressed a hand to her forehead and replied:

"That's not what I meant... Oh, forget it.

"You had other plans originally, didn't you? Did something happen for you to ask me this out of the blue?"

"...It's Bartel," Nim said, his voice growing subdued. "You may still remember him. He's Arula's younger brother."

Neph paused, dredging the name up from her memory. Her brows knitted slightly, and her expression grew grim as well.

"Was it because of what happened to his sister...?"

Nim nodded and rose. "Let's talk as we walk."

Neph nodded. She saw Nim lift a paint bucket shrouded in darkness from beneath the table and realized it was "A Bucket of White Paint." Following behind him, she asked curiously:

"Have you tried using it?"

"I tested its field of vision," Nim replied. "It's truly wondrous... Is this the power of memory?"

"Yes." Neph nodded.

Nim walked out with her and headed underground, speaking as they descended the stairs:

"When Bartel was very young, his parents sensed they were about to lose control and willingly stepped into the darkness.

"His older sister, Arula, raised him. He only officially joined the Hunting Team three months ago. I still remember... On his very first hunt, he successfully brought back a monster.

"Everyone was delighted, especially Arula. She set aside the tools she was making to help process the prey, and then..."

Nim paused, then spoke after a long sigh. "...Arula found a belt on that monster. It belonged to her and Bartel's father."

Neph froze. Brief confusion flashed through her eyes, followed by horror. "That monster was... Was it what their father had turned into?"

"We don't know." Nim shook his head and continued down the stairs. "Perhaps that monster merely killed their father, and Bartel happened to avenge him-no one knows the answer."

"But she chose to believe the worst possibility," Neph said softly. "So she..."

Nim nodded.

"Arula's mental state deteriorated after that, but she was only placed in isolation half a month before your arrival. Before that, she suddenly became energetic and started working overtime to finish the tools she was making. She completed all her overdue work and made a great deal more besides.

"We thought she was merely distracting herself and felt uneasy about falling behind in her work. Although we urged her to rest, we didn't take it seriously.

"Later, when she showed symptoms of losing control and went underground, we merely thought she had exhausted her spirituality during that period.

"Only when the treatment continued to show no effect did we realize that, while it was a cause, it was by no means the main one."

Neph said nothing. She simply sighed, then silently accompanied Nim beneath the Black Tower to the room where Bartel was isolated.

While Nim operated "A Bucket of White Paint," Neph activated her Spirit Vision beside him and watched Bartel's soul to guard against any mishaps.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly. Just as she had done before, Nim did not remove all the corruption, painting over only about sixty percent of it.

Before beginning, Nim had specifically asked everyone else to leave, so no one knew what had happened. He looked around, then turned to Bartel, who was gradually coming to his senses, and asked:

"Bartel? How do you feel now?"

"I don't think my soul has ever felt this light..." Bartel said slowly. "High Priest, am I going to die?"

"No," Nim said solemnly. "You're going to get better."

"I'm going to get better?" Bartel sounded bewildered.

Nim spoke steadily:

"The Sun God's emissary, his Subordinate Deity, the God of Winter, has sent us a gift-a Sealed Artifact capable of purifying corruption.

"I have already consulted the Oracle. We will hold a ceremony as soon as possible to announce her arrival and formally put this Sealed Artifact into use.

"Bartel, if you recover soon enough, perhaps you can serve as an example to everyone at the ceremony."

The room fell quiet. A dozen seconds later, Neph heard that male voice turn into a pool of stagnant water, posing a question across its utterly still surface:

"High Priest, the Oracle you're talking about is the girl we brought back, isn't she?"

"It is," Nim replied.

"Then," Neph heard that male voice continue in the same calm tone, "if she has a Sealed Artifact that can remove corruption, why didn't she bring it out sooner?"

Nim was instantly struck speechless. He instinctively looked at Neph, unease in his expression. Realizing he wanted to plead for leniency, Neph shook her head and asked softly:

"Is that something you wonder about too?"

The room fell utterly silent. Bartel seemed to finally realize there was an unexpected guest standing there-Neph's exceedingly faint presence had kept him from noticing her.

Neph saw intense unease wash over his face. She stopped looking at the boy and turned her attention to Nim. What this High Priest thought mattered more to her.

Nim shook his head and said

"When you brought 'A Bucket of White Paint' to me, your happiness was entirely genuine."

Neph gave Nim a quiet look. She was no saint, and of course Bartel's misunderstanding and accusation upset her. Given his current condition, she could let it slide. But if Nim felt the same way, Neph thought she ought to take back her kindness-with all this time on her hands, why not give it to another city? This wasn't the only city in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.

The answer was reasonably satisfactory to Neph. She raised an eyebrow, but before she could speak, a hurried, frantic voice rang out:

"S-sorry.

"I didn't mean to resent you. I-I just..."

He paused, his voice gradually thickening with sobs. "I just can't accept it... I'm very, very happy that you're willing to help Moon City. I'm grateful to you, just like everyone else!"

His words came fast and urgently, and Neph could hear the unmistakable worry in them. She tilted her head toward Bartel. His eyes were filled with desperation and fear, and he kept glancing at "A Bucket of White Paint." Clearly, he understood the Sealed Artifact's importance and was now terrified that Neph would take back her gift.

Neph suddenly found it somewhat amusing. She shook her head and said to Nim, "I suddenly understand why you called me merciful."

When the emperor flew into a rage, a million corpses fell and blood flowed for a thousand miles-she was that "emperor" now.

Though the real reason is that I can't actually mete out divine punishment... Still, looking at it this way, there's no need for me to swallow my displeasure.

She gave a cold laugh, turned, and walked away.

...Wait. If I leave like this, will the others kill him and bring him to me as an apology? No, the real problem is...

If I really intend to take back "A Bucket of White Paint," the people of Moon City, who have already glimpsed hope, will find it even harder to accept than before... And I'm actually just a Sequence 9...

Neph slowed her steps, but Nim caught up to her, saying hurriedly, "Your Excellency Neph, Bartel meant no harm..."

I know that. I could hear it... Maybe I should just take the opening he's giving me?

"Your Excellency!" Even Bartel had followed her. "I apologize. Whatever you want to do to me, I..."

"There's a custom in my homeland," Neph said, stopping and cutting him off. "If you want to beg someone for something, you should approach them on your knees and kowtow."

Upon hearing this, Bartel dropped to his knees without the slightest hesitation. Neph was so startled that she jumped straight to the side and cried out:

"Get up! You'll shorten my lifespan doing that!"

I was just saying it offhand... Yikes, thank goodness I didn't say anything more outrageous...

"Are you unwilling to forgive me?" Bartel asked, looking up.

Neph felt an indescribable sense of exasperation. She shook her head and pressed her brow, denying it:

"I am a little upset... But you knelt far too readily... Let's leave it at that. I forgive you. Hurry up and get up."

"You truly are a merciful being." Bartel voiced the same sentiment as Nim.

The farce beneath the Black Tower ended with Neph fleeing in disarray. For the first time, she felt such envy for Mr. Fool's gray fog-it was practically an online chat, where she wouldn't have to feel this awkward.

Neph even grew a little curious about what the Fourth Epoch had been like. Stories said it was an age when gods walked the earth. Having personally experienced this awkwardness, Neph couldn't help wondering-Didn't those gods feel awkward?

But she soon laughed at her own thoughts. After all, she was still mortal now. Whether she would even retain an emotion like embarrassment once she truly became a god remained unknown.

...That sounds so miserable.

Neph withdrew into the Library with a stony expression and shut herself inside until the next Tarot Club gathering.

Neph looked at Audrey. Miss Justice's cheerful voice rang out first, as always:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool.

"That 'simple' task you entrusted to us has been completed."

She emphasized the word "simple." Neph quickly recalled this part of the story. Her tongue brushed across her teeth as she swallowed her exclamation and quietly listened to the Fool at the head of the table speak:

"I already know.

"An age like this, a Backlund like this, an East Borough, Harbor Borough, and Factory District like these-what a perfect breeding ground for the descent of an evil god."

This referred to Lanevus. The Swindler had outsmarted himself and turned himself into the True Creator's Divine Descent Vessel. Neph knew that, given her earlier cry of "my Lord," she ought to say something now.

"Miss Justice," she said, turning toward Audrey, who was trying to watch her out of the corner of her eye, "if you want to ask whether I knew about this, I'll tell you plainly-I did know, but not as a participant."

She paused, then chuckled. "I once witnessed this part of history. That is why I knew."

Audrey looked somewhat puzzled, not quite understanding her words. Alger was even more bewildered. He had no idea what Lanevus had to do with a breeding ground for an evil god.

The World, however, spoke up at that moment. "Miss Pure White, even after the True Creator committed such evil deeds, do you still believe in him?"

These words inadvertently revealed that Neph knew him. After all, when she had cried out "my Lord," the World had not yet been seated here. But Klein knew that Neph's attitude toward the World displayed a familiarity absent from her interactions with the others. That familiarity would not escape Miss Justice, so he had no intention of concealing it.

Neph raised an eyebrow at him and spread her hands.

"I must admit, a god who disregards life like that certainly isn't someone I would worship if I had a choice. But..."

Neph leaned back, looked around, and chuckled.

"What does it matter if he doesn't match my idea of a Creator? Naturally, I'll make him into what I envision. If that doesn't work, then I'll simply find someone else to be the Creator.

"It's only because he saved my life that I want to give it a try."

To be frank, Alger still hadn't understood. He had gathered that Lanevus had become involved with the True Creator, but knew absolutely nothing about how it had happened. Yet he no longer had the attention to spare for that. Neph's words had revealed something that terrified him-just listen to her: if a god didn't match her vision, she would make him match it, and if that failed, she would replace him.

-Even a god probably wouldn't dare say such things casually.

Alger looked horrified, Derrick remained silent, and Audrey's face had gone pale. Neph looked around, then simply kicked the World and said in a low voice:

"Say your lines."

"What?" the World asked in a hoarse voice.

"The lines you're supposed to say here," Neph replied, glaring at him. "Child laborers dying in their teens, workers who don't live past thirty... That speech about Backlund's East Borough!"