Chapter 1: The Light

Shane.

The moment the holy sword filled with divine power was inserted into his heart, he felt an indescribable sense of liberation.

“Ah, finally…”

It was the corruption power of envy among the seven deadly sins.

This power had bound him for a long time and now it was finally dissipating.

All because of the holy sword embedded in his heart.

Soon, the light he never saw no matter how many lives he took etched itself into his eyes.

“Big… brother?”

Through the remnants of a shattered mask, he saw the face of his brother and the hope of humanity—the hero Klein.

Although this was the moment the hero had defeated the villain,

Klein’s expression was filled with confusion.

It did not take long for Shane to realize why.

“Klein… you still shine brightly.”

“Brother…? Why are you…?”

Swoosh—

Shane’s trembling hand caressed Klein’s cheek.

But only for a moment, since his arm slowly dropped down to the ground.

As the power of corruption was leaving his body, so was his life force.

It’s been ten years…

A disaster brought about by a moment of greed.

Since then, Shane had not known a moment of peace.

Consumed by the corruption power of envy, he had destroyed everything but himself.

He had plunged countless kingdoms into the abyss with the “organization”.

Now, what was left of humanity had rallied around one person to form a resistance.

That person was Klein, the very brother Shane had envied and hated so deeply.

However, seeing his brother clearly for the first time in ten years, Shane felt no hatred.

Perhaps it was because he had lived these last ten years devoid of any freedom within the grips of corruption.

Or perhaps it was the divine power imbued in his brother’s sword.

Where there should have been only hatred, now there was only guilt.

Shane didn’t know what to say.

He had so much he wanted to say.

But he was a sinner now.

A sinner who can never have his redemption, who can never be forgiven.

Countless kingdoms had fallen under his command and numerous lives had been lost within them.

He was the worst villain who had stolen not only their homelands but also their families, friends, and lovers.

That villain was none other than himself, Clayton R. Shane.

In the end, Shane looked up at his brother Klein who was engulfed in unbearable sorrow.

“How, how can this be… How!”

His brother had only now recognized who he really was.

If he had known Klein would be this heartbroken, he would have made his mask even sturdier.

No. What was the use now when he hadn’t even been able to move of his own will before?

As a brother, Shane wanted to comfort him one last time.

Although he was a villain who rightly deserved the world’s wrath and curses,

Still.

“Don’t feel sorry. The sinner is me, not you.”

To the hero who was the hope of humanity and to his younger brother, wouldn’t it be possible to lighten some of the burden placed on his shoulders as the older brother?

With that, Shane closed his eyes.

As if to tell his brother not to feel any guilt.

With a peaceful expression on his face.

***

When he opened his eyes again, what he saw was the warm sunlight filtering through the curtains.

The blanket warmed by such sunlight offered both a cool and cozy comfort, and the pillow that cradled his head was perfectly plush and perfect for welcoming a warm morning.

“It’s that dream again.”

After waking up, Shane quietly got up from his bed.

His body refused to leave the cozy bed and threw a tantrum. But Shane paid it no mind and opened the window.

He saw the lush trees filling the mansion’s backyard.

The chirping of birds heralding the start of the morning reached his ears.

Everything was completely different from the usual scenery he had seen.

Days spent atop a castle filled with death.

A land of death where no matter where one looked, nothing could be seen.

But now, wherever he looked, wasn’t the world filled with the vigor of life?

Shane briefly turned his gaze and stood in front of a mirror placed in a corner of the room.

Black hair and roseberry-colored eyes.

So far, nothing has changed from before.

But his old rough skin and the gaunt face were nowhere to be found. They were replaced instead by clean young skin and a delicate face.

“I must accept it now.”

Clayton R. Shane.

He who had represented “Envy” among the executives responsible for the seven deadly sins of the organization “Nameless” had returned to the past 15 years ago.

***

Maria was brewing tea in a teacup with a worried expression on her face.

Her worry stemmed from none other than Shane, the young master she served and the eldest son of the Clayton family.

“Haah…”

Bringing tea each morning to the young master she served was a routine task performed by all servants in noble households, but for Maria it was the hardest part of her day.

Seeing Maria like this, a maid working in the same house asked with a puzzled expression on her face,

“Maria, why do you look like you’re about to die?”

“Oh? Ah… it’s nothing.”

“Ah, is it because of Master Shane?”

When this colleague of hers raised one corner of her mouth, Maria felt her already sour mood grow even worse.

Why ask if you already know?

Clayton R. Shane.

The infamous target of the coalition and the eldest son of the Count’s family.

From a maid’s perspective, this young master seemed almost like a godlike being. He was an enviable man in every way, but his ill-temper was well known within the mansion.

Maria who was now in her fifth year as a maid, had gained some experience. But she always found it torturous to face Shane who was always in a foul mood.

If only he would yell at me or hit me, then I could run away.

His expression seemed to curse everything in the world, and his indifferent gaze made her feel like nothing more than a trivial creature.

On the occasions she made a mistake, the chill of disgust mixing into his indifferent eyes was enough to make her shudder.

For Maria, facing those eyes was the hardest thing in the world.

Especially these past two days.

Now, she started feeling even killing intent from Shane. So Maria truly wanted to cry.

Her fellow maid was well aware of Maria’s plight.

However, there was not a trace of sympathy to be found in her expression.

Because of her suffering, Maria had earned the unlimited trust of the head butler.

It was envy that caused her colleague to speak so sarcastically like this.

And that wasn’t all.

The person her fellow maid served was Klein, the second young master of the family.

Someone who was known as a genius among his generation, a genius among geniuses.

Even the family knights, who had wielded swords on the battlefield for over a decade, showed scarcely anyone who could match young master Klein’s exceptional abilities.

Wasn’t it the law of servants that their status within the family varied according to the prestige of the person they served?

And so to the other maid, it seemed unfair that Maria who served a lesser master was still trusted by the head butler

As always, Maria swallowed her anger, ignored her colleague’s mockery, and headed to the room of the young master she served. She headed toward Shane’s room.

***

Knock, knock—

Shane spoke casually at the sound of the knocking.

“Come in.”

“Yes, Young Master. I have brought your tea.”

The door opened and in came the maid Maria who had also been here the day before.

The girl who always had a nervous look on her face every time she came in.

Shane found himself enveloped in a strange feeling of unfamiliarity yet familiarity at the face of this girl.

After all, today was only the third day since Shane returned.

During the first two days, he had been unable to believe that he had returned in time and had constantly doubted his surroundings.

He suspected that the organization might have done something to him.

Because of this, he had commanded the maid in a very cold manner to leave both the day before yesterday and yesterday.

However, now that he finally accepted the fact that he had regressed, it was necessary for him to behave differently.

“The tea smells good.”

“Huh?”

“I said the tea smells good.”

“…..?”

Of course, Maria had no way of knowing what Shane was thinking, so her suspicions grew as to why on earth he would suddenly praise a maid.

“I’m sorry about the last two days.”

“……!”

“I had a bad dream.”

“N-No, it’s not your fault, Young Master.”

There was no particular sincerity in her voice.

It felt like an obligatory apology.

However, just as a person who normally only does wrong stands out when they do something right, so did his act.

Maria was utterly disoriented by what felt like a seismic shift in his behavior.

“Please come back for the teacup in an hour.”

“Yes, understood.”

Maria who came out of the room like that, came to her senses belatedly and recalled the look in Shane’s eyes while he was looking at her just now

“What’s with him…”

Though his eyes still felt lifeless.

For some reason, they seemed slightly more emotional.

***

Shane found himself immersed in sentimentality for the first time in a long while.

Corruption never comes without a reason.

Certainly, the power of corruption planted in him by the organization was very strong.

But just as magic requires a human magical organ to function, corruption too needs a medium for growth.

And Shane, before his regression, had conditions most suited for corruption.

Envy.

It was envy towards his younger brother, Klein.

The reality of being less talented than his gifted brother.

And the comparative looks from those around him.

Of course, Shane had not always been jealous of his younger brother.

Even when Shane was very young, people had called him a genius for his brilliant mind.

However, his younger brother Klein, though not as much as Shane, was still a wise person.

On top of that, he possessed an unmatched talent for swordsmanship.

But that was not all.

Klein also had a natural talent for magic and he was even beloved by magic itself. And so he ultimately established himself as a genius unprecedented since the start of the era.

Because of this, when the organization later revealed itself to the world, he could become a hero, humanity’s hope.

Due to his brother possessing such talents,

Shane was once consumed by envy.

And for corruption to flourish, Shane’s envy must have been like a sweet nourishment.

But perhaps it was the passage of time,

Or maybe it was the energy of the holy sword that his brother had thrust into his heart before he died in his previous life.

Now, to Shane, this feeling of envy was almost nonexistent.

And Shane faintly wanted to erase even that lingering envy from his heart.

He had already experienced enough of envy.

Even becoming an embodiment of envy itself.

By massacring numerous humans.

So, Shane took a close look at his inner feelings.

And the last feeling before his regression.

Shane thought of his younger brother, the one who had freed him from the power of corruption.

His face was filled with deep sorrow.

An uncontrollable sorrow.

At that time, he felt the guilt of having killed the only remaining member of his bloodline with his own sword.

And the weight of the responsibility he bore on his shoulders.

Am I jealous of my younger brother now?

The answer was no.

Then, deep in his heart, the last remnants of envy faded away like grains of sand.

For the first time in his life, Shane’s mind cleared completely and he felt as if he was welcoming the light.

There was another knock at the door around that time.

“Brother, it’s Klein. May I come in?”

They say if you speak of the tiger, it will appear.

Shane stood up from his seat with a smile he hadn’t worn in what felt like ages.