1.
Love.
Right after feeling warmth for the first time since birth, the next emotion Ria felt was sadness.
“Wake up, Grandma… okay? Open your eyes. You promised we’d go for a walk.”
Even as she said that, she knew.
Grandmother had already passed away and could never come back.
Her current actions were not driven by reason but by emotion — a lingering attachment — and she knew such attachment was a waste of time in the process of living.
Even so, she couldn’t stop.
— Smile, child. May you be happy for the rest of your life.
The image of her grandmother, wishing only for her happiness even in the face of death, lingered in her mind.
— I love you, child.
The immense love that had been given to her throughout her life was too overwhelming for her to bear.
“We were supposed to go for a walk…”
Ria cried as she clutched the hand that had withered like an old tree from raising her.
How many days had passed like that?
After gathering the remains of her grandmother and the villagers, Ria set the entire village ablaze to perform their funeral rites.
Flames soared high into the sky, as if to devour it.
Underneath that towering inferno, the third emotion Ria felt was anger.
“…I’ll kill them.”
No matter how many there were, no matter how strong they were.
“I’ll find every last one of the bastards connected to Grandma and the village… and I’ll kill them all.”
With a few lucky survivors from the village and dozens of inquisitors from the heretic tribunal.
it was a fight she obviously couldn’t win — but Ria eventually found a way.
The evil in one’s heart is the source of the power that demons wield. Fortunately — or unfortunately — the evil Ria was born with was pure, untainted evil itself.
【Destiny repeats itself.】
【<God of the Vanished World> extends a hand toward the character – <Ria??>.】
【Essence – <Evil> awakens.】
She awakened the power of Evil, a force that only a rare few among evil spirits could control.
Thus began her revenge.
Wandering all over the Empire, she gathered information and discovered that the target of her revenge was the group of inquisitors — <Punishment>.
‘The captain of Punishment has disappeared for some reason. If I’m going to strike, now’s the time.’
After preparing thoroughly, Ria immediately sought them out and began her revenge.
To speak of the results first — she succeeded.
“Wa, wait!! We’re apostles of God──!!”
“So am I.”
Squelch!
“Shit!! It’s just one!! Attack all at once, you stupid bastards!!”
“The divine power is going berserk!!”
“Arghhh!! S-spare me!!”
Having lost their strongest asset, the captain, the members of <Punishment> were nothing but a ragtag group, and none of them could stand against Ria, who had surpassed S-rank through the power of evil.
Thus, in just half a day,
<Punishment>, who had been using another village as their sacrifice, was entirely wiped out — except for their missing captain.
The final emotion Ria felt, as she looked at the corpses strewn across the road, was emptiness.
No matter how impossible the revenge had seemed, and even though she had achieved it alone, her grandmother and the villagers had not returned.
“…”
After completing her revenge, Ria left the village and wandered from place to place for several years.
Love,
Sadness,
Anger,
Emptiness.
Even those four emotions that repeated daily began to fade away.
“…Huh?”
Someone who recognized Ria from afar rushed over and grabbed her.
“It’s you, right?”
“…?”
“You saved our village from those corrupt inquisitors back then!”
She learned later that the young woman was a nun.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it a secret for life. So… if you have nowhere to go, you can stay with us.”
Having been wandering aimlessly anyway, Ria accepted her offer.
Ria, who had closed off her heart.
The young nun, who came every day to talk to her and chatter.
It is said that wounds inflicted by people are eventually healed by people.
“Ria!”
“…Don’t run. You’ll hurt yourself.”
Through the love she felt directly and indirectly from them, Ria gradually recovered from her sadness, anger, and emptiness.
And once they had grown somewhat close, Ria asked the young nun she first met:
“After nearly being killed by God’s messengers, why are you still serving God?”
“That’s because it was the fault of those who fell to corruption, not the Goddess’ fault.”
“The gods still stood by and watched.”
At Ria’s sharp words, the young nun hesitated for a moment before whispering softly.
“To be honest, I believe in the Goddess too, but… I believe in myself more.”
“What does that mean?”
“Since both good and evil were created by the Goddess, I believe that I am of good, not evil.”
At her pure and innocent answer, Ria, wearing a dark expression, hesitated before asking.
“Then… those born from evil can only ever be evil?”
The emotionlessness that had followed her since birth.
The monster who, even at her grandmother’s death, had thrown out a question rather than shed tears.
The being who had made a contract with the mysterious entity known as the <God of the Vanished World> and awakened Evil, killing dozens under the pretext of revenge.
The young nun nodded immediately.
“Maybe so.”
Though she had expected it, it still hurt her heart.
She felt disgusted with herself, a being unable to change because of the evil she was born into.
But as if reading her heart, the young nun added.
“If that’s what Ria believes.”
“…What?”
“I told you, right? I believe in the Goddess, but I believe in myself more. If Ria believes that way, then that’s how Ria’s world will be. But… if you don’t want to believe that way…”
Taking a step closer, she wrapped Ria’s hands gently in hers and added.
“Then just believe in what you want, Ria. That will become your world.”
At the pure smile of the young nun, Ria muttered without realizing.
“Easier said than done.”
“Right. It’s easy to say. That’s why you prove it through your actions as you believe.”
Their eyes met.
In those eyes, Ria glimpsed the love she thought she had forgotten — and so, Ria became a nun.
What is faith?
How much of the world actually changes through mere prayer and belief?
Ria chose to act, following her.
Free meals for the homeless,
Operating an orphanage,
Several hours of prayer each day.
Living each day with good, not evil, the faint smile of her late grandmother that she had long forgotten slowly returned to Ria’s face.
The one thing Ria always believed in was herself.
Not surrendering to what she was born with, but realizing, acting, and growing through it.
“Thank you all for everything.”
“Sister Ria… you’ll come back someday, right? No — we’ll meet again, right?”
“Yeah. If you believe so.”
“…You’ve gotten stronger.”
“I’ll write. Take care.”
No longer shaken, Ria became a free nun and set off on her journey.
She eventually settled in a village in the Imperial Capital and founded an orphanage.
She spent her entire fortune to build the facility and secured sponsors to create a foundation.
She wandered the back alleys, bringing in orphans, and though her methods were sometimes rough, she returned the love she had once received to the children.
One,
Two,
Three…
As the number of children grew, her faith grew stronger too.
It was around that time that she heard the rumor.
—In the sewers under the village, they say a monster lives, one that tears rats apart and eats them alive.
It was a rumor that sounded strangely familiar, yet subtly different.
“Sister Ria?! Where are you suddenly going?!”
“Out for a walk!”
Ria immediately dashed out of the orphanage and headed into the back alleys.
She worried she might take too long and miss it, but the moment she stepped in, she knew.
“You damn freak!”
“Blasphemous bastard!”
“Call the inquisitors!”
There.
Urgh, uughhh…!!
“Get lost!! Go to another town!!”
“Monster!!”
There, amidst the commotion — there must be the child I had to meet.
As Ria strode through the crowd, some people tried to stop her.
“What the…? A nun?”
“Shh! Get away! That kid isn’t someone a nun should be picking up!”
“Everyone, please step aside. It’s alright.”
Seeing Ria’s unwavering demeanor, the ones who had grabbed her asked,
“Are you really going to be okay, Sister?”
“This is my faith.”
“…Damn it, fine. Do whatever you want.”
Just like they had always done, the people chose to step back and remain bystanders.
Thus, Ria finally stood before the child.
The boy, who had the same pitch-black hair and eyes as herself, looked up at Ria with an expressionless face and asked.
“Am I… strange?”
The very same question she had once thrown at the old woman.
If she hadn’t gone through all those experiences, if she hadn’t gained understanding through the young nun, she might have answered without emotion — yes.
But instead of replying hastily, Ria smiled faintly, pulled the boy into a hug, and whispered.
“You’re not strange at all.”
Because I believe that.
Because I have lived acting on that belief.
“You are… not strange.”
Ria could say it with pride.
That day.
Peter received comfort for the first time in his life.
That day.
Ria came to truly believe in herself.
2.
The meeting of the two.
Peter, who had been observing the situation like a third party reading a book, finally gained a proper form and could move around freely.
—Say hi, everyone. This is Peter, I picked him up just now.
—Hi Peter!
—Got anything to eat?
—Huh?
Ria’s memories continued to flow, as if Peter wasn’t even there.
“A waste of time.”
Peter, watching the scene with a blank face, turned to leave.
But just then, within the memory, Ria reached out and grabbed Peter’s arm.
“[You’re making me sad, Peter. I guess you didn’t miss me?]”
“…What is this situation?”
“[Ahaha… I asked first, you know.]”
“So, what’s going on?”
“[…Fine, I’ll tell you.]”
After a short moment of contemplation, Ria answered with a bright voice.
“[Soon, the memories that had been sealed away will start. Depending on what choices you make after seeing them, this world might be destroyed.]”
Peter’s expression remained blank.
Upon hearing such an absurd revelation out of nowhere, he asked seriously,
“Did you learn nothing but lies while you were dead?”
“…Would I?”
.
.
.
【<God of the Vanished World> announces that the wager has begun.】
【After reaching the ending of <Ria???>, the chooser – <Peter (EX-)> may add several new endings.】
