Chapter 345: A Price to Pay

“If it’s Cruel Hart, he’ll have to reincarnate too.”

Ah.

He stacked up enough bad karma in life, and even in death, he’s still meddling in the mortal world, making it even worse.

You’d think the pain would be enough to make anyone forget about the world, but he was incredibly focused on his brother. He even cleverly piled up just enough karma to delay his own reincarnation until his brother died. He knew the more karma you have, the longer you’re held back.

He’s clearly smart, but why waste that brainpower on hurting himself?

……But why?

……?

A soft, trembling voice snapped Death out of his reverie.

His eyes flicked over to Deon Hart, who seemed lost in thought. Death waited a moment, trying to grasp the question. Then, interpreting it as best he could, Death tilted his head, a picture of confusion.

“It should be obvious just from the fact that Cruel Hart took a seat reserved only for those who’d distinguished themselves in the Eight Years’ War.”

……

“And the Duke mostly ordered him to kill.”

With each word Death spoke, Deon’s face, already ashen, seemed to lose even more color.

Looking at Deon’s face, so pale it looked like he’d been stabbed, Death hammered home his despair.

“The sin of taking that seat when he hadn’t even fought in the war, combined with the sins he racked up under the Duke. It’s not a small sum, not by the standards for sinners after death, right? And that’s before you even consider his meddling in the mortal realm…”

……No, it can’t be.

A desperate, raspy voice finally broke through. It had to be. This wasn’t just Cruel Hart’s sin alone.

Why did he even bother trying to become a Hero? Why stay under the Duke and commit those sins? And even after death, why keep meddling in the mortal world and piling up karma?

All these sins… they’re all because of me.

Isn’t it always Deon Hart’s fault?

As always, I’m the one to blame. Ultimately, his sins stem from me.

“Why… why does my brother have to be punished?”

……

Cruel Hart, of all people, deserves peace in the afterlife. He never knew happiness in life because of me; it’s just not right for him to suffer even in death.

Deon practically threw himself at Death, grabbing his robes. Seeming to have completely forgotten the fear any living being should feel, his eyes, locked on Death, were filled with desperate pleading, trembling like they might shatter.

“Is there any way I can take his punishment instead?”

……

“He only sinned because of me to begin with. There must be some way to fix this, right?”

I’ll pay any price, just name it. Please.

His pleading voice started to fade, then abruptly stopped. His red pupils, which had been locked on Death’s gaze, suddenly dropped. Death, who had been watching Deon Hart with a peculiar look since he grabbed his robes, narrowed his eyes slightly.

A slow reply finally came.

……Well, there is a way, technically.

!

“My job is just to take lives; normally, I can’t interfere after that… but if someone willingly steps forward to pay the price for another’s sins…”

A little loophole like that is certainly within my power.

“If you take on his karma, that should do it.”

Then… yes!

But.

He wasn’t finished yet. Death cut off the foolish human who was about to rush into a decision without even thinking.

“This isn’t just a favor, it’s a deal. The price will be steep.”

“Whatever you ask, if it’s within my power, it’s yours.”

In that case.

Let’s see if he’s still so eager for this deal after he hears the price.

“You can give me your eyes as payment.”

……Huh?

“Both eyes, naturally.”

Uh…

Deon stared blankly. It wasn’t a negative or hesitant reaction. Quite the opposite, actually.

It’s like, the price is… surprisingly low.

Just that? Is that all?

Too light, in fact.

It’s a body destined to die anyway. Losing my eyes here wouldn’t mean much.

‘This is too good of a deal, it’s suspicious.’

Considering my own sins, if I add my brother’s karma to my already accumulated karma, my soul might shatter, allowing me to escape punishment. Even if it doesn’t, I don’t really care.

No need to think about it any longer. Deon readily answered with a bright smile.

“I’ll give them to you.”

“…I’m only telling you this specially because you are the human who manifested me in this world.”

Death, who had been quietly watching him, opened his mouth.

“I would like to advise you not to forget the fact that I mentioned your reincarnation a little while ago.”

……?

“Considering the sins you have committed so far, your soul should shatter as soon as you die, but do you know why I mentioned your afterlife and reincarnation?”

…Even if I don’t know anything else, at least I know I have a next life.

Surely, could anyone commit a more unprecedented act to warrant not being reincarnated? Yet, reincarnation… Deon’s head tilted with a question.

As if answering his question, Death continued his explanation.

“Originally, your choice can be said to be a wise one. After all, you will be crushed by the weight of karma and disappear as soon as you die. Giving your eyes as a price for the deal, or adding someone else’s sins, wouldn’t have made any difference.”

……

“However, that is only true under the premise that you do not curse yourself.”

Ah.

Deon, realizing the situation, simply chuckled.

The Duke, who cursed his opponent, was said to be reincarnated because his shattered soul was bound by the backlash.

An unintentional curse directed at oneself. If a mere ‘backlash’ is that severe, what about Deon Hart’s soul, which is cursing himself with all his might?

“Neither a murderer who killed a hundred, nor a hero who killed a thousand, nor even a ruler who ordered the deaths of ten thousand receives such a severe curse. It’s because the soul, instinctively trying to protect itself, puts up a final line of defense. But your soul has gone beyond giving up defense, and is aiming the curse at itself.”

……

The sorcerer he had met again before had said something.

He told me to stop cursing myself. He advised that since I was already carrying so many large and small curses due to accumulated karma, and if the soul that should protect me attacks me instead, what was I supposed to do? If I wanted to slow down the speed at which blood was rising, I had to stop that first.

‘Of course, I didn’t stop.’

Deon gazed at Death, who was finishing his explanation with an indifferent look, as if listening to someone else’s story.

─The scale is enough to bind your soul, which should have shattered, so surely your curse will hold onto your shattering soul and allow you to live another life.”

……So, what’s your point?

“For you now, this deal is a foolish act.”

“I clearly said I don’t care.”

How many times do I have to say it for him to understand? When will he understand that no matter what he says, my decision won’t change?

Deon Hart had given up on himself long ago. If he hadn’t abandoned himself in the first place, he wouldn’t be cursing himself.

At the unwavering answer, Death frowned slightly.

“……Do you know what it means to make a deal with death, wagering a part of your body, in a situation where your next life exists?”

“Doesn’t it mean that I will have to live my next life also missing that body part?”

“It’s not just ‘next life’. It means that you will have to live all the lives you may have in the future missing the body part you traded with death. You may be born without it from the beginning, or you may be lucky enough to be born with it, but even if it is the latter, you will eventually lose it when the time you will live is much longer than the time you have lived.”

It means you will lose it relatively early in your youth. Living the rest of your long life missing that body part would be quite painful.

“Moreover, since you are reincarnating to reduce the karma that is enough to shatter your soul, your life will also be the worst. Since the world itself does not look favorably upon you, your life will surely be terrible.”

……

Is it out of goodwill and consideration for the one who manifested him? I can feel that he is trying to induce a prudent choice by honestly providing as much information as possible.

Perhaps that’s why, given time to think, Deon suddenly recalled the words he had said to the leaders of each country just before the final battle with the Heroes to destroy the human world.

[You just messed with the wrong person.]

Yeah, they messed up. They shouldn’t have gotten involved with me in the first place. Bad luck.

In that sense, Cruel Hart, who was involved with Deon Hart from birth, was really unlucky. So, therefore-

“……Cruel sacrificed a life he could have lived longer for someone like me. He died before he even turned thirty. Moreover, even the life he had lived was not normal because of me, and now I am in a situation where I am going to use ‘a life that is going to die anyway’ for my brother.”

……

“So, just considering my current life is not balanced.”

Sacrificing a promising life and lifespan versus sacrificing a life that is going to die anyway and a body that will be discarded is unfair no matter who looks at it.

Towards the silent Death, Deon smirked.

“Shouldn’t you at least wager my future lives to balance the scales a bit?”

“……You will definitely regret it.”

“Nothing new there.”

……

Faced with the unwavering smile, Death fell silent. The words that came out after a long silence revealed the acceptance of the deal, while also containing a slightly different topic.

“……If that is your will, I will accept it, but before that, I would like to say this.”

Honestly, I was surprised. It could be from pure admiration for the unwavering will, or it could be from the disgust felt from someone who made a foolish choice in the end.

But in either case, the fact that he never showed any wavering or hesitation was worth acknowledging. Death, who had decided to respect the will of the human in front of him, decided to bestow a little mercy.

…There is probably nothing more painful than living while cursing oneself.

“Why don’t you stop cursing yourself and rest for a moment before you die?”

……

“The only time you can rest even for a moment is now.”

Regardless of his consideration, Deon did not obediently comply.

“I wondered what you were going to say.”

Useless consideration. A faint sneer appeared on his lips.

His red pupils met Death’s eyes directly and curved into an arc. Deon said with a smile.

You must not know how much I despise myself─.

“Let me tell you plainly. I curse myself.”

“Yes. So…”

“I hope the path I walk is a thorny path, and I desperately pray to be shunned from happiness even in death.”

……

“Living without even being able to escape into death, living each day crushed by a terrible reality that is not living, I am cursing myself with all the time I have lived and this soul that will soon shatter. Would that be easier to understand?”

Each time his Adam’s apple bobbed, the blood that had risen to his chin vibrated with it.

Is this curse the Duke’s curse, or my curse? In fact, the Duke didn’t have to curse me back then. Even if he hadn’t, I would have eventually ended up in this state.

…Damn you, Deon Hart, you deserve to be cursed.