#why spill the foood?

[ilikelookingatthings]

Indy the spoiled princess of a dog

My dog will pile her kibble after she spilled her kibble. She then refused to eat her piles until I put them...one kibble as a time...one by one... infront of her to eat. I was able to increase it to small handfuls of ten kibble bits at a time. The floor is clean.it took a hour

[thesevencrimesandpunishments]

Chapter 3-Pride; Scene 2

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 61-70

The Demon of Pride worked hard. It worked very very hard.

His (her?) six wings flapped as hard as they could, and thanks to that we progressively increased the speed at which we moved. In no time at all we had managed to safely arrive at the place where the Lucifenia Palace had once been.

…Although, it still took quite a lot more time than it had with the Demon of Lust or Hänsel.

“Huff…Huff…How ‘bout that, we made it!” the rodent muttered, completely out of breath.

“…Well done.”

“Good grief! –In the first place, was there even any need to take you here at all!?”

“What do you mean?”

“All others aside, weren’t you personally involved with what happened with Riliane!? You would know all of it already even if you didn’t go to meet her now…More than anyone else, if I’m being untactful.”

“Well—I guess that’s true.”

“Michaela was probably just fussing on your behalf. Honestly, if only the day would come when I don’t have to listen to that crappy student--There’s no decency left in this world.”

No decency left in the world, to say nothing of the fact that the world had actually been destroyed.

That seemed to have had some sort of effect on the relationship between Michaela and the “Vessels of Deadly Sin”. The Demon of Lust had claimed that they just had nothing else to do, but judging by how the Demon of Pride was talking, there seemed to be some other reason for it.

After setting me down on the ground, the rodent once more spread its wings wide.

“I’m exhausted. I’m gonna head back and rest. You go on and enjoy your reunion with your long-absent friends as much as you can!”

The rodent shot up before I could give any thanks or goodbyes and flew off towards the Millenium Tree Forest.

The palace stood there before me. It was an illusory palace, much more splendid than the Venomania or Conchita mansions. Even after the Kingdom of Lucifenia fell and became a Republic, this palace continued to remain. It had been made into a tourist destination in recent years, but then it too had disappeared thanks to “Punishment”.

It was my former home.

The place where I had once spent my days as a servant.

“How nostalgic—” I said to myself without thinking.

My obediently following Sickle’s command to visit the “Deadly Sin Contractors” was so that I could come here like this.

To see her, the girl who was the master of this palace—

My older twin sister, Riliane.

.

The palace was packed with people.

Naturally, they were not living humans, but deceased souls. I was still altogether bewildered, not having expected so many of them to be here.

The people assembled here were not just those who had worked in the palace. There were several faces I didn’t recognize present. Come to think of it, considering this place had become a tourist site after the kingdom’s downfall, I had expected that there might be some sight-seers that were different from the time period where I had lived. Yet, judging from the clothing that everyone was wearing, that didn’t seem to be the case. All the uniforms and dresses that I saw looked very much like what one would see from the period of the Lucifenian Kingdom.

“Hey, if it isn’t Allen, my boy! Long time no see!”

Someone spoke up to me. It was a male voice I recognized.

When I turned around, I saw standing there a brown-haired, bespectacled man with a splendid appearance.

“Sir Keel…!”

“It’s been too long. You’re the only person I never saw up there, so I’d been quite worried. …I’d wondered if maybe you’d fallen down to the ‘Hellish Yard’.”

The head of the Freezis Trade Association, Keel Freezis. He had once saved the Kingdom of Lucifenia from famine, and then aided the side of the rebels during the revolution.

What was he doing here? When I asked, Keel gave a slightly troubled smile.

“Well, my daughter told me that she dearly wanted to attend the banquet tonight. So I’m sort of here as her chaperone.”

“Banquet--?”

“Ahh! Allen! Fancy seein’ you here!”

I heard someone else shouting behind me. This time it was a female voice. Thanks to her particular way of talking I could guess who it was even without turning around.

“Chartette…!? What in the world are you doing in that maid unifo—I thought you’d quit being a maid…”

“You’ve gotta come over and help out! We’ve got a whole heck of a lot of people here today, and we’re hardly prepped at all, yannow! Ney’s playin’ hooky somewhere too, yannow! And the head chamberlain’s in a foul mood, yannow!”

When she ran up to me, Chartette roughly grabbed my arm and started to pull me along.

“Wha!? Hold on—"

Still just as unbelievably strong. I was dragged away, unable to resist.

.

Captured by my old coworker Chartette Langley, I ended up being forced to help out with the banquet without any idea of what was actually going on.

“Head chamberlain! King Thorny’s meal isn’t ready yet!”

“What!? Olten, Asan! Hurry! Jet stream service!”

”Yes sir!”

All the servants were working busily. I myself was working without so much as time to breathe; helping with the cooking, carrying out the completed meals, telling guests where to find the restrooms, cleaning up wine that Chartette had spilled on the floor, and working on repairs to holes in the walls Chartette had opened up by bumping into them.

Though five hundred years had passed I surprisingly enough hadn’t lost my deeply ingrained sense for work. That must be the same for the other servants as well. Thanks to that the banquet was progressing without delay, but then as expected I hadn’t any time to speak to the head chamberlain or my other acquaintances.

What in the world was this banquet for? There were a lot of people I recognized among the guests, but I couldn’t see anywhere the center of the occasion. Yes, Riliane. Judging from the way things have been going she was probably the one holding the banquet, but if so that didn’t explain the reason for why so many people were gathered here like this.

Riliane was the “Daughter of Evil”—someone who had been despised by not only the people of her own country, but neighboring ones. Now that the kingdom had perished, there was no need for everyone to toady to her. So then, why—

“Allen! We’re not done yet! We’ve still got another big one, yannow!” Chartette was screaming.

A big one? …It can’t be!

.

“This is a bit of entertainment, from Princess Riliane to all of you!”

At Minister Minis’ words, I and the other servants carted the item out into the Hall of Mirrors.

“Ooooh…”

The guests were all in wonder.

What I had brought out—yes, it was an enormous candy castle.

Something similar had been at a banquet that had been held five hundred years ago…when Riliane was alive. It had been a symbol of pride, created out of her selfishness.

Back then, Riliane had smiled at it, extremely pleased. –But this time, she was nowhere to be found.

I steeled myself and tried asking Minis beside me where she was.

“Lord Minis. Where is the princess right n—”

And then, a bizarre twist occurred.

“Ta-daaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

And with that scream, something yellow jumped out from inside the candy castle before me.

“Wha!?”

Everyone’s eyes grew wide. Mine probably were too.

“Oh ho ho ho ho! I hope you’re having a good time, everyone! And now—come, bow to me!”

There was Riliane, making her signature phrase while covered in cream.

There were the shocked guests, the servants, and then me.

“R-Rilia—”

And then, right as I attempted to regain my composure and speak up to her.

“—Don’t be wasting the foood!”

Someone shouted that at her and rapidly dashed towards her.

It was an imposing woman—garbed in red armor.

It was the adoptive daughter of Leonhart of the Three Heroes, as well as the leader of the revolution.

And she was also my own adoptive older sister.

“Germaine…”

She pulled Riliane from her candy castle, and then fiercely brought her knuckles down on her head.

A dull noise resounded through the Hall of Mirrors.

“Uagh!? …Ooouch.”

“Take that as a punishment for a bad kid!”

“Y…you insolent thug! I’ll have you beheaded! Put you to the guillotine!”

“Oh ho? Go right ahead. I already died a long time ago, so I’m not scared in the least!”

“Grrrr...Th-then I’ll use magic! I’ll have Elluka turn you into a pig! Elluka! …Hey, Elluka!? Where is she!?”

But the court sorceress Elluka was nowhere to be seen.

“My, looks like your requested Miss Elluka isn’t anywhere around here. Weeell then, what shall you do, Your Majesty?”

“…Hmph! Enough! You big dummy.”

Riliane’s mood seemed to have completely soured. She shoved Germaine away and dashed off towards the entrance of the room.

I had watched the quarrel between my two sisters in a stupor, but as I saw Riliane running away I finally regained myself.

“Riliane!”

I headed for the door after her.

“--! A-Allen!? Wait a second!”

Noticing my presence there, Germaine flusteredly followed suit.

But someone extended a hand towards her as she did. That person’s hand gently stopped Germaine as she tried to pursue me.

“Hold up, Dad! Why’d you stop me!? Hey, Allen, wait—”

Sorry, Germaine. There’s a lot I want to talk about with you as well.

But right now—

Listening to Germaine’s voice behind me, I chased after Riliane.

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