Sarah told Jamie everything as clearly as she could, without leaving out any parts.
Even though she spoke in a voice where she wasn’t emotionally showing her feelings, the story only made him feel more guilty.
“You had to suffer so much because of me.”
From the moment Sarah held the sword, she had been training under Beryl. The child fought with the blood on her small hands for her family to survive.
They were things Jamie never wanted her to go through, but he was the one who pushed her into doing that.
And that made Jamie feel guilty.
“Sorry.”
The fact that all he could do was apologize felt worse.
However, Sarah shook her head, looking at her brother.
“This is the path that I chose. It was hard at first, but it is a path that I will never regret.”
“Sarah.”
“Rather. I think this is good. Isn’t it more satisfying to protect the life of someone else than to always be protected by another?”
“It is difficult to protect someone, and the road ahead will be tougher.”
“I walked the path of hardships and have brought my brother out again.”
At those words, Jamie felt the emotions within him surge.
It hurt Jamie’s heart even more for her to express that she was alright when he didn’t want to see her sad.
Which was why Jamie tried to smile as little as possible to assure her.
“Yes. It is all thanks to Sarah. You have grown so much.”
Smiling, he stroked her hair.
The feeling of Jamie’s calloused hands brushing her hair—it was something she hadn’t felt for a long time.
Sarah closed her eyes and smiled at the good feeling.
“Thank you.”
“It was nothing.”
“This brat?”
“Hehe!”
“Hahaha!”
The siblings laughed for a while.
“Rather, you mean Gaia chose you?”
“She said she chose me as the one who would awaken your feelings.”
“Hmm.”
Jamie crossed his arms as he recalled the Gaia he met in the Devildom.
Honestly, even if he says he saw her, Gaia at that time wasn’t a body but just a thought.
At that time, the two decided to proceed with the forgotten contract, and they were actually working on achieving their goal of defeating most of the 12 Gods.
Even after Jamie became the Demon King after the death of Count Welton, the contract was still in progress.
Odin, who had reawakened, reincarnated as the seed of the World Tree, and would bring in new roots for the land. Besides that, he was currently in the process of finding the other Nature Gods.
In other words, there was no reason for Gaia to make Sarah her Apostle.
‘The reason was to wake me up, but…’
Diablo, who abandoned his emotions, was about to confront Ra, the Sun God. It would be difficult for him to win, but he could surely do some damage to Ra.
He was already at that level, but if he succeeded in removing his emotions, then his power would have gone beyond imagination.
Could Gaia predict the outcome of their fight?
He thought it was impossible.
No matter how much she was the creator of this land and the mother of this land, it would be difficult for her to predict a fight on that scale.
In addition, even if that were possible, the Sun God would notice it right away.
Anyway, the contract between him and Gaia was being carried out by whoever the body was possessed by.
In other words, Sarah didn’t have to be the Apostle. But there was a reason, and Gaia didn’t tell Sarah that. Jamie was sure of it.
“Gaia. Are you watching us?”
He looked straight at Sarah and said that.
Sarah frowned at his unexpected words.
“Brother? What is it?”
“No matter how much I think about it, there is no reason for you to make my younger sister your Apostle. That means that there are things you can do only when someone becomes your Apostle, and as far as I know, an Apostle can turn themselves over to the God they serve at any time.”
“Brother?”
Sarah’s expression became confused.
She made a face that said she was unsure and scared while Jamie was talking fiercely as he was looking into her eyes.
And when she tried to stop him because she thought he was being strange, a black light shone from her neck.
“Uh?”
A black stone was glowing from inside her clothes. It was the necklace given as a gift by the Dark Spirit King, Venus, before she left the Shadow World.
“That is…!”
Since Jamie hadn’t heard about it, his eyes went wide when he saw the black stone.
“Sarah, where did you get this from?”
“Uh? That, in the Shadow World….”
But she didn’t continue further as the stone shone brightly to envelop the two of them.
In case it would be dangerous, Jamie connected his black mana to the stone. The black substance of the Shadow World was the power behind his black mana.
Even though they were slightly different, they had the same source, so it wasn’t difficult for him to keep it under control.
The problem was something else.
“Venus!”
The space they were in now was pitch black, and Jamie clicked his tongue at the familiar space.
He immediately spread out a shield around Sarah and blocked the path.
A black foam began to bubble up in front of their eyes, and then a woman appeared.
“It’s been so long. Diablo. Ah, should I call you Jamie Welton now?”
“Why did you give my sister the pass to the Shadow World?”
The black stone that Sarah was given was a pass that Venus gave to people she liked.
However, getting a pass wasn’t a good thing since the Shadow World was a dangerous place.
And the reason it wasn’t good was because of the presence in front of them, Venus.
She usually looked at the world from a bystander’s point of view, but it was different in her world.
Here, she was invincible, which meant she could do anything. And any living thing that stepped into her world was her play toy.
‘It is a different story if she likes her, though.’
Jamie was only able to get out safely because he built a relationship with Venus in his previous life, but those who didn’t might die from being toyed with.
If one simply classified her as good or evil, she was an existence that focused on evil.
But she gave Sarah a pass.
Jamie wasn’t sure what she was planning, but as her older brother, he didn’t like Sarah being here. Seeing his reaction, Venus smiled.
“I know what you are worried about, but do not be so alert. Would I ever harm your sister?”
“You can.”
“Well, you can think like that, huh?”
Venus didn’t deny it. Then she made a chair from darkness and sat on it.
“Still, she is quite likable, so I don’t really want to play with her.”
“…”
“Rather than that, did I tell you? If you have a stone, something fun will happen. How is it? Isn’t this fun?”
Venus asked Sarah.
To which she answered uncomfortably,
“W-Well.”
She wasn’t on good terms with Venus, and she didn’t understand why she was uncomfortable. The woman was never unkind to her, but she just felt it.
Should she say that she was someone who wasn’t likable from the start?
It was a feeling based on her instincts.
“So. Why did you suddenly call us?”
Jamie took a step towards Venus because he didn’t want her to speak to Sarah.
“Have you really changed so much? The Diablo I knew isn’t the type to stand in the way to protect someone.”
“And when did that happen?”
“I am just a little sad. It was more interesting to see you during the days when you had a cold heart and were a monster with no mercy. Right now, you… are no fun?”
Hearing that, Jamie was a bit taken aback and prepared to pick up Balisada.
And seeing that, Venus giggled.
“Are you going to fight me?”
“I will do what I have to.”
“Scary~”
Venus shrugged and laughed alone, then leaned against the backrest.
“Well, the reason I called you is for nothing too special.”
She raised her thin, long hand and snapped her fingers. The black space began to move around, and a pure white light covered the space.
Even in the sudden situation, Jamie stayed calm and watched it unfold.
On the contrary, Sarah looked flustered.
“W-What, again!?”
“It is fine, Sarah. It isn’t dangerous.”
There is no hostility in the power that appeared. Then Venus was covered in white light as she spoke to Jamie,
“I enjoy watching you.”
When she was completely covered in the light, Jamie frowned at the woman who appeared in front of him.
“You are so weak. Is this why you made my sister your Apostle? I did think it was strange.”
The jaw-dropping beauty who appeared was Gaia, but Jamie didn’t care about such things.
For him, this was an unpleasant situation, and Gaia responded.
[Call that being efficient.]
“I have been hearing the word efficient way too much lately, and now it feels like you have a different meaning for it. Try restraining yourself a bit.”
Jamie clicked his tongue and looked at Sarah, who was unconscious.
“Why did she faint?”
[Because she doesn’t have to hear what she won’t like.]
“That is better. I also have something to say.”
Even if he asked Sarah, she wouldn’t know about it. But Gaia was something else.
If she was directly involved with his reincarnation, she must know something.
“Why does Sarah have the same ability as me?”
The abilities of each person should be different. No matter how blood-related they are, it shouldn’t work like that.
But Jamie and Sarah shared the same ‘Future Walker.’
It was impossible.
[There is one thing that I need to correct you with.]
“Correct?”
[Sarah Welton doesn’t have the same ability as you.]
Then she had a different ability?
However, their abilities were completely on the same level and had no difference. In fact, it was the same power, so it could be canceled out.
But Gaia’s words were enough to shock Jamie.
[You have the same ability as Sarah Welton.]
Only the subject changed, and in the end, it was the same, but if one closely listened, it didn’t sound the same.
“I… have the same ability as Sarah?”
[Yes.]
The one who was born first was Jamie, and Jamie manifested the ability first. Since everything came first for him, it made no sense for him to have Sarah’s ability.
In that case, it was right to say that Sarah’s ability was the same as Jamie’s.
At first, he wondered if Gaia made a mistake, but as he looked at her expression, he didn’t think so.
“I wish you could tell me what you mean.”
[It is what I said. It means Sarah Welton came first.]
“Hey. Make some sense. I am her elder brother.”
[Right.]
“How is that possible, then?”
[It is possible. Because…]
Gaia answered his question with a calm expression.
[Because your soul had been created by removing a part of Sarah Welton’s soul.]
“What… was that?”
[The soul of the greatest swordsman. Sarah Welton. The most powerful swordsman in history, who was my first key, and who managed to push Ra to his demise at least once. You are made of that soul.]
“What did you say?”
[Do not deny it now. You had also anticipated this.]
Gaia spoke with the same tone.
[You were able to come down to this land with Sarah Welton’s fragments.]
