While Rin, Aurelia, Amelia, and Sayaka traveled together, and Izan, Daiki, and Kawa worked back in the mother lands…
Far away—
In the castle of the Seven Deadly Sins—
At the very top of the towering structure, hidden away from the rest of the world…
A girl lay quietly on her bed.
Her eyes were pure white.
On her right eye rested the number 8, and within it, a strange symbol—a mixture of all the numbers, split like pieces of a pie.
Astraea.
She stared up at the ceiling, bored… unmoving.
Then—
Knock. Knock.
A voice came from the other side of the door.
It was one of her sisters.
"Astraeaaa… you okay?" the voice called out casually.
The door creaked open slightly.
Standing there was Gorina — Gluttony, holding a piece of chicken in one hand, already halfway eaten.
She took another bite before speaking again.
"You've been up here all day…"
Astraea let out a slow breath.
"I'm alright," she said quietly.
The door opened wider.
Another figure stood beside Gorina.
Zerina — Greed.
She stepped forward slightly, eyes lighting up.
"Do you want anything?" she asked quickly. "Toys? Money? More art stuff? I know you love drawing—I can get you the best in the world."
Gorina sighed, chewing.
"…Maybe she's just hungry."
Zerina immediately snapped her head toward her.
"She's not hungry, idiot. She already ate breakfast."
Gorina frowned.
"I'm not an idiot," she muttered. "She shouldn't grow up all skinny like you."
That did it.
Zerina's eye twitched.
In an instant—she lunged.
"WHAT did you just say?!"
The two crashed into each other, tackling and rolling out into the hallway, arguing as they tumbled toward the stairs.
Astraea watched from her doorway…
And for once—
She laughed.
A soft, rare smile formed on her face.
Suddenly—
A presence filled the hallway.
Aetheria — Pride.
She appeared without warning.
Astraea immediately straightened up, her body going stiff. The small smile she had just moments ago vanished as she quickly composed herself.
She knew.
Aetheria was strict.
Without saying a word, Aetheria turned and began walking down the hall.
Astraea followed quietly behind.
They entered a room—
An old one.
The air felt heavier here.
Paintings lined the walls, each one detailed and powerful… all of them centered around one figure.
Their father.
At the center of the room stood a large statue of him, towering and imposing, watching over everything.
Aetheria stepped forward slightly, her gaze fixed ahead.
"You know…" she began calmly, her voice carrying authority, "we might have to bring you."
Astraea's body tensed slightly.
"If the prince of the Justice Kingdom truly masters most of his abilities," Aetheria continued, "we may have to summon our older sister… and possibly even Father."
Astraea's breath hitched.
Her legs twitched slightly.
Her hands began to shake.
Aetheria noticed.
"Calm down," she said, her tone still firm but not harsh. "It's not like you'll be hurt."
She paused.
"We'll just need your body. That's all."
That didn't help.
Not really.
Astraea swallowed quietly.
Aetheria continued, more composed now.
"And don't worry. Once the war is over, we'll find a way to bring Father and our sister back permanently."
Astraea lowered her gaze slightly.
"…Okay," she whispered.
Aetheria turned toward her.
"You'll be free soon," she added.
"Just keep holding on."
Astraea nodded.
Slowly, her breathing steadied, her body calming just a little.
"…I understand."
Aetheria studied her for a moment… then spoke again.
"Come."
She extended her hand.
"Let's go make dinner for everyone."
Astraea hesitated for only a second before taking it.
They walked out together, heading downstairs.
As they reached the lower floor—
Aetheria's eyes shifted.
Pieces of chicken.
Crumbs scattered across the floor.
A small mess left behind.
Her expression darkened slightly.
"…Unbelievable."
A faint irritation crept into her voice.
As they made their way fully downstairs and entered the main hallway, Aetheria reached for the door and pushed it open.
The moment it swung wide—
Zerina and Gorina were still rolling across the floor, tangled up with each other, pieces of chicken scattered beside them.
They froze.
Slowly… both of them looked up.
Right at Aetheria.
Silence.
Across the room, the other sisters reacted.
Lilith — Lust sat on the throne, casually flipping through a magazine, only slightly turning her head away as if mildly annoyed.
Somnia — Sloth was sprawled lazily across the throne, one leg draped over the armrest, her body practically melting into the seat, barely even reacting.
Kaelira — Wrath sat in her chair, a furious smile stretched across her face.
Small flames crackled around her, flickering with her rising irritation.
She slowly clenched her jaw—
Her sharp teeth sparking against each other with a faint, dangerous crack.
Nyxira — Envy sat more properly, though there was a slight stiffness to her posture—like she was trying very hard to look composed and in control.
Meanwhile—
Zerina and Gorina slowly untangled themselves.
Still staring at Aetheria.
Astraea stepped forward, her voice firm for once.
"Gorina. Zerina. Go get the dinner dishes… and clean this mess up. Now."
Both of them froze—
Then immediately untangled completely and scrambled to their feet.
"Yeah, yeah…" Zerina muttered.
"Tch… fine…" Gorina added, already picking up the scattered food.
They started cleaning quickly, still mumbling under their breath.
Astraea then turned her attention to the others.
"Kaelira. Nyxira. You two are helping cook today."
Kaelira's furious smile instantly dropped.
"…Seriously?" she groaned, standing up anyway.
Nyxira rose more quietly, a bit nervous but obedient.
Astraea didn't say anything else.
She simply turned and began walking.
Aetheria followed beside her as they both headed toward the kitchen.
Kaelira and Nyxira trailed behind them.
Back in the room—
Somnia and Lilith glanced at each other, slightly surprised.
"…She didn't say anything to us?" Lilith muttered.
Somnia blinked lazily.
"…Lucky."
They both shrugged—
And went right back to lounging and reading like nothing happened.
Once they all entered the kitchen—
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Maids stood in a straight line along the left side, hands folded neatly in front of them. On the right, the chefs stood in formation, each one alert and ready.
At the very end stood the head chef.
The moment Aetheria and Astraea stepped in—
He bowed deeply.
"Tonight's dish," he said respectfully, handing over a detailed recipe. "We've prepared everything needed."
Aetheria took the recipe, glancing over it quickly.
"…Pizza," she murmured.
She nodded once.
"Thank you."
Without wasting time—
"Let's begin."
Astraea's expression lit up slightly.
She actually looked… happy.
Cooking was one of the few things she enjoyed.
Aetheria and Astraea moved to the center table, immediately beginning with the dough.
As they worked, Aetheria spoke calmly.
"If you're ever in the wilderness," she said while kneading, "you won't always have proper tools or ingredients."
She pressed the dough firmly.
"You adapt. You use what's available. Grind your own base, mix with water, control the texture with pressure—not measurements."
Astraea listened while following her movements perfectly, already experienced.
The dough slowly came together—
Smooth.
Elastic.
Perfect.
Meanwhile—
Kaelira and Nyxira worked on the ingredients.
Cheese was being shredded.
Peppers sliced cleanly.
Sauce prepared and spread out.
And then—
Mushrooms.
Nyxira hesitated.
Her hands hovered over the bowl.
"…I don't like these…" she muttered quietly.
There was a slight fear in her eyes as she picked one up like it might bite her.
Kaelira noticed immediately.
Her eye twitched.
"…Can you hurry up?" she said, irritation already building.
Nyxira flinched slightly and tried to move faster, picking them out one by one—
But she was slow.
Too slow.
Kaelira's irritation grew.
"Faster," she said again.
Nyxira nodded quickly, her movements becoming more rushed—but sloppy.
Still not enough.
"Seriously?" Kaelira muttered, her voice sharpening. "We don't have all day."
Aetheria and Astraea had already finished the dough.
A large, perfectly rounded base now stretched across the table.
They had already started cleaning their area.
Meanwhile—
Nyxira was still struggling.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she picked up another mushroom.
Kaelira's patience snapped.
"PUT THE DAMN MUSHROOMS ON THERE ALREADY!"
Nyxira flinched hard, her whole body jolting.
"STOP YELLING AT ME!" she shouted back, her voice breaking instantly.
Tears flooded her eyes almost immediately, blurring her vision as her hands shook. She tried to grab more mushrooms from the bowl—but her fingers fumbled, dropping a few, picking them up again, moving too slow… still too slow.
Kaelira's eye twitched.
"…Unbelievable."
In a sudden, sharp motion—
She grabbed Nyxira's wrist.
Nyxira froze completely.
Before she could react, Kaelira snatched a full handful of mushrooms from the bowl and slammed them into Nyxira's hands.
"LIKE THIS."
Then, forcing her arms forward—
She shoved Nyxira's hands down onto the pizza.
The mushrooms scattered across the surface.
"AHH—!!"
Nyxira screamed, her voice cracking as she broke down even more, tears streaming down her face as she tried to pull her hands back, shaking uncontrollably.
Around them—
The chefs watched in panic.
Some took a step forward… wanting to help—
But hesitation stopped them.
They all knew Kaelira.
And what she was like.
Still—
One brave chef stepped forward, his voice nervous.
"P-please… Lady Kaelira, you should calm—"
Too late.
Kaelira's eyes ignited.
Flames flickered violently within them, heat distorting the air around her.
Her head snapped toward him.
"SHUT THE HELL UP."
She grabbed the nearest bowl—
And hurled it straight at him.
It crashed, ingredients exploding across the floor.
That was all it took.
The rest of the chefs scattered.
Some ducked behind counters.
Others dropped flat to the ground.
A few hid behind anything they could find, covering their heads.
Nyxira's crying only got louder, her shoulders shaking as she tried to wipe her tears, completely overwhelmed.
Astraea…
Watched it all—
And laughed.
A quiet, amused laugh, like the chaos didn't bother her at all.
"…This again…"
Aetheria, on the other hand—
Groaned, dragging a hand down her face.
"…You're all so exhausting."
Her voice dropped.
Cold.
Final.
"Enough."
After Aetheria shut everything down, the chaos slowly faded.
Nyxira wiped her face, sniffling as she tried to steady her breathing. Kaelira clicked her tongue but said nothing more, crossing her arms as the tension in the room settled. The chefs carefully came out from their hiding spots, silently cleaning the mess as fast as possible.
No one complained.
No one spoke out of turn.
Within minutes—
The kitchen was spotless again.
The pizzas had already been placed into the oven.
Now—
They waited.
Everyone stood in front of it, lined up almost instinctively.
The heat from the oven radiated outward, warming their faces as the soft glow flickered through the glass.
A timer ticked down.
20 seconds left.
No one moved.
Nyxira stared at the oven, still a little shaken but calmer now. Kaelira leaned slightly, watching with narrowed eyes, clearly impatient. Astraea stood quietly, a small hint of excitement in her expression.
Even the chefs watched closely from a distance.
Waiting.
The ticking felt louder than it should've.
15 seconds.
The smell began to spread—
Rich, warm, and savory.
Cheese melting.
Dough crisping.
Sauce blending perfectly with everything.
5 seconds.
The entire room felt… focused.
Like nothing else mattered in that moment.
The timer hit zero.