Sin Archbishop From a Common Place To World's Strongest

Chapter 3 "The Orcus Labyrinth" (Re-Written)

[Hajime's POV]

"I was betrayed!" —To think those words would stir his heart, the heart he thought he'd long since buried. He thought he had already forgotten about the classmate who had flung that fireball at him. He thought he had already thrown away paltry feelings like hatred and sympathy. In order to survive in this cruel world, he had to.

But the fact that the girl's words had shaken him so deeply meant that he hadn't completely buried his old self. Enough of the old, kind Hajime still lived that he could sympathize with this girl's circumstances, which were so very similar to his own.

He scratched his head uncomfortably and walked up to the girl. Of course, he still remained vigilant.

"You said you were betrayed? But that still doesn't explain why you're trapped here. If you really were betrayed, how come they sealed you in this rock?" The girl seemed shocked that Hajime had actually come back.

She stared fixedly at Hajime through her dirty golden locks, crimson eyes gleaming in the darkness. He began growing impatient at her continued silence.

"Hey, are you listening? If you don't want to talk, then I'll just head back now," he said brusquely and turned on his heel. The girl came back to her senses with a start and quickly began speaking.

"I am-

————

[Regulus POV]

Regulus had been wandering for nearly 4 hours now! Dealing with monsters, stupid puzzles which most of them he ended up destroying and not actually solving. As let's be honest, when you can walk through things you don't need to solve stupid puzzles.

Gospel's Writ: 「Traverse The Orcus, Defeat The Enemy Of Thy Friends, The Vampire and Demon Need you'r Help, The fate Has Changed.」

Regulus: "Huh? What does this load of bullshit mean? You expect me to understand you're stupid, unorganized and weird words? Cant you speak a normal language? Does your brain not understand that you fantasy is just that. Actually you don't have a brain now do you? Or did you think that by not having a brain you could infringe upon my right's?"

"Roar!-"

*Tap*

With a single tap of his foot regulus obliterated the enemy that was continuously attacking him, he had kindly asked it to wait while he read the new instructions that the gospel would give him. But the beast didn't listen to him and so it met the fate it was destined to meet. That is, be obliterated and forgotten about.

————

[Hajimes POV]

Hajime: "Hajime. Hajime Nagumo. What's yours?"

She muttered "Hajime" to herself over and over, as if carving it into her memories. After she finished repeating it she opened her mouth to answer his question, before hesitating for a moment and thinking better of it.

?: "...Give me one."

Hajime: "Huh? You want me to name you? Don't tell me you forgot your actual one?"

Considering how long she had been imprisoned here it wasn't impossible, but the girl shook her head slowly.

?: "I don't need a name from the past... I'm fine with whatever name you give me, Hajime."

Hajime: "...Haah, It's not so easy to just think up a name..."

The reason she wanted a new name was probably similar to the reason Hajime had reforged his heart. She wanted to throw away her old self and be reborn. Hajime had practically been forced to change by the pain and starvation, but it seemed she wanted to be reborn of her own free will. And the first step toward that transformation was getting a new moniker.