I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

But the traitor's goodwill, given that his identity as a traitor is already clear, feels so wavering and unpleasant.

Anyway...

The 'olive seed' was provided by the colorful Huaye herself, but the final outcome, whether good or bad, was borne by Huaye.

Surely we can't have a situation where we 'harm ourselves'?

A jumble of thoughts led Amamiya to call out to Hana and tell her to stop her pointless act of 'plunging herself into the clear pond'.

However, he did not immediately conclude that he must 'plant trees'.

Even as the leader of the Phantom Thieves, one cannot act arbitrarily and make subjective choices without unanimous agreement.

Amamiya waved to the girls who were looking at her, signaling them to come closer.

At the same time, he continued to 'reassur' the somewhat bewildered 'Judas'.

"Stand there and don't move. We need to discuss this one last time."

Chapter Fifty-Two: The Traitor's Relics

The candlelight flickered, and the lamplight dimmed.

The 'gravekeeper's hut' is probably the only place that can make people feel 'safe', which is fundamentally different from the style of the entire cemetery.

Kayoko, the last one to enter, very 'sensibly' clicked the door latch shut to observe from inside before sitting down in the last empty seat.

After a brief silence, Amamiya coughed lightly and spoke softly, "...Let's begin the 'strategic meeting' before we begin conquering this palace."

Amamiya placed the olive tree seed in the center of the table, sat down, and tapped the tabletop.

"The topic of this 'operational meeting' is whether that 'outsider' is trustworthy."

"Before we begin the formal discussion, let's consolidate the intelligence we've gathered since entering the cemetery."

After finding the safe house at the 'key point', the first thing they do is relax and rest, get injections and IV drips to restore their strength, or drink coffee and other energy drinks to boost their spirits. This has become an essential part of the Phantom Thieves' exploration of the other world.

The Phantom Thieves are, after all, a makeshift operation, so their so-called operational meetings are naturally not very rigorous. They simply exchange opinions and speak freely, expressing their views, and finally confirming their consensus on the next steps.

There's not much to say about the intelligence handover process.

The girls who split up to explore the cemetery each had their own gains.

Aside from the truly horrifying discovery of skeletal remains, the work also included Kirino's compilation and recording of epitaphs; Aru's confirmation of the consistency between the 'tombstone' owners; Kayoko's investigation of key targets within the cemetery; and Yuriko's simple survey of the cemetery's environment...

These intelligence points, when linked together, form an intelligence constellation.

Amamiya and Fubuki, one as the 'leader' and the other as the 'Navi', were responsible for organizing and summarizing these various pieces of information.

The intelligence handover session concluded, and the group turned their attention to the olive trees, which were surrounded by lush green leaves and seemed to be sprouting.

"Do you all think... this olive tree should be planted?"

After a pause, Amamiya added earnestly, "...Everyone is welcome to speak freely if they have any opinions."

"The Phantom Thieves' operating principle is to make decisions unanimously and then implement them. Even if there is only one objection, the Phantom Thieves will not act rashly."

After he finished speaking, Amamiya could clearly feel that the atmosphere in the room became quieter.

Apart from Fubuki, who had already vaguely touched upon the truth, Yuriko, Aruru, Kirino, and Kayoko all fell into deep thought, and inadvertently revealed their own little habits when they were deep in thought.

The silence lasted for several minutes before Kayoko took the initiative.

Kayoko took a withered olive branch from her trophy bag and placed it on the table. She offered her opinion: "I think... the plan to 'plant olive trees' is worthwhile."

"This is a special item I collected from near a particular tombstone."

Olive branch... and a withered olive branch at that.

In Kivotos, the 'olive branch' also has a very special meaning.

Although it doesn't have any strange or mythical connotations, it is indeed used as a symbol of peace.

“Even from the perspective of the ‘master of the hall’, she must have gone through a struggle.”

After making such a fair statement, Kayoko closed her eyes and stopped talking. Instead, she reviewed her daily life at Gehenna Academy since joining Convenience Store 68.

Disciplinary Committee, Hall of Ten Thousand Demons...

Also, why did I join Convenience House 68?

Realizing that she might have intended to 'sympathize with the enemy,' Kayoko quickly added, '...such an assessment is not out of sympathy.'

"Occasionally, there are times when 'no matter what you say, you won't be understood'."

"So... my view is that if the 'olive branch' means 'the original state of mind', then it is not about persuading them to do good by 'stealing the treasure', but about letting them 'recall their original self' to bring them back to their original intentions... Perhaps, 'nurturing good thoughts' can achieve this."

To avoid being misunderstood, the usually taciturn Kayoko even offered an additional explanation of her reasons...

Following Kayoko, the second person to speak out was Yuriko.

This really surprised Amamiya.

Perhaps because she had been mentally trapped for a while and then reflected on herself, Yuriko seemed to have given up the idea of ​​hiding things—at least, she wouldn't hide everything anymore.

'...'

After giving Amamiya a slightly complicated look, Yuriko also took out a piece of 'evidence' before speaking formally.

Moreover... this evidence is also slightly terrifying.

It was slightly stained with dark red, blood-like marks, and judging from its freshness, it had probably just been pulled from the soil. When it was taken out, it still had a slight earthy smell...

However, it was not repulsive or nauseating at all; instead, it carried a faint, pleasant fragrance that was difficult to describe in words.

Amamiya scanned it with his [Third Eye], and wow, it was actually a piece of equipment.

[The Traitor's Shroud: The shroud that once wrapped the 'remains' of the traitor.]

[Type: Armor/Women's Armor]

[Skills: Atonement and Repentance / The Burden of a Sinner]

[Atonement and Repentance: Restores 100% of self's HP. Reduces self's Attack, Defense, and Accuracy/Defense for three rounds. Greatly increases the corresponding attributes of all allies except self. This skill is passively triggered once when self receives fatal damage.]

[The Sinner's Bearer: Eliminates the wearer's own attribute weaknesses and changes the resistance of this clothing to the enemy's advantageous attack attributes. When attacked by an enemy, the corresponding attribute resistance will become resistance in the next turn.]

What are the differences between the Shroud of Turin and the Shroud of Corpse?

['The shackles are for wrapping the bodies of saints, while the shrouds are for wrapping the bodies of ordinary people and sinners. They are essentially no different. But the worship of relics gives them different connotations.']

"This is a..."

After a slight hesitation, Yuriko twitched her fox ears and spoke with a doubtful expression: "...It should be that the 'shroud'-like object was found in the cemetery."

Upon hearing Yuriko's words, the other girls all showed expressions of fear or disgust.

Even if one knows that this is merely a perception of the world, and that the 'shroud' has never actually been used to wrap a body, its very meaning is enough to make people want to stay away.

"I found some information from above..."

Yuriko herself knew just how 'unlucky' this thing was, so she simply turned the shroud over and displayed the otherworldly characters that shimmered with a light blue light.

"This is 'The Traitor.' You should be very lucky to see this message."

"I come from another world, having traversed mountains and rivers. I am nearing my end, my days are numbered."

"Enough of the small talk... Explorers who see this message, I will show you... the moment of the 'Temple's' destruction."

"The flames of calamity fell from the heavens... The 'temple' gathered its strength and rose up in resistance."

"However, all of them perished; not one survived."

"...We are the decision-makers of the 'Temple.' Now, we convey our will to you."

"Those who come after us... if you trust us, please pass on this humble spark of ambition."

What followed was a subtle scene.

Although the scene presented was 'hinted' due to concerns about the issues between world rules, it was no different from an explicit statement to the people present.

The opening scene features a towering, grotesque structure that blots out the sky and spirals apart.

A crimson halo stretched across the sky, and some kind of massive, oppressive ship, its immense size obscuring the sun, sailed across the heavens.

The black-haired girl with fierce red eyes relentlessly destroyed everything she could see.

As the morning star fell from the sky, the Demon King, hunting down great sins, raised His hunting rifle to aim, and the silver-white giant swung His sword, which resembled the hands of a giant clock, chanting "tens of thousands of mantras" to dispel lies.

After a long roar, everything fell silent again.

The 'battleship' and the 'girl' vanished completely, and those magnificent beings that appeared briefly disappeared without a trace.

Even... the 'tower' no longer exists.

Literally, it means 'all were killed in action, not one survived.'

After the visual ended, the text reappeared.

Are you watching this scene?

"If we were to witness this scene... it would mean that our 'resistance' has utterly failed."

"But there is still one last option."

"The final... and loneliest choice."

"Let this message drift across the ocean currents of the collective subconscious and be sent out of this vast sea."

"Those of us who have truly perished, clinging to our last shred of will and a sliver of hope, have come together and, with the help of the Velvet Assistant... have transformed into 'conscious existence'."

"Let's cross the ocean."

Let's select our targets.

"Pass on the message."

"Let it vanish with the wind..."

"Searching, discerning... until I find that one in a million possibility, as a traitor... I will forever drift on this endless sea."

"This is my punishment for myself... and the only redemption I can find."

In this vast sea of ​​emotions... who will be fortunate enough to retrieve the 'message in a bottle' I left behind?

As the last glimmer of shimmering blue gradually disappeared, after being examined a second time, the records on the 'shroud' seemed to show signs of completely vanishing.

Only now did Yuriko stop unfolding the 'shroud' and roll it back up.

"This is……"

After glancing around the 'gravekeeper's' hut, Yuriko sighed and said, "...The message left by the 'gravekeeper'."

She didn't mention the concept of 'colorization'—because very few students know about the concept itself.

These kinds of 'quirky little facts' are generally of little benefit to students.

Unlike Kayoko, Yuriko didn't explain her reasons for 'supporting' Amamiya. Instead, she gave Amamiya a meaningful look.

Nothing a traitor says should be completely believed.

But at least...

The claim that "everyone was killed in action, with no one spared" is unlikely to be a lie.

So... the appearance of 'Huaya*Terror' may very well have been a coincidence, like a message in a bottle, that it was 'delivered' here.

And what she carries is undoubtedly a handful of ashes from a 'destroyed world line'.

Having been materially destroyed, they drift in the cognitive world solely on their spiritual will, searching for traces of 'color' that might have resisted the crisis within the sea of ​​collective unconsciousness, and sending out their remaining will...

In every sense, it seems to carry a kind of loneliness and determination, like that of "The Old Man and the Sea".

The probability of 'Flower Yeah*Terrible's' message in a bottle being sent here is probably no less than 'scattering a handful of parts into a vast ocean, and then having those parts assemble themselves into a working watch under the influence of ocean currents'.

This is a shroud.

This shroud may have originally existed to wrap the remains of sinners.

But now, it is a shroud of 'civilization'.

It encapsulates a timeline of destruction, a civilization that has perished.

After silently expressing her support, Yuriko didn't say much, but instead nudged Amamiya's ankle with her toe under the table, making a suggestive gesture.

After Yuriko spoke, Kirino, who was deep in thought, also spoke up.