âAlright, this will work. Itâs a complicated magic circle, so tearing it apart should be enough.â
The pace at which the two of them were running towards me gradually slowed down as they began to shout at each other.
âKania! Use your black magic right now!!!â
âWhat? ButâŠâ
âIdiot! Magic scrolls are usually supposed to be torn! Itâs so complicated that I designed it to activate with my hand on it, but tearing it is enough to meet the conditions for activation!â
But thanks to the aftereffects of the two attacks earlier, my ears merely rang with a high-pitched noise.
Therefore, I averted my gaze away from them, believing it was the end because of the penalty window, and stumbled in the rush of mana coming from below.
Permanent debuff: The Fate of False Evil
The userâs lifespan and vitality will be massively reduced
âSigh.â
I snorted at the system window in front of me, which was by now had become a familiar sight.
âIâm not scared anymore.â
The letter I received from Serena yesterday when I was with Ferloche.
The letter clearly showed that there was hope.
P.S. I think I found a way to save you. Perhaps.
I believe in Serena.
And even these two who bickered amongst each other to bear the penalty in my place.
I believe in Kania, a more reliable person than anyone else, and Irina, who developed impossible magic just for my sake.
Also.
I donât know what sheâs hiding, but Ferloche, who gave me important information,
And I believe in Clana, who tried to become a canary for me.
Not in a translucent system window floating above me.
Therefore, I could do anything.
âDamn it! It wonât activate, I donât have enough black magic!â
âI have a way.â
âWhat? Hold on!â
âExcuse me.â
I was confident that even with that penalty, I could defeat the Demon King and give a happy ending to the two girls in front of me.
Therefore, there was no reason for them to lose a part of their lifespans for my sake.
âThank you, guys.â
While thinking as such, I held onto my last fragments of consciousness that were gradually fading away. I left them with a final statement in a dim voice.
âPlease take care of me in the future as well.â
[ Stacks: 3]
[ Special Stack: 1]
Then, the world turned dark.
.
.
.
.
.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a sunrise primrose in my hand.
ââŠPretty.â
It was a bright and beautiful sunrise primrose that I had seen before.
âBut I donât need it anymore.â
But I think now I donât need it.
IâŠ
Will sit on his shoulder, sing when heâs tired, rub his face when heâs sad, and fly around when heâs happy.
I turned into a canary just for Frey.
ââŠHuh?â
By the way, something was wrong.
If I became a canary, what was wrong with my eyes? Itâs like Iâm still a human.
âWhat?â
Besides, sunrise primrose in my hand? Why do I have a hand? Iâm sureâŠ
âYoung Master!â
âNo!â
While I was engrossed in such thoughts, I started hearing loud noises in front of me.
ââŠCough!â
When I looked forward in shock, I saw Frey bleeding from his mouth as he collapsed on the ground.
Am I still dreaming? Thereâs no way Frey would be coughing up blood. Iâve turned into a canary, so thereâs no way heâll get a penaltyâŠ
âWait a minute.â
The memories that suddenly crossed my mind hit me, who was sitting in a daze.
Frey, who kissed me upon hearing my last request. And the fact I fell to the floor while hugging him.
The love I shared with him for a long time, as our hands, arms, legs, and our bodies intertwined with each other..
I wanted to do something more, but I gave up because I didnât have time and tried to turn into a canary.
AndâŠ
ââŠAh.â
At that moment, suddenly, Frey began infusing his stellar mana into the canary I gave him.
After killing off the canary, he was smiling with relief. My first friend.
âNo.â
Then I realized.
Once again, Iâve wronged him greatly.
âNOOOOOO!â
I got up and ran at full speed to Frey, who was held by Kania and Irina.
âCough⊠CoughâŠââ
But it was too late.
Frey, who was held up by them, was already unconscious and vomiting a large amount of blood from his mouth.
âWh, why would you do that? Why, Frey?â
âHaaaaâŠâ
âWhy would you do that? Why?â
Urgently hugging Frey, who was lying on the ground next to Kania and Irina, I asked a question in a trembling voice.
â Drip.
ââŠugh.â
But what came out of Freyâs mouth wasnât an answer, but blood.
âN, no. No, you canât.â
Panicked by this, I covered Freyâs mouth with my hand, not knowing what to do.
âNoooo..â
But the blood from his mouth leaked past my hand, and began to drench my clothes and ground.
As if, no matter how much I struggled I couldnât change the outcome. It was as if the world was laughing at me.
âFi, Firstly, we have to treatâŠâ
Eventually, she gave up covering Freyâs mouth and removed her hands, revealing that his mouth was covered with blood.
âAhhhh.â
He was smiling.
As if he was happy by the fact he was able to protect me. As if it was no big deal if he lost his life while doing so.
âIâm, Iâm sorryâŠâ
As I stared at him blankly, I put my head on his forehead and began to cry.
âI wonât do it again⊠PleaseâŠâ
Unable to get over his determination to protect me, I hated myself for making a ridiculous plan and making Frey decide to sacrifice myself.
Rather, Iâd turn into a canary without anyone knowing.
Iâd fly somewhere so nobody would feel guilty.
And when Frey finishes everything, I could fly to heaven and beg for forgiveness.
Wh-What was my obsession with that damned flower?
âKeogh.â
âUbh.â
That was what I was crying about.
Frey, whose forehead was touching mine, coughed up blood again.
Thanks to that, my face is now covered in blood as well as my clothes that were already soaked with blood.
âIâm sorry⊠Iâm sorryâŠâ
But I didnât think of wiping it away. I didnât even think to stop apologizing. The same was true of the idea of no longer crying.
âAghhhhh.â
My only friend, someone who secretly dealt with my political opponents and carefully selected informants; my only true subject.
I didnât know anything about love and never intended to do it again. A man I never thought Iâd fall in love with.
But, that someone who loved me more than anyone else⊠gave up his lifespan to protect me.
Freyâs life span, which already only had a few years remaining, had been cut in half again.
Because of me, because I was âsureâ. Because I made a plan that went awry.
âI swear.â
I cried for a long time.
âNo matter how long your lifespan, no matter what you do in the future, even if you become a villain.â
She placed her head on Freyâs forehead and whispered.
âI will be your own canary, serving you to the end.â
So I kissed Frey, and I put my hand on his heart.
Because âcovenantâ was already used when she was a child, she attempted to swear directly to his soul.
ââŠWhat?â
By the way, what was going on?
âHuh?â
I couldnât feel Freyâs soul.
I couldnât feel any energy in his heart at all.
âFrey⊠noâŠâ
I turned pale in an instant, but soon realized that his heart was beating, and breathed a sigh of relief.
âBut why canât I feel his soul?â
In the next moment, a new question occurred to me.
His heart is beating, but why couldnât feel his soul? The most important thing for a person is their soul.
A man without a soul, was like a boat without a sailor.
âN, no way⊠Is it because of me? Because of what I did?â
If the soul of a person who was alive has disappeared, there is only one reason.
It was my fault.
I killed Frey againâŠ
ââŠAh!â
I was shaking my hands in despair, and I started to feel Freyâs soul somewhere.
âWh, what a reliefâ
Iâm so relieved. If Freyâs soul had been lost because of me, I wouldnât have been able to hold out.
Iâm so glad that his soul remainedâŠ
Hold on.
How does this make sense?
The soul of a person isnât in their body?
.
.
.
.
.
âTh-Thatâs ridiculous. This is possible?â
Clana, who had been drenched in blood from Frey, who had lost consciousness, rose and looked as if she had seen a ghost.
âFi-First of all, we need to find traces of the soul.â
Soon after, Clana, who was looking around like a deranged person, began to head to the place where she weakly felt Freyâs soul.
The âSoul Releaseâ phenomenon has only been written a few times in the vast amount of books that Clana had read so far because it is quite rare and the way to solve it was quite difficult.
âIf his soul is really out of his body, I have to be a vessel, even if it gnaws away at my own soul.â
A soul that has escaped from a human body will wander forever if it cannot return to its original body within a certain amount of time.
This is because the connection to the main body becomes weaker as time goes by.
âThere?â
Therefore, Clana, who vowed to capture Freyâs soul even if her soul was damaged if necessary, hurried her steps with a nervous look as the lingering energy of his soul gradually became stronger.
âI found itâŠâ
So, after walking and walking, Clana finally arrived at her destination.
ââŠWhat?â
She soon froze.
âHello, princess.â
ââŠKania.â
It was because for some reason, Kania, who was sitting at the foot of a tree a little away, and Irina, who was breathing hard, and her face twisted, were present.
âWhatâs going on?â
Clana, who was staring blankly at them, soon opened her mouth with a pale expression.
âWhy⊠do I feel Freyâs soul from you? Kania?â
âIn preparation for this situation, Irina devised a magic to swap soulsâŠâ
Kania, who was asked a question by Clana with trembling eyes, began to answer with a troubled expression.
âWith the dark mana in Irinaâs body, it was far from enough to stabilize the abnormally triggered scroll..â
âSo Kania forcibly robbed me of the magic circle engraved on my body.â
When Irina, who interrupted Cania, lifted Caniaâs top, a black magic pattern began to appear on her belly.
âS-So?â
âAt the same time he was penalized, I invoked the magic⊠if everything went to plan, the Young Master who entered my body should have received a penalty and cut my bodyâs lifespan in half.â
âBut why do I still feel Freyâs soul from you?!â
As Clana raised her voice, Kania quietly stroked her belly and spoke,
âI believe his soul remained inside of me.â
ââŠWhat?â
âBecause of the abnormally invoked magic⊠the resulting error caused Freyâs soul to remain in me.â
Clana, who looked blank after hearing that, soon asked in a low voice.
âSo, Freyâs soul is trapped in your body forever?â
âNo. After a certain period of time, his soul should naturally return to his body. And, if it doesnât, as a black magician skilled in soul manipulation, I can force it back where it came from.â
âWh, what about the penalty? How long does he have?â
âThatâsâŠâ
âWhatâs going on with his body?â
Then, Kania quietly raised her head.
âI donât know.â
âHuh?â
I answered while looking at the opaque window in the air.
System error
Identification code: s01
[Soul value is not correct]
[Troubleshooting!]
[Conclusion: The value of the soul changed during the penalty!]