Chapter 115: System Error

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༺ System Error ༻

'Alright, this will work. It's a complicated magic circle, so tearing it apart should be enough.'

The pace at which the two of them were running towards me gradually slowed down as they began to shout at each other.

"Kania! Use your black magic right now!!!"

"What? But…"

"Idiot! Magic scrolls are usually supposed to be torn! It's so complicated that I designed it to activate with my hand on it, but tearing it is enough to meet the conditions for activation!"

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 user's lifespan and vitality will be massively reduced

"Sigh."

I snorted at the system window in front of me, which was by now had become a familiar sight.

"I'm not scared anymore."

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 don't know what she's 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.

"Damn it! It won't activate, I don't have enough black magic!"

"I have a way."

"What? Hold on!"

"Excuse me."

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.

"Thank you, guys."

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.

"Please take care of me in the future as well."

[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.

"…Pretty."

It was a bright and beautiful sunrise primrose that I had seen before.

'But I don't need it anymore.'

But I think now I don't need it.

I…

Will sit on his shoulder, sing when he's tired, rub his face when he's sad, and fly around when he's happy.

I turned into a canary just for Frey.

"…Huh?"

By the way, something was wrong.

If I became a canary, what was wrong with my eyes? It's like I'm still a human.

"What?"

Besides, sunrise primrose in my hand? Why do I have a hand? I'm sure…

"Young Master!"

"No!"

While I was engrossed in such thoughts, I started hearing loud noises in front of me.

"…Cough!"

When I looked forward in shock, I saw Frey bleeding from his mouth as he collapsed on the ground.

Am I still dreaming? There's no way Frey would be coughing up blood. I've turned into a canary, so there's no way he'll get a penalty…

"Wait a minute."

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 didn't have time and tried to turn into a canary.

And…

"…Ah."

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.

"No."

Then I realized.

Once again, I've wronged him greatly.

"NOOOOOO!"

I got up and ran at full speed to Frey, who was held by Kania and Irina.

"Cough… Cough…""

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.

"Wh, why would you do that? Why, Frey?"

"Haaaa…"

"Why would you do that? Why?"

Urgently hugging Frey, who was lying on the ground next to Kania and Irina, I asked a question in a trembling voice.

– Drip.

"…ugh."

But what came out of Frey's mouth wasn't an answer, but blood.

"N, no. No, you can't."

Panicked by this, I covered Frey's mouth with my hand, not knowing what to do.

"Noooo.."

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 couldn't change the outcome. It was as if the world was laughing at me.

"Fi, Firstly, we have to treat…"

Eventually, she gave up covering Frey's mouth and removed her hands, revealing that his mouth was covered with blood.

"Ahhhh."

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.

"I'm, I'm sorry…"

As I stared at him blankly, I put my head on his forehead and began to cry.

"I won't do it again… Please…"

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, I'd turn into a canary without anyone knowing.

I'd 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?

"Keogh."

"Ubh."

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.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

But I didn't think of wiping it away. I didn't even think to stop apologizing. The same was true of the idea of no longer crying.

"Aghhhhh."

My only friend, someone who secretly dealt with my political opponents and carefully selected informants; my only true subject.

I didn't know anything about love and never intended to do it again. A man I never thought I'd fall in love with.

But, that someone who loved me more than anyone else… gave up his lifespan to protect me.

Frey's life span, which already only had a few years remaining, had been cut in half again.

Because of me, because I was 'sure'. Because I made a plan that went awry.

"I swear."

I cried for a long time.

"No matter how long your lifespan, no matter what you do in the future, even if you become a villain."

She placed her head on Frey's forehead and whispered.

"I will be your own canary, serving you to the end."

So I kissed Frey, and I put my hand on his heart.

Because 'covenant' was already used when she was a child, she attempted to swear directly to his soul.

"…What?"

By the way, what was going on?

"Huh?"

I couldn't feel Frey's soul.

I couldn't feel any energy in his heart at all.

"Frey… no…"

I turned pale in an instant, but soon realized that his heart was beating, and breathed a sigh of relief.

'But why can't I feel his soul?'

In the next moment, a new question occurred to me.

His heart is beating, but why couldn't 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.

"N, no way… Is it because of me? Because of what I did?"

If the soul of a person who was alive has disappeared, there is only one reason.

It was my fault.

I killed Frey again…

"…Ah!"

I was shaking my hands in despair, and I started to feel Frey's soul somewhere.

'Wh, what a relief"

I'm so relieved. If Frey's soul had been lost because of me, I wouldn't have been able to hold out.

I'm so glad that his soul remained…

Hold on.

How does this make sense?

The soul of a person isn't in their body?

.

.

.

.

.

"Th-That's ridiculous. This is possible?"

Clana, who had been drenched in blood from Frey, who had lost consciousness, rose and looked as if she had seen a ghost.

"Fi-First of all, we need to find traces of the soul."

Soon after, Clana, who was looking around like a deranged person, began to head to the place where she weakly felt Frey's soul.

The 'Soul Release' 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.

"If his soul is really out of his body, I have to be a vessel, even if it gnaws away at my own soul.'

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.

"There?"

Therefore, Clana, who vowed to capture Frey's 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.

"I found it…"

So, after walking and walking, Clana finally arrived at her destination.

"…What?"

She soon froze.

"Hello, princess."

"…Kania."

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.

"What's going on?"

Clana, who was staring blankly at them, soon opened her mouth with a pale expression.

"Why… do I feel Frey's soul from you? Kania?"

"In preparation for this situation, Irina devised a magic to swap souls…"

Kania, who was asked a question by Clana with trembling eyes, began to answer with a troubled expression.

"With the dark mana in Irina's body, it was far from enough to stabilize the abnormally triggered scroll.."

"So Kania forcibly robbed me of the magic circle engraved on my body."

When Irina, who interrupted Cania, lifted Cania's top, a black magic pattern began to appear on her belly.

"S-So?"

"At 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 body's lifespan in half."

"But why do I still feel Frey's soul from you?!"

As Clana raised her voice, Kania quietly stroked her belly and spoke,

"I believe his soul remained inside of me."

"…What?"

"Because of the abnormally invoked magic… the resulting error caused Frey's soul to remain in me."

Clana, who looked blank after hearing that, soon asked in a low voice.

"So, Frey's soul is trapped in your body forever?"

"No. After a certain period of time, his soul should naturally return to his body. And, if it doesn't, as a black magician skilled in soul manipulation, I can force it back where it came from."

"Wh, what about the penalty? How long does he have?"

"That's…"

"What's going on with his body?"

Then, Kania quietly raised her head.

"I don't know."

"Huh?"

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!]

[Troubleshooting!]

"…I don't know what's going on either."

You can read 505 episodes for $10. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02