The Price of Trust

What Yolina said was indeed true. Let Mia die if she wants to kill me. But it felt strange. How could an innocent and kind Mia kill someone? Of course, I couldn't follow the twisted logic of simply following the heart like that. There was another reason too.

"Have you thought about it? The planner, or let's call them the real killer, has the ability to erase specific memories from me without leaving a trace from afar. Isn't this killer powerful? What if you get hurt?" I said to Yolina.

Apparently, my defense alone wasn't enough to calm her anger. Her face still looked like she was ready to kill me at any moment.

"Still! You're letting the bitch who would bite your neck sit pretty close to you without doing anything! If she indeed has a part in killing you, just let her die! Why do you care? Oh, you're infatuated with her face and body so you forgive her? Ridiculous logic!" Yolina said angrily.

"I care about you, damn sister! You could get hurt! Didn't you hear what I said?" I, who had been calm all this time, was also slightly affected by Yolina's atmosphere. So I also slightly raised my voice.

"You're calling your sister 'damn'? Seems like you really are infatuated with your little maid, huh?" Yolina's anger grew, and dark red mana aura began to seep from her body.

I could feel the strong mana pressure from my seat. It made me realize.

'Damn, this isn't good. I'm getting caught up in her anger. Is it because of the soul connection too? If I get angry, Yolina will definitely get angrier if that's true,' I thought.

With that thought, I calmed myself. I felt it was a bit difficult to calm down, so I used Arkium, which helped me calm down faster.

"Calm down, sister. Didn't I say I'm worried you'd get hurt? And if Mia is killed, won't it erase even the smallest clue?" I said calmly while raising one hand and making a calming gesture.

At that moment, although not immediately, Yolina gradually calmed down. She took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Damn. The effect of the soul connection is still strong because it was just activated. I forgot that. Usually, it's hard to get rid of. But somehow, I felt as if cold water was poured into my soul after you spoke. It calmed me down faster," said Yolina while striking a meditative pose.

'Is it really because of the soul connection? And cold water? Calming down faster? Can Arkium be felt through the soul connection?' I wondered.

"Are you calm now?" I asked, ignoring the cold water Yolina felt.

Yolina was still in a meditative pose and breathing in a certain pattern. Shortly after, she sat again normally and turned to me.

"Yes. I'm sorry about earlier," said Yolina.

"It's alright. Back to the topic, can you do a soul connection and check on Mia?" I asked.

"No. Like you said. If I check Mia's soul and there's some kind of very strong trap or curse, I could get hurt and in the worst case, I could die," Yolina said calmly.

"Right. Besides, I'm considering the possibility that if the curse is activated when checked, Mia's soul will be lost and Mia will die. And the killer will know that I checked Mia's soul," I continued.

Yolina nodded and fell into deep thought.

"There's something strange. If the killer wants you dead, why hasn't there been any movement from the killer's side if you're still alive? It's been a week, shouldn't they know you're still alive?" Yolina asked with a worried face.

I nodded and said, "Because of that, I have to take advantage of this, right?"

'Yes, I chose not to think too deeply about this while staying alert,' I thought.

Yolina stared at me for a long time and then sighed before asking, "Are you sure you want to ignore this?"

When Yolina said this, a strange but sensible thought crossed my mind.

'The killer really wanted to kill Edward by removing his soul and replacing it with another soul. The question is whether they deliberately summoned me or summoned a random soul to be placed in Edward's body,' I thought wildly.

With that, it made sense if the killer let me wander around with my head intact. They indeed planned it this way.

'Whatever, let's see what happens next. I'm not a good planner anyway,' I thought.

Once my reflection was over, I answered Yolina calmly. I said, "I'll stop thinking about it, but I won't ignore it either. That's why I'm making a small move now."

Yolina sighed again.

"You keep saying the killer this, the killer that. Didn't you say before that you committed suicide by drinking the Soul Release Potion because you were frustrated and depressed at the academy?" Yolina asked with a flat face.

Yolina brought up the topic again when she visited my dormitory unit and hit me because I told her I committed suicide.

"At that time, I only remembered that I committed suicide by drinking the Soul Release Potion. But regarding the motive, well...I did lie to you. Thinking back, I don't even know what made me commit suicide. So I doubt that memory now." I turned my head to the side and scratched my right cheek with my right index finger.

Yolina, who was currently staring at me with a flat gaze, softened her expression and sighed.

"Well, I'll forget about that. Then, what will you do about Mia?" Yolina asked.

"Did you contact mother about my suicide?" I asked back.

My mother, Eilif, is a powerful soul witch. It would be very easy to solve this if she helped. But if she came to Sciendufer, I guess it should be done secretly. Otherwise, it would attract unnecessary attention. After all, she is the third lady of the mighty House Vallois.

Yolina, who was now looking serious, relaxed her expression and sat as relax as possible on the long sofa.

"Yes. In fact, mother already knew on the day of your suicide. She said she felt something strange from your soul, like there was danger but after that, your soul was fine," Yolina answered with a resigned expression.

Hearing this, I was shocked. I did know my mother was a very powerful soul witch, but I didn't expect this.

"To that extent?" I asked with a surprised face.

"You underestimate our mother, Edward. And you underestimate her love. She must be watching you from afar. Mother said she installed some sort of danger alarm in both of our souls. So when something goes wrong with our souls, she will know," Yolina answered while taking a macaron.

"If that's the case, if mother is that strong, can she solve Mia's problem?" I asked.

"I think she can. Oh, and also, mother was very angry when she heard you actually committed suicide," Yolina said while eating her macaron casually.

The serious atmosphere earlier gradually disappeared when Yolina and I started talking about our mother. Well, having the support of a strong person will surely make anyone feel at ease. Especially if that strong person is your mother.

"Ahem, I will contact her later," I said, clearing my throat and looking away.

"No need. Just meet her with me when I leave for heroism practice later. I have to go home first because they recommended the place for me. Bring Mia too," Yolina replied.

I nodded. For now, the Mia issue was half resolved. For other details, I didn't think too much about them. Just do it first.

After that, Yolina and I had lighter conversations. Since the serious atmosphere started when we involved our mother in the topic, our conversations revolved around our childhood memories. We chatted pleasantly and casually while eating the snacks I bought. She even played some music on her phonograph when I started talking about how comfortable her room was.

And before we knew it, it was 9 PM. I intended to go home because I remembered Yolina looked tired when I arrived at her dormitory building.

"Well then, I'll be going home," I said, standing up from my seat while grabbing my bag and blazer.

"Oh? Going home already? Isn't it still not too late?" Yolina also stood up and looked at the wall clock.

Her face was surprised when she saw the wall clock. Then she said, "Did we talk for that long?" she asked.

I smiled and then answered, "Indeed, that long. You're tired. So sleep after this, sister."

Yolina then looked at me with a soothing expression. As if happy with my visit. But after that, suddenly her expression changed. She looked sad. I, who was about to walk away, stopped and focused on the change in her expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked, approaching Yolina.

She looked at me briefly and then lowered her head.

"I was honest when I said about the magic contract. But...I...I actually lied to you about the method to ensure if I could be trusted," Yolina answered in a low voice.

I wasn't surprised. I actually doubted her method from the beginning. It did work well. But the method was too simple in my opinion. Like a simple lie detector. I was silent for a moment while looking at Yolina who was bowing her head.

Then I smiled and said, "Actually, I doubted you at that time because I thought your method was too simple. Well, maybe it's not that simple, but somehow I feel like it's simple. But from the lie detection alone it was enough for me. And I can also judge you from our interactions. So don't feel guilty. I trust-"

"But, I tested your trust in me with a simple method when you already believed that I was on your side. Not only that, you trusted me even when I used that simple method," Yolina interrupted me, raising her voice.

"So, what are you going to do?" I asked, sighing.

Yolina lifted her head and looked into my eyes. Her gaze was serious.

"Do the soul connection with me again!" Yolina demanded firmly.

Seeing her seriousness, I could only surrender. After all, Yolina was a stubborn person. And if there was a way to add more proof that she could be trusted, why not.

"Alright," I said, extending my right hand.

Yolina grasped my right wrist, and I also grasped hers.

"Close your eyes. Let the flow of my soul power enter. And imagine you are also flowing water into my body. I will help you," Yolina instructed.

Following Yolina's directions, I closed my eyes. I focused my mind on the image of water gently flowing into Yolina's body. I also allowed my soul to accept the flow of Yolina's soul power. Then I felt something cold and warm at the same time entering my body from the tips of my fingers on my right hand. This felt more comfortable than before. This time, it truly felt like a two-way connection.

I could feel what Yolina was feeling. Her doubts, her guilt, her affection for Edward, I could feel it all.

'This is different,' I thought.

'Yes, let the flow of soul power—wait!' Yolina's thought was abruptly cut off.

Then, I felt Yolina's soul power becoming hot and reversing, trying to exit my body. My head hurt, and there was an unbearable itch in my heart. I could also feel the soul connection between Yolina and me being forcibly severed.

(Detecting foreign power entering Master's body and soul. Initiating prevention procedure.)

'Anetta??' I thought.

I opened my eyes. When my eyes opened, Yolina fell to the floor in pain while still holding my right wrist. Her left hand clutched the fabric of her dress over her chest.

"Yolina!" I shouted, squatting in front of her.

I was so shocked and panicked that I called Yolina without the term "sister."

"Your soul defense...it suddenly increased and...retaliated," Yolina spoke haltingly with a weak gaze.

"I'm sorry...forgive me..." Yolina continued with a sad smile and gaze.

Seeing that gaze and smile moved something deep in my heart. Edward's memories leaked once again. My heart pounded rapidly. This time, I felt scared.

'Anetta!!'

The second time I called Anetta, she did not respond.

"Stop talking, Yolina! Let go of my hand!" I shouted again.

"I...can't. There's continuous retaliation. It...it hurts. I'm sorry..." Yolina said weakly. I could feel her body becoming weaker. Her left hand, which had been clutching the fabric of her dress, fell limp to the floor.

"Damn it! What are you apologizing for!"

Yolina's eyes, which were looking at me sadly, trembled. Her eyelids slowly closed, and her body fully collapsed onto my chest.

This time, I was truly panicking. I couldn't even hide it from my face. Yolina had said my soul was very strong now. So the retaliation with such a strong soul, I was sure it must be very painful.

'Damn! Will I kill an innocent person if this continues? And she's my own sister?? Anetta!! Stop!!' I thought, panicking, drowning in Edward's childhood memories.