Episode 55
"Cough, cough!!"
Frey, who had been looking at Kania before him with a pleased expression, suddenly covered his mouth and began coughing.
"Ar-are you alright?"
Before long, a considerable amount of blood flowed from his mouth, and seeing this, Kania wore a flustered expression as she cautiously approached him.
"Why are you so surprised all of a sudden? It's something I always have with me."
Smirking at her overly dramatic reaction compared to usual, Frey waved his hand to stop her approach, then pulled something from his pocket.
"That's..."
"Oh my, it seems the duration of the automatic cleaning spell has passed."
Wiping the blood from his lips, Frey frowned when the stain on his handkerchief wouldn't come out, then held it out to Kania.
"Kania, could you perhaps cast the automatic cleaning spell on this again?"
"Ah, that's... I'm sorry, Young Master."
Kania, who had flinched for a moment, then began speaking while bowing apologetically.
"I exhausted all my power protecting the Young Master at that place and secretly extracting you without anyone knowing. I'm truly sorry."
"I see, so that's what happened... No wonder I couldn't sense any dark magic. But where is this?"
At her words, Frey put the handkerchief in his pocket with an embarrassed expression, then looked around before asking with a puzzled face.
"Ah... this is a hideout I prepared in advance for the Young Master."
"You really are the best retainer."
Hearing this, Frey laughed brightly and offered praise, whereupon Kania cautiously bowed her head in gratitude and began to speak.
"Young Master, you will need to hide here for the time being."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"Please take a look at this."
Taking the newspaper Kania handed him and reading through it, Frey let out a hollow laugh and murmured.
"Sure enough, that Pope bastard... he's trying to protect me somehow."
"The Pope?"
"Yes, the Pope is actually the Demon King's underling. Funny, isn't it?"
Kania's expression hardened at those words.
"Ah, I haven't told you this yet? Well... this is something only I know among those who've been through the previous iteration..."
"Previous... iteration?"
"Yes, in the previous iteration, only the highest-ranking executives and the Demon King knew that the Pope was on the Demon King's side. Of course, I knew because I read the Book of Prophecy."
When the words 'previous iteration' and 'Book of Prophecy' came up, Kania looked at Frey with confused eyes for a moment before hurriedly returning her expression to normal.
"Are you okay, Kania? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
Then Frey asked Kania with a worried expression.
"Right now... are you worried about me, Young Master?"
Answering Frey with an incredulous expression, Kania sighed and pulled something from her bag.
"What is that?"
"...It's medicinal herbs."
Saying this, Kania unconsciously brought the herbs to her own mouth, then froze and blushed.
"Chew them thoroughly. It's good for your body."
"Uh, um... thank you?"
She handed the herbs to Frey while looking away, and though slightly flustered by the suddenly appearing herbs, he accepted them without complaint.
"Seeing as you bought herbs instead of potions, these must be quite effective herbs?"
"Uh... probably."
"Hmm... it's a bit bitter but edible."
Chewing on the herbs for a while, Frey then began to unsteadily rise from his spot.
"You mustn't, Young Master. Right now you need to rest."
Kania hurried over and laid him back on the bed, and Frey, breathing roughly as he lay there, suddenly looked around and began muttering.
"Strange... I feel like I've definitely seen this place somewhere before..."
"Pardon?"
"By any chance, wasn't there any furniture here? If there was something furniture-like..."
"There was no furniture here from the beginning. It was a completely empty space."
As Frey frowned slightly and began asking questions, Kania, wearing an anxious expression while glancing at the exit, hurriedly cut off his words and asked a question in return before Frey could say anything.
"Are you perhaps hungry, Young Master?"
"Hm?"
"To recover your strength, you need to eat. So I'll go get some food."
Saying this with a serious expression, Frey smirked and said.
"Seeing you nagging me to eat, it really is Kania."
"Yes, yes."
"Well, seeing as you'd probably bring it and make me eat it even if I refused... I'll gratefully eat. Thank you."
"Then, please wait here for a moment. Also, your physical condition is at its worst right now, so please don't move from your spot."
At this, Frey nodded with difficulty and smiled, and Kania, staring at him blankly, headed toward the secret base's exit.
"...I almost got caught. Just when exactly is he remembering that from?"
Wiping the cold sweat from her forehead after coming outside, she muttered to herself, and around her, furniture containing memories from the secret base was piled up neatly.
.
"Uh... Kania? What is all this?"
"It's food, Young Master."
Frey muttered with a dazed expression as he looked at the food Kania had brought.
"Hmm... how should I put it, quite wild?"
That was because the food Kania had brought consisted of mountain rabbits, fish, tree fruits, and sparrows.
"It can't be helped. Since there's a very high probability I'm being watched too, and unable to use stealth right now, I have no choice but to eat these kinds of foods..."
Having no money, she made various excuses while checking Frey's complexion.
She was worried that Frey, rumored to have a picky palate and eat only high-class cuisine, might get angry.
"Haha... it's fine! It reminds me of the old days, it's nice."
But Frey, who had been blankly staring at the food, smiled like a child and spoke.
"...The old days?"
"Well, you see... when I was young, Irina and I used to wander around the mountain near our house and even made a secret base. Back then, Irina used to bring these kinds of things."
Looking at the food Kania had brought with a distant gaze, Frey smirked.
"The first time Irina brought these foods, I asked how you're supposed to eat this and got scolded."
"Is... that so."
"Yes, thanks to that, I sulked and didn't talk to her for a while, then secretly took a bite of what Irina was roasting over the fire... and it was really delicious."
"Secretly?"
"Yes, of course, I got caught not long after and got flicked on the forehead. Since then, I ate well whatever Irina caught without being picky."
Talking about memories with a joyful expression for a while, Frey finished with a bitter smile.
"Anyway, I might as well eat some nostalgic food on this occasion."
"I'll do my best to prepare it."
Hearing this, Kania wore a serious expression and began reaching for the food she had prepared.
"But how did you catch those things?"
"...Pardon?"
Frey, who had been watching her blankly, asked with curiosity-filled eyes.
"No, I remember you were quite frail at this point in time... so I'm curious how you caught mountain rabbits and sparrows."
"I've lived on the streets quite a bit... so I know these kinds of skills well enough."
"Ah... well, that makes sense."
Sweating at those words, Kania somehow glossed over Frey's remark and began gathering wood pieces to prepare to start a fire.
"Oh... Irina used to do this often back then."
Frey began watching Kania with expectant eyes, and Kania, hearing Irina's name again, made an effort to keep a calm expression as she began rubbing the wood pieces together.
- Whoosh!
"How exactly do you do that?"
"You use friction heat."
"I know that... but maybe I have no knack for it, I never succeeded even once when I was young. Though Irina did it like it was nothing."
Of course, the fire catching was due not to friction heat but to tiny sparks from her fingertips, and there was no way he would succeed imitating the sham fire-starting movements she had shown to boast to Frey, but she ignored these facts and began tending the fire.
"Now we just need to wait a little."
"Nice... it feels just like when I was young, coming to the mountain next to our house to play with Irina."
Frey, who had stated the current situation quite accurately, watched the fish and mountain rabbit, and sparrow roasting in the fire for a while before starting to cough again.
"Cough! Cough!! Ugh..."
"Are you really alright? Young Master?"
"Hmm... well, I suppose I can tell you?"
Hearing this, Frey forced a smile and began speaking.
"Actually, I'm not okay at all."
"Pardon?"
"If things continue like this... I wonder if I'll last about 2 years?"
Kania's mouth fell open at those words.
"You're surprised all of a sudden... you knew too, didn't you?"
"Th-that's..."
"Right, come to think of it, the lifespan measuring device I kept in my bag was missing... You have it, right? Take it out."
At Frey's words, Kania, who had been wearing a blank expression, wore an incredulous look and pulled something from her bosom with trembling hands.
"Ah, there it is. The lifespan measuring device."
"The date written here is..."
"How many days does it say?"
When Frey asked with a forced smile, Kania answered in a low voice.
"...It says a date 2 years and 6 months from now."
"As expected, it seems lifespans are cut in half."
Even hearing the date of his death, Frey murmured in a calm voice.
"What do you mean lifespans are cut in half?"
"Hmm... I've been giving you my life force since I was young, so when I entered the Academy, the lifespan remaining to me was 10 years."
"Kania... no, life force to me..."
Opening her eyes wide at the words that he had shared his life force with her since childhood and about to ask something, Kania glanced at Frey for a moment, then tightly closed her mouth.
"When my evil deeds were first discovered by you, the remaining lifespan on the measuring device was 5 years. I've been expecting it since then. That each time I receive a penalty, my lifespan is cut in half."
"...What?"
"And among the regular stack and special stack I received this time, the special stack doesn't affect lifespan... so one regular stack would have been applied, cutting my lifespan in half."
Kania's face began turning pale blue.
"By the way, who exactly found out this time? I'll set aside the special stack since I don't really understand it... Who do you think is most likely to have noticed?"
"Th-that's..."
"True, you said you didn't know either. Sigh... this is a real problem. There are a few people I suspect, but if I ask whether they noticed and it's not them, that would be troublesome."
Having said that, Frey began coughing roughly again, and Kania, watching him blankly, asked once more.
"W-what if... you find the person who noticed? What will you do?"
"Who knows... I'd like to explain everything to make them my ally, but then there's more than one or two people who would fall into guilt."
Saying this and sighing for a moment, Frey continued in a frustrated voice.
"Even though I committed evil deeds in the previous iteration to obtain the 'System' to kill the Demon King... that's actually something that can't be justified."
"Ah..."
"From the perspective of someone who knows nothing, I'm just a criminal who committed evil deeds, and the five 'main heroines' whose memories have returned have every right to hate me. But everyone's hearts are too kind. That's the problem. If I tell them everything, they'll definitely feel guilt they shouldn't have to..."
Pouring out his concerns, Frey suddenly looked at Kania's expression, stopped speaking, and gave a bitter smile.
"See, even you who learned everything a long time ago is making that expression right now... what about the others?"
"Ugh, ugh..."
"Shall we stop talking about this? The meat seems done roasting."
As Frey tried to change the subject, Kania quickly put the fish skewer in his hand and said in a low voice.
"...No, please continue."
"Right, actually, you're the only one I can share this story with... Sorry, but humor me a little longer."
Kania nodded at those words, and Frey closed his eyes halfway and continued speaking.
"To continue from earlier, no matter how much I committed evil deeds for the greater good... the mental and physical suffering you and the other heroines experienced will never disappear."
"Yes..."
"But if I were to explain that all of it was unavoidable deeds committed to gain transcendent power to save the world, and ask for cooperation saying I'll continue to commit evil deeds to defeat the Demon King, what about those who remember all the damage and pain they've suffered?"
"That's..."
"When I first regressed, I honestly thought I could just reveal I was the villain after everything ended. But then everyone would suffer too much..."
Saying this, Frey pointed at Kania who had once again failed to control her expression and continued.
"Even you already know the truth and are suffering like this."
"......."
"Harming you all to save the world can never be justified. So, you can stop suffering."
"But... your, no... Young Master's lifespan is..."
"Ah, my lifespan is still okay. The Academy invasion will happen within 2 years and 6 months anyway..."
"No, that's not it..."
With a soulless expression, Kania barely collected herself and asked.
"What... are the exact conditions for 'being found out'?"
"Hmm... the moment someone 'becomes certain' that I committed 'evil deeds,' the penalty is applied."
"Then, 2 months ago..."
"Yes, as you said, someone became 'certain' of my evil deeds around that time. That's why I coughed up blood."
Saying this and coughing again, Frey sighed and continued what he was saying earlier.
"Anyway, for those various reasons... if I find out who noticed, I don't know what to say."
"...I see."
"Sigh... that's a big problem. Another trial will come soon."
"A trial?"
"Yes, that terrible curse that I don't know who sent down. The only fortunate thing is that I don't receive it all at once but slowly, in stages... Cough! Cough!! Never mind. Let's continue this story later."
As Kania continued to fail at controlling her expression, Frey quickly ended the conversation and began talking about the fish skewer he was holding.
"By the way, this is really delicious... I feel a bit sorry to Irina, but it's several times more delicious than the skewers she used to grill."
"...Experience accumulated, so that's why."
"Well, that's true. You were good at cooking to begin with..."
'After coming here alone for years... and grilling and eating alone, of course my skills improved.'
Suppressing the things she wanted to say to him as he spoke brightly, she murmured internally and quietly handed Frey the tree fruit from the floor.
"Do you know what this is?"
"Yes, it's 'Ice Dragon,' right?"
"Ice Dragon..."
"Yes, Irina said that... there's a legend that a fish that ate this fruit long ago became an Ice Dragon and ascended because it was so cool and delicious. That's why it's called 'Ice Dragon.' Funny, isn't it?"
Looking at Frey speaking with an innocent face, still believing the lie she had made up in childhood, she tightly closed her eyes and spoke.
"...I'll go to the restroom for a moment."
"Ah, okay. Go ahead."
As Frey nodded, Kania headed toward the base's exit with a stiff expression.
"Ugh..."
Irina, who had been acting as Kania until now, came outside the secret base and leaned against a nearby tree, groaning.
"Ah, it hurts..."
Her stomach and chest had been tightening painfully since earlier.
"...This is a side effect of the transformation potion. It must be."
Attributing the sudden strange phenomenon to the potion, she began organizing all the facts she had heard from Frey.
"...Shit."
Irina, who had roughly organized in her head all the words he had said, his actions in the previous iteration, and his actions in this iteration, spat out a short curse.
"So, so what do you want me to do..."
With confused eyes, she began muttering frantically.
"Right... you're right... I don't need to feel guilt... I suffered too... Even if you now say it was all for the world... there's no way I could accept that at face value..."
Though a fire mage who burned everything, her heart had grown cold from the continuous battles with the Demon King's army and the deaths of comrades, and was now calmly judging the situation.
Frey, dying in that base right now, chose that path himself.
Because of his 'special ability,' he had no choice but to commit evil deeds, but that too was clearly a wrong that couldn't be justified.
Even if the world would perish without such actions, even if the Demon King would burn everything, his actions were...
'...Can it really not be justified?'
For a moment, Irina tried to think differently, but shook her head wildly to shake off that thought.
"Sigh... sigh..."
Having barely shaken off the distracting thoughts, Irina's heart was still troubled.
"Because I found out... his lifespan was cut? By half?"
According to Frey's words, she just shouldn't feel guilt at all, yet somehow her heart kept aching.
"Then, the pledge of death too... was to give me mana?"
The flustered expression Frey wore when he collapsed from overexertion during the practical evaluation suddenly came to mind vividly.
"Surely, at the freshman welcome party too...?"
Reaching that thought, Irina suddenly opened her eyes wide and began muttering with a serious voice.
"Wait, then... how did he avoid the 'Curse of 12 o'clock'?"
At first, she thought the Demon King had intervened to protect Frey.
But according to the facts revealed today, he was rather in a position opposing the Demon King.
Then... how on earth did he avoid the terrible curse known as the 'Curse of 12 o'clock'?
'Surely... surely...!'
Lost in thought for a moment, Irina realized one terrible possibility.
The possibility that Frey had used the only method to avoid the most vicious curse, the 'Curse of 12 o'clock,' and the most terrible curse-breaking method among all curse-breaking methods that exist in the world.
"No... that can't be... that can't be..."
Of course, only a few people on the entire continent including Irina knew that curse-breaking method, so she began to deny it, but recalling that Frey already knew the curse-breaking method for the 'sacrifice magic circle' that only she knew, she began to chew over the words he had said once more.
"Earlier... he definitely called it a trial..."
Recalling Frey's meaningful remark from earlier, her face began turning pale.
"Not all at once... but slowly, in stages..."
Repeating his words weakly, Irina urgently rushed into the secret base where Frey was.
"You- Young Master! By any chance, that trial you mentioned earlier...!"
As soon as she saw Frey, Irina tried urgently to ask him about the 'trial,' but...
"Mom...!"
".....!"
Frozen in place, she saw Frey, who couldn't even rise from his spot due to pain, trembling as he struggled to his feet and began speaking deliriously with a bright smile.
"Even though it's an illusion from the trial... it's nice to see you again like this... haha..."
"Ah, no..."
As Frey smiled brightly, took her hand and shook it while speaking, Irina, looking at him with a pale blue face, began whispering with a soulless voice.
"Did you really... use that curse-breaking method?"
"I'm doing well, I'm naturally getting along with my sibling too. Father is a bit ill but I will definitely..."
But the Frey before her just kept smiling brightly and shaking her hand.