Chapter 54 Truth and Illusion

"Keke, keke!!"

Frey was looking at Kania in front of him with a delighted expression,

when he suddenly covered his mouth and started coughing violently.

"Are you, are you okay?"

Immediately after, a large amount of blood gushed out from his mouth.

Kania, who saw this scene, showed a flustered expression and cautiously approached him.

"Why are you making such a fuss? This is quite common."

Seeing her more exaggerated reaction than usual, Frey couldn't help but chuckle.

He raised his hand to stop her from approaching and then took something out of his pocket.

"What's that...?"

"Oops, it seems the duration of the automatic - cleaning magic has passed."

Frey wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. When he found that the stain on the handkerchief couldn't be wiped off, he frowned. Then he handed the handkerchief to Kania and said,

"Kania, could you please cast the automatic - cleaning magic for me again?"

"Ah, well... I'm sorry, young master."

Kania was stunned for a moment, then bent down and began to explain respectfully.

"In order to protect you there and quietly hide and take you out, I've exhausted all my power. I'm truly sorry."

"I see... No wonder I can't sense the aura of dark magic. But, where are we?"

Hearing this, Frey awkwardly stuffed the handkerchief back into his pocket. Then he looked around, with a puzzled expression on his face, and asked.

"Ah... This is a hiding place I prepared for you in advance."

"Sure enough, you're my most reliable confidant."

Hearing this, Frey smiled brightly and praised.

Kania then lowered her head carefully to show her respect and began to tell him.

"Young master, you need to hide here for a while."

"... What do you mean?"

"Please look at this."

Frey took the newspaper Kania handed him. As he read it, he murmured with a bitter smile.

"As expected, that Pope guy... He's trying every way to protect me."

"The Pope?"

"Yeah, actually the Pope is a lackey of the Demon King. Isn't it ridiculous?"

Hearing this, Kania's expression froze instantly.

"Ah, I haven't told you about this, have I? But... This is a truth known only to those who have experienced the last timeline, and among them, only I know..."

"The last timeline... What does that mean?"

"Well, in the last timeline, only the top - level cadres and the Demon King himself knew that the Pope was on the Demon King's side. Of course, I knew it because I read the Book of Prophecy."

When the topics of "the last timeline" and "the Book of Prophecy" emerged, Kania stared at Frey with a confused look for a moment, but quickly regained her original expression.

"Are you okay, Kania? Are you not feeling unwell anywhere?"

Frey looked at Kania with a concerned expression and asked.

"Now... Is the young master worried about me?"

Hearing this, Kania looked at him with an incredulous expression, sighed, and took out something from her bag.

"What's that?"

"...It's herbs."

She said while casually bringing the herbs to her mouth. Then she suddenly stopped and her face turned red.

"Please chew them well. It's good for your health."

"Uh, well... Thank you?"

She averted her eyes and handed the herbs to Frey. Frey looked a bit flustered at the suddenly - presented herbs but silently took them.

"Seeing that you bought herbs instead of potions, it seems these herbs are quite effective, right?"

"Uh... I guess so."

"Hmm... Although it's a bit bitter, it's still acceptable."

Frey fiddled with the herbs for a while, then swayed as he tried to stand up from his seat.

"No, young master. You need to rest now."

Kania quickly ran over and pushed him back onto the bed.

Frey lay on the bed, panting. Suddenly, he looked around and murmured,

"Strange... I always feel like this place is familiar..."

"What?"

"Here... Were there no furniture originally? Was there anything like furniture..."

"There has been no furniture here from the beginning. It's completely an empty space."

Frey slightly frowned and was about to ask a question when Kania anxiously glanced at the exit and hurriedly interrupted him. Before Frey could speak, she asked instead,

"Are you hungry, young master?"

"Hmm?"

"If you want to regain your strength, you have to eat something. So, I'll go find you something to eat."

Seeing Kania's serious expression, Frey couldn't help but chuckle and said,

"The one who would nag me to eat is indeed Kania."

"Yes, it is."

"Anyway, even if I refuse, you'll definitely force me to eat... So I'll accept your kindness. Thank you."

"Then, please wait here for a while. Also, your physical condition is very poor now, young master. Please don't walk around casually."

Hearing this, Frey nodded with difficulty and showed a faint smile.

Kania stared at him for a moment, then turned and walked towards the exit of the secret base.

"...I almost got discovered. That was so long ago. How could she still remember?"

After walking out of the base, she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and muttered in a low voice.

Around her, the furniture full of memories, which had been moved out from the secret base, was neatly stacked.

.....

"Uh... Kania? What are all these?"

"They're food, young master."

Frey stared blankly at the food Kania brought back and murmured.

" Hmm...How should I put it? It feels quite primitive?"

Because the food Kania brought back was just mountain rabbits, fish, wild fruits, and sparrows.

"There's no other way. I'm likely being watched, and I can't use the invisibility spell now, so we can only eat this kind of food..."

She, who had no money at all, tried to find various excuses while secretly observing Frey's expression.

She was worried that Frey, who was rumored to be picky about food and only ate high - end cuisine, would get angry.

"Ha - ha... It's okay! It just reminds me of the old days. It's quite nice."

But Frey, who had been staring blankly at the food, suddenly showed a child - like smile and said.

"...The old days?"

"Come to think of it... When I was a child, I often wandered around the nearby mountains with Irina, and we built a secret base. At that time, Irina would always catch these things."

Frey looked at the food Kania brought back with a hazy look and smiled.

"When Irina brought these foods back for the first time, I asked her how to eat such things, and she gave me a good scolding."

"So... That's how it was."

"Yeah, I was so angry that I ignored her for a while. Later, I secretly tasted something she roasted over the fire... It was really delicious!"

"Secretly?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't long before I was discovered, and I got a head - flick. After that, I ate whatever Irina caught with great relish."

Frey told the memories with a pleasant expression, but soon ended the topic with a bitter smile.

"Anyway, let's take this opportunity to taste the food of memories."

"I'll do my best to prepare it."

Hearing this, Kania looked serious and started to reach for the food she prepared.

"By the way, how on earth did you catch those things?"

"... Ah?"

However, Frey stared at her with a curious expression and asked.

"No, I remember you were quite weak at that time... It's really surprising that you could catch hares and sparrows."

"I lived on the streets for a while... I know such skills."

"Ah... Right, you're right."

Hearing this, cold sweat broke out on Kania's forehead. After barely dealing with Frey's words, she started to collect firewood to make a fire.

"Oh... This is what Irina often did before."

Frey looked at Kania with expectant eyes. And Kania, who heard Irina's name again, tried to stay calm and started to rub the firewood.

- Crash!

"How on earth did you do it?"

Just use friction to generate heat.

"I know that... But I don't seem to get the hang of it. I never succeeded even once when I was a child. But Irina could do it as easily as eating."

Of course, whether in the past or now, it wasn't the heat generated by friction that lit the fire, but the tiny sparks bursting from her fingertips.

Although what he imitated was just Frey's clumsy fire - starting actions shown to show off, and it was impossible to succeed, she deliberately ignored these facts and started to focus on making the fire.

"Just wait a little while now."

"It's so nice... Just like the feeling when I played on the mountain next to my home with Irina when I was a child."

Frey accurately described the current situation. He stared at the sizzling grilled fish, hares, and sparrows in the fire for a while, and then started to cough again.

"Keke! Keke!! Ugh..."

"Are you really okay, young master?"

"Hmm...I think it's okay to tell you."

Hearing this, Frey forced a smile and began to tell.

"Actually, it's not okay at all."

"Ah?"

"Going on like this... I can probably last for two more years, right?"

Kania opened her mouth wide in surprise when she heard this.

"Surprised now... Didn't you already know?"

"That, that..."

"By the way, the lifespan measuring device in my bag is gone... Is it with you? Take it out and let's have a look."

As soon as Frey finished speaking, Kania was stunned first, then showed an incredulous expression and took out something from her bosom with a trembling hand.

"Ah, it's really here. The lifespan measuring device."

"What's the date written here...?"

"How many days are left?"

Frey asked with a forced smile, and Kania answered in a low voice.

"... It says the date is two years and six months later."

"As expected, it seems my lifespan has been halved."

Even when hearing his own death date, Frey just murmured calmly.

"Lifespan halved?"

"Yeah... Because I've been giving you my vitality since I was a child, when I entered the academy, I only had ten years of lifespan left."

"Kania... No, you've been giving me your vitality..."

Hearing that they had been sharing vitality since childhood, Kania's eyes widened. She seemed to want to ask something, but after looking at Frey's expression, she tightly closed her mouth.

"When you first discovered my misdeeds, the remaining lifespan shown on the lifespan measuring device was 5 years. I expected it from then on. Every time I was punished, my lifespan would be halved."

"...What?"

"And among the ordinary stack and special stack I obtained this time, the special stack won't affect my lifespan... So it should be the ordinary stack that took effect, and my lifespan was halved."

Hearing these words, Kania's face began to turn pale.

"By the way, who on earth discovered this time? Leaving aside the special stack... Who do you think is the most likely to have discovered it?"

"That, that..."

"Right, you also said you're not very sure. Alas... This is really a difficult problem. Although there are several suspicious candidates, if I rashly ask them if they've noticed anything, and if it's not them, wouldn't I be asking for trouble?"

After saying these words, Frey started to cough violently again.

Kania stared at him blankly and threw out another question.

"Then, if... If you really find the person who noticed, what are you going to do?"

"Well... To be honest, I want to win them over and explain everything. But in that case, there will probably be more than one or two people who feel guilty."

After saying this, Frey let out a long sigh, and then continued to tell in a dull voice.

"Although I committed evil deeds in my previous life to obtain the 'System' to kill the Demon King... But that actually can't be rationalized."

"Ah…"

"In the eyes of those who don't know, I'm just a sinner who committed evil deeds, and the five 'heroines' who have regained their memories have every reason to hate me. But the problem is, their hearts are too kind. If I tell them everything, they will definitely bear a guilt that they shouldn't have..."

Frey, who was pouring out his troubles, suddenly saw Kania's expression, stopped talking, and smiled bitterly.

"Look, even you, who have known everything for so long, have this expression now... What about the others."

"Woo, wu - wu..."

"Let's stop this topic, shall we? Just in time, the fish is grilled."

Just as Frey tried to change the topic, Kania quickly stuffed a skewer of grilled fish into his hand and said in a low voice.

"... No, please continue."

"Okay, actually, I can only talk to you about these things... I'm sorry, can you stay with me a little longer?"

Hearing this, Kania nodded, and Frey gently closed his eyes and continued to tell.

"Just now I said that no matter how many evil deeds I did for the greater good... The mental and physical pain endured by the heroines, including you, won't disappear."

"Hmm..."

"But if I explain that all of this was something I had to do to obtain the extraordinary power to save the world, and that I must continue to do evil in the future to defeat the Demon King, so I hope they can assist me, what will they think, those who still remember the harm and pain they suffered?"

"That..."

"When I first returned, I naively thought that as long as I made it public that I was a false - evil person after everything was over. But then, everyone would be too suffered..."

While saying these words, Frey suddenly pointed at Kania, who could no longer control her expression, and continued,

"You also already know the truth, so you're so pain, right?"

"...."""

Doing harm to you all to save the world is something that can never be justified. So, stop suffering for this."

"But... Your, no... The young master's lifespan..."

"Ah, my lifespan is currently okay. Anyway, the academy invasion will happen within two years and six months..."

"No, that's not what I mean..."

Kania looked dazed, stammered, and continued. After finally regaining her senses, she asked a question.

"That... What are the exact conditions for 'being discovered'?"

" Hmm...The moment someone 'is convinced' that I have done 'false - evil' deeds, the punishment will take effect."

"Then, two months ago..."

"Yeah, just as you said, someone 'was convinced' of my false - evil deeds at that time. That's why I spat out blood."

Frey finished speaking, coughed a few more times, sighed, and continued the previous topic.

"Anyway, for various reasons... If someone really has noticed something, I don't know how to explain."

"...I see."

"Alas... Anyway, it's really troublesome. In a while, the trial will come again."

"Trial?"

"Yeah, it's a terrifying curse cast by some big shot. The only fortunate thing is that it doesn't come all at once, but slowly, in stages... Keke! Keke!! Well, let's talk about this topic later."

Seeing Kania's expression management gradually getting out of control, Frey quickly ended the topic and turned to talk about the grilled fish skewer in his hand.

"By the way, this is really delicious... Although I'm a bit sorry to Irina, it's several times more delicious than the kebabs she used to roast."

"...After all, I've had a lot of experience."

"Right, you're right. You've always been good at cooking..."

"After all these years, you've been coming here alone... Roasting and eating by yourself, your skills have naturally improved."

She tried to suppress what she wanted to say to him and murmured secretly in her heart. Then she silently handed a fruit on the ground to Frey.

"Do you know what this is?"

" Hmm, it's the 'Ice Dragon Fruit', right?"

"Ice Dragon Fruit..."

"Yeah, Irina once said... Legend has it that a long time ago, a fish ate this kind of fruit, felt extremely cool and delicious, and finally transformed into an ice dragon and soared into the sky. That's why it's called the 'Ice Dragon Fruit'. Isn't it interesting?"

She looked at Frey, who still believed the story she made up when they were children, and said it with a naive look. She then closed her eyes tightly and said,

"...I'm going to the restroom."

"Ah, okay. Go ahead."

Frey nodded, and Kania walked towards the exit of the base with a stiff expression.

"Ugh…"

After walking out of the secret base, Irina, who had been trying hard to play as Kania, leaned against the nearby tree, sat down, and started to groan in pain.

"Ah, it hurts…"

Her abdomen and chest had been aching as if they were tightly strangled since just now.

"... This is the side - effect of the transformation potion. It must be."

She attributed the suddenly emerging abnormal phenomenon to the potion,

and began to sort out all the facts she had heard from Frey so far.

"... Damn it."

Then, Irina roughly organized in her mind everything he'd said,

his actions in the previous timeline,

and his actions in this current one.

She let out a brief curse.

"So, so what do you expect me to do..."

Before long, she started to murmur to herself with a confused look in her eyes.

"Yeah... You're right... I don't need to feel guilty... I'm in pain too...

Now, saying that everything is for this world...

How could I possibly fully accept it..."

She had once been a fire mage who burned with all her might.

But the continuous battles against the Demon King's army

and the deaths of her companions had gradually cooled her heart.

She began to calmly judge the situation.

At this moment, Frey, who was on the verge of death in that base,

had simply chosen that path for himself.

Although he had to commit evil deeds because of his "special ability",

it was still an unforgivable wrong that couldn't be excused.

Even if the world would be destroyed if he didn't do so,

even if the Demon King would burn everything to ashes,

what he had done...

「... Can it really not be justified?」

Suddenly, other thoughts flashed through Irina's mind.

But she shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off these thoughts.

「Haaah... Haaah...」

With great difficulty, Irina managed to get rid of the distracting thoughts,

yet her mood remained extremely complex.

"Are you saying... Because I noticed, your lifespan was reduced?

And it was halved?"

Although according to Frey, she didn't have to feel any guilt,

somehow, a sense of unease lingered in her heart.

"Then, did you make that death vow... Also to give me magic power?"

Suddenly, she vividly recalled the panicked expression on Frey's face

when she fainted from overwork during the cultivation assessment.

"Could it be that at the freshmen welcome party too...?"

Thinking of this, Irina suddenly widened her eyes

and murmured in a serious tone:

"Wait, then how did you avoid the '12 - o'clock curse'?"

At first, she had thought the Demon King had intervened to protect Frey.

However, based on the facts revealed today,

he was actually on the side opposing the Demon King.

So... How on earth did he manage to avoid that terrifying curse -

the "Midnight Curse"?

"Could it be... Could it be...!"

Lost in thought, Irina suddenly realized a terrifying possibility.

That was that Frey might have taken the only way to avoid the "Midnight Curse",

and it was also the most terrifying way among all the curse - breaking methods in the world.

"No... This can't be... This can't be..."

Of course, including Irina, there were only a handful of people

on the entire continent who knew that method of breaking the curse.

Therefore, she started to deny it.

But when she remembered that Frey already knew the way

to break the "Sacrifice Magic Array" that only she knew,

she began to repeatedly mull over his previous words.

"Just now... He did mention the trial..."

Before long, recalling Frey's meaningful words earlier,

her face began to turn pale.

"Not bear it all at once... But slowly, in stages..."

In this way, she feebly repeated what he had said

and then rushed towards the secret base where Frey was.

"Young, young master! That trial you mentioned just now... Could it be...!"

As soon as she saw Frey, Irina was eager to ask him about the "trial", but...

"Ah, Mom...!"

".....!"

Frey, too weak from pain to get up, was trembling all over.

With great effort, he crawled up from the ground,

wore a bright smile, and started to talk incoherently.

Irina froze in place immediately.

"Although this is an illusion brought by the trial...

But it's so good to see you again... Haha..."

"Ah, no good..."

When Frey, with a beaming smile, held her hand,

shook it, and talked to her,

Irina looked at him with a pale face,

and then said in a despondent voice in a low tone:

"Did you really... use that method?"

"I'm doing well, and I'm getting along well with my sister.

Dad is a bit under the weather, but I will definitely..."

However, the Frey in front of her just smiled brightly

and continued to hold her hand.