Chapter 55 Traces

"Fre - Frey... Stay with me..."

"Ah, is it time to go already? Well... See you later."

Unable to bear it any longer, Irina let go of Frey's hand and took a step back. Frey had been holding her hand and chatting merrily for a while. Now, he waved with a look of regret.

"... Hmm?"

Frey was taken aback for a moment. Then, upon seeing Irina in front of him, he apologized, "Ah, Kania... I'm sorry. The trial made me mistake you for my mother."

Frey smiled nonchalantly, but Irina just stared at him blankly.

"Really, didn't I say there's no need to worry? I'm actually happy to see my mother. It feels like my state of mind has improved a bit. The first trial didn't affect me at all."

Looking at Kania before him, Frey thought she was overly worried as usual. To reassure her, he spoke in a calm voice.

'The first time... You really used that method...'

At this moment, though, Irina's face was pale as she pondered the effects of the curse she had placed on Frey to kill him. The "Midnight Curse" that Irina had cast on Frey on the first day of her return, at the cost of a year's worth of drained magic power, was one of the most terrifying curses in the world. The cursed person, starting from midnight on that day, would experience all the pains in the world within 24 hours until death.

However, this curse was not without a solution. Only a very few people knew that the way to lift the curse was to endure all the pain brought by the curse while remaining conscious within 24 hours, and then destroy the nearby clock one minute before 12 o'clock the next day. Compared with other terrifying curses of the same level as the Midnight Curse, this way of lifting the curse seemed simple, even absurd. But in reality, it was anything but easy.

First of all, the 24 - hour pain brought by the Midnight Curse was so intense that each kind of pain could be deadly. So, it was almost impossible to last a whole day while conscious. According to the literature, the longest record of endurance was only six hours, which was enough to illustrate its difficulty. Moreover, even if you gritted your teeth and made it through and successfully smashed the clock, it wasn't over. The moment the clock shattered, the pain you had endured before would be slowly distributed to you until you died. Of course, most people would rather choose death than continue to bear the pain of a whole day before dying...

"Just hold on for a few more days, and the first trial will be over. So, don't worry..."

For those who absolutely couldn't die, such as those with the mission of saving the world from the Demon King, they had no choice but to tearfully choose the latter.

"Kania, you seem a bit off today. Are you really okay?"

"Ah, I'm fine... I'm okay."

Irina had been so immersed in thoughts about the curse she cast that she didn't snap out of it until Frey looked at her with a worried expression and asked.

"Here, eat this."

"… What?"

"You look pale. In such a tough situation, if you collapse, things will get really troublesome."

Frey stared at her quietly, then wordlessly offered a skewer of grilled fish.

"Anyway, all I need to do is kill the Demon King. Your health is more important, so don't refuse. Eat it."

"… Okay."

Seeing Irina's hesitation, Frey frowned and waved the skewer of grilled fish. Eventually, Irina had to take it with a trembling hand.

"Anyway, what should we do next? According to the newspaper I read earlier... I should be in the dormitory of Rising Sun Academy now."

As Irina began to slowly nibble on the fish, Frey watched her with relief. Then, he sighed and muttered to himself.

"To sneak back to the dormitory, we'll need your invisibility spell... When will your dark magic recover?"

"Uh... Probably in about a day."

"Yeah, is that so? Then consider it a rest and stay one more day."

Frey nodded in response to Irina's words, then flopped onto the bed and continued muttering.

"By the way, Kania, how's the thing about the 'Scroll Merchant' that I asked you about last time going?"

"Scroll... Merchant?"

Irina asked back upon hearing the word "scroll". Frey looked at her with sharp eyes and began to speak.

"Yeah, the real culprit of the 'Practical Assessment Incident' last time, that 'Boss'."

"Ah, yes... It's under investigation."

"Make sure to catch him. Something feels off."

After saying this, Frey coughed a few times and lay on the bed. Looking at him, Irina said softly.

"Then, I'll go out for a while. Please wait here, young master."

"Okay, thank you, Kania."

After talking to Frey, Irina stumbled out of the secret base.

"Haaah..."

Irina, who had been wandering alone in the forest for a long time, plopped down by the river when she arrived.

"I... I..."

Staring blankly at the fish swimming past her ankles, Irina murmured in a lost voice.

"I just... want to right all the wrongs..."

During her first return, she thought it was a mission bestowed upon her by the gods. She failed to protect her friends, failed to protect the empire, and failed to kill the Demon King. She must have been pitied by the gods, which was why she was given a second chance. So, without hesitation, she cast the most terrifying curse she knew on Frey - the same evil existence as the Demon King in the last cycle.

However, Frey was actually a hero who had done his best to protect everyone. Moreover, because of the curse she cast, he would endure unforgettable and terrifying pain for the rest of his life, and he would have to experience that pain all over again within the shortened lifespan she had caused.

"Sigh..."

These thoughts kept flooding in, as if stabbing at her heart. She gritted her teeth, dug her nails into her palms, and then dipped her face into the flowing river water.

"... Puhah."

She had hoped to calm her mind and regain her rationality with the cold water, but instead, her emotions became even more chaotic. Just like pouring water on a raging fire, the fire wouldn't cool down but would only go out feebly. Before she knew it, Irina, who had fallen into deep melancholy, felt the water droplets dripping from her hair and murmured to herself.

'Before... Frey and I played here...'

In Irina's lifeless eyes, memories of Frey began to surface.

"Irina... Why can't I catch any fish with my fishing rod?"

"You fool, you didn't even put bait on it."

Frey fished for hours full of anticipation without even putting bait on the hook. When night fell and he still hadn't caught a single fish, he sobbed and asked me why.

"A puff! A puff! Magic, magic is cheating...!"

Frey confidently jumped into the water to play, but he kept losing his footing and choking on water because of his water - based magic. He complained with a look of unwillingness.

"Wow... This is so delicious... But why is it so good?"

"... Is that a compliment or an insult?"

Frey took a bite of the salted grilled fish, his eyes shining brightly, and he murmured naively. However...

"I don't want to eat this anymore... You can have it all to yourself."

One day, he suddenly changed completely. When he was forced to come and eat the grilled fish, he said coldly and ruthlessly stepped on the fish.

"At that time... I thought he just had a sudden change in personality because of the shock of his mother's death..."

While eating the grilled fish alone, I comforted myself, thinking that he was just affected by the shock and would one day play with me happily again.

"Sigh..."

To soothe her increasingly melancholy mood, Irina left the riverbank full of memories and started walking aimlessly. But...

"... Damn it."

No matter where she went, there were memories of her and Frey everywhere. Eventually, Irina stopped and slumped to the ground.

"What should I do... in the future?"

For now, she could still drink the high - grade shape - shifting potion hidden in Frey's room and appear in front of him disguised as Kania. But soon, she would have to face Frey as herself. How should she react... What should she say... No, was it even right to pretend to know him from the beginning...

'... I don't know.'

Irina had always lived by the creed of "When in doubt, find the answer", but today, she couldn't follow it. Because the chaos and confusion caused by self - justification and guilt were churning in her heart. Just like always, instead of looking for an answer, Irina for the first time refused to make a judgment and sat there curled up.

Suddenly, she frowned and looked up.

'... What's this?'

A strange magical aura was flowing from the forest ahead. The faint magic power was undetectable to ordinary people, but Irina, whose magic sensitivity had reached the extreme, could clearly feel its presence.

"This dark and evil feeling... It's dark magic..."

Irina carefully felt the magic power. After a long time, she finally confirmed its nature. She nervously looked around and murmured to herself.

"… Is Kania here?"

Not ready to meet Frey and his companions, Irina swallowed hard and stood up from her seat.

"… Strange?"

She stretched out her arms and felt the magic aura more carefully. Then, she frowned and tilted her head in thought.

"It's not Kania?"

When a dark mage releases dark magic, unless they deliberately control it, it will spread irregularly in all directions. But the dark magic she felt now was thin and long... flowing like a stream. As if guiding a certain direction.

"… Gulp."

With these thoughts in mind, Irina carefully took steps towards the source of the dark magic. Although it was strange to suddenly feel dark magic in this ordinary mountain forest where she and Frey used to play, what concerned her more was what Frey had said earlier.

'He did say... the real culprit of the Practical Assessment Incident was the Scroll Merchant.'

Before, she had always thought that Frey was the culprit of the "Practical Assessment Kidnapping Incident". However, now that she knew the truth about Frey, she could only assume that he was also an innocent victim. Of course, Ariana couldn't be the culprit... The culprit should be either Ariana, who had extremely high magic skills, or the Scroll Merchant who could make a scroll that was enough to deceive her. Moreover, that unknown merchant obviously had some kind of purpose. After all, the final opponent in the last incident was a terrifying existence that destroyed nearly half of Rising Sun Academy - the Dark Golem. So, being sent here must also have a reason.

"Whoosh..."

With these thoughts, Irina quietly walked towards the direction where the dark magic aura was coming from, but she suddenly stopped.

'… Danger.'

To distract herself from the chaotic emotions that were bothering her, she had to focus on something. But even so, she couldn't take risks. Because if there was a dangerous existence like the "Dark Golem" here, not only would she be in danger, but Frey would also be threatened.

'Anyway... Anyway, retreat for now...'

In the end, Irina gave up tracking the aura and started to return to the secret base.

- Rumble!!

Just as she was approaching the secret base, thunder suddenly roared, and it started to rain.

"... Sigh."

The scene seemed to mirror her current mood, and Irina's already gloomy mood became even heavier.

"Young master, I'm so glad you're safe..."

Of course, Irina didn't plan to pitifully stay out in the rain. So, she rushed into the secret base, but was stunned by what she saw.

"... Where did he go?"

The bed where Frey had lain was empty. Irina stared at the scene for a moment, then rushed out of the secret base with a pale face.

- Rumble! Rumble!!

"Young master!!"

In the weather that had unknowingly turned into a storm, she called out anxiously, but her voice only turned into meaningless echoes, reverberating in the air.

"Frey!!"

She called out Frey's name plaintively again, but still only got the response of echoes. Irina anxiously looked around and started to search everywhere. However, due to the raging storm that obstructed her vision, Irina clenched her fists and started to mutter in her heart.

'He must be nearby... I can still do it... If it's now...'

After a moment, a faint light began to flow from her hands. This was a technique by which Irina, after months of drained magic power, forcibly squeezed out magic power from the depths of her body.

"Ugh aah...!"

But since she was forcefully distorting the remaining magic power in her internal magic circuits, before long, intense pain began to torture her.

'This level... It's okay... I've had my magic circuits burned and broken several times... This level...'

Although Irina often injured her magic circuits in the previous timeline, even so, forcefully squeezing out magic power was by no means easy for her. Soon, her eyes were bloodshot, and blood oozed from the corner of her mouth.

"Haaah... Haaah..."

After a few minutes, she finally squeezed out all the remaining magic power in her body and condensed it in her palm. She blew the spherical magic power into the sky and whispered, "Frey... Find Rahn Starlight..."

The rotating magic ball then emitted light and flew in a certain direction. Irina stared at the light - it was the magic that always helped her win when she and Frey played hide - and - seek as children; it was also the existence that would trigger a revolution in detection magic in the future, which could be driven with very little magic power. She took a deep breath and started to run with all her might.

"Frey! Are you there? Frey!!"

As Irina called out anxiously, she ran in the direction the light ball was pointing. However, when she saw the scene in front of her, her expression froze instantly, and she murmured in a low voice.

'Here... Isn't this the place I was just at?'

Realizing that she had returned to the place where she had discovered the dark magic before, and seeing the light ball quickly flying towards the direction of the dark magic aura, Irina showed a look of horror and hurriedly chased after it.

"Ah, no! No!!"

Despite her desperate cries, the light ball still sped towards the direction of the dark magic aura. With a look of fear in her eyes, Irina whispered in her heart.

'If... If Frey was attacked while I was away... Even if that's not the case, if Frey, who was tortured by hallucinations, went there...!'

The pouring rain messed up her hair and soaked her clothes, but Irina just kept running.

"Ugh!"

She stumbled and fell heavily into the mud. Irina groaned for a while, holding her sprained ankle, then gritted her teeth and stood up.

"Frey!! Can you hear me!? Frey!!"

Dragging her injured foot, Irina continued to move forward while calling out Frey's name. When she finally pushed through the thick forest, she stopped and started gasping for breath.

"Haaah... Haaah..."

Her arms and legs were covered in scratches, and her sprained ankle throbbed with pain. She had squeezed out the last bit of magic power from her exhausted magic circuits. After using the improved detection magic, she only had enough left to launch two fireballs. However, even in such a desperate situation, Irina still stumbled towards the direction of the light ball.

'... Where is this?'

Dragging her sprained ankle, she with great difficulty, she reached the entrance of a cave hidden in a dark corner.

- Swish...

Irina watched warily as the light ball flashed past her and into the cave entrance, which was gloomy and exuded an eerie atmosphere.

"... Whoosh."

Seeing that, Irina made up her mind. She stretched her arm straight forward, ready to launch a fireball at any moment, and then carefully started to enter the cave.

'... It's definitely not Kania's aura.'

As she went deeper into the cave and felt the evil aura, Irina fell into thought. Although Kania was a dark mage, she had a kind heart and couldn't emit such an evil aura. That is to say, the being ahead was not Kania but something evil. Whether it was a dark mage hiding here or a monster... Something that could emit such a dangerous aura must be a very powerful existence.

'Can I win?'

Although such a doubt briefly flashed through her mind, Irina quickly shook her head and cast aside her misgivings. If she retreated from here now, no one could guarantee what would happen to Frey. So, she was determined to help him escape, no matter what. At this moment, this was the sole thought occupying her mind.

- Shalulu...

As she made a firm vow, she moved forward with utmost caution. When she saw the flying light ball dissolve and vanish before the stone door, she couldn't help but swallow hard. Frey was behind that door. Perhaps it was already too late, or perhaps he was anxiously waiting for someone to come to his rescue. Once she opened this door, there would be no turning back. No matter what state Frey was in, he couldn't possibly emerge unscathed.

- Creak...

Yet, Irina knew only too well what would become of Frey if she never opened the door. Listening to the rapid thumping of her own heart, she carefully pushed the door open.

"... Young master?"

At that moment, the sight of Frey's back, standing there quietly, met her eyes.

"Yeah, Kania."

A moment later, Frey replied in a calm voice. With a slightly relieved expression, Irina walked towards him.

"What on earth are you doing here...?"

"Did you interfere with my hallucination again? I told you not to do that."

"What?"

Frey's sudden strange words left Irina looking at him in bewilderment as she asked in return.

"Just now, my chest felt rather stuffy, so I stepped out of the secret room to get some fresh air... and then I found that the forest where Irina and I were chased by werewolves in my last dream actually appeared as a trial illusion. Moreover, there's an ominous dark magic aura over there."

"I, I see..."

Irina responded vaguely while trying to make sense of what Frey had just said. Then, she furrowed her brows and posed a question.

"By the way, you mentioned werewolves?"

"Exactly. You might not be aware, but it was werewolves that chased after me and Irina in that dream. I really can't figure out why there would be werewolves in such an ordinary forest...!"

Just as Frey was answering her, he suddenly clutched his head, lost his balance, and crashed to the ground.

"You, young master?"

"Ugh... Memories, memories..."

In a panic, Irina lunged forward to catch Frey, but Frey, who was groaning in pain, soon lost consciousness and went limp.

"What, what on earth is going on here..."

- Creak...

At the sight of this, Irina's face registered alarm. Suddenly, the stone door behind her opened, and she hastily reached out her hand.

"Ka, Kania?"

".....!"

When she recognized who had appeared behind her, she froze.

"... Why are you here?"

Aria Rahn Starlight, Frey's younger sister, was staring at her, dazed, as she stood there, battered and bruised.