Chapter 57 Awakening

Irina, who had been in a daze for quite a while, began to mutter in a faint voice.

"What... what are these memories...? Why, am I only now..."

Kania watched her quietly and sighed.

"So, it was you, Miss Irina, who noticed the young master's disguise, right?"

Hearing this, a trace of confusion flashed in Irina's eyes, and then she slowly nodded. Her hands tightly clenched, she said in a low voice.

"So... Frey did that to his own mother to protect me...?"

"You finally remembered. The young master even had to dive into his own subconscious to wake up this memory."

"Ah..."

"Perhaps it's because the way the young master's and my memories were manipulated is different? After I entered this room, I didn't recall anything special. But since you already know the truth, I don't have to waste words explaining it."

After Kania calmly finished speaking, Irina looked devastated and slumped to the ground.

"I didn't want to know this kind of truth at all..."

"Neither did I. Now I feel so guilty that I even want to confess everything to the young master and beg for atonement."

Looking at Irina like this, Kania, sitting opposite her, began to speak in a low voice.

"However, this must not be told to the young master until everything is over."

"This, this is..."

"The young master always says he's okay... but in my opinion, his mental state is on the verge of collapse. If you spend a day with him, you'll understand."

Hearing this, Irina remembered Frey's trance - like expression, and her face suddenly darkened. Seeing this, Kania sighed, as if she had long expected it.

"Moreover, the young master still has many trials to face in the future. He has only barely survived the first trial... To be honest, I don't know what's waiting for him next. Just thinking about it is terrifying."

"...Woo."

When Kania mentioned "trials", Irina lowered her head, and her body began to tremble slightly.

"...Miss Irina, can I ask you a favor?"

"What is it..."

Kania quietly stared at Irina and asked softly. Irina replied in a weak and powerless voice.

"Please don't resent the young master too much."

"What?"

Kania showed a bitter expression to Irina, let out a deep sigh, and continued.

"There's probably no one in the world more pitiful than the young master. So, please don't hate him too much."

"...Heh."

Irina looked at Kania. She was in such a desperate situation that she didn't even have time to ask for help, yet she was pleading not to be hated. Only then did Irina roughly understand how lonely they had been in their battles all along.

"Tell me everything you know."

"What?"

Precisely because of this, she finally reached an answer.

"I want to know the truth in more detail."

Whether to flee from the truth or accept it and draw strength from it, this was the answer.

"This path won't be easy. Every moment will be filled with pain, and sometimes there will be impulsive thoughts."

"It doesn't matter."

"Are you really ready to walk this path with me?" Kania stared at her and asked repeatedly. Although she needed a companion more than ever at this moment, she also knew how painful it would be to choose this path that no one understood. Therefore, she couldn't help but feel empathy and pity for Irina. But even so, Kania already knew in her heart.

"Tell me quickly."

Irina's eyes showed that she would never change her determination.

"Sigh..."

Hearing Irina's clear reply, Kania let out a long sigh, which was a mixture of relief and helplessness. She looked straight at Irina, who had the same appearance as herself, and said.

"Then, let's start."

...

"Ha ah... Well, what's next this time?"

After following Aria into the room, I slumped down, holding my head. When I came to my senses, I found myself in a closed and dark space, the place I hated the most.

"Ugh... Disgusting, really disgusting."

I shivered, lay on the ground, and then couldn't help but sneer and start muttering to myself.

"However, this kind of place is really suitable for cultivating the mind."

In the past, as soon as I entered such a space, my hands would tremble and my breathing would become difficult. But after experiencing so many trials and being locked in a room so many times, those symptoms almost disappeared. Moreover, by witnessing all kinds of other terrifying scenes, I could also conduct mental cultivation, hold a birthday party, and even meet my mother. It can be seen that the system's trials are indeed to make me stronger...

"Fr, Frey..."

"...Ugh."

I had wanted to praise the system no matter what, but in front of me appeared my mother, who was severely injured. Sure enough, that guy is an unreasonable bastard. Although my mood became a bit unpleasant because of this, it's impossible for me to break down just because of such a scene. After all, that's just an illusion.

"Save me... Frey..."

"My mother has never said words of call for help. You stupid system bastard."

I pushed away the phantom that reached out its hand to me, let out a long sigh, and fell into thought.

"Come to think of it... I have to figure out as soon as possible who exactly noticed me..."

Until now, I still don't know who discovered my secret, and this is starting to make me feel anxious. Although I learned through the "Mind Reading" skill that Irina and Klana have some "doubts" about me, that's still far from enough.

"Sigh... Should I buy the Mind Reading Skill LV2? No, compared to that, the Life Recovery Skill is more urgent."

Even if I invest all the points I've earned into the system, it's still not enough. Spending tens of thousands of points to buy a skill is really a big loss. However, after all, there are gains and losses, and I really need to think about this carefully...

- Zzzzz!!

"Really, what a bother."

Just as I was lost in my thoughts, a loud noise suddenly came from ahead.

"Sigh..."

I thought I would see another illusion this time, but I found that my mother was running in a hurry in the forest, holding something in her arms.

"...They've even arranged a plot now."

The system probably thought that as long as it threw my mother's body at me, I would tremble with trauma. But seeing my indifferent reaction, it seemed to realize that I was already mentally prepared.

- Zzzzz! Zzzla!

"Ugh."

My mother, who was covered in injuries, noticed the black energy approaching from behind while running. She quickly released starlight magic power and threw herself to the side.

"Ugh..."

My mother, who barely avoided the black energy, continued to run in a certain direction.

"There's no other way... Things have come to this..."

After running for a while, my mother suddenly looked down at the thing in her arms and began to speak.

"Hmm... Mom?"

"...Shh."

After a while, hearing the voice of my childhood self, I realized what my mother was holding while running.

"Let's play hide - and - seek, our Frey, shall we?"

"Okay! I want to play hide - and - seek!"

My young self replied cheerfully, and my mother showed a gentle smile and said.

"Okay, then mom will be the seeker."

"I want to be the seeker..."

"You were the seeker last time, weren't you?"

Hearing this, my young self pouted, and my mother couldn't help laughing and said.

"Then you can be the seeker every time from now on."

Now I smiled, and my mother put me down and said.

"We're going to change the rules a bit this time, Frey."

"Are we changing the rules?"

"Yeah, our smart Frey will definitely understand right away, won't you?"

My eyes lit up, and I nodded. Then my mother began to quickly explain the rules.

"Mom will count to 100 here, and Frey also has to count to 100 while running. Do you understand this part?"

"Of course!"

I shouted confidently, and my mother stroked my young head and continued.

"After counting to 100, don't move anymore. You have to hide your body behind something nearby. And absolutely don't expose yourself."

"Okay!"

My mother looked at my still innocent self, suddenly closed her eyes tightly, and hugged me into her arms.

"Mom, why are you doing this all of a sudden?"

Seeing me asking such a question with a silly smile, my mother replied in a trembling voice after a moment of silence.

"This game won't end until mom finds Frey and hugs him tightly like this. Do you understand?"

"I understand everything!"

"Good. If you resist with a stick like last time, I'll eat you. Are you mentally prepared?"

"Hehe."

Hearing this, I smiled awkwardly. Just as I was about to run forward, my mother grabbed my arm and added in a low voice.

"I love you, my child."

"I love you too!"

After saying this, my mother watched my young self leave. She gathered starlight magic power in her hand and walked in the opposite direction of where we came from, muttering to herself.

"...So, you must survive."

Then, the small and dimly lit room appeared in my field of vision again.

"Damn it."

After witnessing that incredibly realistic scene, I frowned and muttered to myself.

"...Even so, that's just an illusion."

Suddenly, I remembered the scene in my last dream where my young self told Irina to hide well. If that was true, it could explain why my memory was tampered with to become a memory of hide - and - seek. Although I had already somewhat guessed the truth, in any case, that was just an illusion. It was an "illusion" created by the system to torture me and make me suffer. So, seeing such an illusion created with such a despicable purpose has no effect on me. It should be like that.

"Frey."

Just as I was thinking about these things, the surroundings suddenly became blurry, and then the voice of someone came.

'Oh, it seems it's time to wake up.'

At the same time, I felt my mind becoming clear and realized that I was about to wake up from the illusion. So, I gently opened my eyes.

"Did you sleep well?"

At this time, someone who had been quietly looking down at me came into my sight.

"Ugh... My head hurts so much."

I looked at that indescribable being and felt a headache for a moment. After looking around, I couldn't help but show a bitter smile and muttered to myself.

"What is this? Is this also an illusion?"

"What are you talking about?"

Hearing my muttering to myself, someone tilted their head and asked. I pointed into the distance and replied.

"Look over there. Irina is wearing Kania's clothes."

"Yeah."

"And the clothes are too tight. She's unbuttoning them... Pfft, hahaha..."

I pointed at Irina and laughed for a while. She kept her head down and remained silent. At this time, I noticed that Kania standing next to her was saying something to her.

"...The above are all the things that the young master has experienced so far."

"Ah, ah..."

Seeing this scene, my expression gradually became terrified, and I quickly walked towards the two people sitting at the table.

"Sorry... Frey."

When I got closer, I saw that her eyes were bloodshot, her nose was red, and there were still tears on her face. At the moment of confirmation, everything that had happened before began to gradually become clear in my mind. The inexplicably familiar hiding place, Kania's abnormal reaction, the things that Kania had caught, which were the same as those that Irina often caught when she was a child, and that forest full of Irina's childhood memories.

"Ha, haha..."

Due to my brain working at high speed, I instantly understood the truth and couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

"Haha... Ahaha..."

I laughed bitterly for a while, and then, lowering my head, I asked Irina softly.

"The person who discovered my misdeeds two months ago was you, right?"

"Frey, I... I was wrong... Woo..."

However, she just shed tears silently and sobbed.

"No, you don't need to feel guilty..."

I stretched out my hand to comfort her, but...

"...Huh?"

Somehow, my hand actually passed through Irina's shoulder.

"What's going on?"

I was immediately flustered. I quickly withdrew my hand from her shoulder and touched my own hand with the other hand. Sure enough, the two hands didn't touch each other but passed through each other directly.

"...Am I dead?"

"Who knows?"

I stared blankly at this scene and muttered in a devastated voice. At this time, the person who had been standing beside me responded to my words. I turned my head to look at him.

"W, who are you?"

But that being was emitting a dazzling light all over, making it impossible to identify his identity. Precisely because of this, when I frowned and asked, that being slowly opened his mouth.

"First of all, take a good look at what's happening now."

As soon as the words were spoken, Kania began to speak. So, I turned my gaze to the two people sitting at the table again.

"Miss Irina, are you really going to do this?"

"...Yes. To avoid that 'curse' you mentioned, even if it only helps Frey a little bit, this is the only way."

"Okay, I understand. Then..."

Irina, who had stopped crying at some point, showed a determined expression and said. Kania began to wave her arms carefully.

"Ugh...!"

Then, the huge black magic energy above the room began to be sucked into Irina's body.

"Miss Irina, I'll repeat it again... This method is to force black magic into the dry and distorted magic power circuits due to magic power depletion, which will cause considerable pain..."

"No matter what, it's still less painful than what Frey has endured, right?"

"Then, please bear with it for a while."

After Kania issued another warning to Irina, she began to inject black magic into her body more quickly.

"Ah...! Ugh..."

"Sorry. If I inject the black magic, the pain might be reduced a bit."

"The black magic you possess... Even if you accumulate it for several years, it's not enough. At least black magic of the level above... is needed to succeed... Ugh..."

After continuously absorbing the black magic for a while, Irina finally couldn't hold on and lay on the table, trembling.

"Could it be... Are you trying to fill the magic power circuits with black magic before the deadline of magic power depletion to deceive the system?"

After witnessing this scene, I immediately saw through their plan and couldn't help clicking my tongue. Because only Irina, who was in a state of magic power depletion and had an innate talent for magic power control, could attempt such a thing, and the slightest mistake could lead to a big disaster. If that black magic ceremony failed, the magic power circuits in Irina's body might be permanently damaged, causing her to lose the ability to use magic power forever. That was a loss of magic power that was more terrifying to magicians than death.

"Ahhhhh!!"

"Hold on a little longer, Miss Irina. It's almost done."

Just as I was thinking this, Irina in front of me suddenly let out a shrill scream. I was flustered for a moment and wanted to rush towards her, but when I looked down at our hands that still passed through each other, I realized that I was powerless at this moment and could only silently watch the situation develop.

"Ahhhh... Woo..."

"Are you okay, Miss Irina?"

After a long time, when black smoke began to rise from Irina's body, Kania carefully approached her and asked softly.

"This level... is nothing at all."

Irina, whose magic power circuits all over her body were dyed black and were like blood vessels, gasped and replied.

"...The ceremony was a success."

Hearing this, Kania let out a long sigh, slumped to the ground, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, and replied.

"Then now the young master and the young lady will..."

Just like this, after the two of them caught their breath for a while, they turned their gazes to the bed where I and Aria were lying...

- Swoosh swoosh swoosh...

"...Huh?"

Somehow, I and Aria, who had been lying on the bed sleeping soundly, were suddenly enveloped by a black aura that came from nowhere, and they began to panic.

"W, why can't I control it?"

Seeing this scene, Kania hastily stretched out her hand, but somehow the black magic couldn't be controlled, and she rushed towards the bed in a panic.

- Bang!!

"...Ha!"

However, Aria, who suddenly woke up, released starlight magic power from her hand. Kania quickly stepped back and asked in a nervous voice.

"Miss? What's wrong with you?"

At this time, Aria, who had been staring at her, slightly raised the corner of her mouth...

- Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh!!

"Cough cough!!"

Then, she began to mercilessly pour out starlight - like attacks towards Kania.

"What's going on?"

At that moment, everything stopped, and I looked around in confusion.

"It's obsession."

"What?"

At this time, someone standing beside me softly spoke.

"Two people who stupidly pursued the truth and died in an accident, their obsessions merged with the black magic. When the black magic dissipates, their obsessions manifest."

"T, then..."

"Although it's an obsession, the desire doesn't seem to have disappeared. You can tell by seeing that they took you and your sister as hosts."

"Ah..."

Hearing this, I roughly understood the situation and sighed.

"Then am I already dead?"

"No, you just lost control of yourbody now.

"I see."

I nodded silently and stared blankly at the frozen moment. At this time, the being beside me asked softly, "Do you want to give up?"

Hearing this, I frowned and looked to the side. The being continued in a gentle tone, "From now on, everything depends on your choice."

"My choice?"

"That's right. Your choice will change everything."

As it spoke, the being began to approach me. I asked calmly, "What if I give up here?"

"You will find eternal rest. Perhaps, it will be a rather pleasant feeling."

"I see."

I nodded slightly. The being continued in a soft voice, "No one will blame you. You've done your best, and you deserve..."

"What will happen if I keep going?"

But I interrupted it and asked again. The being replied in a dry voice, "It will be a continuation of suffering and adversity."

Hearing this, I slowly closed my eyes. The being quickly added, "You may encounter situations that are even more unreasonable and terrifying than now... You might not even be able to make such a choice and meet your end. Even so..."

"Enough. Hug me."

I interrupted it again and smiled, saying, "This time, I'll be the pursuer."

At that moment, the light flickering in front of me spread out in all directions, illuminating the room brightly.

"...How did you know?"

Then, with the scattered light, a woman who appeared in my field of vision tilted her head and asked. I walked towards her slowly and began to answer her question.

"The ceiling is filled with black magic, yet there is light coming into the room. This means that above the black magic, there is some power that is stronger than it..."

Then, I hugged my mother tightly, who appeared in front of me completely, and with a bright smile on my face, I continued, "Most importantly, since you're so worried about me, how could I not recognize you?"

"You've really grown up."

I hugged my mother tightly for a long time. Feeling the warm body temperature and the surrounding light seeping into my body, I murmured softly, "I will definitely survive."

At this time, my mother's figure gradually turned into fragments of light and merged into my body. She smiled slightly and replied softly, "Of course you will. You're my son."

After saying this, my mother completely merged with the starlight magic power filling the ceiling into my body. Then, a system window floated in front of me.

[The first trial ended ahead of schedule!]

[The following conditions have been met...]

"Damn it."

I waved my hand to close the system window in front of me. Feeling the surrounding scene gradually changing, I muttered in a low voice, "...How dare you interfere."

...

"Yo, Young Master! Miss!"

When I came to my senses, there was a horrible scene in front of me.

"Ugh..."

"Please wake up! Please!"

Kania and Irina were lying on the floor of the half-destroyed room, covered in injuries. Aria, who was emanating black magic all over her body, was approaching them step by step, and I was surrounded by the flickering starlight magic power.

"Please...! Please...!"

"Kania."

I called Kania in a low voice. She was trying desperately to stop me and Aria.

"Do you know?"

"What?"

I suddenly asked in a calm tone when I had been attacking frantically just now. A look of confusion appeared on Kania's face.

"You know, I..."

I stared at her, stretched out my hand, showed a gentle smile, and said slowly, "...Since I was a child, I've always wanted to cast a spell once."

The next moment, the dazzling light bursting out from my hand instantly enveloped everything except Kania and Irina.

- Whoosh...

Then, the black magic filling the room began to be purified rapidly, and Aria, who was walking towards Kania and Irina, suddenly lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

- Swoosh!

Then, a black sphere shot out from Aria's body and flew towards me at the speed of a bullet. I quickly injected starlight magic power into the sword held in my left hand and easily cut through the sphere. I added, "However, the sword is still more comfortable to use."