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༺ Negotiation ༻
"""...….."""
It was late at night and the forest was engulfed in deathly silence.
｢Solution found!｣
"Hm?"
Amidst the silence, a system window appeared in Kania's vision.
｢Return the soul to its original state.｣
"...?"
｢Return the soul to its original state as soon as possible.｣
The existence her Young Master had called the 'System' abruptly started issuing orders to her, and Kania tilted her head in confusion.
"Are you talking to me?"
｢Activate the 'Help' function if you wish to further interact with the system.｣
Kania inquired doubtfully, and words started to form in the transparent window in front of her. She then followed its instructions.
"…Help."
Recalling what her Young Master used to say whenever he utilized the 'System,' she muttered the same word under her breath.
｢The 'Help' function has been activated!｣
A new window opened shortly after.
You are currently violating the laws of the world and breaking the balance. Take appropriate measures to return the soul to its original state.
"Appropriate measures?"
As she inquired about the dubious message, more words appeared beneath the existing message.
Return Frey Raon Starlight's soul to its rightful body.
Kania smirked and leisurely tapped her knees with her fingers after reading the message that seemed like it was ordering around a subordinate.
"…And if I don't want to?"
The System stayed silent.
"Why should I listen to you when you're the reason for the Young Master's suffering?"
Kania coldly continued questioning it after seeing the System not responding.
Noncompliance will not benefit either party. This is a warning. Return the soul to its original state.
However, the System just issued another command in an even more aggressive tone.
"No."
Yet, Kania remained resolute and quietly stroked the magic circle engraved on her stomach. Clana and Irina, who had been anxiously looking at Kania from the side, began to cautiously probe the situation.
"Kania? Just what is going on?"
"Ms. Kania, could it be that you're talking to the 'System'?"
"Wait, Clana. How do you know about the 'System'?"
"H-Huh? A-About that…"
Kania however, remained lost in her thoughts despite their voices. A little while later, she started talking with a smile plastered across her face.
"Judging from how you're pressuring me so much, there must be quite an important reason as to why his soul needs to return to his body this instant, right?"
The system provided no response to that question.
"Or perhaps, an 'error' was caused when the Young Master's soul got into my body… and it became difficult for you to tamper with his soul?"
Despite her repeated questioning, the System continued to stay silent.
As if she had hit the nail on the head, she drew a conclusion.
"…Maybe, it's both?"
It was only after Kania whispered that mockingly did the System bring up another window.
If you don't return the soul within 10 seconds, you will have to bear the 'Penalty' in Frey Raon Starlight's stead.
"Good. That's what I wanted anyways."
With those words, the red panel in front of her started counting down as Kania merely smiled and continued to stroke her stomach.
6, 5, 4…
"After all, I'm just a parasite living off of the Young Master's life force."
3, 2, 1…
"I'll gladly bear the penalty for him."
Kania continued to smile and closed her eyes as the countdown came to an end.
"...…Hm?"
The penalty never came even after she waited for a long time.
"Like I thought, you're unable to influence our souls due to that 'error.'"
Kania smiled triumphantly.
"I wonder who has the upper hand now?"
It was an outcome born from her preemptive judgment that Frey's 'System' couldn't be trusted.
"W-What is that?"
"Holy shit."
"Princess Clana? Miss Irina? Why are you both… huh?"
However, Kania's victorious grin didn't last long.
Rumble…
"T-The Sun?"
The Sun was rising above the dark night sky.
"What in the…"
It was still long before sunrise. Yet, the Sun rose to defy the laws of nature and radiated a light dimmer than usual in all directions.
"…..According to my memories, the Sun went out."
"What?"
"The Sun was extinguished along with Frey's death."
Clana murmured as her face suddenly paled.
Her hands were shaking as she spoke.
"Right now, that Sun… isn't going out, but it's giving off an ominous energy. That can only mean…"
"Mean…?"
"That the Sun is affected by Frey's condition."
At that moment, a system window came up in front of Kania.
Please quickly return Frey's soul to his body. Otherwise, the world will come to an end.
Unlike its authoritative tone from before, great urgency could be felt from the System's words now.
Kania quietly questioned the System after noticing its urgency.
"Why would the world end?"
To explain it simply, the problem occurred because Frey is still alive even after his soul escaped. There's not enough time to go into detail about the matter.
Kania heaved a sigh.
"Alright. Then… let's make a deal."
A brief silence ensued.
"I don't know what exactly is going on, but judging from how desperate you seem… I doubt it'll be good for you if this phenomenon is allowed to continue."
This system solely exists to assist Frey…
Kania coldly interjected before the System could even finish displaying its message.
"You're lying. If you truly wanted to help him, you would have turned a blind eye to the 'error.'"
As Kania crossed her arms with a resolute expression, the System quickly shot back with another message.
At this rate, the Sun will be destroyed. It will be the end of the world.
"That's why I'm saying we should make a deal. You don't want to cease to exist either, do you?"
The system you're seeing is merely an interface that displays text messages…
"Don't lie. If that were the case, why have I been feeling such a familiar energy from the system window floating in the air?"
Ever since the Sun appeared, the system window had been emitting energy Kania was very familiar with.
The feeling of incredibly dense 'dark mana.'
– Ruuumble!!
"I've had an inkling of your true identity for some time, so stop with the pointless chatter and just agree to make a deal."
Kania calmly spoke as she observed the Sun tremble with ever-increasing intensity.
"You don't want everything to end like this either, right?"
Suddenly, a message appeared before her.
Sudden quest initiated!
Quest Content: Restore Frey's soul to its original state.
Reward: Limited to the current penalty, Frey's decrease in lifespan will be invalidated. (Penalties that have already been applied, such as 'decrease in vitality,' cannot be revoked even by this system.)
Condition: Instead of decreasing Frey's lifespan, the current owner of the system, 'Kania,' will receive the following curse.
"…What do you mean by condition?"
Kania scowled at the mention of a condition.
The system is obligated to impose a penalty equivalent to half of Frey's remaining lifespan. Therefore, if you wish to make a deal, you must accept the corresponding price.
"So, what curse are you placing on me?"
｢The Curse of Unity｣
As the recipient of this curse, you will become one with Frey.
With that, the information of the curse 'kindly' appeared before her eyes.
If Frey experiences pain, you will also experience pain. If he feels sorrow, you will also feel sorrow. A truly fitting curse for a loyal companion such as you.
"Hah… I guess so."
Kania sneered at the system's explanation.
"But well, don't you seem to be in a hurry?"
With that said, Kania stood up from her spot and began to walk slowly.
"Kania…?"
"W-What's going on…"
She walked past Clana and Irina, who were anxiously observing the quaking Sun all while listening to her one-sided conversation with the system.
She took a step towards Frey, who was lying unconscious against a tree. And then another step.
"Young Master."
Kania walked slowly until she finally stopped in front of Frey…
"From now on, I will be with you."
And she whispered weakly-
– Woosh…
As she quietly gathered dark mana at her belly and roused his soul.
"So, please be at ease and return."
Kania activated the magic circle and began reaching out towards Frey.
"Now, there's only one thing that remains."
However, she stopped her arms midway.
– Shuuuuu…
"…Please prove that I can trust you."
Kania glared at the status window that was now exuding much more energy than before.
"I cannot trust you with only the quest presented by the system. Besides, aren't you capable of manipulating it whenever you want?"
The system does not have the authority to interfere with quests…
"Even if you say so, it's not reliable enough for me to just blindly trust you."
The Sun had begun to ominously twist and warp at this point.
"That's why, please prove that everything you said was true in addition to exempting the Young Master from the penalty."
Kania urged on the System with a disdainful smirk.
"You'd better hurry up since, as you said, the Sun seems like it'll self-destruct in a few seconds."
In order to confirm her suspicions-
She prepared to return Frey's soul back to his body at a moment's notice before the Sun truly destructed-
And made a final challenge to the System.
I swear in the name of the Demon God, Eclipse.
And as a result, a black system window that had never been seen before appeared in front of her.
"W-What is this feeling?"
"It doesn't seem to be Miss Kania's dark mana…"
And the black system window started radiating dark mana so potent that Clana and Irina were able to sense it even though they couldn't see it.
"As expected, you're the one my damn parents worshiped."
Kania smugly looked at the system window.
– Kajijijijijik!!
"Uwaaaaaa!!"
Then, she carefully began to separate Frey's soul before reintegrating it with his body.
"Ugh…"
In doing so, Kania felt the curse run deep into her body along with a sharp intense pain that immediately assaulted her.
Frey's soul started to slowly leave her body and enter his own as she felt the power of the System.
"Am I supposed to use 'Mind-Reading'? I remember hearing it several times before…"
It was something she was always curious about and something she could do only at this moment.
"Ha."
Then, she looked at the status window that she would probably get to see for the last time in her life.
"…Me too."
She replied in a weak voice before closing her eyes.
[Frey Raon Starlight's current emotions: Concern/Loyalty/Love]
It was the moment her one-sided feelings were reciprocated.
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You can read 505 episodes for $10. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02