episode_0141

“Cool… .”

Roll, roll.

Luke fell down unsightly because he tore the scroll too hastily.

He rolled down without any resistance, spitting up blood.

Looking around, it seems like I’ve arrived at the right place.

“Turn it off… .”

But the excruciating pain felt like someone had set fire to my insides.

My head was so complicated that I didn’t have time to worry about that.

Was this really the best?

Is this the right way to break up with Ellen?

Constantly arising doubts.

Elin’s face, filled with despair, comes to mind before she teleports.

Kuk.

Guilt weighs heavily on my heart.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to say goodbye with a smile.

It’s painful when the actual situation arises.

But if he had accepted it there, Luke would never have been able to leave the mansion.

She must have been nursing herself while intoxicated by Elin’s comfort.

If the duke who resurrected the demon attacked, we would have died together.

okay.

To be honest, I was scared.

A bad ending occurs.

I’m afraid that everything I’ve built up until now will fall apart.

So there’s nothing we can do about it.

We must quickly deal with the peacock before its lifespan ends.

That’s for Elin’s safety.

Because it’s the only way to eliminate variables.

Luke finally got up after endless self-brainwashing and rationalization.

“Is magic…all okay?”

Staggering.

Because I felt like I would really die if I used magic right now.

I moved my feet directly and checked the magic I had written on the magic tower in advance.

It seems like Ranian and the students didn’t touch it at all, as it seems to be working fine.

“Cool… .”

The problem was the condition of the body.

Of course, a body like this that is like trash cannot stop the resurrection of the devil.

A situation where the body needs to recover, even temporarily.

Anyone who knew how… no, there was only one dragon Luke knew of.

Luke walked straight into the cave.

It took a long time to enter the cave because I couldn’t use the portal.

“Are you there?”

“Are you here?”

Surprisingly, Bertain was not asleep.

“You foolish, mean, and cowardly foolish young sage.”

Rather, his eyes sparkled as if he had been waiting for Luke.

* * * * *

It was a bit too much of a greeting to say hello.

“Why are you like that as soon as you come in?”

“Why are you asking that? Are you asking because you don’t know?”

Bertain snorted in exasperation.

Luke, unable to make it through the barrier, rolled around and crashed into the wall.

《There must be only one reason why you came to this body like that. Didn’t you abandon the little kid and come all the way here?》

Throwing it away.

I wanted to refute that, but.

I couldn’t say anything because of the intense pain.

《Tsk tsk. You’ll definitely regret it. Why are you so scared of making such a hasty decision… ? 》

Bertain, who had been mumbling something incomprehensible, used his telekinesis to pull Luke out.

“You are a bad and stupid wise man. You have made a very big mistake.”

“What have you been talking about?”

“You can see your fate clearly. If you’re going to run away, you better do it right. It’s obvious that you’ll be caught by that kid with his eyes wide open.”

“We have prepared to prevent that from happening.”

《Ha! I guess so.》

But I almost flew away again at Bertain’s empty laughter.

This time, I first caught him with telekinesis.

“So why did you come here this time?”

“There’s still work to be done, but as you can see, my body is in this state.”

《Hmm. Right. So you’re saying that there’s still a task that the kid doesn’t want to do, but that you have to do while telling yourself that it’s for the kid’s sake?》

“… … ”

Bertain is particularly sharp today.

Luke gave her a puzzled look.

“My descendants have gone through such an absurd separation. Wouldn’t I be angry?”

“Since when have you been thinking so much about your majesty?”

“At least it seems like we’re doing more now.”

Bertain laughed softly.

“Anyway, be careful. If I were a kid, I’d start by breaking both of your legs the moment I caught you.”

“… … ”

Is it because he has a past record of killing a cheating partner?

It was not easy to ignore Bertain’s words.

“The Princess and I will take care of our own work. I need more help than that.”

《I’ll tell you in advance, the side effects that come with the contract cannot be erased under any circumstances.》

Berthain nailed it down thoroughly.

But Luke didn’t give up.

“Isn’t it really not there? I can’t walk around with a body like this.”

《Who told you to treat your body so badly? You were told that if you lived a normal life, you would last three years. What did you dislike so much that you shortened your own lifespan?》

“I couldn’t help it because I was preparing for the princess’s coming of age ceremony.”

《Tsk. You don’t even know how to look at the important things properly…》

The nagging continues.

Luke decided to just ignore it.

“I’m not just asking you to erase the side effects.”

“then?”

“I will pay more.”

《… You crazy sage.》

“Yes.”

《Are you saying you will pay more now?》

“Yes.”

Bertain looked at Luke in disbelief.

“If it were me, I would have gone back and begged for forgiveness right away. You’re punishing yourself.”

“So you won’t be getting any more compensation?”

《I can accept it. But wouldn’t it make my already short lifespan even shorter?》

“It doesn’t matter. Just finish everything within the time limit.”

《Heh heh… … .》

Bertain, who had let out a hollow laugh, opened his eyes squintingly.

《Like last time, you will receive the price in souls, foolish sage. But the penalty will be even more severe. The side effects will be washed away, but after three months at most, your soul will be torn to pieces and scattered across the dimension.》

The price of a bloody contract.

Luke nodded with a stern face.

“That’s enough.”

《That’s enough. It won’t be a clean annihilation. Do you know what it means for the soul to be torn apart and scattered to another dimension?》

“Doesn’t that mean you’ll die painfully?”

“I knew it! You ignorant wise man.”

Even if I yelled at Luke, he wouldn’t know.

《It’s like having your organs taken out one by one and scattered while your senses are still alive. You have to wander through the dimensions in that state forever.》

I’ve never had my soul torn apart.

Still, I thought that might be an attempt to scare me.

《Actually, this is also a pretty weak metaphor.》

That is, until Bertain spoke in a serious voice.

Luke swallowed and asked.

“… Have you ever had your soul broken?”

“If that were the case, would you still be alive?”

“Then how do you know so well?”

“I know, because I’ve torn my soul apart many times.”

“… … ”

《So, think about it and think about it again. Isn’t that like choosing hell for yourself? Are you confident that you won’t resent this body?》

Honestly, there isn’t any.

But that doesn’t mean I can just quietly go back here.

In the end, it was as if there was no choice.

“I will pay the price.”

《Uhhh… … I’ll ask you one last time. Will you regret it?》

“Yes.”

“This body has clearly dried.”

Blink, blink.

Bertain blinked twice.

“Ugh… !”

That alone made Luke’s mana fluctuate.

Mana Heart is crushed.

Blood spurted out like a waterfall.

Deep inside my body, I felt as if the intangible substance that determines my identity was being pulled out.

dump.

Kneel down.

《Are you okay?》

“It seems okay.”

“It’ll be okay now. The pain will come later.”

It’s something that will happen later anyway.

Luke decided not to bother thinking about the terrible future.

Exactly.

I snapped my fingers.

Woof-

A portal that opens normally.

There was no feeling of Mana Heart tightening.

He didn’t even vomit blood.

The original body state obtained by sacrificing one’s soul.

Luke now had only three months left.

* * * * *

There was a huge commotion upstairs.

The coming-of-age ceremony was a success thanks to Luke’s excellent preparation.

It was a little strange that Ellen didn’t show her face at the end.

The guests left the mansion very satisfied.

Externally, Berthain’s status is higher than ever.

“Hey, what do I do with this?”

“I think an order should be given… … .”

The interior was more chaotic than ever.

Employees can only move when they receive instructions from their superiors.

However, the owner, Carl Chad, has been away for over five years.

The agent, Elin, is also nowhere to be seen.

Eventually, Natia tried to command the servants again.

When Ellen appeared later, I was afraid and did not listen to her orders.

In the end, everything came to a halt at the Bertain Mansion, unable to do anything.

“Princess. Please open the door.”

Anne pleaded in front of Ellen’s room.

At first, I felt so guilty that I didn’t think I was worthy of speaking to her.

But when they realized that Luke had disappeared from the mansion.

I couldn’t stand being worried about Elin.

I should have paid more attention.

I should have known what Luke, with his terminal illness, would do.

Anne foolishly didn’t expect Luke to retire on his coming-of-age day.

“… Please eat something, okay?”

Anne came carrying a tray.

He said it with sorrow.

“… … ”

Still no answer.

At the door, the food left yesterday was sitting cold, untouched.

Three days after Luke left.

Elin locked the door tightly and went into hiding.