章 48: Chapter 47: The First Ordeal
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༺ The First Ordeal ༻
"Cough, cough!! Ugh…"
"…Master Frey, are you all right?"
Having been coughing in the bathroom for a while, I answered in an irritated tone when Irina knocked on the door and called out to me.
"…Don't worry about me, just clean properly."
"It is time to clean the bathroom."
But when Irina didn't back down and retaliated, I frowned and said.
"…Just do it later."
In front of me, the bathroom sink was covered in blood.
"I'm done cleaning everything else. It is time to…"
"…I said shut up and wait!!"
As she tried to open the door to come in, I began cleaning the bloody mess in the sink.
"…What's going on?"
But no matter how much I wiped the sink, the blood stain wouldn't come off, rather it was spread out.
"Wh-What's this? What's happening?"
Frustrated by this, I hurriedly began wiping off the sink, even using stellar mana, but the blood wouldn't come off and only spread more and more.
Eventually, I turned on the faucet attached to the sink to wash off the blood, but…
"…..!"
What flowed out of the faucet wasn't water, but blood.
Unable to understand this situation, I stared at the faucet with my mouth wide open, and then the sink overflowed with blood and turned the bathroom floor red.
"…Am I hallucinating?"
I was probably hallucinating at that moment.
It had been a while since I last had a hallucination. I thought I had gotten over this in the previous timeline… Did it start after I heard my sister's auditory hallucinations back then?
"…This is a mess."
The blood that had pooled up on the floor crept up the walls and started dripping on me from the ceiling.
I grabbed the doorknob to get out of the bathroom, feeling a bit uncomfortable, but for some reason, the doorknob wouldn't turn.
After gripping onto the doorknob for a while, I considered breaking the door down, but I held back and went back to the sink and sighed.
But this time my image in the mirror creepily smiled back at me.
[Stats]
Name: Frey Raon Starlight
Strength: ???
Mana: ???
Intelligence: ???
Mental Strength: 9.3
Passive Status: Blessing of the Stars / Critical Condition / Depleted Life Force / Infirmity / Mental Disorder
Disposition: Hero
Goodness Stat: 100
I covered up my reflection by summoning the status window, and I muttered quietly as I saw my mental strength stat.
"…It's about time my mind became clear again."
And as soon as I said that, my head cleared up and the usual bathroom appeared in front of my eyes.
『The First Ordeal of the System has Begun!』
And a red notification window popped up as well.
'…No wonder! I thought that something seemed to be wrong. So, it was this…'
Only then did I realize that this hallucination was something the System was making me see.
With the level of 『Mental Strength』 I have right now, forget mental attacks or hallucinations affecting me, rather they shouldn't even be working on me in the first place.
So… The only thing that could show me a hallucination that lasted this long would be the System, or, to be precise, the Ordeal of the System.
The 'Ordeal of the System' was an arduous trial given to system users to test their abilities through different stages.
And the first stage was the hallucination I had just seen.
'…These coming weeks are going to be a true pain in the ass.'
The 'First Ordeal' of the System would last about a week. So I would continue seeing hallucinations from this moment onwards.
However, this wouldn't be too big of a problem for me.
Because I strengthened my 『Mental Strength』 to a high degree throughout my previous life. Even if I saw or heard hallucinations like the one just now, all I need to do is endure them for a bit, and my mind would clear on its own, then return to its original state.
I realized this when I heard a hallucination of my sister crying in the carriage last time.
Of course, at that time I had so much in my mind that I panicked a bit, but, having rested for three months unintentionally, my current state of mind was very stable.
And honestly… Considering that I went through countless more terrible experiences than these crude hallucinations, I won't be fazed by them.
So I think I'll be able to overcome the 'First Ordeal' without much issue.
"Master… Frey…?"
"…Hmm?"
Having organized my thoughts as such, I was about to leave the bathroom when I heard Irina's voice from beside me.
I turned my gaze to the side, wondering what was wrong, and Irina, having opened the bathroom door, was standing right next to me and was looking at me in astonishment.
"Uh… What is that?"
"…Ah."
Her trembling hand was pointing at the sink, and when I looked down involuntarily, I discovered that a stream of blood mixed with water was overflowing…
"You… How did you get in?"
"Ma-Master Frey, it was you who opened the door."
"Me?"
I inquired coldly as I hurriedly closed the faucet, but Irina claimed that I opened the door for her.
It seemed that the door had opened when I tried to turn the doorknob earlier.
"Are… Are you sure you are all right?"
"Well…"
Frowning, as I was about to reply to her, I examined myself in the mirror and was at a loss for words.
Blood was flowing from my lips, and my hands and clothes were covered in blood.
"…I guess my body hasn't recovered fully yet."
I just quickly washed my mouth and hands in the sink, took off my clothes, then handed them to her and left the bathroom, saying…
"Make sure you clean it properly. And wash these clothes."
"I… this…"
"Answer."
"…Yes Master."
As I finished speaking, I closed the bathroom door, then heaved a deep sigh as I lied down in the bed and muttered under my breath.
"…Do I have to give a bribe for the finals, after all?"
Thinking about how much I should give the Dean this time around in order to avoid failing, I slowly closed my eyes as I gradually succumbed to the lingering drowsiness.
Today, I want to dream about a pure kitten, not a nightmare or a story of the past.
.
.
.
.
.
"What in the world is this…?"
While Frey was lying in the bed, slowly drifting away to his slumber, Irina was staring blankly at the sink with her brows furrowed.
"…I'm sure Frey did not have any chronic illness."
No matter how hard she looked through her memories, she had no memory or information that Frey had a chronic condition that made him vomit blood.
In the first place, even if he did, he would have been able to get treated thanks to the Starlight Ducal family's enormous wealth and power.
But why did Frey Raon Starlight spew this much blood?
'…Thinking about it, it was a little strange back then.'
Irina, who was well aware of the way mana flowed through one's body, had been able to roughly guess Frey's physical condition back when he first collapsed.
By forcibly concentrating mana into his body, the mana circuits that were spread across his body had burned and cut off, and he had suffered quite a bit of damage from this.
However, mana circuits had evolved over thousands of years to adapt to mana and had become fit for survival, so with proper treatment, he would have recovered in a week.
However, he had not woken up until it had been three months and a day… That is, until today.
She didn't understand why this had happened, but she definitely remembered the scene that could be a clue to finding out.
The moment he collapsed… When he was spouting blood from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears…
Of course, as he had just said while leaving the bathroom, this could just be thought of as an aftereffect of the 'Commoner's Dormitory Incident,' but the burning of the mana circuits had no relation to spewing blood.
Irina was very well aware of this because she had trained repeatedly in the previous timeline, and her mana circuits had cut off or burned countless times.
'Come to think of it, I heard he vomited blood in the hospital ward two months ago…'
It is quite suspicious that a person suffering from symptoms that have nothing to do with emesis continues to vomit blood.
Then, what could the reason be? A hidden chronic illness? Someone's attempt at poisoning? Or… As Clana always insisted, a 'variable'?
Whatever it was, the important thing was that his physical condition seemed very serious, even for someone with no medical knowledge like herself.
And at the heart of it was the mysterious symptom of vomiting blood.
'Liana used to vomit blood from time to time when she was protecting me. Now that I think about it…'
Irina, whose mind was overflowing with thoughts while she was wiping the blood that Frey had vomited in the bathroom, suddenly recalled events of the past.
'Liana definitely…'
Liana, the mysterious woman who had helped her, had so much in common with Frey.
Whether it was the sparkling mana, or the fact that she looked weak, or her tendency to cough up blood, it was all something she had experienced before…
If she went by the conclusion she came to two months ago, it was quite likely that Frey and that mysterious woman were the same person.
Then what was the reason?
She wanted to grab Frey by the collar right at this moment and ask him the reason, but Irina's cold rationality was stopping her.
This is because Frey's cruel and atrocious side that Irina had witnessed in the previous episode, in some ways was even worse than the Demon King and that remained as an unforgettable trauma to her.
Also, since she doesn't know what the 'real purpose' he is fighting for actually is, it would be best for her to pretend that she doesn't know.
"…Phew."
After organizing her thoughts, Irina came out of the bathroom wiping the sweat on her forehead.
"Mhmm…"
And then Frey's figure, that was sleeping peacefully in the bed, entered her field of vision.
Irina stared at him, then quietly approached the dormitory door and locked it from inside. She then began walking towards Frey with light steps.
"Master Frey…"
After sitting on the bed beside him, she began to quietly whisper in Frey's ear.
"Frey."
Frey continued to be unresponsive despite her ticklish voice.
"…What in the world are you planning?"
After asking this question again while silently listening to Frey's soft breathing, that filled the room, Irina began to stare at Frey's face.
His face, at least how it looked, was as pure as it was when she first met him.
Of course, even this pure white face had lost its light, as his same pure as white heart had been stained with evil and filth…
If there was still a glimmer of light in him… Rather, if he had not lost his light, to begin with...
"…Ah."
Lost in thought for a moment, Irina suddenly realized that she had been stroking Frey's hair.
Irina, who hurriedly pulled her hand back, in case Frey noticed and woke up, was lost in thought as Frey was still deep in his sleep.
'…Earlier, I definitely felt something familiar.'
When Frey had hugged her earlier, she quietly touched Frey's body all over and felt the familiar emotions and wounds that she felt when she hugged Liana.
She wasn't completely convinced as Frey had immediately moved away from her, but he was now fast asleep, so…
"…Gulp."
No matter how hard she enacted her secret investigations, Irina was just a commoner who had clear limits.
She had managed to bridge the gap by making an extra effort until now, but it was starting to get more and more difficult to get information without taking any significant risks now.
Even if their current reputation is at its worst, the Starlight family is still one of the only three Ducal Households of the Empire, and they held the most power among them.
Therefore, it was extremely difficult and complicated to keep investigating Frey behind his back, as he was the first son and Provisional Lord of such a mighty family.
Therefore, even if it was slightly dangerous, there was ample merit in being able to directly investigate Frey.
Of course, it would be a completely different story if she could use magic, but she was suffering from mana exhaustion right now, so she had no choice.
'A little, just a little bit…'
Determined, Irina began to carefully put her hands on Frey's body.
"Mhmm…"
Then Frey moaned a bit and began tossing and turning slightly.
Irina froze for a moment while watching Frey, and after confirming that he had fallen into deep sleep again, she quietly sighed and began moving her hands.
– Sweep
Irina's hand gently stroked Frey's body.
"…Mmm."
And Irina, who tilted her head for a moment, took a glance at Frey and began stroking his body again with her hands.
– Sweeeep
After examining Frey's body while she glanced at him to make sure he was still asleep, Irina carefully removed her hands from his body and muttered to herself.
'His clothes are too thick…'
The clothes he changed into after he handed her the dirty ones were quite thick.
Grumbling for a while about why he would change into such thick clothes if he was going to sleep, Irina took a deep breath and began to carefully undress him.
"…Sigh."
And when she did, his white skin was gradually revealed underneath them.
Irina hesitated for a moment at the sight, but then once again glanced at Frey and carefully continued to undress him.
– Slip
And then, what caught her eye was his upper torso, which had traces of where the mana circuits had burnt up.
"…..?"
Staring for a moment, Irina was about to put his clothes back on, but she tilted her head at the sudden sense of oddity.
'The traces of the mana circuits… Why are they so irregular?'
Just the same way the structure of organs within every person was the same, the structure of mana circuits was also the same.
That was why the mana management method and breathing method could be regulated and spread so widely.
But the traces of mana circuits on his body were a little unusual.
It was an odd sight that would be best described by saying that it looked like some spots had been covered by the use of special methods, and this began to stimulate the curiosity and academic enthusiasm that had contributed significantly in Irina's journey to reach the level of the greatest Archmage.
'…I'm not completely sure what it is, but it feels like he intentionally covered some parts of his body.'
Irina, who was speculating while piercingly glancing at his bare skin, came to the conclusion that this strange situation was caused by hiding a part of his body using some special medium.
'Then, what is he hiding…?'
Having thought this much, Irina began to caress Frey's bare skin with her trembling hands to find out what he was hiding.
– Sweep
As her hand touched Frey's bare skin, she began to feel a somewhat rough texture on his smooth skin, and as she was frowning, having felt this…
"…What are you doing?"
Kania asked from behind, in an icy voice.
"Hmphhh!!"
Irina, who almost screamed out in surprise, hurriedly closed her mouth, barely letting a sound come out, and glanced at Frey.
"Mmmmmm…"
He was tumbling quite a bit, but he was still deep in his sleep.
"Miss Irina?"
"Well, you see…"
Breathing a sigh of relief, as she saw him still sleeping, Irina hesitated for a bit before replying to Kania, who asked with a frown on her face.
"Mm… I was worried that he might have the imprint of the Demon King on his body… So… To investigate and…"
"I already did a complete check on his body for that. So, there is nothing more you need to check anymore."
"Ah, I see. Then…"
After having made up an excuse, Irina hurriedly got up from the bed and ran out of the room.
"…Young Master, Miss Irina is gone."
Kania, who had seen the scene quietly, began speaking to Frey in a hushed tone.
"I know you are awake. So please get up and share with me what Miss Irina did."
Frey would not normally fall asleep unless Kania was close to him because he was worried that the 'Main Heroines' might try to kill him in his sleep, so Kania quietly pulled out her notepad, ready to write down his words.
"…Young Master?"
However, even as some time passed, Frey remained silent.
"Ugh…"
"Young Master, are you all right?"
Frey groaned slightly, and Kania approached him with a worried look on her face, and asked him, as she cast an awakening spell on him.
"Did you have a nightmare? It seems you are getting more and more nightmares lately."
"...."
However, Frey remained silent.
"…It's the Ordeal."
Looking at him with a serious look on her face, Kania quietly approached him, noticing that this whole situation was being caused by the 'Ordeal' that he had warned her about the other time.
"Why is the world hell-bent on shattering you…"
Kania began to caress his stiff face, which was still in a deep slumber, and quietly reached underneath his loose clothes.
– Rustle…
Then the myriad of wounds that were concealed with her black magic was revealed, and Kania looked at the wounds, took out an ointment, and quietly added.
"…Even though you are such a kind person."
Having finished speaking, she carefully began to apply medicine on Frey's wounds.
Frey finally woke back up when Kania had almost emptied the ointment bottle.
.
.
.
.
.
"Th-This is scary…"
Somewhere else, at that time.
"But still… I have to do something too…"
Ever since three months ago, Ferloche had been trying to infiltrate the cellar of the Sun God Church in secret, where she felt a strange aura emanating.
"…Saintess, what are you doing there?"
"Eek!"
Of course, it was only 'in secret' by her own standards, so she was discovered by the Pope just before entering the cellar.
"Ah, you see…"
"Did I not tell you? This is the place where we store and investigate the items that have been confiscated by the church."
"Bu-but I'm fine…"
As the pope spoke with a stern look on his face, Ferloche answered timidly.
"…Even if you are fine, Saintess, the items are not. Your holy power is so strong that the items could be damaged."
"Mm…"
Despite his warnings, the Saintess glared at the Pope with a distrustful look. Upon seeing that he sighed and quietly opened the door to the cellar.
"…This is?"
"They are all confiscated items."
And what entered Ferloche's field of vision were different kinds of trinkets.
"I will show them to you if you are that curious, but…"
"Yes, then…"
As the Pope said this calmly, the Saintess tried to enter while radiating holy power from her body, but—
"However, if any of the investigation items are damaged due to your holy power… You will have to take responsibility."
"Ack."
"…Quite the heavy responsibility."
As the Pope spoke in a slightly furious tone, Ferloche bowed her head and began trudging back to the church building.
"Tsk, she has been getting more and more suspicious lately."
The Pope, who stared at her fading back coldly, quietly turned his gaze away and muttered as soon as he entered the cellar.
"For some reason, there are fewer children in the market these days. What should we do?"
And at that moment, from the cellar, which only seemed to have trinkets, a creepy voice spoke out.
"…Find their whereabouts."
"Yes."
The pope groveled before the voice, as he answered, and then immediately followed with a question, careful in his tone.
"But… Would it not be best to change our location?"
"…Huh?"
"This is where the Sun God Church is located, so there may be problems that arise during the ceremony, and for some reason, the Saintess keeps on trying to…"
– ROAAAAR!!
"Hiiik!!"
The Pope, who was talking while being drenched in a cold sweat, immediately prostrated himself on the floor upon hearing the roaring tremor from the cellar, and began to beg with both of his hands clasped together.
"I-I apologize…! Please show me mercy…!"
"…Proceed as planned."
"Yes! I will do my best!"
You can read 505 episodes for $10. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02
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