Why Franche is Acting Strange
“So, what brings you here this time?” Her tone was incredibly prickly, likely because I had barged in while she was sleeping. Well, I was used to it by now.
“I have something to ask you.”
“What are you curious about?”
“It's about the Lady.”
At the mention of Franche, Kazar's eyes widened, and she tilted her head. “Did something happen to the Lady?”
“No, it's not that. She's just been acting a bit strange lately.”
“In what way?”
I explained what had happened with Franche recently. From her subtle personality shift to the strange look in her eyes...
“Hmm. Don't people naturally change? A lot has happened to her. She learned magic, her business succeeded... I'd say she has plenty of reasons to change.” Kazar shrugged, as if it were no big deal.
If it were that simple, I would have just shrugged it off too. But this was something you had to see for yourself to truly understand. “Sigh, you really had to be there to see it.” I shook my head, rubbing my temples.
“Geez, just how bad was it?”
“It feels like she's not the Lady I used to know.”
As I bowed my head with a furrowed brow, Kazar seemed to realize something was truly amiss and pressed for details. “What made you feel that way? There must be something else besides her eyes and personality changing, right?”
I nodded slowly. “Right now, it feels like her emotions are overriding her reason. Sometimes, she even releases a dark haze from her back, radiating pure bloodlust.”
At the mention of bloodlust, Kazar's expression turned serious. It seemed she had an inkling of what was going on. “You know something, don't you?”
She rested her chin in her hand, her brow furrowing deeply. Her silence stretched on. This was starting to make me uneasy.
“Hmm, I think I know what it is.”
“Tell me. What is it?”
Kazar met my gaze with an unwavering look. Then, she spoke in a low voice. “It's the influence of dark magic.”
My eyes flashed. I had suspected as much, but to hear it confirmed... I thought I knew everything about this game, but I hadn't expected dark magic to harbor such a secret.
It makes sense that I didn't know. Somire is the exact opposite of a dark mage, after all.
I asked Kazar for more details. “What exact effect does dark magic have?”
“You said it yourself earlier, didn't you? That her emotions seem to override her reason.”
I nodded, swallowing hard. For some reason, tension was building in my chest.
“The more one learns dark magic, the more it amplifies their emotions. The feelings the Lady is showing now are things she already felt, but the dark magic is blowing them out of proportion.”
The moment she said those words, several scenes flashed through my mind. How she had told me not to get close to Helena or Kazar, her constant obsession and dependence on me... Those feelings were being amplified and were now bursting at the seams. That was why she couldn't control her joy earlier and had lunged to hug me. It was also why pure bloodlust flared up the moment I even mentioned Helena's name. It all made sense now.
“Then, what happens if her mastery of dark magic continues to grow in this state?”
Tension gripped me. My heart rate spiked, and my spine stiffened. I could feel a cold sweat breaking out.
“It will get much worse than it is now. Her power will grow, and she won't be able to control her emotions at all.”
Kazar's words sent a flood of thoughts rushing through my head. Franche's magical growth was absolutely necessary right now. But if her emotions became even more volatile, it would cause serious problems. For instance, if I were to run away...
“This is a serious problem...”
“It's fine once you get used to dark magic and maintain your stability.”
“And what if that stability is shattered before she's fully accustomed to it?”
“Then she'll completely blow her top, won't she?”
Damn it.
“Is there any way to prepare for that? For example, suppressing those exploding emotions, or helping her maintain her reason?”
Kazar tapped her desk, staring blankly into space. After a brief moment of contemplation, she finally spoke.
“There's no such thing. It's not a disease or a curse. It's simply one's own inner self bursting out. I'm no different.”
...I had no idea dark magic had such a side effect. No wonder Franche turned into a complete psychopath in the original game's route. So that was the influence of dark magic.
“But you don't need to worry too much. As long as she gets used to it and keeps her stability, her emotions won't explode. Look at me, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?”
The problem was that I planned to shatter that stability long before she ever got used to it.
“Whew…” A heavy sigh escaped my lips. If this was the case, raising Franche would lose its meaning. If I disappeared, she would lose control and become a boss monster, just like in the game. But if I didn't leave, my own life would be in danger.
“I'm standing at a crossroads.”
Kazar tilted her head. “A crossroads? What choice? Is it related to that symptom of yours?”
“Yes. If I disappear one day, the Lady's emotions will inevitably explode.”
I had to find a way, somehow. Whether it was finding someone to replace me, or helping Franche become completely independent on her own.
“Hmm. But about that condition of yours... It's dangerous, sure, but it's not life-threatening. Besides, aren't you a Sword Master? I would think you could just stay by her side forever...”
To think even she would say something like that. Would it be better to just tell Kazar the truth? She seemed like she would understand my situation. But I shook my head.
If I do that, I'll have to explain everything starting from the moment I transmigrated.
Frustrated, I let out a long sigh. “Why are you so worried? Is there some other secret you can't share, besides the magic carved into you?”
I nodded cautiously.
“What is it? Tell me. It's something you can't tell the Lady, right?”
I pursed my lips and tapped my fingers on the table. My hesitation stretched on. After careful consideration, I finally made a decision.
“Whether you believe my story or not is up to you. And don't ask me how things ended up this way.”
I explained my situation to Kazar. I only told her that my symptoms triggered whenever I was with Franche, and that they were progressively getting worse. I kept the fact that my modern soul was being slowly consumed by the original Jin Barenberg to myself.
“...Is such a thing even possible?” Kazar asked, her face blank with shock. I nodded. “It's hard to believe, but it's the truth.”
“I never would have guessed that the trigger for your symptoms was being near the Lady.” Kazar scratched her greasy hair vigorously, her brow furrowing. “Would you mind if I investigated this in detail?”
“Is that even possible? Didn't you say last time that there was no answer?”
Kazar pursed her lips and nodded. “If I study the magic I saw back then alongside the trigger conditions, I think I might find something. I have a few ancient magic books.”
Ah, right. She did have ancient magic books. If so, there might be a clue.
“Would it help if I brought you another ancient magic book?”
Kazar looked up, blinking. “You have another ancient magic book...?”
“It's a magic book that belonged to the Barenberg Kingdom.”
I used my royal background as a cheat key to gloss over the details.
“Oho, an ancient magic book from the Barenberg Kingdom. Now that definitely piques my interest.”
That book was the most valuable hidden piece item related to magic in the game. If anyone could decipher it, it would be Kazar.
“Anyway, since the Lady granted me some time off, I'll go fetch it.”
“Sounds good. It'll help with my research, and it satisfies my curiosity.” Kazar smiled and nodded. Then, she extended her hand for a handshake. But...
That's the hand she just used to scratch her greasy hair.
A wave of revulsion washed over me, making my brow twitch and my face grimace, but deciding it would be rude to refuse, I took her hand.
“I'll leave it to you, then.”
“...Right.”
With that, I immediately left her house and set off to find the magic book. The location should be... exactly the same as it was in the game.
Late that evening, Franche took a carriage to Kazar's house.
“Come back for me in two days.”
“Yes, my Lady.”
Franche didn't even bother to knock. She summoned a wisp of pitch-black smoke, letting it seep through the gap in the door. Click. The door unlocked and swung open.
“L-Lady Franche?” Kazar stammered in surprise as Franche barged in. Franche let out a soft chuckle and took a seat.
“Why, is something the matter?”
“Even so, you should at least knock...”
“I thought you'd be asleep.” Franche tilted her head, gesturing for Kazar to prepare tea. Rubbing the back of her neck, Kazar immediately went to brew some.
“You're here to learn magic, right?”
“Yes.” *Sip.* Taking a sip of her tea, Franche continued, “Actually, there's a specific spell I want to learn.”
“What kind of spell?”
“I'll tell you later. For now, take a look at my progress.”
Whoosh! An abyss-like darkness erupted from Franche's palm. It was a pitch-black shadow, deep and bottomless like a chasm.
“...Incredible.” Kazar was genuinely astonished. It hadn't even been half a year since the Lady started learning magic. Yet she had already reached this level. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her the greatest genius in history.
“What would you say my current level is?”
“You're easily at the level of a Court Mage.”
“Then, what am I capable of doing?”
“Hmm...” *Tap. Tap.* Kazar looked up at the ceiling, tapping her chin. “Excluding super-tier magic or grand magic, you should be able to cast almost anything. Of course, that's limited to dark magic.”
Franche nodded, satisfied. “I see. So at my current level, I can cast most spells?”
Kazar nodded with a smile. She moved her hands, activating her mana. A shower of multicolored shooting stars rose above her palm, resembling a miniature galaxy. Watching this, Franche thought it was beautiful.
“I'll show you what we'll be covering next. Aside from attributes with unique properties, I can use most elemental attributes. That includes dark magic, of course.”
*Whoosh.* The glowing, multicolored gemstones spun rapidly, drawing a spiral in the air. Then, a single gemstone rose to the center. It was pitch-black.
“This is the essence of my dark magic. Can you decipher it?”
Franche nodded and peered intently at the black gemstone floating above Kazar's hand. Countless magic circles were intricately drawn within it.
“Ugh...” A massive influx of information flooded her mind all at once, causing a faint headache. Yet, even as she furrowed her brow and rubbed her temples, she refused to look away from the gemstone.
“Good. I'm deciphering it.”
The essence of Kazar's dark magic was truly astounding. It ranged from summoning the souls of the dead, animating corpses, and draining life force, to casting all manner of curses and even a blackout spell that could shroud the entire sky.
“With this level of power, aren't you basically a Transcendental Mage...?”
Kazar gave a faint smile and shook her head. “This isn't nearly enough to be a Transcendental Mage. The sheer volume of mana we possess is on completely different levels.”
*Flick.* With a flick of her finger, Kazar manipulated the glowing gemstones.
“A Transcendental Mage can cast grand magic with a mere flick of their finger. With just a little concentration, they can unleash super-tier magic. The Empire is powerful precisely because of the existence of Transcendental Mages.”
Franche couldn't hide her astonishment. To think they could cast grand magic with a mere flick of a finger, and even unleash super-tier magic with ease... No wonder they were able to stand in Jin's way. And Jin, who had fought against such Transcendental Mages, was truly incredible.
“Anyway, this is the extent of the dark magic I can teach you. The rest is just mana control.”
Kazar raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “Ah, and you mentioned earlier that there was a specific spell you really wanted to learn? We're done with the main lesson, so you can tell me now.”
At those words, a chilling smile spread across Franche's lips, and she spoke in a low, quiet voice. “Tell me... is there a spell that can bind a living person's soul directly to mine?”