Chapter 120 - Blood Oath
"...Hm?"
Irina, who had been leaning down and whispering to Frey, suddenly furrowed her brow and tilted her head.
What is it?
Her body, hypersensitive to mana, had detected magic from somewhere.
"...Hm."
The moment she noticed it, Irina's eyes sharpened as she scanned the surroundings. Soon, her expression turned icy.
—Wooong...
"A rat's snuck in."
With that, she conjured a sphere of mingled flame and black magic in her hand and began moving slowly. Of course, she had spare mana scrolls on her, but after that faulty one last time, Irina trusted her own abilities over scrolls in critical moments.
"...Come out now."
Reaching right in front of the bathroom door, Irina muttered coldly.
"I said come out."
But the door didn't budge. Hiding Frey behind her as best she could, Irina focused every nerve on that door. If an attack came pouring in, she'd draw on every ounce of combat experience from past loops to protect him.
—Creak...
"Stop. If you don't want to die, drop to your knees first, then slowly raise your hands..."
After glaring at the door for a long while, Irina issued her chilling command as it began to open—but then...
"S-Sorry... Hic."
"Lulu?"
Her face twisted in confusion when she realized it was Lulu stumbling out.
"What the hell were you doing in there?"
"W-Well..."
Lulu was just as flustered. She'd never imagined her Demon Eyes would give her away the instant she activated them to assess the situation.
"I heard Frey collapsed, so I stopped by... S-Suddenly, Frey started vomiting black blood..."
"The door was locked, though?"
"...I-It was open?"
Scared the maid who'd let her in might get in trouble, Lulu lied. Irina tilted her head, looking deeply suspicious.
"Did the auto-lock spell break? But that shouldn't..."
"W-Well, I'll be going then."
"Huh?"
Eyeing Irina warily, Lulu bolted for the room's exit.
"...Wait. What were you planning to do here?"
"Nursing him."
"Then why hide when I showed up?"
"F-Frey suddenly started bleeding... I panicked without thinking."
"Why panic?"
Lulu stammered at the question.
"I-I thought it was my fault."
Irina sighed and looked at her.
"It's fine. Not your fault. Frey's just undergoing treatment right now."
"T-Treatment?"
"Yeah. The blood he's vomiting is bad blood being purged to make way for new blood. Once it's done, he'll be healthy again. No need to worry about getting punished."
Lulu, still fidgeting anxiously, stared at the lying Frey.
"What? Planning to stick around forever?"
"Ah, well..."
Through her Demon Eyes, Frey's body matched Irina's words—constantly producing fresh blood. For an ordinary person, it'd feel several times better than before.
"...Ah."
But that wasn't all her Demon Eyes saw. Among everyone she'd ever scanned, Frey's body was the most wrecked.
Until now, with Kania's help, he'd cloaked himself in black magic to hide from Lulu. But the soul-binding shock had let it seep inside, breaking the disguise.
"Again... my fault?"
Her trauma resurfaced. Even if it was Frey—the empire's top villain—it was enough to trigger the torment she'd endured since childhood.
"W-What are you talking about? Why the sudden..."
As Lulu huddled and scratched her arms, Irina rushed over in panic.
"I-I heard you in the bathroom..."
"What?"
"Frey... has a terminal illness..."
Irina's face filled with bewilderment at Lulu's words.
"N-No, that's not..."
"I saw it with my Demon Eyes. Frey's body is severely damaged."
"D-Demon Eyes?"
Flustered again by the mention, Irina swallowed hard, staring at Lulu's dead-eyed gaze.
"Tell me."
"Tell you what?"
"When... did Frey end up like that?"
Finally understanding Lulu's state, Irina cleared her throat quietly and began.
"Before you became his so-called 'pet.' Long before that."
"...What?"
"It's gotten worse lately, but he's been terminal from the start."
As Lulu gaped, Irina quickly pulled her to her feet.
"You're the only one I'm telling. Because Frey favors you specially."
"Eek."
"You know the academy's crawling with his eyes and ears? Get caught spilling, and we're both done. Got it?"
With that warning, Irina grabbed the still-dazed Lulu's arm and headed for the door.
"Oh, and come see me soon."
"Pardon?"
"Got something to discuss."
Itching to analyze the Demon Eyes in her eye and the brand on her body, Irina set up a meeting and promptly shoved her out.
"Remember—no one."
—Bang!!
The door to Frey's room slammed shut.
"Frey... was terminal from the beginning?"
Left alone in the wide hallway, Lulu muttered blankly.
"And it got that bad after I showed up..."
"What the..."
It'd take her quite a while to sort her thoughts.
......
Meanwhile, having sent Lulu away, Irina...
"Hoo..."
Sighed as she gazed at Frey.
"Alright, let's begin."
After staring at him for a long time, she carefully drew something from her bosom.
—Shing.
It was a ritual dagger with a gleaming, razor-sharp blade.
"Hup..."
Gently stroking it, Irina extended her arm and pointed the tip at her own.
—Stab!
"...Ngh!"
She slashed long from her elbow to her wrist.
"Endure it. Endure, Irina."
As blood dripped from the long gash, she gritted her teeth and muttered.
"This is nothing compared to the pain Frey's suffered for me."
With that, she carefully pried open the unconscious Frey's mouth.
"Ngh."
"Haa..."
And slowly let her blood flow in.
—Whoosh!!
Flames erupted around Irina and Frey. Burning hot, yet scorching nothing, they enveloped the pair and soon shimmered in myriad colors.
—Shoooo...
"I swear a Blood Oath to you, Frey."
"I offer my body and soul to you."
⟨ Blood Oath ⟩
In that mystical atmosphere, Irina whispered softly with a smile.
The flames intensified.
"A mage offering her body means she'll fight only for that one. Offering her heart means serving no one else."
As she said, the Blood Oath was no ordinary vow. Mages of the Magic Tower swore it to prove their nobility and purity. Priests to affirm their faith. Imperial royals ascending the throne to claim legitimacy. Even depraved black mages seeking power. To mana, the Sun God, the sun itself, or the Demon God. It was the highest oath, dedicating everything.
Thus, Blood Oaths had always been sworn only to transcendent beings or the world's laws. Violations were mere fairy tales or myths—save for the hero's party from a millennium ago.
"I offer my purity to you."
That was the gravity of what Irina was doing now. To a mere man before her—not world laws or transcendent entities—she dedicated all, twisting even the natural order.
"You know what offering purity means... right?"
Blushing faintly, she cleared her throat and continued.
"And finally... my soul."
At those words, the flames surged over them.
—Shoooo...
They split, burrowing into Frey and Irina. Watching, she...
"I've agonized forever over how to atone to you."
Gently caressed the still-closed-eyed Frey, who somehow wore a serene smile.
"Couldn't even grasp how to make up for my sins against you."
She whispered softly.
"Tormented and tormented, living with you... I finally got it."
Stroking the wounds now fully exposed without Kania's disguise, she said.
"No matter what I do, I can never fully repay your grace."
With that, the flames were wholly absorbed into them.
Realizing the ritual's success, Irina smiled faintly, overlapping herself onto Frey to finish.
"So, I offer everything to you."
"Use me as you will."
Right then, tiny flames burst from their chests, merging midair into a small bead.
"...What?"
Catching and cradling it preciously, Irina...
"Why's the color a bit murky?"
Panicked, she muttered.
"Is it because Frey's soul is still with Kania?"
Unlike her past loop's mana oath, the bead was cloudy.
"...Chirp."
And watching them cautiously from the windowsill was the canary.
......
Meanwhile...
"Clana, focus."
"Ah, yes."
Clana, lost in thought gazing out the window, snapped her head to the blackboard at Isolet's cold snap.
"Why the bandage? That's a new wound from yesterday."
"...Training injury."
Isolet, chin in hand, eyed Clana suspiciously at her answer, then...
"Good, if that's it. But no funny business, or you're done."
"Understood."
With that, she resumed the lesson.
"Now, back to it. Sword aura's effects and properties vary by the trained mana's form. That is, user proficiency yields diverse results..."
Since the mansion attack, Isolet watched Clana warily.
"...Hmm."
But Clana's mind was fixed on the bead in her drawer—silver mingled with gold.