Memory Adjustment

"E-excuse me... Who are you, and why are you here..."

A considerably young-looking Frey asked the question with a timid expression.

"Uh, w-well... you see..."

Irina, who had no idea what to say to him, began stammering.

"C-could you be... the mage my father mentioned?"

"What?"

Upon hearing the young Frey's question, she started tilting her head in confusion.

"I-I am a mage, but..."

Irina hesitated, glancing at Frey's face, trying to carefully agree with him.

".....Huh?"

But soon, she widened her eyes and began looking around.

"What is this?"

Suddenly, everything around her had stopped.

The small birds flying past the window, the flickering candle flame, the clock hands ticking rhythmically, and even Frey, who had been fidgeting—all frozen.

In this mystical atmosphere, as if time itself had halted, Irina wore a bewildered expression and cautiously took a step forward.

"...Gah!"

And in that moment, something translucent appeared right in front of her eyes.

"What is this?"

Irina narrowed her eyes and read the system window floating before her.

"...No way."

Soon, she muttered with a look of utter disbelief.

"Even the Trial caused by the curse is under the system's control?"

After consuming thousands of scrolls and enduring countless trials and errors, Irina had realized that an unknown force within Frey was blocking her intrusion.

So, she came up with a trick.

It was the "soul swap" technique she had devised last time to save Frey's lifespan once.

"I-Is it now, Irina?"

Instead of Kania, who could no longer use soul swap magic due to her previous deal with the system, Irina—having extracted all the black magic power from her body—activated it.

"Yes, now!"

She triggered the soul swap magic, created with the ambition of screwing over the system.

- Shaaaa...

Right before the swap with Frey's body completed.

"I really... have no idea if this will work."

Having discovered that the unknown force blocking unconscious intrusion acted at the soul level, Irina's plan was based on her characteristically bold thought: 'Then just extract the soul and infiltrate.'

In the end, she had once again given the system the middle finger.

"Demon God."

Irina whispered coldly to the system, which was frantically popping up windows in front of her.

"Stop pretending to be the system."

"Kania already told me everything about you."

At that, all the system windows vanished from before her.

And shortly after, Irina gazed at the quest window that appeared before her—somehow more crookedly written than usual.

"...Fuck."

She closed her eyes tightly and replied.

"I've wanted this so badly—to take his Trial in his place. No way in hell."

And the next moment.

Time around her resumed.

The birds chirped, the candle flickered, the clock hands ticked rhythmically again.

"Y-you've arrived... Mage."

The young Frey looked at Irina and spoke once more.

"I've been waiting."

"...Uh, y-yeah."

Irina quickly erased the cold expression she'd been wearing toward the system and asked Frey, who had a resolute look on his face.

"Um, why is a mage..."

"No time for that. We have to hurry."

But Frey cut her off, grabbed her arm, and dragged her out of the room.

"B-brother? Who's that woman..."

They passed Aria, Frey's chubby-cheeked little sister, who appeared right outside the door.

"Young master? Who is that lady..."

Frey ignored the maid approaching with a worried expression and kept walking somewhere.

"Father."

Finally, he knocked on the door to his father's room and spoke.

"The mage has arrived."

- Creak...

Then, the antique door slowly began to open.

"...Professor Comern, you've come."

As Irina and Frey cautiously entered the room, Abraham Raon Starlight—Frey's father, who had been staring out the window while smoking a strong cigar—spoke up.

"To think you'd seek out the sinner who failed to protect your most cherished disciple, my wife. I have no face to show."

".....?"

"But... there was no one but you, Professor, who could do this... So I swallowed my shame and called for you. I apologize for that..."

"Comern? No way..."

Irina muttered in stunned realization as she blankly listened to him.

"...That damn old hag?"

Because Abraham had uttered the discarded name of Irina's mentor—the woman who held both resentment and affection in her heart.

The former Tower Master of the Empire, the strongest Grand Mage before Irina became one.

"Wh-what? Who are you?"

Abraham finally noticed the flustered Irina and asked in equal surprise.

"Could you be Lady Comern?"

"Uh, well..."

"Have you truly developed the rejuvenation magic?"

"Um..."

Irina floundered, unsure how to respond to the unexpected situation.

"No, that's not important right now."

"Uh, wait..."

"What's... going on here?"

She cautiously spoke up as Abraham rummaged through his desk drawer, snapping back to his senses.

"Pardon?"

Abraham responded with a puzzled expression.

"Does your presence here mean you've finally found a way to complete these scrolls?"

He pulled scrolls from the drawer and spread them on the desk, beginning his explanation with a desperate look.

"I'm so relieved you found a solution before this poor child reaches his limit."

"These are..."

"Even I, in my agony, resort to forbidden herbs... But that child endures it all with a clear mind. And even that's reaching its end."

As he spoke, pointing to the young Frey, he did indeed look at his limit, just as Abraham said.

His arms bore multiple scars, dried tear tracks stained his face, and an unimaginable darkness for his age shrouded his features.

"Please. Make the hell he must walk through a little easier, if only slightly."

Irina looked at Frey, then at Abraham—whose face bore an equally deep darkness—and began examining the scrolls on the desk.

"...These?"

Irina's eyebrows twitched.

Among the scrolls Abraham had laid out, she spotted extremely familiar magic formulas.

Formulas her mentor had agonized over long ago.

Incomplete ones she never finished before dying to the Demon King's second-in-command.

- Whoosh...

The moment she saw them, Irina unconsciously reached for the scrolls.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Ah, I get it."

These incomplete formulas, infused with her mentor's lifelong regret, captivated her so completely that she forgot her current predicament.

"...Wait."

As she channeled her innate scholarly passion and thirst for knowledge, guiding the incomplete scrolls toward completion.

"What?"

She froze just before finishing, reviewing the formulas.

'These formulas...?'

Most of the divinely filled formulas were ones she had created through trial and error to enter Frey's unconscious.

Completely new discoveries.

".....Impossible."

"I-is there a problem?"

Shivering at the contrived and eerie phenomenon, Irina snapped back at Abraham's panicked voice.

"Will... this work?"

She carefully inscribed the final formula into the near-complete one.

"It... seems to have worked...?"

She lifted the scroll—presumably now complete—and spoke timidly.

"P-put... mana into it. Please."

"Pardon? Ah... But I..."

As Abraham suggested, Irina started to say she had mana exhaustion, but.

"...Huh?"

She discovered mana overflowing within her body and began panicking.

"Why is my mana overflowing?"

Not just similar to her prime—it was exactly the same level. Lost in confusion for a moment.

- Shaaa...

Almost entranced, she poured mana into the scroll.

- Crackle! Crackle-crackle!

The scroll emitted a dazzling light, announcing its completion to all.

"Finally..."

Frey, seeing it, cracked a faint smile on his shadowed face and picked up the scroll.

"Father, I'll be back."

"......Go."

He bid farewell to Abraham, who couldn't even look at him and hung his head, then left the room with hollow eyes.

"...Will you follow him?"

"F-follow him?"

Irina, watching anxiously, jumped as Abraham—still bowed—spoke to her.

"You need to assist with my son's scroll use."

"Ah..."

"And."

Abraham replied to Irina in a low voice.

"I have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no right to follow."

He ended darkly.

"...Because I'm a useless father who can't even help."

Thick cigarette smoke rose from his mouth.

......

- Knock knock.

Frey, clutching the scroll tightly, walked down the corridor and knocked on the door at the end.

"I'm coming in for a bit."

With a calm voice, he cautiously opened the door.

"U-ugh."

A girl huddled in the dark room flinched and raised her head at the intruding light.

"...Ah."

Squinting at the bright light, she looked at the intruder.

"A-ah."

Confirming it was Frey, she began trembling.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"...!"

"I-I'll take responsibility. Hit me, lock me up, k-kill me if you want..."

Stammering to Frey, who also began trembling.

"...Please, just spare my little sister."

Finishing, she knelt before him.

".....Grind."

Frey ground his teeth unconsciously, his face flashing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠through countless expressions.

"Hoo."

After a slow deep breath, he approached Kania kneeling before him.

"...Eek!"

The girl squeezed her eyes shut, as if sensing her fate.

"Father didn't bring you here to punish you."

Stopping right in front of her, Frey raised the scroll and began speaking in a trembling voice.

"Nor do I intend to punish you. Or your sister."

"Pardon...?"

"The sin was your parents'. Punishing you for it wouldn't be right."

Biting his lip hard, Frey said.

"...Eh?"

Cautiously, he embraced the girl before him.

"Your name... was Kania, right?"

"Y-yes..."

"Right, Kania. I have something to tell you."

To the bewildered Kania, Frey spoke with an even more trembling voice.

"I'm sorry."

"Pardon?"

"You and your sister are innocent... but if things continue, I'll end up hating you."

Feeling Kania's body slowly stiffen.

"I have so much ahead... Even a little of that feeling would spell disaster."

"Wh-what do you..."

"So, I have to erase it."

Gripping the scroll Irina had completed with both hands, Frey said.

"I'm truly sorry, Kania."

"Um..."

Finally, he tore the scroll vigorously in half.

- Fizzle...

"...When everything's over, let's meet again."

Whispering that to Kania, now surrounded by multicolored light from the scroll, Frey hugged her tightly.

"Wh-what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is this?"

Moments later, as she frowned and spoke, he swallowed hard.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

As she pushed him away and glared, Frey stared at her blankly.

"Let's go."

To Irina, who had been watching dazedly.

"Next is my friend Irina's turn."

"What?"

He said in a low voice.

"The clever girl figured out the werewolf's identity."

".......Ah."

Irina's eyes began to tremble.