novelburst
Chapter 436: Home Visit
Chapter 436: Home Visit
“”…””
The cold glares from the heroines directed at me started to gradually subside.
“Is that… really true?”
“Is it true, Frey?”
“I found no hint of deceit. Of course, he could be hiding it, but…”
Was it because they listened to my entire explanation? Or was it because they successfully bound me completely?
“Relax, let’s stay calm. Frey can’t escape right now anyway.”
“Yes… Let’s think calmly.”
It seemed like it was the latter…
“You.”“Yes?”
While looking around nervously at everyone surrounding me with slightly fearful eyes, Serena cautiously approached me.
“Mm.”
Then, Serena held my cheeks and began to stare intently into my eyes.
“I want to believe you, but… we need to be careful. This wasn’t in the prophecy.”
“As I said–”
“You received the quest, right? Open the system.”
“Oh… okay.”
Who would dare defy her words?
Without any hesitation, I summoned the system window, and Serena leaned in even closer, examining my eyes.
“Main Quest… The Final Showdown…”
“…???”
Was she seriously reading the status window just by looking into my eyes?
I recalled she did something similar in the past. But she didn’t read the letters back then.
“It’s all reflected in your eyes.”
“…Ah.”
As I showed signs of confusion, Serena whispered into my ear.
I should probably avoid trying to deceive her from now on.
“Hmm…”
While I obediently kept my eyes fixed on the system, Serena remained silent, then slightly furrowed her brow and sighed.
- Lick…
Then, she subtly licked my dry lips.
“Don’t be too nervous.”
Leaving those words, Serena stood up and addressed everyone.
“It seems Frey is telling the truth.”
Her statement brought various expressions to the heroines’ faces.
“No matter how you look at it, there’s no sign of deception… I just confirmed it. Frey is telling us the truth.”
As she said that, Serena took out her fan and asked.
“So, shall we release his bindings now?”
After some hesitation, everyone quietly nodded.
- Swish!
In the next moment, Serena waved her fan, and the ropes binding me began to loosen.
“Serena… what did you make this time?”
“It’s a binding device for you, Frey. I thought we should have at least one.”
She answered my question nonchalantly and sighed before speaking again.
“So… when do you plan to carry out your operation?”
“As soon as possible. Within a week at the latest.”
“So quickly?”
“We have no choice. Now is the best time since the Eye has just become the God of Chaos.”
When I turned to look at Kania, she reluctantly nodded and spoke.
“Yes… Even though I recently gained divinity, I’m still in the training phase. No matter how strong the Eye is, it should have a similar period of adjustment.” ?Ã?????
“We can’t wait until it becomes stronger. It’s time to settle this.”
After Kania and I finished our points, a brief silence ensued.
“But… can you really win?”
“You’re exhausted, Frey.”
“And you don’t have the Hero’s Armament, do you?”
Ruby, Irina, and Clana broke the silence one by one.
“I can get the Hero’s Armament right now.”
I had already prepared my response.
“Glare had been diligently accumulating points. Those points have been transferred to the system.”
“But, Frey, Glare is lying in bed right now.”
“Well, there’s something…”
“…?”
This was another result of the strange encounter I had this morning.
“Combining those points with the points transferred from the Path of the False Evil system and the points we gained from clearing the recent battle… I can finally awaken the Hero’s Armament.”
As I spoke confidently, the heroines’ expressions stiffened.
They were starting to realize that the ‘end’ was truly approaching.
“But you’re still exhausted…”
“I’ll replenish my life force from Miho’s fox beads. I’ll be in perfect condition in a few days.”
Despite realizing this, Irina continued to express her concern, so I responded firmly, and she fell silent.
“Can you really… win, Frey?”
Finally, Ruby asked.
“I know that using the Hero’s Armament will make me vastly stronger than I am now. But the opponent… is the mastermind behind everything.”
“…”
“Are you really confident? Truly?”
The answer to that question was already determined.
“No.”
“…?”
I shook my head firmly, and Ruby gave me a blank look.
“”…””
So did the heroines.
But I had decided not to lie to them anymore.
They would be with me, so lying would be senseless.
“I’m not confident that I’ll win, everyone.”
Standing up, I looked around and spoke in a low voice.
“Even if I gain transcendent power with the Hero’s Armament, the Eye… the God of Chaos is an incredibly powerful being.”
“…”
“I realized today that even our ancestors fought against it. And the fact that it’s still around means… even our strongest ancestors couldn’t defeat it.”
As I calmly explained, the heroines’ faces grew darker.
A few even glanced at the magical bindings Serena had released.
“There’s no need for that.”
I chuckled and spoke, causing Ferloche and Isolet to flinch and back away.
“But that doesn’t mean we’re going to lose.”
“But you just said you weren’t confident.”
“We don’t understand!”
As those two protested with displeased expressions, I continued speaking softly.
“Yes, that’s why… I have a proposal, or rather, a request for you.”
Although I hesitated for a moment, I remembered the message my ancestor left with Glare and continued.
“Of course, since it’s a request, you can refuse. I won’t force you. I want you to decide based on your will, not just because it’s my request.”
Even though I said that their eyes were already determined.
Well, we already come this far, no turning back now.
“My request is…”
Trust them.
Trust them.
A short but powerful message from my ancestor.
The message I needed the most.
.
.
.
.
.
“Sigh…”
After finishing the conversation and stepping outside, the fresh air greeted me.
“…?”
The blue roses stood out even more than yesterday.
“Why are there so many roses blooming…?”
Was this the season for roses to bloom?
No, regardless of the season, it has been cold for months.
Why were there so many flowers blooming all of a sudden?
“Hmm…”
As I took in the scent of the flowers surrounding the cabin, I reached out my hand.
“This one is wilting by itself…”
Among the many blue roses, a yellow rose had withered and turned black.
“Poor thing…”
- Snap…!
Feeling uneasy, I touched the rose, and it fell into my hand.
“…”
Standing there holding the fallen petal, I felt like something was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t grasp it.
“What is this…”
Something felt off.
The sudden blooming of roses around the mansion.
The feeling that I had forgotten something important.
I hadn’t felt this unsettled in a long time.
- Swish…
Lost in thought, I decided to test the new function and held the blackened rose out in front of me.
“Oh.”
The inventory skill was newly added with the system changes.
When I stored the rose in the inventory, it disappeared from my hand in an instant.
“This is quite useful…”
It was a skill that would have been great to have early on.
But now, since Irina could use spatial magic, I hadn’t had the chance to use it.
Still, this was really convenient, it would be quite helpful in the final showdown.
I had been worried about how to supply resources in my spiritual state. I should store all the necessary supplies in the inventory.
“Young Master.”
“Ah, Kania.”
While thinking this, I closed the inventory and heard Kania speaking behind me.
“I don’t know why so many roses have suddenly grown.”
“Right?”
“You dislike roses, don’t you? Shall I remove them all?”
“Hmm…”
That was the case… I really hated roses.
I used to frequently prick my hands on their thorns.
But why was that again?
“It’s okay, leave them. The scent is quite nice.”
“…Understood.”
Scratching my head, I walked away.
The scent was pleasant, but for some reason, pulling out all the roses would make me feel sad.
“Where are you headed next?”
As I walked through the roses towards the yard, Kania asked another question.
“…Yes, Kania. You should come with me.”
“Pardon?”
“You might like it too.”
“Me…?”
I quietly stroked the roses and answered her.
“I’m going to get the Hero’s Armament.”
“…Ah.”
“Will you come home with me?”
In response, Kania quietly nodded while stroking the roses as well.
.
.
.
.
.
A few hours later.
- Knock, knock…!
“…?”
A girl with a haggard expression, sitting on the sofa in the foyer, heard the knock and stood up blankly.
“Who… is it…?”
She opened her mouth timidly, her face crumpled with anxiety.
“…”
But there was no answer.
- Knock, knock…!
“…Ugh.”
When the knock came again, she hesitated but finally closed her eyes tight and opened the mansion door. The servants, who had come out one by one to see what was happening, froze in place.
“Aria.”
“…!”
Still closing her eyes, she heard a gentle voice in front of her and instinctively opened them wide.
“Long time no see.”
Standing before her were people she had missed dearly but had avoided meeting out of fear.
“Brother… Kania…”
“I gave you the address, but why didn’t you come?”
“Hello, Young Lady.”
Her brother, Frey, and the family butler, Kania.
“B-Brother…”
Looking at them blankly, Aria’s eyes widened.
“Brotherrr…!”
Then she suddenly ran toward Frey, her face pale with fear.
“I-It’s all my fault… Brother…”
“Aria, wait…”
“So please, don’t die. Please…”
“…?”
Frey tried to comfort her, but he tilted his head in confusion at her unsettling words.
“Please, don’t commit suicide…”
Hearing those words, Frey and Kania exchanged bewildered looks.
“…Kania, did you tell her?”
“Young Master, saying it like that will only deepen the misunderstanding.”
As Aria, even paler now, hugged Frey tightly, sweat began to trickle down both of their /genesisforsaken