"To be more precise, If it's information you wish to keep hidden, you don't have to answer. But if you do answer, don't lie."
This time, her head tilted. Keep hidden what you want to hide, but don't lie if you choose to speak.
"Then, I just need to keep my mouth shut? How would you know whether I'm hiding something or not?"
A logical question. At that, Frondier smiled.
"Exactly. That's all you need to do."
"…?"
"And the second condition."
With Laurie still puzzled, Frondier raised another finger.
"From now on, the conversations between us must remain a secret, even beyond the grave. No, even after death, the secret must be kept."
Hearing that condition, Laurie got the hint.
What Frondier wanted wasn't information about the secret agency. Whatever he needed to know, it wasn't for the purpose of digging up information on the secret agency, hence there was no need for Laurie to promise secrecy about secret agency matters.
Frondier had information that shouldn't be revealed to others, and he intended to share it with Laurie. In this process, Laurie's knowledge was irrelevant.
"…Understood."
Regardless of the difficulty of the conditions, Laurie became curious about the secret Frondier asked to be kept even after his death.
Upon hearing Laurie's response, Frondier cleared his throat.
"Then, let me ask you, about the hypnosis last time."
"Hypnosis, yes."
"Was the hypnosis weakly applied to me, or did it not work at all? I really want to know this."
Laurie's mouth turned down in annoyance. It was clear she didn't like the question.
But after some thought, Laurie answered honestly.
"It didn't affect you at all."
"Has that ever happened before?"
"No, never. Not even once. There was a time when it didn't work so well, but this is the first time I've felt like it missed completely."
At this, Frondier brought his hand up to his chin in thought. His lazy expression was perfectly suited to his calculating gaze–at least, as far as Laurie was concerned.
"This is just a hypothetical scenario."
After some time, Frondier began to speak again, seeming to have come to some kind of conclusion.
"Let's say the target's true identity and physical appearance are different. In that case, would the hypnosis fail?"
"...? I don't know what you mean."
Frondier's roundabout way of speaking was making it difficult for Laurie to understand what he was saying.
Frondier let out a bitter laugh, accompanied by a small, resigned sigh.
"Let me put it another way. What if the person standing before you right now isn't actually Frondier?"
"What...?"
This time, Frondier had been so direct that Laurie's brain struggled to catch up. She frowned, as if to say, "What are you talking about?" But as her eyes met Frondier's, they slowly began to widen.
"Would your hypnosis fail? Since I'm not Frondier."
His words sent a shiver down her spine, and she felt goosebumps all over her body.
Laurie's fingertips trembled. She felt like she had just caught a glimpse of the mysterious fear that Frondier inspired in her. She tried to hide her expression, but it was difficult.
"I said it's a hypothetical situation. If that were the case."
"Hy, hypothetical..."
"And the second condition. You haven't forgotten, have you?"
Laurie nodded repeatedly, fully aware of the meaning of his words: she was never to speak of their conversation.
She thought about it for a while. She had to answer his question, but it was such a strange concept that she needed a moment to process it.
The answer came to her quickly, though.
"It's possible."
"Oh?"
"I call it hypnosis, but it's really a form of magic. I manipulate my opponent by implanting strong suggestions in their mind. I use the term 'hypnosis' as a matter of convenience, because the process and application are similar to hypnosis."
Frondier nodded. He knew that Laurie's hypnosis was different from the traditional understanding of the term.
After all, regular hypnosis wouldn't be so powerful or instantaneous. And most importantly, he could sense the mana emanating from her eyes.
"My hypnosis reaches the target's soul. If the soul I'm targeting is actually a different soul, then my hypnosis won't work."
"So, is that why I felt it 'missed'?" Laurie suddenly muttered as if she just remembered something. He had mentioned it was a hypothesis, but Laurie already completely trusted what Frondier had said.
"Is every application of hypnotism possible?"
"Yes. More accurate and definite than hypnotism itself. Creating a fake personality was also one of its applications."
"In that case."
Frondier smiled.
He was about to face a god soon. A being that knows significantly more than humans and can see far into the distance. He must deceive those eyes.
There is only one thing Frondier can do now.
Responding with information not even the gods know. Just like when he had faced Thanatos and guessed his name correctly.
"Do you know about 'astral projection'?"
* * *
The liquid fragment that had poured over Frondier spread out widely again.
Selena flinched and stepped back. She too would die if touched.
But upon closer inspection, the fragm looked slightly different than before.
"...This is Obsidian."
The black liquid was Obsidian, from which all magical power, will, and numerous unseen evil spirits and souls that Selena couldn't see had escaped.
Meaning, all of those things were now completely swallowed by Frondier's body.
Frondier's eyes, now visible, were empty. There was no expression on his face. His muscles seemed to have completely relaxed, and his open eyes were merely facing the sky.
"...Frondier-nim..."
With a voice choked with sobs, Selena called out to him. It wasn't just her voice; her eyes were brimming with tears as well.
Frondier had died to protect her.
What changes had occurred in Frondier's heart, she did not know. Perhaps the changes in Frondier were even greater than the changes in the emotions Selena herself held.
That's why Frondier sacrificed himself. To save Selena. She couldn't bear the weight of it.
"I'm sorry, Frondier-nim... I..."
Unable to hold back any longer, Selena bowed her head. Tears streamed down from her tightly closed eyes.
Growing up as an assassin in Manggot, she met Frondier as the first man she ever confronted. When she first met him, Frondier was scary, arrogant, and self-centered, but he had the judgment and strength to handle it on his own.
He had the observational skills to see through Selena's situation and the great courage to try to exploit Manggot.
And now, Frondier had given up everything just to save Selena.
...while Selena was thinking this.
[...You. Where have you been?]
In a world unseen and unheard by Selena.
Hela's eyes widened as she stared at the man before her.
The man had an undeniably relaxed and peaceful face. Having heard from other gods that he was incredibly annoying and unlucky, she now understood why everyone said so.
"I just took a little nap."
Frondier said. He glanced down at his hand. Feeling like a soul was a bit strange. He wondered if his hand would become translucent enough that he couldn't see the other side, but it didn't.
Frondier looked at his body. A collection of minor spirits. The countless minor spirits had killed each other and clung together to the point that now they were just one. Just one, incapable of anything.
While the minor spirits fought, Frondier, already not in his body, watched leisurely without receiving any wounds.
[You were sleeping...?]
Hela kept her displeased expression.
What Frondier had done was a technique called 'astral projection'. A method of separating the soul from the body.
In this world where Valhalla, Niflheim, and Hel exist, the existence of a 'soul' is already clear.
However, astral projection is not something that can be easily achieved. It's almost impossible to do alone, and someone assisting needs to accurately perceive the soul inside the body.
And it must be separated in an incredibly meticulous manner, so both the soul and the body can be divided without harm.
─Unless.
The soul and body had always been separate from the beginning.
"If you heard about me from the gods, wouldn't you normally hear this information first?"
Frondier laughed fearlessly.
For a soul that had just performed astral projection, it was too clear and precise, possessing a perfect will and self.
"Because I'm a very, very lazy guy, you see."
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ReplyDeleteDamn. Love the guy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for another good chapter