# About "Promise"

It was before I left for the north.

I had heard the story from Yuna and Yuri. In the deepest part of my mental landscape, in the black box area where "The Thing" is presumably bound, there exists a module called "Promise."

They said it's a self-destruct switch prepared by my past self, designed to blow my head off if I ever go completely dark.

It was briefly chilling, but thinking about it carefully, there was nothing to fear.

Rather, it's reassuring. If I were to cross that point of no return, wouldn't I end up pointing a blade at my loved ones with murderous intent?

I'd much rather have things end cleanly with self-destruction than witness the Mad Magician attacking Yuna and Yuri. I decided to preserve "Promise" intact.

Considering how I overwhelmed Yuna with computational power, I'm not even sure if I could dismantle it even if I wanted to.

But before absorbing him... I wanted to have a conversation.

Once absorbed and unified, "Promise" would return to its black box state. I wouldn't be able to recognize him, and communication would be impossible.

More precisely, it would be closer to "must not communicate."

Who talks casually with their own self-destruct mechanism? If you want it to cleanly take your head off in an emergency, it's safer to block communication. So this is the only time conversation is possible.

He knows about my lost, vague past. It's only natural to be curious, isn't it?

When I opened the door to my room where "Promise" was supposed to be, I found a boy who looked exactly like me, and Selvia, who looked as shocked as if someone had told her the Earth was flat.

"Promise" waved at me with a gentle smile. He looked quite bright.

"You're here?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Selvia, what are you doing here? You... didn't say anything weird, did you?"

"I only told her a heartwarming story. I let her know that the compass pointing to the direction of love has always been pointing to one person."

"What kind of Zen riddle is that? Selvia, are you okay? Your face is really red."

Selvia stammered and fumbled, then suddenly stood up and approached me with quick steps. And then.

"...I love you!"

She just blurted out a confession.

"So suddenly?!"

"Just, just know that! Got it?!"

"I got it, but there's no context here. Some explanation would be—and she's gone..."

She vanished like the wind. I scratched the back of my head, feeling both embarrassed and tickled inside. Unlike with Yuna and Yuri, Selvia's confession had a certain freshness to it that felt peculiar.

Not that I disliked it, of course.

"Take good care of her. She's your childhood friend after all."

"...Since we're on the topic, let me ask you. What was it like in the old days? From what Selvia says, my past self was like a walking Buddha."

"It wasn't that dramatic. You just did what came naturally. Being a reliable adult for children. Stopping bad things. Having fun together."

As he said this, "Promise" shared a few stories from the past. Like how I did laundry at dawn for Selvia after she drew a map on her blanket, or how I carried her on my back along mountain paths, making flower bracelets to play with.

"She used to sing about marrying her Oppa when she grew up."

"And that really happened... Still, without memories, it all sounds like someone else's story. I should ask about the hypothesis that 'I' am actually a fabricated personality."

"No. You were you in the past, in the present, and always."

"Phew..."

I let out a sigh of relief.

Just as "Promise" before me is a created module, I occasionally wondered if the 'me' who thinks and talks now might have been created or cloned from an original.

"Ah."

Now I understood why Selvia had made such a fuss with her confession. If my past and present selves are the same person, then Selvia's shocking two-timing declaration could be nullified. That must have made her happy.

I'm relieved too. I almost pioneered the strange genre of self-cloning NTR.

Now for the next question.

Something I had to ask my past self.

"What the hell is this guy living in my head? How am I sealing it, and what was the plan my past self devised?"

"I can't tell you. I can't tell you, and even if I did, it wouldn't matter."

"You want to die? You must have seen things go wrong multiple times because of such cryptic talk."

"I'd love to spoil it too. But sometimes, your performance improves when you don't know. Like a bicycle—if you focus too much on balance, you fall."

However, he added.

"Promise" paused briefly before quietly adding:

"Don't fixate on names. Don't even think about it."

"...I think I get the feeling."

I deliberately cut off my train of thought. If I followed this keyword and connected the dots, I could probably deduce how my past self bound 'The Thing,' but...

As "Promise" said, knowing might actually mess up my build. Let's think about something else. Something else.

I changed the subject.

"I hear you're managing the scattered MadMa soul fragments?"

"Ah... right. I should brief you on that part. Could you pull over that whiteboard?"

"Don't you have hands or feet?"

"I'm 50% shorter than you. The one with longer limbs should do the work."

Screeeech.

After I pulled over the whiteboard, "Promise" overlaid it with illusion magic to display a continental map. Then he marked the positions and sizes of the scattered fragments.

"You can detect them?"

"Yes. I also serve as the module coordinator within your mental world. While you were traveling with Selvia, Yuna and Yuri collected all the fragments in the vicinity. They mobilized magicians too. They're being stored at the Purple Tower, so go there later to consume them."

I see. About 20% of the fragments were marked at the Purple Tower.

Besides that, there was one large fragment in the north, one in the capital Crownhall. The rest were small.

The schedule was falling into place. Since Benett's sister's matter was urgent, I'd visit the north first to consume that fragment, then stop by the Purple Tower to retrieve those fragments.

After that, I'd hit the capital and travel around the country...

"...?"

As I was scanning the locations of the MadMa fragments scattered across the continent, I noticed something off and pointed it out.

"Hey, the percentages don't add up."

Even adding all the fragments marked on the map didn't reach 100%. Were some permanently lost during the tearing? Or maybe—perhaps.

Had someone stolen them?

"Yes, that's what I wanted to tell you. Signals from quite a few fragments have 'been cut off,' and even now, responses are disappearing one by one."

I smell trouble. I expressed my feelings without filter.

"...This feels really unsettling."

"I think this might be the final challenge of the MadMa 30-part split incident. Let me say goodbye with words of encouragement—now, swallow me. I'll be inside you, holding a big red button."

"Promise" extended his small hand, and I took it.

It's such a strange... feeling. Both with the mad crow and with this guy. Absorbing beings with separate self-awareness wasn't exactly a pleasant sensation.

As if understanding my feelings completely, "Promise" initiated the merging. In an instant.

Blink.

In the brief moment of closing and opening my eyes, "Promise" merged with me. There wasn't even time to resist. His technique was so meticulously precise that it left me feeling dazed.

Upon reflection, it seemed like he was manipulating concepts above the level of information.

This must have been a technique my past self possessed.

Yes, to seal 'The Thing' that had been wreaking havoc on a global scale in my head, such skill would have been necessary. I suddenly found a new goal.

To reach the level my past self had attained.

If I sealed 'The Thing' on my first try, perhaps on my second attempt, I could destroy it completely. I can't even begin to imagine how to develop such techniques, but...

With effort, I'll get there someday. Because I'm me.

I left a belated compliment to the empty space in the room.

"...Good job. Keep up the good work."

And right on cue, a roly-poly toy on the table fell to the ground with a thud. The toy wobbled from the recoil.

It's not me who has to work hard, but you. Somehow, I felt like I heard such a response.

# The Abandoned Child of the Urensto Family

In a small room with drawn curtains that barely let in any sunlight. Around a table bathed in the faded hues of dawn, a knight and a magician faced each other.

One was small, delicate, with the appearance of a young girl.

The other was tall, strong, with the appearance of a woman.

They were opposites, as if reflecting two sides of a coin, but they shared the same dull blonde hair and violet eyes. Only that mysterious color guaranteed their blood connection.

Sissel Urensto spoke with a faint smile.

"Sister, I'm glad to see you're doing well. It seems you've found a groom too. You look good together."

"Ah, um, h-how embarrassing to say such things... hehe."

Yuna Urensto Violetiris laughed cheerfully, radiating flower effects around her. It had been a long time since Sissel had seen her sister's sunflower-like smile. It must have been at least 15 years.

Juel Urensto had always been fussy, and Sissel Urensto had always been intimidated by their parents.

Yuna was different. Yuna Urensto had been clever from a young age, and with that cleverness, she stood up to their parents. She often took Sissel out to play.

My sister is still bright.

Time flows cruelly fast, but what remains intact despite the torrent of time shines brilliantly. Sissel felt joy at Yuna's smile, which evoked memories of the past.

"So, I heard you quit being a knight... How is it? Are you happy?"

"Yes. I'm learning life's pleasures one by one. I wish I had realized it sooner, but I only feel sorry toward you, sister."

"Mmm, no... we were all young back then."

"Why didn't I know that our parents were wrong...?"

The Urensto Count and Countess saw Yuna as a thorn in their side. They thought she was harming the family tradition by not putting in effort despite having talent.

So she was discriminated against.

Yuna wasn't allowed to join family meals and was constantly criticized. Sissel, afraid of being scolded by her parents, didn't dare defend Yuna.

Looking back, it was a choice filled with regret.

"...Still, it's fortunate that we're both doing well now."

"Mmm."

"To be honest, I envied you. My sister who left the family and gained freedom. Sometimes I even resented you. But... looking back, that was shameful. What I should have resented were the shackles on my ankles, not the free person."

"......"

Sissel had always envied Yuna.

The sisters had been separated for a very long time. Their parting was in summer, the year Yuna turned ten. A skinny magician had visited the family.

The magician looked over the three Urensto sisters and highly praised Yuna, saying she had the potential to be a great magician that appears once in a century.

She was recognized for her magical talent and went to the Purple Tower, where she continued to rise until she finally became the Purple Tower Master. And at the young age of 12, no less.

It was such a great achievement that it briefly filled the "Wall of Glory."

It was because the previous Purple Tower Master had died in an unfortunate accident at the tower, but it would have been impossible if she hadn't been recognized by everyone. That's what Sissel thought.

She had no idea that behind that success story lay horrific human experimentation and mass slaughter. How could she guess? The events of that day were all buried in the darkness of oblivion.

So she inadvertently made a verbal slip.

"Sometimes I wonder what if I had been the one to grasp that luck—"

"No."

Creeak. Something seemed to go awry.

Confused by the rapidly cooling atmosphere, Sissel looked up. An empty, vacant gaze was directed at her. Murky and dark.

It was clearly an empty void, but ironically, Sissel could feel a torrent of emotions from that nothingness. Zzzzt. Yuna's image overlapped.

Two people. One person, yet two. The one who was her sister, and the one who wasn't. Existing in an overlapped state.

Sissel gasped at the suddenly changed atmosphere. The air felt like jelly. It was hard to breathe, as if a giant hand was pressing down.

"...Sister?"

"That wasn't luck. It was misfortune. I still regret it. Stupidly following that magician."

Sissel endured the pressure with a pale expression. Is that really her sister?

"And I still resent them. Count Urensto and his wife who sold me out. Think carefully, Sissel. And it would be good for you to distinguish between words you can say and words you shouldn't say. Understand?"

"...Yes."

At Sissel's barely squeezed out response.

Yuna Urensto Violetiris returned to being the "sister" Sissel remembered.

"Do, do you want to see my lab? There are lots of fun things here."

"......"

Afterward, Sissel didn't mention the Urensto family again. But internally, she kept asking and answering questions.

What happened? What was that strange phenomenon just now, and what exactly happened at the tower? And... what did she mean by "sold out"?

The events of that day would become the catalyst for Sissel Urensto to investigate the past.

# Betrayal

Little Evil God yawned languidly. The Purple Tower Master and Yuri Lanster had left for the Academy to join MadMa, and she was left alone in the tower.

Someone had to watch over the stored MadMa fragments, after all.

Waiting is tedious and boring. Little Evil God kept yawning, rolling around on the bed, and even playing Go by herself to pass the time.

Then a communication came through the crystal ball. It was from MadMa.

Click. The communication connected, and MadMa's face appeared through the crystal ball. His expression was indifferent yet playful.

"Hey, I hear you're guarding the house alone? Aww, how cute."

"...Shut up!"

"We're going to stop by the north. Something came up, and there's apparently a fragment left there too. Call if you get lonely. I'll sing you a lullaby."

"As if I'd get lonely. Stop talking nonsense and go do your job. Shoo, shoo."

MadMa chuckled and ended the communication.

After the Little Evil God abandonment incident, MadMa had become more tolerant toward her. More intimate might be a more accurate description.

"...What an idiot."

Until now, he had been extremely wary of her origin as a fragment of "The Thing" and her undeniable malice, but in the end, he turned out to be a softie who fell for human emotions.

Idiot. If you're going to be wary, you should be wary until the end.

Even setting up "The Golden Fillet" as a control measure was soft. It's like placing a moral textbook beside her and advising her to follow it. He should have been more cruel and thorough.

He should have completely shattered her self-awareness, cut off her limbs, and kneaded her head until she became something completely harmless.

The reason he didn't is obvious. He probably didn't want to erase the personality called "Little Evil God." Despite her origins in evil, he probably thought she deserved a "Happy Ending."

Idiot.

Little Evil God rubbed her uncomfortably tight chest and quietly muttered.

"...Intercepting that letter from the north has become meaningless."

It wasn't a soliloquy. Behind Little Evil God, a man with his hood pulled low naturally continued the conversation.

"No, thanks to you, the house is empty. I was planning to secretly collect the fragment in the north, but this is even better. We now have the opportunity to devour the collection of fragments that Yuna and Yuri have carefully gathered."

"Don't let your guard down. I saw the Tower Master plastering defensive magic all over."

"Are you warning me? Is that your way of being cute? You're getting more adorable by the day."

"...Shut up."

The man chuckled, then swiftly pulled back his hood.

Underneath revealed black hair and ominous red eyes.

It was a familiar face, but the expression was different. Inside those eyes flickered an undeniable wickedness, and on his lips hung a sneer that seemed to mock the entire world.

Created when dark mages collected his fragments to interfere with MadMa, but ultimately developing self-awareness that no one could control.

"Alright, shall I leave a surprise gift for the fake?"

Another Mad Magician who believes himself to be the real one.

"So... Little Evil God, where are the fragments being stored?"

# Side Story: The One Who Lost Her Face

I opened my eyes.

"Oh, she's awake."

"...Kim Lu-lu, don't get too close. It could be dangerous."

"What danger could come from someone who drifted down the river? Oh Dae-su, you worry too much."

"You don't worry enough!"

A sharp girl with crimson hair clicking her tongue, and an energetic girl with flowing red hair. There's something familiar about the crimson-haired girl.

"Hey, who are you? How did you end up drifting here?"

To the energetic girl's question, the woman with neither name nor face responded with perplexity and confusion.

"...Who am I?"

She had amnesia.