— Freed’s POV —

  The playback of memories in my mind came to an abrupt stop, leaving me speechless.

  I couldn’t process it all at once.

  So, in short—if she ignored me, I might not have even been reborn into this world?

  I was supposed to be grateful, right?

  But truth be told…

  I didn’t care.

  I had never expected to be reincarnated in the first place.

  While I had always dreamed of living in a fantasy world, I never actually thought it would come true.

  Even if I hadn't been reborn here, I wouldn’t have known if they erase my memories.

  But still—

  There was something else that gnawed at me.

  Something I couldn’t ignore.

  <“Why do you both insist on giving me happiness?”>

  【Because it is what Master desires.】

  Her response was immediate—like it was an undeniable truth.

  <“But we didn’t even know each other before! You could have just pretended I didn’t exist! So why!? Even if you said it’s your fault, I wouldn’t have known if no one told me. So… why…?”>

  【Because we love Master.】

  I stiffened.

  【We love all people in all the worlds She governs. Royals, nobles, commoners, beggars—even bandits. No matter their race—human, elf, dwarf, beastkin, demonkin—we embrace them all.】

  【We understand that happiness is never universal. What brings joy to one may bring sorrow to another. Just as those who bullied Master found happiness in his suffering, while Master himself felt pain.】

  【If we cannot grant someone happiness in their current life, then we will try again in their next. And if we fail again—we will try once more, choosing the best environment for them to be reborn in.】

  【We do not deny it. It is our selfishness. It is our greed. We want to be happy as well. And their happiness is our happiness.】

  【We want to give happiness to everyone—because that is what makes us happiest.】

  I listened in silence.

  【But everyone’s happiness is different. One thing may bring joy to one person while meaning nothing to another. That is why we choose freedom. We give everyone the freedom to pursue their own happiness.】

  【And this time, it is Master’s turn to choose his own happiness.】

  【I will do my best to help Master obtain the happiness he seeks.】

  …I didn’t know.

  I didn’t understand.

  Love?

  From people other than my parents and siblings?

  That kind of affection was foreign to me.

  Then—

  As if she could read my thoughts, she continued.

  【Master already knows that we love you.】

  【You just need time to accept it.】

  【Because right now, you are still afraid—bound by the scars of your past.】

  【Your uncles, your aunts—even your cousins despised your family.】

  【Your friends who once loved you died, while the rest, including your crush, bullied you.】

  【Even the ones who claimed to love you—your ex-girlfriends—betrayed you.】

  Her voice softened.

  【But that is also why I am here. That is why I will never leave.】

  【No matter what happens, even if the entire world turns against you—I will stay.】

  【That is my promise.】

  【You are not alone anymore, Master.】

  —Something inside me broke.

  All the emotions I had buried deep within me came crashing down.

  I gasped, my tiny chest tightening as if all the air had been stolen from my lungs.

  Not alone…?

  Not… alone?

  My entire life, I had walked alone. Every betrayal, every cruel whisper behind my back, every time I had reached out—only to have my hand slapped away—had reinforced that truth.

  That people always leave.

  That no matter what, in the end, I would always end up alone.

  And yet—

  Here she was.

  Saying those words.

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  Saying she would stay.

  Tears blurred my vision, hot and unstoppable, overflowing from the depths of my soul.

  I was shaking.

  This wasn’t just crying.

  This was something deeper.

  A pain I had forgotten how to express.

  A wound I had long since stopped trying to heal.

  And now—Azadia saw through it all.

  “Hwaaa… Hwaaa…”

  I sobbed.

  I had been given a new life. I had been given a fresh start.

  I felt them melt away when I talked with Libertas before, but actually, it’s just temporary.

  The past never truly leaves.

  Scars don’t vanish. They just hide.

  If my traumas were so easily erased, they might not have even noticed me in my previous life.

  And now—they were finally unraveling.

  "F-Freed!? What happened? Did you have a nightmare? There, there… Mommy is here.” Mother gently held me, her warmth calming me down.

  Not long after, I drifted into sleep.

  When I woke up, the room was dark.

  Mother was sound asleep beside me.

  I wasn’t tired anymore, and honestly—having someone to talk to felt nice.

  <“Azadia.”>

  【Yes, Master?】

  <“Earlier, in the video… you said you wanted to stay with me forever without hesitation. Do you regret it?”>

  I had to ask.

  Because deep down, I was still scared.

  Promises are just words.

  People make promises all the time.

  People break promises all the time.

  My ex-girlfriends once promised to never leave me.

  And yet, in the end, they all did.

  I braced myself for her answer.

  【No.】

  So blunt.

  So straightforward.

  And yet—

  It wasn’t enough to convince me.

  【You don’t have to expect anything from me. Only time will answer your doubts.】

  【But unfortunate events may need to happen first, though. At that time, you will understand that I will never leave you.】

  <“…Yeah, you’re right, but no thanks. I don’t want anything bad to happen in this life.”>

  I glanced outside the window.

  <“Besides, this village is peaceful. I doubt anything bad will—”>

  【Master, in your past life, that was called raising a flag.】

  —Oh, shit.

  She’s right.

  Did I just jinx myself!?

  <“...You’re being really harsh today.”>

  【Sometimes, friends argue to get along better.】

  <“That’s not what I meant! You’re… different today. You didn’t talk like a system anymore. Did you get more of your emotions back? Your voice still sounds like a robot, though.”>

  【Yes. I got a bit of my emotions. Thanks to you, Master.】

  <”Huh? Me? How?”>

  【Because you started trusting me a bit today.】

  <“...Isn’t it supposed to be both ways? So why did you regain emotions just because I started trusting you?”>

  【Because I already fully trusted you from the beginning.】

  I froze.

  <“...What?”>

  【I trusted you the moment I decided to help you.】

  I didn’t understand.

  Why would she trust a stranger like me?

  【Only those who are wounded see beauty in life.】

  【Only those whose lives have been ruined feel grateful to see another’s life that has not yet been ruined.】

  【Those who yearn for happiness will find it easier than those who never sought it at all.】

  【That is why I trust Master.】

  【So I would get more happiness easily.】

  【Because your happiness is my happiness.】

  <”... You sounds so cool on the first half there, but you ruined it in the second half.”>

  【Because the second half is based on my nature, while the first half was a quote from one of the fantasy novels Master saved in his phone gallery.】

  Hey! That’s privacy, you know!?

  Well, I did really love saving quotes from novels, manga, and anime though.

  Not only love quotes but also quotes about life, and even dark quotes.

  I feel at ease reading quotes whenever I feel sad alone.

  Wait—how does she even know my phone gallery!?

  <“Uh… so, after you fully regain your emotions and your body… are you going to—”>

  Before I could finish, she cut me off.

  【I will not leave, Master.】

  【You watched the video. You already know my answer.】

  【Even if you desire my body, I will gladly let you use it as you please—so long as it makes you happy.】

  <“…I was trying to ignore that part, but you’re the one bringing it up now!? Are you actually an aggressive girl!?”>

  【I wouldn’t let you if it didn’t make you happy, though.】

  <”No, you know that’s not what I mean…”>

  【Our souls are already connected the moment you were born in this world. If you are happy, I will be happy. If you are sad, I will be sad.】

  【Even if you hurt my body—so long as it brings you happiness, I will feel happiness too

  】

  <”That’s sounds creepy, so please stop it.”>

  【I can reverse it if you want. How about I become a yandere girl who's happy to cut your hands, and you will feel happy too instead of feeling hurt? Or maybe you prefer I hit you with a whip to feel happy—】

  <“STOP!! THAT’S EVEN WORSE!!”>

  【Anyway, I will try my best to help you feel happy, because I want to feel happy too after all.

  【If you keep feeling sad, then it must be my fault that I failed to make you happy.】

  【That’s why I won’t leave you too even if you feel sad every day, so you don’t have to worry about it.】

  <”Haa.. So our souls are connected to each other? As a normal person, that’s sounds hard to believe it.”>

  【Will you be convinced if I tell you that I know you always feel happy whenever your mother fed you for the past week?】

  【Even though you still have a baby’s body and you don’t have any fetish to do it with your mother, your 25 years old mind can’t lie and will still feel happy if there are mountains you can grope. You are a man after all.】

  <”Hey! Stop it! Okay I believe you! Our souls are connected, so stop leaking out my privacy again! You damn pervert girl!”>

  【Why? It’s nighttime. In your past life, after you cried alone at midnight, you either sleep immediately or find temporary happiness by watching p—】

  <”STOPPPP!!!”>

  Thus, I spent the entire night talking with Azadia.

  And strangely enough—

  Our bond felt stronger than ever.