Chapter 295: A Collar?

“Young Master… was that for Eir?”

After he’d said those things, what happened to Eir? Will only remembered her face, tears swirling in her grey eyes, before she nodded, accepting his words.

“I don’t know. But… I see it. Only like this, you’ll believe I’ll love you, right?”

“…Eir… Eir doesn’t know.”

“But… when you do it, just save my life, okay? That’s… probably my only request.”

“…”

Eir seemed a little shocked by Will’s words. Her eyes widened, but then settled back into their usual, slightly smiling expression.

“Eir isn’t very good at seeing if someone is lying, but…” She touched her nose. “…Eir can smell it. There’s no scent of lies in Young Master’s words.”

“…Believe me. I… won’t lie to you.”

“Mm! Then Eir feels relieved. But, besides that, Eir also wants to leave something on Young Master… It’s something Eir prepared a long time ago, but never had the chance… or was afraid of scaring Young Master, so Eir didn’t take it out.”

“…Hmm?”

Without expecting it, Will felt something cool against his neck. Leather. Cool at first, then warming against his skin.

Wait…

Leather?

What Eir had prepared was…

He strained to look down, seeing a black band around his neck… A collar?

He sighed. Was even this going to come back, like some form of twisted revenge?

“Young Master once put something like this on Eir. It even had Eir’s name engraved on it.”

Eir interrupted his thoughts, her hand gently stroking the metal collar around her neck—the one Will had made. He was quite proud of its functionality, so he hadn’t made her a new one in a long time.

And now, the one on his neck…

He wanted to reach up and touch it, but then remembered—his hands were still bound. He couldn’t feel Eir’s new gift.

Eir seemed to read his mind. As the thought sparked, she unbound his wrists. The ropes he’d struggled against, impossible to loosen—for Eir, they simply fell away with a casual flick of magic.

“Untied…”

His freed hand rose, fingers tracing the leather collar around his neck.

And then…

Though he lacked a mirror, he felt the uneven texture—Eir had clumsily engraved “Will” onto the black leather. Not the work of a skilled craftsman, but like a child imitating an adult.

“On Eir’s journey to find Young Master, Eir met a very good dungeon rescue team. Eir helped them clear a few dungeons, about three or four.” His fingers still on the collar, Eir’s traced his, stroking the metal tag.

“Then, in one of those dungeons… when they were sharing rewards, someone gave Eir this strange black leather. So… Eir made this collar, like the one Eir wears.”

“I see. You never mentioned that journey.”

“It seems to activate stored magic formulas quickly. So, Eir put three low-level Rimefrost Phalanx spells in it. It filled up really fast, couldn’t hold any more after three.”

“…”

“Originally, Eir thought… if Young Master truly didn’t need Eir anymore, at least this gift could protect Young Master… like Eir was protected before.”

Will felt a flicker of the item’s weight… and its practicality. A shortcut to activate complex spells? Unlike a ring, the stored magic didn’t vanish after use. Like side buttons on a mouse, ready shortcuts. It was a good gift. He could already imagine its uses, especially for a “mage” facing fast-moving bosses solo…

Heh.

What was he thinking about dungeons for?

Right…

That future—the protagonist’s path, the adventurer’s life—he’d tossed it aside himself.

It was simple, really. This wasn’t a game. No reloading save files. No starting over. This was real life, just like his past—real, messy, final.

So, accept the consequences he had wrought—

Smile. Be loved unconditionally. Let her care for you, give you everything, take everything.

“So… Young Master, how about we start with the fingers? The other parts… Eir isn’t quite confident with yet…?”

Eir, having collared him, was back to her earlier, simple requests. The quiet expectation hung in the air.

“Easy to cut, easy to stop bleeding… but impacts daily life… Do as you wish.” Will heard himself analyze—pure instinct.

“Then… Eir will go get bandages and a knife. Eir hasn’t done this before, but since the ice magic can stop bleeding, there won’t be a big mess. And no need to worry about cleanup later.” Her voice was calm, mundane—like preparing supper.

“Mm. I’ll wait.” Will gazed at his hands, equally calm—like a diner waiting for his dish. This tranquil dialogue, this placid exchange…

Nothing about it seemed… pathological, right?

The cellar door closed softly. A heavy chain rattled. Will watched his hand—still whole—vanish into the shadow.

Where would this lead? How would this “story” end?

Leah? Would she find him? She should be free by now. Treya? What was she doing? The wedding was definitely off. And the Entark Empire… right, the original plot was completely gone now. The Empire was probably in chaos.

So…

His “life”…

How would it end?