I rummage through my clothes with trembling hands.

I know exactly what I need to do from here.

“System… before I hand over this heart, let’s make a deal.”

[…]

[What is it?]

The System, which had never once responded to haggling, answered.

The System may have desperately wanted the second round to end with my death, but it was ultimately a being born to serve its ‘final purpose’: delivering the Protagonist’s heart to the Earth God.

With success now within reach, that took priority.

Therefore, I was certain of my victory.

“Give Narrow Eyes back… Yujin, I mean. You said I was the one who named him. That makes him mine.”

[He is a critical error.]

“Ha, you’re crazy. Hey, the entire second round is one massive error, so what does it matter… It worked out in the end, so hand him over.”

[…Understood. I shall include him in this quest’s rewards.]

“Good. You’re being obedient. You… put your status window… on the line… so you have to keep your promise? That’s…”

[Time Remaining: 00 Minutes 09 Seconds]

The moment the remaining time dropped to single digits, my knees buckled.

Damn it. I’m actually going to die at this rate. Let me just hand it over and get this over with.

“Take it. And remove it from this world entirely. That damned power.”

[Retrieving ‘Michael’s Heart’ from Chris Dotton’s possession.]

Swish.

I felt something slip out from within me.

“…Gah, hah!”

[Bead: Chris! Chris, are you okay?]

“Bead. I… I…”

[Bead: Yeah, yeah.]

“Do I… look like the kind of person who’d die just from losing a heart?”

[Bead: …What? What do you mean, how are you fine? Are you alive?! Your heart was taken!]

Saying ‘Because Chris is the strongest,’ with a meaningful smile would be pretty cool, but I’d probably get beaten to death by Bead instead.

The truth is, I had something prepared in advance.

‘A fused mass of mana built around the Cerberus’s magic stone, cramming in every magic stone I had.’

Call it an artificial heart, essentially.

I had swallowed it beforehand and stored it inside my body, ready to activate the moment I handed the Protagonist’s heart over to the System.

If I had something like this, why not give it to the Protagonist? Why use my own heart?

Obviously. I couldn’t shove an untested contraption into my student’s chest.

And since I can’t use magic anyway, being a little short on mana is fine for me. But not for him.

He finally Awakened. If he got weakened again because of some slapdash makeshift thing…

‘I really couldn’t do that to him. Anyway, looks like it’s working fine. Thank goodness.’

I let out a quiet sigh and looked at the system window appearing before me.

[Quest Complete! You have received ■■■ as a reward.]

[You have worked hard.]

[We pay our respects to you, Chris Dotton.]

[Happy End: Teacher’s Grace]

Why is the reward looking like that again? System, you’re not trying to pull a scam, are you?

I glared at it with suspicious eyes and took my first step.

One step.

‘Where should I go now? This heart is just a stopgap, so I need to find a real solution.’

Two steps.

‘Ah, but before that, should I have a little drink to celebrate? I actually finished the main quest.’

Three steps.

‘The <Determined Frog> inn is out. Way too high a chance of running into someone I know.’

Four steps.

‘…But I need to lie down somewhere for a bit. I’m so sleepy. Must be the tension releasing.’

Five steps.

I stopped.

It was because I spotted a nice patch of tree shade nearby. It was absolutely not because my legs refused to move anymore.

[Bead: …Chris?]

“Bead. Should we rest here for a bit before going? From now on, it’s just the two of us without any students. So there’s no need to rush.”

[Bead: I don’t mind, but are you okay? You suddenly look pale.]

“Hey, my complexion has always been terrible. What’s so surprising?”

I cracked a joke and plopped down. So, what this means is…

‘While enduring the Protagonist’s heart, my body took a lot more damage than I thought. It barely held together without exploding.’

I had only carried it for about three minutes, but the internal damage was substantial.

To repair my broken body, the ‘temporary heart’ consumed mana far faster than expected.

Because of that, the mana needed to keep my heart beating ran dry.

Damn it, I never had time to test which function the temporary heart’s mana would prioritize.

‘Still, it’s not completely over yet. For now, I can conserve as much mana as possible through sleep and wait for someone to rescue me…’

Right.

It’ll be fine.

I’ve always had incredible luck. I’ll definitely wake up. Definitely.

Feeling my consciousness fade in and out, I leaned against the tree and closed my eyes.

[Bead: Uh… are you really going to sleep here?]

Yeah… Oh, my lips aren’t moving well anymore.

I can communicate with Bead through thought alone, so I suppose it doesn’t matter.

Still, somehow… I felt like I needed to say goodnight while I still could, so I gathered every ounce of strength I had left and answered.

“Bead, see you later.”

Later… for sure.

[Bead: …! Wait, Chris. Don’t fall asleep. Don’t close your eyes. You—]

Frantic messages filled my vision.

But the wave of drowsiness crashed over me faster than any of them.

…

[Bead: Chris?]

[Bead: Chris, are you asleep?]

[Bead: …]

[Bead: No. Don’t do this.]

[Bead: Me…]

[Bead’s hidden skill ‘???’ has been unlocked.]

[Bead: Don’t leave me alone.]

* * *

Where do people go when they die?

Heaven? Or Hell? Before King Yama?

“…ra!”

“…Cheon Sae-ra!”

If so, was this the voice of an angel, or the voice of a grim reaper?

“Mom, is that you?”

“Stop talking nonsense and get up, Cheon Sae-ra!”

Jak! My eyes flew open at the sharp pain of someone slapping my back.

“What—what was that! There was no need to hit me that hard… huh?”

I jerked my upper body up in indignation, only to see a stranger. A man with the look of someone who would complain about everything constantly.

“Who are you?”

When I asked in confusion, he answered.

“I’m hurt you don’t recognize me. It’s me, Bead.”

Bead? As in the Bead I know?! B-but he was way rounder than this!

“I told you I was human before becoming a holy relic, dummy. This is what I used to look like. Since this is your mental world, I can take whatever form I want.”

I see. I nodded blankly.

“Then this… isn’t exactly a dream or anything.”

Knowing it was obvious, I still felt a twinge of bitterness as I opened my mouth.

“Am I in a coma right now? Or is this my life flashing before my eyes?”

“Either way, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’ll die if things stay like this. So I have a proposal…”

Bead took a deep breath, extended his hand, and spoke.

“Become one with me!”

“What?”

No, what was that supposed to mean? I reflexively hugged my own shoulders.

“Bead, you… you… were you after my body this whole time?! Is that why you were so nice to me? I knew something was off! Telling me to eat three square meals a day! Recommending adequate sleep! It was all so you could take over a healthy twenty-something’s body!”

“Would I really do that? You’re making me regret a genuinely big decision here.”

Bead paused for a moment before continuing.

“I just don’t want you to die like this.”

“What, did you fall for me already?”

I tried to keep the mood light by continuing the joke, but I could vaguely tell.

That Bead had already made a decision.

I had seen the expression he wore a few times before.

Narrow Eyes, shoving me into the Old Student Dormitory building.

The real Chris, leaving me her dying words during the first round.

And now Bead before my eyes.

“You… you’re planning to sacrifice yourself for me.”

“It’s just that the form of us being together will change. Replacing your heart is something only a former holy relic like me could pull off.”

“It’s my life. You don’t have to do anything at all, you know that.”

But Bead only smiled.

“Did you forget? I’m your excellent advisor and your partner who’s always by your side.”

A blue window flickered before my eyes. It was Bead’s skill window, the one I had seen before.

“So I know exactly what you need most right now.”

[Bead (Rare Grade)

Skills

– Your Excellent Advisor (Constant communication enabled.)

– Always Together (Size adjustable for easy carrying.)

– Bead Makes a Great Throwing Stone (Deals damage when thrown and hits target.)]

And at the very bottom. The last skill, which had clearly been locked and unviewable, was now open.

[- Bead’s Miracle (Devoting body and soul, transforms into a magic stone.)]

A miracle.

“If swapping out a heart was the miracle you prepared for Michael, then this is the miracle I prepared for you.”

“…”

“Hey, don’t be so dramatic. It’s really not a big deal. More than anything, this is for my own sake too.”

Bead let out a light sigh and spoke.

“The reason you and I could communicate was because you were a soul from another world. In other words, if you—the only player in this world—die, I’ll be alone again. Just like when I was stuffed away under the name of holy relic. Even that System bastard can’t do anything about that.”

Those clear, round eyes looked at me.

“I don’t want to go back to how it was. Don’t make me be lonely again. Please.”

Ah… damn it.

I’m done for. Since when did Bead get so good with words?