Chapter 132: Crisis of Trust
"Black shadow? What do you mean?"
Wange helplessly spread her hands. "Just what it sounds like — a black, human-shaped shadow. Nothing else could be seen."
Faced with that answer, Franklin could only sigh.
"If you don't know, then forget it. Compared to that, I'm more curious about this one over here. Can he still be saved? I saw you inject something into his body earlier."
Following Franklin's pointing finger, the three women all turned to look — at the now almost-transparent consciousness of Kirito.
Wange waved her hand casually. "Of course not. His soul has already been devoured by the Soul Blade. What's left is just an empty shell of consciousness.
"I only thought this shell was well-preserved, so I decided to keep it. Later, when you reach the Nascent Soul stage, Franklin, it'll be very dangerous for your nascent soul to leave your body.
"This perfect shell of consciousness can be refined into a special container to protect your nascent soul from external corruption and conceal its presence.
"And most importantly, when you attempt the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, you'll face trials of the divine soul — inner demons and even demonic interference from outside forces.
"This perfect consciousness shell can act as a secondary substitute for your nascent soul. It'll at least share part of the external interference."
"You're thinking way too far ahead! Nascent Soul stage? There's no way I'll reach that anytime soon!"
Wange pressed her hands together, forming a strange seal. The next instant, Kirito's consciousness shell rapidly shrank until it became a palm-sized figurine.
"With your talent, it won't take long. Keep this little guy with you — sleeping while holding it every day would be best. That way, your aura can gradually soak into it."
Looking at the tiny Kirito figure being handed to him, Franklin looked exasperated. He simply tossed it into his inventory.
"Well, that's settled. I'll be going now. Unless it's a life-or-death emergency, don't call me again today. Honestly — two summons in just half an hour."
Watching Wange tear open space and disappear again, Franklin gave a helpless chuckle. When he turned around, however, he saw Asuna and Mith looking straight at him with wary eyes.
"What's with those looks? I told you not to follow me. You insisted on coming — so if you've got mental scars, don't blame me."
"Franklin, who was that woman just now? Why could she kill people so freely inside a safe zone? If word of this spreads, player anxiety will reach a whole new level."
Mith had just finished speaking when Asuna pressed forward as well. "Franklin, what was that just now? Why did one person suddenly become another? That bad guy even said he wanted to take over your body — what was that all about?"
The two women's probing stares left Franklin speechless. "Why are you so eager to know? Haven't you heard that the more you know, the faster you die?"
Mith rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. "Oh, please. You practically dumped your entire life story on us the first time we met, and now you're blaming us for knowing too much?"
Asuna nodded in agreement. "Exactly! Just give us a simple explanation, Franklin."
With Asuna tugging on his arm, Franklin thought for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"Fine, we'll talk as we walk. I should be done explaining by the time we get back."
Sandwiched between the two, Franklin spoke calmly.
"The one who showed up just now was a friend of mine — a friend whose soul and consciousness are extremely powerful. You'll get to meet her someday, and you can ask her yourself then. It's not polite to gossip behind her back.
"As for what that guy said about swapping bodies — you saw it yourselves. The girl's brother, Kirigaya Kazuto, was the first victim. He still looked like Kirito on the outside, but everything inside him had been completely replaced by that guy.
"If I had let my guard down, my game avatar would've ended up just like Kirigaya Kazuto."
As Mith and Asuna recalled the scene — that black blade piercing Franklin's body — they both shuddered.
Then, exchanging glances, they quickly stepped back from Franklin.
"How can you prove you're really Franklin? How can you prove that guy didn't take over your body?"
"Exactly! What if that big sister who appeared is actually working with that bad guy? Maybe they planned this whole thing — a fake battle just to trick us into trusting you again. She could easily fool us, so, Franklin, please prove you're really you!"
Their wary, defensive expressions almost made Franklin laugh. After a moment's thought, his expression suddenly darkened.
"So… you actually guessed it, huh? Then I can't let you two walk away alive. Before you take the news back, I'd better deal with you first — and say Kirigaya Kazuto suddenly—"
He didn't even finish before the two women bolted toward the inn in terror. Watching them flee, Franklin could only shake his head helplessly. "So much for bravery."
When he entered the inn moments later, he found Bulma standing angrily at the door. As soon as she saw him, she grabbed his cheeks and dragged him toward Asuna and Mith.
Seeing Asuna sitting on the bench with red, puffy eyes and shrinking away from him, Franklin knew he deserved whatever came next.
"Apologize! Honestly, you used to scare me like this when I was little, and now you're doing it again! Do you know how badly Asuna cried just now? She really thought you were dead!"
"I'm really sorry, Asuna. It was just a stupid joke. I promise there won't be a next time."
Still holding his face, Bulma turned him toward Mith.
"And her too! You scared her as well — apologize!"
Just as Franklin was about to speak, Mith waved her hand. "It's fine. What I care about is whether you're really Franklin."
Bulma glared at him. "You're in serious trust-crisis territory now. Next time you pull a stunt like this, I'm dragging Lala with me to punish you together!"
Releasing his cheeks, Bulma turned to Asuna and Mith with an apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry. Franklin might look like a grown man, but he's actually kind of childish inside.
"It's hard for him to prove he's himself, but Lala and I can both vouch for him. That lady you saw earlier — she's the spirit of Franklin's sword, the one he's using right now. What you saw here is just a data replica; the real weapon exists outside this world."
Even as Bulma spoke, Asuna and Mith still looked uncertain. Franklin realized he had indeed done something foolish.
No — rather, that other transmigrator had forced things this way. Once that black blade pierced him, and after what the man said, this situation was inevitable.
No matter what, events would have led here. If anything, his actions had been right — he simply brought this hidden tension to the surface sooner.
"So how do you prove who you are? Whether by self-verification or others' testimony, there will always be loopholes. You'll just have to confirm it yourselves — consider it my punishment for handling things poorly."
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