Episode 139
Hello! I'm Ferloche!
I'm very nervous right now!
Because, after infiltrating the slave market following Frey and wandering around for a while, I finally found him!
I'm going to teach that wicked Frey a lesson he'll never forget!
'...Did I bring the diary? If I left it behind by mistake like last time, I'd have to do it all over again.'
W-wait a moment! Before I teach him a lesson, I need to fiddle with my precious diary for a moment!
'Good, I brought it this time.'
I have my diary that calms my heart, and I've gathered plenty of holy power too! I'm fully prepared!
"Huuup..."
After taking a deep breath with those thoughts, I shouted at Frey who was standing in front of me with an infuriatingly calm expression!
"Frey!!! You shameless and wicked!!! Despicable and vulgar and reckless and evil human!!!"
'...Just do it like last time.'
As I declared war by pouring out all my feelings toward Frey, his eyes wavered slightly.
Good, my threat worked!
Since it's come to this, should I push a little harder?
"I will definitely kill you today!!!"
'...Just this one loop, I will definitely give you a happy ending.'
After shouting the words I always cry out whenever I see Frey, my heart felt relieved!
Now then, I need to thoroughly punish Frey...
"Frey! Where are you going?"
Frey is trying to escape! I need to stop him right now!
"...Why did you come here?"
"I came to stop you! What kind of despicable scheme are you plotting here again..."
Blocking Frey who was trying to slip out through the corridor, I started arguing with the wicked Frey!
"...Did you somehow convince yourself that I was going to do something today?"
But somehow, I seem to be getting drawn into an argument!
Cowardly Frey, wouldn't it be nice if we just fought fair and square with fists...
"So... you came to guide me to the 'right path'?"
But why does he keep saying such vague things?
I don't understand difficult things!
'...Even though you're already on the right path.'
Probably, Frey doesn't even know what he's saying either, and he's just saying that to show off!
'You avoided the path that leads directly to the bad ending where Ferloche becomes a Canary forever.'
- Click!
"Huh?"
While I was thinking that, dark magic power suddenly started spewing from wicked Frey's staff!
W-what is this? For dark magic power, it's strangely pure and the concentration is unnecessarily thick, making it very troublesome!
Is this perhaps Frey's attempt to shake me off?
If so, I can't forgive him.
To use black magic that's forbidden in the Empire! To use black magic against me, a saintess of the Sun God Church who serves the benevolent Sun God!
As expected, I need to catch Frey immediately and beat him until he reflects on his actions...
"What is it, I wondered who it was... it's just a kid?"
".....?"
While I'm busy pushing back the dark magic power with holy power, people are approaching from over there.
"Kid, do you know what kind of place this is before you came in?"
"...She looks quite pretty, doesn't she? Should we capture her?"
I don't quite understand, but looking at how fierce they appear, they're enemies!
They must be bad guys sent by Frey!
'The guard captain will charge first, then the subordinates behind will chant magic missiles. The remaining one will watch the situation from the very back and then flee.'
But no problem! I have the Sun God's protection!
'It's a pattern I've repeated countless times, I can handle this much even with my eyes closed.'
Then, shall I show my skills?
.
"Come at me all at once! I can fight all day long!"
"Damn... where on earth did such a monster come from?"
I really am strong! And cool!
A hero of justice beating up wicked villains! It's something I've always wanted to do, and I'm finally doing it!
- This is headquarters, this is headquarters...
"...Hey, this is different from the contract!"
Thanks to that, I was swinging my fists excitedly when the man commanding the villains from the very back started using a radio!
Hmm... what kind of conversation are they having?
'...It's about time.'
- KUWAAAAANG!!!
"Oh my goodness!"
Goodness! Those villains destroyed the walls of the floor I was on entirely!
There aren't any injured people, right? There shouldn't be...
Ah, thank goodness. There's only debris, not a single injured person in sight.
'In the past, there used to be one or two people getting caught up in it.'
"Everyone scatter and approach. My guess is, that ability can't handle multiple opponents."
"...Ugh."
I was rejoicing that apart from the villains who were beaten by my fists and collapsed, there were no injured people, but the villain giving orders found my weakness!
Oh no, this is quite troublesome.
What should I do?
'Now.'
Right! Since those people destroyed the wall, I just need to destroy the floor!
If I destroy the floor, everyone approaching me will be neutralized! I can slip away smoothly!
"Huuap!!"
- BZZZZZZZT!!
With that judgment, I destroyed the floor, and everyone started flailing in the air!
Good, my strategy worked... wait a moment. In the air?
"Ugh, uwaah!"
Oh no! Come to think of it, this is a high-rise building! If this continues, my butt won't survive! This is really bad!
'I will never let things flow according to your wishes again.'
- CRASH!!
Like that, I ended up crushing Ruby!
No, that's not it.
Someone got crushed under my butt!
No no, it seems the Sun God answered my prayer!
Somehow I'm fine even though I fell!
How on earth am I fine...
Ha.
The order is wrong, Ferloche.
Get your head on straight.
The moment anything goes even slightly wrong, the Demon God will catch on.
"There she is!! Catch her!!"
"Two intruders gathered in one place!!"
"Headquarters, can you hear me? The intruders know each other..."
How many times do I have to hear that radio. I'm sick and tired of it.
"S-Saintess? Where are you going...?"
"Don't worry, I'm here!"
What is it, why are you like that? Did you suddenly get fed up or something?
Ferloche, this is the path you chose.
The ability you obtained by begging and pleading for atonement.
But you're saying you're sick and tired of it?
"I, in the name of Ferloche!"
You don't have the right to say such things.
"I will definitely!!! That hypocritical Ruby!!!"
But, what was I thinking just now?
"I will kill you right here."
"...What?"
Oh no, what did I just say?
Because of my already shattered mind, I let out a slip of the tongue without even realizing it.
Because of a trivial but fatal stupid mistake I used to make in the past.
"What did you just say?"
Everything is going to be reversed again.
"Ferloche..."
"Shut up."
How many more times can I turn it back?
I'm already at my limit.
My mind has already collapsed as much as it could collapse.
If I keep going like this, it'll definitely be too much...
'No, the limit was reached long ago.'
I'm scared. I'm afraid of forgetting everything. Afraid of becoming a complete idiot saintess.
My feelings for you, memories, past.
And even the sins I committed - afraid of forgetting them all and becoming a completely different person.
Every time I turn back the world, every time my mental strength gets shaved away.
I'm terribly afraid that it will get even worse than now when my mind has collapsed so much that even the system and the Demon God are deceived.
"...Haa?"
But I have to bear even that.
Because that's the path of atonement I chose.
"Saintess... you..."
But, at this point... sometimes I want to deviate.
- KUWAAAAAAAAANG!!!
"...Oh?"
Like this, for instance - plunging a full-power strike containing the Sun God's protection into the Demon King.
"Did you just launch a 'preemptive strike' at me?"
But this deviation was really not good.
"I'm truly grateful, for personally removing the 'restriction' for me."
The Demon King simply caught the strike I poured my entire soul into.
Just how strong is that existence?
And how strong are you, the only one who can oppose such an existence.
"Then, are you ready?"
If I had known this would happen, I should have rather deviated with you.
Nothing helped me maintain my sanity as much as that.
"Haa..."
I should stop complaining now.
Before the system and the Demon God notice these emotions that started pouring out like a flood once I burst.
"...ry Try."
I have to turn the world back again.
.
"...Young master, where are you going?"
"To somewhere Ferloche might be."
I searched every corner of the slave market, but Ferloche isn't visible.
If so, there's only one place left where she could be.
"Are you going underground...?"
"Yes, there's a basement in the slave market. Originally it was created for officials to hide in case of emergencies, but it's never actually been used."
"But why would Ferloche be there?"
At Cania's question, I answered with a dark expression.
"Because it seems Ferloche likes darkness, you see."
"...I thought Ferloche disliked darkness?"
Without giving much response to Cania's words as she tilted her head, I continued walking.
"...As expected, she was here."
After walking for a while, I started to sense Ferloche's holy power.
- Uuuung...
Eventually discovering a massive shield made of holy power hanging on the door leading to the basement.
- Creak, creeeak...
For the first time in a while, I drew my sword and began tearing apart the shield using the hero's power.
It was a shield so sturdy that without my hero's power, I wouldn't even be able to scratch it.
"Why would they block the basement so securely...?"
"Well, I'm not sure about that... but it's certain that she's inside."
- CRACK!!
Answering Cania who was tilting her head as I finished tearing off the shield, I wiped the sweat flowing down my forehead and muttered.
"How am I already tired after just doing this..."
Three penalties and one special penalty.
The special penalty didn't consume my lifespan from the start, and for some reason, the recent penalty didn't consume my lifespan either.
However, the four penalties always took away my life force.
"This is troublesome."
Is there really no way to replenish life force?
Although this main quest marks the end of all the major events of first year, starting from second year I'll have to solve new events.
But in this weakened state, how can I be of any use?
'Come to think of it, Miho poured the life force she sucked from me back into me earlier. Then...'
If Miho has enough life force, couldn't she pour it into me?
'If that were possible, it would definitely have been written in the 'Book of Prophecy'...'
For a moment I thought it was impossible, but soon I shook my head.
The Book of Prophecy has already been found to have quite a few errors, so blindly trusting it would only be my loss.
Whatever happens, I should at least try.
Because if I don't try, nothing will change.
- Creaaak...
With those thoughts finished, gripping my sword while fully tense, I quietly opened the door.
Looking back at what I've experienced so far.
It was entirely possible that the moment the basement door fully opened, a bomb might explode or undead might pour out.
"Oh my."
But fortunately, what was in the basement was neither bombs nor undead, but Ferloche as expected.
"........."
She was quietly praying in the center of the basement where not a single ray of light entered.
"Ferloche?"
Calling her in a low voice.
"...Hic."
She suddenly bolted up from her spot and started walking toward me with large strides.
"What on earth is all this..."
"Finally, finally real success... now, if I just end the third trial... ehehe..."
Ignoring my question and muttering something as she approached right in front of me.
"Hehe... he... hic."
".....?"
She suddenly started crying sorrowfully.
"Heuuu... uuuu..."
"W-what is it?"
"I was scared, so scared..."
Looking at her blankly.
"Because it was dark, I thought I was trapped... thought I'd never be able to get out again..."
Without realizing it, I started patting her back.
"Hwaaaaang..."
Like that, the third main quest finally came to an end.