Episode 164
"......Ugh."
Lulu's eyes trembled as she turned the pages of the diary.
Year XX, Month XX, Day XX
[Fine, I must admit what needs to be admitted.
I was too dependent on Lulu.
Lulu has her own life, yet I tried to bind her too tightly.
So naturally, this was bound to happen.]
The rough, heavy handwriting that had repeated across several pages disappeared, and calm, neat characters began to appear.
[It must have been difficult for her too.
My obsession was beyond imagination.
Despite deciding to be hated by everyone,
forcing our twisted relationship on her
is nothing but selfishness.]
"Ah..."
The neat handwriting continued in that manner.
[Still, I must continue to give her affection.
The brand of misfortune that had almost completely disappeared should be fully erased, shouldn't it?
I just need to try a little harder.]
It was reporting this in a composed style.
[For her, who is more pitiful than anyone else, I must give her a happy ending.]
Lulu, who took her eyes off the diary ending like that, bit her lip hard and murmured.
"...I didn't know."
Recalling the faded memories of the past.
.
Lulu had always wanted to be loved.
"M-m-monster... you're a monster..."
"M-mom..."
But for Lulu, that was an incredibly difficult thing.
"Get out! Get out of our house...!"
"...Ugh, ugh."
Before she was even ten years old, she was driven out of her home.
The reason was simple.
Because endless unfortunate events occurred around her.
And that was the same,
when she was wandering the streets after being kicked out.
When she luckily found work or a guardian.
When she made friends.
The misfortune that slowly strangled Lulu didn't allow her 'happiness.'
Thanks to that, by the time she entered the academy, she had already given up everything and was walking toward the end.
"...Lulu, now become my pet."
Until an unexpected turning point came in her life.
"Lulu, from now on this is your room."
"Is there anything you want to eat? Tell me anything. I'll give you everything."
"These are your clothes and accessories. Of course, if there's anything you want, I'll get it for you."
"I told you not to harm yourself. I'll bandage you, come here."
Frey, who declared he would possess Lulu as a 'pet,' gave her infinite love.
"...Lulu, you're my pet. A being that follows only my commands. Just quietly receive affection, okay?"
"Who gave Lulu this kind of food?"
"Where are you going, Lulu? I said we should go together when going outside, since you can buy anything."
"You're mine, Lulu. My possession."
But that love was quite twisted.
"...I'm sorry, Lord Frey."
Therefore, although he was the first being to give her love, and the one who erased the 'brand of misfortune.'
"I don't think I can live with you anymore."
On a day when Frey was particularly cruel to Lulu, she left the Starlight mansion.
"Lulu...! What on earth is that...!"
"...Have you been tormenting Lulu all this time?"
"L-L-Ruby... why are you..."
"Lulu asked me for help. So Lulu will be with us from now on."
And she entrusted herself to the hero Ruby.
To the one who had been sending love calls asking her to join, explaining Frey's danger and abnormal aspects to shake her heart.
"...Thank you for everything until now."
After that, Lulu was loved not just by Frey alone.
By everyone.
She proudly became a member of the hero's party, receiving interest, affection, and envy from everyone in the class.
Inside the hero's party as well, she was highly valued and loved thanks to her magic eye that was good at analysis.
The hero Ruby especially cherished her.
"Lulu~! Please try this~!"
"Ah, um... ah..."
"It's okay! You can eat as much as you want!"
At meals, she always yielded delicious food to Lulu.
"You worked hard in today's battle too! Lulu is the core of our party!"
"Ah, yes..."
Despite only being able to play an active role in the rear due to her ability's characteristics, she spared no praise after battles.
"Oh my... so you were treated completely like a pet at the Starlight mansion...?"
"W-well... you could say that..."
"Lulu is not a pet! She is clearly a human! A person who can think and act with her own will!"
She formed a horizontal and free relationship, not the 'twisted relationship' that Frey had forced on her.
"Lulu, good work today!"
"Would you like to have dinner together later?"
"Lulu... help me with my homework. It's a magic circle analysis assignment..."
Like that, Lulu obtained the happy daily life she had wanted so much.
Misfortune no longer struck her, no one hated her, and no one forced love on her.
Her surroundings were full of happiness, people liked Lulu, and others vied to give her love.
Therefore, she rejected all of Frey's attempts to approach her again.
She ignored his calls and letters.
Because in the happiness she had come to enjoy, there was no place for Frey.
[However, to give her a happy ending...]
But.
Now, Lulu realized.
[I'll have to deal with Ruby after all.]
That all the happiness she had enjoyed was actually an illusion.
[Because Ruby, who has been coveting Lulu's 'magic eye,' has been secretly working behind the scenes.]
".......Ugh."
Lulu, who had read the passage she had read over and over again, clenched her fist hard.
[If Ruby is eliminated, the illusion created by her influence will also disappear.]
As written in the diary, the happiness Lulu was experiencing was all an illusion.
Ruby, who seemed to give Lulu love instead of Frey, was actually coveting her magic eye and desperate to kill Lulu somehow.
Of course, there was an attack impossibility penalty against the Demon King.
Therefore, to activate the 'brand' of Lulu who had been weakened to the limit, and to drive her to suicide and take her magic eye.
"...Ah, everyone. Lulu is coming. Please do as I told you."
"Yes, yes..."
"But why are you doing this...?"
She started doing what she does best.
"Lulu's self-esteem is too low... if we don't do this, the party's efficiency drops too much..."
"Ah... I see..."
While asking Lulu's classmates to act as if they were close to her.
"I'm sorry... am I causing too much trouble...?"
"No, no! If the hero needs it...!"
"By the way, what's wrong with Lulu? She's in the hero's party but has low self-esteem?"
"I know, the hero seems to be having a hard time too."
Secretly worsening public opinion about Lulu.
Creating discord.
[If the illusion disappears, her brand will naturally disappear too.]
"Ugh..."
Lulu, reading through such content that Frey had calmly written down, made a miserable expression and let out a groan.
[Now that the effect of the brand of misfortune is minimized, there are plenty of people in the world who can give love to the charming Lulu, not just the selfish me.]
"No, that's not it..."
[If she, who suffered in almost every cycle, lives a happy life and can close her eyes surrounded by happiness, I will be satisfied.]
"That's not true..."
[Of course, I hope all other people too.
Just forget me slowly in the world I created,
and live happily.]
"Ah..."
When Frey's record about Lulu ended, she lowered her head with a pale face.
"The one who truly loved me..."
After lowering her head for a while.
"...was only Frey."
She murmured in a depressed voice.
"I've finally realized..."
Looking at the brand that had remained faintly on her shoulder until just a few days ago.
"W-wait a minute."
Then, she opened her eyes round.
Because the 'brand of misfortune' that she thought had lost its effect since no more unfortunate events were occurring.
"I cut my hand on the diary earlier... could it be..."
Was starting to become clear again.
The reason was simple.
Since the fact that 'Frey Raon Starlight' was the hero and 'Ruby' was the Demon King was revealed to the world.
The reputation of the 'hero's party' was rapidly falling.
Of course.
Even if she was hated by everyone in the world, if there was 'even one person' who loved her, there was no reason for the brand to become clear again.
"Then, really no one..."
In other words, currently no one.
"No one loves me...?"
Is 'loving' Lulu.
"Ah..."
In a way, it was natural.
The gaze of people in the world who don't know the detailed circumstances and only know fragmentary information couldn't be good.
The people who used to treat her well were all acting that Ruby had ordered.
The love Ruby gave was hypocrisy from the beginning to steal Lulu's magic eye.
Of course, the 'affection' that the hero's party members gave Lulu was sincere.
"This, such a thing... my curse... this kind of influence..."
"Hehe... Frey. Can you beat me like this?"
The hero's party members, who learned all the truth and had their nerves focused elsewhere, no longer had the capacity to give Lulu affection.
"Ugh..."
Lulu, who was isolated again like that.
- Swish...
With dead eyes, she picked up the knife on the table.
"........."
Before long, she made a very hesitant expression.
- Gently
She carefully extended her arm and, after a long time, cut her skin with the blade.
"Ah...!"
Then, unexpected pain rushed in.
"Ah..."
And only then did Lulu realize.
The self-harm that once made her heart comfortable.
Her only refuge and the thing that made her turn away from the world.
No longer provided her with refuge or comfort.
"L-Lulu...! What are you doing...!"
"......."
Also.
That the worry and attention caused by self-harm was nothing more than hollow sympathy.
- Clatter...!
Even after realizing that, Lulu, who tried cutting her arm with the knife a few more times with trembling eyes.
"Ugh..."
Feeling only heightened pain and despair, she dropped the knife and murmured.
"...I want to be loved."
But now, there is no one who can give her sincere love.
Even though she knew that better than anyone, Lulu continued to murmur with a blank expression.
"I want to be loved again."
Although the subject was omitted, the meaning of her words was clear.
"By you again..."
Before she knew it, Lulu.
"I want to be loved..."
Was wanting to be loved by Frey again.
"...Ah."
But Lulu, who said that and turned her gaze, eventually lost her words.
"........"
In her field of vision, there was no Frey.
There was only a sheath containing glittering dirt.
"I, I want to see you again..."
Lulu's hollow voice.
"Lord Frey..."
Drifted through the empty air.
.
Meanwhile at that time.
[00:01]
In the black room where the count still stopped at the last second.
"....."
In that room, Frey, who was quietly looking down at the world.
"...The diary, I definitely burned it."
Eventually began to murmur in a low voice.
"It's strange that Father and the heroines' memories returned, and it's also strange that Ruby's appearance returned to normal."
Saying that with an expressionless face, Frey.
"And..."
Turned his gaze.
"Sister, you held on for quite a while? Stop the useless resistance. It gets in the way of watching."
"Absolutely... I can never give up... I can no longer bear to see my creations suffering..."
Fixing his gaze on the Sun God who had been desperately struggling until then, and the Demon God who was smiling coldly.
"I'll offer all my divinity to... you...!"
"Just try it~ If you can."
He murmured in a cold voice.
"...How irritating."
While stroking the small necklace that some scroll merchant had given him long ago.