Episode 165
- Knock, knock, knock.
"Professor, are you in...?"
A girl knocks on the front door of Islet's house.
"Professor Islet, I've come..."
With a hollow expression on her face as she knocked on the door, she soon realized that the door wasn't locked and began to hesitate.
"...I'm coming in."
Taking a deep breath, she carefully stepped into the house.
"Mmm..."
The strong smell of alcohol stung her nose.
"...Professor?"
Blocking her nose and looking around, she discovered Islet collapsed on the dining table, having spilled alcohol everywhere.
"Professor, what is this..."
"Mmm... Kania... you've come."
Islet, who somehow managed to recognize the voice of the girl Kania approaching with a flustered expression, lifted her head with a foolish grin.
"The other children...?"
"Th-they should be coming soon."
"I see... then, go greet Frey first."
Naturally, at the place Islet pointed to while saying that, a scabbard stood instead of Frey.
".........."
Of course, the girls who were standing there in a daze were also present.
"Um..."
Kania, who had been staring blankly at that sight, carefully approached them.
"Miss Rosewin...?"
The first person Kania spoke to as she reached right in front of them was Rosewin, who appeared to be in the worst condition.
"Ugh... ughhh..."
"Miss Rosewin, what on earth are you doing..."
Rosewin was roughly grabbing and tearing out her own lush hair that she used to take pride in.
- Rip...
"Miss Rosewin, please calm down for now..."
Kania, who was trying to stop Rosewin from her strange behavior, soon realized the reason and stopped her hand reaching toward her.
"Ah..."
It was because Rosewin's hair, which had turned pale, was now an incredibly deep ruby color.
- Rip, rip...
That wasn't all.
All the jewels Rosewin possessed were rubies, her clothes were all ruby-colored, and even her room was entirely ruby-colored.
The silver color sparkling inside the scabbard planted in front of her contained not even a speck of dust.
"........."
In that situation, Rosewin, whose hair was once brilliant blonde but was now slowly tearing at her deep ruby-colored hair.
"I shouldn't have... bragged about it..."
She curses herself for always dressing up like that whenever Frey asked to meet, just to receive Ruby's praises.
"What was so good about dyeing me in her color... when there was another color I should have been dyed in..."
After muttering to herself like that for a while.
"E-everywhere..."
She looked around her and was horrified.
"Everything is her... everything is dyed with her..."
Around her, roughly torn ruby accessories were rolling around, ruby-colored scarves and gloves were strewn about, and her ruby-colored hair was flying around.
"...Ah."
But Rosewin soon realized.
No matter how much everything shone in ruby color, the existence that shone dyed in ruby color more than anyone else.
"....Aah."
Was none other than herself.
"........."
Kania, who had been staring blankly at Rosewin who had collapsed on the spot with dead eyes, turned her gaze.
"Ugh..."
This time, Lulu came into view.
"Lulu? Those wounds on your arm..."
Although she had only scratched a few times, her old habit of self-harm remained, so Lulu's arm had quite deep wounds.
"The one who loved me... was only you..."
Blood was continuously seeping from her arm.
"I want to be loved again..."
Lulu just muttered with a hollow voice while looking at the scabbard.
"A pet or anything is fine... I just want to be held once more..."
Kania forcibly turned her gaze from her, and this time Aishi, who was sitting next to Islet, came into view.
"The Hero of Money... was Frey...?"
She was in a relatively intact state despite having drunk quite a lot of alcohol.
"W-when this final battle ends..."
She was despairing at the new facts she learned from reading the diary.
"I was going to confess to him...?"
.
As Aishi said, the 'Hero of Money' was a benefactor of the Cloud Kingdom.
He made significant contributions to the discovery of the magic stone mine buried underground, turning the Cloud Kingdom, which was the poorest nation, into a powerful nation in an instant.
In the early days of the mine's discovery, he dealt with the hyenas who were eyeing the kingdom.
Of course, thanks to that, the 'Hero of Money' also gained enormous profits.
But according to the records of his charity foundation, which was transparently disclosed, all those profits went to 'charity work.'
- Hero of Money, would you like to meet sometime soon? I have something to talk about.
That's why, Aishi had come to love him.
Even though she didn't know his face or his identity.
The Hero of Money who raised her kingdom and showed a more virtuous appearance than anyone else.
- To Princess Aishi.
But the reply that came back to her, who had sent the letter full of expectations, was quite strange.
[I'm sorry, Princess.
I don't think I'll be able to communicate with you anymore.
I'm thinking of expanding my business to the Eastern Continent, so I don't think I'll have time. I'm truly sorry.
By the way, have you found a fiancé? I heard there are many impressive candidates...]
Princess Aishi, who thought "how busy could he be that he can't write a single letter,"
[Ps. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with you through letters until now.]
"...Well, once this operation is over, I can go find him in the Eastern Continent."
She had decided that when the final battle ended, she would go to the Eastern Continent, find the 'Hero of Money' and confess to him.
"You said you were going to the Eastern Continent..."
But now she finally realized.
"Then why..."
He sent her a letter the day before the operation to capture Frey began.
"Why..."
The person who saved her family, permanently removed her curse, and gave immeasurable grace to the kingdom.
Was none other than Frey.
"...Good heavens."
And then the letters she had sent to Frey came to Aishi's mind.
- We need to politically isolate Frey Raon Starlight. Is there a good way?
- I'll buy all the information about Frey. The most expensive ones. Now is the chance to corner him.
- I need an assassin to attack Frey. I'd be satisfied if he could even be wounded, and better if killed.
Letters requesting pressure and attacks against Frey.
- Please find the most beautiful jewels to gift to my colleague, Ruby. I'll pay a fair price...
- Can I order weapons for Ruby to use? Only the finest quality. Please.
- Ruby seems so kind. Today she saved me from Frey again. You think so too, right, Hero of Money?
Letters praising Ruby and ordering items that would help her.
"Ah..."
Aishi, who was growing stiff recalling the contents of such letters.
[Even though it's an anonymous identity, conversing with Aishi as the 'Hero of Money' is quite enjoyable.
Since at this point in time, it's the only remaining time that soothes my heart.]
Recalling Frey's lament written in a particularly lonely tone left in the diary.
"Ugh..."
She quietly collapsed onto the dining table.
"Even after reading such contents... he was someone who just felt happy..."
In the diary, there was not a single line blaming Aishi.
Even while receiving letters that insulted him, praised his enemy, and asked him to help them.
Frey was just happy to be able to talk with someone.
"...I could have had a drink with him at least once."
Trembling at that fact.
"At least once... I should have just listened."
She began to regret her action of never having a drink with Frey even once.
- Gurgle...
Pouring the strong alcohol that Frey always carried to endure her curse into a glass.
.
Thus, at that time when the girls were collapsed showing different reactions.
"This is..."
Kania was looking at them with a pale expression.
"What on earth is going on...?"
Originally, she had intended to have a serious meeting with others here today.
When her past memories awakened a few days ago, it was so shocking that she hadn't been able to think of.
The memories that surfaced so suddenly, and the possibility of manipulation of evidence popping up here and there.
Nevertheless, if everything was true, what were the 'atrocities' Frey had committed against them until now?
And how to uncover the true things Frey had done until now to clear his false charges.
- Creak...
But in the space where they couldn't even have a proper conversation, let alone a meeting, the sound of the front door opening rang out.
"Professor... we've come..."
"...W-what is this."
".....?"
And Irina, Klana, and Serena who entered the house through the open door also froze at the sight unfolding before their eyes.
"Why... why is everyone... like this?"
"I don't know, they were like this when I arrived."
Kania answered with an equally dumbfounded expression to them.
"...Ah?"
Soon, she discovered the diary placed next to Aishi.
"W-wait. Kania! Stop!"
"...Eek?"
Suddenly Irina shouted at Kania with an urgent expression.
"Why are you..."
But Kania, despite the warning, touched the diary.
..........
Soon, she looked down at the diary with a soulless expression.
- Rustle...
And began to slowly read through the diary.
"E-everyone step back."
Irina, who was looking at her with an anxious expression.
"...That diary has something like ancient magic cast on it."
Declared in a serious voice.
"W-what kind of magic?"
When Klana carefully asked her.
"The memories of the writer soaked into the paper..."
Irina, who was reaching out to analyze the diary and answering with a trembling voice.
"It seems to be a magic that assimilates the reader... huh?"
She stopped speaking and started blankly staring at something.
[Ending Credits]
[A gift for those who have reached the happy ending]
[Experience Frey's heroic moments together with him.]
"That is...?"
A small window floating above the undying flower placed in Frey's scabbard.
※Error※
[Frey Raon Starlight does not exist.]
The miracle that should have occurred centered around Frey receiving flowers from Rosewin after everything ended.
[Moving the medium to experience the ending credits together from
Was somehow implemented in a significantly distorted way.