Episode 168
Frey's funeral, no.
It has been several months since the acts that could hardly be called a funeral ended.
- Whooooosh...!
A cold wind sweeps through the streets of the empire that had been bustling just months ago thanks to the great incident of the hero and demon king's final battle.
"........."
And silence flows.
Children playing in the streets, brave men singing songs while drinking merrily in taverns, lovers whispering words of love on benches.
The warm atmosphere created by such people can no longer be found.
Because the brilliantly shining sun had almost lost its light and was pushed to the verge of extinguishing, the empire covered in cold and snow had long since lost its vitality.
In such a frozen empire's capital, in a half-collapsed mansion.
"Irina... is this really even possible...?"
"......"
Two girls with hollow eyes were staring blankly at the vast magic circle filling the mansion.
"Serena said so too, and you said so yourself in the past."
"...What?"
Cania spoke with a dark expression to Irina, who had deep dark circles under her eyes as she was organizing the magic circle.
"Turning back time... is impossible."
Hearing those words, Irina gritted her teeth for a moment, then added several formulas to the magic circle and spoke.
"No... maybe, just maybe it might be possible..."
"Irina, the magic circle's form is too unstable. If this keeps up, another accident like last time could..."
"...Is that so?"
When Cania spoke gently while watching her with anxiousness, Irina looked at Cania with a blank expression and spoke.
"Then, get out."
Hearing those words, Cania flinched for a moment, then clenched her fist and asked.
"This is the last chance. Soon the sun will completely lose its light. So, this will be our last attempt."
"...I know."
"Then, when do you plan to activate it?"
To Cania's question, Irina who had been chewing her lips.
"...Right now."
She squeezed her eyes shut and began infusing magical power into the magic circle.
"...Let's do it."
At the same time, Cania also began infusing black magic power into the magic circle, and as Irina's mana and Cania's black magic power mixed together.
- Woooooom...!
The magic circle began to emit light.
"W-wait, could it be... a success?"
"...R-really?"
At that, the two girls' eyes blazed for the first time in a long while.
"If we go to the past... first we need to meet Frey..."
"We need to adjust our memories first. The hint notes we prepared in advance..."
Before long, as they urgently conversed while rummaging through the notes they had prepared nearby.
- Zzzzt... Zzzzt...!
"...Huh?"
The magic circle that had been emitting bright light suddenly started flickering, so they stopped talking and stared blankly at the magic circle.
- Crash!!
And at that moment, the magic circle collapsed.
"Ah..."
Fortunately, it didn't cause an explosion or runaway like before.
But the sight of the magic circle containing Irina and Cania's last wishes collapsing so vainly struck deeper than any failure they had experienced so far.
"........."
In the end, the two girls could only stare blankly at the magic circle with dead eyes.
[Trial Complete]
[Would you like to move to the Judgment Room?]
[Yes/No]
"...Hah."
And Frey, who had been watching that sight until now as a transparent figure.
"The others have already gone to the Judgment Room..."
He muttered with a dark expression and started reaching out his hand.
"...I should go too, soon."
Just like that, the moment Frey, who had been hesitating slightly, placed his hand on the letters spelling 'Yes'.
- Let me borrow your body for a moment.
"...Eek!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice resonated from around him.
"W-what...?"
Startled, Frey looked around.
"...The pendant?"
He discovered the pendant that had been gradually brightening throughout the trial, now shining brilliantly, and muttered with round eyes.
- Before passing judgment, there's something I must confirm.
"What...?"
Because from the pendant, his own voice steeped in deep darkness could be heard.
- Whirrr...!
And a moment later.
""Huh?""
A small miracle occurred.
"Hello."
Frey, who should have been completely destroyed.
"...Young master?"
"Frey...?"
Appeared before the two girls who had lost all hope.
- Zzzzt...
Around his neck, a small shimmering pendant was wrapped.
.
"Y-young master... are you really the young master?"
"Frey...? Is it really Frey?"
Cania and Irina ask while staring at Frey with their mouths agape.
"........."
When Frey nodded slightly while looking at the two of them.
"Ah..."
"...Really?"
The two girls who looked quite disheveled made dazed sounds.
"D-did the magic succeed?"
"T-that can't be... The magic circle collapsed, so it clearly failed..."
"But then what about the young master in front of us? How did the young master appear?"
"I-I don't know. I don't understand."
The urgent exchange of opinions that followed immediately after.
"U-um, young master? Are you really..."
Cania, who had been discussing what was going on for a while, cautiously reached out to Frey.
"...Can I touch?"
When her hand touched Frey, that part transformed into shimmering star mana.
"........"
And silence flowed for a moment.
"W-what's going on... Irina?"
"Uh... well..."
When Cania broke the silence while poking at Frey's body, Irina who had turned pale answered while stammering.
"I-I'm not sure, but... we're at the Starlight mansion, right?"
"Yes."
"So, the magic itself to twist the timeline failed, but... perhaps due to the aftermath..."
"...The aftermath?"
"Maybe a projection of the past Frey popped out?"
Hearing those words, Cania's eyes went wide.
"Does... does that make sense?"
"I-I don't know. But... the one in front of us is definitely Frey!"
Irina shouted while deploying massive arrays of formulas around her to examine Frey.
"Look! No matter what magical or curse-based examination we do... it's Frey!"
Hearing that, Cania who still wore an expression of disbelief.
"W-would you like... something to eat?"
She asked while gauging his reaction.
"...Sure."
"W-what would you like for the menu?"
When an actual answer came back, Cania flinched for a moment, then asked again with a trembling voice.
"Sandwich, and coffee."
"Ah....."
At that question, when Frey ordered a familiar menu and headed to the dining table, her expression began to tremble.
"...And rye bread mixed with plenty of butter."
Frey, who ordered his favorite food from childhood to her.
"......"
Sat in front of the dining table and began to quietly watch the two girls.
"W-what should we do...?"
"F-for now, shouldn't we prepare the food...?"
After a moment, the two girls headed to the kitchen for the first time in a long while.
.
"Y-young master... here are the sandwiches and coffee, and the rye bread."
"I-I grilled some fish too, just in case..."
"........"
Before me, familiar foods are placed.
"Do you need anything else?"
"R-right. We still have a lot of ingredients left..."
Looking at the foods that have now become memories, foods that were painful to eat for so long, I quietly shake my head.
"...This is enough."
At that, the girls who had been watching me began to whisper.
"S-should we let the others know first...?"
"B-before that, stabilization is priority."
"What?"
"The Frey in front of us... he's too unstable. If anything goes slightly wrong, he'll scatter again."
Listening to their conversation.
"...You both look terrible."
I speak in a low voice.
"Uh, um... yes."
"S-sorry...?"
At that, the two girls who had been whispering answered in surprise.
"You haven't gone outside for months, just holed up in this mansion doing experiments, right?"
"W-well..."
"On top of that, you're covered in wounds from magical explosions... your body's mana circuits are all damaged, and..."
Looking straight at such girls, I continue speaking.
"Above all, your hearts are too broken."
After saying that and sighing, the two girls' expressions hardened.
"Were you trying to do time travel?"
"T-that's..."
When I asked them gently, the two girls wore guilty expressions.
Seeing that, they really were trying to turn back time.
But based on my research through countless regressions, the world's providence prevents time reversal. If that were possible, I wouldn't have suffered through all this.
"U-um... young master."
"Frey."
While I was thinking that, Cania and Irina asked with trembling voices.
"What exactly are you right now?"
"Did you... return from destruction?"
Hearing that question, my thoughts deepen again.
How should I explain?
That I'm an existence that temporarily descended by borrowing my body from another timeline using the pendant that strange old man gave me just before being deleted by the Sun God's authority - how do I explain that?
- Zzzzt... Zzzzt...
Oh dear, it seems there won't be time to explain.
I poured energy into the pendant for months for this very moment, but the energy is being consumed too quickly.
If I want to meet the others too, I need to proceed as quickly as possible.
"I'll disappear soon."
So putting aside all the things I wanted to say and getting to the point, the two girls freeze.
"W-what do you mean?"
"F-Frey?"
To them who raised their voices urgently, I ask one question.
"But if you sacrifice yourselves instead... that won't happen."
To the two girls who were speechless at those words, I began to give an appropriately made-up explanation, but.
"If that happens..."
Before I could even finish speaking, answers came simultaneously.
"W-what do we need to do? What do we need to do? Should we offer our souls? Or should I offer my body..."
"So that's why the soul is unstable! I'll give you my soul! Are there any magical formulas or spells needed? Right now, immediately..."
One would expect them to be suspicious at least once, to hesitate since their lives are at stake, but seeing them speak immediately without hesitation...
"...Sigh."
Thinking that, I began to untie the pendant.
- Whoosh...
""...Huh!?""
Then their final words escaped their mouths.
"Young master! Where are you going!"
"Frey! You said there was a method! Why suddenly...!"
Looking at them as they jumped up from their seats and shouted.
"Don't worry."
I said in a calm voice.
"...We'll meet again."
The moment those words ended, I completely removed the pendant from my neck.
- Shaahhh...
At the same time, I began to fade.
"P-please eat the sandwich at least... I practiced until my hands remembered, so I could serve you if by any chance we succeeded in going to the past..."
"Frey!"
Cania handing me the carefully made sandwich while looking at me emptily, and Irina urgently pulling something from her bosom.
"I-I prepared this... to give to you..."
That was, all too obviously, a puppy love flower.
"...That's so obvious."
Looking at that flower I've received enough to be sick of across countless timelines with a smile.
"Thank you."
I answered briefly.
"...System."
I opened the opaque window for the first time in a long while.
"What, he still hasn't bought this?"
But the function I was trying to use wasn't there.
Did the me in this timeline not even buy this?
[Advanced Skill Shop]
> Affection Check Skill [70000pt]
Thinking that while opening the shop, I purchased the skill I needed right now.
He's saved up a lot of points too, so this much shouldn't be a problem.
".......Hah."
Thinking that while using the skill.
[Main Heroine Affection Notification]
[Cania's Affection: 100]
[Irina's Affection: 100]
[Clana's Affection: ???]
[Serena's Affection: ???]
[Perloche's Affection: ???]
"Good..."
Looking at the system window floating before me, I muttered.
"...Now, three more remain."
Saying that, I rose from my seat.
".....Young master."
"......Frey."
I glanced at the two girls muttering with blank expressions after confirming the sandwich and flower placed before them had disappeared.
"Ah, goodbye..."
"W-well, take care..."
I smiled and stepped out of the mansion.
To restore the love for the people who were most precious to me, love that was essential for passing judgment.