Episode 171
"".........""
Peruloche, who had been watching the four girls fallen into silence, quietly rises from her seat.
"...Ugh."
At that, terrible pain transmits from her knees, which had become even more serious than before.
- Thud, thud.
Nevertheless, she continued to take steps, looking down at Kania who was bowing her head with a dazed expression.
"I... made it with such care..."
She was staring with vacant eyes at the sandwich that had gone cold and was drying up.
"I just wanted... at least once... to feed you a delicious sandwich without worrying about suffering..."
Peruloche, who turned her eyes away from her, this time approaches Irina who is curling up her body.
"Frey... I'm sorry..."
She was muttering while holding the fruit she had brought in her arms.
"Only after everything was too late did I foolishly make a confession..."
Beside such Irina, there is Clana who is keeping her mouth shut while stroking the star-welcoming flower she brought.
The flower that was prepared to welcome the returned star, now merely a lifeless treasure - as she fidgeted with it.
A single tear was flowing from her eyes.
".....There's not much time."
Meanwhile, Serena who rose from her seat mutters with a precarious voice.
"Whatever I do, I will break the world's discipline. Even if... I must go against Heaven's Will."
Her eyes were already wrapped in deep darkness.
".........."
Peruloche who was watching them.
"Everyone."
She asks in a quiet voice.
"If there is a way to turn all of this back... what would you do?"
Then, everyone raises their heads at once.
"What do you mean...?"
"Peruloche?"
"Turn back... everything?"
Soon questions pour out.
"...Exactly as it sounds."
To them.
"If you were given a chance to turn everything back... what choice would you make?"
Peruloche asks once more.
"Would you be willing to turn it back, no matter what 'price' you have to pay?"
Then, a brief silence flowed.
"O, of course."
Soon, the first to open her mouth was Kania.
"If... if I can serve the young master warm food... I don't care what price I pay."
In her eyes, earnestness was clearly seeping out.
"...Is, is there really a way to turn everything back? Then I'll go."
Next to speak was Irina.
"I will become his sword and shield. Whether it's the Demon King or whatever... I will become his weapon that destroys everything."
She said while rising from her seat with burning eyes.
"I don't need the Emperor's position, wealth, honor, or pride. What I want now is only Frey, who risked his life for me."
Third, Clana spoke.
"Is it a magic that uses me as a sacrifice? I know that my body is most suitable as a medium for performing a grand ritual. So, offer me as a sacrifice."
She said while unbuttoning her chest.
"...I was already trying by offering various prices."
Finally, Serena answers in a quiet voice.
"I was thinking of breaking the world's discipline through research for an eternity of time, even if I had to give up my body and mind... is there a good method?"
She asked with half-lost reason and hollow eyes.
""..........""
When the four girls' answers ended like that, a moment of silence flowed.
- Creak...
And that silence was broken when the cathedral door suddenly opened.
"Fre... Frey..."
The person who entered the cathedral while receiving everyone's attention.
"I received word that Frey is... here...?"
It was Isollet, breathing roughly after running to the cathedral at full speed.
"...Come to think of it, Frey said that back then."
Peruloche who was watching her.
"Originally you were the sixth... but it seems you were demoted for some reason."
She started muttering incomprehensible words while slowly moving her feet.
"Still, they said it would be best to end at fifth to have no regrets..."
"Peruloche?"
"I didn't know what that meant back then... but now I understand."
"What are you saying... so, where is Frey..."
Saying that, Peruloche who went up to the altar where she had been praying.
"Anyway, I understand everyone's intentions well."
She continues speaking with a pale expression.
"Anyone other than me would have made the same choice. Right?"
When Peruloche continued to speak words that were still hard to understand, the other heroines looked at her with puzzled expressions.
"...Thank you for giving me courage."
Peruloche bowed her waist to them in gratitude.
"Then..."
She concluded her words while joining her two hands in prayer.
"I'll see you again soon."
And the next moment.
A brilliant light from Peruloche enveloped the cathedral.
.
"Ugh..."
My head hurts.
No, not just my head, my whole body aches.
Is it the aftereffect of using divine power after a long time?
The divine power I just released was the strongest among all the divine power I've used so far, so the body pain could be a natural aftereffect.
- Swish...
Thinking such thoughts, I rise from my seat, and a woman stands before me.
"Per, Peruloche..."
A woman calling my name while tottering with wounds all over her body, emitting a rather faint light.
"Sun God... nim."
"Yes, yees..."
When I ask with a trembling voice, the woman flinches and answers. Seeing that, the person standing before me is indeed the Sun God.
When I saw her briefly last time, she wasn't this broken down - did she overexert herself to bring me here?
"Please explain what happened."
But now, I don't have time to have faith or sympathy for her.
What's important right now is Frey.
"There's no time to hesitate. Quickly..."
- Rumble...!
While I was urging the Sun God like that, suddenly the surroundings started shaking greatly.
"I, I'll explain."
At the same time, the Sun God who had been tottering before me opened her mouth urgently.
"Although I couldn't defeat my younger sibling... I succeeded in restoring 'Retry' by pouring in all the remaining divine power..."
- Rumble! Rumble...!
"A, and... I've been squeezing out all my remaining power since earlier to prevent the sun from completely going out. My younger sibling completely extinguished the sun a few hours ago..."
Yes, thanks to that, I roughly understand the situation.
So this moment right now is the last opportunity.
"Alright, then..."
"Ar, are you really going to inherit Retry?"
So I urgently approach the Sun God, but she speaks with a pale expression.
"It will be much harder than you imagine..."
- CRASH...!
But at that moment, the barrier the Sun God made shook greatly.
What is going on?
"Pl, please save me..."
"...What?"
"Ha, help me... save me..."
"I can't hear you well."
"...Cough!"
Oh my god.
Frey who had disappeared earlier is making a mess of the Demon God.
I can see a black space through the cracks in the broken surrounding space - did he come out from there?
"Heh... Hehh..."
"Though I lack the power to undo what you've done... I can at least vent my anger before moving to the next round."
"W, wait a moment. Wait... a deal...! Cough...!"
I was watching that scene in a daze, when the Sun God asked me a question while sweating cold sweat.
"I can give Retry to Frey. Is that really okay even so..."
"N, no!!"
Only then coming to my senses, I screamed at the Sun God.
"Can't you see his soul!! It was already broken, and now it's shattered to pieces due to the aftermath of choosing extinction!!"
"......."
"If he does Retry even one more time, it will be irreversible! You won't be able to give him a happy ending!!"
Hearing those words, the Sun God spoke with her eyes tightly closed.
"...I will grant you the 'Authority of Retry'."
And the next moment.
- BZZZZZZ...!
"Aaaaaah!!!"
Enormous pain swept over me.
"Hah... Hahhh..."
"...Peruloche?"
Frey who was looking down at the Demon God with a cold expression then raised his head upon hearing my scream that echoed everywhere, his eyes rounding.
"W, wait... the reason for the next round is...!?"
Then, with a pale expression, he started approaching me.
"W, wait!! You can't make her bear that...!"
"You said you'd love me forever."
Don't worry, Frey.
Your soul, I will now protect it.
Since I have become the subject of Retry, your soul will no longer be damaged.
"Wait!!"
"To you, a happy ending."
Thinking that, I showed Frey a bright smile.
"...Retry."
I whispered in a quiet voice.
And the next moment.
- ZAP...!
The world turned upside down.
.
"This is everything I wanted to show you."
A solemn room with a giant scale standing still.
"...Did you see it clearly?"
"........"
In that room, Peruloche who was watching the four girls making expressions that couldn't be put into words spoke to Frey in a quiet voice.
"Now, the time has come."
When Frey who had been watching the black screen that was showing Peruloche's perspective until just now didn't answer, Peruloche slowly headed toward the scale and spoke.
"The five main heroines including me..."
"...I have a question."
To her, the transparent Frey asks.
"How did I, who had chosen extinction in this round, intervene in the trial?"
Then, Peruloche who turned around to look at him answered.
"Originally in this round, you stopped the count in the black room and just watched everything until you got caught up in my Retry."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes, without being able to change your heart toward us... just blankly watching the world."
Peruloche who said that with a dark expression.
"But, by us who came from future rounds, the third trial was applied, and that person became the subject of judgment together with you."
She says while closing her eyes gently.
"If you who had chosen extinction had chosen 'judgment'... the subsequent rounds could have all been affected. Our current round as well."
"........."
"However, that person who had chosen extinction... didn't pass judgment and simply chose to love all of us."
"...I see."
"Moreover, he even made a mess of the Demon God who had lost all power..."
Peruloche who was speaking like that trailed off, making a considerably dark expression for some reason.
"Personally, I wanted to be judged."
"Why?"
"Because I went against your will, which wanted to rest so desperately."
"But, from that point on, you became the subject of Retry, didn't you? So..."
"That's not all."
Peruloche started speaking while trembling.
"The tragedy you experienced countless times, the countless sorrows, and this world that caused countless retries... you still have the right to pass judgment."
"What do you mean..."
"The more I did Retry, I realized. The pain you experienced was... literally beyond imagination. So please..."
Frey who was looking at Peruloche speaking with a terrified expression.
"You've become too deeply stained with guilt."
He says while sighing.
"The driving force that sustained you through all those rounds... you made it 'guilt' of all things. Your mind is breaking down from unnecessary guilt."
"N, no... it's not because of guilt, it's your rightful right...!"
"So, how does the judgment performed by me, the other subject of judgment, proceed?"
At Frey's question, Peruloche answers with a broken smile.
"It's simple. If the guilt the main heroines including me have comes to outweigh the sympathy and love you have for us... then an appropriate punishment for that difference..."
"...This system is despicable to the end."
Frey who heard Peruloche's words laughs bitterly.
"You all have no reason to feel guilt toward me."
"N, no! We..."
"I've finally realized."
Frey who interrupted Peruloche once again.
"The one who should be judged is... not me, not you, not the world."
He says with a realized expression.
"...The system, the Demon King, and the Demon God."
"Fre, Frey..."
"This is the conclusion I reached through the third trial."
Frey who saw Peruloche's eyes shaking upon hearing those words.
"So it just needs to be that my sympathy and love are greater than the guilt you've come to feel, right?"
"W, wait..."
"Then, there's a good method."
Approaching the black screen, he declared loudly.
"Show the actions since Peruloche obtained Retry, up to now."
"Frey!!!"
Then, text rises on the black screen.
[Warning! Too much data! Serious errors may occur...]
"I suspected this might work when I saw you commanding to play 'the scene after offering prayer' to that black screen earlier, and it actually works?"
"No! I can't let you be trapped in time again!! Noooo!!"
Frey who was looking at that text smiled and spoke, while Peruloche watched with an expression of shock.
"Don't worry, I have no intention of increasing your guilt any further."
Answering her with a gentle voice.
"...Summarize it, so it doesn't exceed a day."
[........Analyzing.]
He gave another command to the black screen.
[Application complete. Playing video.]
Then, with a cheerful sound, the text rose up.
"Ah........."
Frey who turned his gaze from Peruloche who was blankly watching that situation.
"Good..."
Looking at the video starting to rise on the screen, he muttered in a quiet voice.
"...Now it's a bit more fair."