Facing the Unseen Reality
Libero?
For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. But the man standing there was unmistakably **Libero**.
Why is Libero here?
For some reason, he walked straight toward me, stopping only when he had closed a certain amount of distance. Having learned the sword from him, I knew exactly what that distance meant. It was the precise range of his strike.
Why?
Having tried my best to ignore him, I finally met Libero's gaze. His eyes were brimming with curiosity. He opened his mouth to speak.
"Are you the one who killed the 71st **Demon King**?"
How did he know that? The real Libero outside the Trial wasn't even here, nor did he have any idea that I had slain the 71st Demon King.
"The 71st Demon King? What is that?"
Cornered, I tried to play dumb. But there was no way such a flimsy excuse would work on Libero.
"Liar. And yet, the power I sense from you is unbelievably feeble..." He sneered. "Well, perhaps you used some cheap trick. Or maybe you're hiding your true strength."
Dark red particles began to coalesce around his hand. It already seemed impossible to stop him.
"How did you find out?"
Still, I needed to know how he had learned of my deed. This was a critical piece of information that would remain vital even after I left the Trial. Uncovering this alone would make this attempt a success.
But Libero's response struck me like a physical blow.
"A Hero who visited the area apparently testified to the Holy Church. Said there was a suspicious boy in the village."
Instantly, my mind went numb, as if I had been struck on the head with a heavy blunt object.
Gwen?
I couldn't believe it. But on second thought, it made perfect sense. In this timeline, I was nothing more than a business partner to her. **Gwen** was... fundamentally a person who drew a strict line between public duty and private affairs.
Damn it.
What I had believed to be the optimal path was actually the absolute worst. Still, it was too early to give up. I reached into my inventory and pulled out the **Holy Relic** I had been using in place of the **Gravitus Replicant**. Then, I fell into a stance.
"That stance..." Libero's eyes widened slightly as he took in my posture. "Do you have some sort of connection to me?"
But the moment of surprise was fleeting. He raised his sword.
"I would love to chat more, but it seems I shouldn't delay."
A murderous aura began to bleed from him. The sheer, razor-sharp pressure felt potent enough to kill on its own, making it a struggle for me to even maintain consciousness. If only I had **Absolute Obedience**, but even that was missing here.
"Otherwise, they'll nag me at the Demon King council."
In that moment, I saw his true nature clearly.
The Demon King Libero.
A Demon King who had honed his swordsmanship to such an extreme that he could completely erase his own presence. Thanks to that, he was one of the very few Demon Kings capable of freely roaming inside the barrier alongside the 71st Demon King. And at the same time, he was a **Hero Slayer** who assassinated key Heroes according to the decisions of the Demon King council. That was precisely why I had been so wary of the Holy Church discovering my connection to him.
"I had high expectations since they said you killed a Demon King... How disappointing."
In a flash, he slashed through me and sheathed his blade. As he turned to walk away, his retreating figure looked utterly hideous.
"...Demon King Libero," I choked out, blood spilling from the wound carved by his sword. Even if I spoke to this illusion of Libero, the real one would never hear me. "Is this truly the justice you so cherish?"
I wasn't accusing him. I was simply curious. Because the man I had known as my master was nothing like this.
"Which one is the real you?"
His current state was undeniably bizarre. Double-sided. Riddled with contradictions. He claimed to have abandoned his pursuit of the pinnacle of swordsmanship, yet he rushed over like this the moment he suspected a strong Hero had appeared. He claimed he had no reason left to live, yet he dragged out his existence. And...
Despite being a Demon King, he is inexplicably obsessed with justice.
I saw it clearly. At my question, Libero's pupils trembled.
Well, I suppose this is the end of this run.
My eyes closed.
"Gasp..."
Once again, I was back in the inn room.
Another chance?
Come to think of it, I recalled the numbers I had seen while losing consciousness.
It changed from [1/100] to [2/100].
That could only mean one thing.
I have a hundred chances.
It seemed like a generous amount. Or perhaps not, considering how easily I had died so far—especially since I was aiming for a perfect ending.
Damn it, every time I change even the slightest detail, everything goes sideways.
What on earth was I supposed to do? Though I had failed to act because I was frozen in fear before Libero, there had been a way out of that situation.
If only I had inherited the authority of the Reim Royal Family.
It was all because I lacked **Absolute Obedience**. If I had that trait, I could have forced myself to inherit it even in that terrifying moment. No matter how much Alan's personality had matured, it was only natural to freeze when confronted by a Demon King of Libero's caliber.
I could solve this by inheriting the Reim Royal Family's authority before meeting him, but...
That would undoubtedly trigger a different chain of complications. Yet, if I simply walked the exact same path I had taken outside the Trial, I doubted that would align with the Trial's true purpose.
Given that I have a hundred chances, achieving a perfect ending seems like the intended goal.
I had only died twice so far. It was far too early to give up.
Let's review the plan from scratch.
Was there another optimal route? Perhaps an even better path existed. And so, my third run began.
[ 3 / 100 ]
[ 4 / 100 ]
[ 5 / 100 ]
[ 6 / 100 ]
• • •
[ 12 / 100 ]
The third run, the fourth, the fifth, and all the way up to the twelfth.
The reasons for failure were endless, ranging from trivial mistakes to completely unforeseen disasters.
In terms of perceived time, I had spent at least four years inside the Trial. In truth, I didn't pay much attention to the passage of time, as the concept of time in this space was thoroughly warped.
It was easy to understand if I recalled the first Trial, which had been divided into the desert space and the space of my memories. In the desert, where time flowed honestly, it passed at the same rate as the outside world. But in the memory space, which skipped around erratically, time stood still.
This current space was closer to the memory space than the desert. Every time I died, I was rewound to a specific point in the past. While it was unlikely that real-world time was completely frozen, it certainly wasn't flowing at a one-to-one ratio. Though that, too, was merely a guess.
But regardless of real-world time, I was growing exhausted. No matter how many chances I was given, repeating the same six-month cycle over and over was mentally draining. *It's a Trial because it's hard. There will be a better reward at the end.* Even that coping mechanism had its limits.
Furthermore, I had noticed something new starting from the third run. While NPCs like **Wyss** and Finn remained consistent, the actions of playable characters like Gwen and **Elsie** inexplicably began to shift.
Elsie, in particular, often failed to arrive no matter how long I waited for her in **Vasilium**. And it wasn't just Elsie; on one occasion, an entirely different character showed up at the inn instead of Gwen.
Just as I was beginning to consider compromising on my vision of a perfect ending, the thirteenth run arrived. And in this run, I finally succeeded in reaching the destination I desired.
I revealed the location of the Holy Relic to Gwen. I saved both Wyss and Finn. I even ensured Elsie met Libero. I myself was absent from that picture, as there was simply no room for me to intervene if I wanted to save everyone. Nevertheless, I had altered the past into something far more perfect.
But so what?
This was merely a Trial. Changing things here wouldn't alter the past outside of it. There was no way to truly change the past.
Suddenly, the words of the **God of Regret** came back to me.
—That fellow has a personality just as nasty as mine, so watch out...
Back then, I hadn't taken those words seriously. If anything, I had felt grateful for being granted the opportunity to rewrite my past.
But with each passing run, I could sense the genuine pity the God of Regret felt for me. And only now, in this thirteenth run where I had successfully rewritten every piece of the past, did I finally grasp the true intent of the deity who had crafted this Trial.
No wonder they don't get along with the God of Regret.
This Trial was a direct refutation of the God of Regret.
Regretting the past doesn't mean you can change it.
Looking back can certainly serve as motivation. But if you only look backward, you can never move forward. Even if you manage to take a step, you will never arrive where you truly want to be.
From the very beginning, this Trial itself was a trap. The actual content of the test didn't matter at all. I spoke aloud to the empty air.
"The answer is simple. Reality is far more important than some illusionary past."
In that exact moment, a voice echoed from the void. This time, it was the voice of a mature woman.
—Let's call that a correct answer for now.
Simultaneously, the space began to warp.
—Congratulations. You have passed my Trial.
I stood before the familiar giant tree. Since I had passed the Trial, a reward would likely drop from its branches. But before that, there was something I wanted to ask.
"What is your name?"
—I was just about to introduce myself. I am the **Reality God**.
The Reality God. It fell within my expectations. I asked the question that had been burning in my mind.
"What on earth was this Trial designed for?"
It was a bizarre trial in many ways. Yes, in most cases, a challenger thrown into the past would try to fix their regrets. But what if... "What happens if a challenger doesn't try to change the past?"
What if they had already completely overcome their regrets? Perhaps such individuals could use this Trial to peer into the future, running through all one hundred attempts to map out a hundred different futures.
—In that case, they would pass the Trial the moment they made that choice. But you needn't worry.
Why shouldn't I worry?
—Because the content of my Trial is not the same for everyone.
"Not the same? Then what about the others...?"
—Yes, you are the only one who had to face a hundred attempts. Though I cannot speak on the details of the others' trials.
"Why only me?"
—The true purpose of my Trial does not end with simply letting go of regret. It goes further, forcing you to confront the reality you have been turning away from.
The reality I had been turning away from. Come to think of it, the God of Regret's trial also aimed to make me face a past I had avoided. But unlike the regrets etched deeply into my mind, I couldn't think of any reality I was actively avoiding.
—It is only natural that you cannot recall it. That is precisely why I have allowed you to pass for now.
My thoughts couldn't keep up. What was she even talking about?
—Didn't you find it strange? This Trial was almost identical to reality, yet there was one crucial difference, wasn't there?
A difference from reality? Prompted by the deity's hint, I began to ponder. The Trial certainly had its discrepancies.
"Do you mean the movements of playable characters like Gwen or Ersiala?"
—That could be considered a correct answer as well. However, there was a far more fundamental difference. Though your failure to notice it is proof of how much you have grown.
A fundamental difference from reality... I began to mentally catalog my memories from the first run to the thirteenth. The conclusion came far quicker than expected. It was something I had paid less and less attention to as the runs progressed.
"Is it... **Absolute Obedience**?"