Zero Chill

A shiver ran down my spine, like a cold snake slithering across my back. A single bead of cold sweat trickled down my temple. I was definitely alone... right? A primal terror stabbed into my brain—the instinctive fear that someone was watching my every move, even the most intimate parts of me.

I lifted my head in a daze. No way... Adelia?

I didn't even have time to stop peeing. Like I was possessed, I slowly tilted my head back and looked up.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Right above that urinal... in the dark corner where the ceiling met the wall. Something grotesque was flattened against it, staring down at me.

A black mass that couldn't be identified as human, beast, or even a shadow. That thing with no clear shape bared its white teeth in the darkness... and I could clearly feel that it was smiling.

"......!"

I recoiled in terror.

Splat!

I slipped on the puddle of water on the floor and fell flat on my ass in the most undignified way. My pants were down around my knees, and I looked like a complete mess. Fear overpowered any sense of shame and flooded my mind first.

Sanctuary? It wasn't Adelia. Then who the hell was it?

That was when it happened.

Slither.

The shape began to take form. It was like a ghost. In the old bathroom that reeked of piss and mold, a soft, seductive scent of lilac suddenly filled the air.

"Oh? Did you think I was Adelia? Hmm, I'm a little hurt."

A gentle voice. From within the darkness, pure white clerical robes emerged.

Yuriel, the Saintess, smiled sweetly as she looked down at my pathetic state.

"Junior. I came because I smelled the 'scent of death' coming from you."

"......Y-Yuriel, Sunbae?"

"I really... like that smell, you know."

She licked her lips with her tongue and took a step closer. There was no killing intent. But the greed gleaming in her eyes was far more dangerous than any predator staring at its prey.

She slowly pressed her index finger to her crimson lips.

"Sanctuary Deployment."

Ting—!

With a ringing in my ears, all sound in the world vanished. The sound of running water, the night breeze, even my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠own heartbeat. Everything was cut off in a perfect sphere of absolute silence.

The system window flickered red and shattered. It wasn't just that I couldn't see anymore. It was an overwhelming difference in rank. My ability had been bounced right out of her absolute sanctuary.

"Now we can talk as much as we want."

The moment Yuriel smiled—

KWAAAAAANG—!!!

The bathroom entrance exploded outward. But there was no sound. Like watching a disaster movie on mute, I could only see the wooden door crumple like paper and slam into the wall.

Through the thick cloud of dust, a figure with glowing red eyes walked in.

"......"

It was Adelia. Her mouth moved. I couldn't hear her, but her lips were crystal clear.

'This... this filthy bitch, how dare she!'

Her gaze first landed on me, sprawled on the floor. My soaked pants pulled down, my terrified expression, and Yuriel standing right in front of me.

Fwoooosh—!

A blue light exploded from the small dagger in her hand. It wasn't simple mana reinforcement. The blue light extending from the dagger's tip took shape, instantly forming a two-meter-long sword.

A completed Aura Blade. An overwhelming power that seemed capable of slicing through space itself.

Swish—!

Adelia kicked off the ground. 'Die, die, die, I'll kill you!!!!' Her lips were screaming those words. Her speed was too fast for my eyes to follow.

KAAAAANG—!!

The massive aura blade crashed down toward Yuriel's head. A transparent golden barrier unfolded around Yuriel, catching the brutal strike.

A silent shockwave slammed through the bathroom. The sinks shattered, and floor tiles popped up like popcorn.

But Adelia didn't stop. She twisted her wrist, and the giant blade of light danced and swirled like a storm.

Crack! Crunch!

Yuriel's barrier screamed as it was shaved away. The Saintess wiped the smile from her face and thrust her palm forward. A blinding flash of light shot toward Adelia. Adelia didn't dodge; she simply split the flash in half with her aura blade.

The narrow bathroom had turned into a slaughterhouse in an instant.

"Ugh...!"

I curled up, covering my face with my arms.

Thud—!

A sharp piece of a shattered sink flew up and tore deep into my forearm. The pain of flesh being ripped open. And the red blood soaking through my shirt.

"Ugh..."

I grimaced in pain and clutched my arm. My pants were halfway down, blood dripping from my arm—I looked utterly miserable. If this kept up, I'd get swept up and die. 'Damn it, SS-class really is on another level.' I was about to get crushed like a shrimp between two monsters fighting.

That was when reason returned to Adelia's eyes. The wrecked bathroom, my blood dripping onto the floor, and my humiliating appearance.

The fact that her rampage had injured her 'God' made her heart sink.

"Ah......"

She bit her lip hard and withdrew the massive aura blade. Forcing her rage-trembling hand into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a fist, she glared at Yuriel.

Then she glanced at me once. Her eyes, scanning my wounded arm and the cramped bathroom, were filled with pity.

"......Let's take this outside."

She pointed at the window as she spoke. Yuriel snapped her fingers with a look of mild surprise.

Pop.

The sanctuary was lifted. WHOOOOSH—! All the blocked noise came rushing back at once. The moment the silence broke, Adelia stepped in front of me protectively and growled in a low voice.

"Hey, you crazy Saintess."

"......?"

"Let's fight outside. It's too cramped in here."

Adelia's eyes were absolute zero. It seemed she realized that if she rampaged any more here, I might get hurt even worse. She was suppressing her soaring killing intent for that reason alone.

Yuriel let out a small laugh at the sight.

"My, from where I'm standing, you look like the crazy bitch."

"......What?"

"You're giving off the scent of death so thickly~! So sticky and strong. Ah, well... fine."

Yuriel looked back and forth between me and Adelia with interest.

"Shall we relieve some stress?"

She crouched down and stared intently at my bleeding arm.

"Hehe, your blood... is really pretty."

Her white light touched my wound. It felt sticky, like mucus. It didn't feel like holy power—it felt like something even more viscous covering the injury. Hiss— The wound healed in an instant. But the unpleasant feeling didn't disappear.

"There, treatment complete."

Yuriel stood up with a bright smile.

"Shall we head out now, Hero?"

Adelia glanced back at me. Her eyes were full of apology and worry.

"I'll be right back. My Roy."

"Be careful!"

She leaped out through the broken window without looking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠back. Yuriel blew me a kiss and followed after her.

Rumble—! Boom! Bang!

Immediately after, tremendous roars that sounded like the world was splitting apart came from outside the window. Flashes of light lit up the dormitory building like daylight.

"What the hell?!"

"Is it an earthquake?"

"Hey, look over there! In the sky!"

"Did the demons invade? Wait, isn't that the Hero and the Saintess?"

"Holy shit... why are they fighting?"

The quiet dawn campus turned into pandemonium in an instant. The sound of students pouring out of the dorms and murmuring reached all the way here.

'Phew, let's wash up first.'

I looked around the ruined bathroom. My body was covered in blood, dust, and some unidentified holy power. There was no way I could clean myself here. Staggering, I returned to my dorm room. I turned on the faucet at the small sink inside.

Shhhhhhh—

Cold water slapped my face. My reflection in the mirror was deathly pale. Only then did my mind start to clear a little.

Bzzzz—

That was when I heard an annoying buzzing sound near my ear. A mosquito? Or a fly? A pitch-black insect flew through the steam, circling around me. Maybe the dorm was just old.

Sting.

Between my neck and shoulder. A tiny but sharp pain.

"Ah, fuck..."

I reflexively slapped my neck. I pulled my hand away to check.

"......?"

On my palm was the flattened corpse of a small bug. But... something was off. It wasn't a normal mosquito. Its wings were black and grotesquely twisted, and what burst out of its crushed body wasn't red blood, but a sticky black fluid mixed with my own.

It felt disgusting. I quickly turned on the water and scrubbed my palm hard. The black liquid swirled down the drain. But an uncleanable discomfort remained branded on the back of my neck like a mark.

I rubbed my neck with a towel and sat down on the bed. So much had happened today. The regression, Adelia's awakening, Scarlet, the fight between Yuriel and Adelia—I was completely drained.

"Haa... haa..."

My throat was dry. An intense thirst hit me. I grabbed the water bottle on the desk.

Gulp. Gulp.

The cold water slid down my throat.

"Khaa!... Hoo..."

The thirst seemed to ease a bit. I set the empty bottle down and checked the clock. It was 1 AM. Adelia still had a while before she returned.

Click.

Some time later, the window opened at the perfect moment. Along with the night breeze, a familiar silhouette entered.

"......Adelia?"

It was her. But she looked terrible. Her usually neat uniform was torn in several places, revealing her white skin. Her brilliant platinum blonde hair was a tangled mess, and there was even dark dust on her cheek.

"Roy!"

She spotted me and ran over. Completely ignoring her own wretched state, her eyes were only worried about my well-being.

"Are you okay? Where are you hurt..."

"I'm perfectly fine! That crazy bitch ran away with her tail between her legs. Hehe."

Adelia laughed cheerfully. The bright smile visible through her messy hair strangely tugged at my heart. She had fought so fiercely for me and come back like this—she was unbearably lovable.

"Haha... what happened to your hair?"

I weakly raised my hand and tried to fix her ruined hair. The soft strands flowed between my fingers. The female warrior who had just returned from a battlefield turned into a shy girl with a single touch from me.

"......Do I look weird?"

Adelia asked with a pouty face.

"No."

I chuckled and shook my head.

"You're cute."

"......!"

"You're even prettier than you were in my old dreams."

"Hng... really..."

Her face flushed bright red like a ripe apple. Not knowing what to do, she buried her face in my shoulder.

"Uung, that's cheating... saying things like that."

Her body heat reached me. It was warm. The fear of death and the pressure of regression both felt far away.

"Haaam......"

A huge yawn escaped me without warning. Now that Adelia was here and I felt safe, an overwhelming wave of drowsiness hit me, making my eyelids feel like they weighed a ton.

"Are you sleepy?"

"Yeah... I'm so tired... my body won't listen."

"Sleep, Roy. I'll protect you."

Adelia leaned her back against the headboard and sat down. Then she patted her thigh.

"Lie down here."

"Huh? That's a bit..."

"Hurry. It's also my duty to make my God comfortable."

Unable to resist her insistence, I carefully laid my head on her lap.

Soft.

It was incredibly soft. Beneath the firmness forged by battle was the unique smoothness and suppleness of a woman's skin. The sensation against my head was so dizzying that my heart raced. I glanced up.

"......Wow."

It was a spectacular view. Adelia's face looking down at me. Her platinum hair cascading like a waterfall, her cheeks flushed red, and her crimson eyes dripping with love. The most beautiful sight in the world was right before my eyes.

"You're really beautiful... Adelia..."

"......"

She smiled shyly and covered my eyes with her hand.

"Hehe, sleep now. I'll watch over you even in your dreams."

That gentle voice. Her own fragrant, sweet scent. Drunk on that comfort, I slowly lost consciousness.

'Heh, this is happiness.'

Once my breathing became steady, Adelia removed her hand and gazed at my sleeping face. Her red eyes sank deep and thickly.

"Hmmm......"

Her fingers traced my lips.

"Ah, Roy. I want to devour you... slurp❤️"

As if she couldn't hold back, she lowered her head and swallowed my defenseless, parted lips.

Chu~!

"Sleep well. My Faith."

That was my last memory in this world.

...What?

. . .

"Hey, wake up. Roy."

Someone tapped my shoulder.

"Mmm... Adelia...?"

"Adelia? Are you crazy? Suddenly calling the Hero's name? Are you still half-asleep? Snap out of it, it's starting."

"What......huh?"

My eyes flew open. Adelia's soft thighs were gone without a trace.

Bang! Boom!

The sound of colorful fireworks magic exploding in the air.

"Waaaaaaaah—!!!"

Cheers. I lifted my head in a daze. A massive dome ceiling. Thousands of new students. And an extra male student next to me yawning like he was annoyed.

"What... is this..."

A chill ran down my spine. Just moments ago I had been resting my head on Adelia's lap.

After reading the system message, I relaxed my tense shoulders.

"Phew... so I can regress now too."

A sense of relief washed over me. Death was horrible, but the ability to 'start over even after dying' was an incredible perk.

'Now... Adelia doesn't have to die for me.'

Until now, to trigger a loop, either Adelia had to die or the world had to be destroyed. But now it was different. Even if I died from a mistake, we could start over with Adelia safe. This... was a blessing.

With a fluttering heart, I looked toward the podium.

'Adelia.'

Far away, I could see a platinum-haired girl standing among the crowd. She must have already noticed that I had regressed.

'There are so many people here... this is going to be a problem.'

She'd probably catch my scent and fly straight over. If she came running crying and hugged me, how was I supposed to explain it in front of thousands of people? I was happily worrying about that when I checked her status.

"......Huh?"

My smile froze solid. -99%? Did I misread it because I was too tired? 'Why again?... No, no, no, no... what is this? It was definitely at [0%] before?' My mind went blank, and my body began to tremble.

That was when the system window, as if mocking my confusion, displayed a new message.

"Eh? Ha... haha... what the hell is this??"

The previously hidden 'explanation' stabbed into my heart like a dagger. It wasn't a blessing. We weren't going back together. Only I, only I alone, was left holding these memories all by myself.

"That's a lie......"

A groan escaped me. At that moment, the Grand Sage Marcus standing on the podium shouted with solemn dignity.

"Hero, Adelia von Kreuz. Come forward."

Far away, Adelia walked out. She was no longer the girl who had been shy in my arms just moments ago. As the status window said, she was an empty doll containing only 'extreme emptiness'.

In front of her was the 'Holy Grail'. The Hero's Covenant. That event from the first entrance ceremony. The cursed ritual from the novel where she had her emotions castrated and became a slave to the system.

'No way...?'

But Adelia didn't hesitate. She slowly reached out her hand. Those red eyes... contained not a single emotion toward me.

The mad love that used to shine when she looked at me, the obsession, the shyness—everything had been deleted. They were the eyes of a complete stranger.

"Uwaaa... No, you can't!!"

Only then did I fully understand the situation.

All the time and emotions we had built together. The blood and tears I had shed. It had all become 'something that never happened'.

"No, no!! Please, don't do it!!!!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs as I ran toward the podium. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn't care.

"Adelia—!!!!"

Did my voice reach her? The hand reaching for the Holy Grail paused, and she turned her head. Her red eyes met mine in midair.

But.

Swish.

She didn't even twitch an eyebrow. She turned her head away indifferently, as if looking at a barking dog. The eyes of a perfect stranger.

That was when the Grand Sage Marcus, standing beside her, glanced at me once. And then—

Grin.

He curled the corner of his mouth in a sly smirk. It wasn't the benevolent smile of a saint. It was a greedy, sinister smile of someone enjoying how everything was going according to plan.

"Now, embrace your fate."

At Marcus's urging, the tips of Adelia's fingers touched the Holy Grail.

Fwooooooooosh—!!!

A brilliant light swallowed the world. At the same time, as if mocking my despair, the final system message appeared.

"...Kuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaagh!!!!"

Bang—! Boom!

Colorful fireworks exploded brilliantly along with the new students' cheers. My scream of despair scattered emptily into the air, reaching no one.