Chapter 170 - I'll Love You Forever
".........""
Watching the four girls sink into silence, Perloché quietly rises from her seat.
"...Ugh."
Then, an excruciating pain shoots through her knee, now in even worse condition than before.
- Thud, thud.
Yet she presses on, stepping forward to gaze down at Kania, who stares blankly at the floor with a dazed expression.
"I... put so much care into making it..."
She's staring vacantly at the sandwich, now cold and dried out.
"I just wanted to feed you a delicious sandwich at least once... without you having to worry about the pain..."
Turning her eyes from her, Perloché approaches Irina, who's curled up in on herself.
"Frey... I'm sorry..."
She's murmuring to herself, clutching the fruit she brought to her chest.
"I only confessed like an idiot after everything was too late..."
Beside Irina sits Clana, lips pressed tight, gently stroking the star-gazing flower she brought. Prepared to welcome back the stars' return, it's now just a lifeless treasure. A single tear streams from her eyes as she fiddles with it.
".....Time is short."
Meanwhile, Serena stands, muttering in a fragile voice.
"No matter what it takes, I'll shatter the world's laws. Even if it means defying the natural order."
Her eyes are already shrouded in deep darkness.
".........."
Perloché gazes at them all.
"Everyone."
She poses the question in a low voice.
"If there was a way to rewind all of this... what would you do?"
All of them lift their heads at once.
"What do you mean...?"
"Perloché?"
"Rewind... everything?"
Questions pour in.
"...Exactly as I said."
To them,
"If you were given a chance to rewind everything... what choice would you make?"
Perloché asks again.
"No matter what 'price' you had to pay, would you willingly turn it back?"
A brief silence falls.
"O-Of course."
Kania speaks first.
"If I could serve Young Master a warm meal... I'd pay any price."
Desperation gleams in her eyes.
"...I-Is there really a way to rewind everything? Then I'll go."
Irina speaks next.
"I'll be his sword and shield. Demon King or whatever... I'll be the weapon that smashes it all."
She rises, eyes blazing.
"I don't need the throne, wealth, honor, or pride. All I want now is Frey, who risked his life for me."
Clana speaks third.
"A magic that uses me as sacrifice? I know my body is the most suitable medium for a grand ritual. So use me as the offering."
She tears open the front of her chest.
"...I've already tried sacrificing various prices."
Serena answers last, in a quiet voice.
"I was going to abandon my body and mind, research through eons to break the world's laws... Is there a better way?"
Asking this, her hollow eyes betray half-lost reason.
".........."
As the four girls' answers end, silence lingers briefly.
- Creeeak...
Then it's broken by the cathedral door suddenly swinging open.
"Fr... Frey..."
The person drawing all eyes as she enters is
"I got word Frey was here, but...?"
Isolet, panting heavily from sprinting full-tilt to the cathedral.
"...Come to think of it, Frey said that back then."
Perloché gazes at her.
"You were originally supposed to be sixth... but demoted for some reason."
She murmurs cryptically, slowly stepping forward.
"Still, ending at fifth feels right, without regrets..."
"Perloché?"
"I didn't understand then... but now I do."
"What are you talking about...? So, where's Frey—"
Perloché ascends the altar where she prayed.
"Anyway, I understand your resolve."
Her face pale, she continues.
"Anyone but me would choose the same. Right?"
The other heroines stare in confusion at her vague words.
"...Thank you for giving me courage."
She bows to them.
"Then..."
Clasping her hands in prayer, she concludes.
"See you soon."
And in the next instant, radiant light envelops the cathedral from Perloché.
"Ugh..."
My head hurts. No, my whole body aches.
Aftereffects of using divine power after so long? The divine power I just unleashed was the strongest I've ever used, so the pain makes sense.
- Swish...
As I rise with that thought, a woman stands before me.
"P-Perloché..."
A woman covered in wounds, staggering, faintly glowing, calling my name.
"Sun God...?"
"Y-Yes..."
Trembling, I ask, and she flinches in response.
That confirms it—the one before me is the Sun God.
Last time I glimpsed her, she wasn't this broken. Did she overexert to summon me here?
"Explain what happened."
But no time for faith or pity now. Frey is what's important.
"No time to dawdle. Hurry..."
- Rumble...!
Just as I urge her, the surroundings shake violently.
"I-I'll explain."
The staggering Sun God before me opens her mouth urgently.
"I couldn't defeat my sister... but I poured all remaining divine power into restoring 'Retry'..."
- Rumble! Rumble...!
"A-And... I've been using every last bit of power to keep the sun from fully extinguishing. My sister extinguished it completely hours ago..."
Yes, I get the gist. This moment is our last chance.
"Good, then..."
"W-Will you really inherit Retry?"
As I rush toward the Sun God, she speaks with a pale face.
"It'll be harder than you imagine..."
- BOOM...!
Then the barrier the Sun God created shakes massively.
What now?
"M-My sister..."
"...What?"
"K-Kill her... save..."
"Can't hear you."
"...Kuhk!"
Good heavens. Frey, who vanished earlier, has turned the Demon God into a bloody mess.
Black space peeks through the shattered surroundings—did he emerge from there?
"Heguk... heghuk..."
"I can't undo what you did due to lack of power... but I can vent before the next loop."
"W-Wait. Just wait... a deal...! Gehuk...!"
I stare blankly at the scene as the Sun God, sweating coldly, asks me,
"I can pass Retry to Frey. But really..."
"N-No!!"
Snapping to, I shriek at the Sun God.
"Can't you see his soul?! It's already shattered, and now in pieces from choosing oblivion!!"
"......."
"One more Retry, and it'll be irreversible! You won't give him a happy ending!!"
Hearing this, the Sun God squeezes her eyes shut and says,
"...I'll grant you the 'authority of Retry'."
And the next instant.
- Fizzle...!
"Kyaaaaaaaah!!!"
Immense pain engulfs me.
"Haa... haa..."
"...Perloché?"
Frey, coldly glaring at the Demon God, turns at my scream echoing everywhere, eyes widening.
"N-No way... the reason there's a next loop is...!?"
His face pales as he approaches me.
"Wait!! I can't let you bear that...!"
"I said I love you forever."
Don't worry, Frey. I'll protect your soul now.
With me as Retry's vessel, it won't shatter further.
"Wait!!"
"A happy ending for you."
With that thought, I flash him a bright smile.
"...Retry."
I whisper softly.
And the next instant.
- Crackle...!
The world flips.
"That's everything I wanted to show you."
In the solemn chamber with a massive scale looming,
"...You saw it clearly, right?"
"......."
Perloché watches the four girls' indescribable expressions and speaks softly to Frey.
"Now, the time has come."
As Frey, watching the black screen that showed Perloché's perspective, stays silent, Perloché slowly approaches the scale.
"The five main heroines, including me..."
"...I have a question."
The translucent Frey asks her.
"How did I, who chose oblivion in this loop, intervene in the trial?"
Perloché turns and answers.
"Originally, in this loop, you stopped the countdown in the black room, just watching everything get caught in my Retry."
"...Yeah?"
"Yes, unable to undo your feelings for us... just blankly watching the world."
Her face darkens as she says this.
"But through the third trial applied by us from a future loop, that you became a judge alongside you."
She closes her eyes tightly.
"If the you who chose oblivion chose 'judgment'... all subsequent loops could be affected. Even ours now."
"........."
"But the you who chose oblivion... didn't judge, just chose to love us all."
"...I see."
"And even wrecked the powerless Demon God..."
Trailing off, Perloché wears a deeply shadowed expression.
"Personally, I wanted judgment."
"Why?"
"Because we defied your will to rest after such exhaustion."
"But from then, you became Retry's vessel, right? So..."
"That's not all."
Perloché begins trembling.
"After countless tragedies, sorrows, and Retries you endured... you still have the right to judge this world that caused them."
"What do you..."
"The more Retries, the more I realized. Your pain was... beyond imagination. So please..."
Frey gazes at her terrified expression.
"You've drowned too deep in guilt."
He sighs.
"Using 'guilt' as fuel to endure those loops. Unnecessary guilt crumbling your mind."
"N-No... not guilt, it's your rightful...!"
"So, how does the judgment from me, the other judge, proceed?"
To Frey's question, Perloché smiles brokenly.
"Simple. If the guilt we main heroines hold outweighs your pity and love for us... punishment equal to the difference..."
"...This system is pathetic to the end."
Frey chuckles wryly at her words.
"You have no reason to feel guilt toward me."
"N-No! We..."
"I finally realized."
Interrupting Perloché again, Frey says with enlightened eyes.
"The one deserving judgment... isn't me, you, or the world."
"...The System, Demon King, and Demon God."
"F-Frey..."
"That's my conclusion from the third trial."
Seeing Perloché's shaken eyes, Frey continues.
"If my pity and love outweigh your guilt...?"
"W-Wait..."
"Then there's a good way."
He approaches the black screen and declares loudly.
"Show Perloché's actions from obtaining Retry until now."
"Frey!!!"
Warning! Data volume too high! Severe error may occur...
"When you commanded that black screen to replay 'after the prayer,' I had a hunch... and it works?"
"No! I can't trap you in time again!! Nooooo!!"
Frey smiles at the message as Perloché stares in horror.
"Don't worry, I won't grow your guilt further."
He answers her softly.
"...Summarize it, without passing a day."
[........Analyzing.]
[Application complete. Playing video.]
A cheerful sound accompanies the message.
"Ah........."
Frey turns from blankly staring Perloché.
"Good..."
Watching the video begin on the screen, he murmurs softly.
"...Now it's finally fair."