“Lie back down quickly...”

    Even when she was bleeding from her seven orifices, Ferloche spoke softly as she reached out to me.

    “Wait a moment...!”

    “...”

    When I grabbed her hand tightly to stop her, Ferloche looked at me with a troubled expression.

    “What exactly is going on?”

    Let’s try to piece this together.

    Exhausted from training with my father, I had collapsed in the yard, which Ferloche took advantage of to kidnap me.

    Then, I was brought to the ruins of a cathedral I had destroyed, bound by chains, and subjected to endless “extraction.”

    In the midst of this, my demonification progressed, and Ferloche reverted to her dumb state...

    And even during this, we continued to make love until I eventually passed out from exhaustion.

    - Drip...

    But when I woke up, I found Ferloche looking down at me, bleeding from her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

    What the hell happened?

    Even trying to piece it together, I couldn’t understand any of it.

    - Clang! Clang!

    “Stay still. I need to finish this.”

    As I looked up at Ferloche in confusion, she summoned the white chains that had bound me before, with a bitter smile.

    “You need to stay still. This process must go smoothly...”

    - Snap!

    “...Huh.”

    Chains wrapped around my arms and legs again.

    But when I opened my eyes wide and applied force, the chains snapped easily.

    It was a simple task for me now, as I still retained some effects of my demonification.

    “Explain, Ferloche.”

    “Sigh...”

    After breaking all her chains, I braced myself against the Sun God’s Blessing.

    But instead of retaliating, Ferloche sighed deeply and lowered her head.

    “...Ferloche?”

    Cold sweat was dripping from her forehead.

    As she stood there silently, sweat trickling down her face, she looked inexplicably uneasy.

    “Talk to me.”

    “...”

    At times like this, having a mind reading skill would be useful.

    The only downside since the system was destroyed was that I couldn’t use the skills I used to rely on.

    “Ferloche...”

    Well, there was no system to depend on anymore, so it couldn’t be helped.

    I just had to find out for myself.

    “Let’s talk this through.”

    With that in mind, I cautiously approached her, ready to step back if needed. Ferloche flinched and looked at me.

    “...Frey.”

    Her eyes were filled with a mix of complex emotions.

    “I’ve fulfilled my purpose.”

    “What? What are you talking about? What purpose...”

    “So now it’s time to fulfill my duty.”

    It seemed there was a deep story behind this.

    “Can you explain more?”

    “...”

    I decided to listen to her story quietly.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    Frey.

    When I first received the retry ability from you, I was full of hope.

    I was the Saintess who hunted you as the leader of the heroines in each cycle.

    And eventually, I was the one who pierced your heart and caused your demise.

    I thought I could make up for my foolish mistakes and give you a happy ending.

    But the process was more difficult than I imagined.

    Of course, it was natural.

    I was thrown into this with no guides or strategies, just my body.

    After repeatedly going back in time countless times, my tightly held mind started to break down.

    The initial fervor and hope I had gradually faded, replaced by emptiness.

    Even so, I kept repeating the cycle over and over...

    Eventually, my original personality completely broke down.

    How pathetic am I?

    You and Ruby went through the same cycles, yet I’m the only one who ended up like this.

    But I couldn’t help it.

    My maximum mental strength was 8.

    Compared to you and Ruby, who had a maximum mental strength of 10, there was a significant gap.

    Of course, that also showed my lack of ability.

    But I really did my best.

    Although the initial emotions and hope faded into distant memories, one thought never changed.

    To give you a happy ending.

    That one thought...

    For that one overarching goal, I took every possible measure.

    To find the one variable that would break this endless cycle of tragedy.

    It was indeed a reckless endeavor. Instead of focusing solely on defeating the Demon King, I had to experiment with every aspect of this world.

    But with the sole thought of achieving the overarching goal, I tirelessly repeated the cycles.

    And finally, I found it.

    The Sun God, who altered the world once during my endless retries.

    And the legacy of the First Hero, ‘Kim Han-byeol,’ who was summoned by the Sun God.

    The ‘one coincidence’ and self-shining light, Glare.

    What was the trigger again?

    Ah, I remembered.

    One day, while researching the early phases of the Retry,

    I saved a child who was being taken by some thugs while accompanying you to an auction.

    And when I handed her the ring you always gave me early on... a miracle happened.

    When I found that, I was overjoyed. It was the day my heart pounded the most during the endless cycle of Retry.

    Did the First Hero feel the same way when he discovered her by chance?

    “Hmm.”

    “It’s an inevitable sacrifice, so let me bear the burden...”

    “No, just no.”

    “Mm.”

    Blocking her mouth, I held her hand and whispered.

    “Let’s find another way.”

    “You’re not an outcast. We need you.”

    “But...!”

    “In the happy ending I’m aiming for, no one will be left out.”

    The moment I said that,

    - CRASH!!

    The massive barrier surrounding us shattered and began to collapse in an instant.

    “...How? It should have held out longer.”

    Ferloche murmured, watching in disbelief.

    “It’s the miracle you found.”

    “No sweet potatoesssssss 1...!”

    “...Ah.”

    I smiled as I looked at Glare, running towards us with her eyes fixed on the air, and whispered, causing Ferloche to wear a dazed expression.

    “In this situation... we need to move...”

    - BOOM!!!

    At that moment,

    “Got you.”

    “...Gehack.”

    Ruby, flying towards us with all her might, kicked Ferloche aside, sending her flying into the distance.

    “Frey. That was a good speech.”

    “...Yeah.”

    Ruby cracked her hand as she saw Ferloche’s struggle against the wall in the distance. She paused and whispered.

    “Yes, everyone’s happy ending is important. Everyone’s... everyone’s...”

    “Ruby?”

    “...It’s nothing. Anyway, wait there.”

    “Go easy on her.”

    With that, Ruby spread her wings again and flew towards Ferloche, her eyes gleaming.

    “Haha.”

    Watching this, I couldn’t help but laugh and then turned to the heroines approaching me.

    Finally... The end is near.

    Despite the brief commotion, it seems we managed to handle it successfully.

    “No sweet potatoes! No sweet potatoes!”

    “Ouch! Ow, ow...”

    “No sweet potatoes!”

    Seeing Ferloche getting hit on the head by Glare while Ruby held her by the collar reassured me.

    “Let go... I need to finish the soul treatment...”

    “Sweet potato!”

    “I have to. To revive Frey, I need to treat his soul, which means using my soul...”

    “Are you stupid?”

    “What?”

    “Just merge the dumb personality with the original one!”

    Glare said, hitting her on the head again, causing Ferloche to look at her with a dazed expression.

    “But... um...”

    “Then your mind will recover! And you’ll have the strength to heal the Hero! It’s a win-win!”

    “T-That’s not the problem.”

    Ferloche then looked at Ruby.

    “I’m sorry...”

    Lowering her eyes, she whispered apologetically.

    “...If you want, I’ll step down. So...”

    “First, take this hit.”

    “Huh?”

    - BOOM!!!

    As I watched the massive cloud of demonic energy form, I shook my head and turned to the heroines.

    “Starting today, I’ll be training with my father.”

    “Frey...”

    “The Academy’s Siege is right around the corner. Make sure you’re all prepared.”

    After saying that and starting to walk outside, I stopped and looked back at them.

    “Let’s all be happy.”

    Seeing the heroines nod, a happy smile spread across my face.

    “All of us, definitely.”

    Kania, Irina, Clana, Serena, Ferloche.

    Isolet, Lulu, Aishi.

    And Ruby, along with the academy students.

    The decisive moment for everyone’s happiness was approaching.

    “...Hmm?”

    But why did I keep feeling uneasy?

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    Meanwhile, at that time.

     How did you get in there? (02:24)

     Let’s make a deal. (17:30)

     If you cooperate with me, I’ll get you out of that place. (17:31)

    Sitting in a dark room with disheveled hair and a hollow expression, Roswyn glanced at the chat window in front of her.

    Do you want to block this user?

     You’ll regret this. (17:32)

    Blocked

    She then pushed the chat window aside and looked back at the monitor in front of her.

    - Click, click...

    Her busy hands moved as she read a simple announcement.

    Dark Tale Fantasy Series Service Resumption Notice

    GM Mademoiselle

    [Comments 9999+]

    1. A Korean slang for a frustrating moment.