The sky mixes rain and snow, creating a slushy downfall.
The season is transitioning from autumn to early winter.
Each breath I exhale clouds white.
The battlefield, now a heap of ashes.
Not a trace of what was once the academy remains in this place.
The place where I could meet new people and grow closer has vanished into the annals of history.
“Damn it.”
Even scraping the ground until my nails bleed, I can’t salvage even the bodies of my comrades.
As I spewed the harsh words from within, I faced the grim reality.
The Grand Hertz Academy now looked eerily similar to the scene I saw ten years later in [Black Heart].
And even the expression of the Nameless Saintess Pina Grancia, trying hard to smile as she held back tears.
“…….”
Was it fate from the beginning that couldn’t be defied? Was there never any hope to save everyone?
“…Not yet. It might not be too late.”
The possibility of bringing everyone back.
I shook my head and moved forward, searching for any remaining glimmer of hope.
[The conditions for the Grand Route have not been fulfilled.]
I swiped away the countless status windows that floated before me.
Words hidden in sentences that urged me to give up.
‘Grand Route.’
The Demon God Magic Hat said that other world lines weave together like a thread, bound by a single possibility.
If I could bring everyone back and complete the Grand Route…
Then not only Pina, but also the others wouldn’t have to die.
“Schartines-senpai..! Are you there..!”
I knocked on the grand gate adorned with a golden phoenix.
The phoenix emblem shone brightly, flaunting the prestige of the family.
“Oh my, Licht-kun..? What’s that blood from?!”
The place I eventually arrived at was the Aureus Duke’s residence, where Schartines was the hostess.
This person might know the whereabouts of the Shrine of Jisheer.
*
Nex and Schartines were in the Aureus Duke’s residence.
With a soft crackling sound, a fire blazed in the fireplace.
“Everyone, including the princess, is dead… Kainel and Ariel are missing…”
I had no choice but to deliver the news that everyone had perished.
“That’s unbelievable… How could Pina…?”
The expressions of the two changed to a ghostly pale upon hearing the despairing news.
They even swayed a little, possibly feeling dizzy.
The hero couple seemed to have gone missing even after the battle, likely due to the influence of the Demon God Magic Hat.
“It’s all… my fault.”
If I had filled the affection level to 100% like Nex, wouldn’t things have been different?
Nex and Schartines had already warned them not to join the fight.
Still, I had written about the Phoenix’s cradle with the help of the family head Asha, just in case.
‘I filled the affection level that my status window displayed to 100%.’
If I had completed the love line with my efforts, perhaps the outcome would have been different.
After all, the Celestial Demon White Lily was also safe.
“It’s not your fault, Senpai. You did your best.”
“……..”
The man with purple hair patted my shoulder and offered words of comfort.
Yet, I couldn’t save the one person I wanted to rescue the most. How can this not be my fault?
“Schartines-senpai. Do you perhaps know about the Shrine of Jisheer?”
I asked, seeking to bring my fallen comrades back to life.
The shrine said to enshrine the God of Reason, Jisheer.
Originally, detailed information about it didn’t appear in the game, and it was said that it didn’t even exist in the data available.
“Is it the place where the first Saintess healed the injured?”
But here, things were different.
It was recorded in history that the first Saintess healed those wounded in the war.
“Yes, you’d know the location, right, Senpai?”
There were even rumors that she resurrected the dead.
Schartines, the second Saintess after the first, must know its location.
In the game, Schartines died and Pina inherited her place, but back then she was under the power of ignorance.
The Nameless Saintess Pina wouldn’t have a clue.
“I’ve heard something from the God of Light…”
After hearing my words, Schartines tilted her head and murmured.
“If possible, I’d be willing to sacrifice my life to save others.”
I tapped the center of my armor and spoke.
Every shrine so far had ultimately helped me.
I was able to meet my deceased father, be honest with Pina, and learn about the possibilities of other world lines.
‘Then in the last remaining shrine, there must be a way to resurrect Pina.’
To be honest, I was desperately clutching at straws.
Bringing the dead back to life was historically taboo in this world.
“That place is said to heal people by sacrificing one’s own life..! How did you find out about that?!”
So, predicting such a thing was simple.
If the betrayer who was a vampire could kill the first Saintess, who was called one of the Ten Heroes…
“Well, it’s obvious. The first Saintess, who was one of the Ten Heroes, wouldn’t have died so easily.”
Her lifespan must have surely diminished by sacrificing herself.
“Licht-kun, are you really okay?”
The man with purple hair who had been listening to the story tightly shut his eyes.
“Even if you do sacrifice yourself for the sake of the others…”
Nex continued, urging me to think it over once more.
“If the princess finds out you’re gone, will she be happy?”
He brought up the part I had been desperately ignoring. Well, I’d imagine she’d be crying her eyes out in sorrow.
“Still, isn’t it better than others sacrificing themselves?”
Right now, all I could hear in my heart was one heartbeat.
Even the mana circuits connecting me to Pina were severed.
If I prolong the time here, her breath, now transformed into the Diamond Queen, might cease.
“I’m someone who lived through a different world and am an orphan, so no one would miss me.”
For Pina, who had given me everything, I could easily give up this life.
“If it weren’t for Pina, I wouldn’t even be here in this world.”
“……”
I wouldn’t have been able to have this conversation if it weren’t for Pina.
I would have remained a sad boy who fell to his death on a rooftop one summer day.
“Alright. I’ll tell you the location of the shrine.”
“Schartine! What would you do if you died too?!”
Upon hearing my determination, Schartines nodded slowly.
There was no stopping that now.
It would also be a good thing for her beloved sister Pina to come back alive.
“Thank you.”
“…However, there’s one condition. Licht-kun.”
At that moment, the black-haired Saintess added a condition for me.
As if admonishing me for not thinking about Pina while risking my life.
“You must come back alive and attend our wedding.”
Schartines said she wouldn’t tell me the location of the shrine unless I promised to survive.
“Sure, even if it’s a Duke’s eldest son’s wedding, the attendance shouldn’t be scant.”
Nex Aureus, who couldn’t summon spirits and lived as a reckless man.
Schartines, who had been discriminated against for being a vampire.
He further added to her words, saying that if I wasn’t there, the guest count would be low at the wedding.
“…Got it. Naturally.”
I made a promise I might not keep and bid them farewell.
If I weren’t here, I likely wouldn’t even get to see this duo’s happy moments.
*
The old site of the land of grass.
A place lush with vegetation like a jungle, where the sound of a stream could be heard.
“Is this the Shrine of Jisheer..?”
A statue depicting a woman with a dragon’s horn appeared.
A dragon-woman clad in nun garb. It was clearly a structure symbolizing the God of Reason, Jisheer.
‘The Shrine of Jisheer is a place that sacrifices life to save others.’
As I cut through the bush that had grown as tall as a person, I moved deeper into the shrine.
How long did it take?
“Nice to meet you, Lee Soo-hyun. I’ve been waiting.”
With a bright light, a vast space appeared, and a woman with golden hair shining like the sun greeted me.
“The first Saintess..?”
“You have keen eyesight.”
It was someone believed to have died during the Demon War.
The first Saintess stood before me, looking just like the statue in the academy.
“How are you here?”
“The gods commanded me to meet you, Lee Soo-hyun.”
Click-clack.
With the sound of shoe heels clacking, the golden-haired Saintess slowly approached me.
“I’ve always wanted to meet you. Thank you for treating my successors well.”
She bowed slightly and smiled.
“My name is Frey Aureus. The first Saintess chosen by the God of Light, Starter.”
Using divine power, her hair even turned white.
“I currently manage the Shrine of Jisheer.”
She looked just like the first Saintess I had heard about.
“No way. So you can really bring the dead back to life?”
I widened my eyes, filled with hope.
Seeing someone I thought was dead standing here in the shrine made me believe I could really save Pina.
“Well, I’m just a being of soul… It’s hard to say.”
Her response was a question in return.
“Your situation is different from mine.”
Freya looked down with a sad expression.
“What do you mean by different…?”
“Do you see the dagger in front?”
Freya pointed to an object resting on the altar in the distance.
Unlike the other parts of the shrine, where dust had gathered, this dagger sparkled like new.
“To resurrect others, sacrifices are needed, Lee Soo-hyun.”
As she spoke, Frey was trying to tell me something.
“You can save everyone if you sacrifice your life.”
“……”
It was the test of Jisheer, the God of Reason.
It was a trial to see if one could stab their own heart with the cold rationality.
“So… Pina will really return..?”
“Yes, but you should think it over a bit more… I just learned about this kind of test!”
Without hesitation, I moved forward.
If I sacrifice my life on that altar, everyone will return.
“Lee Soo-hyun..?! Wait a moment!”
I aimed the dagger at the center of my heart and thrust it in.
With a whoosh—, blood began to pour out.
Before my strength waned, I pushed in even harder.
I hadn’t even wavered a moment.
The memories of laughing and crying together. The blood-soaked face. The familiar, longed-for voice that I could no longer hear.
As long as you return, I would sacrifice everything I had.
*
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