Time is absolute. It must be an existence that is equal for everyone. But what if time loves someone? What if it never wants to let go? Then, what would time do?
It’s a simple story. It can create a being just like itself. Just like now. Time looked at them with a smile. Helia was very annoyed by the brazen display.
But for now, she endured. After all, she knew that the main culprit was that guy. If she acted recklessly, everyone would be in danger. Having thought about that, Helia began to move.
Well, maybe it’s only natural. Anyway, while a tedious standoff was ongoing, the first to act was time. Time reached out its hand. To stop everyone’s time.
“Oh?”
However, no one was affected by time. Sensing something odd, time tilted its head, and in that gap, Clara shot her bow. The arrow flew forward like a flash.
Did time not think about dodging? Or did it simply not? Time was hit squarely by Clara’s arrow and crumbled. Watching the time that vanished in an instant, Clara clicked her tongue.
“What the hell? Why is this so easy?”
“You think you can deny time?”
“……?!”
“This is dangerous!!!”
As Clara faced danger, Hans and Cluna reacted immediately. But time did not stop. It was far too fast. Time brought its hand towards Clara with a sickly smile.
“Don’t you want to return to your original form?”
This was what one commonly called rejuvenation. But rejuvenation could easily become a curse if done wrong. It could revert you to a fetus. Time wanted that. Yet, no change occurred.
“Uh? Why isn’t this working?”
“Crazy girl.”
Clara spat out cold insults as she drew her sword to behead time. But like sand, it merely scattered; time did not die or get hurt. Instead, it came back again.
“Something feels off. You can’t oppose time.”
“You don’t seem so well.”
“Let’s take this opportunity to attack.”
“Hold on a sec.”
Seeing time mumbling to itself, Yuren judged this was an opportunity, but Hans stopped her. Something felt strange. The condition was getting worse…?
Hans’ thoughts were correct. Time, which had merely mumbled to itself, seemed to realize something and touched its forehead. At that moment, a red haze began to rise behind her.
“Ah, so that’s it.”
“What have you been mumbling about since earlier…?”
“You did this, didn’t you?”
“……uh.”
Time’s sharp remark left Helia momentarily speechless. Others felt the same. In the tense atmosphere, Hans cleared his throat and spoke.
“What does that have to do with this?”
“It’s related. You can’t interfere with time, but your trace is in those girls’ bodies.”
“Trace… wait, could it be?”
Initially clueless, Hans quickly understood from their reactions. The trace left behind, if it was a product of love, could only be called a blessing…
Pregnancy.
To put it more directly.
A baby.
Hans was struck by shock as if hit by a hammer. Of course, they had done a bit more, especially when they had all agreed to do it together; it was heavenly. But the number of times was not that many.
Was that considered pregnancy?
And without any protective measure?
Right beside him, Lua stared intently at Hans. With nothing to say this time, Hans awkwardly avoided Lua’s gaze. Was it because she was young? It felt super duper embarrassing.
“So that’s how it was. I was wondering how you escaped that world.”
“But that’s not it. Those girls were searching for their happiness. I just helped a little.”
“Lua, you helped?”
“I just pointed out the way a bit.”
Lua’s once blonde hair turned deep black. But her eyes, unlike a vampire’s bright red, were a sapphire blue staring up at Hans.
[You’ve finally chosen your path.]
[And you know, your true name is…….]
Suddenly, the words of Vampire Lord Lucy came back to Hans, spoken just before she sent Lua away. True name, meaning real name. So, it meant Lua wasn’t her real name.
“Lua, what’s your true name?”
He already knew the name. It couldn’t be helped; her appearance was exactly like what he had seen in the game. Yet, he asked again just in case. Lua responded.
“My mother once said that surely there would come a day when you can travel.”
In the original, she was a girl who dreamed of traveling. If things hadn’t turned out this way, she likely would have had a happy journey. But her entire life was destroyed overnight.
Her family either died or became slaves to the demons. The only survivor of her clan. At the same time, while trying to save her family, she was still a girl who dreamed of traveling until the end.
“Beatrice, that’s my true name.”
The main heroine of this game, the title heroine Beatrice. Her role in the original was that of a guide. Leading lost people to the right place. So that was how she could help the party!
In the original game, the ability to save would also be attributed to Beatrice. But it couldn’t be activated freely. It only worked for those she trusted, with whom she made a contract.
Beatrice called that ability “The Guide.” However, it couldn’t be claimed that a “save load” would work here. Hans hadn’t contracted with her, and this wasn’t a game…
Moreover, the power of the save load was closer to the power of time than to Beatrice’s right now. Finally, time that had stopped mumbling raised its head. A chilling sensation wrapped around Hans’s spine.
“Yeah, now it seems I have no choice but to kill everyone.”
A red liquid flowed from time’s eyes. Was the blood from time’s eyes a product of jealousy? Or was it from anger? To inform them of the reason, time immediately moved its body.
“I’m the hero I lost. Do you think I’m going to let you pathetic toys take it back again?”
Time appeared to be filled with rage already. She could no longer hear anything around her. Meanwhile, Cluna, mulling over the furious words of time, soon realized something.
“Hero? Are you talking about the first hero……?”
“Cluna. Do you know something?”
Hans quickly threw a question at Cluna. If he didn’t now, he might not have another chance to ask. But Cluna shook her head. She had never heard of such an existence.
“But there were times when I heard that the hero is protected by the goddess…”
“Hero, goddess. Typical setting. But the results are very different.”
“I thought it was just a belief of humans; I never imagined the goddess would actually exist.”
Each race had its own beliefs and religions. Just like the dwarves worshiping the fire as a god and elves describing fire as a disaster. At that time, Cluna thought it was just that kind of religion.
However, Cluna could not explain beyond this point. Soon time began to move. Time’s form vanished. The first to react was Helia. It was not that she reacted to speed.
She felt a similar sensation to what she felt from her teacher. If she hadn’t been observing Hans’s movements closely, someone might have lost their life here.
However, even Helia, who had blocked the attack, wasn’t safe. Unable to withstand the tremendous recoil, her body was thrown far away.
“Die!!”
But no one was flustered. They were all veterans of battle, easily reacting towards time. Hans was also moving continuously. Supporting his comrades using time acceleration.
“Who’s the one searching for the hero’s soul? It’s me. I forcibly used a third soul that has nothing to do with this. I found it with dirty hands.”
And he too moved to attack time. But no matter how much he attacked and attacked, time would only briefly disappear. Before long, it revealed itself again before them.
“You haven’t done a thing!!!”
Rather, it had returned with even greater anger. Just from its roar, everyone except Hans was sent flying. Alone, Hans wiped away his sweat and desperately pondered.
‘Damn it, what the hell do I do……!!!’
“I think I finally understand a little.”
Just for a moment, for not even a few seconds, at the timing when silence had momentarily fallen. Lua opened her mouth. Her lost blue eyes were completely fixed on Hans.
“I know exactly what time did to you.”
“What did it do?”
“That’s…….”
However, Lua couldn’t continue her words. Time unleashed its rage, turning the surroundings into ashes. In the aftermath, Lua’s small voice was completely drowned out.
“Lua!!!”
“I’ve gotten rid of all the useless things.”
“…….”
Before he knew it, time had approached Hans and spoke with a smile.
“Now, just the two of us, huh?”
