"W-What?"
"What do you an “what”? It's a eting."
Caught off guard by the sudden situation, Ruby's eyes widened in bewildernt.
Ferloche paid no heed to her and casually took off her robe.
She sat down with her legs crossed.
"W-Wait a mont. Hold on..."
"Here's the potato soup!"
"Damn it..."
If the recently missing Hero and the Saintess were found in such a shabby inn, it was obvious that trouble would arise.
Therefore, she intended to take Ferloche outside first.
But, before she could do that, the innkeeper brought her food, causing her to break into a cold sweat.
Ruby waved her hand to signal the innkeeper to leave.
"...?"
"Just put it down over there and leave."
"...Understood."
When the hypnotized innkeeper swiftly placed the dishes on the table and left, Ruby finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're still calm. Do you have a lot of ti left?"
"W-What are you?"
Hearing Ferloche's words, Ruby quickly regained her composure and began to urgently ask questions.
"How do you know I've regressed? And even the exact number of tis?"
"I told you, it's written all over your face."
"Bullshit. Tell the truth. Do you also have mories? Or maybe you also do Retr–
Ouch."
Ruby was extrely agitated.
She even grabbed Ferloche on the shoulder and shook her vigorously.
Her manic action was interrupted when she received a bonk on the head.
Wait, what is she really? And where's that foolish Saintess go...
"I always feel it. I can’t decide whether you're smart or stupid. Your mind works well, but you're a bit clueless. A bit of a fool..."
"...???"
Listening to Ferloche’s words, Ruby tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
"For now, I don't have Retry."
"For now?"
"To put it simply, I'm your senior."
"...!"
As Ruby's eyes widened at the cryptic words, Ferloche picked up a piece of rye bread and continued.
"So, I can tell… Roughly how many tis you've regressed just by looking at your expression."
"That's ridiculous... Until now, the one who has regressed was... F-Frey, wasn't it?"
"... Lord Frey hasn’t been doing any Retry for a while, has he?"
"Oh..."
Staring blankly at Ferloche, Ruby nodded dumbly upon hearing her words.
Ferloche continued as she ate the bread.
"Are you stupid? How are you going to achieve your goals when you're so naive?"
"Uh, um?"
Ferloche's tone suddenly turned cold.
"You can't possibly guess how many tis soone has regressed just by looking at their expression."
"Uh, um... That's right, isn't it...?"
"Just try your best? Okay?"
Looking at Ruby, who was watching her cautiously, Ferloche patted her shoulder with a foolish smile.
"S-So, how..."
"The more Retry you do, the more damaged your soul becos. As you know, I'm the best in dealing with souls, being a Saintess and all."
"A-Ah..."
"Your soul has been worn out about ten tis from regressing, so I could tell."
"So... you lied about having Retry with you...?”
Now completely letting go of her words, Ferloche continued while munching on bread.
"If you're a regressor, you have to figure it out yourself. Whether what I'm saying is true or false."
"Ah..."
"Always start with doubt, doubt everything you see, hear, and feel."
Sipping on orange juice, Ferloche scrutinized Ruby.
"Besides... you must have tried everything by now, right?"
"..."
Ruby's eyes flickered at those words.
"Let's see, hmm..."
Smirking as she looked at her, Ferloche placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder and began to read her soul.
Then, mories began to flow into her.
- Frey... Do you really not rember ?
- Just once... Can't you smile like back then?
- Those paintings... Will I never see them again?
From the second to the fifth regression, Ruby spent years clinging to him only to ultimately et a tragic death.
- What went wrong... Why...
- Aaargh!!
- Yes, stab to your heart's content...
During the sixth regression, Ruby's ntal state montarily shattered from continued failures, while during the seventh, she bravely faced Frey until her death, driven by the determination to overpower him.
And in the eighth regression, she went mad the mont she woke up until the end, where she got cut up by Frey.
- Frey, we've won the war against the Empire today.
- I'm your dog. I'll do whatever you want...
- Ah, the Princess's neck? Understood...
And then, there was the ninth regression, where for quite so ti she served as Frey's subordinate.
Before Frey's corruption, she beca like a dog, obeying him just as he had once treated her.
Perhaps with this behavior, Frey would be able to recover his mories.
Although Ruby clung to this hope, Frey only ordered her and the heroines to commit acts of destruction.
There was no trace of the Frey she saw on the first cycle.
Frey was only focused on the act of destruction, and had never done anything else.
- Frey... I’ve prepared so sandwich– Ack!!!
- I prepared so potato soup and rye bread– Geuhh!
- Frey... that necklace you wore back then... don't you rember... Heugek.
Nevertheless, Ruby did not give up and continued to stimulate his mories, but what she got in return was Frey’s fist.
- Would you like to have a glass of wine with toda–
- Slap!!!
- ...
Even after all that, Ruby did not give in and continued to work hard as his subordinate. But she eventually had to give up on that cycle, since her last attempt before the final battle was t with a slap on the face.
- I love you fore–
- Haah.
And thus ca the tenth regression.
- Hero? Where are you going? Hero?
- ...
The Ruby in the tenth cycle was slightly different from before.
After leaving the hero party on the day of her regression and disappearing, she, unlike before, did not actively engage and began to work secretly in the dark.
Yes.
It was only after arriving at the tenth regression that she realized.
It was impossible to save Frey with a short-term plan.
Her regression was soul-crushing, both literally and taphorically, and she knew she had to play the long ga.
So she stopped doing wasteful tasks and began to gather information frantically.
She had finally begun to utilize the ability ‘Retry’ properly, instead of trying to recklessly do things.
"Now you seem to have adapted sowhat."
And it seed to be the correct answer.
Ferloche, who noticed the change in her, approached her after just ten regressions.
"How does it feel to finish the tutorial and take your first steps?"
"...Ugh."
As mories of past regressions flashed through Ruby's mind due to Ferloche's reading, tears welled up in her eyes as she lowered her head.
"I-It was hard..."
And then, for the first ti in a long while, Ruby expressed her emotions to soone else.
"It was lonely and difficult..."
Though her determination to restore Frey remained unchanged from the beginning, she was exhausted from the endless regressions with no end in sight.
"Ugh... Sob..."
Having the mories of regression all to herself also ant bearing everything alone, with no one to understand, no one to truly stand by her side.
She knew that the lonely fight was never going to be easy, but still it was heart-breaking for her.
"Thank you... for finding ..."
Whenever her heart and mind felt like breaking, she had to remind herself that Frey also did the sa thing for her.
His single-minded resolve to save her kept her spirit from breaking
Yet, it seed she was slowly reaching her limit.
To encounter soone who could perceive Retry was like seeing a real oasis in the middle of a scorching desert for Ruby, who was utterly exhausted from continuous bleak, bad endings.
"Will your Retry end just because you’re thankful?”
"H-Huh?"
She didn't consider that this eting could be both a blessing and a storm.
"You only go through ten regressions, and you’re already like this. What will you do in the future?"
"B-But... it's really hard..."
Seeing Ruby trembling at her rciless push, Ferloche sighed.
"...Tis."
"Yes?"
"What do you think it ans?"
Then, opening her eyes halfway, she whispered a long number.
"It's the number of tis I've regressed."
"W-What? D-Does that even make sense?"
"Believe it or not, it's up to you."
"I-If that's true... How are you still... okay?"
As Ruby expressed her astonishnt at the number of tis that Ferloche had regressed, Ferloche sighed and opened her mouth.
"Do I look okay to you?"
"Ah..."
“What are you getting at?”
"N-No, nothing..."
"Well, I'm not okay at all."
Ferloche took a spoonful of the cooling potato soup.
"At so point, I woke up and realized how many tis I had regressed. As the regressions continued, occurrences like that increased."
"..."
"Later on, I started using it to my advantage. Usually, my mind remains broken, only to regain my original personality during crucial monts."
"U-Ugh..."
"To endure the perpetual passage of ti, there was no other way."
Although Ferloche spoke as if it were nothing, cold sweat began to trickle down Ruby's forehead.
"Should I tell you sothing scarier?"
"W-What... is it?"
"Frey did it more than ."
"..."
Ferloche began to drive a wedge into Ruby.
"And Frey couldn't go crazy like . His ntal strength is at its peak. Even if he loses his mind, he'll co back to his senses in a matter of days."
"F-Frey..."
Whether Ferloche was telling the truth or lying, Ruby couldn't tell.
"B-Because of ..."
But upon hearing those words, tears that she had been holding back for quite so ti began to flow from Ruby's eyes.
Ultimately, she remained the culprit of Frey’s suffering.
Moreover, if Ferloche's words were true, then compared to Frey, all the efforts she had made so far amounted to almost nothing.
"Uuuaaah....."
Ruby fell down on the desk and cried, feeling angry at herself for getting exhausted after only 10 cycles.
"Then, I’ll leave now."
"S-Sob... What?"
Quietly observing her, Ferloche stood up and spoke.
"It's dangerous for to stay with you any longer."
"D-Dangerous...?"
"I'm being watched."
Ferloche pointed to the sky as she said so.
"Today, the sun seems unusually bright."
"What?"
“The kid and even those unreasonable goddesses got exiled. I couldn’t let it exile as well. So, I have to be careful with every word I say.”
"S-So... what now? W-We can't et again? Just when I finally found a variable..."
"That's not it. Every ti you regress from now on, let's et at this inn once. I've been coming to this inn anyway, so eting once shouldn't be a problem."
"W-Wait! There's still sothing I want to ask...!"
Though Ruby didn't fully understand Ferloche's words, she nodded nonetheless.
As Ferloche was about to leave the inn, Ruby asked another question.
She wondered if Ferloche knew why Frey’s mories in the first cycle had returned, even if incomplete.
"Find your original intention."
"What?"
Ferloche left those words behind before she left the inn.
"The answer lies in your original intention."
.
.
.
.
.
"My original intention... I have to find it..."
After her eting with Ferloche, Ruby beca fixated on those words.
"Original intention..."
She began to repeat the events of the first cycle in her next regressions, trying to tell the truth to the Hero Party again or timing their arrival to the Empire, among other things.
Regression Information Compilation
Continuing to repeat the regressions over and over, whenever things didn't seem to progress, she would dedicate an entire regression to gathering information.
As a result, she managed to uncover quite a few facts:
1. The Demon King Frey and the Frey of the first cycle are different entities.
2. There is a notebook that, when touched, restores mories. It seems to be written by Roswyn... I have no idea about the chanics of it. (I have to prevent Aria from touching this notebook.)
3. Glare and Roswyn do not exist in this world.
4. The abilities gained during regression are reset, but only the soul is not reset. (Research into soul manipulation techniques is needed.)
5. It's best to approach Serena early on. (Be cautious with behavior.)
6. Avoid acting like I know Ferloche. Only ask her questions when she approaches first.
7. There is a mastermind behind all this. But who exactly? The Demon God? Or… an even higher being?
8. Frey is strong. Let's try to regress enough to overpower him.
.
.
.
100. I love Frey.
(Never forget this, no matter what.)
With a determination to never forget the last point, Ruby proceeded with her mission.
"Huh...?"
After dedicating herself to regression and pouring her heart and soul into it, she finally managed to break through the barrier that had been blocking her.
"E-Heub...!"
"W-what is this...?"
The 'Soul Bead,' which she had treasured as the last ans to protect herself and feel Frey's presence.
Retry Quest
1 - 01
Soul Bead Injection 1/6
On a day when she regressed after tasting bitter failures as usual, she rembered sothing vaguely.
After repeating the keyword 'original intention' several tis, the mory of her forcibly putting it into Frey's mouth ca to her mind.
So when she tried it, a quest window finally appeared before her eyes.
“A-Am I that stupid...?”
"Ugh..."
"That's right, this bead contains Frey's soul. So... if I feed this to Frey..."
“Do you think this will change anything?”
Just before her Demon King’s power fully dissipated, she managed to bind Frey to the chair using magic.
"Frey."
- Clank! Clack...!
"I'll free you soon, okay?"
"You bitch..."
However, Ruby was unfazed by Frey’s taunt.
She caressed Frey’s cheek tenderly before walking away with fiery determination in her eyes.
I have to go to her.
It was ti to visit her Master.
.
.
.
.
.
"Wow! Look who’s here!"
"..."
"Only just reaching 5–"
"I, I figured it out."
Ruby, who t with Ferloche at the inn at the usual ti, opened her mouth with a serious expression.
"I finally found a breakthrough."
"What is it?"
"I just need to feed him the soul bead."
Ruby took Ferloche's hand.
"Hmm..."
"W-With this, we can save him...! We can bring him back...!!!"
Ruby spoke with tears in her eyes.
Then she handed a record of her regressions.
Seeing her like this, Ferloche patted Ruby on the shoulder.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
"Ugh, Sob... uuu..."
"Well, then, this is our last eting!"
"...Huh?"
Now almost entirely reliant on Ferloche, Ruby tilted her head upon hearing those words.
"Why? Where are you going? No, don't go...!"
"I'll give you this as a parting gift!"
"Wait! Master! Don't go!! I can't do it without you!!!"
“I think you’ll do just fine without now, well. It’s ti for to leave.”
After saying that, Ferloche began to quietly stroke her stomach.
“D-Don’t go… Only you can rember … I don’t want to be left alone…!! I’m scared…”
"You seem to have improved a lot with your regressions lately, right? Back when it was just and Frey, there was no one to help us like this, you know? Consider yourself lucky that you didn't hit rock bottom."
With a firm tone, Ferloche continued, before adding in a darker voice.
"And... even if I wanted to help, I can't."
"W-what..."
"I'll probably be exiled soon, too."
As soon as those words were uttered, a white light emanated from Ferloche's abdon.
"So... I'll leave this to you now."
"W-what's this?"
"It's a candy! Eat it!"
"Heub..."
Though it sounded quite random, Ruby, now fully trusting Ferloche, didn't hesitate to put the silver bead in her mouth.
"Munch… Munch..."
"How is it? What does it taste like?"
"Um... well... it's soft? Sweet and... warm... It's a familiar and nostalgic taste."
"...It's familiar? Why? How?"
"...!?"
Upon seeing Ferloche montarily react to her comnt about the taste, Ruby tilted her head.
"Um, anyway, it's delicious..."
- Rumble...
"Huh? Oh, the candy is shaking..."
As the candy started shaking in her mouth, Ruby widened her eyes in surprise.
"If you swallow that, we’ll be in big trouble.”
"Huh?"
"Right now, you're chewing Frey."
"Eek!?"
Upon hearing Ferloche's words, Ruby hastily spat out the bead.
"What... is this?"
Then, she stared blankly at the still trembling silver bead in her carefully cupped hands.
“I’ll say it again, it’s real. So you can never eat it, okay?”
- Bzzzzz...
In her hands, the bead continued to tremble.
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