Chapter 125

“Arf, arf? (Wait, so if you showed up, does that mean I’m going to die after this?)” Did she come to lead me to my next place of reincarnation? “No, the situation is worse than that,” says the goddess, shaking her head. “If this goes on any longer, this timeline will become cyclical, and you’ll be trapped in a time loop. To be more precise, Hecate is the one who’ll be trapped.” “Arf, arf? (A time loop? You mean that thing where you repeat the same events over and over forever?)” With my scant sci-fi knowledge, that’s about all I understand. “Yes, that sort of loop.” Seems I was right, though. “At this rate, if you follow Hecate’s directions and escape from here, then redo the plan after another millennium, you’ll fail in the end. It will never change, no matter how many times you try.” The goddess speaks as though she’s seen it happen. And given the sadness in her eyes, maybe she really has. “I’m sorry. Even I only observed this event in this very moment. I’ve seen all the possible futures using the power of the gods, but no matter how many times you redo this, Hecate will always fail. And with her memories continuously passed down through thousands of years, Hecate’s mind will break, and she’ll stop inheriting them.” I can’t imagine how awful that would be. But it must be absolute hell for Hecate—the one who would do anything to save Lady Eili and Lady Mary—to give up and abandon everything. “And when you go back again after that, the loop will be complete. Hecate will not have inherited her memories, and she will spend a thousand years coming up with her original plan to defeat the Demon Lord. And she’s already run through that loop many times. So many times that even I, a goddess, can’t count them all.” Wait, then I’ve been reincarnated as Fenrir multiple times already? How many times? Tens of thousands? Millions? Any number a goddess can’t even understand is too terrifying to imagine. “Arf… (Ahh, so then you…)” Without meaning to, I realize the answer to what’s been on my mind. Why did the lake near the mansion exist before I made that hole? Why did the thousand-year covenant of the Fen Wolves happen before I went to the past? Why does the same name as me, Routa, show up as the hero in the fairy tale about what happened a millennium ago? If the loop has already begun, it would explain everything. “This is the moment wherein this world’s history completely stops.” “Arf… (But that’s…)” I’m stricken with a sense of hopelessness. It’s even worse than hearing that we failed to slay the Demon Lord. “Arf, arf?! (That’s… That can’t be! That’s insane! Everyone tried so hard to get here! And it was all for nothing?! And no matter how many times they try, it won’t mean anything?!)” “Routa…” “Woof, woof?! (Damn it, isn’t there anything you can do?! Is there really no way to break out of this loop?!)” “There is.” “Arwrw! (Oh, of course there is!)” I’d like you to pretend I didn’t shout just now. Anyway, if there was a way, then open with that! You made me get all serious for no reason! “Until now, I had no observations, and no way of telling this to you. However, in this single instant… Right now, I can rewrite the historical singularity.” Wait, so you can do it? Why didn’t you do it sooner? Sheesh, you really had me scared. Did I pee myself at all? “Actually, you’re the one who will be doing the rewriting.” “Arf? (Me? Wait, you want me to do it?)” You can’t just use your weird goddess powers to, you know, bam-bam-bam and you’re done? “You are currently standing at a crossroads.” The goddess holds up two fingers, then puts one of them down. “The first path is to go with Hecate and use spatial magic to escape this place. Everyone will live, but the Demon Lord will not be defeated, and Saint Eilene will use her seal. As I said before, this equates to closing the loop. The same thousand years will keep on happening, and eventually you’ll go back to the beginning.” I want to know what the other path is. But the goddess seems to be hesitant to say. “Arf, arf. (Oh, come on, please just tell me already. You’re making me more anxious holding back like that.)” “…All right. I want you to listen calmly.” After I press her, the goddess puts down the other finger. “The other path is for you to stay in this place and attack the Demon Lord’s core once again.” “Arf? (Huh? That’s it?)” Why, that’ll be easy! “Your ultimate destruction magic has certainly dealt damage to the Demon Lord. Hecate and the others don’t realize this, but the Demon Lord is very weak now as well. If you fire again, with all your might, you’ll be able to defeat it for real.” Awesome! A sure victory! If all I have to do is barf up another beam, I’ll barf up as many as you want. “The problem comes after that. If you do defeat the Demon Lord that way, you will be unable to escape this great labyrinth’s collapse. If you fall through a dimensional crack, you’ll either be adrift in this darkness forever—or, if you’re lucky, you’ll get warped away to some other place. It could be a million years later, or a million years earlier. And it’s possible you won’t even end up in this world.” “Arwf… (Ah, I get it… I have to choose between giving up my own life or everyone else’s…)” Of course. “Arf, arf. (And if I choose to run away, what kind of life would I— Wait, no, I know exactly how it’ll be.)” I would never enjoy a life without Lady Mary. Since there isn’t another me a thousand years from now, I must have given up at some point. “…I’m so sorry for having you make such a terrible choice.” “Arf, arf. (You’re telling me. You’re a cruel goddess, you know that? All I wanted was to be the pampered pooch of a rich family, and you reincarnated me as Fenrir. And now you’re telling me I have to give up my own life to slay the Demon Lord.)” “…I’m truly sorry.” The goddess bows her head deeply. Suddenly, I shout at the top of my lungs, “Arwf, arwrwrwrw!! (No, no, no! I don’t want to die! And I don’t want to get stuck in this darkness forever! And I don’t want to leave everyone! A million years in the past, or the future—there’s probably no humans around! I wouldn’t be able to eat delicious food! I want to see Lady Mary again! I want her to pet me! Ahhhhh, nooooooooo, I don’t want this!!)” …Phew. I feel better now. Having vented all my frustrations, I’ve calmed down a bit. Well, these six months, for me, have basically been paradise. The kind young lady, the old man’s delicious food, and all the other people in the mansion pamper me, too. I was all alone in my past life, but now I’ve made so many friends. Originally, I was corporate livestock, used and discarded by an exploitative company. I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth: It’s been absolute bliss being able to live a little longer. I’ve made so many fun memories with them. If I ran away without returning the kindness I’ve been shown, I wouldn’t be able to call myself the pet of the Faulks family. After all, I am Lady Mary’s loyal dog! That’s right—a dog! It’s important, so I say it again. I am Lady Mary’s one and only beloved dog! “Arwf! (Which means there’s only one thing to do!)” “Are you sure about this?” “Arwf! (Yeah! …Actually, the longer I have to think, the more my resolve wavers, so please be quick about it.)” I’ve always been one to lapse into laziness. The goddess gives a giggle, then folds her arms. “I will at least pray for your safety.” A goddess, praying? That’s pretty surreal—and the moment I think that, time starts moving again. “Arf, arf! (Nahura! One moment! Hit the brakes!)” “M-mew, mewl?! (H-huh?! What’s going on?!)” “Woof, woof! (I don’t have time to explain! Leave me here and get yourselves out! I’m the only one who needs to be here for the rest!)” “Squeak?! (Huh?! What are you saying?!)” “Routa?! Have you thought of something?!” “Arf! (Yeah! A goddess gave me the perfect plan!)” So please, go. Seriously, I’m hopeless, and I’ll probably tell you to take me with you if this drags on much longer. “Routa! You can’t!” Sensing something from my behavior, Lady Eili comes up and hugs me. “Arf, arf… (Lady Eili, I’m happy I was able to go on this journey with you. You look exactly like Lady Mary, which is why I wasn’t lonely even away from her…)” “Routa…” So I want you to go now. I’ll defeat the Demon Lord, and you need to keep the thread of happiness intact until the day Lady Mary is born. “Woof! (Do it, Nahura!)” “Meow! (Geez, Routa, you’re always so abrupt with these things!)” Nahura casts her spatial magic, sending everyone but me outside the shadow. “Routa…!” “Ah, Routa…!” Lady Eili and Hecate reach out for me before they vanish. The sad part is over. Now I just have to defeat the Demon Lord. “…Arf. (…Okay, guess it’s time.)” I can feel a weight that shouldn’t be there on my head. “Squeak. (‘Guess it’s time’ nothing.)” “Arwf?! (Len?!)” “Meow. (I don’t know what you’re planning to do, Routa, but the Demon Lord’s core isn’t in that direction!)” “Arwrw?! (Even you, Nahura?!)” After the spatial magic sent them outside, they must have come right back again on their own “Arwf…? (But why did you come back…?)” “Squeak? (Did you think I would leave my beloved alone and escape by myself?)” “Meow! (Nahura isn’t coldhearted enough to leave a friend behind, either!)” So in the end, it’s down to the Three Stooges, huh? “Arwf, arwf! (Geez, you guys! I can’t believe you. Let me be cool just one time!)” “Squeak. (What are you saying? I know you’re actually happy about it. Your voice is shaking.)” “Meow! (We know best that you’re a good-for-nothing! How long do you think we’ve been riding on your back? We can tell you’re forcing yourself!)” Look, you… You’re gonna make me cry! To be honest, I was super-discouraged! And so, I tell them the final plan, given to me by the goddess. “Squeak. (No, no matter how you think about it, you couldn’t do it alone. You just used up all your mana, didn’t you?)” “Mew. (And how did you plan on taking aim? If you missed, it would’ve been all for naught.)” You know what? That’s a fair point. That goddess was a useless hunk of junk right until the end. I can just imagine her trying to defend herself, saying, “I knew they would come with you!” You have to make it clear, or I won’t understand, Goddess. “Squeak! (I’ll supply you with mana. Take it all!)” “Meow. (You can leave the spell’s control to me. I can pick out the target even better than the Hecate from this time period can.)” With Len and Nahura’s help, I prepare to fire my beam again. “Arwf! (Let’s do it! Everyone ready?!)” “Squeak! (Ready anytime!)” “Mew! (I’ll follow you anywhere!)” Rallying every last bit of energy, I howl out one final roar. “GARUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNN!! (I don’t care if you’re a Demon Lord! I’ll obliterate anyone who gets in the way of my pampered pooch life!!)” A lance of pure white light pierces the darkness, penetrating the core far in the distance. This time, it’s destroyed in its entirety, and with a silent scream, the Demon Lord dissipates. And then the walls between dimensions crumble, and we fall into one of the gaps.