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Back at the divine trial...
The place called the spiritual realm was amorphous, changing at a dizzying pace. It went from an open field to another world, another world to a modern house, a modern house to a cave, a cave to the ocean, the ocean to space... All settings I’d visited in previous stories. And each time the setting changed, a new bad guy appeared.
“Damn it!”
The villains from almost every story I’d ever saved were all here, each one hard-targeting me alone. I was pretty sure the Demon Kings should probably be duking it out, but they’d somehow settled on a temporary ceasefire to band together against me.
“Come on! They should at least be attacking each other too!”
I’d tried provoking it several times, but it seemed there wasn’t any hope of me turning them against each other. It was like the friendly fire setting had been turned off... Wait, settings?
“So the trial is just another game, huh?”
Was that putting it too simply? Whatever. If this trial was a quest, then there had to be a clear condition. (Whether or not it was reasonable was a different matter altogether.) The first step to getting out of here would be figuring out what exactly that was.
“A clear condition... I wonder what it could be...”
I was currently hiding within the crumbling temple of Atlantis. The ultimate mage, a dragon, a floating skull, and a warped monster were all prowling around outside. I needed to figure this out before things got any uglier.
“Wouldn’t it normally just be to defeat the bosses?”
“I’m hoping it’s something else...”
My shoulders slumped dejectedly at R’s suggestion. I was afraid that honestly might be the answer.
“That’d be impossible for me!”
“...”
R quietly looked away as I clutched my head. She didn’t even have to say it. I knew I’d always relied on the heroines to solve stories. In other words, I was powerless on my own. So how the hell was I supposed to overcome this boss rush?
“...”
I stared at my hands.
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“Shut up, you old hag!”
The sudden outburst of outrageous shouting made everyone, the doctor included, freeze in place. Many of the future heroines had preserved their youth or extended their lifespans through various means. Because of that, well... The subject of age was considered extremely taboo among them.
“...Who was that?”
Future Iris, who had been yelling herself until mere moments ago, hissed in a terribly low voice. Her tone alone was enough to give some of the other girls chills. For someone who was usually primed to explode, it was rare to see Iris turn so icy. And that only made it all the more terrifying. But, seemingly unafraid, her accuser stepped boldly out in front of the other girls. It was none other than Iris’s younger self from the past. She and future Iris locked eyes in a mutual glare.
“Your nonstop bitching and moaning has been grating my nerves for too long now, so shut your trap already!” Iris declared in an angry huff as she crossed her arms.
“Excuse you! Why should I listen to you of all people?!” Future Iris put her hands on her hips and spoke in an even harsher tone of voice. “You don’t get it, do you? She’s the reason Daddy’s dead, you know?”
“I know. Trust me, I want to punch her too.”
“Then—”
“But you didn’t believe Rekka when he said he’d solve everything, did you? That’s the bigger problem right now!”
“It’s like I said! He’s not the Rekka I know!”
“So what?! Rekka is Rekka! He’s still the coolest boy in the world and the one who saved you all those years ago!”
“...!”
Future Iris was rendered speechless by her younger self’s outburst. And in her stupor, younger Satsuki and Harissa stepped forward.
“I know he can seem a little unreliable at times... But he’s my childhood friend, and I trust him more than anything. If he says he’ll do something, he absolutely will. That’s just the kind of person he is.”
“It’s true that Sir Rekka doesn’t have any special powers. But what he does have is admirable courage, and that hasn’t waned since the day we first met. That’s why I’ll always believe in him.”
Hearing her friends’ support, younger Iris nodded with a big smile.
“That’s right. So just be patient. Until Rekka says he needs our help, we’ll wait here for him... Believing in him.”
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