Chapter 304
Everything came back to me.
The memories of becoming Peter and rewriting the 526 bad endings Tristan had experienced.
The memories of being so immersed in the character of Peter that I even forgot my original purpose.
“If things had gone as planned, you were supposed to erase all the Dummy Worlds and start over as Peter from the beginning.”
Sora looked at me with a bitter smile.
“But in the end, you chose Tristan again.”
“Yeah. I… wanted to understand Tristan.”
When I became Peter, I was a bit puzzled.
Especially by Bella, who had an extremely strained relationship with Tristan, yet in the final moment, she revealed her true feelings, which was shocking.
“I’m sorry… *cough*… It seems he still remains in my heart… I… I’m such a mess. Not only do I still love such a man, but I also wanted to see him until the very end…”
Bella Izakhel is a noble and righteous character. She was the last hope of this world, fighting to the end against the players’ invasion. The fact that she had her heart stolen by the villain Tristan was something I couldn’t comprehend.
So I thought.
Maybe Tristan isn’t the person I thought he was.
There must be a reason why Bella, the protagonist, rejected Peter and held such tender feelings for Tristan.
If I could understand Tristan, I might understand why Bella said those things, so I chose to become Tristan.
But there was no need to understand.
I already knew the answer.
“But in reality, it was ‘me’ all along…”
I, Jeong Ji-hwan, lived 526 lives as Tristan and then 526 lives as Peter, ultimately defeating Tristan. And in the end, I chose Tristan, not Peter.
“Haha…”
I let out a hollow laugh.
What I had done was so absurd that it was hard to believe.
“I thought you had turned me into Tristan just for fun…”
But I had simply forgotten.
The remnants of memories left behind as I erased the Dummy Worlds, which were like parallel worlds, and the repeated regressions had turned my memories into a puzzle with missing pieces.
Moreover, the helplessness of not being able to protect my sister and the guilt of selling her as a test subject to Stella Corp. had arbitrarily reassembled my memories.
I forgot the tragic family history.
I forgot the unjust accidents that befell my sister and me.
I forgot that my sister was barely clinging to life in a device created by Stella Corp.
I had forgotten all those painful pasts.
“It wasn’t until I saw you using ‘Despair’ that I realized you were in a dangerous state.”
The personality trait ‘Despair,’ which I had mastered upon awakening as the Demon Lord. Sora said she decided to intervene after seeing me use it.
“‘Despair’ is a personality trait used as the Demon Lord’s last resort. It’s so powerful that the user is destined to be destroyed. But even considering that, your ‘Despair’ was abnormally strong. ‘Despair’ isn’t originally a trait strong enough to kill demons.”
“Then…”
“The failures, frustrations, and despair you’ve experienced have driven ‘Despair’ out of control.”
‘Despair’ is a personality trait that exists solely for the user’s destruction. Every Demon Lord who used it was destroyed without exception.
So then…
“Am I done for now?”
“No. Not yet.”
“What…?”
“There’s a girl fighting harder than anyone to save you right now.”
“Ah…”
Only then did I remember the girl who had been clinging to me, calling my name just before I went berserk.
Peter’s younger sister and my death flag… At the same time, the girl destined to become the Hero of this world. Despite bearing the immense fate of being the Hero, she was struggling to save me, the Demon Lord.
“I should be grateful. It’s because of her that I was able to prevent your destruction.”
“I have to go back…”
Even if Wendy uses the Hero’s Power to face me, I don’t know how long I can hold out. I can’t afford to waste any more time.
But Sora stopped me.
“Wait. Big bro.”
“…Why?”
“You know… How about just forgetting everything and living on?”
At that sudden suggestion, my brow furrowed.
“After coming this far, you’re telling me to give up now? What’s the reason?”
“I’ve seen it all. How much you’ve suffered, how frustrated and despairing you’ve been…”
As she said that, Sora bit her lip. It was a habit she had since childhood whenever she tried to hold back tears.
“With each regression, I saw you losing more of your past memories and changing. I don’t want to see that again.”
“……”
“It’s okay if you forget me completely. It’s okay to leave me behind and live on. Don’t worry about me, and just reach the happy ending you want.”
I could imagine how hard it must have been for her to say that. It was true that I had been pushing myself to save her.
But… that wasn’t the only reason.
I slowly opened my mouth.
“Sora. I was happy that the wonderful world you created existed like this. The fact that I could be involved in this world was incredibly exciting. Of course, my thoughts changed after learning the truth…”
“Big bro…”
“I want the world and the people you created to become real more than anyone. So in the happy ending I envision, you, the creator and master of this world, can’t be left out.”
I placed my hand on Sora’s shoulder and looked straight into her eyes.
“You’re my sister. Do you think I’d want an ending without you?”
“But… what about the players? Is there a way to stop them and protect this place…?”
Right. It’s a problem I’ve been thinking about for a long time.
No matter how many times I tried, I was no match for them.
Even if I became the Demon Lord this time and used all the power of this world, I honestly thought it would be impossible to defeat the players.
“I’ve actually been thinking about that part too.”
It’s something I’ve tried hundreds of times in previous loops. No matter how much power I gain, to the players, this is just a game. We’re ultimately just strong NPCs.
In the end, to face the players, we need to bridge the absolute ‘gap’ between NPCs and them.
Seeing my determination, Sora nodded.
“Alright… I understand. Big bro.”
She took something out from her belongings and handed it to me.
“Take this.”
“Huh? Isn’t this yours…?”
“It’s fine. I used too much power trying to restore your memories, so I’ll probably have to sleep deeply for a while. I’ll leave this with you for now.”
What Sora handed me was none other than the snow globe that could peer into reality.
“Thanks to you erasing all the Dummy Worlds, it should work well now.”
“Then what about you?”
“I’ve seen enough. I haven’t used it since you came here anyway… If it helps you, I’ll gladly give it to you…”
“…Thank you.”
Now it’s time to say goodbye.
I reached out to pat her head but hesitated.
“Uh, well. You’re not a kid anymore, so you don’t need this, right?”
“No… Do it. Who knows when we’ll see each other again…”
Sora leaned her head forward.
Eventually, I gently patted her head with my palm, and Sora let out a soft laugh.
Her body had grown, and she had aged, but Sora was still Sora. She was still the immature younger sister from my old memories.
“…Don’t worry. We’ll see each other again soon.”
“Okay… I’ll be watching over you in my dreams…”
Sora’s voice trailed off, sounding very reluctant. I held her hand to reassure her.
“I’ll definitely wake you up.”
*
“Cough…”
A cough came first.
When I opened my eyes, I was lying on the ground covered in dust.
‘What the…?’
The surroundings were in ruins.
Broken rocks and the still-rising dust showed the traces of a fierce battle that had taken place here.
If my memory serves me right, this should be inside the Trial of Despair…
“I… won. Count.”
Turning my head, I saw a woman covered in wounds sitting on top of me.
“You…”
It was Wendy.
She had used the Hero’s Power to transform into the appearance of a mature swordswoman.
The broken sword in her hand was resting on my chest.
Only then did I understand the situation.
She had been fighting against me, who had gone berserk in ‘Despair.’ Presumably, I had tried to escape and spread ‘Despair’ throughout this world. Naturally, Wendy must have tried to stop me…
But what was surprising was that Wendy had overpowered me in my berserk state.
The fact that she was pinning me down with her sword meant that the battle was effectively over.
Yet, even as I was consumed by ‘Despair,’ I hadn’t given up, as I was still gripping Wendy’s slender neck.
*Clang*
But for some reason, Wendy dropped her sword. As if it was all over.
Puzzled, I opened my mouth.
“Why… aren’t you killing me?”
“I can’t kill you…”
What?
Wendy’s body glowed, and she returned to her child form. Having abandoned all hostility and completely defenseless, she looked down at me with eyes that were too sad for her age.
“All this time… I’ve been saved by you, Count, over and over again… How could I… how could I ever stab you…?”
Wendy placed her hand on mine, which was gripping her neck.
“You were the only one who reached out to me when I was crying on the library stairs… Since then, you’ve always been the master of my heart… You were always by my side whenever I was in pain or sad…”
“…Ah.”
Wendy’s eyes began to well up with tears.
“But… I didn’t know how much you were suffering… How much despair you were living with… I’m sorry…”
Wendy, who had faced me consumed by ‘Despair,’ had faintly felt the despair I had experienced.
“For me, despair is… *sniff*… not having you by my side… *sob*…”
Wendy’s warm tears fell onto my cheek.
“It’s okay if you kill me… If it means your resentment and despair will lessen… Then I can die…”
The girl who had died countless times because of me when I was completely influenced by Tristan.
That girl was now offering her life to me. Because she couldn’t hate others and was inherently kind, she was entrusting her life to me, the evil Demon Lord.
“Even if I die by your hand, I won’t resent you… At least I won’t hate you… So… huh?”
“Lost in despair, I lost my heart and wandered in the darkness…”
I gently stroked Wendy’s tear-stained cheek with my hand.
“Did you try to save someone like me?”
“Count…?”
“Yes.”
I wiped her tears with my fingers. Still under the influence of ‘Despair,’ my body was weak, but I managed a faint smile.
Seeing me like that, Wendy’s face slowly brightened.
“Have you come back…? Really? Have you really come back to being the Count…?!”
“Yes…”
“Count…!!”
Wendy burst into tears and threw herself into my arms.
“I really… thought you were… *sob*! I was so scared… *sob*! I… I tried so hard to save you… I fought so hard…”
Her pent-up emotions spilled out as she began to ramble through her tears. But I could roughly understand what she was trying to say.
“You’re probably the first Hero to try and save a Demon Lord.”
At that moment.
[Wendy Wingfield awakens as the true ‘Hero’!]
[A setting change occurs for Wendy Wingfield!]
[Wendy Wingfield has awakened to a new personality trait!]
[Wendy Wingfield has gained the personality trait ‘Hope’!]
Huh?
A series of message windows appeared. But Wendy, who had just gained the personality trait, was still crying in my arms.
The reason I was surprised was that this was the first time I’d seen a character in this world gain a personality trait. Well… technically, I’m also a character in this world now, so it’s not impossible for Wendy to gain one…
I patted Wendy’s back with one hand while using the other to open the message window.
+
Personality: Hope
Rank: SSS
Details: Hope only blooms atop despair. It is the only light that shines eternally in the darkness and the salvation.
The owner of this personality gains resistance to ‘Despair’ and can save those who have fallen into ‘Despair.’
Similarly, those who are saved by the user gain increased resistance to ‘Despair.’
“So it’s true that a Hero is someone who saves others.”
“Y-yes…?”
As I was staring blankly at the message window, I lowered my head and met Wendy’s amber eyes.
I spoke to those gentle eyes.
“You were my Hero all along…”
