The Traitorous Heart

This was during the first time around.

She spent too long worrying about getting ready, and they ended up missing their train.

“Ack.”

They watched as the end of the train sped away. Her shoulders sagged, knowing it was her fault that they missed the train even though they’d arranged for tickets.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Oh, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

As they watched the trail of Guiding Light fade from the tracks, the other girl shrugged, cheerfully letting her failure slide. Akari hung her head in response.

There were no more trains heading toward their destination until the following morning. So on this day when they were summoned, they got a hotel room in the capital of Grisarika Kingdom.

Wracked by guilt, Akari trailed after the other girl, who kept trying to talk to her and cheer her up, but Akari only managed to mumble vaguely and wear a forced smile.

That was the first step of their first journey together.

At the time, Akari had no way of knowing the one-day delay allowed them to avoid a major incident.

She just hoped that she could make it up to her in the future.

As she sprawled out on the bed and sneaked a glance at the girl next to her…she wished she could thank that girl properly for looking after her.

That was the kind of person she wanted to be.

Guiding Force: Connect—Improper Attachment, Pure Concept [Time]—Invoke [Regression: Memories, Soul, Spirit]

It was the morning of their second day in the oasis.

As the sunlight poured into their room at the inn, Akari shook her head to break out of her daze.

Menou wasn’t there. She and Sahara had left early in the morning, saying they had priestess duties to attend to. She insisted that it was too dangerous, managing to convince Akari to stay behind.

Now, left alone in their rented room, Akari yawned in a very unladylike manner.

“Something’s definitely off…,” she mumbled.

Akari Tokitou was a time traveler.

As the holder of the Pure Concept of Time, she had the ability to Regress time for the entire world. By using this ability that she’d acquired when summoned to this world, Akari had already repeated her journey with Menou over and over.

So that Menou could kill her.

Akari was rewinding time to search for a way that Menou could survive, but she always failed.

Usually, Akari kept her memories locked away so she wouldn’t arouse suspicion, but there were certain conditions that allowed her to unlock them, which let her check on the current situation and occasionally guide Menou’s actions.

It was precisely because she had the advantage of knowing the future that Akari could say exactly what felt wrong about this situation now.

“Nothing like this has ever happened before…”

The events here in the desert, the Wild Frontier in the center of the continent, were completely different from how Akari remembered them.

Akari had never been kidnapped by criminals here before. Usually, their travels across the desert went fairly smoothly. This time, things had gotten out of hand so quickly that Menou and Akari were now separated.

Most of all, Akari didn’t have any memories of the girl called Sahara. They had never met before.

“I don’t dislike Sahara, but…”

A chance meeting with an unfamiliar girl made her think of the monstrous encounter they had in Libelle, too…with Manon Libelle.

A girl whose mother was an Otherworlder had spiraled into taking violent actions, fueled by her feeling of displacement in this world. She’d caused a massive tragedy that involved countless innocents without any hesitation.

The one who tempted her into sin was none other than the terrifying Pure Concept of Evil—a gruesome specter that wore the guise of a little girl and took it off at will, donning her own cast-off skin to hide the monster inside.

“I wonder if she has something to do with this…”

The source of all Concepts of Original Sin, one of the Four Major Human Errors.

Akari shuddered as she pictured the cherubic little girl. She embodied the repulsive yet pitiable end that awaited an Otherworlder.

Something the girl had said echoed in the back of Akari’s mind.

“It exists. A way home.”

While Akari kept turning back time and clinging to this world, the girl had given her an innocent grin and told her that she could, in fact, go back home. Akari shook off the memory that tried to lodge itself in her mind.

“I’m never going back.”

It didn’t matter if she used up all her memories and forgot about Japan entirely.

When she’d seen the vase of flowers placed on a desk that nobody sat at anymore, she remembered thinking, What a tasteless joke. It made her unreasonably angry.

That student had suddenly stopped coming to class one day. Who was it that used to sit there?

Akari had already forgotten. It might have even been a friend of hers. In fact, it almost certainly was. Otherwise, there was no reason she would have gotten so annoyed when she saw the vase.

But what kind of person was her friend who sat there?

That had already been consumed by Time.

“I’m awful, aren’t I?” she murmured to herself as she reflected on the lost memory.

It seemed cruel even to her that she didn’t care whether she forgot about that person.

“But I’ve got Menou.”

And she didn’t need anything else.

Now that she’d confirmed that, Akari turned her thoughts back to the current situation.

Whether Pandæmonium was directly involved in this or not, the fact that she’d escaped from the fog meant that the flow of time had fundamentally changed from any existing timeline.

The fractures formed in this world by Akari’s frequent use of Regression had warped the fog enough to unleash Pandæmonium. In other words, her own efforts to save Menou were unwinding the future Akari knew.

Be that as it may, she just had deal with these situations as they arose. Akari’s only goal was to be killed by Menou; as long as that happened, it didn’t matter how they got there.

“If they’re going to that base from yesterday, I can catch up to them if I want to.”

Akari could teleport. There were some restrictions, but for the most part, she could instantly transfer people or objects. If Menou was in danger, Akari could find an excuse to come running to her side. She could even pretend to have gotten kidnapped again if it came to that.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Yeees?”

Akari opened the door without really checking, assuming it was an employee here to make the bed. It was habits like these that made Menou scold her for being thoughtless, but Akari didn’t think she was. Both sides of her were the real Akari, be it her regular self or the one who had memories of all the previous time loops. Her base personality was the same. When her memories were unlocked, her mind was able to integrate smoothly.

She opened the door to find a girl.

“Hello. Am I right in assuming you’re Ms. Akari Tokitou?”

“Er…”

A decidedly adorable young woman nodded in greeting to Akari, who stood dumbfounded at the door, her bed head sticking up wildly without her headband. The Japanese girl had to direct her gaze downward slightly to make eye contact with her. Akari wasn’t particularly tall herself, but her visitor was even shorter.

“Um, yeah, I’m Akari…”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Akari. I’ve been put in charge of guarding you while my darling is away.”

A guard. Akari’s eyes glittered. She had never expected this girl to suddenly appear before her now.

This had never happened before, either.

“I’m a junior to Menou, the priestess who has been guiding you all this time.”

“Menou’s junior…”

Akari knew that, of course.

On closer inspection, her visitor’s clothing was of the same variety that Menou was always wearing. The skirt’s hem was daringly short and modified with adorable frills, but it was still a priestess robe.

“Is that a white priestess robe?”

Akari was so blindsided by this new development that she found herself voicing a pointless question.

“Yes. Unlike my darling, I am still in training. I’m a mere novice priestess who serves as an assistant.”

The girl in the robes seemed perfectly unruffled; she placed a white-gloved hand on her chest and shifted her tights-clad legs together neatly.

“My name is Momo. I hope we’ll get along.”

Her pink pigtails bounced as Momo smiled brightly.

“When you’re forming multiple relationships, I think it’s important to consider the relationships between those other people, too.”

The morning sun hadn’t yet started to shine at full strength. As they strode briskly through the fine sand of the desert, Sahara began explaining an inexplicable theory to Menou.

“You can’t give any one person special treatment. No, I guess that’s not quite right. You have to make everyone think they’re special. It’s important to keep giving bait to a fish you’ve already hooked. Basically, you have to be considerate.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just sharing a helpful tip.”

Menou’s cold remark seemed out of place against the warm, dry air, but Sahara looked at her like it was obvious.

“Well, none of this is helpful to me in the least. Would you mind changing the subject?”

“Are you sure about that…? When you’ve got a berserk, violent monster like Momo at your side, I think it’s important to know this stuff. She’s definitely going to start taking action herself if you leave her to her own devices for too long.”

“Listen. She can certainly be a little too emotional at times, but Momo is an excellent aide and a very nice girl.”

“I don’t think anyone else would ever say that about her.”

Menou and Sahara had been walking through the desert all morning.

They’d left the oasis at dawn, and it was now past noon. Menou was wearing a hooded robe over her priestess outfit to block the sun and a cloth around her neck and mouth to fend off the sand. Sahara was decked out in a similar combination, though she had on a nun’s outfit instead of a priestess’s.

Ashuna and her knights were traveling separately. They would attack from the front, while Menou and Sahara would infiltrate the base from the rear. The plan was to arrive near the Iron Chain base before sunset and attack once night fell. Because Akari had been kidnapped, they knew the location of the enemy base. Since Menou had already sneaked in once, she had a good grasp of the inner setup as well.

“Sahara, is that right arm of yours all right? You said that the Vessel is attached to it…”

“I’m fine. It isn’t eroding my spirit at all, and I can use it freely, too.”

They were chatting to kill time during their journey. As they were catching up on each other’s lives, Menou sensed a faint Guiding Force reaction.

There was something hidden in the sand. Judging by the residue, it wasn’t a living thing. A conjured soldier, maybe. And it was the kind used for spying, too. Oddly enough, it had a communication conjuring built in, giving it the ability to send information over long distances. Conjured soldiers were designated taboo objects, and they couldn’t be produced with current conjuring technology, either. This must be more contraband sent by Genom Cthulha from the eastern Wild Frontier.

“What’s wrong?” Sahara gave Menou a puzzled look when she suddenly fell silent.

“Nothing. I just got a little sand in my eye. I’m gonna get it out.”

“I see… Are you sure? It might be better not to touch it.”

Catching on to the hidden meaning, Sahara responded in kind.

The conjured soldier would obviously alert its owner if it was found, but it would also transmit its location if it was destroyed. The best approach would be to stay hidden from it entirely, but if it found them, they would lose the element of surprise. While it would be less disastrous if Ashuna and her knights were discovered since they were attacking head-on, it was crucial that Menou and Sahara’s actions stayed secret.

“Don’t worry. We can do something about it.”

“All right.” Sahara jumped forward. The phosphorous light of Guiding Enhancement surrounded her. She moved swiftly toward the enemy without being slowed by the sand. Her artificial right arm shone brilliantly with Guiding Light.

Guiding Force: Merge Materials—Prosthetic Arm, Inner Seal Conjuration—Activate [Skill: Guiding Cannon]

The Guiding Light shot forth from her arm, sending sand flying everywhere.

A snake-shaped conjured soldier burst into view. It was around the length of a human arm, squirming in the sand.

Menou was more focused on Sahara’s skill than the soldier it had dragged out. It was very strange—not just a simple crest conjuring. Her prosthetic arm was definitely the invocation medium, but even Menou couldn’t figure out what components it used. As far as she could see, the arm didn’t seem to have lost any material.

Menou moved even as she analyzed Sahara’s conjuring.

Grabbing the conjured soldier in midair, she filled it with Guiding Force before it could contact the base.

Guiding Force: Connect—Primary Green Stone, Far-Speech Snake—Infiltrate Exterior—Alter Conjuration—

The Guiding Force within the snake rose up to resist. All she was doing was altering the contents of the transmission the snake was trying to send. This required a delicate touch, not brute force.

Command [Nothing to report.]

The order went through.

“There. Now it won’t be a problem.”

“Wow. You’ve still got it.”

Menou tossed the conjured soldier aside. It burrowed back into the sand and resumed its fixed surveillance.

She had succeeded in rewriting the report. Now their location wouldn’t be discovered. Menou and Sahara resumed their journey.

Momo walked around Balar Oasis with Akari in tow.

They checked out the stalls on the relatively safe main road that circled the area and toured the ruins that remained. Since they were young women traveling alone, they were making every effort to look like ordinary sightseers.

But the pair were walking a bit farther apart than necessary.

“I was told that you enjoy sightseeing. Was this tour not to your liking?” Momo asked politely.

“I do like sightseeing, but…” Akari trailed off.

By all appearances, Momo was smiling cheerfully in response to Akari’s half-hearted answer, but on the inside, she was irritated to the max.

She had made direct contact with Akari on her own—without getting Menou’s permission—for a very specific purpose. But even after several hours together, she hadn’t managed to get any closer to Akari.

From the way she interacted with Menou, Momo had assumed that Akari was quick to lower her guard with other people, but she was unexpectedly distant.

“I’m just kinda wondering why you’re here, Momo…? I thought Menou was supposed to guard me.”

“In normal circumstances. But it’s difficult even for her to supervise you at all times, you see. There will be occasions where she has to leave your side, so we thought it best that I temporarily take over.”

“Menou didn’t say anything about that to me…”

“Well, it happened very suddenly.”

It made sense that Akari would be mistrustful of Momo when she appeared out of thin air. But there was no time for this nonsense. Menou would be at the desert base, away from Akari, for less than a day’s time. Momo wanted to gain as much of Akari’s trust as she could in that span, but her efforts would be for nothing if Menou found out that Momo had made contact with Akari.

“…Ah, I’m sorry. Pardon me for a moment.” Momo excused herself as she opened her scripture. She wasn’t invoking a conjuring, but she put Guiding Force into the book anyway, making it glow. She was faking a transmission notification. “Ms. Akari. I just received a message from my darling. It’s an emergency.”

“A message?”

“Yes. We’re able to communicate with our scriptures during emergencies. Ah… Th-this can’t be…!” The tension in her voice sounded forced. “She’s been attacked by the enemy. She’ll be hiding out on her own for a while, so she’s ordered us to go on ahead to the next town.”

“Huh?” Akari looked confused.

“It seems that her mission put a target on your back, too, Ms. Akari. The location of the inn has been discovered. Darling wants us to leave town right away.”

“But…”

There was hesitation all over Akari’s face. Understandably so. Though Momo had introduced herself as Menou’s junior, this was still their first time meeting. It was natural that she’d be reluctant to separate from Menou.

But Momo didn’t let her say any of that.

“Let’s go back to the inn and gather our things. Then we can wait until the last possible minute, and if I determine that the situation has become too dangerous, we’ll escape together. Is that all right?”

She made a quick proposal to take advantage of Akari’s confusion. It sounded like a compromise at first blush, but it didn’t follow Akari’s wishes at all. Everything Momo had just said was a fabrication. In fact, she didn’t even have Menou’s permission to contact Akari.

This was all part of her plan to get Akari away from Menou. Ever since the incident in Libelle, Momo had been waiting for a chance to separate them.

As much as she hated to admit it, Menou was already interacting with Akari almost entirely as her real self. To be honest, there was very little difference between the Menou Momo knew and the Menou Akari saw. Her act was quickly ceasing to be an act at all.

And now, because of the kidnapping incident, Menou had finally taken her eyes off Akari for an extended period of time.

This was Momo’s chance.

If Momo could take Akari across the desert of the central Wild Frontier, it wouldn’t be much farther to the Sword of Salt. They could hop on a train to the holy land, obtain permission there, and travel to the salted earth at the western edge of the continent. Momo had no intention of missing this opportunity to potentially spare Menou from unnecessary inner conflict.

Akari’s expression housed apprehension, reluctance, and even rejection. No doubt she didn’t want to leave this town—or more specifically, Menou’s side. At the same time, she theoretically understood that it was for the best.

“M-Momo… If Menou’s in trouble, we have to go save her!”

“We mustn’t. Darling said she needs to hide. That will be easier if she’s on her own. If we try to contact her, we may end up causing problems for her instead.”

Akari gulped and fell silent.

It was working. Momo could tell from Akari’s reaction. She was going to pull this off, even if she had to deceive her a little. Momo opened her mouth to keep convincing her, but Akari spoke first.

“All right…”

“So you understand?”

“…Uh-huh.” Akari pressed her index finger to Momo’s forehead.

As Momo gasped in surprise, Akari’s finger glowed with Guiding Light.

“I understand that you’re being a total pest.”

Guiding Force: Connect—Improper Attachment, Pure Concept [Time]—Invoke [Suspension]

The Guiding Light flashed.

“This is going smoothly so far.”

“Mm-hmm. At this rate, we should get to the base right on time.”

Menou and Sahara were making their way through the desert all according to plan, having disabled a few more conjured soldiers along the way.

“Are you sure it was all right to leave Akari at the oasis?”

“Of course. She’s got an excellent guard, so she’ll be safe.”

Even if a group of Iron Chain operatives stayed in the oasis and tried to attack Akari while Menou was away, there was nothing to worry about. Momo would protect Akari from the shadows.

Sahara scrunched up her face at Menou’s response. She looked like a child who’d just been presented with a plate full of bitter vegetables.

“…By ‘guard,’ you mean Momo, right?”

“Who else?”

“Well, if you want to trust Momo with that, I guess it’s fine with me.”

From her expression, it was clearly not fine with her. Sahara, who’d been blithely teasing Menou nonstop since they were reunited, turned away with a childish huff.

“I don’t know how you can be so calm after leaving Momo in charge of guarding someone. Is she even capable of anything that doesn’t involve destruction?”

“It’ll be fine. She’s very skilled, you know. I can count on my dear assistant for anything.”

“Wow. I’m amazed you can say that with a straight face.”

Clearly, Sahara had a very strong aversion to Momo. While she was attempting to keep a neutral expression, she couldn’t quite hide her irritation. As Menou looked at Sahara’s face in profile, she remembered something.

“Sahara, I know you were always trying to meddle with Momo and getting beaten up because of it, so I can understand why you’d dislike her, but…you do realize that was your own doing, don’t you?”

“…It’s all her fault for being a violent monster with the lowest amount of faith in history.”

This seemed to be a bitter memory even for Sahara, who was normally placid.

“Well, it is true that Momo’s faith in the Lord is virtually nonexistent, but…that also means her other grades were exceptional enough that she was able to become an assistant priestess at a young age anyway.”

“Like I care. Besides, it’s a waste not to take any interest in an existence as intriguing as the Lord of the church.”

Clearly reluctant to acknowledge Momo’s abilities, Sahara changed the subject to a rather blasphemous one instead.

“Intriguing…? You ought to speak with more respect.”

“Eh, who cares?” Sahara shrugged and launched into her own theory. “The scriptures—at least, the ones the priestesses of the Faust carry—very clearly describe the Lord as something other than what you’d call a god. Not a savior that rescued humanity from doomsday nor some omnipotent, all-knowing being. The Lord is more like a Concept of some kind that has power and wisdom.”

She tilted her head at Menou, ignoring her warning. “What do you think the Lord actually is anyway?”

“The highest management of the holy land. The decision-making body of the Faust…at least, that’s what I think.”

“So basically, the Elders?”

“Exactly.”

The Elders were a mysterious organization that was only whispered about in rumors, with no official record of their existence.

Churches and parishes existed in every nation under the same general structure. The head of a church was a pastor, the head of a parish was a bishop, and the head of the nation was the archbishop. There was no official position above archbishop.

Realistically, though, it was highly unlikely that there was no decision-making group in the holy land that managed all these nations. There was only one archbishop per nation, and no post existed above them. Rumors of an administrative body were bound to emerge.

“Well, I think the Lord and the Elders are two different things.”

“Oh?” Menou asked.

“And I think we’re more hopeless against them than we realize.”

Her words reminded Menou of something her Master once said.

“Anyway. I just think you should be a little more aware of how dangerous Momo can be.” Sahara kept her voice short but sharp-edged. “Knowing how savage she is, she might even attack Akari.”

Baseless slander. Now she’s just being rude, Menou thought, shrugging dismissively.

The light from Akari’s finger cut through the sky.

“Wha—?”

A confused voice reached Momo’s ears. Akari was frowning in disappointment as she watched Momo continue to move in her own time.

“I missed.”

“…What were you trying to do?”

Momo’s voice was sharp, face stiffening. This was an unexpected development. Akari attacking her was definitely not part of the plan.

Akari smiled. It was a very different expression from the innocent, oblivious look she usually wore.

“I should be asking you that. Right, Momo? You came to try to separate me from Menou, didn’t you? And without even getting Menou’s permission, too.”

“…And so what if I did?”

There was no point trying to lie now. Akari clearly saw Momo as an enemy.

Her eyes fixed on Momo, Akari’s smile widened. “I thought so. Which means…”

She took aim at Momo with her index finger; her thumb was raised, her other fingers clenched, forming the shape of a gun.

“If I get rid of you now, Menou will have no reason to suspect me.”

Her voice was cold enough to send chills down anyone’s spine; goosebumps crept over Momo’s skin. Being spoken to with such a familiar attitude by someone she’d never met before was deeply disturbing.

Akari smiled at her almost evilly, but Momo smirked fiercely in return.

“I see…”

There was only one theory that could explain Akari’s sudden change in attitude.

“So you have memories from before using Regression.”

Regression. Menou had told Momo about her theory that Akari might be creating a time loop.

“I’m amazed you were able to deceive us for so long, boob-lady.”

“Would you mind not giving me such a rude nickname? There’s nothing worse than making fun of people for their physical traits, if you ask me.”

“Oh? Do you have some bad memories associated with that? Oh, right, I’m sorryyy. When you use a nasty taboo entity, you lose your memories, don’t yooou? No wonder you have such a brainless personality, hmm?”

Momo’s sarcastic drawl only intensified the evil glint in Akari’s eyes. The two girls glared at each other, eyes shooting daggers.

“But you haven’t been putting on an act this whole time, either, have you? I doubt you would’ve been able to fool my darling so thoroughly if that were the case. Your attitude changed so suddenly… Do you seal your memories with Regression and keep them hidden away?”

Akari Tokitou was traveling back in time. That was the conclusion Menou and Momo had reached when they pooled their information. They’d assumed Akari’s memories reverted to the moment she was summoned when she turned back time, but evidently, they were mistaken about that part.

When she was with Menou, she normally kept her memories Regressed to a point where she had no knowledge of the future—but why would she do something like that?

It was easy enough to guess.

If there was a Pure Concept user who knew the future and could turn back time, Menou certainly wouldn’t be traveling with her. Working together with someone who knew the future would mean they would know what would happen next, which was all well and good if it was someone you could trust. But a stranger with such an ability was not to be trusted. Menou would be suspicious.

So Akari erased her own memories to keep Menou from suspecting anything.

“And what’s your goal in clinging to my darling, vixen?”

“This is why I hate it when people find out I have my memories… You believe that part, but I can never get you to trust me about anything else.”

“Mind explaining that in a way that makes sense?”

As Momo stared piercingly at her, Akari scowled and stuck out her tongue.

“No way! You wouldn’t believe me anyway, so nope!”

It was an outright refusal to try to reach an understanding. All expression dropped from Momo’s face, and she looked at Akari flatly.

She had never liked her to begin with. Nothing was more important to Momo than Menou, and she prioritized Menou’s safety above all else, even if it meant the death of some stranger or even the destruction of half the world. She did have a conscience and common sense, of course, but those would never be more important than Menou.

Naturally, whether Akari lived or died didn’t count for anything on that scale, either.

“Well, now I’m more certain than ever.” Momo pulled out her coping saw from the frilled hem of her priestess robes and gave it a flick. The wirelike saw snapped sharply in the wind.

“You’re not the sort to break down just because of a little rough handling, are you? I’ll tie you up, drag you to the Sword of Salt, and kill you with it.”

“Why don’t you go ahead and try? If you think you can do it, anyway.”

Guiding Force: Connect—Improper Attachment, Pure Concept [Time]—Invoke [Suspension]

There was no warning—a Time conjuring shot out from Akari’s fingertip.

The beam of light contained a miraculous trick that could stop the flow of time on a conceptual level. It would end the fight immediately if it hit, but Momo managed to dodge it by a hair. Akari’s construction was frighteningly fast. It wasn’t skillful so much as purely natural; rather than building it up, it was as if she was releasing a construction that already existed in her soul. Her attacks seemed to skip an invocation step entirely.

Trying to dodge these instant conjurings would only make things more difficult.

So instead, Momo stayed on the offensive, trying to force her opponent into defense mode without giving her a chance to counterattack.

The whiplike saw whistled through the air. Akari wouldn’t be able to step out of its range in time. She pointed her index finger at the coping saw and unleashed another conjuring.

Guiding Force: Connect—Improper Attachment, Pure Concept [Time]—Invoke [Weathering]

With a loud swoosh, the saw broke down and fell to pieces.

Her attack was incredibly powerful. Momo promptly let go of the dust that remained of her coping saw and analyzed Akari’s strikes. The girl had no combat strategy and only a tiny bit more experience than a total novice. That wouldn’t be enough to battle the average adventurer, never mind the likes of Menou or Momo.

All she had were her powers.

“…Which are absurdly dangerous,” Momo grumbled.

She didn’t know how many times the Otherworlder had used Regression, but given that she was traveling with Menou as her guard, Momo doubted that Akari had many opportunities to fight on her own. Even if she did, Akari could catch her opponents off guard with her abilities and end the battle before it started, so it was safe to assume she hadn’t learned any combat techniques.

Which was why Momo was able to fight her.

If Menou had abilities like Akari’s, then Momo probably wouldn’t be able to hold her own for longer than ten seconds. The main reason Momo was an even match for Akari was the Japanese girl’s lack of combat knowledge.

That, and one other important point: Akari wasn’t really trying to kill Momo.

“I always hated you, Momo.”

“Is that right? I’d be perfectly happy if you died, myself.”

“You don’t know anything about Menou, but you go around acting like you understand her better than anyone. It’s so annoying.”

“Excuse me?” Momo scowled. “And what do you know about my darling when you’ve only just met her, hmm?”

“Her future,” Akari replied simply. “Unlike you, I know about her future.”

Guiding Force: Connect—Improper Attachment, Pure Concept [Time]—Invoke [Acceleration]

Akari sped up drastically.

Her movements were completely amateur, but her speed was far from ordinary. There were no martial arts, muscles, or magic involved. Though she wasn’t throwing her body weight around or kicking off the ground to build up momentum, there was insane speed behind her standard steps, making the timing of her strike difficult to calculate.

Most importantly, Momo had to avoid the Suspension conjuring at all costs, since it would render her immobile if it hit. At this speed, though, it would be extremely difficult to react in time.

“Tch!” Momo steadied her defensive stance and tried to provoke Akari.

Though the other girl was hostile toward Momo, she didn’t seem to want to kill her. Or perhaps the problem was even more fundamental.

Momo smiled.

She guessed Akari had never killed anyone. The girl didn’t have the guts to do it, either. She might be able to hurt someone, but she certainly couldn’t kill them. That much was obvious from the fact that she kept trying to use Suspension on Momo, even though she’d destroyed her weapon with Weathering.

Deep down, Akari Tokitou was simply too nice of a person.

“What kind of creep would pretend not to remember anything and cozy up to my darling while secretly plotting stuff? Could you just die before you cause any more trouble for her, please? You have no right to talk about darling’s so-called future if you don’t know about her past, you little know-it-all.”

“…Shut up.” Akari froze abruptly.

Clearly, some part of that had touched a nerve; her shoulders were shaking with rage. There was something very eerie about her in this moment.

“Stupid Momo! You can’t even protect Menou! It makes no difference whether you’re here or not—so I might as well just get rid of you!”

Something inside Akari had snapped.

At first, she thought it was a miracle.

The stone building. The intimidating level of luxury. She stared blankly at the familiar scene for a moment before she realized…it was the summoning room in Grisarika Kingdom.

She’d gone back to the time when she was first summoned.

The moment she first figured it out, Akari really did believe it was a miracle. But she quickly realized why she had gone back with her memories still intact.

Her Pure Concept was giving her a chance to redo everything.

So Akari waited eagerly for the visitor at her window. She watched for the girl in the lightweight maid outfit to appear along with the silvery light of the moon that emerged just after sunset. And Akari welcomed her appearance with open arms.

“Menou!”

When they were reunited, she eagerly called out the girl’s name and greeted her happily.

That was where she went wrong.

“How…do you know my name?”

From that first meeting, Menou was clearly suspicious of her.

Menou didn’t trust Akari. She believed that Akari had come from the future but doubted her motives for making contact with her. Menou brought Akari to Orwell—and she had promptly died there.

Her second shot at life ended after the briefest of periods, when she met a terrible end.

On her third attempt, she tried to run away by herself.

She thought it was their first encounter that was where things went wrong. If meeting Akari was what led to Menou’s demise, then it was better if they never interacted at all.

But about a month after she went on the run…

“Oh, you’re alone.”

Akari ran into the red-haired priestess.

It was the same woman who’d put an end to their journey the first time, in the land of salt. She knew she couldn’t fight her or run away. If this was how it ended, that was fine—as long as Menou was alive. Or so Akari thought.

“That apprentice of mine died, too. Guess it makes sense that you’re by yourself.”

Akari’s eyes widened as she realized who the priestess must mean. “It can’t be…”

“Hmm? Yep, old lady Orwell killed her. My apprentice was going to get taken in with the holder of the Pure Concept of Null and got done in instead. Orwell’s a powerful conjurer, you know. If she sets her sights on you, it’d be tough to get out alive.”

As soon as she heard Menou was dead, Guiding Force was drawn out of her soul and rewound the world. It was at the end of that third time that Akari knew—if they weren’t together, Menou would die.

Ah…I see.

That was when it occurred to her.

When they met, Menou would be less suspicious of her if Akari didn’t know her. If she did, that would put Menou on guard again. In other words, her memories were getting in the way.

Menou had been raised to distrust other people.

If she was suspicious of Akari when they first met, she would ask Orwell for help. After all, she trusted the archbishop more than an Otherworlder, basically a stranger.

And then Menou would die. So why wasn’t Menou suspicious of Akari the first time? How was she able to travel for close to three months, when she would die in less than a week if Akari wasn’t with her?

It was simple. It was because Akari was so oblivious and easily fooled that there was no reason to be wary of her. It was because she was traveling with this oblivious girl that Menou was more conscious of her surroundings than normal.

It was the ignorant Akari who allowed Menou to live. Then all she had to do was travel with Menou without knowing anything and go to the land of salt, where there was a method that could kill her.

Akari made her hand into the shape of a pistol and held her finger against her temple.

Her memories of their travels together…

If they’re going to hurt Menou, then I don’t need them.

Guiding Force: Connect—Improper Attachment, Pure Concept [Time]—Invoke [Regression: Memories, Soul, Spirit]

Akari erased her own memories.

Thus, the journey was able to continue—but they still weren’t able to escape the clutches of the priestess with dark-red hair.

“Not even once. You’ve never once been able to protect Menou.”

Memories flashed through her mind. The corners of her eyes grew hot at the thought of all those wasted pasts. Akari lashed out in anger at Momo, who was always with Menou, yet was never able to save Menou’s life.

“You can’t do anything, so don’t talk down to me, Momo!”

“If there’s a future where my darling dies because of this mission…” In contrast to Akari’s emotional cry, Momo’s tone was chillingly calm. “…then that would be your fault.”

Akari trembled…because she knew it was true.

The fourth time, the fifth time.

One by one, she learned the factors that caused Menou’s death and avoided them, stretching out the length of their journey each time—but there was one obstacle she still couldn’t overcome.

The longer their journey went on, the more Menou opened her heart to Akari. Especially that first time. The reason Menou was killed by that red-haired priestess was because she betrayed the Faust and tried to save Akari.

Priestesses-turned-traitors were taboo.

If she didn’t travel with Akari, Menou would die—but the longer she did travel with Akari, the more the likelihood of her betraying the Faust increased.

That was why Akari decided to indirectly let on to Menou that she was in a time loop. If she mixed in just a little bit of the truth about herself, then Menou would never give her heart over to Akari completely. That was what she kept telling herself.

But it was also Akari’s own selfish desire to keep traveling with Menou.

Momo didn’t miss the moment when Akari wavered. She grabbed her by the collar and raised her other hand. Akari squeezed her eyes shut with fear.

Then Momo mercilessly brought down her hand.

A satisfying smack rang through the air.

“Um, ow?!”

Momo had slapped Akari’s cheek. If she really wanted to, she could have sent the girl’s head flying right off, but that wouldn’t kill her anyway. Instead, she slapped her other cheek for good measure.

“Yow!! What the heck?!”

“I’m just slapping some sense into you, you big-boobed moron.” With that insulting nickname, Momo let go of Akari’s collar. “You’re not my darling’s enemy. That much is clear to me now.”

Akari stared in confusion, eliciting an irritated huff from Momo.

“I’ll help you out. So tell me everything you know.”

“But why…?”

“Listen—just so we’re perfectly clear here, I cannot stress this enough: I hate you.” She said it with total sincerity, not just to cover her embarrassment. “I don’t like seeing you so close to my darling, and I would like nothing more than for a parasite like you to curl up and die instead of cozying up to her. So I’m just offering to make sure that happens as soon as possible.”

Akari’s eyes kept narrowing as Momo hurled verbal abuse at her.

“…You know, I really do hate you, Momo.”

“And as I was just saying, I hate you as well.”

Reaffirming their mutual dislike of each other, the two girls huffed and looked the other way.

“But if it’s for my darling’s sake, then I’ll help you. This is to save her life, isn’t it? Then tell me everything, down to the last detail. I want to hear all about this future you supposedly know. I want to save my darling, too, obviously. I always have—and I always will.”

“…All right.”

Sometimes, mutual hatred can make it easier to talk about things.

And after making all that clear, Momo added: “You are just…so damned stupid! Die already!”

“Don’t call me stupid or tell me to die! Only Menou’s allowed to do that!”

“Oh, give me a break. You should know how stupid you are!”

Amid the avalanche of insults that followed, Momo made a proposal. It was an option that Menou and Akari would never be able to take alone. Akari hesitated but decided to accept it.

And so the two of them formed an alliance to do what had to be done.

As Menou looked ahead, the sun set completely.

The last streaks of red that burned up from the horizon faded one by one. The sky shifted from blue to indigo and finally to the black of twilight, and night fell at last. The sun, the ruler of the day, was gone, and a starry sky and moon emerged in its place.

Menou, who was on standby at the rear of the base, gauged the time by the position of the stars.

“Any minute now.”

“Mm.”

The two of them watched the Guiding Light visible in the base from afar and waited for the signal to infiltrate it. Ashuna was to attack from the front, while Menou and Sahara would break into the heart of the base in the ensuing confusion.

“What should we do if we don’t get the signal? Just leave?”

“I suppose so, but…I’m sure it will be fine. I can’t even imagine Princess Ashuna failing.”

“Then Momo might be the bigger threat. I’m worried about Akari.”

“I keep telling you, Momo is fine.”

Menou was shushing Sahara when there was a sudden flash.

“Aha,” Menou whispered.

A blazing sword of flames had appeared, cutting through the darkness.

It certainly didn’t look natural, yet it was almost laughably hard to believe that such a phenomenon could be produced by one person. This was Menou’s second time seeing it. As it was Sahara’s first, her eyes went round.

The Princess Knight Ashuna Grisarika had flashed her sword as the signal to start the battle.

A rumble that threatened to demolish the sand dunes roared through the desert.