"W-What?"
"What do you mean “what”? It's a meeting."
Caught off guard by the sudden situation, Ruby's eyes widened in bewilderment.
Ferloche paid no heed to her and casually took off her robe.
She sat down with her legs crossed.
"W-Wait a moment. 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 time 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 times?"
"I told you, it's written all over your face."
"Bullshit. Tell me the truth. Do you also have memories? Or maybe you also do Retr–
Ouch."
Ruby was extremely 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 times 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 times someone 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 becomes. 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 times 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, memories began to flow into her.
- Frey... Do you really not remember me?
- 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 meet a tragic death.
- What went wrong... Why...
- Aaargh!!
- Yes, stab me to your heart's content...
During the sixth regression, Ruby's mental state momentarily 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 moment 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 some time she served as Frey's subordinate.
Before Frey's corruption, she became like a dog, obeying him just as he had once treated her.
Perhaps with this behavior, Frey would be able to recover his memories.
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 some sandwich– Ack!!!
- I prepared some potato soup and rye bread– Geuhh!
- Frey... that necklace you wore back then... don't you remember... Heugek.
Nevertheless, Ruby did not give up and continued to stimulate his memories, but what she got in return was Frey’s fist.
- Would you like to have a glass of wine with me 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 met with a slap on the face.
- I love you fore–
- Haah.
And thus came 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.
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 means 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 remembered something vaguely.
After repeating the keyword 'original intention' several times, the memory of her forcibly putting it into Frey's mouth came 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 time to visit her Master.
.
.
.
.
.
"Wow! Look who’s here!"
"..."
"Only just reaching 5–"
"I, I figured it out."
Ruby, who met with Ferloche at the inn at the usual time, 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 meeting!"
"...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 me now, well. It’s time for me to leave.”
After saying that, Ferloche began to quietly stroke her stomach.
“D-Don’t go... Only you can remember me... 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 me 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 abdomen.
"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 momentarily react to her comment 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.