༺ Bad Ending 2[Modified] ༻
"I’ll explain everything now. You deserve to know."
Irina observed Ferloche with a cold expression. As Ferloche took a step forward, she continued.
"Listen carefully. I'll only say this once."
"Okay."
"And just listen even if you don't fully understand."
"What?"
"You're good at memorizing, right? If something happens to me, please tell Frey exactly what I said. He should be able to understand."
Irina became bewildered, but Ferloche simply walked quietly along the roadside while continuing her explanation.
"The supposedly fictional worlds of the ordeals created by the System aren’t actually fake."
"Then what are they?"
"It sends the target of the Ordeal to the past. No, to be precise... it sends them to an 'old save file'."
As Ferloche suddenly started using strange terms, Irina, who had been frowning until then, closed her eyes and quietly began to memorize her words.
"The illusions Frey saw in the First Ordeal were just one of the many events recorded in the save data."
"The First Ordeal?"
"In the Second Ordeal, Frey was sent to a save file that contained a bad ending."
"Wait, what... is a save file?"
As Irina, who had been silently memorizing Ferloche's words until then, cautiously asked, Ferloche, who had been walking along the street, glared at her.
"I told you to just memorize it."
"No, I-I need to be able to understand..."
"I’m joking. I should at least tell you that much."
Not wanting to argue, Ferloche sighed and began to slowly explain.
"In 'games' that supposedly exist all over the world, players can store their progress information in a format called 'save data', which the player can then go back and load at any time."
"Um... if it's a game..."
"Frey must have told you about 'Dark Tale Fantasy', so you should be able to roughly understand, right?"
As Irina nodded, Ferloche sighed and resumed walking.
"Granted, what I said only applies to ordinary games. Dark Tale Fantasy is structured differently."
"How is it different?"
"If we 'fail' to clear the game, we have to 'retry'. That is, start over again from the beginning."
Ferloche, who said that with a weary expression, suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky.
"Save files are just a means to mock Frey disguised as 'Ordeals'. They’re there simply to lower Frey’s motivation by showing him all the mistakes and failures from previous attempts.
Seeing Ferloche's miserable appearance, Irina inadvertently started to sympathize.
"I have the ability to 'retry' by returning to the first save data."
"What?"
"It's easier to understand if you think of it as me having the ability to regress to the initial starting point."
With a soft whisper, Ferloche peered at Irina.
"I've regressed hundreds of times, thousands of times... no, an uncountable number of times."
"Wh-why..."
"In pursuit of a single possibility."
Saying that, Ferloche soon smiled brightly and continued,
"To reach the near-impossible possibility in which I became Frey's partner, leading him to face the 'greatest secret' in the Third Ordeal, and finally, having you intrude into the Ordeal."
As she spoke, a single tear ran down her cheek.
"We finally reached that possibility."
"I... I don't understand."
Irina still looked confused, and Ferloche smiled.
"The Third Ordeal is a bit special. It sends the target to the very first save file."
"To the first save file?"
"Yes, the very first record that is connected to all future save files afterward."
Wiping away her tear, Ferloche spoke with a trembling voice.
"The world we’re in right now... is a pure world before countless branching points and timelines were created."
"Um... It's difficult, but I think I kind of understand."
"At the same time, it's also the world I arrive in every time I retry."
Having said that, she held Irina's hand and led her somewhere.
"Do you know who I saw every time I retried, and every time the young Frey tried to erase his memories?"
"Wh-who?"
"It was you, Lady Irina."
"Me…?"
"I've seen you countless times, standing next to Frey, hesitating while activating the scroll."
Ferloche’s lips lifted to show a fatigued smile.
"And that became the motivation that allowed me to keep trying. The fact that you were there meant that you would definitely intrude into the Third Ordeal."
Ferloche seemed small but somehow imposing, causing Irina to unknowingly swallow back her saliva.
"And finally, it happened."
"Ah..."
"A single coincidence occurred, and before the five of them were enlightened, you intruded into the Third Ordeal... It was an almost impossible probability."
"W-wait."
As Ferloche chuckled, Irina asked with a bewildered expression,
"Does that make sense? It's a time paradox, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, my future self interfering with the past and significantly impacting events? That's against the laws of the world..."
"'Save data' doesn't simply mean the past."
"Then?"
"It's both the law of the world and divine providence, where the gods record the events of the world. That’s why you can’t apply common sense to it."
Irina confusedly scratched her head, and seeing that, Ferloche sighed.
"When the original save data changes, it affects all the save files that happen afterward. In other words, from the moment you intruded into the Third Ordeal, the future records were already changed, transcending all pre-existing timelines."
"So, to summarize, it's like this?"
Irina, who had been racking her brain to its limit, drew a conclusion.
"There's an omnipotent diary where the world's records are written in it."
"Yes."
"The diary merely records, and you can’t go back to check the previous content."
"Right."
"But using a certain method, I somehow managed to go back to the first page of the diary."
"That's correct."
"So, it's not just a concept of past and future, but an omnipotent diary containing the world's records. All the records written afterward were affected and changed by the record I altered?"
Seeing Ferloche nod, Irina continued with a skeptical expression,
"Meanwhile, you, with your unique ability to return to the first page of the diary, saw me editing the first page for some reason."
"Yes."
"You've returned to the first page countless times in order to bring about the events that would ultimately lead to this event. I don't know why, but your plan has to proceed in the round where I succeeded in coming here."
"Exactly."
Having received Ferloche's confirmation that she had understood correctly, Irina raised her eyebrows and asked,
"Wait, so how do I get back?"
"You'll automatically return to the original point when the ordeal ends. Unlike me, who returned to the very beginning, you are temporarily accessing this save data due to the power of the Ordeal."
Upon hearing this, Irina opened her mouth wide and said,
"So you have to go through everything again from the beginning?"
"No, don't worry. There are other ways."
As Ferloche said that and began to move her hands busily, Irina tilted her head and asked.
"What in the world... Just what are you trying to achieve by going to this extent?"
Ferloche grinned.
"You're witnessing it right now, aren't you?"
"What?"
"As you tore the scroll, a temporary power was granted to you."
Ferloche pointed to the window that had been continuously spewing error messages in front of Irina since earlier.
[Debug Mode]
This window now floated neatly in the air.
> Enter a command.
"What is this?"
"It's simple. With this 'Debug Mode', you can gain access to the save file containing all the truth."
"But... you just said that we can't access the save files."
Ferloche tapped the system window floating before her.
"That's right, so we're going to use the Ordeal’s feature of accessing the save data to our advantage."
"Our advantage?"
"We're going to use the power of a foolish god, who’s merely observing, that’s contained in the scroll you tore to hack... no, to slightly alter the Third Ordeal."
"What change are you going to make?"
"Read what's written here."
Ferloche took out a piece of paper from her possession and handed it to Irina.
"Access to Ordeal Administrator Authority."
Irina read the first line on the paper, and a large translucent window appeared in front of her.
[Ordeal Management System]
[Current Ordeal target: Irina Filliard]
Ordeal content: Revealing the biggest secret unknown to the Ordeal target.
Scope: Limited to the first save data.
Condition: Ferloche Astellade becomes Frey's partner.
"Modify the information."
Irina declared as she looked at the translucent window.
[Which information would you like to modify?]
"Change the scope."
[Please specify the scope.]
"From the first save data to the most recent save data."
Then, the window floating in front of her shook.
[Warning! The scope is too large! Serious errors may occur...]
"I will also add Ordeal targets."
Although she flinched a little, she continued resolutely.
"Add Ferloche Astellade, Serena Lunar Moonlight, Clana Solar Sunrise, and Kania as targets."
As Irina called out their names, she took a deep breath and added,
"And... add Frey Raon Starlight."
Then, another translucent window materialized in front of her.
[Do you wish to add Ferloche Astellade, Serena Lunar Moonlight, Clana Solar Sunrise, Kania, and Frey Raon Starlight as new Ordeal targets?]
"Yes."
The moment Irina declared that to the translucent window, the world began to shake.
"What… what is this? What's happening?"
As Irina screamed out in fear of the strange phenomenon, Ferloche spoke with a relieved expression,
"It's the final gate... The gateway to the DLC."
"What? The final gate?"
"Now, it's really the end..."
Irina desperately asked, but Ferloche was no longer looking at her.
[The Third Ordeal will begin!]
"I still don't understand so many things!"
Irina screamed, but Ferloche chuckled.
"The five girls, including you, and Frey from your timeline will go through a new Third Ordeal with the newly resetted conditions."
"What? To which point are we going?"
"To the cursed round where it all began."
"Stop talking nonsense and explain it so I can understand!"
In the crumbling world, Irina grabbed Ferloche and shook her.
"The reason I got the power to ‘retry’, the reason I know all this, the reason your memories returned, and the reason why the world is like this..."
"...Ugh!"
"As long as you five girls and Frey reach the enlightenment you need through the new Third Ordeal, you will all be able to return to your original world."
As she said that, the world folded in half. Irina lost her balance and began to fall.
"Is this enough?"
In that chaotic world-
"Frey?"
Ferloche looked at Frey, who had been far away with Serena until then.
"Is this enough for my atonement to you?"
Naturally, there was no answer from Frey, who was in the stopped time.
"Well, it's fine. This time, I'll be able to give you a happy ending."
Despite that, Ferloche continued her story resolutely.
"Then, let's do the last thing we need to do."
She began to manipulate the [Debug Mode] window that Irina had left behind.
[Save Data Management System]
> Ferloche Astellade is currently in Data 01.
"Load the most recent round."
> The most recent round is ????? data. Are you sure you want to return?
As that question appeared in the debug window-
"Of course."
> Applying......
Ferloche calmly wrote words that didn't exist in the Sunrise Empire or this dimension.
"We need to hurry back and employ the Third Ordeal."
And then, the world flipped.
"Uhm..."
Frey, who fell into a daze, cautiously opened his eyes.
"...Huh?"
Strange sights unfolded before his eyes.
"What is this? What's going on?"
He was tied up with ropes as fierce soldiers surrounded him.
And in front of him, all the main heroines he loved were looking at him quizzically.
"........?"
".........."
However, that only lasted for a moment. Their eyes sunk and turned cold.
Ferloche, who stepped forward with a scornful expression as their representative, began to speak.
"Frey Raon Starlight, you are arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of the hero."
She declared with a chilling voice.
'But...I'm the hero?'
Bewildered, Frey couldn’t find any words to retort.
"Pft. Hehe…"
Upon hearing a familiar, mocking voice, he looked up and gazed beyond the main heroines.
".....!"
And at that moment, he froze.
"What are you looking at? Don't upset our hero."
"Vile human, you've finally been caught."
"...The Sun God won't forgive you."
He saw the sub-heroines, Roswyn, Aishi, and the youngest Holy Knight of the Sun God Order, who had yet to meet.
"...Disgusting."
"Please take him away quickly, I feel like vomiting."
"Good riddance, you worthless brat."
Isolet, the person he respected the second most in the world, Lulu, who tried to save him by any means, Irina's friend, Arianne, and all the other students of Sunrise Academy were denouncing him with cold expressions.
"Pffft."
And among the crowd, Ruby was giggling with her mouth covered, as if she found something incredibly amusing.
'Hey, what on earth is going on here...?'
In such an incomprehensible situation, Frey fumbled to ask a question, but completely different words left his mouth.
"Success… Finally... It's finally a success..."
It was a voice so exhausted, on the brink of completely dying out.
"I can finally... bring a happy ending to the world."
And so, the true Third Ordeal began.
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