A black tidal wave surged over the mountain ridge. The dungeon burst had opened the gates of hell, pouring forth monsters, a scheduled event from the 100th iteration.

I suddenly fell into deep thought while standing atop the broken church bell tower. Out of nowhere, I looked up to the sky and saw Reid. He was looking at me, waving his hand as if commanding.

With a single gesture, a power capable of causing destruction was directed toward me. In the video, it seemed that I felt extreme vigilance.

However, the darkness Reid conjured from the shadows only attacked the monsters. In fact, I was protected by his shadow.

Without a word, Reid left his position.

‘It seems like he helped?’

The scene in the video shifted.

Kukung!

The battlefield was filled with scattered sparks. The monstrous creature I had struck with my blow collapsed. The slain monster, instead of fur, had a mane of flames and was a four-legged beast— the Flame Behemoth.

The monster that had caused numerous casualties at the border was now defeated, but there was no time to celebrate the victory. The master of the ten thousand beasts, including the Flame Behemoth, charged into the battlefield.

I donned divine armor as if it were a second skin and faced Reid. The strategy was to push him into the closing gate to isolate him from the world.

The one who was cast into the demon world’s trash heap spoke to me.

"Are you trying to abandon me?"

‘...!’

In an instant, intense emotion weighed down on my heart. This was too much of an emotion for an observer to feel. It was only then that I realized I had synchronized with the video, almost over-immersed.

It felt as if I were reliving and recalling my own memory.

The next location changed to the grand cathedral.

‘What else is he going to show me?’

The holy light from the stained glass windows and silver crosses seemed to be devoured by darkness. I sat on a long pew, separated from him by a narrow aisle.

He reached out to me, politely and perhaps even tenderly.

"There are things in the world you may not need, but you still want to keep by your side. I want you to be by my side, Ayleth Rodeline."

The memories and emotions being injected into me proved that this was an overwhelming, genuine feeling.

Reid wanted to be with me in that timeline.

[ Cinematic video 'Fragments of Memory (2) — Hostile Relationship (Memory Synchronization: High)' has ended.]

With a long exhale, I came out of the immersion.

I couldn't understand how this could be considered a ‘hostile relationship’. In fact, I was beginning to have serious doubts that we had not been on bad terms at all.

When I returned to reality, I noticed a gaze that had probably been watching me for a long time. Reid's eyes were full of exploration and observation.

I probably hadn't appeared as calm as I looked on the outside while my brain had been overtaken by the cinematic video. A keen observer like Reid would certainly have noticed my deviation.

No, even without that, I found it difficult to maintain my composure in front of Reid after the effects of the video. The unrest on my face was as clear as if I were looking at it in a mirror.

A strange light appeared in his red eyes. A certain sense of expectation was directed at me.

"Ayleth Rodeline."

"Why?"

"Did something come to mind?"

"Would you like me to remember?"

"Yes."

"..."

"No."

The repeated answers revealed conflicting emotions.

He wanted me to remember, but at the same time, he didn't want me to.

His pupils darkened, as if they had sunk. Reid fell silent for a while. Even in his weakened state, the silence he created pressed down on the air, heavy with its weight.

Still, his condition wasn't bad. The updated world destruction status overhead read 78%. It had dropped by a full 12 percentage points.

The color had shifted from red to a dark orange, less threatening to anyone who saw it.

‘By the way, he called my name earlier.’

It seemed that the proof I was Ayleth Rodeline had been fully received. Watching from a distance, it seemed like the staring contest could be considered over.

I decided to speak in the most friendly voice I could manage.

"Reid."

"...."

"Ah, I should just call you Reid, right?"

It was probably better not to call him by his real name, given how consumed he was with self-loathing.

"....As you wish."

"Okay, Reid. Then should we eat first?"

"...."

"Let’s eat."

I knew my suggestion was sudden. It wasn’t that I was hungry, there were other reasons.

I secretly rolled my eyes. A system window was positioned just out of sight.

[ 'Leading the Final Villain Stage 2 (Difficulty: Unknown)'

Feed and provide psychological counseling.

Success reward: Extra-dimensional Storage Upgrade

Failure penalty: World Destruction]

I had received the mission of feeding and counseling Reid while risking the very existence of the world. It felt like I was going to choke already.

True to his role as the ultimate villain, Reid looked incredibly serious when he erased all expression and words. Staring at this solemn, emotionless face made me feel embarrassed by my seemingly trivial suggestion.

Then, the number updated above his head saved me.

[ World Destruction Status 73% (▼5%p)]

It seemed like he didn’t mind it so much. I breathed a sigh of relief and set the table.

✠

[‘The Language that Builds the World’ explains that sharing food has historically been a great way to build intimacy and thus fulfills the quest’s purpose.]

[‘The Cynic who Balances the World’ questions if the intent behind feeding the starving beast was to tame it.]

[‘The Scales that Judge Souls’ claims that the meal between the two should be called a date and pities the gods who know nothing of love.]

The Language’s words were true. Food is an effective tool for social bonding. Just by pulling out food from my inventory and laying it out like a prop, the atmosphere grew significantly warmer.

I was confident in my cooking skills. However, even with tempting food in front of him, Reid showed little enthusiasm in his gaze.

He simply picked up an apple, slowly bit into it, and chewed.

[‘The Language that Builds the World’ considers the sight of him nibbling at the table as a disgusting spectacle.]

[‘The Seer of Forbidden Knowledge’ informs us that the Final Villain doesn’t need food consumption at all.]

[‘The Cynic who Balances the World’ disapproves of a fallen being who doesn’t indulge in gluttony among the seven deadly sins.]

[‘The Scales that Judge Souls’ points out that for a male lead in a romance novel, simply committing lust is sufficient to fall into the seven deadly sins...]

I had a lot to think about.

The quest I received was titled ‘Leading the Final Villain’. My role was clear.

‘How do I lead him?’

I imagined kindly and gently advising Reid.

How about stopping the bad things and trying to live better? Surprisingly, the world has many beautiful aspects, you know?

How about saving the world one more time with me? Then, you can return to the embrace of the Language in this life!

I reached this conclusion after thinking it through.

‘He’s already in his 101st iteration. Would that even work?’

It would be lucky if it didn’t backfire when I brought it up.

At this point, a more forceful suggestion popped up.

<But do we really have to reform him? He’s weakened right now. If things go wrong, we could just...?>

"No. We might destroy the world if we try it clumsily."

Look at what happened earlier. I have no idea how the spirit king's harp was unbound when I had it tightly tied.

"Seems like you’re talking to Saint Agnes."

I spoke softly, but it seems he heard me.

I had mentioned Agnes, who always stays with me, to him during the tutorial period. It was when I got the Sword of the Demon King, and it seemed he hadn’t forgotten it.

That must have been about a thousand years ago.

After a crunch, as Reid bit the apple, his throat suddenly shifted. As I idly watched it, a question came.

"What did you say?"

He wants you dead.

"How did you get so badly burned?"

"...."

"Still, they say you’re handsome."

<Never said that!>

Ah, just a white lie for world peace.

Reid seemed indifferent to the compliment. Without a word, he turned and took another bite of the apple.

Well, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ he must know by now that he’s handsome, given that he’s in his 101st cycle. Even if he didn’t, I probably told him that every time I met him in the 100th iteration. Just like now.

Was it the result of observing his handsomeness for so long? Suddenly, I realized something about him.

His face, when looking away, felt completely different from when it was facing me. His eyes, which wandered in the air, reflected nothing.

What could stir someone who had seen the last twilight of existence? Death alone is all they desire, everything is fleeting.

At that moment, Reid’s eyes regained their light. The meaning was...

"Ayleth Rodeline."

He was looking at me.

"Yes. Why?"

"I have no power, so wouldn’t it be better to just kill me now?" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"...."

"From your perspective, if you just get rid of me, you’ll have it easier in this timeline."

His words pinpointed exactly what I had been thinking, almost as if he had heard Agnes’ voice.

I recalled the quest I had received. The system does not want him, as the fallen villain, to die. And...

"I don’t really want to."

Neither do I.

"Really?"

What was it in my answer that provoked him? His voice, as he repeated the question, carried an amusement.