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"You're wrong! Minato isn't a rebel!"
No matter how loudly she screamed, no one would listen. The crowd’s roar was relentless. Stones were hurled through the air, and insults rained down from every direction.
"Stop it! Please, stop it!"
Her desperate pleas fell on deaf ears. Before her eyes, the man she loved was being publicly humiliated, and she could do nothing to stop it.
"Let me go!"
Nanalicia tried to shove past the soldiers, straining to reach him.
But then, everything changed.
"...That's enough."
The low, cold voice belonged to the Hero. With that single sentence, the atmosphere grew heavy and still. The Hero walked forward, slowly closing the distance to Minato.
"...Stop," Nanalicia whispered, her voice trembling.
The Hero didn't hesitate. He came to a halt directly in front of the bound man and narrowed his eyes.
"This is the end."
In the next instant, the Hero’s foot lashed out, kicking Minato with brutal force.
"——!"
Still shackled and unable to brace himself, Minato’s body was flung into the air.
"Minatoooooo!!"
Nanalicia reached out, her fingers clawing at the empty air. She couldn't reach him. Minato’s body plummeted from the high castle wall, discarded like a piece of trash. He was swallowed by the distance, falling toward the ground far below.
"...Ah."
Her voice failed her. Her mind flatly refused to process what she had just seen.
But then, the sound of the impact reached her—a dull, sickening thud against the earth that dragged her back to reality.
"...Ah... hugh..."
The strength vanished from her legs. She collapsed to her knees as the world around her lost all sound.
"...Minato?"
There was no answer.
"...No."
Her breathing became frantic and shallow.
"No... Noooooooo!!"
A raw, agonizing scream rent the sky. Tears overflowed, streaming down her face in a torrent that wouldn't stop. Deep within her chest, something was shattering.
Sorrow. Despair.
And then—hatred.
"...I won't forgive you."
Her voice was a low, jagged tremor.
"I won't forgive any of you...!"
She glared at the Hero. At the citizens. At every living soul standing on those walls.
"Every last one of you... I'll make you pay...!"
It was then that she heard it. A voice—gentle, yet strangely nostalgic.
『...Make a wish.』
"…Eh?"
『You are the Saint. The one who turns prayers and wishes into miracles.』
Nanalicia’s eyes snapped open. In that moment, the ring on her finger began to glow with a faint, ethereal light. It was the precious Proof of Engagement she had exchanged with Minato, and once, it had been a Divine Artifact.
Nearby, she saw the Holy Sword at the Hero’s waist—a weapon granted to him by God.
"..."
With a face stained by tears, Nanalicia smiled. It was a frail, beautiful expression, yet one tinged with a flicker of madness.
"It's not... over yet."
In a sudden blur of motion, Nanalicia dashed forward.
"Wha—!?"
No one could react in time. She lunged at the Hero and snatched the Holy Sword from its scabbard.
"Nana!?" the Hero gasped, his face twisting in shock.
But he was too late. Without a moment's hesitation, Nanalicia bolted for the edge of the wall.
"Wait—!"
Ignoring his command, she leaped. She threw herself into the abyss, diving toward the spot where Minato had fallen.
The wind whipped through her hair as she plummeted. As she fell, the Holy Sword began to pulse with a blinding radiance, and her ring glowed in resonance.
『...State your wish.』
The divine voice echoed in her mind once more. Falling through the night, Nanalicia screamed with every ounce of her soul.
"Please...!"
Her tears scattered into the wind.
"Save Minato! I'll pay any Compensation! Whatever it takes—!"
The combined light of the Holy Sword and the ring sliced through the darkness. Then, God asked one final question.
『What is it you desire?』
Nanalicia didn't hesitate.
"—A future where I can live with him once more."
The light of the Holy Sword and the ring tore through the fabric of the world itself. Her falling body suddenly felt weightless, floating in a void. The wind, the gravity, and the screams of the crowd all vanished.
She found herself standing in a white, infinite space that stretched on forever.
"...Where am I...?"
The moment she whispered the question, the divine presence she had felt until now—the voice of God—simply vanished.
"...Eh?"
It was as if she had been abruptly cut off. The voice and the warmth were gone, leaving only silence.
"Well now, that was a surprise."
A casual, lighthearted voice drifted from behind her. Nanalicia spun around.
Standing there was a young man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He was handsome, but his eyes held a depth of time and intelligence that was fundamentally inhuman.
"Coming to this realm isn't exactly normal, you know," he said with a wry smile. "Originally, you were supposed to meet the 'God of the Inside' who manages that world."
"The Inside...?"
"Yeah. That thing is more like a system," the man said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's a Management Mechanism created by us 'Gods of the Outside' to keep the worlds running."
"God..."
Nanalicia tightened her grip on the Holy Sword. The young man chuckled softly at her defensive posture.
"No need to be so guarded. I'm not going to hurt you." He scratched his head, looking slightly inconvenienced. "In fact, your timing was actually pretty bad. I was just about to remake that world."
"...Remake it?"
"Yeah. A reset," he said, his tone incredibly casual for someone announcing the end of a world. "We manage a lot of worlds, and they always come in pairs."
"Paired... worlds?"
"To keep the souls circulating." Behind the man, countless orbs of light flickered into existence. Each one represented an entire world. "A soul that dies in one world is reborn in its partner. Your world and the world Minato came from are one such pair."
Nanalicia gasped, her heart racing.
"Reincarnators are just existences where we've tinkered with that mechanism a bit. A little game for us gods," he explained. "We let them keep memories, give them special powers—things like that. But honestly, it’s not that special. Everyone crosses between worlds when they die. They just don't remember it."
Nanalicia looked down, her thoughts consumed by one person. "...What about Minato?"
The young man's expression turned a fraction more serious. "His physical body is gone. There's no bringing that back."
The reality was cruel, but Nanalicia didn't look away.
"However, souls circulate. Even now, his soul is on the verge of being born as a new life back in his original world."
Nanalicia felt a sharp pang in her chest. "...Then, I'll never see him again?"
"Normally, yes." The young man looked her straight in the eye. "But if you want to see the same 'Minato' again, there is one way."
"...What is it?"
"Rewinding time. I can remake the world and drop him back in right after his first reincarnation."
A spark of hope ignited in Nanalicia's eyes. "Can you really do that?"
"Of course," God answered easily.
"But... it won't be unconditional, will it?"
"Right. I don't think it’s fair to grant a miracle like that for free. But if there are conditions involved, I'm willing to consider it."
He gestured, and a scene projected itself into the white space.
It was spring. Cherry blossoms danced in the air around the stairs of a school. A younger version of Minato was there—the version of him on the day of his High School Entrance Ceremony. Near him, a girl was losing her balance, about to fall.
"In the original timeline, he let this girl die," the man said quietly. "And now, the dregs of his previous life are engraved upon his soul. A tiny instinct, if you will."
He paused, his voice carrying a heavy weight. "At the very end, he made a wish: 'I don't want to save anyone.' Those words are carved into him now. In a new world, he might instinctively refuse to help anyone at all."
"..."
"However," the God said, his eyes locking onto Nanalicia’s. "If he chooses to save that girl anyway... then I’ll allow you to reunite in that remade world. I'll even let you keep some of your memories connected."
Nanalicia didn't need to think.
"...Please. Do it."
It was all so sudden, and she was learning things that defied her understanding of the universe. Yet, the only hope she cared about was the man she loved.
"I don't care what trials you give me. I just want to see Minato again. This time... I want to make him happy."
The young man narrowed his eyes slightly, a small smile playing on his lips. "That’s some impressive resolve."
He smiled gently and snapped his fingers. "Then the contract is sealed."
The countless worlds in the background began to shift and rearrange themselves within a brilliant light.
"Now—let’s begin the story once more."
The light engulfed Nanalicia. As her consciousness began to fade into the reset, she held onto a single, final wish.
—Next time, I will save you. Even if I have to make the entire world my enemy.