Volume 3 - CH 25

“Is this the end?”

Said Patrick as my foothold came down.

With the power aided by the pruning sword Ikitemina, the evil god Kugelschreiber vanished.

Despite his weird name, he was a strong evil god. Wasn’t I the one who named him?

I defeated the evil god who tried to conquer the world I’m in with his wicked ways. Yet, when I could not rejoice, I heard a cheerful voice. Remn happily said,

“Oneesan, you did it! I can’t believe we beat him!”

“…You’re welcome.”

“Huh? Aren’t you happy?”

Is he trying to make me explain why I don’t feel happy? This god is a little sly, too.

Meanwhile, the God of Light, Sanon, has a blunt attitude.

“Then, it’s my time to leave. Yumiela Dolknes, you did a great job defeating the evil god. Thank you to everyone involved.”

After saying that, Sanon disappears, enveloped in light.

She is still as prickly as ever. But I felt she would probably always remember Yumiela #2.

My parallel world self. Yumiela #2 is dead. She jumped into the Black Hole to strengthen me.

Like she had promised, she had taken the evil god with her. No doubt she played the most active role this time, especially in telling the pruning sword’s name.

She has an attitude and seems to hate everything in the world. But she was not a bad person at heart, she regretted destroying the world, and I hated her, but I couldn’t hate her like that.

Patrick must have had similar feelings. Neither he nor I knew what to say, and silence ensued.

After a while, Patrick blurted.

“I hope you didn’t leave any hair in the bathroom.”

“Hair?”

Are you talking about the personal belongings placed in the grave? I asked him back, and he replied.

“We would need a body part to bring her back to life with the elixir, wouldn’t we? We have our hair in storage, but hers—”

“Ah!”

I was careless. I had forgotten entirely about the elixir.

“The elixir! Remn, give me all the elixirs!”

“Huh? Without a body part, you can’t do that, right? Should you do that to her?”

“Don’t say a word. Just give me the elixirs.”

“O-okay.”

I received four vials from the damn boy.

There are six in total, including the ones that Patrick and I have. Now I regret using one to restore the cup.

From my pocket, I take out mine. The little vial was safe. What’s it made of?

“Patrick, take out yours.”

“Yumiela, it’s useless without her body parts. She won’t come back to life.”

“No, I’m not going to bring her back to life, okay?”

“Eh?”

Patrick’s sorrowful expression changes to a dubious one.

I guess I didn’t explain myself well.

“You just don’t want to revive #2, do you? You don’t want to live with her because you don’t like her. And you don’t want her doing bad things elsewhere and giving me a bad name.”

“Yumiela? What are you talking—”

His words died there. Yep, he is misunderstood, but I don’t have time to spare for an explanation.

Remn interrupts, replacing Patrick, who has fallen silent.

“You’re right! Two oneesan in one world is weird, right?”

“Remn, stop talking. Let’s move.”

Our destination is just around the corner. The meadow is outside the town. It is also where I met Yumiela #2 for the first time.

Unable to suppress my feelings, I run. Patrick kept his mouth shut but followed me in my tracks. Remn is stealthily stepping into my shadow.

Then, we arrived.

Since it happened just yesterday, I remember the location well.

“I believe it was here.”

“What the hell are you doing?”

The explanation would be better after we get to the other side.

I pull the jet-black sword from its sheath and release its true power.

“Pruning sword, Ikitemina.”

If this doesn’t work, my plan will fail. Please, I’m begging.

The space-time distortion from which Yumiela #2 came out. I slash the place where it was, tracing it with my sword.

“I knew it! My hunch was spot on!”

“Eh? The gateway to another world?! Oneesan, what are you doing?!”

There appeared in front of us a spatial distortion. The same one #2 used. I don’t have to tell you where they lead, right?

“Let’s go. I’ll explain it to you later.”

We dive into space-time distortion. There is no hesitation.

My head felt as if being shaken. I ended up shutting my eyes.

Patrick appeared shortly behind me. He is looking around and says.

“Is this… the royal castle?”

“Yeah, it looks like the royal castle’s balcony.”

We are on the balcony overlooking the Kingdom of Balshine’s royal capital.

Although it was a familiar place, it took me some time to recognize it because the view was nothing like the royal capital that we know.

There was no sign of life on the main street, which should have been overflowing with people. The seamless walls had collapsed here and there. There were damages to buildings seen throughout the town.

While I spent my relatively peaceful third year at the academy, #2 was raising her level, encouraged by the evil god. By the time I returned to the Dolknes territory, #2 had gone to the extreme in her destruction.

This is the scene she left behind.

I felt I was not qualified to blame her, as I had had a good life.

“Did #2 do it with flair, or were monsters that did it?”

“And I thought I knew her, but I never thought she’d do something like this.”

This is not the royal capital we know. This is #2’s royal capital, her world.

From my point of view, it is a parallel world. For convenience, let’s call it the second world.

Patrick observes as he gazes into the ruined world as if it were burned into his eyes.

“I see. We could find her hair in this world.”

“I told you, I won’t bring her back to life. Wouldn’t it be too cruel to bring her back to life and ask her to live alone in this world?”

“Then, why are we here?”

The stage is set. Let me explain my plan.

“What do you think about the elixirs, Patrick?”

“It’s a revival potion?”

“We could use it on a broken cup, right? You could say the cup was revived, but it’s funny that even the tea inside the cup was restored, too.”

Revival potion, my eyes were glazed over at the memorable word. The only thing that came to mind was the cup.

“What do you think it is?”

“It’s a thyme wrap.”

“Thy—what?”

Huh? The response is weak. I had expected some kind of reaction.

Was the analogy not appropriate? Let me try again.

“The elixir can rewind the time for the affected target.”

“Rewind?”

“The dead become the living. The broken cup is mended, and the tea inside is restored. Today became yesterday.”

“So, what?”

He still doesn’t get it. Patrick isn’t as perceptive as you might think. This unorthodox move is even more unethical than resurrecting the dead. It may not have occurred to him, who adheres to common sense.

Will Patrick agree to my plan? I hope he does.

“I’m going to rewind this world’s time!”

With the elixirs, let’s bring the world back to life!

Let’s wrap the whole world in a time wrap!

Back to the time before Yumiela #2 destroy the world!

She and all the people she killed will come back!

“Maybe you shouldn’t?”

Patrick stares at me, flabbergasted.

I knew it was forbidden. But I will do it. Even if he disagrees, I will do it even if he hates me.

Before Patrick could react, from my shadow came another response.

“No way! Absolutely not! That’s messed up! Who knows what negative effects this will have, with all the laws being broken! Come on, stop it, oneesan!”

I didn’t ask Remn’s opinion.

Prompted by him, Patrick belatedly opens his mouth as well. It seems like a bad idea, doesn’t it?

“This is what I like about Yumiela. Unconventional but not wrong. She’s hard to understand but kind.”

“Are you against it or not?”

“Even if I object, you’re going to force me to go through with it, aren’t you?”

“Mhm, that’s the plan.”

“All the best. You have a strong heart that never wavers. I love you, Yumiela.”

He suddenly confessed to me. My mind went blank.

Remn is making a lot of noise, but I can’t hear him.

The extra motivation got me going. Let’s do it. Let’s rewind the world.

“Yosh, let’s get started.”

I take out the six elixirs from my pockets.

I held three small vials, one in each hand between my fingers.

Remn said that the bigger and more complicated the targets are, the more magic power is needed. Given my current magical power, which has grown to an unmatched level compared to yesterday, surely I can bring the world back to life.

Then I pour my mana into the six elixirs as much as possible.

“The target is this entire world! This planet, this universe! Time for everything! Rewind!”

The elixirs produce a blinding light. The light is so bright that I can’t look directly at my hands.

Go back, go back, rewind. I keep pouring my magic desperately. I don’t care if I run out of mana. For now, just pour it all out.

The change was immediate.

When I looked at the sky, the sun moved at breakneck speed. It’s moving from west to east. Everything in the world is going backward.

“Go back, go back, rewind.”

“Atta! Way to go, Yumiela!”

We may not make it to the world’s end at the current speed.

Faster. Go back, rewind. Turn back the world. Rewind!

The world rewinding phenomenon accelerates. The sun moves too fast for the eye to follow. Day and night are repeated instantly, making the sky seem to flash.

One of the elixirs between my right index and middle finger shatters into pieces. Is this the limit?

In rapid succession, two or three vials broke in my hand.

“Not yet! More! Rewind!!”

Not only the elixir, but I am near my limit as well.

This was the first time that I had used so much mana. I have used enough mana to shoot thousands of Black Holes. I am using mana capable of destroying many worlds to regenerate Yumiela #2’s world.

The world stops going back as soon as the last elixir is shattered.

We are back to the normal time flow once a second pass, another second pass.

While out of breath, I check the results.

“Haa, haa… did we make it in time?”

“Mhm, look at that.”

Patrick gestures toward the royal capital sight.

The main street where people are constantly on the move. The majestic and grand church. The solid, impenetrable town walls. The bustling town I knew was there.

I’m glad it was a success.

“The sun rises and sets roughly three hundred times, rewinding time back about a year. Good job, Yumiela.”

My body relaxed with relief. Even standing up is hard for me.

Patrick held me as I wobbled and almost fell over.

“We are not done yet, now we need to meet #2.”

This was probably when Alicia and the others finished subjugating the Demon King. Around that time #2 hated and resented everything in the world and tried to destroy it. Without stopping it, my objective will not be achieved.

I can’t use brute force, which is my forte. If she is not persuaded, I must tell her that destroying the world will only leave her with regrets and that the world is better than she thought it would be.

Will I be able to move her heart? What words should I choose to convey my feelings?

Where is she? I must find her.

When I tried to walk away, I couldn’t find my footing, and Patrick had to hold me again.

“What are you doing out here in broad daylight?”

This voice! When I looked over, there she was. Yumiela Dolknes in her school uniform. She is the past Yumiela #2.

“Oh, etto.”

“Eh? Me? But you are too weak for me. A small fry, I’m not like you.”

“Huh? I’m not the lonely one who has no lover to lend me their chest for support—”

We got into a heated argument, but how could she be so aggressive when we had just met for the first time?

As I curiously wondered, #2 turned away from my glare and said.

“Ah, I will let you know how much I appreciate it. Thank you.”

She continued, her gaze wandering shyly.

“I will do better this time.”

“Don’t tell me… you remember?”

She said ‘this time.’ Knowing that this world has been rewound. For unknown reasons, Yumiela #2 remembers meeting me.

Good. I don’t recall cursing, straddling, and hitting each other as far as I’m concerned, but I do remember it all.

When I was overwhelmed with emotion and unable to respond, #2 became very animated.

“Look at your expression! I will become stronger than you, reach a higher social status than you, and find a better lover!”

“I don’t think you can find a better lover.”

“Hah? If I wanted to, I could find a fiancee or two in no time.”

“I meant there is no one better than Patrick… if you believe that, then are you aware of your lack of desirability?”

“Hmph! He’s not that great either. Where do you find him? He’s so boring.”

“Are you asking for a fight?!”

Come on, I’ll show you the difference between us in a fistfight.

Despite my bold attempts to jump on Yumiela #2, I was held back by a shoulder hug from behind.

“Don’t stop me! She’s saying bad things about you!”

“Why does this happen every time? Can’t we just get along now?”

No way, I hate her.

I flail in an attempt to escape from his arm, but I can’t escape without any strength. What’s wrong with me? I’ve powered up.

Shall we start with Patrick and then clear things up? Then #2. I can’t help but try to defend Patrick’s honor.

While we were looking around, Yumiela #2 was leaning out from the balcony and looking down.

“Did you forget where you are? You better get the hell out of here because if you misbehave, they’ll blame it on me.”

“Are you trying to escape?!”

“Take care, Yumiela #1.”

Yumiela #2 said so and jumped off the balcony.

Where are we? Obviously, the royal castle’s balcony. We are here because this is where she crossed over to my world.

Someone would find us if we were making a racket like this.

No sooner had I realized the danger of this location, I heard angry voices coming from inside the castle.

“Hey, you over there!”

“Oh no, we’re leaving!”

Patrick carried me in his arms, and we jumped into the spatial distortion.

Thus, having saved the world and one little girl, we returned to our original world.