As dawn passed and morning just began, Aider and I climbed the eastern wall of Crossroad together.
"You already know why your achievements are so great, my lord, but…" Aider's voice was much quieter now, so I had to listen more closely than usual.
"It's because you continued to walk the difficult path."
Hearing him constantly praise and call me great was honestly a bit embarrassing.
I awkwardly scratched the back of my head. "You don't have to keep flattering me like that."
"Hehe. I'm merely stating the facts."
"I just stumbled along, taking one step at a time on the path in front of me."
"But you never stopped looking at the stars above," Aider whispered as we stood atop the wall.
"That's why you've reached this place."
"…"
We both stood, facing east.
The rising sun illuminated the sky with its brilliant light.
A new day was beginning.
A day without monsters, without nightmares, and without those who treated us like mere playthings. The first day… was just beginning.
"The easy path was always right in front of you. You could have forged ahead without conflict or anguish, fighting and killing the enemy to clear the way."
"…"
"But you didn't give up on the harder path. You struggled, you agonized, you attempted dialogue."
Standing there with his eyes closed, facing the sun, Aider took a deep breath.
"If you had decided that your enemies were born wrong, that they were to be killed, and made that choice without hesitation."
I listened to his words intently.
"If you had given up on talking to those across the deep chasm from the beginning. If you hadn't tried to love even what was ugly about them, hadn't tried to pity the pain of even your enemies."
A faint smile appeared on Aider's lips.
"If you had given up on the courage not to hate… this world wouldn't have reached this conclusion."
It was as if, before the game's credits rolled,
The Director was recapping the achievements I had accomplished.
"All those moments when you struggled and agonized, all that inefficiency had meaning. Those painful and difficult days led this world to the true ending… no."
Aider raised his hand and gestured behind us…Ne/w novel chapt𝒆rs are p/u/blished on no/vel(/bin(.)c/o/m
He pointed to Crossroad.
"They led us to 'today.'"
I turned around and took in the city standing before us.
The early morning sunlight poured over the city where we had fought our final battle just yesterday. Now, it was steeped in peaceful silence.
It was a time when all my people, who had cried and laughed through the night, were still enjoying the sweetness of a morning slumber.
The "tomorrow" I had longed to reach… had finally become "today."
"Congratulations, Player."
Aider slowly bowed deeply to me, with all the respect he could muster.
"I pay my respects to your great achievements."
"…"
"And now… it's time to grant the wish you were promised."
Aider gathered the gray particles from his body and forged them into a brilliant light.
It was a power separate from magic, the ability to access the otherworld as a system administrator. A part of that power still remained within him.
"You've waited a long time. It's time to deliver your message… to that child."
"…Aider."
"Don't worry. I've saved enough strength to grant your wish and transmit your message. I saved just enough life for this very moment."
My wish.
It was also the wish of a certain RetroAddict on Earth.
To send a message of encouragement to a child who lay in a coma in the hospital.
It was something I had waited so long to do. But…
I cautiously asked him, "If I fulfill that wish, then you…"
"Then I will finally be free."
Aider smiled softly, and I immediately understood what he meant.
As I feared.
If this wish is fulfilled, Aider will die.
"Don't look at me like that. I wouldn't have lasted a few more days in this state anyway."
"…"
"Rather than just fading away without purpose, wouldn't it be better to use the last of my life to deliver your words to that child?"
Aider chuckled softly.
"I'm just glad your wish is a small one. If it were any bigger, I might not have been able to fulfill it."
"Aider."
"I've achieved all my wishes."
Aider's gray eyes were clear and resolute.
"My lord, you've granted every one of my wishes."
"…"
"So now it's my turn."
I clenched my fist tightly.
"Now, my lord," Aider said, looking at me with an uncharacteristic tenderness.
"What do you want to say to that child?"
I took a deep breath.
I…
I…
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Suddenly, an energetic voice interrupted.
"Save that life! Hold on, hold on! I've got a better way!"
Startled, I turned to see the space in the air above the eastern wall rippling, and soon, a small door opened…
"Yoo-hoo!"
Salome popped out!
As the pink-haired, tanned troublemaker suddenly wedged herself between us, I shouted in disbelief.
"Salome?!"
"Tada~ That's right! The most seductive woman in the universe, Salome, reappears~!"
"No way, you're really alive!"
Genuinely shocked, I watched as Salome, who was making peace signs with both hands, narrowed her eyes.
"What's with that tone? It's like you were hoping I was dead…"
"No, I was hoping you were alive, of course. It's just… surprising…"
How did she manage to escape that chaos?
"Mm-hmm-hmm. Didn't I say? Now that I'm just a 'mind,' I can go anywhere I want! Even to another world!"
Salome puffed out her chest arrogantly and smirked.
"Since I'm essentially a spiritual entity, it costs me less to pass between worlds, and with you as a clear mental anchor here, I was able to just hop over!"
But then Salome started gasping for breath, looking like she was about to keel over.
"Heck, heck, but… there's barely any magic left in this world. It's suffocating…"
"Are you okay…?"
Magic, miracles, and powers like that had mostly disappeared from our world now.
As someone like Salome, who was a mix of all those things, it must be tough to hang on.
"Well, the truth is, I probably won't be able to survive in this world much longer."
Salome wiggled her fingers hesitantly.
"I'll have to leave for another world… But before I go, I wanted to see your face one last time, so I came here."
"Salome…"
I swallowed hard.
This succubus, who had fought to help me, had come to say goodbye before she left for another world.
"Ha… What a shame. What a waste… Leaving you behind is such a waste…"
Salome licked her lips as she looked me up and down with regret. What's that supposed to mean?
She gave me a greasy smile, raising her thumb and index finger into a V shape and placing it under her chin.
"Anyway, I'm heading to a world I've always wanted to visit!"
"…A world you've always wanted to visit?"
No way…
"It's a very distant world, but there's a definite mental anchor there."
"Could that mental anchor be…"
"Hehe, yes… Ash! I got the coordinates from peeking into your past!"
I gasped, my mouth hanging open.
That's right.
My personality was a copy of RetroAddict's.
In other words, Salome… had read RetroAddict's memories and knew RetroAddict's "mind" as well!
She planned to go to Earth!
Salome spun around, showing off her outfit.
"In fact, I prepared this outfit in advance for that world! This is Salome's foresight!"
"C-Crazy…"
I knew something was off when we reunited, but to think she planned this from the beginning…!
And what part of RetroAddict's memories made her choose that look? They might be a little… scared of her there…
"The new legend of the Succubus Empress Salome begins! Hahaha, look forward to it~!"
"What exactly are you planning to do…?"
Salome just grinned mischievously instead of answering.
I silently apologized to the people of Earth. I'm sorry, Earthlings. I'm about to export something pretty scary…
"Anyway, enough talk! I'm heading to that world now."
Salome extended her hand and drew a large circle in the air.
"I'm going to connect a passage between this world and that world for a moment… And as you know, I'm such an extraordinary woman that I can carry at least one person's 'mind' over with me."
I caught on to her meaning and asked,
"You're saying you can take my consciousness… to that world for a short time?"
Salome nodded.
"It's a bit different from the gray man's method, but the result is pretty similar. It'll be a short time, but you'll be able to reach that child's heart."
Salome smiled brightly.
"And more than anything… I want to watch your wish come true!"
I chuckled softly and nodded.
If it's her, she's more than qualified.
"Please, Salome."
"Alright, I'm getting ready!"
Salome began opening a door in the air.
Aider, who had been watching from the side, suddenly spoke urgently.
"Wait, my lord…!"
When I turned to look, Aider shook his head.
"You can't… do this!"
"Why not?"
"I promised you, didn't I? That when you reached the true ending, I would grant your wish…!"
Aider clutched his chest with trembling hands.
"You kept your promise to me. So, I have to… repay you."
"…"
"I must reward you, who fought on without giving up for so long! But…"
"Hey, Aider."
I smiled warmly at him.
"I've already received more than enough reward."
"What?"
"It's right here."
I gestured toward the city behind us. Aider's eyes widened.
There was the peaceful landscape of Crossroad, bathed in the morning sunlight.
"What greater reward could there be?"
"…"
"Our wish to save the world was something we achieved by fighting together. You don't owe me anything more."
"But…"
In the first place, fulfilling my wish at the cost of someone else's life was never an option.
I came this far carrying my wish to save someone.
So, the idea of fulfilling my wish at the expense of your remaining life is completely out of the question, you idiot.
"…"
Perhaps unexpectedly given a slight extension of his life,
Aider's voice faltered in confusion.
"Then… what should I do with the life I have left…"
I gently patted Aider's shoulder.
"Why not use that remaining life… to fulfill your last wish?"
"My last… wish?"
"Yeah."
I smiled softly.
"Think about it. What you want to do at the very end of your life."
"…"
"Find your true last wish for yourself."
At the end of this long journey, I wanted my accomplice to be happy too.
I wanted him to use his last moments for himself.
"…My last… wish…"
Leaving the dazed Aider behind, I stood before Salome.
"Well, Ash! This is the moment you've been dreaming of!"
Standing in front of the wide-open magical door, Salome grinned brightly.
"You've carried your banner, walked to the very end, and now… it's time to deliver your heart's message in person!"
For some reason, I started to feel nervous, my heart pounding in my chest.
I took a deep breath and steadied myself.
Salome extended her hand to me.
"Come on! Let's go fulfill your wish!"
"…Yeah!"
I took Salome's hand.
With a mischievous smile, Salome pulled me forward, and a blinding white light filled my vision.
And then…