In every world, there was always a Saint.
In every world, there was also a Hero.
And the Witch walks alone on a never-ending journey.
Until she finds the answer.
Until she is satisfied.
Until she reaches the ending she desires.
Until the remaining coins disappear.
It was a matter of course.
The Black Witch, who had lost everything, was to turn back, restart, and reclaim it all, which meant that Teresa’s cycle involved the world being reset apart from her.
Of course, Teresa herself could not be sure whether this was simply a return in time, a movement to a parallel world, or if it was simply the memories of the future injected back into the past.
[sigh Maybe my head has been messed up since earlier.]
Self-deprecating, Teresa stood up, tears streaming down her face.
Could it be that she couldn’t forget the connections from her previous cycles?
Just moments ago, the blood of the Hero and Saint that stained her hands had somehow disappeared without a trace, leaving her feeling nauseous and giving her a headache.
However, no matter how painful it was, no matter how horrifying it felt to the point of wanting to die, the Black Witch could not just stand still here.
Time was still flowing. The more she hesitated, the faster the world rushed toward its conclusion.
Things that need to happen will happen.
Those who are meant to die will die.
Betrayers and defectors are still alive and breathing…
The Demon King descending to destroy the world.
And the only ones trying to stop that were the Golden Hero, the Mangja Seongnyeo, and the Black Witch, who wanted to grab onto the happy ending the Saint hoped for.
If those who desire a new ending do not move, the conclusion will remain unchanged.
[I’ll come to meet you, Shia.]
It wasn’t always a given that everything in the world would go as it always had.
That was also the reason Teresa thought that her cycles weren’t just simple time regressions.
In some cycles, Menelapie wasn’t an Emperor but a wandering adventurer, and during that cycle, Shia founded something similar to the Rose Order and led humanity on her own, resisting the Demon King.
In other cycles, there were instances where genders were reversed, and the Demon King had descended using Menelapie as a host.
In conclusion, the countless cycles Teresa experienced were similar yet different.
Though the main plotline was similar, sometimes strange properties were assigned, or bizarre variations and twists that Teresa herself couldn’t even imagine accompanied each restart.
This was the reason Teresa speculated that her regressions were not just simple time loops, but rather another timeline that resembled a parallel world.
And at some point, giving up trying to count how many times had ‘started anew,’
Teresa met a new Shia.
Ah—how could I forget?
No matter how many times I see you again.
No matter how many times it repeats.
You are always there.
You always catch my gaze.
Like touching sand, your presence nonchalantly stirs the world, drawing my eyes as if you were a shining jewel.
My Saint.
My Shia.
This time, what will you do when you see me?
Even if you seem indifferent, it’s fine.
I like it when you suddenly come close like a puppy, extending your hand to me.
Even if you seem exhausted and about to collapse, even if you are blackened, rotten, or broken, it’s fine.
Because no matter which version of you it is, it’s still you.
[My name is… Shia, no. It’s Lirisia.]
Ah, Shia.
Yes, this time you’re quite shy.
You’ve fallen into an unfamiliar world. It’s understandable that you’re a bit fearful of others and that you’re hiding your true name because you might hurt someone.
It’s okay.
I know your name, and I understand your feelings…
I’ll let you deceive me.
It’s okay to be like this.
No, this different appearance is quite appealing.
And the name Lirisia isn’t too bad either.
[That’s a nice name, Lirisia.]
[I’m not a woman…]
[What? Not a woman? Saying that with such a lewd body is quite amusing.]
Oh, it seems you haven’t been a Saint for long, have you?
[Ah! I’m late to introduce myself. My name is…..]
So I’ll just play around with the names a bit.
[If possible, I hope you remember me. I am Eselatia K Teryna.]
So Lirisia met the Witch who went by Eselatia.
Recarving lost connections, moving into the world, seeking what she wished to find, and battling in the field she had to fight in.
By the way, this time’s Hero was quite different from the one Teresa had known.
While the appearance looked the same as the Black Witch had known, the personality was far crazier and more violent than any Hero Teresa had ever met.
No, to be precise, it felt closer to having fallen.
“Die, you filthy thing.”
[Cutting – Guillotine]
Kakang!!!
It seems appropriate to say that he surpassed mere craziness.
This cycle’s Hero, Menelapie, swung his sword at Teresa the moment he saw her, trying to kill her.
Originally, Teresa had a personality that returned attacks in kind, but seeing the Hero’s ghastly expression, she suppressed her instincts.
That was how serious Menelapie’s state was.
It wasn’t just fatigue and stress; he was on a razor’s edge, almost having lost hope entirely.
‘This could be bothersome, maybe I should just eliminate him…?’
I just need to save Shia.
Nothing else matters.
He’s just an annoying rival anyway, right?
Would it be wrong to kill him?
Considering his current state, wouldn’t killing him be…
‘No. Stop.’
As Teresa came to that thought, she gathered the last remaining scraps of her humanity and dispelled the murderous intent.
No matter how tired and worn the Hero was, Teresa could never guarantee victory in a direct confrontation, and there was a huge risk of losing Lirisia’s trust if she killed the Hero.
Using that kind of cost just to kill the Hero was way too extreme.
To kill the Demon King and to lead this war to victory, having the Saint, the Witch, and the Hero all together was crucial.
Only then could the minimum condition for a ‘happy ending’ be secured.
‘Looks like the Hero has suffered greatly from the Demon King and the defectors, leading to an extreme distrust of humanity.’
“Ya almost got me killed.”
“Does the Emperor need a reason to kill the Black Witch when he’s supposed to protect humanity?”
If Teresa hadn’t accumulated battle experience and senses after countless cycles, or if the dolls she summoned weren’t sturdy enough to withstand the Hero’s blow, the Black Witch this time would have been killed by the Hero’s hands before even forming a proper connection.
‘Ugh, it’s hard to adapt…’
It gets tough when every world is just a little different.
If only they were completely identical, it might be easier to strategize.
No, they’re the same while being different.
Teresa took the Hero’s sword away, lifted her dress with one hand, and placed the other on her chest, greeting like an elegant noblewoman.
Only then did the Hero realize there was no hostility from her.
But even though he accepted her, Menelapie kept his guard up from the start.
Given that Lirisia trusted Teresa, it was only natural to see the Black Witch’s power as a massive advantage in terms of sheer firepower.
So time passed once more.
Fighting. Killing. Executing.
Eliminating obstacles. Correcting anomalies…
“Eselatia… Thank you.”
“No problem, Lirisia. We need to capture any defectors that show up.”
Besides, this time’s Saint, Lirisia, hesitated, knowing her power was too great.
She feared that someone might die because of her strength.
In fact, the hesitative approach and the personality that Teresa once knew seemed to have made her a lot more timid, which led Teresa to believe that Lirisia must have killed someone already.
Perhaps intentionally or not, it seemed the first murder committed by Lirisia in this world had left a deep scar that influenced her behavior.
‘The Saint who’s embarrassed to use her power and a broken Hero on the brink of falling…’
Yes, such worlds could exist.
Gaining the trust of a broken Hero suffering from a severe distrust of humanity was quite a challenging task.
Generally, the Heroes Teresa knew had always been like the golden rose, beautiful and noble, but this world’s Hero had been betrayed and deceived by all manner of defectors.
Yet nevertheless, time resolves everything.
While Lirisia didn’t mind using her power against the Demon King and his forces, she wasn’t as positive as Teresa had known her to be, and that small difference had once nearly put her in a perilous situation, and she seemed quite saddened and hurt when dealing with ‘defectors’ instead of the Demon King’s army.
“Alright, Lirisia. Let’s take out the defectors.”
“Uh, um…?”
“What’s wrong?”
“W-Well, killing…!”
“Ha.”
Ah, Shia.
You’re so weak and kind here.
I wonder if you realize that such weakness is eating you away.
You’re so different from the you I knew.
‘Should I kill them?’
Should I rip out their hearts?
Complete the [conditions required to return] by ripping out the hearts of the dead?
I see no possibility.
You’re weaker and more worn down than the Hero and Saint I knew.
‘Yeah, I can always reset anyway.’
At that time, the unique nihilistic mindset of a time-traveler gnawed at Teresa.
Naturally, the hope she once had for this cycle was gradually fading away.
The start conditions were simply bad.
Elves, dwarves, beastfolk, and mermaids were on the brink of annihilation, and while not all of humanity was wiped out, only a few small nations and the empire led by Menelapie were left to stand against the Demon King.
Moreover, the Hero Menelapie had grown weary and broken due to betrayal and treachery from his fellow humans, which meant neither Eselatia-Teresa nor herself had gained the Hero’s full trust.
It was likely that the only reason the broken Hero was still holding on was because of Lirisia.
However, the most critical problem was Lirisia.
Strong?
No, she was still strong.
But it was her mindset before her strength that was the issue.
‘You’re too weak…!’
Teresa felt as if she were looking at her very first self before starting a cycle…
The youngest version of herself.
The hesitant self.
The weak, hesitant, timid Teresa from that time.
Rather than Shia, it was Lirisia.
She was far too kind.
And in this hellish world, her goodness and kindness had become poison that was eating her away.
“Saint! Saint! I did it to survive! I had no choice; I had to do this to ensure my family and I could live…!”
“Ugh…!”
“You can’t protect us all when the odds are stacked against you!! I beg! Please! Just one more chance…!”
She empathized and grieved over others’ pain and suffering as if it were her own, and rightfully so she would be called a Saint, but she occasionally tried to show mercy to her enemies and that mercy turned excessive.
Ah, yes.
Just like now.
“Get out of the way, Lirisia.”
“Eselatia….!!!”
Pang!
Bam!
“Ah…….”
Mercy to the Demon King’s minions and defectors…
As Lirisia sat down from the blood of a human staining her cheek, Eselatia passed by without looking back.
Lirisia.
You are far too weak.
You are so…. foolish?
“Ah, ugh…….”
“Ugh, get up, Lirisia.”
‘Should I reset? Should I…?’
Seeing Lirisia’s defenseless back as she sat in shock, Teresa… no, Eselatia’s gaze sank.
If it were the original Teresa, she would never have had such thoughts toward Shia.
No matter how much Shia hesitated or how hopeless this cycle’s Saint might seem…
The Black Witch would have never held such murderous thoughts.
“Ugh…!”
Then Eselatia was horrified by the fact that she had entertained such thoughts.
Ah, this is bad.
It felt like her soul was fracturing.
What on earth am I thinking about with my Saint…
Eselatia fled, distancing herself from Shia.
Amidst the flickering human lights, when Shia’s figure slipped from her vision, Teresa sat down.
“I’m so craving a reset. Damn it.”
