---

Ian was dragged out by the guards and shuffled back to his room.

She’s going to die.

She could live if she chose to marry him, but she insists on choosing death.

“…Well, I guess marrying a pet frog is worse than dying, huh.”

Maybe I fell in love with her without understanding her situation.

While Ian lay there blankly, time passed, and the next day arrived.

The day the criminals were to be executed.

Ian got up from the bed.

Even if she was a rejected pet frog, he couldn’t just let her die.

“Proceed with the execution.”

Count Kalyuga waved his hand.

Thud!

Another neck was severed by the Golem’s axe.

Blood spurted from the separated head.

“Next.”

As the headless corpse was cleared away, the neck of the former saint woman was placed on the execution platform.

“Prepare.”

The Golem’s axe was raised.

Just as Count Kalyuga was about to raise his hand—

“…Stop.”

Disheveled from rushing in, Ian appeared.

“Ian Kalyuga. What are you doing?”

Count Kalyuga’s pale face scrunched up.

“It seems I can’t keep my promise after all.”

A spark of magic flickered in Ian’s hand.

Vwooooosh!

At that moment, all the Golems reacted to his magic.

“I will take back the Golems I created with my magic.”

“…A rebellion, you foolish son.”

“It’s not a rebellion; I’m just taking back what’s mine.”

The Golems knelt around Ian in subservience.

Yet even after witnessing this scene, Count Kalyuga laughed.

“You’re a fool, my son.”

Vwoooosh!

Magic glimmered from Count Kalyuga’s hand as well.

“Brilliant in magical engineering, but I’ve never had to fight for leadership over Golem command before.”

Snap!

As the Count snapped his fingers, the Golems rose again, obeying his commands.

“Did you really think I was unprepared for you to pull such tricks?”

“…Tch!”

Ian clicked his tongue, extending both hands.

Magic swirled around them.

I will win, no matter what.

Even if it meant my death, I couldn’t let her die here.

The underwater struggle between the two Kalyugas over the Golems was fierce.

“…This is absurd. Is this adaptation speed even possible?!”

Soon, the Count’s face hardened.

Losing his composure, he shouted.

“Someone! Anyone! Cut that brat’s head off!”

Though the Count urgently ordered,

Bang!

The Golem’s fist struck down faster.

The broken, bloodied Count flattened against the ground, twitching.

“Kate!”

Ian freed the chains that bound Kate’s hands.

While he was distracted by Kate, the Count, filled with malice, gave his final order.

The Count’s last command spread to all the Golems before he lost his life.

Vwooooosh!

– Annihilation.

– Annihilate all living beings.

Once Ian completely freed Kate, he tried to embrace her.

Crash!

The Golem’s attacks came crashing down upon them.

Thanks to Kate rolling into Ian’s arms, they both managed to escape unharmed.

“What the hell is this…!”

Ian quickly attempted to enforce magic to stop the Golems, but it was impossible.

Count Kalyuga had poured his last will into rampaging the Golems with all his magic and life.

With the power struggle between the two Kalyugas already overloading the Golems, an order beyond their threshold sent them into chaos, and they began to rampage.

“Watch out, Ian!”

Boom!

Kate swung a fist imbued with holy power to smash one Golem.

“T-thank you, Kate…”

Kate looked around while holding Ian in her arms.

“AAAAAH!”

“Help me! I don’t want to die!”

“The Golems have gone insane!”

A scene of the countless spectators gathered to watch the execution being slaughtered by the Golems.

With the Golem circuits completely fried, controlling every Golem present became impossible.

In this state, there was nothing Ian could do unless he brought new Golems.

“Let’s run, Kate! I’ll bring new Golems! We need to find a safe place…!”

Kate faced Ian with a sorrowful expression.

“I’m sorry, Ian.”

“No, don’t! You’re unarmed and have no equipment!”

“But I’m a saint. Saint Cartecia who protects people and leads them on the right path.”

Kate let Ian down and leaped forward.

“NO! KATE!”

She began smashing Golems to save people.

However, in a situation where the knights had all fled, there was only so much a lone saint could do.

Ian ran.

Surely, there were Golems in the mansion’s basement prepared for emergencies.

He had to quickly get the Golems and save Kate.

He ran so fast it seemed unprecedented in his lifetime, awakening the sleeping army of Golems in the mansion.

And when he returned, he was met with a horrifying sight of her sprawled on the ground.

Her left arm was nowhere to be seen, and her right arm was twisted at a grotesque angle that he couldn’t even bear to look at.

Intestines flowed from a gaping hole in her stomach, torn and crushed to the point they were barely recognizable as human.

“Kate!”

Ian scooped her up.

“No! Kate! Open your eyes! Please! Where’s the priest?!”

The boy wailed, but no one remained in the execution grounds littered with the remains of Golems.

“Ian…”

“Kate! Kate!”

“I want to hear Ian’s music…”

In the end, the spark of life faded from the girl’s eyes.

Aaaaah!

Raindrops fell upon the weeping boy.

—

### Next Vision

After brutally killing other rulers, Ian ascended as the Wizard King.

He held a grand funeral for Kate and sorted out her belongings.

Though she was the kingdom’s greatest saint, all that remained of her possessions were meager.

Rustle.

The boy found a diary, a small fairy tale book, and a magical recording artifact inside.

The fairy tale book had seen much wear from repeated readings.

[The Prince Turned into a Frog]

Upon reading the title, Ian’s eyes widened.

The boy anxiously played back what was recorded in the magical artifact.

Ding!

A familiar melody flowed out.

The basic theme he had always played for the girl, Ostinato.

Ian hastily grabbed the diary.

And as he opened it, the boy wailed.

He was not a pet frog.

He was the prince turned into a frog.

She did not become a saint because she hated him and his family.

She was forced to take on the position of saint to avoid changing public perception towards him from within the religious community.

She didn’t reject him because she disliked him.

She had been trying to save him from the threats posed by Count Kalyuga before he arrived.

She didn’t dislike him.

From the first day they met, just like him, she had been infatuated with him.

As the sight of Ian weeping uncontrollably faded, the vision ended.

—

### Next Vision

Ian, having installed a massive magic circle in the Magical Kingdom.

He continued experiments endlessly, seeking a way to revive the girl.

He fused every jewel in the kingdom as materials and sacrificed hundreds of innocent lives.

No matter what he did, reversing time was impossible.

Yet he didn’t give up.

He would bring her back, even if it meant destroying the world.

And then, having reached transcendence, he uncovered a secret of the world.

The existence of the [Akashic Archive] that governs the stories of the entire universe.

The omnipotence of that institution, which can store and intervene in all of history in the form of narrative.

—

“You can’t do that, no matter how dire the circumstances.”

The head of the [Archive] stood in his way.

“Changing history would disrupt the balance of the world. As the overseer of the [Archive], I absolutely cannot permit it.”

Ian charged at the archivist, but he was no match for the archivist’s power.

“If the [Archive] method won’t work, I’ll have to resort to the power of the Abyss.”

“You’ll regret it.”

“…I’ve regretted enough already. I can’t even wish for more.”

The archivist could only watch pitifully as Ian walked away.

—

Facing the Abyss, Ian declared.

“I will give everything.”

The power of the Abyss flowed into him.

“Return her to me.”

Enveloped and tainted by the Abyss, he became the Apostle of the Abyss and the Obliterator, Orpheus.

He felt the Abyss mocking him, yet he forced himself to look away.

As long as he could save her, he was willing to do anything.