“Try playing something called ostinato.”

The maestro of the imperial orchestra, summoned urgently by the crown prince, was taken aback by his absurd command.

“Ostinato… you mean?”

“Yes. An ostinato that holds onto a love that repeats eternally.”

The maestro wondered if the crown prince had eaten something strange, but he couldn’t voice that thought.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. Ostinato refers to a musical technique where the same melody is repeated continuously. If you have a particular melody in mind, we can play it through ostinato.”

“…Are you saying there’s no specific melody?”

“That is correct, Your Highness.”

Sigh.

The orchestra conductor sighed internally.

He thought this might be a chance for increased support for the band since the crown prince called for them, but now it seemed like he was rambling about ostinatos.

“Is this just another day as usual?”

For the high-ups, music was simply a pastime to look cultured—nothing more, nothing less.

Especially these days when arcane engineering is highly developed, and superior mediums are emerging, the position of traditional music just keeps shrinking.

And just like that, he prepared himself for disappointment, thinking this was another unrealistic expectation.

“Then teach me.”

“…Huh?”

The maestro doubted his ears.

“I’m telling you to teach me music. So I can perform ostinato. Don’t worry. In return, I promise full support for the orchestra.”

This was hard to believe.

While it wasn’t unheard of for nobles to learn instruments, it usually stopped at a hobby level.

But now the crown prince himself asks for a lesson while promising support?

However, this was just the tip of the iceberg.

“Is it like this when holding a violin?”

“It’s difficult… ostinato…”

“I should be able to play at least an ostinato for my beloved!”

A violin craze swept across the continent.

[…….]
That wave was so immense it even reached the ears of the god of music.

*

“Will you not dance with me, lady?”

“Of course, Prince Frog.”

Numerous couples danced in the ballroom.

Familiar melodies flowed repeatedly for them.

The men had slicked-back hair and wore masks, while the women styled their hair like saints.

Inside the ballroom, they were Ian and Kate.

As the dance ended, the men carefully folded and stored the wrappers of candies they received from the women in their inner pockets.

This was happening all over the continent.

*

Divine Realm

Domain of the God of Sacrifice, Ren

After finishing a round of training, Goddess Ren sat cross-legged.

Having restarted her training to catch up on a long period of laziness, she was completely different from before.

Suddenly, her eyes, which had been closed, flew open.

“Who are you?!”

There shouldn’t be anyone else in her domain.

Ren held her sword and pointed it in one direction.

“……”

Then, from behind a pillar, a familiar-looking man walked out.

He looked rough and had a bushy beard—he was a mercenary.

“Just as I thought, it’s the captain. To hide with all my might and still be found, I seem not to have rusted yet.”

“H-Hans…? How…!”

Ren’s eyes trembled.

“Is it really you…?”

She approached him with a shaky voice.

“Hahaha. Who else but me, Hans, the captain’s trusted man and the strongest of men?”

Even as Ren pulled his cheeks and poked him here and there, the man just laughed heartily.

“B-but how…?”

Tears streamed down Ren’s face.

With a loud thud, she opened her arms wide and embraced Hans.

“Hans!”

“Ugh! C-captain! You can’t do this! I’ll be killed by the others!”

Hans blushed and pushed Ren away.

Despite the pleasant smell wafting off the captain, drenched in sweat after training, this could not continue.

If the others found out, he would definitely get beaten to death.

Above all, he was the captain. An unscalable and unapproachable tree.

“What does that mean? Could it be…”

“Yes, all the others have returned too. In fine divine bodies as the Star Lords!”

*

In Ian Kalyuga’s laboratory

Ian, the Star Lord [Mage Engineer], had created a new device to replace one that had previously been wrecked.

A holy condensation device that improved and advanced many parts from the former materialization device.

It was a device to gather recognition and faith for his beloved and condense them to achieve her resurrection.

Ziiing

Ian organized formulas until the massive chalkboard was completely filled.

“Calculating the ratio of users who have cleared the story versus those who have only interacted with the character in the [Akashic Archive]…”

After a long time spent organizing formulas, Ian approached the device’s lever.

“Please.”

Having completed the device’s maintenance and checked it countless times, he placed his hand on the lever.

As Ian squeezed his eyes shut and applied force to his hand—

Clunk!

Vwoooooom

The lever went down, and the device activated.

A device that rapidly draws in the divinity spreading through the Divine Realm.

Inside, a transcendental effect occurred as magic engineering and divinity intertwined.

“!!”

Seeing a sight completely different from previous devices, Ian unconsciously clenched his hands tightly.

The divine magical reaction, which he had only noticed in theory and had yet to prove, was now manifesting in reality.

At the moment when divinity and magic intersected,

An impossible task became real with each of their powers.

The existence of Saint Kate that the entire continent became aware of.

As the concept materialized and began to condense,

Boom!

“Ugh!”

The device exploded, letting out thick smoke.

Ian raised his arms to block the impact.

As the smoke cleared, the scene before him was…..

“Why?!”

A pile of shattered device fragments.

“Why did it fail again?!”

He had validated it countless times.

At the moment when the new character was most strongly recognized by everyone on the continent.

If he missed this moment, Kate’s existence would naturally fade away from their minds, so there was no better time than today.

Therefore, he must succeed today, no matter what….

“Why does it fail again?!”

Thud thud thud

Ian stomped angrily on the fragments of the device.

His mind filled with rage clouded his reason.

[Smash it all.]

[Crush it all to bits.]

[Dismantle this world that does not go as you wish.]

On a usual day, he would have gathered the fragments to restore and reactivate the device before more time passed, but now he was too blinded by fury to make such judgments.

“I demand my Kate back!”

Just as he raised his foot to stomp on the core of the device,

Squeeze

A delicate hand suddenly appeared and grabbed his cheek.

“W-whoa?”

In that moment, the voice of anger that had consumed Ian’s mind completely vanished.

His mind calmed in an instant.

“Our little frog has gotten quite angry, huh?”

No, that couldn’t be.

The experiment must have failed.

Ian slowly turned his head.

At the end of the gaze from the hand holding his cheek, a woman in a priestess’s robe smiled as she held his cheek.

“Is this a newly formed troublemaker?”

She pinched both his cheeks and fiddled with them.

The divine magical reaction had clearly stopped.

Since it hadn’t crossed the critical point, it was impossible for her to resurrect.

Thus, there was no reason for her to be here.

It must be an illusion.

But why…….

“Kate…”

Ian grabbed the wrists of the woman holding his cheeks.

Why did I feel pain in my cheeks while feeling her warmth in my hands?

“What’s wrong, Ian?”

The woman tilted her head slightly with a mischievous smile.

“H-how are you here…?”

The woman pouted and wiggled her lips.

“What? That’s the first thing you say when we meet?”

[Angry Mage Engineer sheds tears.]

No.

That couldn’t be.

He had wished countless times.

Imagined endlessly.

Reuniting with her… seeing her in this world.

Ian hugged the woman tightly.

“…Oh my.”

That was the only dream he pursued.

“I missed you… Kate.”

At last, the dream was realized.

A belief fueled by the false dream of virtual reality dragged his foolish yearning into reality.

[Angry Mage Engineer Who Casts Off Rage smiles brightly.]

As he cast aside the dream of the reality that had consumed him.