I endlessly fell in the eternal prison alongside Alice.

I took a portable lamp out of my magic pouch and attached it to my clothes. The light from the lamp brightened our surroundings.

Alice seemed to feel secure as I held her tightly.

However, she looked dazed, like she had just woken up from a deep sleep. She looked dubious, wondering how she had come back to life.

I looked around. Something that looked like a giant planet was emitting a chilling aura from a great distance.

Then, I looked in another direction. Alice’s head followed my gaze.

In the distance, a massive human head was visible. It was made of eerily flowing dark mana, and its eyes and mouth were filled with pitch-black darkness, making them appear hollow.

The human head figure had four heads stuck back to back, each facing north, south, east, and west. It reminded me of Asura from Buddhist mythology which I had come to know about in my previous life.

Those four heads attached together formed layers upon layers… forming a column that stretched endlessly, with no end in sight above and below.

It was hazy.

Apart from that, there was only pure pitch-black darkness.

“What… is this place?”

“The inside of a demon’s belly.”

Alice’s eyes flickered briefly.

The demon, “Om the Eternal”, commonly known as the Abyss. This was his world.

The Abyss, a demon sealed inside Snow White’s pocket watch, when released from the seal, would devour any living being with mana it encountered.

After it had eaten enough mana to satiate its voracity, it would pause its feeding frenzy for a few days like a feast-and-famine predator.

In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, after it had devoured Ian Fairytale, Snow White, and other strong beings, it mimicked the starry sky and remained still.

Ian couldn’t touch the Abyss without the Luminous Sword. The Abyss was incredibly strong. Conversely, having the Luminous Sword meant that it was possible to defeat this demon.

“Haa.”

Alice sighed and activated her telekinesis.

Whoooong.

Tap.

“Hmm?”

Our fall slowed down thanks to Alice’s telekinesis. Soon, we stepped on something tangible that was formed midair.

It felt as if we were stepping on a crystal-clear glass floor. Beautiful ripples of light spread out from the tips of my feet.

“It’s made with telekinesis.”

We were standing in the middle of a space without a floor.

“Ah…”

Alice’s legs gave out, and she collapsed right then and there.

I could roughly guess why. She must have remembered what happened before being devoured by the Abyss and felt a tremendous sense of emptiness.

Alice took a deep breath, hugged her knees, and buried her head in them.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah…”

The back of Alice’s shirt was torn, exposing her skin. Mephisto’s arm had pierced through her clothing earlier.

I took off my cloak of disguise and draped it over Alice’s shoulders. She showed no reaction as the navy blue robe covered her small back.

I set down the portable lamp I had fixed to my clothing and sat behind Alice, with my back against hers. When I lowered my head, only pitch-black darkness filled my sight.

This place was a bottomless eternal prison. If we didn’t do anything, we would fall forever.

It was frightening. When I looked out at the vastness of the universe, I felt a sense of emptiness upon realizing the insignificance of human life. But thanks to the effect of [Frozen Soul], that emotion quickly settled down.

Silence followed. It was suffocatingly quiet.

The sound of fabric rustling and faint breathing were the only things filling the suffocating void.

In that uncomfortable silence, Alice eventually spoke up.

“Why didn’t I die, Baby?”

It was about time she asked.

Given Alice’s situation, it must have been bewildering. Whatever happened, she was supposed to die.

I paused before responding.

“It seems like we’re forced to live forever here. Maybe that’s why.”

“I don’t understand… How can you say something like that so casually?”

“Because it’s true.”

“Yeah… I guess I can’t understand what an archwizard like you sees and feels.”

Alice spoke in a subdued voice. There was no need to be entirely honest, so I left her to think for herself.

Like I said, inside the Abyss’s body was a place that granted eternal life.

Such was a place that could imprison living beings forever… for tens of thousands, millions, and even billions of years. That was why it also served as the backdrop for the bad ending 「Eternity」.

Creatures that lived for ages in this prison had eventually lost their selves and their souls were taken by the Abyss, becoming the demon’s eternal toys.

All of this was part of the transcendental powers of the demon, Abyss.

That was why I thought that entering the Abyss would allow Alice to live.

Inflicting a fatal wound on Alice and turning her into a frozen human was for that reason. Sending Mephisto away and getting devoured by the Abyss was also part of the expected course.

It worked seeing as how Alice was alive and well.

I touched the scar on my cheek that I got while fighting Alice and Zenon. It had healed completely, leaving only a trace of the wound.

Broken bones had also healed. It was a recovery speed that couldn’t be attributed just to potions. It must have been thanks to the life force provided by the Abyss.

The problem was mana.

I had used up a lot of mana during the fight against Zenon, Alice, and Mephisto. Especially when I was in the Hunter state, using the Blade of Frost Flowers required a significant amount of mana.

Of course, I still had plenty of mana left at that time, but the Abyss ended up devouring much of it.

Alice was in a similar situation. Fortunately, it didn’t take much mana to create tangible objects using telekinesis. Alice was incredibly powerful after all.

This meant that the rate at which Alice’s mana was recovering was faster than the rate at which it was being consumed to maintain this transparent telekinetic object.

I need to recover my mana quickly.

For now, my sole focus should be on recovering my mana as soon as possible.

The Abyss was on a mystical and transcendental level, higher than that of an archwizard. It was stronger than the Floating Island and was one of the highest-ranking demons, just below the Evil God.

“…”

In the silence, I could feel the gaze of the Abyss.

It was likely waiting for my mana to fully recover. It patiently awaited our inevitable duel.

Seeing me now, not ready to fight, I must seem really unworthy and tasteless. That was why it was just observing.

I wasn’t sure what it expected of me when I was fully ready, but I was confident I could offer more than it expected.

Time passed and Alice broke the silence.

“In the end… it turned out like this.”

“Hmm?”

“I lost, and you got devoured by this demon with me… It was my fault so only I should have been punished… It’s a bad ending for all of us.”

I didn’t bother to answer. I wanted her to reflect on her feelings of guilt.

“…”

It quieted down again.

…Maybe I should do some physical training.

***

“Baby.”

“Yeah.”

“Didn’t you find it strange that I call you ‘Baby’?”

“Not really, I didn’t think much of it.”

“I see…”

“...Now that you mention it, I’m curious. Why do you call me that?”

“It was just a nickname. I didn’t think much of it either.”

“Is that so…”

***

“What are you thinking about?”

“Whether my people are okay or if they all died because of me.”

“I guess so…”

“...Aren’t you worried, Baby? There must be a lot of people worrying about you right now.”

“I do worry. But there’s nothing I can do at the moment.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

***

“Baby, why are you waving your hand in the air like that?”

“Do you know what a status window is?”

“Huh…? What’s that?”

“It’s like a window of the mind that shows my current state. It’s something that only I can see.”

“…”

“Don’t look at me like I’m some weirdo… I’m just kidding.”

***

“You know what, Baby?”

“What?”

“I was actually a Queen. I had a kingdom that I ruled over. It’s a bit far away though.”

“Wow, that’s really quite something.”

“...Your reaction is so underwhelming. What’s with the theatrical tone?”

***

“Alice.”

“Yeah.”

“How do you think you would have lived if the demon hadn’t come?”

“Probably… peacefully in my kingdom. I don’t know if I would have met a man I liked, but I think I would have lived quite comfortably.”

“...That’s unfortunate.”

“Don’t say that. I’m someone who’s only done bad things to you.”

***

“You have more muscles than I thought, Baby?”

“Well, yeah.”

“But is there any point in working out here?”

“...Huh?”

***

“Your goal was to defeat the Evil God… So you came to the Academy?”

“Something like that. I’m not yet skilled enough to defeat it yet.”

“Even someone as strong as you can’t defeat it, and here I was trying to resurrect it…”

“...Remember that guilt.”

“…”

***

“No muscle pain.”

“See.”

***

“Can’t really feel the passage of time here, can you? I’m not even sleepy.”

“It must be the demon’s power keeping us awake. It’s been about… two days now.”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“I have a watch.”

“I see…”

***

“I’m curious about something, Baby.”

“What is it?”

“Do you like Dorothy, Luce Eltania, or Kaya Astrea?”

“I like them all.”

“I meant romantically.”

“My answer is the same.”

“Really…?”

“That’s right.”

“Is the rumor that you’re a playboy true…?”

“It’s half true. Psychologically, it’s true.”

“Pfft… A psychological playboy…”

“What are you laughing at?”

“Just because, it’s unexpected. It’s really funny.”

“Is that so… that’s the first time you’ve laughed since we got here.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Thanks to you.”

***

“It’s quite a romantic setting.”

“Why bring it up all of a sudden?”

“It feels like we’re the only two left in this isolated world.”

“Do you still think that after seeing those weird faces?”

“Baby is so strong yet so scared?”

***

“Do you think we can get out of here?”

“I don’t know.”

***

“I miss my mom and dad…”

“...What were they like?”

“It’s a boring story, do you want to hear it?”

“Yeah, tell me.”

“I should start from when I was young. I haven’t seen them since we parted when I was little.”

***

“You don’t have to pretend everything is okay. The people of your kingdom, your subordinates, they’re all very worried about you.”

“Hee, that’s right… If only I wasn’t so weak, none of this would have happened. I’ve only caused harm to you…”

“Honestly, I’m not sure if your kingdom still stands. It might be irresponsible to say this, but I think… it might be okay.”

“Thank you for comforting me. Even though I’m your enemy.”

“We’re not like that anymore.”

“...Yeah.”

***

“Waaaaaah!!”

“Waaaaaah!!”

“Waaaaaah!!”

“Waaaaaah!!”

***

“Can I ask you something?”

“You don’t have to ask permission for that.”

“Really?”

“What do you want to know?”

“Did you really like me?”

“...Let me correct that. If you’re going to ask that kind of question, ask permission first.”

***

“Baby.”

“What?”

“This might sound strange, but thank you for being by my side.”

“...Is that so?”

***

Swoosh.

I swiped away the status window with my finger.

While waiting for my mana to recover, Alice and I shared many stories we had kept inside.

I remembered everything she had told me, and I vowed to never forget it, even the most minor of details.

We started from different beginnings and met at a crossroads called tragedy.

And fortunately, now I might be able to overturn that tragedy.

“So…”

My mana and condition were perfect.

Now I had to defeat the Abyss before it started feeding again.

Kaya, Luce, Dorothy, White… I was worried about them too. I wanted to see them soon.

I stood up and walked forward, stepping on the tangible ground Alice had created.

“Baby?”

“Get ready, we’re about to leave.”

“What do you mean…?”

I turned my head back to look at Alice and pointed upwards with one finger.

Then, I answered calmly.

“I’m going to hunt this demon.”

Alice’s face stiffened like stone.

“What…?”

You were serious when you said you were going to hunt this demon?

Alice was confused, but she soon composed herself, knowing Isaac was not one to joke about such matters.

After casting the protective spell [Frost Barrier] on Alice that neutralized his own ice magic, Isaac turned his head towards the giant pillar with human heads.

He gathered his mana. The gentle aura of [Ice Sovereign] rose from Isaac, flowing like a river.

Isaac focused.

He intended to unleash the greatest firepower he had ever mustered in a single burst.

Screeeeech.

The human heads all turned simultaneously, staring at Isaac with their hollow eyes. The Abyss sensed his hostility.

Isaac simply looked back at it with a cold gaze.

[Kuhahahaha!!]

Suddenly, the human heads began to laugh grotesquely. The ear-splitting laughter startled Alice, causing her to cover her ears.

The hollow mouth of the one directly in front of Isaac spat out a black orb.

It floated in the air and transformed into a giant. The giant’s pitch-black body was followed by mystical rings made of purple mana, casting an alien halo that helped delineate its form.

It was adorned with ornaments made of various body parts of humans, animals, magic beasts, and demons. They were made out of those who had been devoured by the Abyss and lost their selves. The number was countless.

Those turned into ornaments were still feeling vivid pain. The sight of many creature heads that made up the giant’s necklace crying or drooling seemed to heighten the terrifying stature of the giant.

The pitch-black giant spoke. A profound and deep male voice emanated.

[I’ve been waiting, Ice King.]

“You have my gratitude.”

Compared to the colossal pitch-black giant, Isaac, who was significantly smaller, shrugged his shoulders and responded calmly.

The two beings had sensed each other’s intentions without words.

Alice couldn’t comprehend the situation at all.

“What in the world…?”

“He was waiting for me.”

When the Abyss devoured Isaac, it was delighted with the taste of his mana, for it had never tasted anything so delicious.

However, the Isaac it had devoured suddenly changed to an indiscernible level.

The Abyss greedily decided to devour Isaac’s mana once he was fully restored, expecting it to be heavenly.

Moreover, Isaac was a man of great power. The Abyss was burning with competitive spirit having such a formidable enemy in front of it.

All it needed was a brief moment.

A blink of an eye compared to the long years the Abyss had lived.

Thus, the Abyss chose to wait for Isaac, and Isaac understood its intention.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Isaac finished stretching.

It was time to repay the Abyss’s anticipation.

Kooooong!!

Above them, an enormous iron gate of immeasurable size appeared.

Alice doubted her eyes when she saw the gate. It felt alien, as if it wasn’t of this world, accompanied by an unfathomable amount of powerful ice mana.

Why did it suddenly appear… What could it possibly be?

One thing was clear, the one who summoned the gate was Isaac.

Isaac slowly raised his right arm.

Then, in a calm tone, he murmured softly.

– A life full of hardship.