9 hours

“I won’t be long!”

At this rate, Frederica and Garfiel should be there!  I pity Elsa and the person responsible for the brothel that took place a week after my arrival.  And yes, now that their mother died at my hands, they must have lost motivation.  And if not, I trust Garfiel and Frederica to handle it.

“Roswaal, what do you think about the current situation?”  I see it coming.  Plus he's in great shape.  That's my Roswaal!

"The situation is very complicated, there is no other choice than to take this situation seriously and find a solution. Echidna cannot be trusted, she is an unpredictable witch and is capable of anything  do... So what is certain is that we must not trust this witch and even Garfiel and Frederica must not trust this one, we must not let this situation deteriorate."

“You’ve changed since the last time we saw each other.” I smile at him tenderly “I’m proud of you.”

"Ah... I have changed? But in what way? And why are you proud of me Louis? I would like to be worthy of your respect. But, why am I alive when so many friends died afterwards  the great famine, I didn't deserve to stay alive, I would like to do good deeds and I would like to be a better person, but what can I do to prove it?

"Many people, including me, would have remained in their position more than selfish. But you, you decide to abandon that even if deep down you must suffer from it. You are much more honorable than you think. And then despite the old reasons,  you helped Emilia, Frederica, Ram, Rem, and you helped me too. So thank you, friend."

"Wow, so I'm really honorable? And I'm better than I imagined... so, is it true? Am I good right now? I really hope it's  true, because I would really like to be good with others... I'm not going to lie, I'm not perfect, I make a lot of mistakes but I strive to be good with people, and I also want to be  good with my friends."

"You clearly and simply are, Roswaal. The road is long and difficult but you will get there."

"It's true, this path is very very difficult, I would like to help everyone around me, especially my friends to live better, I appreciate this conversation Louis, you are a friend dear to my heart, I want  to be worthy of your respect and admiration, I don't want to be a bad person or a selfish person, I want to improve myself and be better!"

"And I'm sure you will get there. And you are progressing little by little my dear. It's time to look into the future without regrets. Think about what you really want to do and work on it. If you need me  ..."

Suddenly, snow begins to fall near the sanctuary.  No, it's not natural snow.  This is magical snow.  Whoever created this wants to do something macabre, namely lure one of the three Great Mabeasts here: Oousagi.

"Roswaal, I need you to warn Emilia and the others and protect them and the sanctuary. As for me, I will absolutely have to send all these Oousagi at once to another dimension and without Beatrice  It's going to be long. That's why I'm going to lure them further."

"Of course, I will warn Emilia and the others and I will also watch over the sanctuary! But... we are going without Beatrice? But without Beatrice, we are without our main asset, without her we will not be able to fight Oousagi and without  fight, how can you attract all these Oousagi to another dimension?! No, without Beatrice we are without protection, it's as if we were defenseless in front of them, impossible to send them to another dimension without her!"

I know.  That's why I'm going to lure them into a trap.  So far I have masked 90% of my mana aura to avoid attracting Oousagi but for the sanctuary to be free, I no longer have a choice.  Wake up Beatrice and tell her what's going on.  I will try to survive during this time."

"Okay, I'm going to warn Beatrice, but this situation is very risky, Louis, do you really think that this trap will be enough to stop the progress of the Oousagi? Why didn't you warn Emilia or the others, they could have t  "Help, and if something goes wrong with the trap and it's a bad idea, then we're in danger, so I beg you to think carefully about this idea, Louis."

Roswaal, I know you're right but we don't have....much time.  I understand.  The person who made this snow appear knows me.  If it had been Roswaal who had brought him down I would already be me.  In other words, only someone who knows me can do this with someone's support.

"You're right. Let's go warn the others together! I don't have to fight alone."

"Yes, we must warn the others together indeed, we must not fight alone, I do not want you or I, or any of the others to be hurt or die, we will all have to work together, I will sponsor the  idea of ​​looking for the others, I have confidence in you, Louis, I hope that everyone else will do the best they can in this situation which will obviously not be very easy but we will do it all together!”

We head home right after this discussion.

Ouch!  Ouch!  Ouch!

Oousagi is at our doorstep.  The sanctuary suffered a real siege from him.  Still happy, this portal protects us.  However, if one of us passes the third test, then the portal disappears and we will suffer a massive attack from this monster.  In our group, we have me, the clones of Ryuzu Meyers, Garfiel, Emilia, Rem, Ram, Frédérica, Otto, Beatrice, and Roswaal.

They're a bunch of crazy people!  I smirk, seeing us all gathered together.  I let Emilia share the situation because she is our leader, not me.  We must take responsibility now!

*
* *

*I smile seeing the whole group of my friends finally get together.  I feel a great relief in my chest, but also a very strong emotion.  We are back, we found ourselves.  We will be able to complete this test successfully.* "We are back... We are all here, my friends... Roswaal, Garfiel, Ram, Rem, Otto, Féderica, Beatrice... We are all here! I  I feel happy and confident, we are going to face this test with each other's support... I really believe that we will all succeed in this test. For our future, we will fight with courage, together.  Is the world ready? I believe we are all ready for this test. Roswaal-san, can I give you the floor to begin?"  *I am ready, I trust my friends and my hearts.  We are experiencing a very important moment, a story that lives up to our expectations.  No danger is insurmountable.*

*
*   *

“I am happy to see you too, my friends, and to see that we are together and that we are going through such an important and crucial moment for all of us, I am impatient to see where this ordeal will take us and I  I'm very confident because we're all in this together! I'm not going to lie, this ordeal scares me a little but I'll do my best not to lose my mind. Let's go!"

So the plan is very simple.  After Roswaal's speech, Otto and Frederica will warn the residents to stay at home during the assault.  In addition, Otto will serve us with the divine protection of language.  Meanwhile, Garfiel will take care of the security of the sanctuary while Rem, Ram, and Roswaal prepare something.

However, there remains the fact that one of the three of us will have to face the third test.  No, one of us to be exact because for Garfiel the safety of the sanctuary comes first.

So that leaves Emilia and me.  Come to think of it, Beatrice and I should stay in position in case the barrier dissipates and then....

“Otherwise the world will be destroyed and because of me…” I sit down and make a confession.  "Echidna predicted my future 400 years ago.  One where I would destroy the world."

"You're joking, right? You who are capable of facing Satella, who is the strongest witch in history, you are the one who is going to destroy the world, it's impossible!  You are a very  good person and a very good friend, so there is no way this is your future!  You will not destroy the world Louis, the gospel is false!”

It would be better if Emilia took the test instead of me.  If I go there, I risk failing.

“Yes Louis-chan?”

“I would like it to be you who takes the final test rather than me.”

"Huh why? I want to but is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid I'll fail this one. It's about the future and..."

I don't want to destroy the world or kill anyone except... even Satella I don't want to kill her anymore.  What is happening to me ?  Usually I don't care about all that and I go for it!  I'm worrying too much about nothing.

"Louis-san... You don't need to hold back when it comes to fighting people like her. It is true that as knights of the kingdom, we must always show mercy, but some  people cannot be reasoned with."

"Usually I'm the brain, Iluso. Don't steal my role, okay? And then, your greatest quality is your instinct, your intuition; what I call your heart. So, yes  you want to stay, you stay, but if you want to leave, you leave. The choice is yours and it's like the incarnation, it's just the act of manifesting, that's all. There's no need to quibble."

"I encourage you to listen to your brother's advice. Your instinct is a valuable asset. Take the time to think about the choice available to you. And if you are still hesitant, don't hesitate to ask for advice from  certain people, especially your friend Emilia whom you consider close to you. If you prefer to stay in this world, you just have to want it with all your will. There is no need for a spell for that."

"Louis-san, I know you feel a little bad, don't feel obligated. I would like to pass this test. I really want to take this weight off your shoulders."

She smiled reassuringly.  She also feels how this would be a good way for all of us to move to the next level, together.  Emilia who encourages me when I'm supposed to be braver.  I smile at this irony.

"We will take this test together, with our hearts. We will do it with courage. You can help me too, Louis-san, I know you will be there to support me."

"And don't forget me, I guess. Louis, I always tell you actually that you can count on me and you can also lean on me, I guess."

Beatrice stroking my head while I carry her.  Ah!  Now that I think about it.  The three of us seem like a family and I just had an idea that will not only change what happens but also my whole life, including myself.