The pressure was so suffocating that I could hardly breathe. Keeping up a bright, cheerful expression for one second longer took everything I had.

Not even Colette’s angelic smile or Lily’s energetic appearance could heal me. The noisy din of my surroundings crashed into me like waves, chipping away at my forced smile. My friends, who I had been happily chatting with the day before, now suddenly seemed to be speaking a foreign language.

Staying here any longer was impossible. I had reached my limit.

“Ummm!”

My loud voice stopped the conversation, and drew everyone’s attention to me. Cracks began to appear in my cheerful mask and my smile began to slip.

“What is it, What is it?”

“Is there anything wrong?”

“Alice?”

I resisted looking at my friends and churned out an excuse.

“Sorry! I, um, er, need to go to the restroom… you guys continue without me. Sorry, I’m very sorry! Be right back!”

After saying that very quickly, I rushed out of the cafeteria. They probably thought I was a weirdo for running away like that. It couldn’t be helped. I was at my breaking point.

I walked quickly through the corridor. Once I reached a deserter area, I sped up my pace and climbed the stairs two at a time. I arrived at the rooftop in no time at all. I inhaled a deep breath of air under the blue sky and felt the wind whisper past my body.

The bustling noise of everyone else seemed so far away. I relaxed my body and leaned against the fence, staring vaguely at the milling students below. There were a few loners sitting in corners of the rooftop having lunch by themselves, but we ignored each other with practiced ease.

One by one, they finished up their lunches and left. After the last of them disappeared, I dropped my mask of cheerfulness and recharged my battery for the tough day to come. I didn’t want to think about anything after escaping from my own friends.

My dispirited appearance slumped over the fence was definitely something I couldn’t show them when they only stuck around me because of my cheerful behavior and optimistic attitude.

The sound of the door opening reached my ears. I didn’t have the energy to turn around, so I ignored it. A set of footsteps stopped just short of me and a familiar voice called out.

“Alice, are you okay?”

I just wanted Rose to go away. I injected as much cheerfulness as I could into my voice while I absent-mindedly gazed at the school grounds below.

“Yup. I just wanted to catch some fresh air for a bit. I’ll be back down in a minute.”

Rose approached the metal rails by my side and leaned back on it, looking up at the blue sky. I expected her to demand an answer, but she remained quiet. We didn’t speak or even look at each other. Minutes dragged by and the situation remained unchanged.

Eventually the bell rang and we went back to class. Neither of us spoke of the incident and we both acted like nothing had happened. I came back to the rooftop during gym class and remained there instead of logging out.

I had hoped to have time to myself after school to be alone and collect my thoughts, but I struck out for a third day in a row.

“Alice, do you want to come over to my place?”

I couldn’t refuse Rose’s invitation. The school princess escorted me to the parking lot where a limousine waited. My classmates’ gazes pierced into my back. Yeah, how did someone like me end up as a friend of the uncontested, most beautiful girl at school?

A cool, young man with short black hair in a butler suit opened up the door for us.

“Thank you, Sebas.”

“Thanks.”

I awkwardly gave my thanks before entering the limo after Rose. The seats were comfy but my nervousness at being in such a luxurious vehicle made it difficult to enjoy them.

“Is this your first time in a limo?”

“Y-yeah. Us ordinary folk hardly ever have the chance to ride in one.”

“Maybe a drink would calm you down.”

Rose opened up the drink bar and showed me a wide selection of beverages and soft drinks. I turned down her kind offer. I nearly flinched when I looked at Rose’s face. With nobody else around, that blinding smile was directed solely at me. The world suddenly became a much brighter place. My face heated up and I averted my gaze.

Like this afternoon, Rose remained quiet and didn’t pry into my business. As a result, I spent the entire drive looking out the window while basking in Rose’s bright presence.

Sebas opened the door to the limo and it was like I had entered into a whole new world. Well, this was a different world, but that was beside the point.

“Welcome to my little home.”

“Little!? This is a mansion! You even have maids!”

“Welcome back, mistress!”

“Welcome back, mistress!”

Two rows of maids were lined up in front of the entrance to the mansion and they lowered their heads in greeting. Sebas led the way. It was a surreal sight to walk past the lines of maids, but Rose treated it like an everyday experience. We truly lived in different worlds.

“Sorry for intruding…”

My words came out more as a whisper as I apologize for dirtying this magnificent mansion with my presence. Sebas escorted us to the living room table which already had some drinks placed on it.

“Well then my Lady, Lady Alice, please excuse me. Give me a call should you require my service.”

“Thanks Sebas.”

Rose waved Sebas goodbye and took a seat at the table. I sat across from her where a Dr. Pippers, my favorite drink in Evergarden, was placed. I fiddled with my drink in the resulting silence.

Rose calmly sipped her tea with a faint smile on her face. It was like a scene out of a painting. Since Rose appeared to have no intention of speaking up first, I nervously broached the topic.

“Why did you invite me to your house?”

Rose gracefully set down her cup and turned towards me.

“You appeared troubled today, so I wanted to offer you my company in the hopes that it might ease your worries.”

“Haha, W-What are you talking about? I was just like usual today!”

“Alice, you didn’t say ‘Yaho’ once when greeting us this morning. We all noticed that something is worrying you.”

“Urk!”

I hid my face in horror. What a failure. I had caused everyone to worry. I thought I had covered up my uneasiness, but everyone saw through me so easily. A warm touch startled me out of my negative spiral. Rose had reached across the table to place her hand on top of mine.

“Of course, I don’t intend to press you for answers. You remind me a lot of my younger self. I just wanted to let you know that you aren’t alone and there are people who want to help you.”

Rose’s warm touch seeped into my skin. Her confident voice brushed across my ears and her bright smile guided my lost heart through the darkness.

I drowned in her strong, brilliant eyes. They were like a clear mirror, allowing me to see the confusion and fear obscuring my heart. I found myself unable to shake off Rose’s offer. As a result, the warmth from her hand penetrated layer after layer of armor surrounding my heart until it reached my very core.

The emotions I had been suppressing all this time took the opportunity to escape. My vision grew blurry.

“N-no, that, I… Huh?”

I tried my best to rein everything in. I was always alone these last couple of years. Mom’s job meant I only saw her a few times a month. Sariel was off at college and it was tough to bring up my insecurities to Dad. I had nobody but myself and I knew from experience that crying never changed anything.

“I-I’m fine. Really. I just got something in my eye…”

I was a man. Men didn’t cry. Even if the world was ending, even if Sariel had disappeared, even if everyone was counting on someone like me to save them, men weren’t allowed to cry.

I looked down to gaze fell and caught sight of my chest. Ah, that was right. In this world, I was a girl. N-No, that didn’t mean I could…

Rose circled around the table before I knew it and put a hand on my shoulder.

“Alice, it is okay to cry. It is okay if you can’t live up to expectations. It is okay to reach out for help.”

“B-But…”

I hesitated. I couldn’t burden my friends with my knowledge, especially because they were my friends.

“We are friends. Friends support each other in their times of need.”

That was right. I was no longer alone. I had friends by my side. The dam burst and tears spilled freely down my cheeks. The next thing I knew, I was sobbing into Rose’s chest. The words I had always kept buried deep in my heart spilled out uncontrollably.

“I… I don’t know what to do..! Am I wrong, or..!”

“Everything will be okay, Alice.”

I was so choked up on emotion that I couldn’t even manage to complete a thought. A warm hand stroked my head while Rose’s cool voice whispered comforting words into my ear. The tight knot of emotions eased under Rose’s tender care.

I reigned my emotions in an embarrassingly long time later. I spent a few more moments enjoying being spoiled by Rose before I gently pushed her away.

“Are you feeling better now?”

Nothing had changed. My situation was still as bleak as ever. Even so, I somehow felt refreshed after crying my ears out.

“Yeah. Sorry for crying all over your cardigan.”

There was a huge wet spot on the cardigan Rose wore beneath her blazer. Rose glanced down at her cardigan with a troubled smile.

“If it bothers you that much, I can change.”

“Can I go to the bathroom to fix my makeup?”

Rose rang a bell and Sebas lead me to the bathroom. A part of me thought it was a shame to remove all evidence of my tears, but a much larger part wanted to forget it ever happened. A quick relog restored me to my original appearance.

I looked at the girl in the mirror and some of the weight on my shoulders lightened. Rose was right. I had dependable people nearby who could help me. There was no reason I had to solve everything by myself.

I gave the girl in the mirror a bright, cheerful smile and this time, I managed to believe in it, if only by a little bit. As I walked back to the living room, I figured there was only one way to greet Rose now that I had recovered.

“Yaho Rose! Thanks to you, I am feeling much better now.”

“Yaho, Alice. I am glad I could help you.”

Rose’s smile froze me in her tracks. Rose in the Saint Freya uniform was one thing, but Rose in casual clothes was on an entirely different level. A-As expected of some country’s lost princess. The memory of crying on Rose’s chest flashed through my mind and my face turned bright red. I somehow made it to the table without making a fool of myself.

“No, really. Thank you. I needed that.”

I looked Rose in the eye in an effort to convey even a small fraction of my gratitude to her. Rose received my thanks with a refined nod. Silence fell between us. I knew this was where I needed to speak up about my troubles.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I had kept this secret for so long and buried it so deep, that it was hard to finally voice my concerns to another person. The same curse that plagued my interviews blocked my voice. Words always failed me when it mattered the most.

“Take your time, Alice. You don’t have to say anything if you would rather just enjoy my company.”

The mental block loosened as I thought of Lily, Colette, and Rose. I opened my mouth and barely got the words out of my throat.

“Have you ever thought that the world was wrong?”

Thoughts like, ‘Is it really okay to say this?’, ‘Will Rose believe me?’ and ‘I don’t want to burden her with this knowledge' floating through my mind, but Rose’s encouraging eyes pushed me forward.

“By world, I don’t really mean the world itself. I’m talking about the common sense and values that everyone holds as true. But really, who am I to say that everyone else is wrong and that my thoughts are correct?”

I was a loner and a failure who couldn’t even get a job. Others much smarter than me all agreed with the Witch Hunt Organizations approach to Violent Evergarden. The science that ruled Terra would eventually overcome that fantasy-like challenge that the Witch posed to us. Who did I think I was to say that they were wrong?

I fell silent when I realized I was blabbing on while dancing around the main issue. After all, Rose was my friend. I couldn’t bring myself to burden her with my knowledge. Just saying this much to her was enough for me.

“The world is wrong, huh? There was a time that I wished those words were true with all my heart.”

“Rose?”

“Follow me.”

Rose got up from the table and led me through the mansion with steady footsteps. I would definitely get lost right away without Rose. Finally, we entered a dark room. Rose flicked on the lights and I nearly jumped at how out of place the room was in such an elegant mansion.

Magical girl figurines and posters lined the walls. There were far too many of them to the point that the owner of this room had to be completely obsessed with Magical Girls. Even the computer in the corner of the room had a Magical Girl keyboard, mouse, and screensaver.

There was a life sized figure of the most famous Magical Girl in the world, the AA rank Scarlet Flame, along with a sofa and magical girl hug pillow. I stood there in stunned silence for a good minute before Rose timidly spoke up.

“What do you think?”

“You really love Magical Girls.”

“I do.”

It was as simple as that. Rose’s passion oozed from every corner of the room. An uncharacteristically bitter look appeared on Rose’s face as she began to talk about herself.

“I once dreamed of becoming a Magical Girl. Unfortunately, this world is cruel. I took the aptitude test and was judged to have absolutely no chance of forming a contract with a spirit. Even so, I never stopped dreaming of the day I became a Magical Girl.”

“Umm, Rose?”

I tried to interrupt Rose’s passionate outburst, but the words just gushed out of her. It was as if she was relieved to finally have someone to talk to about this.

“I know, what a silly dream. I surrounded myself in Magical Girl apparel and gathered as much information as I could on them. What I found only led me further into despair. Father, mother, and Annabell all told me to give up and look at reality.”

“Rose?”

“I had to give up on my dream and follow the path that mother set for me. I’m ashamed to admit it but I cried through the night before I accepted becoming a model. Even so, a part of me never gave up. I carry a bunch of spirit seeds in a pouch with me at all times in the hopes of following the ancient traditions of old. Back in those days, one carried a pouch of spirit seeds and if they were chosen by the goddess, then a spirit would bloom and they would become a Magical Girl.”

“Rose!”

My shout finally caught Rose’s attention. I pushed up my glasses awkwardly.

“You can become one.”

“What?”

“A Magical Girl, I mean.”

— ❀❁✿ —

“Father!”

The door to the study that Rose’s father worked in burst open as Rose rushed in. Sebas shook his head with a sigh and followed right behind her, leaving me panicking in the rear. Rose’s father shared the same characteristic bright pink hair as Rose. He was powerfully built and radiated authority.

Rose ran up to her father and began sharing what I told her. Yet, none of that mattered to me at that moment. The guest that Rose’s father had been entertaining locked eyes with me and my world ground to a halt.

The dull, withered gray flower in her hair bloomed with color and the listless, empty blue eyes regained their clarity. Her face lit up with such joy that it was like our sudden meeting was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Her mesmerizing eyes made me her prisoner and my face was as red as a tomato. I was oblivious to the rest of the world and I fell deeper and deeper under her spell. Something made the woman turn away and it was only then that I regained myself.

I unsteadily caught myself using the wall and gasped for breath. I was so spellbound that I had forgotten to breathe. Very distantly, I heard Rose’s father call out her name.

“...Beta, is this true?”

“Oh dear, oh dear, who would've thought that my carefully laid plans would be disrupted at this stage of the game. It is all true.”

“Then, my daughter can really become a Magical Girl?”

“It is true. Or what, do you really think that My Excellency would lie to you?”

A wave of murderous intentions flowed out from Beta and threatened everyone in the room. Sebas stepped in front of Rose to protect her with a pale face. For some reason, I was the only one not affected by Beta’s bloodlust. I even had the leisure to observe Sebas’ expression and wonder if he had feelings for Rose that were beyond that of a mere servant.

“No, I don’t doubt your leader. I just wanted to confirm the good news.”

“Good.”

Beta withdrew her bloodlust and turned to me with a smile. I could easily imagine a tail wagging behind her as her eyes seemed to signal for me to praise her. I couldn’t handle the cute sight so I slapped my palm over my eyes and looked up at the ceiling.

“I must thank you, Rosabella Dawnkeeper, Grifford Dawnkeeper, for allowing me to meet My Excellency this early in the game.”

“By My Excellency, you mean..?”

“...Alice, what is going on here?”

Rose and her father’s voice questioned me. I peeked through the gap of my fingers and made eye contact with Beta again. She smiled and I fell under her spell once again until Grifford’s cough woke me up.

Beta’s actions were intentional. She wanted to swallow me whole. My legs threatened to give out on me and I quicklusat down. Before I knew it, Beta was standing behind me. Her intoxicating scent drifted to my nose, making it hard for me to think. She brushed an imaginary particle of dust off my shoulder.

I stiffened in shock as my phone buzzed. I didn’t have the time to check it. Rose and her father were expecting an explanation from me. I was more distracted by the incredibly attractive woman behind me than anything else, so my words flowed rather easily.

“Tell me, have you ever thought that the common sense of this world is wrong?”

“As expected of My Excellency!”

I ignored Beta’s praise as the two Dawnkeepers looked at me like I was crazy. Grifford spoke up in surprise.

“Beta was saying something like that before you interrupted us. What do you mean?”

His words confirmed my worst fears. I had never met Beta before, but she knew me very well. In addition, the Witch Hunt Organization had sent multiple people to the World Tree dungeon on the first day. This allowed me to speak with growing confidence. Beta wouldn’t be here if I was wrong.

“Would defeating all the demons and restoring peace to Evergarden really save the world?”

“Why wouldn’t the world be saved if the demons are gone?”

Rose responded with the common sense that everyone in Evergarden and Terra held. Only a few longtime Violent Evergarden players discussed this as a matter of curiosity. To every other Terran, reaching the True Ending was enough. But, was that really the case?

“Beta, I’m sure you have sufficient evidence.”

“Yes, yes. Right here.”

Beta pulled a bunch of documents out of thin air and laid them down on Grifford’s desk. That was the high level space magic spell Item Box that only A rank and above Magical Girls could use. I never found the time to do the research myself, but I knew what kind of articles Beta would use.

“I don’t understand. These articles are all about the decrease in crop yield and lower birth rates around the world. Sure this is a concerning trend, but what does this have to do with saving the world?”

“10 years ago during the last major demon invasion, the World Tree died. This was largely kept a secret from the general public, but these recent declining trends are proof of its death.”

It was revealed in the game that the world leaders were aware of the death of the World Tree but hid this information to prevent panic. Most of the public were not aware of what the World Tree represented. The Magical Girl expert in the room spoke up when her father was at a loss.

“The World Tree… Is that the sacred tree of old that blessed Magical Girls?”

“Yes, but you are underselling the importance the World Tree has to Evergarden. The first question you should be asking is, why didn’t Evergarden immediately perish when the World Tree died?”

Grifford and Rose paled while Beta nodded her head to my words. Out of everyone in this room, Beta’s knowledge on the subject surpassed even my own. I continued my terrible hypothesis.

“For whatever reason, the world did not immediately perish. Even so, Evergarden is slowly declining. The world is dying, so to speak.”

Seeing this trend, Evergarden’s world leaders put their heads together to find a solution. No matter what they did, they did not find a way to reverse this trend. Grifford spoke up.

“Even so young Lady, we should defeat the demons first. This trend shows we still have several hundreds of years before the world perishes.”

That was the conclusion everyone came to. I didn’t have anything to refute it, but I was certain my companion did.

“Beta.”

“As you wish, My Excellency. Here is a compiled list of that same data over the last few days.”

As I expected, there was a sharp decrease in the overall trends. Ever since Violent Evergarden began, the world of Evergarden spiraled into a steep decline.

It was common sense to every Player that the Demon King appears at the end of the story for a final battle. Why did the Demon King fight Camellia Maxwell after a little under a year in the main story?

Was it because the protagonist became strong enough to become a threat?

Or was it because if the Demon King waited any longer, the world would have ended?

“When these trends continue, the world will end in a little under a year.”

This is why I avoided thinking about the World Tree dungeon at all costs. The implications of it were far too terrifying. After all, who could possibly have hope for the future when they knew that the world had been destroyed countless times already?

Beta’s presence confirmed my worst fears. The Witch Hunt Organization was wrong. Love, not violence, would save the world. And yet, Beta’s presence also confirmed that no matter how hard I worked to save the world, it would never be enough.

If my ideas truly saved the world, then Beta would not be here right now. This is why I hated time travelers. Terra and Evergarden were stuck in a time loop and the chance of escaping this iteration of the loop was infinitely close to zero.

Mom, Dad, Sariel, Lily, Colette, Rose, and I were all going to die along with both Terra and Evergarden.