Roland stared at me and then nodded. "...I do. This isn't your world. This isn't your life. And with your [Deus Ex Machina], you've set things up so that Roland, Marisa, and Princess Evelyn can handle the rest. Although it will be bittersweet if you just vanish, they'll be safe. I can assure you that much."
...It made sense.
Since I forced causality to lock in place with my last act, Void Sovereign couldn't reroll time. And with Roland... this world's Roland, awakening Durandal early, he would easily be able to clear any issues coming up. Not only that, but Marisa was a Rank 7 mage well before she was in 3D-ED.
Then Eve was here. And if that last message was to be trusted, the means for her to control her demonic energy had been created as well. The fatal flaw that kept her from operating at her full potential was erased, meaning that she was free to move along with Roland and Marisa in saving the world.
But...
"...No." I looked up at Roland- at Rob and said, "My story here isn't finished yet."
"...Neither is your story on Earth. But it will be if you stay here."
I cracked a smile and said, "It's fine." I slowly stood up. "On Earth, I was a nobody anyway. An 'extra' living as a protagonist in a story that was always meant to go to a dead end."
Although I got a lucky break with 3D-ED, there was no guaranteeing that would be enough for me to rest on my laurels. Moreover, I didn't have many, if any, marketable skills.
But here...
Rob looked at me, a sad smile on his face. "Are you sure? If you're alive, there's always another chance."
I smiled back at him, determined. "You're right. If I'm alive, there's always another chance. And I'm alive here. With people I can protect. With information I can apply. With a fight I can win properly now."
Rob shook his head, letting out a helpless smile. "Of course. Well." He stood up as well and said, "There's no changing your mind, I see."
"No way."
Rob held out his hand. "I'll keep rooting for you, Alex. While I can't interfere like this again, I can keep the lights on for the system. This will probably be the last time we talk until you reach your own ending."
I shook his hand. "Tell Marisa I said hi. Also, sorry that I couldn't save her parents. I'll save them here for sure."
Rob smiled. "I will. Then... Until the epilogue. Since you've done this much, don't hesitate to use what you know. You'll need to pull out every advantage from this point on."
I chuckled, my eyes sharp with resolve. "Oh, I plan to. I was playing it safe because I was worried about the do-overs. But since that's locked... It's time to speedblitz some people."
Rob laughed.
I laughed as well.
Then, as the surroundings started to fade, Rob waved and said, "Enjoy being a family man, Alex."
"...Wait." I paused. "Family man? What do you mean family-"
===
"-Man!?"
I paused and then took a look around. "...Tch. Of course he would do that."
Did Roland become a troll after saving the world? Or did he get a few screws loose exploring Tartarus like he confessed?
That guy seemed to enjoy messing with me a BIT too much.
But it seemed like he had dropped me right back into my room. The problem was, he didn't drop me back into my room at the time I wanted to be dropped off... which was midnight on December 7th. Instead, he dropped me off at noon. A whole 12 hour time difference.
I sighed. "Let me guess. I missed a bunch of messages from everyone?"
True to my suspicions, there was a long list of notifications with texts from Eve, Roland, and Marisa.
"...Well. I'm already late, so being later won't make much difference."
Considering I was definitely AWOL for over twelve hours from their perspective already, a few more minutes as I reoriented myself wouldn't hurt.
To start with, let's check on the system. Rob said that he would keep the lights on, but that he couldn't interfere much anymore. That probably meant that the main functions would work, but the quest lines...
> System Update in progress...
> System Update complete.
> The Quest System has been deprecated.
> Attention! Previously claimed quests are still ongoing!
> Current Claimed Quests:
> Your SP balance is now zero.
> The Art [Deus Ex Machina] has successfully activated.
> You have returned to a previously saved checkpoint (Sunday, December 7th).
> Attention! Time regression has been conceptually barred by the world's laws!
> Attention! [Deus Ex Machina] has been put on cooldown. Next availability: 4381 hours
> The genre system has been deprecated.
> The hints system has been deprecated.
> Attention! Demon God Umbra is aware of your presence!
> Attention! The Status System is currently under maintenance. ETA: 360 hours
> Attention! It is suggested that User utilizes personal knowledge and abilities for the time being.
Ah.
Well, that made sense.
I WAS a bit forceful in the hard reset and my last gambit.
[Deus Ex Machina] being put on cooldown was expected. That was the ultimate cop out, after all. Though it was a bit worrisome that time regression was 'conceptually barred,' that served as a double-edged sword in my favor.
After all, that meant that the bad guys had to keep moving forward too. No resets.
As for Demon God Umbra being aware of my presence, that figured. I stole Eve back from him and already dealt him a blow while I was in that Gate in the alternate history with Betty, so that didn't matter.
The Status System being under maintenance was a bit unfortunate... but all that really meant was I couldn't see the numbers whenever I wanted. It didn't mean that I lost my status. It just meant I couldn't easily upgrade things.
My inventory was definitely still working though.
"Mm. Seems fine."
It was manageable.
Now...
"Let's go find my beloved and my friends, shall we?"
...The first order of business was regrouping.
===
Starlight Academy was fairly peaceful. Then again, it WAS a Sunday. And it was a cold Winter Sunday too. Well, close enough to Winter.
Because of that, and because people were still scrambling for to find dates and get dresses prepared for the Winter Solstice Ball, most students weren't outside.
"Let's see... the navigation system is still working, it looks like." I had my phone out and was using the system's navigation feature to find Eve, Roland, and Marisa.
It looked like they were all sitting together in the commercial district? Probably having lunch?
"Mm. That's not too far of a walk."
I was already late, after all. So I decided to take my time making it over there.
As I did, I let my mind wander to what needed to be done next.
Priority one was definitely regrouping, but that was a given.
Past that though...
'Frostblade. We need to deal with him.'
It would be ideal if he would be a good guy... but it was better if he was removed from the equation entirely.
Killing him was the simplest solution. But...
'That's a bit of a waste.'
He WAS a powerhouse fighter. And probably useful... His personality was trash though.
Mm.
I'll put a pin on that.
After that guy, the next priority...
'I need to confirm if Eve is okay.'
Her problem with the demonic energy *should* be resolved now. But I needed to make sure of it.
...It would need to be a hands-on examination though...
Mm...
Well, we WERE both adults. And we'd give our lives for each other... Eve definitely DID give her life to me anyway.
Maybe it was time to cross that line?
'I'll put a pin on that too.'
It would be a mess, politically, but honestly at this point I didn't care.
...No, no. I HAD to care.
Clearly, taunting everyone worked a bit TOO well in pulling all the forces out of the woodwork...
Let's focus on what I needed to prioritize for me.
The original First Disaster was revised now for sure. But it seemed like 'something' had to happen, so we'd have to fight our way through it.
Maximillian was definitely still going to make his move... ideally we need someone to put him in check.
The key was to just get to the winter holidays. Once that was done, I could take Roland, Marisa, and Eve with me to go grab some hidden pieces to prepare for resolving things neatly.
Not to mention that I still had that bet with Void Sovereign to redeem too.
Ability-wise...
'I'm strong enough.'
Training likely wouldn't help me much at this point, so it should be around the time to use that voucher I had lying around in my inventory...
*You have arrived at your destination.*
A soft voice echoed in my head. The system indicating I'd reached my companions.
It was a family diner restaurant... or at least a restaurant styled after a family diner.
Strange choice... Maybe Roland wanted to try it?
Either way, I walked inside the restaurant and looked towards where Eve, Roland, and Marisa should be sitting...
"Papa!"
...And then I was met by the sight of a toddler who looked JUST like Eve did but in mini form. And one who had a light green eye and a silver eye. Also one who looked A LOT like me...
...Eh?
Wait.
...Eh?
Eh?!