Chapter 223 – Loop (1)

Ｒ​ｅａ​ｄ ｏｎ ＫａｔＲｅａ​ｄｉｎｇＣａ​ｆｅ

She had returned to the past.

The first thing Lucia did upon realizing this was to offer a prayer.

Though she had given most of her blessings to humanity, she was still the blessed saintess.

A girl favored by the Four Seasons.

That’s why she directed her question about this phenomenon, which defied natural order, to the Four Seasons. 

Only the gods could perform such a miracle. If the gods had turned back time, there must have been a reason. 

Why would they erase everything, even though the war had ended and peace had arrived?

No answer came. Lucia wasn’t too disappointed. The Four Seasons didn’t always respond to her prayers.

‘Were they dissatisfied with the outcome?’

They had defeated the noble prince, Agares and ended the war.

Though there had been many sacrifices, humanity had finally achieved victory.

Yes, she knew. It wasn’t a perfect happy ending, given the amount of blood that had been spilled. 

Corpses had piled up like mountains, and the ground had been soaked with blood, turning into a sea. 

Lucia’s heart ached. So many people had died. Not just the members of the Celestial Corps, but also countless defenseless civilians. 

People worshipped Eugene as the Heavenly God because he had been the one to end that hell.

‘Are you giving me another chance?’

At first, Lucia was simply bewildered, but she soon changed her mindset.

Though the reason for the regression was still unclear, from another perspective, this was a new opportunity.

She knew the future. She had already experienced it. That meant she could use it. She could prevent the tragedies that were destined to happen.

‘The captains of the Celestial Corps… the delinquents from Class D… Johan, that child…’

She could save them.

The second Great Calamity that would soon unfold.

The awakening of the devil gods who had taken human forms.

If she prepared now, she could minimize the damage.

Though she had lost all the power she had gained over two years, she had walked this path before.

It wouldn’t take long to regain it.

Most importantly, Yoo-seong was here. If she warned him about Agares’ trap in advance, Yoo-seong wouldn’t be banished to another dimension.

When Yoo-seong had been banished by Agares’ trap, it had taken him a long time to return.

During that time, humanity had to face the devil gods and the Great Calamity without their God of War.

But if Yoo-seong wasn’t banished, the devil gods’ offensive would be significantly weakened.

Among the four devil gods, only Agares could rival Yoo-seong. And even Agares could be defeated without much difficulty if Yoo-seong and Eugene worked together.

“Yes, I’ll do it.”

Lucia clenched her fists and made up her mind.

She would create an ending where everyone was saved.

Where the blood spilled wouldn’t form a sea.

Where the corpses wouldn’t pile up like mountains.

Where sorrow, despair, screams, and fear—

All those negative emotions would be swept away.

She would create the happiest ending where everyone could smile.

After the entrance ceremony, in the dormitory she had been assigned.

Sitting at her desk with a notebook open, Lucia wrote down everything she remembered.

There was so much to do.

A grueling journey awaited her.

But Lucia found herself smiling without realizing it.

The ending where everyone could smile—the one she had been unable to achieve due to her lack of power.

This time, she could make it happen.

◈

“And so, the God of War, Mars, decided to establish the academy…”

Why?

Lucia swallowed a hollow breath.

The academy’s auditorium. The principal’s speech. The new students sitting in their seats.

This was the third time she was seeing this scene. She couldn’t understand it. Time had turned back again. 

Why? This time, it had been a happy ending, hadn’t it? Of course, there had been unavoidable sacrifices. 

Even Lucia couldn’t save everyone. Knowing the future had its limits. Still, she had saved as many people as possible.

None of the captains of the Celestial Corps had died.

No students from the academy had died.

Johan, the Knight Leader, had survived.

They had prepared for the Great Calamity in advance, minimizing the damage.

The devil gods had been swiftly defeated thanks to the systematic efforts of Yoo-seong and the captains.

It was clearly a much happier ending than before.

And yet, were the Four Seasons still not satisfied?

“What do you want…?”

Lucia muttered quietly. She wasn’t completely free of regrets. She had kept her distance from Eugene to avoid getting too close. 

Still, Eugene had confessed his love to her. It was an awkward situation for her, as she couldn’t accept his feelings. 

She had planned to confess her feelings to Yoo-seong once everything was over, which made it even more complicated. While she was agonizing over what to do, time had turned back again.

She let out an involuntary sigh.

She couldn’t guess the intentions of the Four Seasons.

Why were they turning back time?

What had displeased the gods?

“I don’t know, but…”

She had no choice but to start over again.

To satisfy the Four Seasons.

Yes, this time, let’s make sure there are no regrets.

Lucia smiled a tired, bitter smile.

◈

“And so, the God of War, Mars, decided to establish the academy…”

Again.

Lucia covered her face with trembling hands.

Her golden hair spilled over her bowed head.

Her pink eyes wavered aimlessly.

Why? In the second loop, she had minimized the variables as much as possible. 

She had saved even more people. She had left no room for regret. She had remained good friends with Eugene, and she had finally confessed her feelings to Yoo-seong. 

Yoo-seong had been stunned, but he hadn’t rejected her. He had accepted her with a smile. It had made her so happy, so incredibly happy, that Lucia had cried while smiling.

And then time had turned back.

‘What… what is this…?’

It was a happy ending.

An ending where everyone smiled.

What could possibly be the problem?

What could you possibly want to erase so badly that you’d turn back time… Wait a minute?

Lucia’s head snapped up. She pushed herself up from her chair. The new students sitting next to her gave her strange looks, but Lucia paid no attention.

‘What if I’ve been wrong about the premise from the start…?’

She had assumed the Four Seasons were the ones turning back time.

Only the gods could perform the taboo act of reversing time.

At the very least, Lucia thought so.

‘If it’s not the Four Seasons, but the devils who are behind the reversal of time…’

After all, Agares’ power was related to “time”.

‘But the devils didn’t remember the first timeline at all.’

If they were the cause, it was strange that they had no memory of the previous timeline.

If they reversed time without retaining their memories, wouldn’t they just repeat the same events?

‘…But from the devils’ perspective, they would want to reverse time. Even if they couldn’t retain their memories.’

A happy ending was a human standard.

For the devils, it was a painful conclusion.

Yes, it was only natural that they would want to start over.

Even if the cost of reversing time was losing all their memories.

The fact that they could start over would be enough.

Even if it meant repeating the same events, there would still be a glimmer of hope.

‘Reversing time must come with a price. It’s an act that defies taboos and the natural order.’

Even if it’s the second-in-command of the devils.

Even if it’s a devil who controls time.

It’s not a miracle that can be performed casually.

There must be a limit to how many times time can be reversed.

Alright, there’s no need to panic.

I mistakenly thought the Four Seasons had reversed time, but in the end, what needs to be done hasn’t changed. 

Stop the devils and end the war. Protect the people and minimize sacrifices. 

Lucia looked down at her sweaty palms. She had done this three times already. The fourth time, she would do even better.

◈

“And so, the God of War, Mars, has decided to establish the academy…”

She killed Agares.

She didn’t give him any chance to reverse time.

Yoo-seong’s sword severed his neck, and Eugene’s spear pierced his heart.

Yet, time still reversed.

Thinking about it, the reversal of time happened some time after Agares’ death.

Could it be that the devil who reversed time wasn’t Agares?

But there were only four devils who crossed over from the demon realm.

The other three devils were always defeated before Agares.

…Perhaps there was another devil who hadn’t revealed themselves.

This time, I’ll have to look for the existence of another devil.

◈

“And so, the God of War, Mars, has decided to establish the academy…”

No matter how much she searched, there was no trace of another devil.

She missed her lost blessings more than ever.

In the past, she could have used her blessings to find clues.

If a devil was determined to hide, it would be difficult to find them using ordinary methods.

How on earth could she confirm the existence of a fifth devil?

◈

“And so, the God of War, Mars, has decided to establish the academy…”

No.

There were only four devils after all.

This was information she had obtained after even making a contract with Astaroth.

The girl with the red fox mask was obsessed with Eugene, so she used him as bait to make a contract.

…She felt sorry for Eugene, who had to suffer a lot because of it, but there was no other choice.

She had to confirm the existence of another devil.

If there were only four devils, then Agares must have been the one behind the reversal of time.

Since time reversed even after Agares’ death, the reversal must have been triggered automatically.

Could it be that the power to reverse time was embedded in a relic, a divine artifact, or a holy object?

If that’s the case, it’s actually a good thing.

If I can just destroy the object containing the power, everything will be resolved.

◈

“And so, the God of War, Mars, has decided to establish the academy…”

…I couldn’t find it.

It’s okay.

There are plenty of opportunities.

◈

“And so, the God of War, Mars, has decided to establish the academy…”

Again.

◈

As soon as time reversed, she left the auditorium.

Leaving during the entrance ceremony was a noticeable action, but she had heard the headmaster’s speech enough times to be sick of it.

Yoo-seong had told her directly about the process of establishing the academy.

I know it much better than you do now, Yoo-seong.

◈

She failed.

◈

It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

No matter how much she searched, she couldn’t find any clues.

If it was a holy object that reversed time, it must have been hidden very well.

How on earth could she find it?

Does it even exist?

It was all just my speculation.

…No, it must exist.

Otherwise, the current situation can’t be explained.

◈

She needed a lead.

Just wandering around aimlessly was pointless.

Searching the entire world was too inefficient.

The devil-infested lands beyond the borders were difficult to explore.

And she couldn’t devote all her time to searching for the holy object.

She couldn’t neglect stopping the devils and the great calamity.

◈

…She realized she had overlooked something.

The reversal of time.

A taboo among taboos.

Activating it would naturally require an enormous amount of energy.

If Agares wasn’t the one directly reversing time, how was the energy being supplied?

Perhaps this could be the key.

◈

“And so, the God of War, Mars, has decided to establish the academy…”

I found it!

Who would have thought it would be hidden there?

It was the spiritual veins. Agares had been using the ley lines to supply the necessary energy.

The holy object absorbed energy from the spiritual veins and automatically reversed time after a certain period.

She succeeded in finding it, but there wasn’t enough time to destroy it.

Time reversed before she could destroy it.

But it’s okay. The important thing is that I found it. This time, I’ll definitely destroy it.

Thinking that this was the final timeline, she finally felt relieved from the anxiety that had been gripping her heart.

Without realizing it, her shoulders slumped in relief.

She leaned back in her chair and let out a deep sigh.

Since this was the last entrance ceremony, I’ll listen to the headmaster’s final speech until the end.

◈

There was something she had overlooked.

The reason the Four Seasons had been indifferent to the reversal of time.

Until now, she had thought it was because they wanted humanity to solve it on their own.

They only provided small help in humanity’s trials, not direct intervention.

But that wasn’t it.

They hadn’t been indifferent to the reversal of time—they couldn’t stop it.

Even after destroying the holy object, time still reversed.

It was only then that I realized.

At the moment time reversed for the second time, the reversal of time had become fixed as fate.

It was something that had to happen.

The first and second timelines were my last chances.

I should have destroyed the holy object before time reversed, or at the very first reversal.

When the second timeline caught up to the last moment of the first timeline, causality became fixed.

When that moment arrived, time would inevitably reverse.

Even the Four Seasons couldn’t stop the reversal of time. They couldn’t. That’s why they had no choice but to remain indifferent.

“Ah, ahh…”

Stumbling out of the auditorium, Lucia collapsed to the ground.

Her lifeless pupils trembled.

A faint voice escaped her parched lips.

“I’m trapped…”

In a time loop.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
The regression occurs every two years.

How many more years does Lucia have to live?

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Mind you, it happened 374104561 times, and it takes 2 years before every single one happens.