Grand Route: Chapter 1: Countless Memories and Sacred Sword

"Then let's go. Umm... Filia."

"Yes, Trust-sama!"

Coming from another world, I prayed that Trust would rise once again.

And then... although it was the influence of the love potion, I conveyed my feelings to him and he stood up.

All that's left now is to escape the city and regroup.

If we can escape to Nerisford, one of the game's settings, there should be a chance we can do something about it.

Immediately after I thought that...the world turned gray.

["Filia, who has a crack in her soul, and the Hero Trust, who is trapped in a fate of despair. I have come to question you both once more."]

It was the voice of God that I heard.

During my lifetime, I prayed that after I died, I would meet God and give Trust a happy ending.

I am here now to make this wish come true.

Furthermore, God transformed me into a young girl and gave me a love potion and a short sword.

If I believe what God said before I helped Trust, the battle is not over yet.

No, it hasn't even started yet.

So what are you asking me?

"What on earth is this voice..."

I looked next to me and saw Trust making a confused noise.

Of course.

Suddenly the world turns gray and frozen, and a mysterious voice comes from the heavens.

"Trust-sama, this is the voice of the one who led me to this place."

"The one?"

"Yes. He don't call himself that, but I believe he is a god-like being."

"God……"

Trust's mixed emotions were apparent when he heard the word God.

I guess it can't be helped, since he's been fighting for the world up until now, but his beloved has been taken away by his nemesis.

Above all, his faith in God must be far stronger than my faith ​​as a modern Japanese person.

If he hears God's voice in such a situation, he may not be able to accept it, as from his perspective, it is God who made him miserable.

However, Trust seemed determined and spoke up.

"You led this girl... Filia to me. Whatever you are, you are my savior. I am deeply grateful."

Those words were very confident and made me realize that he was truly a Hero.

It was a much more beautiful picture than when I saw it on the screen.

This may also be the effect of the love potion.

Because he looks really cool.

"Um... so what is your question to us?"

I also ask God.

There must be something special about it if he went out of his way to come out and ask.

["I said to ask, but to be precise, there are no words needed."]

No words needed?

What does that mean?

["However, one thing has changed. I have come to bestow this sword upon you in order to keep my promise to you."]

Suddenly, a sword fell from the sky and pierced the ground in front of Trust and me.

"..."

The sword was very divine, and was overflowing with power that seemed to embody the word holiness.

Just like how you feel about God, you instantly understand that it is something special.

Trust seemed to share the same sentiment, staring at the sword.

["Please pull out that sword together. A new path will open up."]

After saying that, the presence of God disappeared.

Although the gray space is not completely gone, it is gradually regaining color.

I looked at Trust's face, a little confused.

"The one from earlier...no, can you trust that voice?"l

A sudden appearance of a sword and an unseen voice.

I certainly think this is a questionable line given Trust's position.

But for now, I have no choice but to trust.

In the first place…….

"...If God is an evil being, then there's nothing someone like me can do about it."

"I see... Okay, with your help, I've decided to stand up once again. So I believe in the beings you believe in."

Trust made up his mind and held out his hand to me.

I grabbed his hand and together with Trust, we touched the hilt of the sword.

The impression when I touched it was just as I imagined, it felt like a normal sword.

However, the divinity is so strong that I can feel it on my skin.

"Let's go."

"Yes!"

We call out to each other, put strength into our hands, and pull it out.

In an instant, a strong current entered my head, so strong it felt like I was going to explode.

It would be easier to understand if I say it as countless [Memories].

Strong feelings of love, affectionate feelings, skin touching skin.

It all began with... the memories of the days I fought alongside Trust.

For the sake of the Hero Trust, who was deeply wounded in his heart, I made the excuse that it was because of the love potion and we made love many times.

Then there is the battle with the witch Mare Flavel and the deadly struggle with the Demon King.

I talked to God and realized how I felt.

Pregnancy, marriage, and happiness in Trust's hometown are precious memories.

It's not just once or twice that I've come across a similar situation.

Ten times, a hundred times... maybe a thousand times.

Those are similar but different memories of me.

Each and every one is precious and dear, a true feeling that never fades.

However, the situation changes as the number of times increases.

At one point, the course changed dramatically.

Trust had me imprisoned and was going to do everything he could to violate me.

But in that world, I accepted it.

Even if it meant my fate was to perish, I would stay with him.

That's what I decided in that world, and I lived for Trust.

I'd do any dirty thing for him.

The malice that pursues him, the battle with the vampire princess Lumina, and the feelings that make him prepare for death.

Still, he resisted fate.

After the war, we traveled the world and found happiness, a precious memory.

This was the same, with dozens, hundreds, thousands of people meeting similar but different outcomes.

Soon, change comes again.

In that world, I was killed in battle against the Demon King's army.

However, even though I lose my physical body, I begin to walk with Trust in the form of the Holy Spirit.

I had a lot of sex with Trust to maintain my physical condition.

In that world, there is a battle with the necromancer Luries...no, there is no battle.

After all, it was the girl using my dead body who defeated her.

While I was able to connect with the girl, Trust loved me.

A precious memory that I swore to save with my life, that will never fade even if I die.

"Huh..."

Those very precious and dear memories run through my head.

Even one memory is vast and dense, yet there are hundreds and thousands of them.

Everything is special and a memory with my loved one.

Just remembering it makes me feel excited.

Compared to this memory, love potions are like clear, colorless water.

Just from that first memory, I no longer cared that I was once a man.

That memory alone is enough, but the feelings of love are washed over me like a muddy torrent.

If I were to put this feeling into words...it would be like this.

"I love you, I ...!"

Before I knew it, I was hugging Trust and saying those words.

Suddenly, I distance myself from my loved one.

I couldn't control my emotions and said it without thinking, but it was a bit scary to say.

It's not surprising that people would be turned off by me, thinking I am a stalker or a yandere.

That's how terribly perverse I was.

...I don't want to be hated.

I remember those lovely days, but I hate that I can't be with him.

Without Trust, I cannot even survive.

If I were to be rejected, I would easily commit suicide.

That's how much I love Trust...but I still have enough rationality left to know that these feelings are pathological.

That's why it's scary.

I love him so much that I'm afraid to tell him how I feel.

I instinctively turned my back to Trust and trembled.

There's no way he'd hate me.

He's a Hero who can return kindness with kindness, and even ill will with kindness.

I have unconditional faith in that kind of Trust.

When I turn around, he smiles at me.

He is my Trust, the beloved person with whom I had shared countless worlds.

Still, it's scary.

Because my feelings are too strong, I am afraid of failure.

Like a weak, powerless girl, my legs tremble with fear.

"...Filia."

My body jumps with a jerk.

I'm so happy to hear my name called by those mouths and in that voice.

But fear also arises.

If I was the only one who remembered what I saw earlier, would I be able to bear it?

In those memories, I accumulated important things one by one and became connected to him.

A bond that will never break, no matter how hopeless the fate.

I don't have that right now.

I have all my memories from the past, but they happened in a different world.

So no matter how much you yearn for love, it may fall apart.

"That's right... Filia is shy, so I will say this."

Trust said that and hugged me from behind.

A gentle, warm embrace, as if handling something fragile.

"Even if Filia hates me this time, I'll make her like me."

"...will you try confining me?"

"That's... probably a last resort. If possible, it's better to take a direct approach."

Hearing those words, I was convinced.

Trust also has memories of many worlds.

"...!"

Even though I was being hugged, I spun around to face hin and hugged him back.

I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.

We fought a lot, cried a lot, and made love a lot.

I came here to make Trust happy, but he always made me happy.

I am filled with a feeling of joy.

I want to live with this person.

"...chuu"

Our lips naturally met.

No more words are needed.

We are so connected that we can communicate just by looking into each other's eyes.

So I understand.

What I really want is to stick my tongue in, devour each other, and have sex right now.

I want to give my virginity to the person I love.

But the battle isn't over.

There's not much time, so for now I'll have to make do with just a shallow kiss.

"……yeah"

Our lips parted and we exchanged glances.

Oh, what must we do?

I can tell without him saying it.

But words have power, so I speak them out loud.

"Trust-sama."

"Ah, the power of the Demon King, huh?"

"Yes"

Having fought in many worlds, we had reason to be certain of "that."

The Demon King has great power.

This isn't about having immense magical power to defeat enemies or the strength to wield a giant weapon.

--The Demon King repeats this world.

Let's say the world where we first fought Mare Flavel is the first world.

In that world, the balance of power between humans and demons was in favor of the demons, but it was something that could be managed with strategy.

However, from then on, humanity gradually began to find itself at a disadvantage in the world.

A typical example would be when we escaped the city and arrived in Nerisford.

In the first world, although I was tired, I still had enough energy left to go and see Trust because I was worried about him.

However, after going through many worlds... it has changed dramatically.

The number of pursuers, the method of pursuit, and the strategy

We in that world wouldn't notice, but if you know the another worlds you'll notice it right away.

Eventually, the world became so exhausting that it became unbearable.

I thought that in that world I was unable to recognize Trust's feelings and support him up.

But I could tell that I was more tired than that.

In the end, I end up being imprisoned by Trust, who has darkness in his heart...

And in that world, the Demon King said:

...He will kill me.

Given the circumstances, one would normally think it was the howling of a loser, but that's not the case.

Because things have changed in the world since then.

In the world since then, the Demon King's army has clearly changed course of action.

He was moving as if his goal was to kill me...that is, Filia.

In fact, after gaining several worlds or loop, I truly died.

I was killed by the Demon King's army's serious, or should I say desperate, fierce attack.

Fortunately, I was resurrected in the form of the Holy Spirit.

Still, the Demon King's words, "Kill me," have come true.

The worst part is the words "this time" and "a dud."

So I understand.

The Demon King repeats this world.

"The Demon King's power is called Save and Load, and it allows him to return to a specified time."

Save and load...

I had a terrible memory of that name.

If you think about it, this world was originally a game.

And during the game era, his fate changed in the form of a route.

Although in the end three heroines are NTR-ed, there are three routes, and there is also a route where all the heroines are NTR-ed.

This all-heroine NTR route cannot be accessed unless you have conquered all other routes.

In other words, if the Demon King had the ability to save and load since the game era, he must have achieved this by making full use of the save and load functions multiple times.

Furthermore, based on my past memories, I was convinced that this was true.

How can we win against such an opponent?

Even if we can defeat the Demon King, it's pointless if he uses Save and Load.

At that point, he will be sent back to a safe time.

In addition, he will be able to read our strategy and take countermeasures.　

That's why we've been through the world so many times.

Without us even realizing it...

"This sword seems to have the power to defeat the Demon King."

"Is that so?"

"Ah, this sword... it was bestowed upon me by God, so let's call it the Holy Sword."

A holy sword?

It is a sword that exudes a sacredness befitting its name.

"The holy sword has the power to rewrite all of this save information to the present."

I see, if you rewrite all the save points you won't be able to go back to the past.

It's truly a weapon given to us by God.

"All that's left now is to defeat the Demon King..."

Trust looks worried.

I understand how he feel.

We have obtained the trump card to truly defeat the Demon King.

However, that trump card is meaningless if it cannot defeat the Demon King.　

And...the only one who can defeat the Demon King is the hero, Trust.

We understand this because we have seen many worlds.

I can say this because I understand.

"Trust-sama will definitely win!"

"……yeah"

"If you're still unsure... once the battle is over, feel free to use me however you like."

I actually want to have sex right now.

I'm sure Trust feels the same way.

But now we have to fight.

So even though it's scary because it feels like a death flag, I make the preparation to set up.

"You've experienced countless worlds, so you'd understand, right...?"

I know what it means to be a woman, but I've also gained memories of many different worlds, so I know what it means to have the confidence of a woman.

I have the innocence of a young girl, the vulgarity of a mature woman, and can understand men's feelings all at the same time.

Above all, I'm Trust's partner, lover, and wife.

I wouldn't say there's nothing I don't know about him, but I do understand his tastes and preferences.

It may not be impossible to make someone fall in love with you, their mind, body, and even their soul, and make them yours.

"Filia."

My name was called.

Just that alone makes me so happy that my face almost bursts into tears.

He thinks he can make me his own, but it's me who's in love with him.

In reality, it's me who wants him to hold me.

Still, I weave the words.

"My body, mind, and soul are all yours... yet don't you think it would be a waste to end it here?"

A breathtaking feeling was felt from Trust.

I'm proud to say this, but Trust loves me.

This is something I can understand because we are connected across many worlds.

What's more, even in this situation, I can see a slight bulge in his crotch even through his clothes.

If I hadn't had the memories of this other world, I would have felt at least a little fear at this point, knowing that I was being viewed as a sexual object.

Or perhaps I would be happy because of the effects of the love potion.

But now I'm genuinely happy.

"...That's right. Just like me in another world, I want Filia too."

"I want you too, Trust-sama. But please don't do anything reckless, okay?"

Many memories and emotions come together, creating complicated feelings.

I am confident that Trust will win.

I find myself worrying about protecting Trust.

I am trying to support Trust.

Everything is genuine and true.

My own heart branches out from the many possibilities that lie ahead.

It's not about what is right and what is wrong, or any such thing.

Everything is right, my feelings for him.

"..."

I tighten my hold on Trust.

...The truth is, we have to head off to battle right now.

But still, I want to do more of this.

It's enough if we can just be there for each other.

"Just a little."

"Yeah"

"Please let me stay like this for a little longer..."

Just a little while until the world returns to normal.

I want to stay like this even if it's just for a short while.

"Thank you. It's because you're here... that I can fight."

Just hearing that makes me feel warm inside.

Even though we have just met in this timeline, our relationship is strange and could be described as that of lovers or husband and wife.

But I think that's okay.

We can be so calm and do our best to live for tomorrow together...

"Filia, let's go."

"Yes, Trust-sama!"

After a while, the world returned to normal.

Trust holds the holy sword in his hand, and I hold the short sword.

The destination is the complete opposite of where we are now.

A den of malice.

A fate of despair.

When this world was a game, this was the ending.　

"I found him! Kill him--"

A flash.

He killed his enemy before he could finish his sentence.

He probably died without even realizing that he was dead.

"...!"

Just keep running.

Return the way we came and cut down the enemies that were pursuing us.

There's no way we can lose now.

Even if they are demons, that's no exception.

The Hero sweeps away the enemies with overwhelming power, and the Saint supports him.

Oh wait, I'm not a saint yet?

That doesn't really matter.

Either way, now we can fight as easily as we breathe.

Even if the tips of the swords get closer than a millimeter, they will not harm each other.

Each other's habits, what we think, and what we want.

We understand all of that.

"Gahaha..."

"Wh, what is this――"

Run, run.

Trust's holy sword runs, and I swing my short sword to weave through it.

Even words like "unity" are too weak to describe us.

The two wills have merged so much that we can be said to be one life form.

As a result, the only path that was born was one made of the blue blood of demons.

Numbers are meaningless there.

From my perspective, it feels like you shouldn't underestimate the power of a hero.

"Oh my, are you still here?"

As we was beating down our enemies, Mare Flavel appeared with a mocking look on her face.

I can feel flat towards her.

Normally I might have felt even a hint of hatred, but right now it was as cold as a glacier.

Does murderous intent freeze rather than burn?

"The Demon King said it was okay to kill him. Let's kill him quickly."

"Really, you're so clumsy."

The heroines appear next.

Each one of them possesses great power and has caused us pain many times.

An enemy that must be defeated.

A symbol of hatred.

These are people I want to kill brutally right now.

More than anything, I was worried about Trurst and looked over at him...but to my relief...

"Sorry, but could you please move out of the way?"

Trust stared straight ahead without a trace of cloudiness.

There was not the slightest bit of reason to worry, and it actually made me feel like I was the one who was immature.

After all, I'm just someone who respects, protects, and supports Trust.

Well, I'm happy about that...he is really cool.

"...? Do you really think I'll listen to what you have to say?"

"If it comes to this, we'll just have to kill each other."

"You still think you can talk to us?"

Perhaps sensing something strange about Trust's calm demeanor, the trio continued to provoke him with puzzled expressions.

I know it's no big deal now, but it still irritates me.

No matter how many times I do it, I don't think I'll ever like them.

I don't really want to show this violent side of myself to the person I love, but I feel the urge to kill them.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm telling you to get out of the way if you don't want to die."

That's an extremely cold tone for a Trust member.

But I know that there is such a thing as trust.

Women who were important to him but betrayed him and turned to his sworn enemy.

It would be unreasonable to tell him not to resent them.

However, there is still some leniency left in the situation, such that he would say he will let them go as long as they don't get in the way.

I don't think they can understand that since they don't know the circumstances...

"Huh? You were crying and yelling like a pathetic person, so why are you acting all arrogant?"

"Let's kill him quickly."

"You've probably gone mad. Your only value is being executed in front of the Demon King, how foolish."

I feel my heart grow colder.

I'm not kind enough to be okay with the person I love being made fun of.

"No need to bother. Please just disappear."

"Ha! You suddenly came out and acted all high and mighty. You're annoying me."

She seems like a different person compared to when she was the heroine of the game.

All I can think of now is a deluded woman walking around with thugs.

...Knowing that this was the last time, I wanted to try and beat him verbally.

"What a coincidence, me too. By the way, what do you like about the Demon King? Please tell me for reference."

"That's obvious. All of it."

Yeah, I expected a response like this.

So I continued as I had planned.

"So what you're saying is that he can't defeat Trust-sama on his own, so he hide and stalk the girls around him, pleading for help! He is a pathetic man hiding in the girls' shadows, right?"

"What did you say?"

"Huh? Now that I think about it, I can't see the Demon King. It seems that's what happened."

"I'm going to kill this kid."

"Oh my, I hit the nail on the head."

"Don't speak ill of the Demon King!"

"Sigh... how unfortunate. If the Demon King is at this level, even if Trust-sama defeats him, he can't expect any fame..."

With looks of genuine astonishment, the three immediately went into battle stances without saying a word.

They seem to be the ones who provoke others, but are weak when it comes to being provoked themselves.

However, they are on a different level from the enemies we have faced so far.

I know this because I have suffered in many worlds.

They are an opponent of such a level that I'm not sure I could win a one-on-one fight.

If all three of them come at the same time, there's no way we can win.

--In the world up until now.

An endless supply of power flows from the kodachi.

A blade that transforms thoughts into power.

Now that it has been concentrated across countless worlds, its effect has transformed into something enormous.

And the memories of fighting for my life connect my experience in martial arts and magic to who I am today.

"..."

I dodge the first attack with minimal movement and sweeps away the leg, launches the second attack with his short sword, and interrupts and destroys the third's magic chant.

...They are so strong that they can recover and attack in the next moment.

I know this from experience in many worlds.

Efficient movement, strong strength, and honed experience.

If it was the real me, there would be no way I could win.

But...

The person I love is not stupid enough to miss that opportunity.

"...I will not forgive anyone who lays a hand on Filia."

Three sword slashes are unleashed with extraordinary murderous intent.

The three sword flashes easily surpassed the limits of human ability, slicing through the three people with such ease that even the word "instant" felt long.　

His incredible movements made me realize that even though I've experienced many worlds, there's no way someone like me could win against him.

Well, I am in the same group as Trust so there's no reason for me to catch up to him, but as a former man, I still have a bit of admiration for the strongest.

...I guess there's still a part of me that thinks about my former self.

In terms of the amount of memories, I've lived as a girl longer than I did when I was alive.

But I wonder if that's okay.

Because the person I love is the strongest in the world, right?

As a former man, I admire his strength, and as a woman, I think he's cool.

When you combine the two, you fall in love with them twice as much.

No, the synergistic effect might make it three or four times as much.

"Haha... you... you can't be that strong..."

The three are fatally wounded and fall to the ground.

Mare Flavel appears to be on her last legs, but the other two died instantly.

That was how powerful his sword technique was.

"I'm weak."

"...Don't mess with me..."

"I'm not kidding. I'm weak. Because I'm weak, I want to become strong for the people I care about."

As she heard Trust's words, she took her last breath.

She seemed to be trying to say something, but now I don't know what.

...To think that this is the end for them makes me feel really disappointed.

But that thought quickly vanished.

They were people Trust liked.

Even if he have had similar experiences in many other worlds, painful things are still painful.

"Trust-sama..."

I couldn't continue speaking.

No matter how much experience I have, I don't know what to say.

However, Trust patted me on the head as I was at a loss for words and said:

"Filia, I'm a more ruthless and cruel person than you think."

"That's not true--"

"I killed them in many worlds and didn't feel a single pang of guilt."

"..."

"Will you stay with me even though I'm like this?"

"Of course! You're the only one I love!"

I've decided that no matter what happens, we'll be together.

Ruthless? Cruel?

Wasn't it they who betrayed him first and tried to kill him?

It's nice to think that way.

But it would be a lie to say that I didn't feel a bit guilty because I was worried about such things.

If he truly didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt, he wouldn't say something like that.

"Sorry, I knew what I you want to ask."

"That's fine. But no matter what happens, even if I die, I still love you. Just remember that."

"Yes, that's right. Thank you."

I feel proud when I receive words of gratitude.

There is no lie or deception in these feelings.

I loved him with all the world.

In the first place, I'm not skilled enough to change it now.

"...Okay, let's go. This will be the last time."

This time it's the last time.

Since he had defeated the three heroines, that was only natural.

Be strong-minded.

Even if he is a powerful demon king, we have Trust

Trust never loses.

We will win and take control of the future this time.

I'm just going to help with that.