Facing the witch gazing back at her from within the mirror,
The
Having found Echidna within this dream world that recreated her private room, Emilia truly grasped that this place had been born from within her own mind.
A gentle world—peaceful, serene, where the days spent in the forest stretched on endlessly.
A world where
"But a world like that doesn't exist anywhere, does it..."
"That's right. This is a fleeting world shaped from your memories and wishes. However, the world-building power of the sorcery that governs the 'Trials' surpasses human understanding. The people living in this world are precisely what they would have looked like, had a single button been fastened differently."
The truth Emilia had only just recalled—the truth of the day the Elior Great Forest was frozen over.
If that devastation had never come to pass, and the forest had been able to continue enjoying its peace, would everyone have been able to greet today with smiles?
The image of Fortuna and Juice, sitting side by side at the dining table in harmony, was burned into her mind.
That was none other than the sight that young Emilia had seen for the last time, and the sight that the current Emilia—who had recovered her memories—wished to see from the very bottom of her heart.
"Haven't you ever wanted to sink into this world, seeing this impossible now that could have been?"
As if peering into Emilia's heart, Echidna cast out a sweet temptation.
Gazing at Emilia with eyes as cold as her voice, Echidna stroked her snow-white hair back over her shoulder and continued— "Your mother, and her husband. Seeing the two of them so happy, didn't you wish they could have stayed that way forever? Didn't you dream of living among the forest's residents, thinking fondly of their friendly attitudes?"
"...What are you trying to say?"
"Just a bit of spite, I suppose. The fact that you found me means you've already given your answer to this world's scenery. And that answer—choosing reality over dreams—is boringly predictable. Since the outcome is already decided, I thought I'd at least leave a small mark of my own."
"———"
"Choosing the reality where your mother and those dear to you met unhappy ends, over their happiness. In the end, the 'Trial' reveals that you are a wretched woman who prioritizes herself above all else."
Echidna's scathing critique pierced Emilia's chest like a sharpened spear.
The words cut so sharply that Emilia felt as though a blade had truly been driven into her. Without thinking, she placed a hand on her chest and took a step back.
At Emilia's reaction, Echidna gave a small, contemptuous snort.
"I'm glad to see self-awareness budding in you. Besides, the 'Trials' don't take the challenger's personality into account. As long as you're qualified, anyone—regardless of what kind of mental wreck you are, regardless of how much of a selfish, self-obsessed wretch you might be—is accepted equally. Rest assured. Your wish will be fulfilled soon enough."
"You... really know how to hit where it hurts. Do you treat everyone this way?"
"Of course not."
At Emilia's strained words, Echidna shrugged.
"I reserve my malice for only two people in this world: you, and one other."
"Being chosen out of the entire world—just three of us—really doesn't make me happy. ...I don't recall saying enough to you to warrant that kind of hatred."
"You don't need to look so anxious. My dislike of you has nothing to do with you being a half-elf. I don't question your origins. Regardless of blood or talent, I simply find you disagreeable. ...No, even that isn't quite right."
"——?"
Echidna's expression shifted at the second half of her own statement, her gaze dropping downward. Emilia frowned slightly and shook her head.
She couldn't just slink away after being spoken to like that.
More importantly, there was plenty in Echidna's words that needed to be refuted—not for her own sake, but for the honor of everyone in the forest.
"I think it's only natural that you dislike me. I know perfectly well that being liked by everyone is a tall order. I've been told 'I hate you' plenty of times."
"If that's the case, all the more reason to have stayed hidden away in the forest."
"That's not an option. I told you during the last 'Trial,' didn't I? I'm going to melt the ice in the forest and save everyone. And then I'll stand tall and tell them all that the world has become a place worth walking through."
"'A place worth walking through'—that's quite the bold-faced lie you're telling. Racial prejudice is still rampant, and people's hearts don't easily accept those who are different. That's precisely why places like the '
"...You're not wrong."
At Echidna's ferocious words, Emilia nearly looked away.
Emilia's slender body still remembered the days she and
From Echidna's merciless attitude, Emilia was reminded of those days. Even as she tried not to remember, the wound refused to heal beneath its scab, insisting on its pain.
"But I want to change that."
"———"
Conscious of that wound's ache, Emilia retorted firmly.
Watching Echidna narrow her eyes, Emilia bit her lip and focused her gaze.
"Being different from others sometimes creates painful misunderstandings. Being in the majority or the minority can sometimes be the great dividing line between victim and perpetrator."
"That's been repeated throughout history, if you look. People can't accept what's different. And the disparity in numbers is itself a disparity of power. The many persecute the few. So what if you understand the natural order and gain a sliver of wisdom? Gather the few together and create a paradise for the weak? Isn't that precisely the essence of what the 'Sanctuary' is?"
"That might be... one option. But I want to choose a different path. Even if we can't change the fact that we were victims or perpetrators, the future can be different, can't it?"
The instant the word "future" left Emilia's lips, Echidna's expression froze over.
To Emilia, it looked exactly like the anger of someone thinking, "Of all people, I don't want to hear that from you." But even so, Emilia pressed on.
"As I work toward the Selection, I'll probably end up doing all sorts of things. I might face even more malice and abuse than before. But I want to keep standing and keep saying it—what's so wrong about being different from someone else? What's so scary about the person beside you being different from you?"
"I hate to repeat myself, but that is the natural order. People cannot accept the difference between themselves and others. Inherently, living creatures want others to be the same as themselves. They like the same things, love the same things, hate the same things, loathe the same things—they find comfort in that sameness, and love in what they can understand. Your argument will be rejected. As the delusion of the weak."
"That's just intellectual laziness! It's so uncool!"
"It's... uncool?"
At Emilia's louder voice, Echidna's eyes widened, clearly thrown by the unexpected remark.
And as Echidna faltered, Emilia thrust out her chest and declared, "That's right!"
"It IS uncool. 'The person next to me is different from me, so I don't like them'... We're not children. If people plugged their ears like that, it would be unbearable. If someone's going to be that stubborn, I'll say it over and over again. I'm sure it's easier for them to think about it a little rather than just stuff their ears and scream 'I don't like it'—and I'll keep on saying the same thing until they shut me up."
"How utterly self-centered. What supreme self-deception. Are you going to force your opinion on others and dismiss theirs simply because they don't want to hear it?"
"I'm not dismissing anything. Whether they remove the hand from their ear is up to them. —I'm simply confident that I'm more stubborn than they are."
Hands on her hips, Emilia made clear to Echidna that she would not bend.
Hearing this, Echidna's face twisted as though she'd bitten into something rotten, and she looked away from Emilia. Then— "Regardless of your argument, the world has not changed. The people living in the forest, trapped in the ice—assuming they're alive—if you bring them out into the melted world, the world is not ready to welcome them. You'd be throwing the people who were kind to you out into a storm. For the sake of your own, self-righteous sentimentality."
"............"
"You want to free your companions as soon as possible. But if you do, they'll be battered by the wall of the world's rejection. Living will be painful, and dying will be painful. How will you change the state of such a world with your mindset alone? How will you change it? How will it change?"
This was Echidna's true question to Emilia.
Through two "Trials"—the past and the impossible present—Echidna had confirmed Emilia's resolve. And now, with words, she was probing what lay beyond that resolve.
The vision that awaited on the other side of her determination.
The path to reach the future she had envisioned.
The concrete foundation upon which that path would be built.
In response to that question, Emilia nodded, and then said— "I'll think about that after the 'Trial' is over!"
"—Huh?"
"If I get too caught up in what comes next, I'll neglect what's right in front of me, and that would be putting the cart before the horse. I mean, I'll say it myself—I'm a klutz. If there's a wall I need to climb right in front of me and I start worrying about what's beyond it and try to do something about that too, I'll end up falling into a hole at the base of the wall."
Through the "Trial" and her argument with Subaru, Emilia had learned to see herself with a fair degree of objectivity.
She intended to give herself an honest, unflinching self-assessment.
She was not the kind of person who could skillfully juggle many things at once.
Only by giving her all to what was right in front of her could she perhaps achieve results.
There was hope for the future. There was a vision.
First, she would aim for that—and the first step toward that goal.
What she needed to carve here was that very first step.
"...I'm reminded once again of the futility of arguing with you. I must say, I made a truly fool of myself."
"You might be smart, but I really think it's unfair how you try to shut down the other person's opinion like that."
"You think this was an exchange of opinions? In response to my challenge, you simply lined up pretty words. I'd forgotten. That you're a hopeless child, too weak to stand on your own and utterly dependent on those around you."
"You're right... I am weak."
At the harsh words, Emilia's gaze dropped, and she shook her head slightly.
But she quickly raised her face again, meeting Echidna's eyes, and continued— "But... is being weak really such a bad thing?"
"...What?"
"If someone who taught me something important were here, they'd surely say this: It's not being weak that's bad. It's choosing to stay weak."
In her mind's eye, she pictured a black-haired boy with a scowling expression.
A boy who despaired at his own helplessness, but because of his gentle heart, threw himself into the fray to protect others above all else.
Borrowing everyone's strength, yet standing in the most painful place—that boy would surely answer just that.
"That's just deflection."
"Yeah. I was slow to deflect."
At the smile that even appeared on Emilia's face, Echidna finally realized there was no more room for debate.
She had no means of stopping Emilia, who had gone beyond mere optimism into full-on forward momentum.
Any further interference would even begin to impinge on Echidna's own pride—as a "Witch."
"...Enjoy the remaining 'Trial' while you can. Once it's over, a far harsher reality than the 'Trial' will be waiting for you. That's when you'll realize just how difficult it is to keep to the pretty words you've lined up."
"Thanks for going out of your way to say that. I'll remember your words. And also..."
Presumably, she was on the verge of vanishing from within the mirror.
Seeing Echidna's reflection begin to blur on the mirror's surface, Emilia continued speaking. In the world beyond the mirror, Echidna's brow furrowed. At that troubled expression, Emilia said— "Thank you for showing me this world."
"———"
"It may have been an impossible world, but it was definitely a world I wanted to see. I never thought there'd be a day when I could see Mother and Father Juice standing side by side like that, smiling. So... thank you."
There was a sharp ache in having been told so definitively that it was a world that could never exist.
But even if it was impossible, Emilia had witnessed a scene that should have been.
What was there was true happiness, and surely love—and it was so joyful and so sad that it made her tremble.
From the bottom of her heart, she could say she was glad to have encountered this scene.
"...You..."
Hearing the gratitude she'd expressed with that thought, Echidna's expression changed.
The disgusted look from moments ago, the restrained dissatisfaction in her tone, the contemptuous posture she'd shown toward Emilia's actions—none of those expressions matched the one that appeared now.
—Echidna simply looked at Emilia with an expression close to tears.
"Echidna...?"
"I hate you. —I just hate you."
Without responding to Emilia's call, Echidna looked down and answered in a strained voice.
The image within the mirror distorted, and in the blink of an eye, the white-haired witch vanished. In her place, the mirror reflected a girl with long silver hair—and— "—!"
A wave of rejection pierced her chest, and Emilia instinctively looked away from the mirror.
Her heartbeat raced, and her breathing grew slightly ragged.
She had steeled herself, but the sight of her own reflection in the mirror before her was terrifying.
"———"
Emilia had been sealed away alongside the Elior Great Forest, and after a hundred years, she had been freed by Puck's hand. —She had never once seen her own grown reflection in a mirror.
The reason was simple. It was simply too frightening.
After sleeping through a hundred years, Emilia—the girl whose heart had remained young—had only her body that had matured into that of a woman.
When she first regained consciousness and realized she couldn't properly control her own body, Emilia had been overwhelmed by the illusion that this body wasn't hers, and had spent many nights crying.
What had compounded this trauma was the reaction of the people living in the nearby villages.
Emilia, who shared the same physical traits as the Witch of Envy, was feared by the villagers like a demon. Even after they realized she wouldn't harm them, their distancing attitude didn't change.
Once it became clear that Emilia truly wouldn't do anything, what awaited her were days of persecution, dripping with malice and verbal abuse. Within those days, Emilia had—at least unconsciously—etched into herself that the reason they loathed her was because her appearance was the same as the "Witch's."
The proper starting point for her refusal to look in mirrors and her avoidance of seeing her own hated image must have been from that moment.
When Puck noticed Emilia's trauma, he systematically eliminated anything that might reflect her appearance. Even when drawing water from a well, he would speak to Emilia to keep her attention away from the water's surface.
—The clause in their contract stating that Puck would handle Emilia's daily grooming was, in truth, meant to protect her from that very trauma.
To shield his beloved daughter from mirrors she couldn't bear to face, Puck had hidden her trauma under the guise of their contract.
"...Just how many people have been protecting me all this time?"
How many people's kindness had she failed to notice, all the while brooding alone?
The time she could remain ignorant of what she'd been given was now, finally, over.
"———"
She drew in a breath, and held it.
Then Emilia raised her face and, with what felt like a momentous resolve, stared down the mirror.
Reflected in its surface was a girl with long silver hair and deep violet eyes.
She stared back with an expression that looked as if she were greeting the end of the world.
"...Huh."
A deflated voice escaped her lips.
Looking at the greatly matured version of herself in the mirror, Emilia sighed.
"...I'm disappointed she doesn't look more like Mother Fortuna, honestly..."
No sooner had she muttered this in a pouty tone than the world shattered to pieces with a sound.
The happy dream world she didn't want to let go of, yet could not keep—was ending.
--- "...Ah, hm."
Regaining consciousness, Emilia realized she had fallen asleep leaning half her body against the wall.
She had been sitting on the floor with her legs folded to the side, propping herself up against the wall where Subaru had carved his message. She smoothed down her messy hair and pictured the self she had last seen.
Was that really how she looked—the version of herself that so many people feared as a "Witch," and that Subaru kept calling "cute" and "adorable" at every turn?
Which was the correct perception? Emilia, who had little understanding of beauty and ugliness, couldn't say.
But in Emilia's heart, Mother Fortuna was the symbol of someone supremely beautiful and admirable. So she didn't think having a stern expression was necessarily a bad thing—and truthfully, she didn't mind Subaru's scowl either.
"I just got back and already I'm thinking about weird things."
She placed a hand on her cheek and put a stop to her train of thought.
This was too much of a space case. She'd safely completed the second "Trial," seen the handwritten message from Subaru, and was already getting this carried away.
"But... the second 'Trial' is over now, right?"
Murmuring to no one in particular, Emilia stood and considered the outcome.
Judging by Echidna's attitude at the end, the "Trial" was probably over. Unlike the first "Trial," she didn't have a firm conviction that she'd overcome it.
Even so, she had undeniably torn herself free from the pull to stay and made it back.
"———"
Fortuna and Juice. The thought of the two of them getting along so well made her chest ache.
But pressing down that grief, Emilia turned her back on the "Trial."
If there was a third "Trial," it would require the same in-and-out passage as the second.
She would seize this momentum and push through to the third "Trial" and liberate the "Sanctuary."
For Subaru's sake, for
"...It's already completely dark."
Passing through the dim corridors of the ruins, her footsteps echoing on the flagstone path, Emilia squinted at the feeble light streaming in from the tomb's entrance.
Was the moonlight obscured by clouds? That pale, hazy glow—could it be starlight?
In the "Sanctuary," which lost most of its light sources at night, the only means of piercing the darkness was the natural light descending from the sky.
"...!"
As she walked along lost in thought, the moment Emilia stepped out of the tomb, she was struck by the sheer weight of awareness directed at her slender frame, and her throat caught.
"Oh, she's come out!"
Someone called out, and immediately the murmur spread through the gathering around her.
Before the bewildered Emilia, that murmur swelled in an instant—and the awareness of the overwhelming number of people present converged on her alone.
—These were the residents who lived in the "Sanctuary."
People other than Garfiel and Ryuzu—the inhabitants of the Sanctuary.
Up until now, Emilia had avoided unnecessary contact with them. This was partly because she hadn't had the mental bandwidth, and partly because they hadn't actively sought her out either.
As before, Emilia met the gazes directed at her with a certain resignation.
And among the residents, there was disgust toward Emilia's lineage, expectation for her role in liberating the "Sanctuary," and above all, the nagging doubt of whether she was truly fit to stand before them.
That was why Emilia had believed it impossible for them to show up in force like this—before she had actually produced the result of liberating the "Sanctuary."
Emilia herself had never doubted that genuine dialogue with them was only possible after achieving concrete results.
So why were they gathered here now?
And more than that—the gazes directed at her held not disgust, but a strong sense of expectation.
"I may have said some rather harsh things."
Before the bewildered Emilia, a girl stepped forward from among the residents.
A figure with long, light-pink hair—Ryuzu.
As the village's representative, she walked to the forefront, leading the residents, and smiled at Emilia.
"Everyone hanging around here had been standing on the spot, y'see. Wondering what answer Emilia-sama would give to the 'Trial,' and... some of them were worrying about what would become of them once the 'Sanctuary' was freed."
"...I think that's only natural. But how does that connect to you saying something harsh?"
"Oh, it's a simple story, really. I went and leaked little bits of detail to everyone in the Sanctuary—about Garfiel and Subaru's fight, about Emilia-sama's argument with Roswaal... well, various other scenes too."
"You d-did tell them!?"
Seeing Ryuzu scratch her cheek with a guilty look, Emilia's own cheeks flushed red.
Emilia didn't mind if anyone had heard about the clash of wills between Subaru and Garfiel, but the argument she'd subsequently had with Roswaal had been an immature display of forceful opinions.
She could accept without shame that there was nothing embarrassing about it in theory, but learning after the fact that someone had actually been listening was another matter entirely.
"But even if you did let them hear... Ryuzu, where were you listening from?"
"Well, that's the thing... appearances aside, I have absolutely terrific hearing. Within the 'Sanctuary,' I can practically hear everything—there's not much room for secrets."
"I see... That's impressive."
At Ryuzu's eavesdropping declaration, Emilia's first reaction was admiration rather than anger.
Unaware that the apparent young girl was actually an old woman sticking out her tongue, Emilia nodded to confirm why so many had gathered here.
And then, to Emilia— "Um, Emilia-sama."
"Y-Yes?"
"You came out looking more like it was a blind date or something."
One of the settlement's residents—as someone living in the "Sanctuary," this person was also a half-blood, of demi-human descent.
A man with slightly elongated canines and narrow pupils. Around Roswaal's age or perhaps a bit older, he approached Emilia with a somewhat nervous demeanor.
"I... that is, we are still, honestly, having trouble making up our minds."
"———"
"Whether we can trust you, what it means to know the world outside the 'Sanctuary'—frankly, the outside is full of unknowns and it frightens us. We were all born and raised in here. We know nothing about the outside."
This was the same point Garfiel had argued—the nature of the "Sanctuary" as a place.
For four hundred years, the yoke of the barrier had forced upon its inhabitants an entrenched rootedness that transcended generations. Had there been no means of leaving, they might never have needed to consider it.
But the means of exit now existed before them in undeniable form—and it was being unsealed by the hands of Emilia, someone with no connection or bond to any of them.
It would be impossible for anyone not to feel anxious or resentful about that. And those who could stride boldly into the outside world would be rare.
Inwardly, Emilia had feared that Garfiel's concerns were representative of the Sanctuary's collective will.
And that fear was now being borne out by the words of the man before her.
"Even if Roswaal-sama were to take care of us outside, what would be different from here... frankly, the anxiety outweighs the expectations. Change is frightening."
"...Yeah."
"But—"
The man's continued words stopped Emilia just as she was about to lower her gaze in agreement with his argument.
He straightened his back and spoke with a tense expression.
"Everyone heard Garfiel's... that boy's voice."
"............"
"We learned what that earnest boy was thinking, what he was feeling... We heard about the black-haired young man's response to that earnest boy, and the exchange that followed between Roswaal-sama and Emilia-sama."
The man's face twisted into a grimace.
His expression, equal parts frustration and on the verge of tears, made Emilia's chest tighten.
"I won't lie—I thought it was pathetic. Having a fourteen-year-old kid worry about me that much, getting shouted at by someone barely twenty... and hearing Emilia-sama's words, refusing to bend even when Roswaal-sama told her she couldn't do it. So, Emilia-sama."
"—Yes."
"Regardless of the outcome, and regardless of what comes after—I think the way you're approaching the 'Trial' is incredible. It's worthy of respect. Not everyone here shares that feeling, and I still can't fully accept you myself. But please—let us see this through."
She didn't need to ask what "this" meant.
Bathed in the man's forceful gaze, Emilia looked past him—at the residents who nodded in affirmation of his stance—and gave a small nod of her own.
"I understand. I'll make sure it ends safely... and then I'll listen to what you have to say."
"Yes. I promise. Judging someone based solely on hearsay without ever interacting with them... that's not something we had any right to do. —Owch!"
As the man's shoulders slumped, Ryuzu suddenly pinched his waist from behind.
He jumped and turned around in protest, but Ryuzu just snorted dismissively.
"You've been going on too long and taking this too seriously. Besides, you switched from 'watashi' back to 'ore' halfway through. What were you thinking, trying to sound all formal?"
"...S-Sorry about that."
"In any case, our opinion stands as stated. Sorry for butting in."
With that friendly exchange, Ryuzu sent the bowing man back.
Watching this, Emilia took a deep breath, filling her lungs with oxygen and something more.
Ryuzu's consideration, and the people of the Sanctuary who had come to witness her Trial.
That alone was enough to fill her with courage.
"Thank you, Ryuzu. With this, I think I can push myself even harder."
"Oh good, oh good. Then I'm glad. ...The next one should be the last 'Trial.'"
"Yes, that's right. —I think I'll go challenge it right away."
Carrying that strength with her, Emilia turned toward the tomb.
But midway, as if reconsidering, she stopped and turned only her head back toward Ryuzu— "Oh, and... come to think of it, Ryuzu, have you seen Ram? I want to let her know that the second 'Trial' is over."
"...Ram isn't here—she had a task of her own, apparently. She simply asked me to convey that she's praying for Emilia-sama's success. 'Emilia-sama has Emilia's path to walk, and Ram has Ram's. Let us each fulfill our part.'"
Even though Emilia knew it was a relayed message, Ram's characteristic phrasing nearly drew a wry smile.
Ram's role—where and with whom she would fulfill it.
There was a faint stirring in her chest, but Emilia pressed it down deliberately.
Ram had believed in her. So Emilia would believe in Ram, too.
Just as Subaru and the others had carved a path for her, Emilia wanted to carve a path for them in return.
"Here I go."
Ryuzu nodded at Emilia's words, and the murmur of the residents urged her forward from behind.
With a resolve stronger than the first time, stronger than the second, Emilia stepped into the tomb.
And then— *Confront the calamity that shall come.* The final Trial was upon her.
--- Deep within her chest, Ram could feel her heartbeat quickening faintly.
Never before had she been on the receiving end of such hostility from someone before her.
Touching him. Exchanging words with him. Being commanded by him to do something.
For Ram, all of those things were the ultimate happiness—her reason for living.
And so, even being the target of his hostile awareness, she found herself experiencing the thrill of a maiden's excitement—delighting in it, even.
"...Well, well... you've got some nerve showing your face here."
Directly ahead, a tall man glaring at Ram murmured those words.
His voice—beautiful enough to make one tremble—sent a sweet numbness racing through her brain.
Just being bathed in that mismatched gaze was enough to make everything below her waist feel ready to shatter.
Of course, she would never show such fragility.
A woman like that would be discarded as useless, even as a pawn.
"So... what brings you here?"
"—It's simple, really."
Responding as always with a still, expressionless calm, Ram drew her staff from beneath her skirt hem and pointed its tip at the beautiful man before her—toward the master she adored— "I've come to steal you away from the Witch's obsession."
She had made her confession—the words with which she would burn away the beloved man lost in his maddening love, with a love of her own.