—She saw the future.
"Without —, I can't even swing my sword? You damn thief!!"
"See there. It is my victory once more."
"Subaru and
—The multicolored lights kept showing Emilia different futures with every touch.
"To think the person I wanted to kill so badly turned out to be a kind person... what an unbelievable nightmare."
"There are thoughts that must never be spoken aloud. If this is the result of revealing them, are you satisfied?"
"And with this, you think you've kept your promise? If that's the case... if that's the case, I should have died back then, wrapped in a straw mat in that pit! Rather than seeing a dawn like this... everything should have just ended! Damn it, damn it!"
"I'm sorry. Because I was weak, I'm sorry. Because I couldn't kill you, I'm sorry. And now forever, —will be alone for eternity. Because I was weak, I'm sorry..."
—Wailing, rage, endings, renewal, partings, meetings—each presented in different forms.
"Hmm, hmm... my precious grandchild... has grown up well, hasn't she..."
"I will absolutely not be killed by something as nonsensical as a curse!"
"I just realized... that all this time, I wasn't walking alone."
"Why... won't a soul take residence?!"
—Was there nothing but despair in the future? Nothing but grief and suffering?
"I'll kill you like I promised! Hah!? Natsuki Subaruuuu!!"
"Is Uchi really that greedy? Being all demanding? Nobody dies, nobody cries... what's so damn hard about that?"
"In the end, we must drain even the last drop of our blood for atonement."
"Good, evil, like, dislike—none of it matters. You can just stay put right there. I'll... we'll crush anyone who stands in our way, whether they're a
—Then was this path wrong? Was the wish itself a mistake?
"I believe that praying in order to make a request is arrogant. You should pray only when seeking forgiveness."
—In the final world of light, a girl who had never been seen to awaken and speak had said that.
He had thought he wanted to properly exchange words with her.
That feeling alone was enough to refuse the denial of everything.
--- When her vision cleared, Emilia found herself in a windswept meadow.
A white table stood atop a small hill, and her own body sat in a white chair. She couldn't recall what had happened just a few blinks ago. But she understood she was still in the dream world.
"
If someone were to greet her at the end of the Trial, it could only be Echidna, the supervisor. Searching for her figure, Emilia cast her gaze around.
But though the meadow stretched all the way to the visible horizon, there was no sign of a person or any obstruction anywhere. It was as though if she stepped away from this place, she would never find this white table again.
"...?"
Though her body was certainly here, she had a strange sensation as if she might slip away into the far distance of the horizon. Emilia took a deep breath to calm herself, and since no one seemed to be around, decided to move.
Perhaps there was an exit somewhere. She would find it and leave this place. There was nothing to be gained by idling here.
And then— "It's always been like that, haa. Why is it that in situations like this, fuu, the hot potato always ends up in my hands, haa? What do you think about that, fuu?"
"...Ah."
Emilia froze at the sight of the tuft of fur that had suddenly appeared across the table.
She stopped halfway through rising to her feet, staring dumbfounded at the being before her.
She couldn't help but hold her breath.
"Mm... easy to read, that reaction, haa. That's the right reaction for sure, haa. That little boy was just a touch dense, that's all, haa."
"——"
A person who released a gloomy sigh with every word she spoke.
She was a languid woman with voluminous red-purple hair that extended in great quantities, draped in a black robe she'd clearly never taken off. Her words carried no malice, and her demeanor was entirely natural.
—And yet, Emilia felt a crushing pressure as if her throat were being squeezed.
If the woman so much as changed her mind for an instant, Emilia's head would vanish from her body without a second thought.
Emilia, who had recovered her past and could now wield tremendous mana far beyond what a single body could contain—Emilia, whose individual combat ability had leaped to incomparable heights—could tell at a glance that there was no comparison between herself and this woman.
With the ease of swatting away a fly, Emilia would be killed—and she knew it.
"There's no need to be wary, haa. I have no intention of doing you harm, nor of being bothered to, haa. That sort of thing is too much trouble, fuu. But that woman Echidna wouldn't let up about meeting you face to face, so... haa. Here I am, haa."
"I-I see..."
Timidly, Emilia withdrew her chin at the woman's words.
Even now, the overwhelming aura surrounding the woman had not dissipated. The fact that she was a being who could destroy Emilia with ease had not changed. But if the woman was going to kill her regardless of whether she was scared or not, there was no difference either way.
Deep breath. Hold it. Exhale. And with that, Emilia forced herself to calm down.
"So, if you're here in Echidna's place... does that mean you're a Witch too?"
"Oh my, haa. You've got more nerve than I expected, haa. The way you don't flinch when it matters—haa. You might take after your mother, haa."
"You know about my mother?"
"I can't tell you, but yes, I do, haa."
At the unexpected connection, Emilia held her breath, but the woman said it flatly with an exhausted expression. Pursuing the matter would likely get nothing out of her.
Though she felt the urge to press further, Emilia shelved the question about her mother for now. She had seen the past, seen the impossible present, and the radiance of
For now, that was enough.
"What should I call you, since you're here in Echidna's place?"
"I like a child who doesn't throw tantrums, haa. I'd want
Sekhmet rested her body against the table and propped her head up on the other side, a faint smile on her lips.
Despite the dark circles under her eyes and her unhealthy complexion, she was a beautifully featured woman. Even so, the otherworldly aura she emanated alongside the word "Witch" made it clear she was no ordinary person.
"As for how our names as Witches are being passed down in the current world, haa—I couldn't care less, haa. I just want to finish this errand as quickly as possible and return to my decadent slumber, haa. All I want is some peace and quiet, fuu."
"Um, if it's really such a bother... couldn't someone else have done it? If Echidna doesn't want to, it doesn't have to be Echidna—there are other Witches, right?"
"The others, haa. There's no having a conversation with them, haa.
"Minerva..."
Because sighs were interspersed between every few words, Sekhmet's speech had an awkward rhythm. But if even she was more conversational than the other Witches, one could only imagine how the others' personalities must be.
But that impression was immediately overwritten by the impact of the name she had just heard.
"Minerva..."
Emilia murmured it once more, just to herself, and tilted her head at the sound.
For some reason, it seemed to stir a deeply nostalgic memory. And yet, she had no recollection of hearing it in her past memories, nor among her recovered ones.
But it was a strangely intimate name, as if reminding her of someone she had once been close to.
"Well, there's no point talking about people who aren't here, haa. In any case, I'm just here to deliver Echidna's message, fuu. After you hear it, the decision of whether to complete the Trial is entirely up to you, haa. Being used like this is no walk in the park, haa."
"Um... thank you for your hard work?"
"I'll accept the sentiment, haa. Now, listen carefully, fuu."
Sekhmet called Emilia back from her thoughts, tilting her head to the opposite side on the table. Then she fixed Emilia with a weary gaze, sighed, and placed her right hand on the table.
"In the third Trial, haa. You saw the future, didn't you? That future is one that would come to pass if you were to cross this Tomb, haa—a future of possible outcomes based on that choice, fuu."
"A possible... future."
"There is a possibility that you saw everything, haa. Conversely, there's a possibility you saw nothing at all, fuu. But the fact that the future you witnessed was not a good one—haa. Even I can tell that much, given Echidna's personality, haa."
Emilia had no way of knowing how Echidna was regarded by the other Witches, but at the very least, Sekhmet seemed to judge that Echidna had a mean personality. Emilia herself couldn't say much on the matter.
In truth, Sekhmet's assessment of Echidna was even more negative than Emilia could imagine, but since Emilia had already concluded that Echidna was a "mean Witch," it was hard for her to imagine anything worse.
"Futures branch infinitely, and possibilities multiply, haa. Still, the future you just witnessed is a tragedy that's likely to come to pass, fuu. Whether that seed sprouts, buds, and blooms into what kind of grand flower... haa. Do you have the resolve to knowingly walk the path that might grow a poisonous flower that brings misfortune to everyone... haa?"
"——"
Emilia fell silent, her gaze fixed seriously on Sekhmet.
Sekhmet looked as though she were exhausted from the long speech, but when she noticed Emilia's stare, she furrowed her brows.
"...I thought I'd already asked the question, haa."
"Eh, that was a question? If I answer it, the Trial is over?"
"That's how it would be, haa. ...Though, thinking about your objective, it could be said that the Trial was already over once you made it this far, haa."
Sekhmet gave off the air of an exhibition match, and Emilia smiled wryly.
There was no ill intent. She was simply surprised at how anticlimactic the question was. Because Emilia's answer to such a question was obvious.
"A world where everyone meets a tragic end. I have no resolve to watch that."
Memories came rushing back—of having her heart torn open, of having her soul ripped apart.
In the world of darkness, amid the multicolored lights, Emilia had heard the wailing of emotions time and again.
"A future where everyone might meet a sad ending. In that pitch-black world just before this one, I saw so much of it. Everyone was crying, suffering, angry. I don't know the details of what happened, but I don't want to see a future like that."
"...But if you choose this path as it is, haa. The possibility of that happening is practically guaranteed, fuu. If you don't want that, will you run away? Fuu?"
"That's not it. I'm not running because I don't want it—I'm facing it."
Emilia shook her head and thrust her chest out at Sekhmet's narrowed eyes.
Even as she nearly buckled under the overwhelming demonic pressure, Emilia's resolve did not break.
When she felt like she might crumble, the memories of her mother and father would support her. And when she was on the verge of giving up and lowering her head, there were people who called out to her so she wouldn't.
"If there's a sad future, I'll run toward it and avoid it. If that doesn't work, I'll build up momentum and leap over it. If someone's fallen down, I'll do my best to pull them up. If I keep doing that, I'm sure I can wipe away all those tears from before."
"Confidently spouting reckless nonsense, haa. All talk, smooth words—then the moment things go wrong, you crumble, haa. That's how it'll end up, won't it, haa?"
"If it were just me alone, maybe it would have."
At Sekhmet's dismissive words, Emilia answered without fear.
In a way, it was a faithless attitude of relying on others. But it was also the most difficult choice for Emilia—one she had never once been able to make on her own before.
"——"
At that answer, Sekhmet stared blankly for a moment.
Then she looked away, hiding her expression behind the table and her hair, and— "Pu... pfft... ha—hahahaha! Ahh, that's right, haa! That's how it is, haa! That's it, that's it—you'd give that answer now, wouldn't you! Ahh, how amusing!"
"Was my answer really that funny?"
"To me, it's a thrill, haa. Listen, fuu. That woman Echidna, haa—she created this thing called the "Trial" so that whoever took it would be tormented by their past, present, and future alone, fuu, and she'd take pleasure in seeing what answer they'd give, haa. Even after death, she was an incurable pervert, fuu. And the day her scheme collapses like this... haa. Isn't it thrilling, haa?"
Sekhmet laughed heartily, speaking in high spirits despite her labored breathing. She raised her head and straightened up, leaning back against the chair, and looked Emilia straight in the eyes.
Her gaze held a nostalgic light, and with her smile still in place, Sekhmet said: "A Trial designed to be taken alone, haa—and your answer is to not face it alone, haa. —If Echidna heard that, she'd keep a straight face and call it a sore loser's excuse, haa."
"Yes. I was able to give that answer. ...Yeah, I'd really, really love to see that face."
"She's the kind of woman who'd never admit defeat, so you'll probably never get to see that face, haa. And as for that, I'll have to reserve it as a privilege for us residents of the dream world, haa."
"That's not fair."
When Emilia pouted, Sekhmet's expression grew even more amused.
To onlookers, it might have looked like two old friends exchanging words—a warm, joyful scene filled with the ease of a long-standing bond.
"Well, I suppose you could call this my due diligence, but I'll go ahead and grant you the results of the Trial on my own authority, haa. Of course, it's not even a question—you pass with flying colors, fuu."
"Is it really okay to be that easy?"
"Were you expecting a muddled answer or some grand dramatic display, haa? If so, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong person, haa. Either way, I'm the one in charge now, haa—my answer is the final answer, haa. ...The Trial is officially over, fuu."
With a long sigh, Sekhmet snapped her fingers lightly. It didn't produce a clean sound the first time, so she tried twice, three times, until finally a satisfactory snap rang out—and a breeze blew from behind Emilia.
When Emilia turned around, her silver hair swaying, she saw a single door that had appeared at the base of the hill. It didn't seem to connect to anything from the outside, but Emilia intuitively understood that this door led somewhere beyond the dream world.
"If I go through that door to the outside... the Trial is over?"
"That's right, haa. Congratulations, fuu. For four hundred years, haa—ever since the Tomb was built and Echidna's Trials were made functional, not a single person had been able to clear them, haa. Of course, there were hardly any challengers to begin with, haa."
"...That's true. Not many people enter the
"That too, but... ah, well, it doesn't matter, haa. Either way, it's over, haa."
Sekhmet had been slightly evasive, which Emilia noticed, but she didn't press the matter. The excitement of hearing that the Trial was over was far more important.
Honestly, she didn't feel much sense of accomplishment yet. It hadn't sunk in. The Trial in which she had stumbled so badly during the first past-life Trial, in which she had nearly given up in despair, thinking it was impossible— She had steeled herself with a strong resolve not to lose, but even so.
"You don't look very satisfied, haa."
"Um... just a tiny little bit. I was wondering about that."
"Echidna wouldn't set a problem she herself couldn't solve, haa. That's not the whole story, but that's the gist of it, fuu."
If a Witch—another Witch—said so, then that was that.
Emilia reluctantly tucked her chin in a show of reluctant acceptance. Sekhmet glanced at her briefly, then waved the right hand she'd placed on the table.
"Through the door behind you, haa. Once you step outside, you'll be saying goodbye to the dream castle, haa. That means the Trial is over, haa. It also means you've earned the right to face what's inside that door at the back of the room where you took the Trial in the Tomb, haa."
"The door inside the small room. Yes, I remember it. I'll be able to go in there... what's inside?"
"There's a mechanism that maintains the Tomb's functions, haa. Only by stopping it will the Sanctuary finally be released, fuu. You'll understand how to stop it once you go in, haa."
"Stop the Tomb's functions, and the Sanctuary will be released. The barrier will disappear."
If the barrier vanished, not only Emilia, but all the residents living in the Sanctuary would be able to leave for the outside of the forest.
She didn't know how many people would actually choose to step out into the outside world once the barrier was lifted. Whether living outside would truly be for their sake.
But she could no longer stay shut away.
Just as Subaru had persuaded Garfiel, Emilia had to tell them the same thing. The time to remain cooped up in a place where time had stood still was over.
Within the flow of time that had started moving again, how would she create her own place to live?
If possible, she wanted them to help her find the answer she still hadn't been able to give.
It was hard to lead them by the hand, hard to push them from behind, but she could walk beside them.
A pathless, baseless, just-beginning royal road—that was the only way she knew how to show them.
"That's enough, haa."
Sekhmet spoke as though she had seen right through Emilia's inner thoughts.
That single sentence did not carry the weary sigh that was so characteristic of her. Looking straight at Emilia as she spoke, she made Emilia hold her breath for just a moment.
And then, she smiled.
"Yeah, thank you. I want to do that too."
Answering, Emilia rose from her seat before Sekhmet.
She tucked her silver hair back and bowed her head to Sekhmet, who was watching her leave.
She wasn't sure why she had done it.
Somehow, just saying farewell didn't feel like enough. That there was gratitude there—she didn't know why. Sekhmet would surely never tell her.
Returning the pulled-out chair to the table, Emilia descended the hill toward the door.
Standing alone in the meadow, the door had a certain fragility to it, and Emilia realized she felt a slight sadness at leaving this dream castle.
The white table, the cool breeze. Gentle sunlight, a perfect day.
If only they could have sat around that table and had a tea party—it would have surely been wonderful.
"Sekhmet. Could you pass a message along to Echidna?"
"...I'll see what I can do, haa."
"If we ever have the chance to meet again, let's definitely have a tea party. Even if I have to disguise myself as something from within a dream, I'm sure you'd be welcome."
"—Ah, that sounds nice, haa. Yes, I'll be sure to tell her."
Sekhmet laughed at Emilia's words, spoken as she turned back with her hand on the doorknob.
Emilia laughed in return, and opened the door.
Darkness spread out beyond the door.
And yet, for some reason, there was no hesitation or reluctance in stepping forward into it. Emilia now understood clearly where it led.
It was the door that went beyond the "past," chose the "present," and led to the "future."
--- —Gasping for breath, Emilia sat up on the hard ground.
The return from unconsciousness after the Trial was different from waking from sleep.
Rather than her body having been asleep, it was more like her consciousness alone had been guided to another place while her body remained. Since body and soul had been in different locations, it was only natural that the experience would differ from sleep—if it had been the same as ordinary waking, the heavy-sleeper that Emilia was would have taken a considerable amount of time to recover. Before,
From now on, she had to be able to handle these situations alone.
"Oh—wait."
At that moment, Emilia's muddled mind was still somewhat fogged with sleep.
She shook her head and stood up with a hand against the wall. Her physical condition was fine. The sense of accomplishment from overcoming the Trial was still faint.
But if what Sekhmet had told her in the dream castle was true— "That door at the back of the room should be openable now."
Her gaze traveled toward the back, where she caught sight of the stone door at the far end of the small chamber.
Before, it hadn't budged no matter how hard she pushed or pulled, but now—just like the faintly glowing walls of the Tomb—Emilia could see it shimmering with a pale light.
It was as though it had been unlocked.
Emilia walked toward the door, her footsteps echoing, and when she stood before it, she held her breath.
Beyond this door lay something that would free the Sanctuary.
Sekhmet had said she'd understand once she saw it, but honestly, Emilia couldn't help feeling a slight unease about what would happen if she didn't. She didn't have much confidence in her own head.
Would it be alright to bring someone along? Few people could get this far to begin with, and besides, it felt like the door wouldn't open if anyone other than herself were present.
Having things go so smoothly up to this point had bred a certain paranoia about the problem before her. The fact that she was questioning whether she was being manipulated might suggest she had grown more cautious compared to before, but this was a wariness limited to matters involving Echidna. She knew her adversary's personality all too well.
"Either way, I just have to go inside and take a look. Okay, here I go."
She clenched her small fist to psych herself up and reached for the door. As she considered whether she should push or pull, her fingertips were about to touch it when— —With a sound, the stone door slid to the side, clearing a path for Emilia.
"...Huh. I get the feeling Echidna would be making a grim face right about now."
Having her momentum stolen, Emilia pouted her lips in mild dissatisfaction.
She had the sense that this door's mechanism was one of Echidna's petty little pranks, and her tension loosened just a little.
Letting out a breath, she refreshed her mood and stepped into the room.
The room beyond the door was more than a size smaller than the Trial chamber.
It was so small that if two of
Emilia's eyes widened at the room's more modest proportions than she had expected, but then she saw what was at the back of the room and gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
—At the back of the room was something like a transparent coffin, and within it lay a single woman.
She was so beautiful it was as though time had frozen around her in her sleep.
The coffin appeared to be crafted from magic mineral ore, and its purity was so high that even Emilia—who touched it with her fingertips—was surprised. This crystal of such density surpassed even the vessel that had once housed Puck.
A woman enshrined in magic mineral ore capable of sealing an entity greater than a Great Spirit like Puck. —Naturally, she had no breath. No life force could be detected. This was already a husk.
Long, lustrous hair as white as snow. Her cheeks, her neck, all the visible skin bore a beauty reminiscent of virgin snow, and her loveliness was such that one's breath would tremble just looking at it.
Wrapping that beautiful body was a pitch-black garment with not a trace of unnecessary color. The dress-like attire had been tailored for her, maintaining a miraculous harmony.
A beautiful woman rendered in only two colors—white and black.
True beauty requires no unnecessary adornment whatsoever—a truth one could feel with a sensation akin to terror when confronted by that white-and-black loveliness.
"What a beautiful person..."
Even from Emilia's own lips, an involuntary sigh of admiration escaped.
She was, if she looked in a mirror, one who possessed peerless beauty herself, but not a shred of that self-awareness was present in her current sense of wonder.
It was nothing but pure, unadulterated admiration—intoxicated by the beauty of the one before her.
A woman of white and black.
She was the Witch of Greed whom Emilia had met in the dream castle, the one with whom she had exchanged words many times.
At the deepest reaches of the Tomb, beyond the trial of the Witch of Greed, what had been waiting was— "She looks like Echidna... but who is she?"
Though her appearance evoked the embodiment of intellectual desire, the woman was a stranger to Emilia.
--- I'm sorry, the B route didn't end today. It will end with tomorrow's update.