As soon as you step into the place called the Great Cathedral, you can feel the atmosphere change.
It's not a bad change. The quiet space where there was no conversation before caused surprise, and then attention and joy came over.
"Subaru-sama!" "Oh, luckily you and Tsukisei-sama are both safe!" "Are the others okay!"
As soon as Subaru and Yuexing appeared, the people who were temporarily staying in the Great Cathedral—the residents of Alam Village who had taken refuge with Ram in the "Sacred Area" in order to escape the clutches of the Witch Cult—swarmed around Subaru.
"Subaru, it seems your reputation has not diminished," Yuexing said, crossing his arms and looking at the crowd.
They became more energetic after seeing Subaru, and there was not much change compared to when the village was separated.
"After all, I am the one who wants you to come here to seek refuge. Everyone is safe. This is the most important thing."
"Subaru-sama is the one. Fortunately, nothing happened... Where are the people in the village and you?"
"Oh, don't worry. All the dangerous people have been blown away. Those who took refuge in the royal capital have all returned to the village. No one was injured. They are all alive and kicking."
"oh oh--!"
Subaru slapped his chest and pledged his words, and the expressions of the residents all became cheerful.
The moon and stars looked around the Great Cathedral. The stone building had a high ceiling and was filled with the cool air and silence that lived up to the name of the Cathedral.
This seems to be very close to a chapel in a Western church. The church is quite large and can accommodate about fifty evacuated residents at one time.
To be honest, there must be a lot of inconveniences, but they did not complain. Instead, they all said:
“I’m so worried about the fields and livestock, and I’ve been away from my children for too long.”
"The Lord's injury doesn't matter, right? He was seriously injured because of us..."
They are not aggrieved by the forced changes in their daily lives. Like the rural people in the original world, they are simply worried about tomorrow.
Worried about their families separated in two places and the injured lord, their worries are endless.
For this reason, Subaru coughed loudly and focused the attention of the villagers on himself.
"Uh, everyone, please listen to me! As I just said, the dangerous elements who attacked the village have been driven away! Another evacuation team has also returned to the village and is waiting for you to go back!"
As soon as I mentioned "waiting for everyone to go back," the villagers' expressions cast a shadow of uneasiness. Of course, they also knew the whole story of why they were forced to stay in the "sacred territory."
I also know that Roswaal was injured because of this, and that his goal was to liberate the barrier but failed.
But--
"Everyone knows that it is difficult to leave here, but don't worry! Why? Because someone has the courage to challenge the "trial" in order to let you go home!"
"Is there someone...could it be...my lord!?"
"Wait, wait... No, it's not me. If I can, I will go several times..."
The villagers were influenced by their energetic words, but their reactions made Subaru scratch his head and smile bitterly.
However, the barrier excludes Subaru, so the person who wants to challenge the "trial" is——
"A person that everyone should know - Emilia, the repairer chosen by the king, and she will challenge the "trial""
"——"
Subaru's announcement made the villagers fall silent again. Subaru nodded in response and waved towards the entrance of the church - the girl waiting there.
After a moment of hesitation, Emilia stood up slowly. Her silver hair was swaying in the wind, her cheeks were stiff with nervousness, and then she stood next to Yuexing, behind Subaru, and looked around at the villagers.
She had been rejected for a time, but she still faced the villagers without a cloak that "impeded recognition". This took courage.
But Emilia still bit her lip, bowed deeply on the spot, and said:
"Hello, I'm sorry to keep you all waiting for a long time. I will replace Lord Roswaal L. Mezas to challenge the "trial" of this "sacred realm". Although I am not very reliable... but I will definitely overcome the "trial"
"Refining" to let everyone leave the barrier.
I was very nervous and unsure at first, but in the end I talked faster and faster, and I was very sure.
Hearing Emilia's oath, the villagers looked at each other in confusion. Their relationship with Emilia was very complicated. In order to keep the village away from the threat of the Witch Cult, they had rejected Emilia's offer of rescue.
hand, and the gap still exists
"————"
Emilia didn't raise her head, just waiting for the villagers' reaction, biting her lip hard on the side of her face, with a hint of fear and the awareness of being rejected.
However, someone took a step closer to Emilia—the mayor of Aram Village, an old woman who often touched Subaru’s butt.
As soon as Emilia raised her head when she felt someone approaching, the old woman nodded and said:
"A few days ago, you also bowed to us, but we rejected you, but now you have extended your hand to us again. Why is this? For the king's election?"
"————"
"What I mean is that you are willing to lower your head to save us in order to gain the support of the people. This is normal. If you say so, we don't mind, but what we are afraid of is that we don't understand your intention of doing this."
"Don't understand the intention...?"
"Because you are a half-goblin, we reject you, and we don't understand why you do this as a half-goblin, so we want to know."
Emilia's eyes were shaken by confusion, while the old woman stared at her face and said straight to the point.
"We want to know if you are a witch we cannot understand"
Being directly compared to a witch, but hoping that she would give a negative answer in her words, surprised Emilia. This experience was probably the first time for her. After all, people's discrimination against her was usually directly negative.
Talking to each other, leaving her no room to refute, right?
"————"
Emilia's eyes instantly turned to Subaru who was standing in front of her. His eyes seemed to be seeking help and answers. Subaru just nodded and silently pulled her forward.
The people at the scene want Emilia’s own words, and what others say has no meaning.
"I...I don't have the confidence to give a high-sounding reply now. I can't think of...something that is sufficiently convincing for everyone to accept."
With Subaru's approval, Emilia, who was unsure, began to speak. Although it was clumsy, she expressed in her own words why she wanted to do this.
"It's just that in the past few days... although the time has been short, I have spent time with your family members outside. Therefore, I have re-experienced... people must be together."
Emilia touched her chest as if searching, rubbing the crystal stone with little brightness with her fingers. Her family should be sleeping inside, but now they can't talk to him.
However, there is no difference in the feeling of missing her family. Emilia looked at the faces of all the villagers.
"I want you to return to your family. Although I did not make this agreement in the village...but I swear in my heart that I want to complete this idea, that's all."
"————"
"I have never thought about asking for your support, but if possible, I hope to have a good relationship with you... that's about it..."
Emilia's tone became weaker as she spoke, and the villagers were speechless after hearing her words. Just like this, the silence lasted for a few seconds, about ten seconds.
"Lady Emilia"
"...Yes, yes!"
"I know it's selfish to say this - but I'm sorry to bother you."
Emilia, who couldn't understand the meaning, suddenly showed a dumbfounded expression, but when she saw the old woman in front of her lowering her head, she immediately understood the meaning.
"Ah...I, I am the one. Although I have little knowledge and talent, please give me your advice!"
“I have so little knowledge and talent that I don’t even hear anyone using it.”
A rare idiom suddenly appeared, and Subaru spat and smiled bitterly as usual. Emilia could not answer calmly, but was busy dealing with the villagers who spoke to her sporadically. Looking at her, Subaru left the circle of people with satisfaction and walked towards
The entrance to the cathedral, where——
"Lady Emilia seems to have changed a bit, thanks to what Barrus instilled?"
"It's the result of her own thinking. Even if I say anything, she is not someone who leaves others to take responsibility for what she is determined to do."
"...Yes, it was Ram who was not good just now."
Subaru's response made Ram, who originally spoke a little coldly, apologize. It was rare for her to apologize, so Subaru was taken aback, while Ram narrowed his light red eyes.
"How? Ram will also apologize if he feels he has done something wrong, but that kind of thing almost never happens."
"But you rarely feel that you have done something wrong," Yuexing complained at the side.
"What Ram does is always right. This is the truth of nature."
Ram crossed his arms, confirming that he was no longer simply overconfident. Yuexing looked at Subaru and shrugged.
"In this way, Lady Emilia will face a "trial" and get the support and support of the villagers... everything is as Lord Roswaal thought."
"Don't use that argument. Emilia doesn't have that kind of wishful thinking."
"So, the black face is the responsibility of myself who feels sinister? Burrus is really brave."
Curving his sarcastic thin lips, Ram deliberately teased Subaru.
But there is no serious and mocking emotion in his eyes or voice...it's probably worry.
"You are also worried about Emilia, which is a bit surprising."
"...Ram is a combination of compassion and love. Moreover, if Emilia-sama becomes active, Roswaal-sama sacrifices himself will make sense. It is normal to be worried."
"Roswaal will also step forward..."
Ram's dejected words made Subaru murmur with a bitter look on his face.
Roswaal was not qualified to challenge the "trial", so he was hindered by the spell, and was seriously injured and dying. Behind this foolhardy challenge, there was a crazy calculation that ordinary people could not imagine.
In order to lift the barrier of the "Sanctuary", one must break through the "Trial" - Roswaal was the first to challenge such rules and was injured. This not only showed his intention to fulfill his duties as a lord, but also strengthened the impression: "Trial"
This is a difficulty that even Roswaal cannot successfully challenge.
An act that does not hesitate to harm the body in order to improve one's own evaluation and reputation——
"Then, let Emilia, who has made a splendid appearance, challenge the "Trial" and liberate the "Sanctuary"..." Subaru murmured.
As expected of Roswaal
"The residents of this "sanctuary" and the imprisoned refugees... will all be grateful to Emilia-sama, and may even think that being a half-elf is nothing more than a trivial matter."
"The human heart is not something that can be grasped so easily. How can you understand it now..." Yuexing sighed.
The two of them looked at Emilia, who was communicating with the villagers with a stiff smile in the center of the cathedral.
To win the future king election, this is a necessary challenge
Emilia heard Roswaal say that the "Sanctuary" was a place she must go to one day, and now she can understand his intention.
"By the way, Barus...is there really no abnormality in his body?"
"Ah~ Well, there's no problem. And about this, I didn't lie from the beginning when I talked about the transfer. Although Roswaal was injured all over his body, I just fainted. It's a bit unjustifiable."
"Fortunately, all the doors in Barus are weak."
"Because it's the truth, I can't refute it!"
Being told so directly, Subaru couldn't help but shout loudly.
"The last place we went to was the location of the "trial". You can't tell it at all, okay... People who are not qualified will end up miserable if they go in... It's basically a trap to kill at first sight."
Subaru is referring to the "ruins" where Yuexing appeared.
"Have you seen Roswaal-sama's injuries? If you had benefited from the door on your body like ordinary people, you would have been severely punished. Emilia-sama went in without knowing anything. I wonder what will happen?
"
"Do you... think this was designed by Frandelica?"
Subaru lowered his voice and expressed the question he had been holding on to.
Yuexing shook his head, saying that he had no clue
Ram thought for a moment, closed his eyes and said:
"It's hard to say. As far as the circumstantial evidence is concerned, it shows that Frandelica has some kind of intention. In fact, the reason why Lady Emilia escaped the critical disaster was all thanks to Barus's noble... extremely noble spirit.
sacrifice"
"Don't tell me again. No, it doesn't constitute a sacrifice at all, so it's okay to repeat it. If there is a sacrifice, then even if you lie, you must say it is noble."
"I will handle it properly - I will make it clear about Frandelica"
After making his opening remarks, Ram first checked his surroundings with sharp eyes, took half a step forward, and then lowered his voice and said:
"Some of the residents here do not support the liberation of the "sacred area""