"Just like the fairies who hid the secrets from Ryuzu-sama and Kafei, Frandelica's actions are also...the liberation of the "Sacred Realm" is only advocated by the powerful faction led by Ryuzu-sama and including Kafei and others.
concept, but there are also people who do not want to liberate the "sacred territory" and choose to stay within the barrier."
"Staying inside the barrier...what will happen?"
After listening to Ram's advice, Subaru frowned and didn't understand why someone would make such a choice.
If the residents living in the "Sanctuary" are all "mixed blood" as Gafiel said, then of course they will be unable to go out because of the barrier. As long as the barrier is there, they will never be able to leave.
"It's very simple. They are content with the status quo. It is difficult for them to adapt to the outside environment. Instead, they prefer to stay in this difficult situation blocked by the barrier." Yuexing smacked his lips and said disdainfully.
"Then is it possible that Master Frandelica is secretly assisting those people?"
"There is a possibility that Ram is just making this speculation based on the only information available now."
Ram made a judgment to Subaru who was holding on to hope, as if to ask him not to be confused by his emotions.
Subaru's hand naturally touched the white handkerchief tied around his wrist.
"Is that a very ancient spell?"
"It's Petra...ah, she's the cute girl in the village. She gave it to me before I left. Frandelica hired her as a new maid to help take care of the mansion...that's why I'm worried."
This idea is correct. If Frandelica has malicious intentions, then Petra is a hostage.
And the most important thing is Rem who stayed in the mansion
Subaru understood the meaning of Rem's location, not only to him but also to the people around him.
However, in the face of Subaru's worries, Ram just sighed and said:
"Don't worry about that little thing. Frandelica won't harm the newcomers. She's not that cruel. There's no need to worry about that girl."
"...Do you believe Frandelica or not? Which one?"
"Ram doesn't know what she's thinking, but he won't doubt her."
After saying this with certainty, Ram crossed his arms and raised his head towards the depths of the church - where Emilia was.
"Be careful, Barus. For those who oppose the liberation of the "Sacred Territory", the surest way is to harm Lady Emilia. You don't know who the enemy is, so you must always be vigilant. Please help me with this."
Please take care of Xingduo"
"...Is that why I have to hide it from Ms. Lutz and Gafiel?"
Yuexing's mind recalled the appearance of the elf he had seen in the forest.
"Even if it's not them, someone related to them might do this. The fewer people who know the secret, the better. Who knows how unreliable the people who know the truth can be."
After saying that, Ram glanced at Subaru
In any case, Ram's advice is very important during the period spent in the "Sanctuary", especially when one does not know who the people who oppose the liberationists are.
"Loswaal-sama will have some free time in the evening, so I'm satisfied with that."
"Who dares to complain after seeing his injury... Although I still suspect that it was part of his plan," Subaru complained dissatisfiedly.
"That's called being so good at acting. It was Jia Fei who diagnosed Lord Roswaal... Do you think he has the kind of brain to cooperate with Lord Roswaal's ideas?"
"You are so vicious when you speak to a man who is obsessed with you!"
"He's wasting his efforts anyway."
The last sentence was the most vicious. Subaru sympathized with Jaffier who was not present.
After sorting out the information surrounding the "Sanctuary", I left the questions I wanted to ask during the day but couldn't find out until the question and answer time prepared by Roswaal in the evening.
——It’s just that the time was set after Emilia accepted the “trial”
"——The sun is going down soon"
Ram looked outside the church, looked up at the sky that gradually turned dark from sunset, and murmured
——Night is coming
In order to liberate the "sacred territory", the night is coming when people will be tested by "trials"
…
The atmosphere in the "sacred area" after sunset is completely different from that during the day
It was originally a tribe that was no different from a depressed and poor village. After dark, there were only minimal lights. Without the faint light from every household, you basically had to rely on starlight when walking outside.
Therefore, tonight when a bonfire is lit in the center of the tribe to light up the road to the tomb, it can be said to be an unprecedented night.
"It's a good thing you met us safe and sound. It's great to have a fire! Right, Otto!"
"If you have the guts to say this, just look me in the eyes and say it again, damn it!"
In the "Sacred Area" at night, in the square illuminated by bonfires, Otto, who was blushing and thick-necked with anger, cursed loudly, stamped his feet hard, and pointed at Subaru with a trembling finger.
"I wanted to let you guys discuss it and pick me up after it was over, but the result was like this! If I didn't take the initiative, I would have been asked to stay at the dragon carriage until morning!? Even Lord Yuexing is like this...
"
"Even if you say so, you are the one who told Jaffier to stay in the dragon carriage, right? With Patrasio and your beloved dragon here, you shouldn't be lonely... Even if I forget about you,
It’s a fact”
"It's this fact that makes me so hungry that my chest touches my back!"
Subaru's generous response made Otto, who relied on bonfires to break through the night and come here, furious.
After arriving at the "Sacred Area", I first parked the dragon carriage in a place that was barely considered a dragon stable, and then prepared myself mentally. However, I didn't expect that the people who were discussing it at a fever pitch forgot all about it, and in the end I had to fend for myself to meet them.
By the way, it was already midnight, long past the dinner time for the residents of the Great Cathedral.
“Although it cannot be said that it is not a delicious dinner, it cannot be called a luxury.”
"It's so luxurious, but I'm basically living in a poor place! I really hate it!"
"I'm sorry, I'll apologize properly later... let's focus on this for now."
Pushing Otto's approaching face back, Subaru smiled bitterly and looked away.
Otto followed and looked over, squinting his eyes and staring at the girl standing in the center of the square, surrounded by a faint light——
"It's the micro elf and Lady Emilia. What kind of difficulties did you encounter during my absence?"
"Making things difficult...don't make it sound like she's always taking the trouble."
"What, is it wrong to make things difficult?"
"That's right. And it's a super difficult thing that only she can challenge."
Subaru blew his nose at Otto, who understood clearly, and then walked towards Emilia.
Subaru didn't know what he said, and Emilia suddenly laughed.
"Gaphiel and Miss Luce"
Then, a voice sounded from the side, and I saw two petite figures walking from the entrance of the square - one side was a girl, the other side was a young man, but they were both representatives of the "Sacred Realm"
Jaffier and the others were also followed by Ram. It seemed that these were the only people who were going to witness Emilia's challenge to the "trial".
"There are only these spectators, so it's a bit deserted."
"Because people in Alam Village are not allowed to go out at night, and there are no lights late at night..."
"And it will be troublesome if it causes unnecessary commotion. It will be difficult for the elderly to fight against sleeping bugs at night."
"Then I get up early like an idiot again~"
Hearing Subaru's thoughts, the two of them took turns to respond. When Ram and the others arrived at the tomb, they also straightened their postures.
Ram is the agent of the injured Roswaal, Jaffier and Luiz are the representatives of the "Sacred Realm", plus Emilia's follower Subaru, the follower's bodyguard Yue Xing, and the outsider Otto
Only the necessity of Otto's presence at the scene is very weak——
"I will witness your challenge to the end. The villagers really want to cheer you up, but I will be the representative."
"Well, thank you everyone, I will definitely try my best to respond to your expectations."
Emilia exhaled softly, then faced the tomb again and stepped on the stairs to the entrance.
Then the next second——
"——The grave is glowing"
The speaker was Otto, but everyone present was as surprised as him
The five people looked at the tomb where Emilia challenged. Its walls glowed faintly as if welcoming the challenger. The green phosphorescence illuminated the witch's burial place in the darkness.
"This is evidence that you are qualified to challenge the "Trial" and that the grave recognizes Emilia-sama."
Looking up at the tomb surrounded by phosphorescence, Ryuzu explained the reason for the beautiful scenery in front of him. Subaru and the others stared silently, but Emilia walked up the stairs without hesitation.
Then when she got upstairs, she was greeted by the dark and deep entrance to the tomb, waiting for her chance.
Emilia's back gradually disappeared, and she entered the passage of the tomb. The phosphorescence surrounding the entire tomb was still there, which probably symbolized the beginning of the "trial"
Roswaal's body was almost torn into pieces. The place where Yuexing once lost consciousness and fainted, and now Emilia stepped inside.
Subaru felt as if his heart was being grabbed, and uneasiness passed through his heart——
"Don't worry, Balusiba. The grave has indeed accepted Lady Emilia. The proof is that the grave shines like this. Don't worry about being torn apart like Mrs. Ross."
"The idea of being torn apart is really shocking... No, I'm sorry, you are obviously worried about me."
"Haha, now that I've apologized, I won't be so angry. I may be too lax about Jiabao's education."
Seeing the girl's mature smile, Subaru smiled bitterly, feeling incongruous. As Ryuzu spoke, he squinted at Gafir who was standing in the distance, staring at the grave.
He crossed his arms, teeth clashed with each other, and tapped the ground with his toes. He looked like he couldn't calm down.
"I have thought about it"
"Huh? What?"
"The only ones who can challenge the "trial" of this tomb are the "hybrid" who are affected by the barrier, right? Doesn't that mean that Ms. Lutz and Gafiel can also challenge it if they so choose?"
"In terms of challenges alone, it is theoretically feasible, but it cannot liberate the "sacred territory". This is a contract that the residents who live in the "sacred territory" continue to pass on to the next generation."
"...It's a contract again."
Subaru frowned when he heard the disgusting word, and Ryuzu raised an eyebrow at this.
"Oh, Subaru hates contracts?"
"The impression is not good. By the way, in the past few weeks, I only have a disgusting memory of the word "trial" because the guy I hate the most in the world keeps mentioning it."
"That's really unfortunate. It's quite hard to be with the elf messenger girl."
It’s a public fact that the elf warlock reaffirmed his promise. Luzi’s words are proof.
"Understanding and likes and dislikes are two different things. From now on, I will also draw a red line in the dictionary to focus on it."
"He's very stubborn... Never mind, for a kid of Balusibao's age, it's cute to have this kind of persistence."
"Little boy," the Subaru monsters felt uncomfortable being called such a name. At the same time, he could also see a slight hint of anxiety crossing the side of Ryuuzi's face.
That's probably because the opportunity to challenge the "trial" was snatched away, and she could only entrust outsiders to lift the barrier, which was the hidden feeling of powerlessness in her heart.
Thinking about it this way, you can understand why Jaffier is so anxious now. Although we have known him for a short time, considering his personality, he is the type who will not hand over things to others even if he kills him.
"————"
Just like that, Subaru couldn't help but remain silent, waiting for Emilia to come back.
Yuexing looked at the entrance of the "Trial", thoughtfully in his heart
Gafiel was still the same, and Lucius stood silently beside Yuexing, looking away from the ruins a little. To his surprise, Otto and Ram were having a friendly conversation.
For Subaru, who felt he had very little experience in friendly dialogue with Ram, this was a big deal.
Let’s ask Otto later for tips on how to deal with Ram—just when I’m thinking about trivial things like this.
"--ah?"
Witnessing the changes, everyone present took a breath.
Everyone reflexively blinks repeatedly because the light source just disappeared, that is, the tomb that was originally surrounded by dazzling phosphorescence became silent.
"The light has disappeared? Hey, does this not matter!?"
"While the "trial" continues, the light of the tomb should not be interrupted..."
"Obviously, something terrible happened," Yuexing said with a frown.
"Emilia!"
The strange thing happened suddenly. Subaru yelled and immediately rushed towards the tomb.
However, Yuexing was faster and threw Subaru back to Ryuz.
"Go back, Subaru, and leave it to me—"
Luzi stretched out his hand behind his back and shouted nervously
"Wait, wait a minute, Huang Bao! You are not qualified to enter the grave...!?"
"Ah~? What's going on!?"
Ryuzu's voice was interrupted in shock, followed by Gafir's baffled words. Ram and Otto were also surprised, and Subaru also held his breath slightly.
——The moment Yuexing’s feet stepped on the stairs, the tomb emitted green phosphorescence and began to shine again.
"Same as Emilia-sama... Yuexing-sama!"
"Subaru, stay outside the door."
"Hong Yuexing! You guy——"
Ram waved goodbye to the calling voice, Yuexing rushed up the stairs, and then rushed into the tomb in one breath
The air in the ruins is cold and dry, and the passage reflecting footsteps has the same green phosphorescence as the outer walls. It is different from the darkness when we entered last time, so we can clearly see the interior covered with vines and moss.
"I didn't expect to come back here so soon..."
The air inside the ruins is stagnant, and the smell of dust invades the nose and mouth. Every time you take a breath, you feel that the condition of your lungs is getting worse.
"--Room?"
Finally, when we reached the end of the passage, a door leading to a small room appeared in front of us. The decayed stone door had already been opened.
"————"
The room you entered was a narrow space with stone walls on all four sides. This place had not been eroded by vines and moss, and the weathered ruins remained intact over the years. Inside the narrow stone room, there was another door leading to the depths, but this time it was closed.
door, and in front of it is——
"Emilia"
The girl fell to the ground motionless, her silver hair scattered on the ground.
Then the attack will come soon——
"——First, face your past."
The sound in my ears explodes
"————"
I didn't even have time to think about where that sound came from, and my whole body lost all strength.
The knees bent, and without warning, the whole body fell down like a doll.