With the encouragement and scolding from Otto and Patrasche (one person and one creature), Subaru was momentarily rescued from his mental crisis.

Honestly, there are still many parts of the events in the dream castle that I can’t digest, but I must chew through them one by one and use them as fuel for my current self.

“First, I can’t get any more cooperation from Echidna…”

Echidna, the “Witch of Greed,” had been cloaked in a friendly demeanor while observing Subaru’s struggles. After our last interaction, I wanted to believe there was more to it than that, but it seems that being a witch means not bending one’s principles.

I keenly felt this while watching the other five witches—Sekhmet, Daphne, Carmilla, Typhon, and Minerva. They were certainly not individuals wholly stained by evil in Subaru’s eyes. However, I couldn’t claim they possessed goodness either.

Even Minerva, who holds the belief of healing others, abandons everything to heal others despite losing her own limbs. Her attitude stood out for its tragic severity rather than her nobility.

And the last witch, Satella—I wanted to push those thoughts to the back of my mind.

The incomprehensible emotions that welled up within me for Satella, the need to find answers to them felt precarious given Subaru’s current situation.

The last words exchanged during our parting. And the last image of Satella—I recalled them, and Subaru’s heart was nearly torn apart by the tumultuous emotions surging from within.

Therefore, Subaru consciously avoided thinking about Satella and shifted his mind towards other issues. Specifically, whether he should take Echidna’s final advice and Satella’s words at face value.

“Taking care of myself, huh…?”

During my confrontations with Satella, through the overlap of the first and second “Trials” in the graveyard, I learned that there are people who don’t want me to die, and they would feel sorrow over my ‘death’.—I’d become aware of my own desire to not die.

But what does that change? The fact remains that I have very few weapons at my disposal.

The overwhelming number of problems not being resolved still remained unchanged. If anything, I’ve lost potential allies I could rely on to find solutions.

While my heart had somewhat steadied, in every other aspect, I hadn’t moved forward; rather, I was stepping backward.

“They’re telling me to rely on those who cherish me… What am I supposed to do…?”

Does it mean to confide and rely on them?

However, it’s none other than Satella who prohibits that. No, based on the flow of our conversation at that moment, if Satella’s personality forbade Subaru from divulging the ‘Return by Death’ ability, is she saying something contrary to her other persona? The meaning behind her final call—

“—So, I’m not in a position to think about that right now!”

I felt my thoughts drifting toward Satella again and slammed on the mental brakes.

What I needed was a concrete solution to the various problems at hand—something to propose and contemplate.

“Garfiel is afraid of the outside world… huh.”

This was the last piece of advice Echidna gave me and the information she deemed necessary to break the current situation.

It was almost a confession that Garfiel had undergone the first “Trial” in the past based on his behavior, and Echidna’s words served to supplement that.

The question was what he witnessed in the past that caused him to fear the outside world.

Frederica, who didn’t follow him when he tried to leave the “Sanctuary” to bother Roswaal, was probably not unrelated to that trauma.

It didn’t seem like a matter I could straightforwardly ask about, expecting an honest answer.

“So, I guess I’ll have to extract the information from someone who seems to know… but Frederica and Ryuzu both seemed tight-lipped about that…”

If we trust Frederica’s own words, it seems she couldn’t chase after Garfiel once he entered the graveyard, and as a result, she wasn’t in a position to know the content of the “Trial.” Conversely, it might be safe to assume that Ryuzu, who dove in to retrieve Garfiel, has some experience with the “Trial” from one of the Replicas. Garfiel is likely to have knowledge about the content of this “Trial.”

“In that case, though I’d rather not, it’s probably best to request command from Ryuzu Meier’s crystal to get them to spill the beans.”

Even Ryuzu, the leader of the Replicas and representative of the “Sanctuary,” had stated that in the end, she couldn’t defy those who possess command authority over her. There is a coercive force to compel her to act against her will.

In terms of securing over twenty collaborators, there should be immense value beyond just acquiring information in that act. That’s what I want to convince myself of.

“——”

What flashes through Subaru’s mind is the burning “Sanctuary” and the throngs of white rabbits. Desperately trying to escape, I had pushed Ryuzu’s Replicas to protect myself, a pitiful memory.

I had to rush to Emilia. Using that as an excuse, I had frantically commanded the Ryuzus and dashed into the graveyard while battered and bruised.

I had not revisited or regretted my actions from that time since then, but in this calm reflection, it fills me with dread to realize how reckless I was.

Now that I’m aware I don’t want to die and have realized my selfishness, it doesn’t change the fact that I might be pushing them to lay down their lives for me. Even though I don’t want that, I couldn’t fully trust myself.

“My head is spinning… I’m leaning too much toward the negative, damn it. I’m overthinking it all, exceeding my brain’s capacity. I should tackle this one step at a time.”

Questions and answers directly interlinked. It would be prudent to start by settling these one by one and then connect the resolved issues toward a grand solution.

For now, Subaru sought issues he might be able to approach positively. First,

“Releasing the ‘Sanctuary’—this is something I should do since I’ve already cleared the first ‘Trial.’ There’s no need to burden Emilia further. And, if she feels too pressured, it could wreak havoc on her mental state, so that’s a no-go.”

Subaru recalled the image of Emilia, snuggling affectionately against him in the snow-covered “Sanctuary.”

It was common sense that the result of her heart breaking due to continuously challenging the “Trial” would lead to that state. Continuous engagement in the “Trial” wouldn’t yield good results.

“If I take clearing the Trial as my issue… The next thing on my mind would be the second ‘Trial.’ That was pretty tough… but, wait, did I actually clear it at all?”

The impossible ‘now’—the situation of experiencing a world with different choices. The so-called parallel world was the experience of the second “Trial.”

While the “Trials” may have just been a look into parallel worlds for others, for Subaru alone, the “Trial” bared its fangs in its true sense.

An array of erroneous choices led to show him multiple futures filled with regret.

There were various forms of regret, countless horrific results, and multiple laments mourning Subaru’s ‘death.’

By experiencing them with his own eyes, he felt his heart fragment into pieces.

Even now, whenever he recalling it, chills ran through him, and he couldn’t escape the sensation that his limbs were numbing.

And so, while he seemed to be engulfed by the screams of his heart, he was dragged into the dream castle—however, what exactly had happened with the “Trials”?

There was no way to claim that he had cleared it.

Yet, how could he achieve the clearing of the second “Trial?” Unlike the first one, he had no clue.

“It’s pointless to brood over it… I have to do what I can.”

Shaking off his doubts, Subaru stood up, placing his palm on the wall of the graveyard, glaring into the darkness of the entrance.

He had been alone in his deep pondering, with Otto and Patrasche, who were worriedly keeping watch over him until a short while ago, nowhere to be seen.

Feeling embarrassed about the last exchange, he had asked Otto to take Patrasche back to the stable. Even though he felt saved by Patrasche’s lingering concern for him, he needed some alone time to sort out his thoughts.

“The main problems I have to deal with are the ‘Sanctuary’ and the mansion. The ‘Sanctuary’ connects to the ‘Trial,’ Garfiel, and the Great Rabbit. The mansion links to Beatrice and Elsa… that’s just too many different issues.”

Each one bore its own difficulties with no solutions in sight, making him feel down. However, he didn’t have the luxury to feel down. He needed to tackle each problem one by one.

Not allowing himself to think of disposable lives from a detached standpoint.

“First, let’s check the ‘Trial.’ If the second ‘Trial’ is starting, that’s fine, but if it’s counted as already done and the third ‘Trial’ has begun, then that’s even better.”

At the very least, if the barrier were lifted, the situation would shift dramatically. Garfiel would also have to devise a new approach, and if the Great Rabbit were to attack, escape would become feasible. Even Garfiel would find it hard to stick to his pride when faced with the threat of the Great Rabbit.

The issues of the “Sanctuary” should head toward resolution by lifting the barrier.

Having thought that far, Subaru felt a faint light open before him, offering him relief.

He had been troubled by a multitude of mind-boggling issues, but he finally saw a path to answers.

“——”

Standing at the entrance of the graveyard, he held his breath upon seeing the stone corridor emerging from the dimness.

If he stepped inside and the “Trial” commenced, he might once again confront the impossible ‘now.’ That sight was something Subaru could never grow accustomed to, no matter how many times he witnessed it.

Yet, he understood that it was something he couldn’t ignore or forget.

If he couldn’t run away, he had no choice but to confront it.

Subaru took a deep breath, then held his breath and stepped forward.

He stepped into the graveyard, preparing to face the “Trial” to release the “Sanctuary”—

“——!?”

Just as he stepped in, a jarring sensation struck his skull.

It felt as if a needle pierced directly into his brain, and at the moment light scattered before him, his footing became unsteady. His upper body swayed, and he crashed to the ground as he could no longer stand.

A violent wave of nausea surged up, wringing his insides as gastric fluids spilled out. He coughed, but no amount of repeating would ease his suffering.

Alarm bells, alarm bells, alarm bells were echoing.

As the tumult of ailments and dissonance in his body surged, Subaru gasped and rolled outside the graveyard. Instinctively, he sensed that if he stepped any further inside, this malicious intent corrupting his body would unleash its wrath even worse.

“Ugh… Hah, ugh, uaaah!”

Rolling out of the graveyard, Subaru dropped to his knees on the grass, vomiting again and again.

The moment he was completely out of the graveyard, the suffering that had tormented him moments ago receded. The headache, the nausea, and the numbness in his limbs began to wane, and a tear-filled Subaru lifted his face.

“Ah, u… what was that just now…?”

Looking back at the entrance to the graveyard, he reached out to crawl back toward it, but a fundamental sense of rejection rose up from within.

It wasn’t just a trauma fearing the content of the prior “Trial.”—It was as if the graveyard itself was rejecting him.

“What… is…?”

As he understood he was being rejected, Subaru quickly grasped what was happening to him.

Patrasche, who had stepped inside to bring him out, was injured. Roswaal also had entered the graveyard, bearing severe wounds while attempting the “Trial.” The graveyard rejects those who do not possess the qualifications to challenge the “Trial.” If that effect was also being exerted on Subaru—

“That can’t be… because if that’s the case…”

Standing up with unsteady steps, Subaru boldly approached the graveyard once more.

However, the moment he took a step inside, an oppressive sensation of headache and nausea assaulted him all over again, and he was crushed under the overwhelming feeling that he couldn’t even stand.

“Hah… hah, hah…”

Retreating, he found himself a distance away from the entrance to the graveyard, breathing heavily while recognizing the fact he had discovered from this challenge.

“That damned…”

The image of the white-haired witch in mourning attire floated into his mind.

At parting, she had indeed posed this question to Subaru.

To choose whether to take her hand or Satella’s.

And Subaru had chosen to take Satella’s hand, not Echidna’s.

If this was some form of retribution for that choice, it was far too—

“The light I finally saw…!”

At the very last moment, he had thought she was offering him hints out of goodwill, and now he was forced to reconsider, just as he had been intending to give her a second thought.

“—You’re not mistaken at all, you know?”

He heard a voice, a mischievous sounding voice belonging to the witch, echoing through the night sky.

“You’re telling me I’ve lost the qualification to face the ‘Trial’ to liberate the ‘Sanctuary,’ huh, Echidna!!”

—Natsuki Subaru has lost the qualification to challenge the ‘Trial’ to release the ‘Sanctuary.’