――I saw the future.

『――Without it, can you even swing your sword? Thief!!』

『Look, see? Once again, I win.』

『Subaru and Emilia-san must be tired, right? I’m sorry. But I end up being a burden too. I’m sorry. I really wanted to keep saying thank you, but…』

　――The colorful lights continued to show Emilia different futures with each touch.

『To think the one I wanted to kill so badly was actually a kind person, what a nightmare that is.』

『There are feelings that must not be spoken. If revealing them leads to this, is it truly satisfactory?』

『You think this fulfills our promise? If so… If so, I should have just died rolled up in that pit back then! Rather than face this… this dawn, I should have ended it all! Damn it, damn it!』

『I’m sorry. I’m weak, and because of that, I’m sorry. I couldn’t kill you, and I’m sorry. Now, forever… is eternally alone. I’m weak, and I’m sorry…』

　――Cries of anguish, shouts, ends, rebirth, partings, encounters—all presented in various forms.

『Hmph, hmph… my proud grandchild has… grown up well, hasn’t he…?』

『I will never let something as incomprehensible as a curse kill me!』

『I just realized… I wasn’t walking alone all this time.』

『Why… can’t the soul reside within?』

　――Is there only despair awaiting in the future? Is there nothing but sadness and suffering?

『As promised, I will kill you!! Ah!? Natsuki Subaru!!』

『Am I that greedy? Am I saying something extravagant? No one dies, no one cries… What’s so difficult about that?』

『Ultimately, we must bleed every drop of blood for atonement, don’t we?』

『Good and evil, likes and dislikes, right and wrong—they’re all worthless. You stay there, I’ll crush anyone who blocks my path, whether they be a witch or a dragon.』

　――Then, is this path wrong? Is it a mistake to wish?

『I think it’s arrogant to pray to ask for favors. To pray is to seek forgiveness.』

　――A girl who had never seen me awaken and speak said so in the world of the final light.

I wished to have a proper exchange of words with her.

Rejecting to deny everything, that feeling alone was enough.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

When my vision cleared, Emilia realized she was in a grassland where the wind gently blew.

A white table atop a small hill. Her own body also rested on a white chair, and she couldn’t recall what had happened moments before, though she knew she was still in the dream world.

“Echidna?”

If this were a welcome at the end of the “Trial,” it could only be the overseer, Echidna. Looking around, Emilia searched for her figure.

However, despite the grassland stretching as far as the horizon, there were no signs of people or any obstructions to be found. If she were to leave this place, it felt as if she might never find this white table again.

“…………….”

The strange feeling of her body being here while she felt as if she might fall off the horizon. Emilia took a deep breath to calm herself and decided to move if there was no one around.

Perhaps there was an exit somewhere. She needed to find it and leave this place. Spending time idly here would yield nothing.

Then—

“It’s always like this, huh. Why is it that, in situations like this, I end up with the brunt of the burden, huh? What do you think about that, huh?”

“…Huh?”

Emilia froze at the sight of a fluffy ball that suddenly appeared across the table.

Still in the posture of rising, she gaped in shock at the existence before her.

Unintentionally, she gasped.

“Hmm… such a clear reaction, huh. That’s the right kind of reaction, I suppose, huh. That boy was just a bit too dense, huh.”

“――――”

A figure exuding a subdued sigh with every word.

A languid woman with a vast amount of reddish-purple hair, draped in a tattered black robe. Her words were devoid of thorns, and she appeared utterly at ease.

――Yet Emilia felt an oppressive sensation, as if a hand was gripping her throat.

If her whims struck her, her head could vanish in an instant.

Emilia, who had regained her past and could wield an immense amount of mana that could not be contained in one body, still found herself woefully inadequate compared to the presence in front of her.

With the ease of swatting away a fly, Emilia could be killed—she understood that.

“There’s no need to be wary, huh. I have no intention to harm you, nor can I be harmed, huh. I find those kinds of things troublesome, huh. Yet Echidna is so insistent on not wanting to meet, huh. That’s why I’m here, huh.”

“Is that so…?”

Timidly, Emilia dropped her gaze at the woman’s words.

Even now, the overwhelming presence surrounding the woman had not dissipated. She remained a being capable of utterly obliterating Emilia. But since she could be killed at any moment, it didn’t matter whether she was afraid or not.

Taking a deep breath, holding her breath, and releasing it, Emilia forced herself to calm down.

“So, if you’re a stand-in for Echidna… does that mean you’re a witch too?”

“Ah, I see, huh. You’re a bit braver than I thought, huh. You don’t seem timid in the face of danger, huh. You might resemble your mother a bit, huh.”

“Do you know my mother?”

“I can’t say, but I do know, huh.”

Taken aback by the unexpected connection, Emilia gasped, but the woman stated it matter-of-factly, her face weary. Even if she pressed on, it seemed she wouldn’t be able to pry any more from her.

There would come a time, a feeling it would be better to set aside the problem of her mother for now. Looking at the past, witnessing the impossible present, a radiance of Fortuna and Juice now resided in her heart.

For now, just that was enough.

“What should I call you, the stand-in for Echidna?”

“I like children who don’t throw tantrums, huh. I’d like to have Typhon learn from that too, huh. My name is Sekhmet, huh. As you might have guessed, I’m the Witch of Sloth, huh.”

Leaning on the table, Sekhmet smiled faintly.

Though the shadows under her eyes and her unhealthy complexion were concerning, she was a beautiful woman with a well-structured face. However, the aura emanating from her as a “witch” suggested she was someone extraordinary.

“In this world, huh. I have no interest in how the names of witches are conveyed, huh. I just want to handle this request quickly and return to my lazy slumber, huh.”

“Um, if it’s such a hassle… couldn’t someone else have done it? If Echidna didn’t want to, she didn’t have to be the one, right? There are other witches, aren’t there?”

“With the others, huh. It wouldn’t lead to a conversation, huh. In situations like this, the only one who could hold a decent conversation is Minerva, but she’s said she doesn’t want to meet you, huh.”

“Minerva…”

Sekhmet’s words were filled with sighs, which made the tempo of conversation poor. However, for her to even say she could converse better than the other witches implied frightening personalities.

That thought was quickly overshadowed by the emotion invoked by the name Minerva.

“Minerva…”

Emilia whispered the name again inside her mouth and tilted her head at the resonance.

For some reason, it felt like a strange name that triggered memories of someone she had been very close to. Yet, she had no recollection of hearing it in any memory before.

But still, it was a name that invoked the nostalgia of someone dearly remembered.

“Well, it’s no use talking about those who aren’t here, huh. Anyway, I’m just here to relay a message from Echidna, huh. Once you hear it, deciding whether to end the “Trial” or not will be up to you, huh. Being used isn’t easy, huh.”

“Um, thank you for your hard work…?”

“I’ll gladly accept your consideration, huh. Now, brace yourself to listen, huh.”

Sekhmet brought Emilia back from her thoughts and, with a sigh, flipped her head upside down on the table. Then, she stared at Emilia with a tired expression while placing her right hand atop the table.

“During the third ‘Trial,’ huh, you must have seen the future, huh. That future is a possible future that can occur once you cross this graveyard, huh.”

“A possible, future.”

“You may see every possibility, huh. Conversely, there’s a possibility of seeing none at all, huh. However, it’s unmistakable that the future you glimpsed was one filled with despair, huh. That much is obvious from Echidna’s personality, huh.”

Sekhmet judged that Echidna was thought to have a malicious nature, which Emilia could not counter much.

In reality, Sekhmet likely rated Echidna even more negatively than Emilia imagined, but it was difficult to expect a worse evaluation from Emilia, who interpreted her as the “malicious witch.”

“The future branches infinitely, and possibilities are derived, huh. Even then, the future you just saw was a tragic seed with a high chance of realization, huh. That seed may sprout, bloom into a bud, and what kind of grand flower it bears… huh. Do you have the resolve to intentionally walk the path that could bloom a poisonous flower that may make everyone unhappy… huh?”

“――――”

Emilia fell silent, gazing at Sekhmet with seriousness.

Sekhmet looked exhausted after her lengthy speech, but when she noticed Emilia’s gaze, she knitted her brows.

“…I thought I had already thrown the question out there, huh.”

“Huh, what? Was that a question? And if I answer it, will the ‘Trial’ be over?”

“Yeah, it’d be that way, huh. …It’s true, considering your objective, you could say the ‘Trial’ itself already ended at the point you reached here, huh.”

As Sekhmet emitted a vibe of a mere formality, Emilia chuckled wryly.

It wasn’t that she had intended to be malicious; it was just that the question felt unexpectedly simple, so she was taken aback. After all, it was obvious how Emilia would respond to such a query.

“A world that ends in tragedy for everyone. I have no intention of watching that happen.”

Memories surged, tearing at her heart, as if clawing at it.

In the dark world and amidst the colorful lights, Emilia had heard that emotional lamentation numerous times.

“A future where everyone might reach a sad ending. I’ve seen plenty of that in the pitch-black world just before this one. Everyone was crying, suffering, and angry. I may not know the specifics of what happened, but I did think to myself, I never want to see such a future.”

“…But if you choose this path, huh. I can assure you that there’s a high likelihood of it leading to that outcome, huh. So do you want to run away? Huh.”

“That’s not it. Because I dislike it, I will confront it.”

Shaking her head, Emilia held her chest high in response to Sekhmet, who squinted.

Though she felt as if she might be devoured by an overwhelming aura, Emilia did not yield.

Whenever she felt like she might falter, the memories of her parents supported her. And whenever she felt like giving up and hanging her head, there were people who encouraged her not to.

“If there’s a sad future, then I’ll run to avoid it. If it seems inevitable, I’ll gather momentum to leap over it. If someone has fallen, I’ll do my best to pull them up. By repeating that, I’m sure I’ll wipe away all those tears from earlier.”

“You speak recklessly with such apparent confidence, huh. Just words, flavor of convenience, saying things go well, but if there are failures, you’ll fold up immediately, huh. It wouldn’t happen, huh.”

“If I were alone, maybe that would have been the case.”

Emilia boldly replied to Sekhmet’s teasing words without a trace of fear.

In a way, relying on others was her most difficult choice, one she had never been able to make herself in the past.

“――――”

In response, Sekhmet had a moment of dumbfounded expression.

Then, she quickly looked down, concealing her face in her hair and on the table, and began to laugh.

“Pff, haha! Ah, how amusing! That’s precisely it! Of course, that’s how you’d respond now! Ah, it’s hilarious!”

“Was my answer really that funny?”

“To me, it’s quite delightful, huh. Listen, huh. Echidna, huh. In this ‘Trial,’ the challengers wrestle with their past, present, and future alone, huh. It’s amusing to see what kind of answer they come up with, huh. Even in death, he was a truly incurable pervert, huh. The day that plan falls apart comes in such a form… huh. Isn’t it delightful, huh?”

Sekhmet burst into laughter, clearly in good spirits as she struggled for breath. Leaning back in her chair, she looked directly at Emilia with a nostalgic glint in her eyes.

“Your answer—that you won’t confront this ‘Trial’ alone, huh. If Echidna hears that, she would pout in a serious manner, huh.”

“That’s right. I managed to give that kind of answer. …Yeah, I would really love to see that face.”

“Well, she’s a sore loser, so you’re probably not going to see that expression, huh. Regarding that, we dream dwellers get to keep that privilege, huh.”

“How unfair.”

When Emilia pouted, Sekhmet’s expression turned even more joyful.

It was as if they were two old friends exchanging words after a decade; it looked to an outsider as a warm and cheerful interaction.

“However, as a counterpart, I’ll provide the outcome of the ‘Trial’ at my discretion, huh. Of course, you’ll pass with flying colors, huh.”

“Is it really that easy?”

“Did you want a convoluted answer or a grand performance, huh? Well, sadly, expecting that from me would be a mistake, huh. In any case, the current overseer is me, and my answer is the answer, huh. …The ‘Trial’ is officially over, huh.”

With a long sigh, Sekhmet lightly snapped her fingers. It didn’t sound good on the first try, but after two or three attempts, a satisfactory sound finally rang out, and a wind blew from behind Emilia.

As Emilia turned around, her silver hair swayed, and she caught sight of a door emerging down the hill. Though the door didn’t seem to lead anywhere, Emilia instinctively knew it connected to the outside of the dream world.

“Does that mean if I go through that door, the ‘Trial’ is done…?”

“Yeah, huh. Congratulations, huh. Four hundred years, huh. Ever since the graveyard was built and Echidna’s ‘Trial’ began functioning, no one has ever crossed this ‘Trial,’ huh. Well, to begin with, there really have been hardly any challengers, huh.”

“…That’s true. Very few people enter the ‘Sanctuary,’ and the conditions for those who get trapped inside are surprisingly strict.”

“That’s part of it, but… ah, forget about that for now, huh. Either way, it’s over, huh.”

Though Sekhmet spoke with ambiguous words, Emilia didn’t pursue it. The exhilaration of hearing that the ‘Trial’ was over outweighed everything else.

Honestly, she didn’t feel that sense of accomplishment yet. It felt unreal. In the first ‘Trial’ of the past, she had stumbled so much and almost despaired, thinking it was impossible.

Though she had resolved not to lose, still…

“You look like you’re not convinced, huh.”

“Uh, just a tiny bit. Was I worried?”

“More than anything, Echidna as a witch wouldn’t give out unsolvable problems, huh. That’s not all there is to it, but it’s kind of like that, huh.”

Since the witch said this, it probably meant something.

With a reluctant frown, Emilia braced herself for acceptance. After Sekhmet glanced at her, she waved her hand lightly atop the table.

“From the door behind you, huh. If you go outside, that means saying farewell to the Dream Castle, huh. That also symbolizes the ending of the ‘Trial,’ huh. You’ll also gain the right to view the inside of the door at the back of the room where you just underwent the ‘Trial,’ huh.”

“The door in that small room. Right, I saw it. I can go in there… What’s inside?”

“Inside lies the mechanism that maintains the function of the graveyard, huh. Only after stopping it will the ‘Sanctuary’ have fulfilled its role, huh. You’ll understand how to stop it once you enter, huh.”

“Stop the function of the graveyard and end the role of the ‘Sanctuary.’ The barrier will disappear, then.”

Once the barrier dissipated, not only Emilia but also the inhabitants living in the ‘Sanctuary’ would finally be able to step outside the forest.

She had no idea how many people would choose to step into the outside world when the barrier opened. Whether living outside would truly benefit them or not was also uncertain.

But they could no longer remain cooped up inside.

Just as Subaru persuaded Garfiel, Emilia too had to convey the message to them. The time when they could remain halted in a place where time had stopped was at an end.

In the movement of time, how to create her own place to live.

If possible, she would like to find the answer that she too had yet to yield.

Even if pulling hands or pushing backs proved difficult, she could walk alongside.

It might be an unreliable, baseless, just-beginning philosophy, but…

“That’s just fine, huh.”

Sekhmet said, as if she could see through Emilia’s heart.

Her tone bore none of the fatigue unique to her. When Sekhmet looked straight at her and said that, Emilia couldn’t help but take a small breath.

Then, she smiled.

“Yeah, thank you. I want to do just that.”

Responding, Emilia rose before Sekhmet.

She brushed her silver hair and bowed her head towards Sekhmet, who posed to see her off.

She didn’t quite understand why she did that.

But somehow, it felt inadequate to merely say goodbye. The feeling of gratitude existed, yet she couldn’t tell why. Sekhmet would surely not narrate it.

Having pushed the chair back to the table, Emilia made her way towards the door down the hill.

The door standing alone amid the grass felt fleeting, and Emilia realized she felt a slight sadness in leaving this Dream Castle.

A white table, a cool breeze, and pleasant sunlight—such perfect weather.

If they had gathered around that table for a tea party, it would surely have been delightful.

“Sekhmet-san. Could you pass this on to Echidna?”

“…I’ll see what I can do, huh.”

“If we ever get the chance to meet again, we should definitely have a tea party. Even if I transform into a dream, I’ll surely welcome it.”

“――Ah, that sounds nice, huh. I’ll make sure to convey that, huh.”

Grasping the doorknob, Emilia turned her head back, making Sekhmet laugh.

Emilia smiled back and opened the door.

Darkness spread beyond the door.

Yet somehow, she felt no hesitation or hesitation stepping through there. No longer did Emilia need to wonder where this led.

This was a door that transcended the ‘past,’ chose the ‘present,’ and continued to ‘the future.’

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

　――Feeling a tightness in her chest, Emilia rose on the hard ground.

The revival from the loss of consciousness of the ‘Trial’ was different from waking up from sleep.

Her body hadn’t been asleep; rather, her consciousness had been guided to a different place. Since her body and soul were in different locations, it was natural for this awakening to differ from sleep as her soul was not asleep.

If this were a regular awakening, the drowsy Emilia would take quite a bit of time to revive. Previously, Pack had woken her up, but now that she couldn’t rely on him, it would undoubtedly take longer.

In the future, she would have to learn to handle such situations on her own.

“—Ah, no way.”

Emilia, feeling dazed from the earlier moment, thought that out loud.

Shaking her head, she placed her hand against the wall as she stood. Her body felt fine after all. That feeling of overcoming the ‘Trial’ was thin, as was the same with others.

Just, if the content Sekhmet spoke of in the Dream Castle was true—

“That door at the back of the room should be able to be opened.”

Turning her gaze inward, she noticed a stone door across from the small room.

Previously, no matter how she pushed or pulled, that door wouldn’t budge, but now, it appeared to gleam faintly, like the softly shimmering walls of the graveyard.

Was it a sign of unlocking?

With a soft sound from her shoes, Emilia approached the door, standing before it as she paused momentarily.

Something to liberate the ‘Sanctuary’ lay beyond.

Sekhmet had said she would understand what to do upon looking, but honestly, she felt a little anxious about not knowing. Emilia did not have much confidence in her own intuition.

Could she bring someone with her? Since hardly anyone could make it this far, she had the feeling that if there were other people, the door wouldn’t open for them.

Whether it was because she had progressed smoothly up until now, unease lingered as Emilia faced the problem before her.

Perhaps it was a product of her increased caution compared to before, but this suspicion was limited to Echidna. Her awareness arose from understanding the character of the person who had set this up.

“Either way, I have to enter the room. Alright, here I go.”

Clenching her small fist for determination, she reached out for the door. Should she push or pull? As she pondered that, she managed to touch the door…

——With a sound, the stone door slid open sideways, creating a path for Emilia.

“…Ah, I feel like Echidna is grinning at me with a wicked smile.”

Emilia, caught off guard, sullenly pouted her lips.

Somehow, this door’s mechanism seemed like a subtle harassment from Echidna, allowing her tension to dissipate a little.

Releasing a sigh, she renewed her spirit and stepped into the room.

Inside was a rather smaller room than the ‘Trial’ chamber.

It was an even smaller space, and if the large beds from Roswaal’s mansion were placed side by side, there would be no room left to step.

Astonished by the surprisingly tight space, Emilia gasped and instinctively covered her mouth as she saw what lay within.

――At the back of the room was something like a transparent coffin, and within it lay a woman.

She appeared so beautiful that it felt like time had been frozen on her as she slept.

The coffin seemed to be made from processed magic minerals, with a purity so high that Emilia, having touched it with her fingertip, was taken aback; it surpassed even the crystal used for Pack’s vessel.

This magic mineral capable of sealing away a great spirit like Pack contained a woman. —Naturally, she was breathless. There was no sense of life; she was already an empty shell of a person.

With long, glossy hair like snow, her cheeks, neck, and any visible skin displayed a beauty reminiscent of virgin snow, making Emilia tremble with awe.

The beautiful body was wrapped in pure black robes without any unnecessary embellishments, and that dress maintained a miraculous harmony crafted solely for her.

A beautiful woman expressible in just two colors, white and black.

Before the unadorned beauty, one could realize in awe that genuine beauty requires no superfluous decoration.

“She’s so beautiful…”

It escaped from Emilia’s lips, a breath of admiration.

Looking in the mirror, she was one to possess an exquisite beauty herself, but her awe lacked even a hint of that sentiment.

It was merely pure admiration pouring forth at the beauty in front of her.

A beautiful woman in white and black.

That was the “Witch of Greed” whom she had met in the Dream Castle, with whom she had exchanged words many times.

What awaited her at the deepest part of the graveyard, beyond the trial of the “Witch of Greed,” was—

“Echidna is similar, but… who is she?”

Though she bore a resemblance to the embodiment of knowledge, Emilia was unfamiliar with the woman.