“Sen—Sage Shaura…”

A buzz spread through the assembly hall at the name Anastasia uttered.

As everyone exchanged glances, wearing expressions of disbelief, only Subaru was completely left behind in the situation.

With a puzzled expression, Subaru poked Emilia’s shoulder and asked,

“Hey, is Sage Shaura a famous person?”

“… Subaru, didn’t you study the story of the ‘Witch’ when you were learning to read? I thought that story was in one of the many books you read.”

“That story about the ‘Witch’… oh, right, it was in a picture book. I think there indeed was a story about a ‘Witch’.”

Emilia’s reminder pulled up old memories from a year ago.

Buried in the whirlwind of daily life, studying with a children’s picture book was something I did a year ago—back when I had just started staying at Roswaal’s Mansion.

It was a collection of children’s fairy tales that were quite popular in this world, and sure enough, there were indeed contents regarding the “Witch of Envy.” However, those tales were rather,

“To be honest, it didn’t go into great detail, so I don’t remember much. Just something like a witch causing trouble somewhere.”

“Was it that vague… umm…”

“—Once, a symbol of fear that brought chaos and destruction to this world, ‘Witch of Envy’.”

As Subaru exposed his ignorance, while Emilia pondered how to explain, Julius seated across from her opened his mouth in her stead,

“She is recorded as a half-elf with immense magical power capable of manipulating shadows, with a cruel and ruthless personality. All that is known besides her name… is the name ‘Satella’. Even now, the marks she left on the world are still heavily visible.”

“… Wow.”

With a subdued tone, Subaru couldn’t help but draw in his jaw at Julius’s explanation.

His calm manner of explaining starkly revealed his inner feelings, yet no one in the room touched upon that fact as he continued with his description.

“At the great waterfall on the eastern edge of Lugnica, there is a shrine made of the sealing stones. That witch is still sealed within that shrine, spewing out vast amounts of miasma.”

“… I had heard she couldn’t be destroyed. But, it’s impressive that someone could seal such a powerful witch.”

“This is where the name of that earlier sage comes into play.”

Hearing Subaru’s question, Julius nodded.

The knight touched the sword at his waist, casting his gaze toward the edge of the round table—toward the red-haired young man,

“Four hundred years ago, three heroes contributed to the sealing of the ‘Witch of Envy’. Among them, one of the names was ‘Swordsman’ Reid Astraea—the first one to receive the title and blessing of the ‘Sword Saint’ inherited by Reinhardt.”

“It’s recorded that the first ‘Sword Saint’, Reid Astraea, was not blessed. Just because there are known legends doesn’t mean they are wholly factual. Of course, it is historical fact that the current Astraea family and the ‘Sword Saint’ name were created by him.”

In response to Julius, Reinhardt, a descendant of the parties involved, added some supplementary information.

However, despite discussing the great feats of their ancestor recorded in history, the expression on Reinhardt’s face seemed somewhat pensive. It felt as if he was being considerate of Julius, and he also didn’t seem keen to delve into the topic of his inherited blessing.

Nevertheless,

“So, that means there was a sage among the swordsmen.”

“To be precise, Sage Shaura, and the Divine Dragon Volcanica… you know, the dragon that’s protecting the Lugnica Kingdom. The fact that they fought together to seal away that ‘Witch of Envy’ is what established the promise that Volcanica continues to watch over the kingdom.”

I had heard the name of the ‘Divine Dragon’ Volcanica many times during the declaration of the royal selection.

The dragon’s blood supposedly brings prosperity to barren land and conquers all ailments—it was quite an impressive reputation.

“The ‘Sword Saint,’ ‘Sage,’ and ‘Divine Dragon’ are referred to as the three great heroes. Remember that well.”

“Oh, that sounds epic… got it, thanks for the explanation.”

Subaru raised his hand toward Julius and Emilia, then briefly glanced at Beatrice. When the girl noticed Subaru’s gaze, she shook her head lazily.

Unfortunately, it seemed Beatrice didn’t know anything about the legends from four hundred years ago.

Although Beatrice, an artificial spirit created by Echidna, was knowledgeable about the information necessary to maintain the Forbidden Library, she was quite out of touch with matters beyond that. Having been cooped up for far too long, she was also quite insensitive to the state of the world, leaving her clueless about such background details.

“My apologies for interrupting the discussion. Let’s continue the topic. Now, regarding Sage Shaura…”

After apologizing for cutting into the conversation, Subaru made an effort to steer the discussion back on track. However, as he spoke, he noticed something off and tilted his head in confusion.

We learned about the background of the four-hundred-year-old hero, ‘Sage’ Shaura—but rather,

“Wait, what? Is she still alive? Four hundred years, you say?”

“Is that so surprising…? I’m actually about a hundred years old too…”

“—!?”

At Subaru’s mumbled words, Emilia looked at him with a puzzled expression while placing a finger on her lips. Her murmur caused a slight stir among the assembly, but in contrast, Subaru thought, “I guess that’s true.”

When you think about it calmly, half-elf Emilia is over a hundred years old in real age, and even Beatrice is a tiny girl who is about four hundred years old. I think Pack said he was around four hundred too, so the average age among Emilia’s group might be around a hundred years.

“Well, that’s quite a shocking fact… but getting to the core of the sage’s life or death…”

“She’s alive. —That seems to be certain.”

“Seems to be…?”

Subaru furrowed his brow at Julius’s not-so-conclusive answer. However, the ambiguity was not limited to Julius; everyone around him was equally vague. Particularly, Felis, Reinhardt, and members of the royal guard wore serious expressions.

“Um, what does that mean?”

“Her whereabouts are known, and her existence has likely been confirmed. However, it appears no one has had contact with the sage… I would say.”

“Wait, what does that even mean?”

We know where she is and have vaguely confirmed her existence, but contact is impossible?

That seems to be the gist of it.

“Currently, Sage Shaura is residing in a tower near the ‘Witch’s Shrine,’ continuously sequestered to deter those attempting to revive the ‘Witch of Envy.’ She has been living like this for four hundred years.”

“… Four hundred years?”

It was an unfathomable tale.

Beatrice, who has been holed up in the Forbidden Library for four hundred years, was already quite a lot, but it seems Sage Shaura is an even bigger hard head.

“The tower where Sage Shaura lives—it’s called the Pleiades Watchtower. There, the sage fights day and night to prevent the revival of the witch.”

“… Systematically, I have thoughts on the tower’s name, but let’s move on.”

“Even if you say that, that’s basically the end of it, right? Sage Shaura tirelessly watches over the shrine for the sake of world peace. The end of the story!”

With a scowl, Felis clapped his hands as if to bring the story to a close.

However, it was clear from his attitude that the conclusion of the tale didn’t neatly tie up the sense of gloom looming in the assembly hall.

Naturally, there was some sort of underlying reason.

“So, is there a problem with her?”

“For the sake of world peace, Sage Shaura keeps a lookout for the witch… her name is widely known across the world. I knew about her even back in Kararagi. However, at the same time, Sage Shaura is also known for this.”

“—?”

Anastasia smiled gently and paused before speaking, sparking a bad premonition for Subaru,

“Sage Shaura is an extreme misanthrope who can’t trust anyone. —Anyone who approaches the shrine or the watchtower, regardless of their purpose, is slaughtered on sight.”

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

—According to Anastasia’s explanation, it’s like this.

Sage Shaura built the Pleiades Watchtower and continues to keep an eye on the ‘Witch’s Shrine.’

Numerous challengers have attempted to establish contact or interact with the sage, but each and every one of them has failed and hit dead ends.

This unfortunate streak was due to none other than Sage Shaura herself obstructing them.

“To the east of Lugnica lies a great waterfall… the ‘Witch’s Shrine’ and the watchtower are said to be located nearby, but from the sage’s perspective, she cannot discern the intentions of those who approach.”

Thus, the sage indiscriminately slaughters anyone regardless if they are vile witch cultists trying to reveal the ‘Witch’s Shrine’ or humans trying to make friendly contact with the sage, as it’s deemed the best course of action.

As a result, in the four hundred years that have passed, no living being has reported contact with Sage Shaura, nor is there a record of it.

“Nevertheless, the situation of being attacked upon approaching her persists endlessly, so it is without a doubt that Sage Shaura is still at the watchtower.”

“What a hassle of a sage…”

“Not necessarily. In reality, there are more witch cultists that try to approach the shrine than you can imagine, Subaru-kun. That sage, who takes them out one by one, is effectively fulfilling her purpose of preventing the revival of the ‘Witch of Envy’.”

Nevertheless, while Felis expressed a positive opinion, his expression was still gloomy. The somber faces shared by all the royal guards indicated they might have had some painful experiences with the sage at the knight order level.

On the other hand, Subaru nodded at Felis’s politically correct opinion.

It might be exceedingly troubling from a perspective that a means justifies the ends, but considering the wicked nature of the witch cultists, her cautiousness was only natural.

Rather, it could be said that because there was someone still watching for the ‘Witch of Envy,’ to a certain extent, the world operates under a safety mechanism against that ‘Witch of Envy.’

“The identity of the hermit, who fears the night and lives in fear as long as time allows, is of no concern. What is important is the fact that the limited time borrowed from me is being wasted. If this pointless talk continues, I shall return to the inn at once. I must have Schult give my feet a rub.”

“Y-Yes, indeed! Lady Priscilla must be tired from your hard work! I shall serve you with all my heart!”

Being embraced and nestled into her ample chest, Schult replied with a red face. Priscilla, with a wicked grin, clearly saw no significant value in this discussion.

The fact that she hadn’t lost her temper and stayed this long could be considered a miracle.

“I know it’s strange to be with that princess, but I too feel it’s about time we get to the main topic. Talk about the sage already.”

With that, Felt also insisted with a look of eagerness.

Nodding in agreement, Subaru turned back to Anastasia,

“Sorry for the interruptions, but what’s the deal with this hermit-like sage?”

“Now we can finally return to the original topic.”

Anastasia clapped her hands. She then gently touched her fox fur collar and gazed across the faces of everyone at the round table,

“—As you all know, Sage Shaura contributed to the sealing of the ‘Witch of Envy’ with her unparalleled wisdom and incredible magical power. They say she has great insight that allows her to see the world and is said to possess knowledge of everything in this world. If that much is not exaggerated… wouldn’t you think she might know a way to deal with the witch cult’s predicament?”

“… But that is just wishful thinking, isn’t it?”

“Does that mean you oppose that, Natsuki-kun?”

Being posed a counter-question, Subaru found it difficult to respond to Anastasia’s inquiry.

Simply put, just looking at the title of “Sage,” it would honestly be worth attempting to rely on her. Subaru didn’t think it was a bad idea at all. If she’s a person who achieved legendary accomplishments enough to be remembered through generations, she might actually know ways to resist the Witch Factor of Sin.

However, another anxiety held onto Subaru persistently.

The name of ‘Sage’ Shaura and the watchtower she resides in—the Pleiades Watchtower. These two keywords made Subaru unable to readily accept the suggestion.

For both Shaura and Pleiades were familiar terms to him.

“—”

Shaura is a name that points to the second star of the constellation Scorpius in Subaru’s knowledge of modern constellations.

Meanwhile, the Pleiades in Pleiades Watchtower is even more obvious, as it refers to a cluster of stars known as the Pleiades star cluster—which is called “Subaru” in Japanese.

Of course, Subaru didn’t assume it directly pointed to him, but simply bringing up names from his world in this one raised his alertness to the maximum.

The sin archbishops of the Witch Cult—Petelgeuse, Regulus, Sirius, Capella, Alphard, Batenkaitos.

The fact that all known sin archbishops carry names of stars from Subaru’s world made it impossible for him to not have preconceived notions about Sage Shaura and the Pleiades Watchtower.

“Setting aside Subaru-kun’s opposing opinions…”

As Subaru fell silent, unable to think of an effective counter-argument, Felis interjected. He propped his finger on his cheek and, apart from his serious expression, adopted a casual demeanor as he asked,

“The suggestion to visit Sage Shaura might be decent, but how do we even get there? Is there a way? No one has ever successfully reached the watchtower.”

“So the reason we can’t reach it is that the sage is too strong?”

In response to Felis’s ambiguous words, Felt inquired as she sat cross-legged in her chair. She cast a glance toward Reinhardt.

Certainly, if it merely meant the sage’s prowess was beyond their reach—

“With Reinhardt here, wouldn’t it all be fine? He’s always a strong asset, but just being strong is already amazing.”

“It’s rare for Felt-sama to be praising like this. Thank you.”

“This is it.”

In response to Reinhardt’s reply, Felt clicked her tongue in annoyance. However, immediately after, Reinhardt looked troubled, drawing his brows down.

He then prefaced, “However…” with a somewhat apologetic tone,

“Unfortunately, I was unable to reach the watchtower. I’m simply not strong enough.”

“… For him to say he’s not strong enough, that’s a pretty serious issue, isn’t it?”

“When I say not strong enough, it doesn’t mean lacking in fighting strength, Felt-sama. With Reinhardt’s abilities, there’s no realm in this world that would be beyond him. However, the matters concerning the Pleiades Watchtower are of a different nature.”

“You seem very knowledgeable… but then again, I suppose you would, being a royal guard.”

While Julius supported Reinhardt, Felt’s expression became a bit awkward. Watching the tension among the three members of the royal guard from the side, Subaru asked Reinhardt,

“What was the purpose of wanting to meet the sage?”

“It was an order from the kingdom. To discover a cure for the illness. —It happened two years ago.”

“Two years ago…”

The words “illness” and “two years ago” quickly unlocked the background in Subaru’s understanding.

Two years ago was exactly when the royal family had been falling ill with an unknown disease one after another in the royal castle. This mysterious pandemic without a known cure—likely, what Reinhardt was tasked with was to make contact with the sage to uncover a way to treat that disease.

However, that mission was unrealized, which is why the three royal guards wore such solemn expressions.

“The watchtower and the shrine are located at the great waterfall on the eastern edge of Lugnica—surrounded by the Augria Sand Dunes. From the entrance of the dunes, you can glimpse the watchtower from a distance, so you shouldn’t lose sight of it…”

“But…?”

“The dunes are plagued with mysterious phenomena, and approaching the watchtower has become impossible. It’s said that it’s due to the miasma leaking out from the shrine.”

“On top of that, the Augria Desert has become a den of beasts attracted by the miasma. In a land filled with miasma, the ferocity and tenacity of the beasts are on a whole different level. Therefore, heading there is basically regarded as a suicidal act.”

“So it’s a maze-like desert full of monsters. That certainly sounds hellish…”

With the numerous difficulties surrounding the sage, combined with the fact that even Reinhardt couldn’t traverse the desert, with swarms of monsters running rampant through it—that made the scenario overwhelming with too many reasons to give up.

It was easy to see why there hadn’t been a single report of contact with the sage over the last four hundred years.

“—However, what if there were a means to cross that hell?”

“—”

Just when a dark atmosphere began to permeate, everyone’s faces lifted at the sudden words.

Anastasia broke in at just the right moment, wearing a triumphant smile. She nodded for everyone to see,

“Because that’s precisely why I brought up the sage’s name.”

“You—know a way to reach a sage who has been in seclusion for four hundred years, Lady Anastasia, being from Kararagi? … What kind of method is it?”

“You’re ruining your cute face with that, huh? You don’t need to have such a prickly look; I’ll explain it properly.”

Effortlessly brushing off Felis’s retort, Anastasia took off the fur collar from around her neck.

She then spread the collar across the table and raised its head,

“As I mentioned before the defensive battle, my artificial spirit Echidna knows the way to the Pleiades Watchtower. —So we could go visit the sage at the watchtower.”

“—”

At Anastasia’s declaration, Subaru gasped in surprise.

The artificial spirit Echidna, disguised as a fox collar, was the key to reaching the sage.

“—I’m getting all this attention, so what am I supposed to do? It’s embarrassing.”

The white fox spirit lifted its head at Subaru’s reaction.

Just like the witch who borrowed her name, how much of this could Subaru really trust?

 

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