Arrival of Sloth
The group stood Echidna's tomb.
"Well, if you want to take the Trial, just go in."
Garfiel, wearing a scowl, pointed unhappily at the pitch-black entrance.
After brief deliberation, Subaru, possessing "Return by Death" as his backup plan, had chosen the aggressive route.
Thanks to Rem's unconditional support and Emilia's eagerness to regain her memories, Garfiel eventually relented and compromised.
After changing course, Subaru realized that the distance between the Sanctuary and the old stone building was unexpectedly short.
Reversing the calculation, he figured that the location where Beatrice teleported him last loop must have been not far from that ruined structure.
"Well then, I'm going."
Hearing Garfiel's words, Emilia gently exhaled and turned around to speak.
Then, she faced the tomb again and stepped onto the entrance stairs.
The very next second—
"The tomb is glowing!"
Subaru looked at the tomb in surprise.
Its walls were glowing faintly, as if welcoming the challenger.
Green phosphorescent light shone in the darkness upon the witch's resting place.
"This is the proof that Lady Emilia possesses the qualification to challenge the Trial and that the tomb has acknowledged her."
Garfiel explained the reason for the beautiful scene before them. Under everyone's astonished gazes, Emilia walked up the stairs without hesitation and disappeared into the pitch-dark tunnel inside the tomb.
Subaru felt a tight grip around his heart—an uneasy feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. It was fear of the unknown future.
"Don't worry. The tomb has accepted Lady Emilia. The proof is in the glow. You don't need to fear she'll be torn limb from limb like the others."
Subaru turned his gaze to Garfiel. His arms were crossed, his teeth clenched, and his toes tapped the ground restlessly—he looked very impatient.
"That phrase 'torn limb from limb' is seriously disturbing… Hey, I've been wondering about something."
"Hm? What?"
"Only 'mixed-bloods' affected by the barrier can challenge this Trial, right? Doesn't that mean... if you wanted to, Garfiel, you could challenge it too?"
"In theory, yes, I could. But I can't liberate the Sanctuary.
That's because of the contract passed down to the next generation by the residents of the Sanctuary who live on this land."
—So the opportunity to challenge the Trial had been preempted, and now they could only entrust the liberation to outsiders. Garfiel was powerless.
No wonder he was so frustrated.
Subaru finally understood why Garfiel was so agitated now.
Although he hadn't known him long, Subaru could tell Garfiel was a fiercely competitive type. He wasn't the kind of guy who'd ever willingly hand over something important to others.
"...A contract again, huh."
Subaru muttered with emotion and sensed Echidna's twisted taste all over this.
If the Sin Archbishop of Sloth weren't about to attack, the villagers from Arlam would likely be used as hostages by the Sanctuary residents to force their hand into breaking the barrier.
But in the current situation, they'd likely be used instead to prevent them from taking the Trial.
Subaru looked again at the glowing ruins and suddenly felt very awake.
If he had followed the original plan to sneak in at midnight to take the Trial himself, he would've been screwed.
Clearly, this Trial had to be attempted when the sun was at its peak—like now, at noon.
"What?"
Rem exclaimed in surprise. Subaru also noticed that the tomb, previously glowing with dazzling phosphorescence, had fallen silent.
Looking up, the sky was clear—no clouds, no snowfall.
Confirming the worst-case scenario hadn't occurred, Subaru felt a sense of relief.
"While the 'Trial' is ongoing, the tomb's glow should not be interrupted."
Garfiel also spoke up in surprise.
"So... does that mean she passed the Trial?"
Recalling what Echidna had said about time discrepancies, Subaru asked, somewhat fearfully.
"I don't know. No one's ever passed it before, so I'm not sure."
Subaru instinctively took a few steps forward, then quickly halted himself.
"Not bad—you've got some sense. Wait here, I'll go bring the princess back."
—As it turned out, Emilia had failed.
Worse, she had fallen into a state of self-isolation.
Rem carried Emilia on her back as the group traveled for some time.
Eventually, they safely reached the village deep within the Sanctuary.
"So they really were put under house arrest?"
Subaru looked at Otto's group and commented.
It was clear their retreat hadn't gone smoothly.
Among the members of the mercenaries group, only 13 were visible.
As for living Earth Dragons, including Patrasche, only 9 remained.
"Yeah, food and lodging included, but the villagers aren't allowed to leave the building.
On the bright side, all the villagers are safe.
You don't need to feel too down.
Rem's here now, and in the end, not that many people died.
Only four were killed. We even managed to take out the 'Fingers' who were chasing us."
The good news indeed lifted the heavy atmosphere.
After settling Emilia down, Rem greeted them and began treating the wounded deeper in the house.
"I see. Then there should still be eight Fingers left. I wonder how many Petelgeuse sent after Brian."
"With Brian's strength and the intel you gave us, there's nothing to worry about."
Subaru and Otto sighed in unison.
"Never thought Lady Emilia would end up like that... Looks like breaking out on our own won't be possible."
"Yeah. For now, let her rest well. Next, we'll need to stop Garfiel from acting rashly.
After that, we wait for rescue. I've already briefed Rem and Frederica."
Subaru admitted to himself that Emilia falling into a withdrawn state might not be entirely a bad thing.
Still, not being able to resolve the crisis himself was a bit frustrating.
"Don't push yourself too hard. Today's the seventh day. The next contact with Lady Reinhild is in three days. That short time shouldn't be an issue. Let's just wait patiently."
"Don't jinx it now! Look!"
Subaru pointed at the sky—where the invisible hand had just appeared. ???
But Otto clearly didn't have Subaru's abilities. He looked at Subaru in confusion, until the invisible hand smashed into the barrier with full force, causing the entire boundary to flicker and shimmer erratically.
Panicked mixed-blood adult: "What's going on!? Why is the barrier flickering nonstop!?"
Naive mixed-blood child: "Look, up there! There's a bloody, tearful man in a black robe curled up in the air!"
Mixed-blood child #2: "Whoa, gross!"
Arlam Village kid: "I don't see anything."
Compared to fear, what most people seemed to feel was disgust.
After all, they couldn't see the invisible hands battering the barrier from all sides.
Honestly, hearing their conversation, Subaru felt his own tension ease just a little.