Spirit—beings closest to nature. Even artificial spirit possess a stronger sensitivity to natural elements than humans or other races.
Even though Lillian's body and face were hidden, a few familiar threads in his mixed aura could not escape her perception. She sensed both the uniquely golden mana and the aura of the "Witch of Greed" that only her mother had possessed.
"Sorry," Lillian said to the golden-haired maid crouched on the ground, who flushed red and shouted at him, "Turn around immediately!!"
"Alright."
Lillian turned his back. Frederica quickly ran back to the mansion. After some time, he turned back.
Beatrice stood motionless, her gaze fixed on him.
At first, Lillian thought he might have to reveal himself voluntarily, but judging by her expression, she had already realized his true identity. He removed his mask, letting his voice speak naturally, no longer filtered by invisible will.
"Beatrice, I've come to fulfill our promise."
"You… why…"
Beatrice stared at his face, hearing the familiar voice. Memories of the day he had been consumed by flames flashed in her mind.
"…Resurrected?"
"Something like that."
"…"
"As I said," Lillian continued, "you should know the Sanctuary. I told you I'd bring you to see Echidna. She's there now—well, technically her soul is there. I can take you to her. You have many things you want to say to her, right?"
Beatrice hesitated, lowering her head slightly, thinking. After a moment, she said, "I… I cannot leave here."
"Why not?"
Beatrice didn't answer. Lillian thought for a moment. "Because of your contract? But you're not exactly 'inside the forbidden library' anymore, right?"
"What?"
"Your contract is to guard the forbidden library, and you've already left it. Isn't that enough? There shouldn't be a distance limitation."
"Of course there is." Beatrice looked at him like he was an idiot. "'Guarding the forbidden library'—I can return instantly from here, so I can fulfill it. If I go to the Sanctuary, I can't."
"Then can't you bring the library with you?"
Beatrice shook her head.
"…What a hassle."
Lillian's words made the Great Spirit look displeased, but that was honestly how he felt.
If he wanted to fulfill their promise, he had to take her there. After all, Echidna was confined in the Sanctuary and could not leave—at least not before her body could be restored.
Lillian noticed Beatrice still regarded him with a strange gaze, seemingly unable to fully accept that he had come back from death. Bringing her to the Sanctuary—that was his purpose. Of course, it wasn't something he would force. If Beatrice truly refused, he wouldn't push her.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going back now."
"Wait."
Lillian called out to her, looking into her eyes. "Are you really sure that Echidna didn't deceive you?"
"What?"
"I mean…"
"What are you trying to say?! Human!"
Echidna seemed to be someone whom Beatrice would never let anyone speak ill of. Lillian hadn't even said anything harsh yet, and she already couldn't contain herself, sharp words of hostility spilling out relentlessly.
"Mother would never lie to Betty! Everything about Betty from birth is for Mother! Mother is everything to Betty, and what could a human like you possibly understand?! Mere human!"
Lillian looked at the emotionally volatile twin-tailed spirit calmly. "I'm not denying the importance of your relationship. I just…"
"I don't want to hear another word from you!"
Beatrice turned to leave, but in the next moment, an unseen hand gripped her arm.
Her expression changed slightly. She glanced at her arm, then at Lillian standing a few meters away. "Invisible…? You…"
"No offense meant. Since you don't want to come with me, I won't force you," Lillian said. "However, someone asked me to deliver a message to you. His name is Geuse."
"Geuse? What happened to him…"
"He's already dead." Lillian took out the Gospel and dragged it toward Beatrice with the unseen hand.
"This is Geuse's," Betty muttered softly. "Even you…have left Betty"
"He said, 'I'm sorry.'"
After Lillian spoke, he saw Beatrice's eyes redden. Her small hands brushed over the Gospel for a moment before tossing it back to him, her voice hoarse. "I understand."
"He was your teacher, right?"
"…"
"Though I don't know if you were aware of his condition, he had completely lost his mind before. Just before he died, he regained his reason, which is why he asked me to deliver this message to you."
The message wasn't only for Beatrice but also for Emilia. Lillian had considered telling Emilia while in the Sanctuary but ultimately decided to wait.
Emilia's memories were damaged and sealed. According to Geuse, it was because they were attacked by the Witch of Vainglory Pandora that Emilia eventually went berserk, freezing the forest and falling into slumber.
Though she has now awakened, her memories remain sealed. Telling her now would be pointless, and might even cause her pain. It would be better to wait until her memories are restored.
As for Beatrice, she had been fully aware for hundreds of years and should already know about Geuse, so it was fine to inform her.
"…You killed Geuse?" Beatrice asked after a long pause.
"Yes."
"Thank you."
Lillian was somewhat surprised by her words. Beatrice whispered, "He hated irrational and insane people the most. To have become like that himself must have been so painful. To die with reason intact at the end… at least he achieved that."
Indeed, though the two only exchanged a few words at the end, Geuse had displayed the demeanor of a rational and composed scholar. It was completely different from 'Betelgeuse.'
Having said that, Beatrice turned to leave. This time, Lillian didn't stop her. Instead, a blonde maid, now dressed in her uniform, ran out and blocked Lillian, who also intended to leave.
"Stop!"
"…"
The maid opened her mouth, revealing sharp, neatly arranged fangs that were genuinely intimidating. Her gaze was filled with lingering anger, her emerald eyes blazing.
"You actually looked quite nice just now after transforming," Lillian said. "I haven't seen a golden-furred… uh, demi-human before."
"Who are you? What is your purpose here? Are you also an ally of that Beast Tamer?"
Frederica held back her anger as she questioned him. Lillian had put on his mask again, so she couldn't see his face.
"No, if I were an ally, I would have helped earlier. I just came… to deliver a message to Beatrice-sama. That's all," Lillian said, changing how he referred to Beatrice to avoid revealing himself if she mentioned it later to Emilia or Ram.
"Beatrice-sama? You know her?"
"I'm not obliged to answer your questions. But it seems you have some connection with 'Garfiel.' Have you heard the name?"
"Garfiel?" Frederica narrowed her eyes. "You came from the Sanctuary?"
"Exactly. Are you relatives? Siblings?"
"That guy…" Her expression darkened at the name but she suddenly remembered something. "Wait!" She examined Lillian's physique. "You're human, right? Why would you go to the Sanctuary, and how do you know Garfiel?"
Lillian observed her, thinking she likely knew quite a bit about the Sanctuary. If he could extract information, that would be useful. But first, he needed to determine her "faction."
So he didn't answer her question and instead asked, "You're a maid here, so you must know about the master, Emilia, supported by Roswaal, right? She's currently in the Sanctuary, attempting trials to break the barrier. Are you aware?"
If she knew about the Sanctuary, she might have been there before—or somehow come from there herself. Then he needed to confirm whether she was a 'stay-behind' or 'leave' type before continuing. Otherwise, she might adopt a hostile attitude—especially since her favorability was already very low after what happened earlier.