The first trial of the Sanctuary belonged to the past. Only by resolving past mental conflicts could one succeed in the trial. As someone who had personally experienced it, Lillian's memory of the past was extremely clear. This meant that anyone who participated in the trial could retain their memories afterward, and because they had revisited those moments, the impressions were even stronger.
But for Emilia, who had lost her past memories, would she retain anything after experiencing the trial? If so, regardless of whether she succeeded, the trial would be tremendously valuable to her.
With that in mind, Lillian arrived at the Sanctuary. Normally, there were no guards here. There was nothing sacred within the Sanctuary to protect — just the stairs leading to the tombs.
Since he was qualified, Lillian could enter without being blocked by any magical traps Echidna might have set. At present, Echidna was likely still in the dream world, too occupied to manage things here. Otherwise, after Lillian had rejected her three times, her mood might have worsened, potentially revoking his trial privileges in a fit of anger.
Entering the tomb, he saw Emilia leaning against the wall, seated.
She was not engaged in the trial at the moment, but appeared to have just finished it. She stared blankly at the floor, sweat beading on her forehead and trickling down her face. She didn't even notice Lillian's footsteps.
"Emilia?"
Lillian made no effort to hide his identity this time. Holding the mask in his hand, he called out. The girl turned toward him, her eyes vacant, as if struggling to separate memory from reality.
"Lillian…?? Am I… still in the trial?"
"No, this is reality," Lillian said, lifting the spiral-patterned mask to show her. "I'm not dead."
Emilia's expression immediately changed. She struggled to stand with her hands on the wall, her lips trembling. She tried to speak but could only manage an incoherent "ah…"
"I'm sorry. I lied to you back then," he said, referring to the time in the capital when he deceived her, promising to meet her at the tavern two days later.
Hearing Lillian's words, Emilia finally confirmed it was truly him. She staggered over, stopping before him, her expression complex. "Why… why did you…"
"It's complicated. I can't explain it all in a short time," Lillian frowned slightly. "You're… not in a good state right now. Let's step outside and rest for a bit. Then… uh…"
Before he could finish, Emilia's body went limp. He quickly caught her by the shoulders, noticing her pale, bloodless face, and felt a twinge of guilt.
Appearing just after her trial had drained her left her vulnerable, so her reaction was understandable.
He carried her out of the Sanctuary and back to her village's room, where Ram had coincidentally returned as well.
Meeting her cold gaze, Lillian said, "She fainted. Please take care of her."
"…Understood."
Ram silently took Emilia from him, laying her on the bed. She wiped sweat from her forehead and cheeks, moistened her dry lips with water, and then quietly sat nearby.
Lillian stood beside them, keeping silent as Ram did not acknowledge him.
After a few minutes, Emilia made a soft sound from her nose: "Mm… mm…" Ram immediately pressed the damp cloth to her forehead while gently stroking her silver hair.
Watching Emilia's frown soften, Lillian said to Ram, "I didn't realize you're quite good at taking care of others."
Ram glanced at him but remained silent.
"If ignoring me solved problems, life would be far too easy."
"…Who said I'm avoiding problems? I just don't want to speak to the Spiral Man."
"Spiral… man?" Lillian glanced at the mask in his hand, speechless.
"Or Masked Man, or the shameful one, the ugly one with no limits."
"You can give me as many nicknames as you want. But that thing…"
"I'll handle that matter myself."
"Handle… what…"
A faint murmur sounded — Emilia had awakened.
Still groggy, she pushed herself up and glanced at Ram. The confusion in her eyes gradually turned into seriousness as she turned her head to look at Lillian, who was standing behind her.
"Lillian!"
The girl instantly snapped fully awake and jumped off the bed. However, she used too much force, her body swaying unsteadily before she caught herself by holding onto the bedside.
Ram, who had been sitting beside the bed, looked at the two of them and simply said, "You two talk," before taking a towel and leaving the room.
With a creak, the door closed, leaving only the two of them inside.
Lillian looked at Emilia's tense, puffed cheeks and raised his hands slightly in a calming gesture.
"Emilia, try not to get too agitated. You know your current condition isn't good. If you become too emotional, you might faint again."
"…Do you think I shouldn't be upset?" Emilia replied, cheeks still puffed with anger. "Being deceived for no reason, returning to the mansion only to find nothing but ruins, Rem losing her legs… and also—"
Her voice trembled.
"—someone who was clearly dead suddenly appearing again."
"I admit I shouldn't have deceived you. That was wrong," Lillian said. "And I… have already paid the price for that lie."
His heavy expression caused the anxious Emilia to pause.
"D–Did something happen?" she asked cautiously.
Lillian smiled faintly but said nothing.
He could hardly tell her that the assassin who once tried to kill her had died. To Emilia, Elsa was unquestionably an enemy. There was neither need nor reason for Lillian to share his own emotions with her, nor would she ever feel the same way he did.
Moreover, judging by Emilia's ignorance of the matter, Ram had likely not told her about Elsa either. Ram had witnessed everything firsthand, yet Beatrice certainly would not have mentioned it — she and Emilia rarely even spoke.
"Emilia, I know you have many questions right now," Lillian continued. "But there is something more urgent that must be addressed first… This Sanctuary is facing a grave crisis."
"A crisis? What kind of crisis?"
"A disaster-level magical beast may be nearby and could arrive at any time. If we don't find a solution before it comes, this entire Sanctuary may turn into a living hell."
"A disaster-level?" Emilia's eyes widened. "One of the Three Great Mabeasts?!"
"Yes. It's the Many Rabbits — or rather, the Great Rabbit."
At the mention of that name, Emilia's body trembled, as if recalling something deeply unpleasant. Noticing the change in her expression, Lillian asked cautiously,
"Have you… regained your lost memories through the trial?"
"How did you know?!" Emilia exclaimed in shock, then quickly realized. "Oh right — you were the masked one… You also challenged the trial…" She fell silent for a moment and nodded. "Yes… I remember everything now."
"In that case, I must tell you some bad news."
"W–What is it?"
Lillian sighed softly.
"Your adoptive father, Mr. Geuse, is dead. Before he died, he asked me to tell you one thing: 'I'm sorry.'"
The moment he finished speaking, Emilia froze. Then tears streamed down her face.
"He… he…"
"Since you've recovered your memories, you should remember him," Lillian continued gently. "In a moment of crisis, he used the Sloth Factor, which was incompatible with his body. Under the deception of the Witch of Vainglory's ability, he accidentally killed your adoptive mother, Fortuna. After witnessing everything, your younger self lost control and then…"
"And then I… I froze the entire forest…"
That was correct. After witnessing those events, the young Emilia's power had gone berserk, freezing the entire forest solid. For a child to possess such power — anyone would suspect something unusual. After all, Emilia and Satella were not the only half-elves in the world, yet others could not even approach such levels of strength.
"Can you still use that power now?" Lillian asked.
If she could, she alone might be able to freeze all the Great Rabbits. However, Lillian did not hold much hope. What she had accomplished back then had been the result of an uncontrollable emotional outburst.
Sure enough, Emilia shook her head.
"I can't…"
---
At the same time, in another room, Roswaal lay in bed flipping through the Gospel in his hands.
"Leave the Sanctuary… Why has the future suddenly changed to this content?"
He knew that the contents of the gospel could change, but this time something felt strange. He had come here following its guidance, yet before his plans were completed, its instructions had shifted — from destroying Emilia's emotional support to ordering him to leave.
What had happened in between?
Roswaal narrowed his eyes slightly, tapping his fingers lightly against the edge of the bed. The rapid turn of events had caught him completely off guard. The greatest variable, without doubt, was that masked individual. Since the moment he first saw him, Roswaal's curiosity about that person had never faded. He had also keenly noticed that Ram's attitude toward him was unusual — nothing like how one would treat a stranger.
If that person had caused the change in the future… then that would be utterly intolerable.
With that thought, Roswaal rose and stepped outside, gazing at the clear sky above. If he followed the gospel's instructions and left, there would be no need to release his magic… or perhaps another version of himself had already done so. Maybe Natsuki Subaru had activated his ability and made some effort unknown to him, thereby altering the outcome. If that were the case, what would happen if he used it once more?