Chapter 61 - 061: Sanctuary

"Heeellooo, Emilia-sama, Arthur. It feels as though it's been quiiiiite some time since we've last seen each other, hmmm?"

Inside the building, there is Roswaal smiling relaxedly waving his hand at Emilia and Arthur.

"Fiiiirst of aaaall, that you're safe is more important than anything, Emilia-sama. I heard aboooouuut the problems around the mansion from Ram. Should anything have happened to you, I'd suuuuuurely have no will to go to on living"

"So you're hiding here from the moment you back from the castle?"

"Oyaaa,,, it's seeems Arthur have a loooot of things he wants to say to me?"

"I will just waiting outside, you tell her what she needs to do. I will talk to you after this"

Arthur decides to leave the building and let Roswaal coned Emilia take up the trial, just with this trial Arthur can make Emilia remember her past, make her mȧturė and know her responsibility.

It will be very painful but it was something she needs to do.

"So, where are you going, Emi?"

"Roswaal said if I want to help the people here I need to take a trial in the cemetery"

"I will accompany you"

"But Ram said if other people enter there will-"

"Just listen to me, how can I let you go alone"

Arthur interrupts Emilia and looks at the distant place.

"... thank you"

About 15 minutes after leaving Roswaal's recuperation hut. Garfiel announces they've reached the tomb, which is an old ruin made of primitive stone construction, with some shallow cracks along the walls and dense thickets of ivy growing over it. Definitely over 100 years old.

The entrance faces out toward the forest, but half the structure in itself is swamped by the forest so it's hard to gauge how large the tomb is. If this tomb is dedicated entirely to the Witch of Greed, then perhaps it's safe to consider it something like a pyramid in the original word.

Emilia looks up at the ruins and asks Garfiel what exactly they're supposed to be doing here. Garfiel, who clicks his teeth as he turns to face them.

Garfiel says they can get the details from Roswaal after they're done here, but for now, he wants Emilia to enter the tomb.

Emilia asks if that's okay, and tries to get confirmation that nothing will happen if she does enter.

Garfiel says that the sun's up. Even if you go to the back of the tomb, the trial won't start. Preparations aren't ready yet either, and first, they have to check whether Emilia is qualified or not.

The boundary of the sanctuary itself is a test for someone who qualified to take the trial or not.

"Half-elf Emilia-sama's qualified. Full pure-blooded human Arthur ain't. So yer free to go in n' out as ya want. But it means you can't take the Trial."

"As you said the sun is up and the preparations are not ready, so the trial won't start, so I can look inside, right?"

"Fine, 's what yer thinkin'? You ain't qualified. Someone who ain't invited tries enterin' the witch's tomb, and they turn out like Roswaal."

"Don't group me with that clown. Emilia, I will take a look inside for a moment to make sure there is no danger for you to take the trial when the time comes"

"But you heard it yourself Arthur, it's very dangerous if you didn't qualify and still try to enter"

"I promise I will fine, don't you worry just believe in me"

"You promise, right, then I will waiting for you"

"Garfiel take her to Baal, the one who drives the carriage. You just need to say I telling you Emilia have qualifications to take the trial if Roswaal asking you"

Garfiel just does what Arthur said, seriously he doesn't want to make him angry again.

When Emilia and Garfiel are gone Arthur entering the tomb, and after several steps, he is enveloped by the darkness until he can't see his own hand, but Arthur eyes color change to golden abruptly.

"What interesting pair of eyes"

And with the echoing of this voice, the eternal darkness abruptly comes to a close. This void which seemed a boundless pinnacle far beyond the edge of the world transforms into a narrow, stone hallway. Beneath his feet is a pile of dust which mutes any noise of footsteps, and most critically, the filthy atmosphere which seems to be worsening his ċhėst now spreads.

Completely different from the dark world he had just been in, this was place was an old ruin, Someone is there, walking toward him. And that someone is—

"Sorry that this welcome turned into a bit of a tease. I hadn't planned so, but quite haplessly am I a creature of greed. It's impossible for me to escape what is called the 'thirst for knowledge.'"

Her hair is long enough to span down to her back, pure white as frost. The few areas where her skin is exposed reveal her flesh to be so beautiful as to be nearly transparent. Her eyes host an intelligent gleam, and only her simple outfit is pitch-black—a woman symbolizing dichromatism and adorned with beauty.

Most anyone would be charmed by her at first sight—but she makes Arthur slightly tense inside his heart, if there is someone here then he knows who might it be.

The woman's hair sways as she narrows her eyes, and she immediately gives a small, perfunctory nod.

"Excuse me. I haven't given you a single introduction of who I am. Sorry for these piling discourtesies. It's been a long time since I've had contact with people, so it seems I'm not quite back to form."

Different from the tone of her voice, her expression bȧrėly changes at all as she shakes her head. She looks at Arthur as she places her hand to her ċhėst and quietly introduces herself.

"My name is Echidna. But maybe you'd understand it better if I introduced myself as the Witch of Greed?"

"Hmmm, like what the record says, you're really beautiful and can captive anyone who sees you. Well, Emilia is more beautiful in my eyes though"

"Oh, record? What record?"

Echidna didn't bother with Arthur claim about Emilia and instead, she asks about the record he said.

"Hmm, it was a record that contained some information about this world. And maybe, just me who knows it"

'Well, that's a wiki for you, you didn't know about it'

"Oh, except for my appearance, what are you know about me? Wait let's change location first"

The cold stoneworks of what felt like the tomb's bottom disappear, and in its place comes a field of green grass, swaying in the wind—and a little hillock, atop of which the two are standing.

Echidna smiles at him and seats herself at one of the chairs arranged beside the white table atop the hill. She indicates Arthur take the seat opposite.

Arthur didn't reject her invitation and take a seat opposite her.

"You seems didn't worry to have a seat across a witch"

"Whatever I will say, maybe you will just brush it off and said you're just a weak little girl?"

"Oh, you can understand me? It's very rare"

Echidna has a smile on her face and it looks very beautiful and makes it more perfect with the beautiful scenery behind her.

"Don't worry, there isn't really anything dangerous in there. If you want I could drink one first. Though I don't have anything I could show you if you doubt me, and ask whether or not poison works on witches."

"There will be no merit for you to poisoned the tea because you will lose the chance to learn new knowledge if something happens to me" Arthur take the cup and taste it, and if he must make a comment then this tea is very tasty.

"Right right, you seem to understand me really well"

Arthur dares to take a sip not because of what he said but there is a new ability he bought from the system, poison resistance.

What he wants is poison immunity but there is no such a thing in the system, so what he gets is poison resistance where he will not be affected by the same poison once he contact with it, or if the poison is very potent he can negate some of it effect every time he has contact with the poison, well with the note that's if he can survive.

"You certainly are brave, drinking up something offered to you by a witch."

"Echidna, your curiosity toward the unknown and your thirst for knowledge are the two things that define your behavior. You worried about everything, thinking of them as children that needed to be protected. Well you fail many time though, if I judge you like what the record described you then you will be called as saint instead of witch, but maybe because of your love towards unknown maybe you're doing something that make you dubbed as a witch" Arthur finish his speech, he leans his back to the chair and look directly at Echidna black eye

"So you think of me as a good person?"

"You're a good partner for talking if I compare you with the other witch"