Chapter 76 – Rest (5)

“You couldn’t hear it this time either, could you?”

“…No.”

Yuria tried explaining several more times after that.

She rephrased it, used only keywords, even said it backwards. She attempted countless methods, but I still couldn’t hear it.

“Strange. Even Charlotte, who isn’t a Challenger, could hear it just fine…”

The anger I’d suppressed began to rise again.

“Well… nothing we can do about it. Haah… today is really odd.”

Finally admitting defeat, I sank into the sofa.

I could hear and understand everything about the Challengers perfectly well.

But why couldn’t I hear anything about the world’s secrets? It made no sense.

The only being capable of such a thing… had to be Lilith.

Was it because I’m a priestess? Could ordinary people hear it? Could Noah hear it?

A flood of questions washed over me, but I shook my head to clear them away.

I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I already had too much information to process, and I wasn’t ready to tackle more puzzles before sorting through the rest.

But… there was still something I needed to hear. Something important, not for me, but for Noah.

I had to hear it for her sake.

“Charlotte. Sirin interrupted earlier, but could you finish explaining about the trial?”

Charlotte, who had been doodling on some paper, suddenly looked up.

“Huh? Oh, the trial… right. Where did we leave off?”

“I think you were talking about Erden’s trial.”

“Oh… right. Good memory. Yeah, so Erden’s trial is about confronting and overcoming trauma… a really shitty trial.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“This one, though, is more about resolving trauma.”

Resolving trauma?

As I tilted my head, trying to figure out the difference between overcoming and resolving, Charlotte smirked, clearly amused.

That only made me more determined to understand it faster.

“Unlike overcoming, resolving brings things to a better conclusion, right?”

“Exactly. That’s the idea. But there’s a catch. Unlike Erden’s trial, this one… if you fail, you die.”

“But why…? Aren’t all trials supposed to take place in a mental world?”

“Maybe in Erden’s case, but not this one. This trial happens in reality… uh, it’s hard to explain. When you enter a certain space, the whole scenery changes—like, boom!—and everything feels real… no, it doesn’t just feel real, it is real.”

Charlotte grimaced, gesturing with her hands as she tried to explain.

“Ugh, this is too hard. Yuria, you take over.”

She slumped her shoulders and passed the explanation to Yuria.

“Yes, well… the trial… um…” Yuria, too, frowned and scratched her head as she tried to find the right words.

“What Charlotte said is kind of accurate… but also not quite. The scenery changes, yes, but it’s more like… it becomes something else entirely. Or maybe we get drawn into it? Uh, well…”

“See? It’s confusing. Anyway, Rubia, the point is, this doesn’t happen in a mental world—it happens in reality. And because of that, your body also changes to match the trial’s time period… which is why you could die if things go wrong.”

Even though the explanations were vague, there was one thing I understood for sure.

“So, to sum up, since it happens in the real world, it’s possible to die during the trial.”

“Yep. That’s for sure.”

“And no one else can enter the trial with you, right?”

“Of course not.”

“I see…”

Charlotte rummaged through a drawer, seemingly annoyed that her magic cigarettes had run out.

“By the way, Yuria, did you undergo the same trial as Charlotte?”

“Yes. I took my trial at the Temple of Memories, near Cartia.”

“…The Temple of Memories?”

“Yes. Are you familiar with it?”

Of course, I knew it. It was my next destination.

But I had no idea that such trials took place there…

Does that mean I, too, might face a trial? Could I awaken a unique ability, even as a priestess?

“Yes… the Temple of Memories is where I’m headed.”

Yuria’s face showed clear confusion.

“You know its location?”

“…I do.”

“Huh…? Rubia, how do you know about that place?”

Charlotte, who had been rifling through a bookshelf, asked in a puzzled tone.

“I… I heard about it.”

I didn’t want to explain.

“From whom?”

“…Do I really have to say?”

Charlotte walked over to me, her face suddenly serious. After glancing at Yuria for confirmation, she spoke.

“Listen, Rubia. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but… there’s no way Lilith could overhear this conversation through you, right?”

“I… I can’t guarantee that. But didn’t we already talk about the Challengers and everything else?”

“That doesn’t matter. Lilith already knows about the Challengers. Hmm… Lilith, you bastard!”

“…What?”

Out of nowhere, Charlotte started cursing Lilith.

“That useless bitch. A cowardly hag who hides behind her apostles, pretending to be powerful. A nasty slut with voyeuristic tendencies.”

She kept going, spewing insults for a while before finally gathering her magic power and nodding in satisfaction.

“Yeah. I think we’re safe now. If Lilith isn’t reacting after all this, she’s probably not listening.”

“Charlotte… gods aren’t stupid.”

“I know, I know… ugh, fine. Anyway, if you heard about it from someone not connected to us, we’d be in serious danger. So, this is a pretty big deal.”

“…I guess I have no choice.”

The truth was, I was embarrassed to say it.

“So… um… a ghost…”

“Huh? I didn’t catch that.”

“A ghost… a ghost rose up from under my blanket and told me. But, uh… I was so freaked out that I missed parts of what it said… Anyway, it told me to go to the Temple of Memories, north of Cartia.”

That’s right. A ghost told me.

But I was so terrified that I missed some details, and I might have cried a little. Just a little.

Of course, I was younger then. Not a child, but…

I was about 21, just after becoming a priestess. So, yeah, I was younger.

The younger me was scared of ghosts.

You might think it’s ridiculous for a priestess to be scared of ghosts, but it was right after I’d become one, so I think that’s understandable.

Actually, it’s not embarrassing. Everyone is scared of ghosts when they’re young.

It’s not just me, right? So, it’s not embarrassing at all.

I cleared my throat, composed myself, and continued.

“Ahem… I don’t know what kind of entity it was, but five years ago, I heard a voice while I was sleeping. It told me to go to the Temple of Memories, north of Cartia, five years later. It said that once I passed through the northern gate and spread my divine power, I would naturally sense the path.”

Charlotte and Yuria tilted their heads in unison.

I ignored them and continued.

“It also said that to enter the temple, I would need to spill my blood at the entrance.”

“Your blood?”

“Yes.”

Charlotte and Yuria exchanged glances, silently communicating with each other, and then both nodded.

“That makes sense… since you’re a priestess. So, can you tell us why it told you to go there? Actually, never mind. I think someone else should explain that to you.”

“Someone else?”

“Yeah. You’ll find out soon enough who it is. It’s not really my place to tell you… Oh, wait. Hehe… I guess I’m starting to sound like Sirin, huh? Now I know how she felt.”

Charlotte chuckled to herself, mumbling and laughing at her own musings.

She was starting to get on my nerves.

Why was everyone talking in circles today, leaving me out of the loop?

“Anyway, I think we’re all a bit overwhelmed. Let’s call it a day and rest up, yeah?”

“Yes, that sounds like a good idea.”

I nodded eagerly.

I needed time to sort out my thoughts. And I needed time to buy some… supplies for Noah.

“Right. Rubia, Yuria, why don’t you both stay here for the night?”

“I’m fine with that.”

“Me too. It’s free and comfortable.”

“Alright then. Find an empty room, and get some good rest.”

Charlotte waved us off as she pulled the paper she had been doodling on closer to her.

***

Two days later, the materials from Carpeng arrived at the central guild.

Hephaestus began working on the equipment, and Yuria started preparing various potions and supplements.

Charlotte remained buried in paperwork in her office.

Two weeks passed like that.

The weather had started to cool down a bit.

The equipment made from Carpeng’s materials was completed by Hephaestus.

Yuria finished brewing the potions.

And Charlotte’s pile of paperwork was finally dwindling.

But Noah…

She still hadn’t woken up.