Having learned these truths, Lillian's understanding of the Sanctuary deepened considerably. While this knowledge was not enough to change his plans, it at least gave him clearer insight into Echidna.
Just as Ryuzu had said, he could not view the witches too favorably—especially Echidna. The "evil" of other witches might have been unconscious or unintentional. For example, the Witch of Gluttony, Daphne, had created the Three Great Mabeasts not to harm the world, but merely as emergency food reserves. Echidna, however, was different. She fully understood her actions and their consequences. Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to consider her the most dangerous witch after Satella.
"In that case, will the child inside this crystal remain imprisoned here forever?" Lillian finally asked.
"Unless the Witch releases her," Ryuzu replied. "Otherwise, the crystal will continuously absorb mana from the atmosphere. Once enough accumulates, it will automatically generate new clones using her as the template."
After saying this, Ryuzu turned toward the door.
"Let's go. You already know everything—there's no need to stay any longer."
"Alright."
Lillian followed her. They descended the stairs and stepped outside—only to freeze in shock the moment they exited.
"…Snow?"
Snowflakes drifted down like scattered cotton. It had clearly been falling for some time already; the entire land was covered with a thin layer of pure white.
Lillian turned to Ryuzu.
"It's autumn now, isn't it? Is the Sanctuary's climate different from the outside world?"
"No. In previous years, it has never snowed in the Sanctuary at this time."
As she spoke, Ryuzu narrowed her eyes and raised her palm, watching a snowflake melt rapidly upon landing. Realizing something, her expression changed instantly.
"This… is mana!"
"Mana?"
Lillian focused his senses as well. He had not considered the possibility earlier and had ignored his perception. But now, with even a slight examination, he realized that this snowfall was not a natural phenomenon. It was artificial snow—climate magic created through an enormous quantity of mana.
"…Who?"
Within the present Sanctuary, only two people could achieve such a feat—Emilia or Roswaal.
If it was the former, had she regained her memories through the trials and awakened her power? If it was the latter, what was his purpose?
"I sense an ominous presence," Ryuzu said grimly.
Lillian also felt that something was wrong.
"I'll go ahead," he said, bidding her farewell before quickly heading toward the sanctuary hall.
Magic of this magnitude consumed vast amounts of mana—something ordinary mages would never dare attempt. If Emilia had regained her memories, or if the agony of the trials had caused her to lose control again, the disaster of the frozen forest from a hundred years ago might repeat itself.
Lillian absolutely did not want that to happen. He was still inside the Sanctuary, and his matters with Echidna were not yet resolved. He could not allow this place to be sealed in ice.
---
He swiftly arrived at the hall. When he was still dozens of meters from the entrance, he unexpectedly saw Subaru rushing out. Judging by his hurried manner and the direction he was heading, he seemed to be going toward Roswaal… could it be that Emilia was not responsible?
Just in case, Lillian entered the hall himself and proceeded to the trial chamber. Upon entering, he found Emilia sitting on the ground with her eyes closed, her expression filled with pain.
She was still undergoing the trial, and there was no fluctuation of mana coming from her. That confirmed it—Roswaal was the one behind this. Subaru must have realized the same thing, which was why he had rushed off in that direction.
"I need to go there too."
He could ignore everything and head straight to the tomb to find Echidna and settle their unfinished matters—but Roswaal would never create such a snowstorm without reason. If he ignored it, further complications might arise.
Subaru's speed and Lillian's were on completely different levels. Although Lillian had departed later, by the time he reached Roswaal's location, Subaru had not yet arrived.
At the doorway stood Ram, blocking the entrance with a cold expression.
"Why are you here?"
"You already know the answer," Lillian said. "This snowstorm was created by Roswaal, wasn't it?"
Ram did not deny it, but neither did she offer any further explanation.
"Where is Roswaal?"
"Roswaal-sama…"
"Ram, there's no need to stop him anymore~."
Roswaal's voice came from inside the room, and soon he walked out himself. Although his upper body was still wrapped in bandages, his movements showed no sign of difficulty.
Ram stepped aside. Lillian entered the courtyard and, looking at Roswaal's ever-present clown makeup and artificial smile, asked bluntly:
"Why did you create this snowstorm?"
"Why~? If you insist on a reason, it's simply because I, a bedridden patient, wished to see snow. Such a simple motive."
After saying this, he looked at Lillian with interest.
"Speaking of which, I'm truly curious—who exactly are you? Ram has been quite absent-minded lately. I suspect she's been thinking about you."
"That is not the case, Roswaal-sama," Ram replied quietly.
Roswaal ignored her soft rebuttal and continued:
"You obtained the qualification to challenge the trials granted by that person, and you even succeeded in the first stage. So, you met her, didn't you? What did you talk about? She must still be as knowledgeable and fascinating as ever~."
The "person" he referred to was naturally Echidna. As her devoted student, Roswaal longed to see her again. Yet he had been rejected from the trial—whether because Echidna did not wish to see him could not be confirmed, but in any case, he certainly would not have been pleased.
"It sounds like you had quite a good relationship with her," Lillian said. "But you keep mentioning her constantly—yet when she spoke with me, she never brought you up even once."
"…"
The artificial smile that had been fixed on Roswaal's face finally disappeared.
Beside him, Ram said, "You must not be disrespectful to Roswaal-sama," while simultaneously throwing a punch toward Lillian's face.
Smack!
Lillian caught her fist with one hand. Though Ram was strong, she was not beyond what he could handle. And judging by her attack, Lillian felt she was acting more out of personal motives—though outwardly defending Roswaal, she was clearly aiming at the mask on his face.
"…What are you all doing?"
At that moment, Subaru arrived. Seeing the tense confrontation, he had no idea what was happening. Roswaal, upon noticing him, resumed his clownish smile.
"Subaru, you're here."
"Roswaal! Just in time—I need to ask you. The snowstorm outside was your doing, right? Wait… your injuries—weren't you unable to leave your bed?"
Roswaal now stood upright as if unharmed. If he had been fully dressed and the bandages concealed, he would have appeared completely normal.
"He's long since recovered," Lillian said, glancing at Ram. "Or rather, he's been pretending all along. You should calm down too, alright?"
"…!"
Ram found his tone strangely familiar, leaving her momentarily unsure how to respond.
"Despite appearances, I am still severely injured~," Roswaal said lightly. "I can merely move about with great effort. As for why I created this snowstorm…"
He stared directly at Subaru.
"Why are you so concerned? After all, whenever something doesn't go your way, you can simply make it turn out the way you want, can't you?"
Subaru froze.
"W-What are you talking about, Roswaal?"
"Hehe."
The clown chuckled and beckoned Ram over.
Ram's thoughts were in turmoil, still dwelling on Lillian's earlier tone—the kind of tone one could only use if they had known her before. Nevertheless, she walked over to Roswaal.
Roswaal smiled, blinked once—and suddenly struck her neck with the edge of his hand.
"—!"
Without any warning, Ram's head separated from her body.
Her face still bore the thoughtful expression from before, her eyes filled with faint astonishment before quickly losing their light. She collapsed, motionless.
Seeing the severed head rolling across the ground, Subaru let out an unimaginable scream.
"W-What are you doing?!"
Even though they had never been particularly close—even though Ram had always spoken sharply to him—they had lived together in the mansion for a long time. To him, Ram, Rem, and even Beatrice all held an important place in his heart.
"Look," the clown said, clapping his hands with a smile. "I can feel your anger, your shock, your panic… yet one emotion is missing. The most important one—sadness."
"W-What are you saying…"
"When a friend, a relative, or a lover dies, we feel grief. Yet you do not. You only feel anger toward me. Because you know everything can still be undone—you can 'go back,' can't you, Subaru Natsuki?"