The Trial (3)

The Sanctuary Trial.

A trial undertaken to control the overflowing divine power that had become unmanageable.

A trial so rare that even among past Saintesses and Popes, few had ever passed it.

A trial notorious for frequently leaving its failed participants as hollow shells—this was the Sanctuary Trial.

"Tsk..."

I clicked my tongue and stared at the bathroom mirror. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠A face both familiar and unfamiliar gazed quietly back at me from beyond the glass.

My tangled thoughts slowly began to weave back together.

There were other reasons, of course, but...

The biggest reason I had decided to undergo this perilous trial was, above all else, to restore my Link with Silpi.

To ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠suppress the surging divine power, Silpi was using most of his strength.

Because of that, our Link was gradually weakening, and I could feel my power as a Spiritualist diminishing as well.

Without my abilities as a Spiritualist, I knew I would be powerless in the Holy Kingdom—so this was the decision I had made.

"Haa..."

I exhaled and squeezed my eyes shut. A stinging sensation spread across them, and a dull ache pulsed in the corner of my mind.

Now that things had come to this, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had gone terribly wrong.

I had thought it was just an illusion. A simple fantasy I could shatter the moment I realized the truth.

But the longer I stayed here, the more I understood.

This world wasn't so simple.

I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face.

The chill of the water seeped into my skin. The sound of running water filled my ears. The faint metallic scent of tap water brushed against my nose.

Is this really an illusion?

Not a single sensation felt false. I lifted my head and stared at the reflection in the mirror.

Not Adel's face—but my own, from my past life.

A face that resembled my sister's, pretty in its own way. The small freckles dotting the bridge of my nose. The dark circles under my eyes.

It was exactly the face I remembered, down to the finest detail.

The placement of the mole near my eye, even the pores on my skin—everything was identical.

Click.

From the sink beside me, Canary pecked at the faucet, turning it on and off repeatedly.

Fascinated by the water trickling from the small gap, she kept nudging the handle with her tiny beak.

If not for her, I might have truly lost myself in delusion.

I should thank Yurp properly when I get back. If I get back, that is.

"Stay calm..."

My thoughts kept spiraling in a dangerous direction.

I raised both hands and lightly slapped my cheeks, then took a deep breath. After a few steadying inhales, my mind finally began to settle.

First, I need to go back.

This bathroom visit had only been a brief respite after arriving at the aquarium.

When I returned, the illusionary Abel would greet me with that bright, cheerful face of his.

For now, I'd play along with whatever this fantasy demanded.

From what little I'd learned before accepting the trial, the Sanctuary Trial had no time limit.

Some had passed it in a single day, while others had taken over a year.

Of course, I didn't have a year to spare—but there was no need to rush.

I opened the bathroom door and stepped back into the lobby.

"Oh, you're back?"

Abel grinned at me. Seeing that usually indifferent face make such an expression was oddly embarrassing.

Abel had always been stingy with his emotions, after all.

"Yeah. Did you wait long?"

"Long? Not at all."

A perfectly ordinary lovers' conversation. The kind I hadn't had in ages. For some reason, it made my chest itch.

Even though I knew the Abel before me wasn't real.

Did that mean I really liked him that much? I wished the real Abel would look at me the way this one did.

But maybe that was asking for too much.

I shook my head, dispelling the unnecessary thoughts, and asked him:

"Shall we go, then?"

"Yeah, let's go."

After purchasing our aquarium tickets, we stepped inside. The first thing that caught my eye was the massive glass tunnel bathed in its signature blue glow.

A tunnel teeming with fish and marine life. Colorful fish darting between vibrant coral reefs and towering rock formations.

For a moment, I stopped walking, feeling as though I were strolling through an undersea passage.

Mesmerized by the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠graceful movements of the rays, I quietly took it all in.

The tunnel was so long it put most aquariums to shame, and before I knew it, a sigh of awe escaped me.

"I picked the one with the best reviews. What do you think?"

"It's gorgeous."

That was all I could say.

For some reason, my own expression felt awkward. I tried to smile at Abel, but only managed a stiff, unnatural grin.

Come to think of it, I'd never spent such ordinary time like this in all my regressions.

Always caught in an endless cycle of killing and dying, I'd turned back time again and again.

Rather than listening to others, I'd grown accustomed to raising my guard first—it had become second nature.

It always felt like treading on thin ice.

Yet facing this mundane daily life now, some part of my heart inexplicably felt at ease.

"Yeah, it's beautiful. Truly."

"I'm glad you think so."

As he said this, Abel chuckled—a somewhat goofy laugh unlike his usual self—and before I knew it, I found myself smiling too.

Then he stepped closer and spoke.

"Feeling better now?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You've had a worried look on your face since earlier."

His words startled me, and I momentarily halted my steps.

When I raised my head to meet his gaze, his face was filled with concern.

Still holding my hand, Abel continued in a calm voice.

"It's something you can't share with me, isn't it?"

"Well..."

His words struck a nerve, and I fumbled for a response, lips moving wordlessly. Watching me, he let out a soft laugh and tightened his grip.

His large, calloused hand enveloped mine. The warmth of his rough skin made my heartbeat quicken slightly.

Even though I knew the Abel before me was fake, this damn heart of mine raced uncontrollably.

"You don't have to tell me."

He kept saying things the real Abel would never say. That's precisely why this world was an illusion.

The ideal version of Abel I had longed for—everything I'd ever wished him to be—was projected onto the figure standing before me.

Which meant, in the end, it was nothing but a fantasy.

'Is this what the trial is supposed to mean?'

It felt like it was showing me an Abel close to my ideal, urging me to be satisfied with it, to settle into this world.

Peep!

Ria, perched on my shoulder, let out a sound as if responding to my thoughts. Yet even with this realization, the illusion didn't shatter.

Only Abel—waiting for my answer—stood before me.

"Yeah, thanks."

I forced an awkward smile in reply.

Clasping his hand, I quietly resumed walking. The warmth seeping through his skin felt strangely unfamiliar.

Brushing off his concerned smile, I slowly pulled away.

Somehow, a bitter feeling lingered.

§

The Sanctuary Trial.

If my memory served, in the original work, Adel had only overcome this trial much later.

Though revered as the Saintess, her lack of a Holy Mark left her cornered. In her desperation, she chose the Sanctuary Trial as her last resort.

And after rising from her wounds, passing the trial, she truly began her counterattack.

That was the essence of the Holy Kingdom arc in The Villainess Turns Back Time Today.

Of course, Adel had already strayed from the original by walking the path of a Spiritualist—something never intended in the source material.

Still, I never imagined she'd deviate this far. Who would've thought she'd recklessly take on the Sanctuary Trial?

What shocked me more was that she hadn't even consulted me.

For something this important, she should've discussed it with me—yet she charged in headfirst.

A pang of hurt flickered, but I shook my head, brushing the emotion aside.

"Haa..."

I lifted my gaze to my reflection in the mirror.

Abel—dressed in what could only be called "boyfriend fashion"—was reflected in the bathroom mirror. The familiar trappings of modern civilization felt oddly foreign.

Had I truly become a medieval person by now?

Dismissing the idle thought, I took a deep breath.

Fzzzt.

I raised my hand, summoning mana. But soon, a harsh static buzzed in my ears, and the magic circle in the air shattered.

So interference isn't possible this way, either.

Who would've thought I'd get dragged into the trial just by lingering in the Sanctuary?

Worse, when I stood before Adel, I couldn't even move my body as I wanted.

Was this how a puppet felt—strings binding its entire body, forcing every motion?

Unconsciously, my expression twisted into a scowl.

'I suppose I have to play along for now.'

The Sanctuary Trial shows the subject their deepest desire.

If they lose themselves in that vision, clinging to it until they forget even their own name, they can never escape the illusion.

There's a reason so many become cripples in the Sanctuary Trial.

It's simply the result of surrendering both mind and soul to a false fantasy.

'Adel, I believe in you.'

I knew better than anyone that she wasn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the type to lose herself in an illusion.

Beneath her seemingly fragile exterior lay a will stronger than anyone else's.

Because I was her fan—no one else's—I could trust in that.