The Saint Trial grounds could be seen below.
Bound to a chair, I watched Aria’s trial unfold.
The Pope and the Emperor, who could be considered the true rulers of this place, were also observing from above.
The atmosphere seemed quite serious at first glance.
“Hoho. It’s been a while since I’ve seen our Saint candidate’s face. I’ve been worried since the reports weren’t great, but she looks fine now, which is a relief.”
“…”
“Isn’t she absolutely adorable and beautiful?”
“…”
The Emperor remained silent as the Pope, fully committed to his doting father persona, babbled on.
‘Honestly, this feels like it goes beyond doting.’
No matter how I looked at it, his gaze toward the Saint candidate seemed slightly… dangerous.
In any case.
Though the Pope might appear a bit clumsy, his actions were undoubtedly calculated.
The slightly troubled look in the Emperor’s eyes confirmed this. It wasn’t easy for him, I imagined.
You can’t criticize someone who cherishes another like their own child.
On top of that, witnessing the special event of the “Saint Candidate’s Trial”, which only the Pope could observe, added a layer of privilege.
The atmosphere of this place was undoubtedly being perfectly directed by the Pope.
And now, he turned his attention to me.
“Ian, you might just be right. Look at how she has overcome such pain with such dignity! Hoho! If only I could have you as my son-in-law, eh?”
Was he just a doting father after all?
Whatever the case, I explained my perspective on Aria to the Pope, using her guard knight as my scapegoat.
In summary: ‘I did well, but it’s that guy’s (Dave) fault that the child was ruined.’
The Pope was deliberating.
Would he believe me or take Dave’s side?
Given his abilities, he would see me as utterly truthful. From the moment I earned my title, any inner hesitation had completely vanished.
Thus, the Pope would likely think of me as truthful.
But.
He was weighing it on a scale.
Would it be more useful to save me, or to send me to the stake?
And the deciding factor was whether Aria could pass the Saint Trial.
Well, the outcome was already certain.
Without proper care, Aria would fail the trial.
She would falter and be eliminated from the very first trial.
That would be the natural outcome.
Just looking at her banging her head against the wall made it obvious.
She would collapse like that.
Yet.
“Hah! To think she would clear the first trial so quickly!”
The Pope let out an exclamation, akin to a sigh, as Aria was suddenly seen opening the door.
“…?”
Something that shouldn’t have happened had happened.
My eyes blinked in confusion.
But I had seen it clearly.
Aria’s movements had shifted for a moment.
It was as if she had discovered something.
‘… That’s impossible.’
<Trial Grounds> weren’t an artificially created space.
They were a sort of relic handed down from ancient times.
Thus, the trials within were absolute.
The first trial, the Trial of Patience, required one to find the exit through endless endurance.
Aria, however, had overcome it by sensing something.
‘I don’t know what she felt, but…’
It likely wasn’t the essence of the relic itself.
Perhaps it was a trace left behind by another Saint candidate who had taken the trial long ago.
Whatever it was…
‘Her talent is truly overwhelming.’
Among the heroines of Fantasy X Academy, Sharon Pierce was said to have the highest growth potential.
But I knew.
Aria’s potential could surpass anyone.
It had simply never been allowed to blossom. Her fragile mind was too unstable a vessel to hold such talent.
Thus, the correct approach was to expect nothing from Aria.
That had been my judgment as well.
‘… And yet.’
The talent she was displaying now…
It made me wonder.
Could she possibly clear all the trials?
“Yes, just a bit more…! Well done, Candidate Aria. Hohoho!”
And so, Aria cleared the second trial as well.
By this point, I realized something was seriously off.
Aria’s mental state, while as unstable as I had anticipated, also showed…
‘A clear and certain goal.’
If she passed the third trial and ascended the final trial, the Holy Steps, Aria would become a Saint.
Like a zombie, her rational mind was decaying, but her instincts were guided by an undeniable goal.
[Trial of Despair]
She stepped into the greatest pain imaginable.
◆
[Trial of Despair]
The final stage of the Trial Grounds.
Aria stepped through the door and immediately froze.
“… I can’t see anything.”
A completely black space.
At first glance, it seemed like the opposite of the first trial. But.
“…”
Cautiously, Aria moved her feet.
Something felt strange.
An endlessly hollow sensation beneath her feet.
She was walking, yet it didn’t feel like walking.
It wasn’t just her feet.
Her entire body felt numb.
As if there was nothing around her.
“…”
Aria came to a halt.
This wasn’t the antithesis of the pure white space of the first trial.
That space, though white, had substance.
A solid floor. Walls. And sensations—both visual and tactile.
But here, there was nothing.
Even calling it “black” was inaccurate.
It was merely the absence of light.
Gulp.
Aria swallowed hard.
The sound echoed.
It was the only clue that confirmed her existence.
This only made her more confused.
Was she standing? Sitting?
Her legs gave out.
Aria thought she had fallen.
But she felt nothing.
How was she supposed to get out of here?
Was she supposed to find the exit?
“…Haah…”
Her breathing suddenly grew rapid.
Her pupils quivered.
An overwhelming sense of anxiety began to creep in.
She bit her lip hard.
There had to be a way.
There had to be.
She had to leave this place to see Ian again.
She had to find a way.
Aria tried to stand.
She was familiar with darkness.
After all, she had spent countless nights huddled under a blanket in a room devoid of light.
— Vwooom.
A sound, like the wind, pierced her ears.
It was like the sound of the sea—or the hum inside a conch shell.
“What… what is that…?”
Startled by the sudden noise, Aria looked around frantically.
The sound of a conch shell is often used to induce hallucinations.
But before she could recall that fact, the wind seemed to take shape, cutting through her thoughts.
It became a man’s voice.
— Aria.
A deep, firm voice.
Aria knew that voice.
In a fluster, she spoke.
“I-Ian…?”
It was unmistakably Ian’s voice.
The voice she hadn’t heard since the day Ian had come to her.
The voice she had replayed in her mind thousands upon thousands of times.
Now, she was hearing it again.
“Ian? Is it really Ian?”
The surroundings fell silent once more.
But Aria’s trembling eyes had already betrayed her emotions.
Was she in the wrong place?
She began to move.
Not knowing if she was standing or sitting, she moved recklessly.
Her legs shuffled, her arms flailed.
“Ian, Ian…!”
She had heard it.
She twisted her body and turned frantically.
Somewhere in the darkness, Ian’s voice resonated.
— Here, Aria.
At the end of her relentless effort, the voice called out again.
“Y-yes! Ian… Ian.”
It was truly Ian.
Aria whispered with a smile, tears streaming down her face.
She was overwhelmed with happiness.
And then, greed surfaced.
She wanted to see him.
Aria visualized Ian’s figure in her mind.
A breeze seemed to brush past her.
Swish.
And then, the voice began to take shape.
It formed Ian’s silhouette.
Gradually, the silhouette took on Ian’s appearance.
“Aah…”
Tears flowed incessantly from Aria’s eyes.
She had found him.
She had finally found him.
Aria crawled toward Ian’s form.
She would cling to him.
Hold him and never let go.
At a distance where Ian seemed just out of reach, Aria looked up.
It was Ian.
But.
“I-Ian?”
Aria froze.
Drip, Drip.
Something was falling from Ian’s eyes.
It looked like tears, but they were bright red.
Blood.
“Y-your eyes… Ian, wait. I’ll h-heal you.”
— No.
“I can do it. Please…”
— It’s fine, Aria. I don’t need your help.
“No, I can really—”
— I said I don’t need it.
“Ah…!”
Aria flinched instinctively.
Ian’s voice had turned sharp, laced with thorns.
His mouth opened again, and blood dripped from between his parted lips.
— You’re the one who made me this way.
“N-no, I didn’t. I never…”
Ian glared at her with blood-filled eyes.
Aria staggered backward.
But Ian’s form stepped closer to her, one step at a time.
— You’re the one who made me this way.
“I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…”
— You’re the one who did this. You’re the one who abandoned me.
Aria shook her head, retreating further.
She hadn’t been in her right mind back then.
She had made a mistake.
Words she couldn’t voice swirled in her chest.
Ian’s expression remained cold as he looked down at her.
— Goodbye, Aria. Let’s never see each other again. Ever.
As soon as he spoke, Aria instinctively reached out her hand.
She wanted to hold him.
But.
Thud.
Ian’s form suddenly crumbled and fell to the ground.
Splat.
His body dissolved into a pool of red, leaving only a puddle behind.
“Aaaaah…”
Tears poured endlessly from Aria’s eyes.
