Inside the wooden cabin, the three sat around a table.
For a time, none of them knew what to say. Their identities and positions intersected in strange ways, and yet events had unfolded in completely unexpected directions.
"I want to know how you discovered Subaru's ability," Ram finally asked. "And how you knew that this power came from the Witch of Envy."
"If one's memories aren't affected, then it's easy to notice that time has rewound," Lillian said. "And once you realize that, noticing Natsuki Subaru's abnormal behavior becomes simple as well. After all, he believes everyone else has lost their memories, so he doesn't bother hiding his actions. As for the Witch of Envy — I just met her soul not long ago."
"In Echidna's dream world?" Ram asked.
Lillian nodded.
"Wait, if she—"
"You've asked me so many questions. It's my turn to ask something now, isn't it?" Lillian interrupted. Ram paused mid-sentence. "What do you want to ask?"
"What will you do now?" Lillian asked. "Knowing that Roswaal killed you, will you still remain by his side?"
"..."
Seeing Ram fall silent, Lillian did not press her further. He simply waited quietly for her answer.
Ram lowered her head, her slender fingers unconsciously sliding along the surface of her teacup. It was clear that her heart was far from calm — she was struggling to give herself an answer.
"I… originally, it wouldn't matter if I died for Lord Roswaal…"
"If you died while protecting him, that would be understandable," Lillian said. "But I believe you know in your heart that the fact he could kill you so casually means he simply treated you as a tool. Isn't that right?"
"Shut up."
"If you've confirmed that, will you still cling to the idea that 'it doesn't matter even if I'm just a tool'? If that's the case, then—"
"What do you know?!"
Ram cut him off roughly, slamming her fist onto the wooden table with a loud bang. Tea splashed from the cup, just like the words she could no longer take back.
"My life, and Rem's life as well, were both saved by Roswaal-sama! If he needs me to die, then I—"
Lillian met her agitated gaze directly. "What do you think he saved you for?"
"…What?"
Lillian took a book from his chest pocket and gently placed it on the table.
"You should have seen this before. Roswaal has one as well — though his is far superior to this one."
Ram stared at the book. Indeed, Roswaal possessed one and frequently consulted it. To him, that book was like a priceless treasure he always carried.
"What is this? Explain it to me, boy," Ryuzu asked curiously, as she had never seen it before.
"This is a Gospel," Lillian explained. "It can predict fragments of the future. It's an inferior imitation created based on Echidna's Book of Wisdom."
"The Book of Wisdom…"
"The original Book of Wisdom is in Echidna's possession. There are also two incomplete copies — one in Roswaal's hands, and the other with Beatrice. As for the one on this table, it's merely a shoddy imitation. Its prophecies are chaotic and fragmented, and many are false. It cannot compare to the original or the copies."
"I see," Ryuzu said, nodding without further comment.
"Ram, if I'm not mistaken, you should already know what this book does," Lillian said, gradually piercing through her emotional defenses with his words.
"Roswaal is a slave to the Book of Wisdom in his possession. All of his actions follow its prophecies. You know this, don't you? So tell me — do you think that a man who has lived for hundreds of years according to its guidance saved you and Rem purely by coincidence?"
Ram bit her lip. The anger in her gaze mixed with a pain she could not deny.
"If we assume that 'Roswaal's actions follow the Book of Wisdom,' then you and Rem being saved was merely part of its prophecy," Lillian continued, his tone turning colder. "He may even have arrived at the scene long before, but in order to remain consistent with the prophecy, he waited until your family and friends were slaughtered — until you were trapped with no way out — before appearing like a savior. At that moment—"
"Stop talking!"
Ram interrupted him again, even more violently this time. She suddenly stood up and rushed outside.
"…Ha."
Lillian let out a sigh and took a sip from his teacup. The tea had already gone cold.
"If that girl Ram had always known this deep down, it must have weighed heavily on her heart," Ryuzu said.
Though she did not know much about Roswaal and Ram's relationship, she could roughly infer the overall situation from what Lillian had revealed.
"Boy, your way of exposing the truth so directly is rather cruel."
"Is it better to continue deceiving oneself?" Lillian asked. "I know it's difficult to accept, but only what is broken can truly be free, isn't that so?"
"Ram may appear mature," Ryuzu replied, "but have you forgotten? She is still only a teenage child."
As she spoke, Ryuzu suddenly realized something and looked at Lillian.
"Now that I think about it, you don't look older than twenty yourself. Why does your mindset seem more mature than others your age?"
"…You don't look older than ten either," Lillian replied dryly. "So why do you keep referring to yourself as 'this old one'?"
"What, could it be that like me, you possess a youthful body and an aged heart?"
Lillian fell silent. "Aged" might not be entirely accurate, but if he calculated everything, his mental age was indeed not young. Adding everything together, it was probably around twenty-five or twenty-six, perhaps nearing thirty. Still young — but maturity could not simply be measured by age.
There were thirty-year-old men in society who remained childish and dependent, and there were teenagers who spoke with composure and grace. Environment shaped people. Age described only the body; the mind had no universal standard. No one could decree that a man must become steady and mature the moment he turned thirty. That might be an assumption in East Asian society, yet there were increasingly many people in their thirties or forties who still lived like playboys.
"By the way," Ryuzu said, "you were in the dream world earlier, weren't you? You also mentioned seeing the Witch of Envy." She seemed very interested in this. "And that boy Subaru — I couldn't stop him. He also seemed to be an apostle of the witch, possessing a power that I could not resist."
"That won't be the case anymore."
"…Hmm?"
Lillian thought that since the Witch of Envy had entered the dream world this time, the contract between Subaru and Echidna likely could not be concluded. Echidna would already be furious, and with this development, she would probably revoke the authority granted to her apostles. For someone like her, doing so would be quite easy.
"Echidna will likely withdraw his authority," Lillian said. "As for me, I completed the second trial as well — but something may have gone wrong with the third."
"What do you mean?" Ryuzu asked.
"I may have angered Echidna a bit," Lillian replied. "I'm not sure if she'll still allow me to participate in the third trial."
"…"
By logic, Echidna, such a rational being, would allow him to continue the trial. After all, liberating the Sanctuary would benefit her as well. Even if she were upset with Lillian, she should still permit him to proceed — that was his previous assumption.
But after she specifically dragged Subaru into the dream world at that moment, Lillian's opinion changed. He realized that Echidna was a very vengeful person and would not hesitate to repay any slight. Angering someone like her was terrifying. Though she could not directly interfere with the real world, she controlled the trials in the Sanctuary. Without her permission, the challenge could not continue.
Of course, stepping back a bit, Lillian did not absolutely need to undertake this trial. If Echidna refused or tried to use it to coerce him into signing a contract, he could simply walk away. Even if the Great Rabbit were to appear in the future, he was under no obligation to risk his life for the Sanctuary's inhabitants.
"So in that case, the Witch of Envy must have exchanged some contract with that boy Subaru, which is why she follows him, right?"
"Perhaps. I don't know the details myself."
"What do you plan to do now?" Ryuzu asked, glancing toward the door. "Aren't you going to go after Ram?"
Lillian shook his head. "She's not foolish. She'll think things through on her own. If I push too hard, it will only make her rebellious, and that would be counterproductive."
Saying this, he stood up and walked to the door, gazing off into the distance. "The Great Rabbit is probably nearby. You could call the Eyes of the Sanctuary… no, too dangerous."
Not every Ryuzu clone was as strong as the one before him. Encountering the Great Rabbit could mean instant annihilation. Although they were clones, Lillian could not treat them as expendable.
"Do you care about the lives of those children?" Ryuzu asked, surprised, her eyes flickering. "They… don't even have self-awareness yet."
"But in the future, they might, right? You could even be their future."
"…"
"Enough," Lillian said, turning back to bid her farewell. "I need to visit the Sanctuary and check on Emilia. As for the Great Rabbit… there's no need to alarm the villagers. With the barriers in place, they can't escape. If we can resolve the threat, great. If not, let's avoid spreading unnecessary panic and give them some peace."
"…Understood," Ryuzu replied, nodding slightly.
Lillian then picked up the mask from the table. Though it seemed unnecessary now — after all, Subaru would tell everyone he was alive once he left the dream world — he still placed it over his face.
Ryuzu stood at the doorway, watching him disappear into the distance, thoughts swirling. No one had ever told her that she was the future of those children… perhaps that future really existed.