Naomi and Isolde continued walking through the maze and as they did, Isolde started asking more and more questions.
"So you visited the shrine every week?"
"Almost every week."
Naomi answered.
"There were times I couldn’t visit."
"For how many years?"
Naomi thought about it for a moment.
"Since I was a child."
Isolde nearly stopped walking.
"You regularly visited the shrine of an Ancient Spirit for more than ten years?"
"I didn’t know it belonged to an Ancient Spirit."
"That only makes it stranger."
Isolde moved closer.
"Why did you start going there?"
"I already told you. I thought she was lonely."
"Who?"
"The idol."
Isolde stared at the woman with a flat look on her face. Naomi only shrugged.
"No one ever visited, the shrine was always dirty, there were leaves everywhere, and the idol just sat there alone."
"So you cleaned it?"
"Yes."
"Because you thought a stone idol felt lonely?"
"It made sense when I was a child."
Naomi frowned slightly.
Isolde stared at her in silence for a good few seconds until finally—
"It makes perfect sense now."
She nodded as her eyes shone with excitement.
"What offerings did you bring?"
"Nothing special."
"Tell me."
"Flowers, fruit, sometimes sweets."
"Did you pray for anything?"
"No."
"Money? Good grades? Health?"
"No."
"Did you pray for love?"
Isolde asked with a knowing smile.
"No."
Naomi looked away and that made Isolde’s smile widen.
"Love troubles, eh?"
Naomi thought about Lucian for a short moment but then—
"It’s nothing like that.
Don’t waste my time."
"Fret not, child, for you are in the presence of a bringer of chao—"
"Shut it."
"Do you want me to make you a love potion? I can assure you, whoever it is, one sip and he’d be all over you~"
"I said shut it."
Naomi’s eyes became scary.
Isolde just sighed, then she looked at her with a light, genuine smile and—
"You know, most people who discover an Ancient Spirit’s shrine would ask for power."
"I didn’t know she was real."
"That’s exactly what makes it more genuine."
Isolde pointed out.
"You visited without expecting anything."
"Well, I wasn’t entirely selfless. At first, I only visited because I felt the idol was lonely, but then...
Being there helped me calm down.
It always felt... safe."
Isolde became quiet, she even stopped drinking for a moment, which anyone who knew her would find very surprising.
This was the same woman who drank in the middle of a battle because it ’helped her focus’.
"No wonder you are favoured."
Isolde laughed.
"Stop raising flags, will you?"
Naomi snorted.
"Flags?"
Isolde frowned, but before she could ask more about it, one of the silver cards floating beside Isolde suddenly shook and turned red and Isolde’s playful smile vanished in an instant.
"Naomi."
The Witch stepped in front of Naomi again.
"Remain behind me."
The cards spread around.
"The road has sent us a creature carrying blood that should never have entered this sacred place."
"...what?"
Naomi spoke in a flat tone.
She would really prefer it if she spoke like a normal person right now.
"There’s a demon-blooded creature nearby, a Blood-Altered Human."
Isolde explained normally.
Naomi narrowed her eyes. Now even she could hear footsteps echoing through the corridor, footsteps of something rushing towards them at an inhuman speed.
"Be careful, Naomi."
Isolde raised one hand, her coat lifting as magical energy gathered around her.
"Before us approaches a child of forbidden blood, a creature standing between humanity and the Abyss, a being whose very existence mocks the natural order.
If it comes to it, I must release a fraction of the calamity sealed within me, even if it means destroying this ma—"
Before she could finish, a figure appeared at the end of the corridor—
"Naomi!"
Naomi heard the familiar voice and at that very instant, all her uneasiness disappeared completely and a big, wide smile appeared on her face.
"Lucian!"
She rushed forward.
"Wait!"
Isolde blinked, Naomi ignored her and ran past her.
"Naomi, I just said he was dangero—"
Before she could finish her words, Lucian had already crossed the remaining distance and hugged her as tightly as he could.
"You bitch! What do you think you are doing here!?"
He screamed, letting out all his frustration.
"I..."
Naomi didn’t know what she was supposed to say. Lucian, on the other hand, placed his hands on her shoulders and began inspecting her.
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Did anyone attack you?"
"Uhh... not really."
"Did you touch anything?"
"Uhh..."
"Answer."
Lucian spoke as his violet eyes shone dangerously, but then his eyes fell on the two Waymarks on her arm, then on Isolde standing behind her, and he narrowed his eyes.
"She helped me."
Naomi mentioned as she noticed Lucian’s gaze.
"Helped you...?"
Lucian frowned as he looked at the woman again.
Isolde remained frozen in her dramatic pose, one hand raised, the other holding the flask, there were magical cards floating around her.
He stared at the cat on her shoulder, at the stuffed toys hanging from her belt and he...
He didn’t know what to say.
"If it weren’t for her, I’d have been eliminated long ago. She’s very strong."
Naomi spoke, explicitly stating how important Isolde was because she knew exactly what Lucian was thinking.
"Eliminated...?"
Lucian raised an eyebrow.
Then, with a cold look on his face—
"Naomi Pierce."
He called out.
"When you knew this place was dangerous, why didn’t you surrender and leave?"
"I..."
Naomi lowered her head, not knowing how she was supposed to answer.
What could she even say?
That she stayed because she wanted power? That she just ’felt’ like she could win?
She could easily imagine Lucian snapping at that answer.
But before she could say anything—
"Surrender? You want a candidate with the highest chance to clear the Trial to surrender? As expected of a spawn of demon filth."
Isolde spoke up, covering her grinning face with her hand.
Lucian blinked at those words.
Then he leaned towards Naomi and—
"Okay, why is she talking like that...?"
He asked.
Naomi moved towards him.
"You remember Megumin?"
She whispered softly, hiding her mouth with her hand.
"The explosion Witch?"
"Yes, think of her as a more... competent, drunk version...?"
"...what?"
Lucian couldn’t believe it.
"Bear with it."
"...right.
Also, are you suggesting Megumin was incompetent?
What a fool."
He nodded.
The two stared at Isolde.
And seeing their stares, Isolde only smiled—
"What? Have you humans nothing to say now that you have witnessed the power sealed inside—"
"Yep, she’s definitely her."
Lucian nodded.
"See?"
Naomi only sighed. Lucian patted her head.
"You’ve been through a lot."