With her trembling hand tightly holding mine, Lara gradually calmed down and began explaining the rules of the Witch’s Trial.

Despite the intimidating name, the trial itself wasn’t actually that difficult. Any witch who had grown up in the Witch’s Forest could easily pass it.

“You have to sit on the altar in the northern part of the forest and feel the energy of nature for exactly one month. If you do that, the witch’s decision will settle into your body, and you’ll officially become a witch and pharmacist.”

“That’s the Witch’s Trial? Is there nothing else you have to do?”

“N-No, that’s it…”

“So, for one month, no matter what happens—rain or lightning—you’re not allowed to leave the altar?”

“Y-Yes… And if you do, you’ll receive a punishment… a horrible punishment…”

The mention of a ‘horrible punishment’ caught the attention of the others.

“A horrible punishment?”

“Does that mean you’ll lose the right to ever become a witch?”

“N-No, it’s not that…! But the punishment is really awful… If you really want to know… I-I could tell you, but…”

“No need. I’m not so curious that I’d want to learn about a lady’s suffering.”

“…Neither am I.”

“It doesn’t seem like the important part, so there’s no need to force yourself to talk about it.”

“Exactly. If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t need to tell us, Miss Lara Medichilling.”

“Th-Thank you…”

Even though they were all curious about what this punishment was, seeing how uncomfortable Lara looked, everyone wisely decided to drop the subject.

It was a relief for Lara that they stopped asking. Personally, I didn’t think they needed to hear about it either.

It wasn’t that the punishment was too awful to speak about, as Lara suggested, but it was definitely something that would have killed their motivation to help.

“So, the trial is about sitting on the northern altar for a month. I hope it’s not rude to ask, but how do you handle things like food or sleep?”

“D-During the trial, the forest’s energy flows through you, so you won’t need to eat… You can sleep while sitting up… And as for… um….”

“You don’t need to explain that part, Miss Medichilling.”

“...Then is there any way we can help you with the trial? From what I’ve heard so far, it sounds like something you need to handle on your own.”

“T-That’s… normally, yes, you’d do it alone, but…”

“…But?”

“T-There’ve been reports of dangerous monsters appearing deeper in the forest recently… So I was hoping you could help protect me from them…”

There it was—the experience event.

One of the three rewards from the “Lara’s Secret” episode was this experience event. The other two rewards, as I mentioned before, were the ‘Lara Scene’ and the ‘Witch’s Pendant.’

The Witch’s Trial wasn’t a personal, annual test. Every ten years, when the energy of the forest was at its most balanced, witches eligible for the trial would sit on the northern altar and undergo it together.

“Protect you from monsters during the trial? If it’s such an important event, wouldn’t it be better to hire adventurers from the forest to handle that?”

“Yeah, and I’m sure witches have plenty of money for that.”

“W-We usually do that, yes… But this time, I’m the only one taking the trial…”

“I see. So since there’s only one participant, you couldn’t afford to hire adventurers or mercenaries? From what I know, witches receive quite a bit of material and financial support from the royal family for their pharmaceutical contributions.”

“N-No, it’s not about the money…! The Elder Witch will cover the costs…! But the reason is… a bit different…”

“So what is the reason, then?”

“T-There’s no one to go out and hire the adventurers… That’s why I went to ask the hero for help myself… Or rather, the hero offered first, and I just accepted…”

If there had been even three witches taking the trial, the witch community would have sent someone outside the forest to hire strong female adventurers to protect them.

But for a single participant, sending her mother to venture outside the Witch’s Forest to the rough-and-tumble adventurer’s guild, search for a capable woman, and hire her was an ordeal too much for any witch to handle. It would have been a terrifying experience, especially for witches like Lara’s mother.

Just imagining a woman like Lara’s mother going out alone was enough to make it clear that doing so was akin to banishment from the Witch’s Forest. A woman like her wouldn’t even be able to arrange transportation to return, leaving her stranded in some distant town.

In short, Lara’s decision to attend the Academy had been to find someone to help with the Witch’s Trial, in place of her mother. And that’s how we ended up here.

“The reasoning seems a bit weak, but since we’ve come all this way, I suppose we’ll have to help.”

“R-Really?! Th-Thank you so much…!”

“Ethan Richard Blackwood. You can call me Blackwood.”

“Th-Thank you, Blackwood…”

“Yes, I’ll lend my strength as well. Sir Colt, what about you?”

“I will assist to ensure the safety of the Prince and the others.”

“Th-Thank you…!”

“…It would have been nice to know about this before coming here. My specialty is fire magic, which isn’t exactly ideal in a forest.”

“O-On the eastern side of the altar, there’s a large lake with magical properties…! You can use your fire magic freely there…!”

“…Fine. It’s better than doing nothing.”

“And of course, I’ll help too. So, Miss Medichilling, when does the Witch’s Trial start?”

“In t-three days…! A-And I need to inform the Elders that we have people to help…”

Before she could suggest dragging the whole group to meet the Elders, I quickly intervened to change the subject.

“Why don’t we go see the Elders now? Do they have any rituals to perform at the altar before the trial?”

“H-How did you know that?! Rosewood?!”

“I had a feeling.”

“Wow, you’re amazing…! Rosewood, have you ever thought of becoming a witch? You’re so smart, I bet you’d make a great one…”

“I appreciate the compliment, but I’ll pass.”

Having lived in the world of Luminor Academy, I knew exactly what the Witch’s Trial entailed. It wasn’t something for outsiders like me to participate in.

‘As tempting as the witches’ abilities are, no sane person would ever want to go through that trial.’

If Ethan had been the only man in our group, I might have considered it, but with Prince Antonio here and Gevmwagjoshekegrit on his way, it wasn’t worth it.

I swiftly dismissed Lara’s suggestion of me joining the witches and focused on what needed to be done for the trial.

“We shouldn’t overwhelm the Elders by all showing up at once. Why don’t Miss Medichilling and I go on our own? Is that alright?”

“Y-Yes, Rosewood… Thank you…”

“…Alright. Be careful.”

With Ethan watching a bit suspiciously as Lara tightly held my hand, we left for the Elder’s hall.

I was slightly excited at the prospect of meeting the Three Elders in person, after only ever seeing them in the game.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The hall where the Three Elders resided wasn’t far from Lara’s house. It was just about five houses down, a short walk.

The reason the Elder’s house was so close to Lara’s mother’s house was tied to the housing arrangement in the Witch’s Forest.

The village was built in a large circular pattern around the central plaza, with the houses of the oldest witches starting closest to the center. Each generation lived in the next house over, in age order.

This reflected the witches’ desire to live close to those they were familiar with.

Witches were rare, with only one being born every three to four years, so even a few neighbors apart could mean a difference of more than ten years in age.

Though it was possible to close such a gap with enough effort, it was still easier to communicate with those closer in age.

So the houses formed a sequence like an arithmetic progression. A 100-year-old witch lived next to a 103-year-old, and so on. Lara’s mother, being around 40 years old, lived near the youngest witches, which was why her house was close to a few empty ones as well as the Elder’s home.

“Th-Thank you, Rosewood… If you hadn’t held my hand earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to speak properly.”

“I’m glad you feel calmer now. Is that large house over there the Elders’?”

“Y-Yes… That’s the one…”

“Do the Elders mind receiving outsiders?”

“N-No, I think it’ll be okay… The Elders are more used to it than most… And I think, with Rosewood, you could probably talk to any of the witches…”

Well, that made sense. I had visited the Witch’s Forest in my past life more than once, so I knew how to interact with witches like Lara, her mother, and the Three Elders.

As we walked toward the Elders’ house, I noticed something unusual—a carriage I hadn’t seen before in the game.

…What’s this? A witch with a horse? I don’t remember ever seeing that in the game.