"Wh-what do you mean she's not going?"
[It means she's not going, you idiots! Now hurry up inside!]
The fairy kicked the four people into the shining gate.
It was wise of master sending them without me. It made them realize that anything could happen.
From now on, everyone would know to rely on themselves if they wanted to survive.
"Those people never listen. I feel bad for them."
Jonah said walking up to the gate.
To be called again for the trial like this, I supposed master wanted to see more of him.
However, I was slightly worried of Jonah now that I would not be accompanying him in the trial.
"Jonah, I understand that you worry for them. But don't be a fool in there."
"…"
"It's their fault if they can't accept reality. Don't let you pay the price for them."
From the time I had spent with him both here and in the battlefields, I definitely considered Jonah as a reliable comrade.
It would be a real shame to lose him now.
I was certain master felt the same, given how Orvis was sacrificed for Jonah.
Which was probably why master called for Jonah again. They might want him to grow by sending him to more battles.
Having understood of what I was trying to tell him, Jonah nodded his head and gently smiled at me.
"Don't worry! I'll be back!"
Jonah said reassuringly as he stepped into the gate.
For some unknown and obscure reasons, a blush formed on my cheeks.
Was I having a fever? Or did the goblins casted a curse on me and it still lingered?
For safe measures, I should tell Jonah to refrain from smiling often.
Anyway, I decided to wait on the square until Jonah comes back.
"Hm?"
As I was making my way to a nearby bench, I noticed two women standing anxiously in the middle of the square.
They were the last of the crowd who were not called yet.
Of course, I was not counting Pauline and the two craftsmen.
Given I had nothing else to do, I was able to properly observe them.
They both roughly had the same tall built.
They both tied their hair up. So I could not tell whose hair longer and whatnot.
They both wore similar, not entirely the same, servant clothing.
The only thing different between them was that one had a chestnut brown hair while the other had a dark shade of blue.
I finally recognized who they were among the crowd.
These two women were those who were hesitating about who to believe.
They did not join Orvis to search an exit. However, they were just sitting in the dining hall with Paula.
After seeing what happened today, I doubted they have not made up their mind yet.
Will they keep being a coward like the others? Or will they wake up and face reality like Jonah?
We would soon find the answer once master call them for the trial.
After a few more minutes passed, the giant stone gate shined once more.
This time, only Jonah walked out.
His entire body was covered in dark blood that you could barely spot the golden locks of his hair.
He had a tense look on his face. No doubt he experienced something terrible inside.
"Did you go to the next floor?"
I asked Jonah.
"Uh, no, I don't think so. The enemies were still the same and the number on the mirror did not change."
He replied.
"If it was the same trial, why do you look so down? Was it that bad? You had done it with me earlier."
Jonah's expression turned grimmer as he recalled the trial.
"I tried to kill all the goblins. But the monsters…they went after the others instead."
I could guess the rest.
Jonah tried to chase the goblins but could not do it before the creatures killed the others.
He must had felt as if he was using those people as baits while he was trying to kill all the goblins.
[I knew they were trash. But I didn't expect them to get killed on the 1st floor.]
The fairy appeared back on the square, looking all upset.
[Alright! Serafina, Jonah, Shanny, Trudy! All four of you get into the gate!]
"Again?"
Jonah reacted while wiping off a smear of dark blood on his face.
"Well, we still got two people who haven't seen the trial firsthand."
I said standing up from the bench.
I walked over to the two women who were looking nervous upon the fairy mentioning their names.
"Are you two just going to stand there? Master's calling for us."
"W-will you protect us once we're in there?"
The blue-haired one, Trudy, asked me nervously.
"I will fulfill my part to complete the trial. But do you really want to keep relying on others? What if master sends you alone next time?"
The two women gasped at my last sentence.
"A-alone?!"
"B-but master have been sending at least five people so far!"
I shook my head at their reactions and looked to Jonah who was entering the gate.
"Master excluded me and sent Jonah with the other four who did not know how to defend themselves. If you think about it, that was basically the same as sending him alone."
[Hey, what's the hold up? Hurry up and get into the gate!]
The fairy shouted in anger.
"W-wait! We can arm ourselves, right? Let us get a weapon first!"
The brown-haired one, Shanny, begged to the fairy.
"Y-yes, please!"
Trudy chimed in.
[Urgh, fine! Don't dawdle! Master's waiting.]
The two women rushed to the storage and began rummaging for weapons.
Seemed like they were about ready to accept reality.
However, whether they would have the grit to survive was another matter entirely.
I then joined Jonah in the mirrored room.
Shanny and Trudy soon followed with trembling hands and intense faces.
They were each carrying a sword.
These ones however looked slightly sharper and sturdier than the rusty iron sword Jonah was carrying in the previous trial.
Perhaps it was because these weapons were prepared by the master themselves.
"Where are the monsters?"
Shanny asked while gripping her sword tightly.
"We're not in the trial yet. Wait until the light engulfs us."
I replied.
"We'll be facing g-goblins, right?"
Trudy inquired with cold sweat dripping off her head.
"If it's the same trial, then it'll be four goblins. Each armed with a small knife."
Jonah answered.
He did his best not to show it, but I could tell Jonah was fatigued from the two battles.
"Why don't you stay in the back for this one? I'll take over."
I proposed to him.
"What? I can still fight!"
Jonah objected.
"Don't force yourself. Just help out when needed."
I insisted him.
If master was as wise as I thought they were, then I was certain the reason they included me this time for the trial was to compensate for Jonah's fatigue.
Besides, I wanted to see how far these two women were willing to survive.
We soon found ourselves within the bluish-white light and got transported to the same plain as before.
Just like in my previous trial, four hideous goblins with poor-looking knives were waiting for us.
Master sent us to the first floor again.
Before Jonah and I could ready our stances, Shanny and Trudy stepped forward.
"Miss witch, a-are those the enemies?"
Trudy asked.
"Yes."
"If we kill them, we'll be able to go back, right?"
Shanny confirmed.
"That's how it has been so far."
Worries still lingered on the two women's faces.
Even still, they held their swords and stared at the goblins with intense gazes.
They had not acquired the air of a warrior yet like Jonah, though faint as he possessed it as of now.
But at the very least they did not run away.
They were here to fight.