"Excuse me."
I waved a hand in front of Mimir's face. However, she didn't move an inch, her gaze fixed on the entrance we had come from. I approached her, bit by bit. If this being was truly Mimir, she wouldn't be hostile toward us. She showed no reaction even as I drew closer.
I was able to scan her entire body in the halo of light. Tattoos were drawn on her smooth figure. They were so complex they made me wonder if she was a die-hard fan of hippies or a heavy metal band, and most of the content was a fictional script that I couldn't read. I craned my head forward slightly to read the tattoos, but she still didn't move.
"Can you read them?"
"No."
AA seemed to regard the unmoving woman as a lifelike ornament, some kind of statue, or a spirit. Even though she stood there naked and I was pushing my face close to her vulva, AA showed no sign of disgust or unease. I began to poke Mimir's body with my finger. A soft, spongy tactile sensation was transmitted to my hand. As my finger poked deep into her body, AA spoke as if she found it fascinating.
"So she wasn't a statue?"
"Seems so."
I slowly lowered my finger and poked her nipple. AA shoved me away with a flustered look.
"W-What are you doing? It's embarrassing."
"What's the big deal? Who's going to see? She's not reacting, so isn't she just like a doll?"
I repeatedly poked Mimir's nipple. Still, she didn't react. Although the status window visible to my eyes clearly declared this being to be Mimir, she was insolently pretending to be a statue. After jabbing her nipple a few more times, I began to knead Mimir's buttocks. AA's face turned beet red as she shouted.
"Sir Priest! Please stop! Even if she's a statue... what if someone sees?"
"Who else would be here? This is just a Sanctuary. A Forbidden Area that no one can enter. The person who put such an obscene decoration in a place like this is the one at fault. Understand?"
Squishy, squishy. The tactile sensation felt like touching a firm water balloon. I grabbed her buttocks with both hands and began to rub them all over. Did Mimir have no concept of sexual pleasure or shame? No matter how much I rubbed her and subjected her to shameful acts, she showed no intention of moving.
"
Sob, sob...
"
"What was that?"
I lifted my head. It was because I heard a crying sound from somewhere. I took my hands off Mimir's buttocks and looked back at AA. AA had also drawn her sword and was looking around. The place where Mimir stood was an open space. It was a cylindrical area, and the ceiling was too dark to see, but I could see small stone tablets standing like escort guards with Mimir at the center.
"Waaah... Waaah..."
A crying sound coming from between the stone tablets. I looked at AA and spoke.
"Don't play games, Sir Hero."
"What? Y-You're the one who should stop playing games, Sir Priest. It's n-not funny."
AA pointed her blade at me, her legs trembling slightly. It seemed the bitch who feared neither the Demon King nor demons was afraid of ghosts. I shook my head and said,
"Why would I play such a prank? Since this is Mimir's Sanctuary, maybe the spirits of the ancient ancestors are really here?"
"That's why! Don't say such scary things!"
AA shouted, shaking her head. I couldn't believe she was this scared of ghosts. The only thought in my head was that I should tease her about this later. The crying sound, which had been echoing for a while, faded again. I shrugged my shoulders and said,
"I guess we misheard. Anyway, this woman isn't reacting no matter what."
Whether I kneaded her buttocks or poked her nipples with my finger, she didn't react. I cautiously brought my face close to Mimir's vulva.
"S-Sir Priest?"
AA was horrified by my actions. I asked AA,
"Don't you think she'll react if I stick it in?"
"No, Sir Priest! Please! As a human being, don't you have any, well, shame! Or moral sense?"
"Ah, but there's no hole."
I brought my hand between Mimir's crotch. But the area was smooth. There was no crevice, no hole. Just in case, I spread her buttocks apart, but that was also sealed. I clicked my tongue and stood up again. It seemed the being called Mimir was just a living figure. AA spoke with a dumbfounded expression.
"You were really going to do it if there was one?"
"You have to try everything to get a reaction."
"Unbelievable..."
AA shook her head. It seemed she had now grown accustomed to my bizarre behavior. I was only acting this recklessly because it was AA, who would more or less tolerate it; I had no intention of doing this in front of Sieri. Sieri had to remain my pure, personal angel, always.
"Waaaaah!! Waaaaah!!"
And at that moment, a roaring cry was heard once again. Both AA and I were startled and raised our weapons again. If before it was a faint cry that seemed to come from afar, this time it was so clear it sounded like it was wailing right next to us.
"This can't be! Waaah! Waaaaah!"
"S-S-Sir Priest? T-T-There!"
AA raised a hand, her face pale. I, too, turned my head in that direction. There was a ghost there. A ghost, a stark white form, wailing. A gaunt Elf Ghost was screaming and crying his eyes out, his face buried in his hands. His eyes were full of hatred and sorrow, and his lips were endlessly contorted.
"It can't be! I said it can't be! Aaaaaah!"
He screamed and rushed toward us. The closer the ghost got, the more an intense cold swept through our surroundings. AA gritted her teeth against the sudden chill and prepared to swing her sword. I, too, gripped my mace tightly, ready to clash with the ghost.
"Fighting is forbidden. Mimir's Will is thus."
"Huh?"
"Wha--?"
"Waaaaaah..."
The ghost floated up and vanished into the distance. It wasn't just the ghost. Both AA and I were lifted into the empty space, and all the strength drained from our bodies. A Golden Barrier had spread out in all directions. Mimir was reaching out her hand, looking at us. She stared straight at me and spoke.
"Peta Lusius."
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
And with that cry, the ghost started having a seizure again. The way it clawed at its head and screamed, there was nothing to say except that it was a truly mad ghost. Mimir looked at AA and said,
"Hero AA."
As Mimir lowered her hand again, the Golden Barrier vanished, and we slowly settled back onto the ground. As gravity suddenly returned, my head spun. I blinked and fought back the dizziness. AA was sitting on the floor, staring at Mimir. She was alive. AA looked back and forth between me and Mimir with a bewildered expression, then opened her mouth.
"Um, our Sir Priest is just a very curious person, and... that..."
"I acknowledge you two as challengers. Mimir's Will is thus."
Mimir said, cutting off AA's attempt at my defense. AA closed her mouth, looked at me, and shook her head. Mimir looked us both over and opened her mouth again.
"The Trial of Mimir is conducted fairly for all. Mimir's Will is thus."
Her voice itself was beautiful, but it was powerless. Her speech had no intonation whatsoever, as if she were speaking in a state of hypnosis. In that emotionless, toneless manner, Mimir continued.
"The trial is one of three choices. I have chosen one of them. Mimir will select the one who gives the wisest answer in a query about the Elven Ancestors and their proud Achievements. Mimir's Will is thus."
AA's face turned white. She cried out in haste. From an objective standpoint, she didn't have a single shred of a chance of winning this kind of knowledge battle.
"B-But... I'm human."
"Mimir is the Sanctuary of the elves. One who has entered the Elven Sanctuary. It is right to know the importance of the Sanctuary. There is no flaw in the trial. Mimir's Will is thus."
I looked at AA. AA looked at me, her face contorting. But she didn't ask me to choose a different trial or show any resentment toward me. She forced a grin and relaxed her expression. It was clear she didn't want me to change the task out of pity for her.
"I do not believe this trial is just."
However, I raised an objection to Mimir. The reason was simple. It was because I didn't know, either. The Elven Ancestors and their proud Achievements? How could I possibly know that? The presence of elves in the game was extremely minimal. Erina, Lusius, Sirius. Besides them, there were only a few other elves whose names even appeared in-game.
Even if the elves' achievements had appeared in the game, there was no way I would have gone around memorizing that crap. Memorizing in-game Character Settings and memorizing useless in-game background lore were two completely different issues.
I had never studied elven history or their ancestors after coming into this world. In a test like this, one wrong move could lead to my very identity being questioned.
"Even if the trial takes place in the Elven Sanctuary, my competitor, AA, is human. I believe it is unjust to demand deep knowledge related to the Elven Sanctuary."
If anything, there was a high possibility that AA, who had traveled with Erina and stayed in the Elf Kingdom, had picked up a few words about their history and knew more than me. It meant a knowledge battle had no merit for me either. Mimir tilted her head at my words. Confusion. It was the first emotion she had shown.
"This decision was made in accordance with the consensus of the Ancestors. Yet you oppose this decision? Mimir does not understand your intention."
AA was looking at me with a strange gaze. I glanced at her and opened my mouth again.
"It is not a victory if it is not won fairly."