The Sanctuary of Kremaldy (クレマルディの聖域, Kuremarudi no Seiiki), also known as the Witch of Greed's Graveyard (強欲の魔女の墓場, Gōyoku no Majo no Hakaba) is a village created by Echidna. It was protected by the House Mathers throughout generations. It was one of the two primary settings for the events of Arc 4.
Information
The Sanctuary is a poor village located within Roswaal's territory which has been taken care of by the various Mathers over the years. The village itself is a group of buildings located in a clearing within the forest and only demi-humans with mixed half-bloods lived there. It is surrounded by a short fence with an old stone gate at the entrance. The Sanctuary's original purpose was to keep the Warlock of Melancholy away from Echidna.
History
Many years ago, Echidna, alongside Beatrice, Ryuzu Meyer, and her student Roswaal A. Mathers, often visited the Sanctuary. In her experiments with immortality, Ryuzu often helped her. Over time, she even made numerous clones of Ryuzu. One day, however, Hector located her and entered the Sanctuary. In an attempt to ward him off, Roswaal and Echidna faced him down, and Ryuzu offered herself up to become the core of the Sanctuary's barrier. This barrier, while successful in pushing away Hector, trapped all half-blooded demi-humans within. Echidna's soul was later sealed by Volcanica, becoming a part of the Sanctuary's barrier and trials. After this, the copies of Ryuzu administered the Sanctuary, and the House Mathers chose to protect the cemetery for several generations.
One day, Roswaal L. Mathers took the homeless family of Reshia Tinzel to the Sanctuary to live there, and in the future, she left her two children, Frederica and Garfiel, alone. After some years, Frederica decided to leave the Sanctuary to find a place for the demi-humans to live after the Sanctuary's barrier eventual fall, deciding to become a maid for House Mathers and Miload Manor.
At some point, Garfiel tested the trials and failed, witnessing his mother's death, refusing it, and becoming an Apostle of Greed. Ryuzu Shima went to rescue Garfiel, which Echidna, who was responsible for the trials within the Castle of Dreams, took advantage of to create a path to eventually bring herself back to life. Afterward, Shima lost her position as one of the administrators, and she lives separately from the other Ryuzus.
Eventually, Roswaal returned in an apparent attempt to complete Echidna's tests to free the demi-humans, ending up seriously injured in the process. Thus, he could not return to his mansion. Later, the villagers of Arlam Village were brought to the Sanctuary after being evacuated by some merchants associated with Subaru, who soon arrived with Emilia to help them return to the village that had already saved from the Witch Cult. With his plan in motion, Roswaal convinced the two to carry out the trials in his place.
Unfortunately, things did not go according to his plan, as Subaru had gone through several loops and made a bet to defeat him. Though Subaru had gone through the first and second trial and met with the Witches of Sin, he refused to go along with Roswaal's plan and started making countermeasures. He spoke with Puck and convinced him to temporarily leave Emilia's side to protect her from the threat of Roswaal and to restore her memories. Then, after breaking a promise to Emilia, causing her to hide, he found her, made up with her, and gave her the strength she needed to take on the trials. Later, after fighting and defeating Garfiel with the help of Ram, Otto Suwen, and Patrasche and enlisting his assistance, Subaru, Garfiel, Otto, and Patrasche left for Roswaal Manor to face off his hired assassins, and Emilia started taking on the trials.
After completing the first trial, she spoke with Ram and Roswaal, the latter of whom was trying mentally attack her. After he failed, she took on and overcame the second trial. Meanwhile, Roswaal went to cast a great magic to summon the Great Rabbit, though he was temporarily interrupted by Ram and Puck, and they entered battle. After losing his Book of Wisdom to fire and severely injuring Ram, snow began to fall, and Puck went to protect the villagers while Roswaal attempted to save Ram. After Emilia conquered the third trial and severed the spell attached to Echidna's deceased body, she left to find a large field of snow and the villagers protected by ice. She then went to go to the crystal that held the original Ryuzu's body, and the barrier was brought down with the sacrifice of Shima. On her way back, after she confronted Roswaal, they were assailed by the Great Rabbit, and they retreated to the tomb. Soon after, Subaru and Beatrice arrived, and they and Emilia defeated the Great Rabbit.
With the Sanctuary no longer "protected" by the barrier, the villagers decided to leave the Sanctuary with the Arlam Villagers. Soon, a convoy led by Annerose Miload and Clind arrives, and everyone was escorted out of the Forest of Kremaldy. A short time later, however, Shima appeared, bearing the soul of Echidna and holding a glintstone carrying the souls of the other Witches. Deciding to go by the name Omega, she left the Sanctuary behind.
Locations
- Sanctuary Barrier (聖域の結界 Seiiki no Kekkai): A barrier created by Echidna that prevents halves from going through it. Any halves that come close to it start to lose consciousness and feel as if their existence is being disturbed. Even if someone takes an unconscious half that has crossed the barrier, they will never awake outside the barrier as their spirit is trapped within it. The barrier checks the blood of those that go near it and only affects those it clearly determines as half-bloods. It also causes those who are not permitted to enter the Sanctuary to get lost. With the completion of the Sanctuary’s trials, the barrier has been removed.
- Echidna's Tomb: Echidna's final resting place and where the trials needed to lift the barrier are conducted at night. During the day, miasma bars entry to anyone except to those without the qualifications to enter. In order to meet the tomb's requirements, one must either be a mixed blood demi-human or own a Witch Factor.
- Residency Area: The place where denizens of Sanctuary live. The buildings are largely dilapidated which give the whole area a run-down look. There is farmland for growing some crops, but residents otherwise rely on Roswaal for gathering and delivering necessities from the outside.
- Cathedral: A large building where the citizens of Arlam Village stayed during their captivity.
- Laboratory: A strange white building that belonged to Echidna, situated away from the village area of Sanctuary and deeper into the forest. It is made of a strange material that does not wear or tear from the elements and an odd smell exudes from the structure.
Residents
- Echidna (formerly)
- Ryuzu Meyer (original) (formerly)
- Ryuzu Meyer (copy) (elder) (formerly)
- Reshia Tinzel (formerly)
- Garfiel Tinzel (formerly)
- Frederica Baumann (formerly)
Gallery
Trivia
- In the web novel, the Sanctuary sits in a vast unnamed forest, but in the Light Novel, it is called the Lost Forest of Kremaldy (クレマルディの迷い森). The barrier also has an additional effect that causes those who do not meet the criteria to enter the Sanctuary to lose their sense of direction and become lost in its vicinity.