Chapter 375: The Seven Deadly Sins
"The Witches of Sin—so you're interested in us? Knowing that fills my heart with joy. As long as you're not asking about that woman beside you, I'll tell you everything in detail, holding nothing back."
The Witch of Greed, Echidna, revealed a delighted expression, her pitch-black eyes brimming with affection, her snow-white fingertips shimmering like ivory under the warm sunlight.
"You said you'd answer any question asked of you, so why does that not apply to me?"
Satella glared at Echidna, though her tone remained gentle despite the accusatory words. Even if she instinctively clashed with the Witch of Greed, even if she had somehow mastered the art of quarreling with witches, Satella was, at her core, still a kind and tender girl.
"Because I don't like you. It's that simple!"
Echidna's smile vanished as she snorted coldly.
"You—"
Satella was about to retort when Roy gently grasped her wrist and said softly, "...Enough, Satella. Don't argue with Echidna. I don't need to learn about you through her—do I not already know you well enough?"
His tender words touched Satella's heart, dissolving her resentment. Regaining her composure, she lowered her head apologetically. "...Forgive me, Lord Roy. I don't know why, but ever since coming here, I've been less and less like myself."
The silver-haired half-elf looked troubled. The jealousy she felt, the quarrels with Echidna—none of it seemed like her usual behavior. In the past, she would never have bickered over such trivial matters. Otherwise, she could never have survived unscathed in the slums.
Satella quickly sat back down in her chair, bowing her head as she began to reflect on herself.
Why did I do these things, why... why did I become as shrewish as those detestable women? Would Lord Roy hate me... It feels like... like there's another person inside my body.
She shrank back, filled with worry.
Echidna wasn't angry at Roy for comforting Satella this way. As the Witch of Greed rather than the Witch of Envy, she would only display her avarice, never jealousy.
Among the Witches of Sin, the Witch of Envy was both the easiest and most difficult to deal with. If she didn't care about you, she naturally wouldn't feel jealous, making communication simple. But if you spent too much time with the Witch of Envy and she developed feelings for you, then she would become the most terrifying existence imaginable.
A jealous woman has never been rational.
Roy now felt a headache coming on and was secretly relieved. Fortunately, back in the capital of Lugunica, he hadn't made any physical advances or taken Satella to bed directly. Otherwise, instead of just verbal arguments between Satella and Echidna, he'd probably be facing outright violence right now.
A jealous woman becomes insane, but a jealous Witch could destroy the world!
The Witches of Sin represent emotions taken to their extremes. Expecting the Witch of Envy not to feel jealousy was fundamentally impossible. It was only because Satella herself was inherently gentle and not prone to jealousy that she could barely suppress the Witch of Envy factor within her now.
What a headache...
No external force could help with this situation—Satella would have to overcome it herself.
Roy picked up the teapot and poured himself another cup of 'Dona Tea', downing it in one gulp. Right now, all he could do was calm his nerves by drinking some sisterly fluids.
Sitting across from Roy, Echidna watched as he drank several cups of 'Dona Tea' in succession. Ripples seemed to form in her pitch-black eyes as she bit her pearly teeth into her lips, her body trembling like a sieve. She hadn't told Roy that the ingredients for 'Dona Tea' were all freshly sourced and made on the spot.
Gradually, Roy began to notice something was off. The citrus flavor in the tea grew stronger with each cup, becoming so intense by the end that it might as well have been juice. Giving Echidna a strange look, he finally set down his teacup.
Echidna, who had already bent forward slightly, let out a quiet sigh of relief. Wiping the fine beads of fragrant sweat from her forehead, she straightened up and regained her elegant composure—though the disheveled white strands of hair at her bangs and the blush rising on her fair cheeks betrayed her earlier inner turmoil.
Echidna now regretted offering Roy tea. She had assumed he would refuse at first, or at most drink just one cup. Who could have imagined he'd nearly finish an entire pot without batting an eye? By the end, he seemed to genuinely treat it as juice. Her body was sensitive enough as it was—she couldn't keep supplying ingredients at this rate!
Fearing Roy might drink more tea to calm himself, she quickly composed herself and asked, "...What would you like to know about? Would you like to hear about Daphne, the 'Gluttony Witch' who created different magical beasts from the gods to save the world from starvation?"
"Or about Carmilla, the 'Lust Witch' who filled the world with love by giving people emotions they lacked?"
"Or perhaps about Minerva, the 'Wrath Witch' who healed everyone while lamenting the world's endless conflicts?"
"Or perhaps about the 'Sloth Witch' Sekhmet, who once drove the dragonkin beyond the Great Falls solely to bring about peace and comfort?"
"And the 'Pride Witch' Typhon, who, despite her youthful innocence, meted out ruthless punishment to sinners with a cold heart?"
"Of course... what you truly wish to know might be about the embodiment of insatiable curiosity, the 'Greed Witch' Echidna, who sought all wisdom and clung to knowledge both in life and after death!"
Echidna pointed at herself with an excited expression, as if silently urging Roy—'Choose me,' 'Hurry up and pick me.' Notably, she phrased her descriptions of the other witches as questions, but when it came to herself, her tone turned assertive...
As Echidna's words faded, the space within the castle twisted and warped once more.
Then, within Roy's line of sight, three more women appeared.
On the castle's open-air balcony, seven maidens—each with distinct styles, charms, and beauty—stood like seven-colored gemstones, radiating a brilliance as dazzling as a rainbow.
The 'Greed Witch' Echidna—
The 'Pride Witch' Typhon—
The 'Sloth Witch' Sekhmet—
The 'Wrath Witch' Minerva—
The 'Lust Witch' Carmilla—
The 'Gluttony Witch' Daphne—
And the 'Envy Witch' Satella—
At last, all seven Archbishops of Sin had gathered!
Reid Astrea and Flugel were utterly stunned.
Though they had never met the witches before, they had heard from those who left the Witch's Tea Party that no one had ever seen all the witches at once. Even the luckiest among them had only encountered two, one of whom was invariably the 'Greed Witch' Echidna.
Yet now, here they were, witnessing all seven Archbishops of Sin assembled on this very balcony!
They knew this was only possible because of Roy. Without him, Echidna would never have summoned all the witches.
Because Roy wished to meet them, Echidna had granted his desire.