Chapter 378: The Sins of the Witches
"It seems you are quite liked by the 'Witches,' Lord Roy."
Echidna, the Witch of Greed sitting across from Roy, clasped her hands in front of her chest and offered him an ingratiating smile, as if afraid he might leave without a second thought. Her pitch-black eyes even held a trace of pleading.
"You still dare to speak to me? After provoking me earlier, aren't you afraid my wrath might turn on you?"
Roy looked at Echidna with a half-smile. Pinching another piece of pastry between his fingers, he tossed it behind him without even aiming. The Witch of Gluttony, Daphne, let out another "ah-um" as she caught it in her mouth and swallowed it down.
Though this Witch's eyes were covered by a blindfold, the direction of her gaze and the expression on her face made it clear she was hoping Roy would continue feeding her.
"You are not the type to let emotions cloud your judgment."
Echidna straightened her posture and spoke with certainty. "...Perhaps I am not as skilled in combat as Typhon, nor do I possess the peculiar abilities of the other Witches, but I have a keen understanding of human nature. This is the embodiment of wisdom and knowledge."
"...Unlike that person over there called Flugel, you are an exceedingly calm and self-restrained individual. You do not succumb to blind rage from emotional turmoil. On the contrary, you are never swayed by emotions and always act with rationality, ensuring things unfold in a way that benefits you."
"You have a great interest in us Witches. I believe that minor disagreement earlier will not affect our relationship. If you are displeased, I am willing to apologize here and now. Ah, in truth, you and I are the same—people who care only for the result, not the process. We truly are a perfect match."
A faint blush rose on Echidna's jade-white cheeks. Her obsidian eyes, gleaming like pearls, flashed with a seductive glance. She pressed her slender legs together, the pale calves peeking out from beneath her black mourning dress drawing Roy's gaze almost involuntarily.
They say a fair complexion hides a hundred flaws, but the Witch of Greed, Echidna, was far from flawed. On the contrary, she was a breathtakingly beautiful woman, and her skin was indeed extraordinarily fair—translucent, bewitchingly pale, so much so that one couldn't help but long to tear off her black mourning dress to glimpse her alluring figure.
"Don't tempt me like this, Witch! I'm not some naive young boy."
Roy shifted his posture. He had to admit, this Witch of Greed was truly captivating.
At this point, Flugel, who had been silently observing, couldn't take it anymore. He angrily shouted at Echidna, "...Hey, Witch! Don't drag me into your words like that! How am I anything like the impotently furious fool you're describing?"
Though his words seemed like an attempt to defend himself, his expression perfectly illustrated just how accurate Echidna's earlier remark had been.
Echidna paid Flugel no mind. With a flick of her wrist and the tremors of spatial magic, the table between her and Roy was once again covered in adorable, delicate pastries.
"You seem to enjoy playing this game with Daphne. Truth be told, I often enjoy feeding her too."
Roy couldn't help but find Echidna amusing. Was this her way of selling out her friend to earn his forgiveness? Offering him food to feed the Witch of Gluttony, Daphne, as if she were a puppy.
"That child is truly tragic. As the Witch of Gluttony, she exists in a perpetual state of hunger. No matter how much she eats, the feeling of fullness lasts only an instant. She craves that fleeting moment of satiety, which is why she's always eating. Yet no amount of food can fill her bottomless pit. That's why she binds herself—because when consumed by hunger, she sometimes loses control and does things she doesn't want to do."
"...For example, she doesn't want to hurt us, afraid she might devour us all. She's even afraid she might eat herself, so this is the only way she can live."
Echidna sighed, her voice filled with sorrow for the Witch of Gluttony, Daphne.
Hearing this, Roy glanced at the petite witch happily nibbling on the treats he'd tossed her. Among the Witches of Sin, she was perhaps the most tormented.
While the other witches embodied emotional extremes, Daphne's 'Gluttony' transformed that extremity into physical hunger—an eternal state of starvation. Just imagining it was terrifying, like some form of punishment.
"Though Daphne can never be full, we still feed her every day. Otherwise, she'd starve herself to death. Strangely enough, Daphne seems quite attached to you. It's truly remarkable. Though it may sound harsh, that child's way of thinking is different from normal people's. Ordinary humans can hardly understand her; they'd only despise her."
Echidna's words prompted Roy to retort, "...Are you implying I'm not normal?"
The Witch of Greed merely smiled at him without a word, her expression unmistakably conveying, 'You're definitely not normal.'
"Because she's always starving, Daphne fears others might go without food. To prevent this, she created three types of magical beasts, hoping to provide humanity with abundant sustenance."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Flugel once again succumbed to rage.
"Wait a minute, are you talking about the White Whale, the Black Serpent, and the Great Rabbit? You claim those things can bring abundant food to humanity? Do you have any idea how much disaster they've caused? Wherever they pass, not a blade of grass remains. I've personally witnessed that monster called the Great Rabbit devour an entire small nation's population!"
"...Have you heard the screams and pleas of humans being eaten by those monsters? Seen the despair in parents' eyes as their children are consumed? And you dare say these monsters were created for humanity's sake? How laughable!"
Flugel was panting heavily, his fists clenched. If not for his uncertainty about the Witches' powers, he likely would have attacked outright.
"Roy, pay no mind to these Witches. They truly are unreasonable and cruel beings, these heartless murderers."
Judging by Flugel's expression, he must have witnessed truly horrific, hellish scenes to be projecting the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony's crimes onto all Witches.
Indeed, the disasters caused by just the three Great Mabeasts of this era alone were enough to condemn the Witches' sins—especially since their transgressions extended far beyond that.
Roy raised an eyebrow, looking at Flugel as he said calmly, "...Are you giving me orders now, Flugel? I understand your emotions, but look at yourself. Your feelings are consumed by anger and arrogance."
"...Don't let emotions dominate your thoughts. That's the mark of incompetence!"
"I—You say I'm all anger? You're right, I'm absolutely furious right now. To be honest, among these Witches, only the Witch of Wrath Minerva seems remotely decent. I can tell she genuinely hates conflict and bloodshed, and her power actually heals people—"
Before Flugel could finish, the Witch of Greed Echidna interrupted him.
A mocking smile appeared on the Witch's face as she spoke in an elegant tone, "...You really do get along well with Typhon, don't you, 'Sage' Flugel? Right now, you embody sheer arrogance—forcing your views onto others, demanding they conform to your moral standards!"
"...Then let me shatter your hypocrisy. The 'virtuous' Minerva you admire is actually the Witch who's done the most harm to this world. Her Authority directly drains the world's mana, disrupting its balance and causing more natural disasters. Every person she heals brings the world one step closer to destruction."
"So tell me—which is more terrifying? The deaths of some humans, or the destruction of the world? You'd undoubtedly say world's end is too distant for you to care about, while still condemning disasters that claim human lives. That's how arrogant you are. But by thinking this way, you've already abandoned all of humanity."
"Your arrogance is your 'sin'—that's why Typhon judged you!"
Flugel staggered back two steps from Echidna's verbal assault, his face pale as he muttered, "...That's nothing but sophistry!"
"Of course it's sophistry, because I'm a witch—the kind you believe shouldn't exist in this world, the kind who deserves to die!"
Echidna retorted with careless mockery.