Chapter 381: Let's Live Together!
A gentle breeze swept through the witch's castle.
Echidna, the Witch of Greed, had declared her blazing, passionate love—irresistible in its intensity.
Typhon, the Witch of Pride, continued laughing childishly, as if deaf to Echidna's proclamation.
Meanwhile, Sekhmet, the Witch of Sloth, curled up in a corner with languid indifference. After casting a brief glance at Echidna, she closed her beautiful eyes without another word.
The Wrath Witch Minerva stood by the castle walls, gazing at the refreshing expanse of grasslands outside. Only here could she temporarily suppress the fury in her heart and find a sliver of peace.
The Lust Witch Carmilla cowered timidly in an empty corner, gazing admiringly at Echidna.
Echidna is truly amazing, she thought. To make such a bold declaration of love so fearlessly—unlike herself, shrinking back in cowardice, hiding alone in corners while yearning wistfully for the love of others.
She was the 'Witch of Lust,' yet she herself did not understand love, nor did she know where love truly resided.
Everyone who loved her was merely influenced by her Authority, not truly loving the ordinary her. She longed for someone to deeply teach her what love was, to bestow affection upon her plain self—not upon the Witch's Authority that had inexplicably manifested within her long ago.
She was called the 'Faceless Goddess.' Everyone who saw her fell in love with the image her Authority projected, not the being named Carmilla.
I want to be loved too... I want to gather the courage to declare my love... But I can't. Because I am... the 'Witch of Lust.'
Carmilla stood sorrowfully in the corner. Only this castle—this gathering place for all the Witches—could allow a Witch like her to survive.
Every Witch struggled to integrate into normal human society. The Wrath Witch would be consumed by anger among humans; only in this castle, surrounded by fellow Witches, could she calm her emotions.
The Lust Witch would make countless humans fall in love with her, drowning them in lust and desire until that love destroyed them all, making them forget even to breathe or beat their hearts, sinking into death. Only in the Witches' castle, where the others were unaffected by her Authority, could Carmilla live like a normal person.
This castle was built by the Greed Witch Echidna—the last fortress where the Witches could survive, the final harbor where their sanity remained barely intact, preserving their personalities. That was why Echidna became their representative, trusted by all the Witches.
The Gluttony Witch Daphne paid no mind to Echidna's declaration of love. She was more concerned with whether Roy would toss her some snacks to fill her stomach.
The Witches all knew—who else but the embodiment of Greed could make such a fervent, obsessive declaration?
Only the Envy Witch Satella was gripped by panic. She stared anxiously at Roy, praying he wouldn't accept.
Please don't agree... Please don't agree, Lord Roy... Please don't accept her... My heart aches, my body burns, a voice roars in my mind—don't let her have you, or I won't be able to control myself... I won't be able to stop myself from destroying everything!
Roy remained unaware of the thoughts of the other six Witches. He simply locked eyes with the woman before him, lost in her obsession, staring into the terrifying greed swirling in the Greed Witch's pitch-black pupils.
After a long while, Roy finally exhaled and said, "...What terrifying dedication. This must be the true essence of 'Greed.' I'm glad your greed manifests as a 'thirst for knowledge.' If this greed were purely about desire, then..."
Before Roy could finish, Echidna interrupted him, "...Then I'd become a wanton woman who sleeps with anyone!"
Echidna didn't hesitate to say things that would make any man's heart race.
"But isn't that exactly the kind of woman men adore? I am the 'embodiment of curiosity,' and you are the 'embodiment of the unknown.' Could there be a more perfect match? I could become your personal plaything, as long as you satisfy my thirst for knowledge... No, that's wrong. Because just by being near you, my curiosity would inevitably be fulfilled. Ahhh, merely imagining such a future makes me lose control of myself!"
Echidna bent over, clutching her stomach as she panted heavily. She wasn't a yandere, but in that moment, she looked every bit like a woman consumed by obsessive fervor.
The extreme emotional volatility of a Witch was truly frightening.
"Your offer is incredibly hard to refuse," Roy remarked with a sigh.
A woman of unparalleled beauty throwing herself at him, willing to open the Book of Wisdom for him—for a Witch who could know everything in this world, anyone following her advice would surely succeed. When faced with emotional turmoil, the Witch of Greed would comfort and encourage you. When burdened by guilt, she would share that sin, freeing you from its weight.
Honestly, she was the epitome of the perfect wife men dreamed of.
Yet Roy still resolutely rejected her, offering a flimsy excuse: "...Sorry, I'm already married!"
As Roy's words hung in the air, Echidna showed no reaction, but Satella, who was holding Typhon, darkened her expression.
The Witch of Greed shrugged. "...I am the Witch of Greed, not the Witch of Envy. I seek only the unknown, only the result—never the process. I won't interfere with whatever you do, nor do I have the right to. All I crave is that insatiable greed."
Seeing this excuse fail, Roy revealed the real reason for his refusal. "...I don't like exposing my privacy to someone I don't yet trust."
That was the truth. Everything Echidna sought boiled down to becoming Roy's appendage, stripping him of all privacy. As she herself had said, every action, every word of Roy's was an unknown to her—something she pursued relentlessly. That meant Roy couldn't hide anything from her.
Exposing every facet of oneself to another was dangerous unless there was absolute trust. So far, the only one who had ever earned that level of transparency from Roy was Aiwass. For a Witch he'd just met to demand the same status as Aiwass—Roy wasn't so easily swayed by a Witch's beauty.
Aiwass, who had been hiding behind the scenes without showing himself, could understand Roy's thoughts and feel his trust. In a place unseen by others, the holy guardian angel's lips curled slightly. The smile of an angel who didn't understand human hearts carried an unexpected warmth.
Roy's reasoning finally made the Witch of Greed, Echidna, think seriously. She straightened her posture, no longer as fanatical as before. After some contemplation, she slowly said, "...You're right. Trust is mutual. Although I already have absolute trust in you, you don't trust me yet. But that's alright—trust can grow gradually through interaction. Since you've chosen to stay in the Witches' castle, we'll have endless time to interact and understand each other."
"...So, would you like to choose a room now? Or you could even live with me. Cohabitation is the best way to build trust, and with zero-distance contact, we'll surely become heart-to-heart!"
"Shameless woman! Lord Roy, you should continue staying with me!"
Before Roy could respond, Satella had already stood up, glaring at Echidna with jealous flames that seemed capable of burning the Witch of Greed to ashes.