Chapter 002: A Round of Sophistry and Playing Dumb
"This... wasn't done by me." Regarding this, Pandora waved her hand dismissively.
To be fair, she wasn't wrong—it truly wasn't her doing, especially since she had only just arrived in this alternate world.
Moreover, Fortuna's brother wasn't dead; he had merely been turned into a "spirit" by a certain witch...
"You're lying!" Fortuna furrowed her brows and shouted angrily, "If not you, then who else could it be?"
"Why do you say that?" To be honest, Pandora herself felt somewhat uncertain.
Because the use of Authority was supposed to be instinctive, but she had no memories of Pandora's past, relying solely on the plot from the novel and other information.
"You were present when my brother and the others died, weren't you!"
"What does that prove?"
"Who else but you would have the ability to kill my brother and the others..."
"Archbishop Regulus."
Sorry, Archbishop Regulus...
And so, Pandora pinned the blame squarely on Regulus, who was at home enjoying the warmth of his wife.
"Wh-what?!" Hearing the name that had appeared before, Fortuna widened her eyes in shock.
That white-haired young man had left an indelible impression on her—immune to harm, capable of turning a person into a bloody mist with a casual strike...
"Is... is that true?" Petelgeuse was also somewhat surprised, yet inclined to believe it.
After all, in his impression, Pandora had always been as gentle as a goddess, while that Regulus...
"That's impossible!" Fortuna, on the other hand, refused to believe it.
Because if she believed it, it would mean all the hatred she had harbored before was misplaced and utterly wasted.
"Whether you believe me or not is beyond my control, but to be honest, if I wanted to kill you, it would hardly require any effort—just a few words would suffice." Pandora spoke the truth. "In that case, why would I have been trying to talk things out all along?"
Reasoning with these two was truly exhausting, but since her goal wasn't to seal them away, there was no need to kill them.
Her Authority was akin to "words becoming reality," though the causality behind it couldn't be severed...
Just like when she said, "Archbishop Petelgeuse has just fused with the Witch Factor," not only did Petelgeuse's extreme frenzy slightly subside, but the destruction caused by his Authority also reverted to its original state.
Moreover, it seemed her Authority could only affect events that had already occurred...
"..." This left Fortuna speechless.
After all, it had indeed been her who was unilaterally "slaughtering" Pandora earlier...
"Then what did you mean earlier when you asked us to hand over the key and the seal?" As if making a final confirmation, Fortuna asked in confusion.
"Archbishop Petelgeuse knows about this." Pandora, who was well-versed in the plot, remained completely unruffled. "Our Witch Cult has always been searching for the legendary key and seal."
"Yes..." Feeling Fortuna's gaze, Petelgeuse nodded in agreement.
This was one of the reasons he hadn't wanted Pandora and the other Witch Cult members to come here.
"And when I arrived, I sensed the presence of the key and the seal, so..." Pandora continued at this point.
The implication was already clear.
"So, this was your accidental discovery..." Hearing this, Fortuna couldn't help but show a look of astonishment.
This explains why Pandora had initially demanded they hand over the key and the seal, after all...
The long-cherished wish of the Witch Cult...
"This is something I absolutely cannot allow!" Fortuna and the elf tribe had been guarding this seal, after all.
"Sorry, I'm not interested in that." Pandora suddenly interjected, "Don't misunderstand—the previous me might have wanted it, but the current me does not."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"After all, the previous me and the current me are two different existences."
That wasn't wrong, since... it was the truth...
"You're blatantly being unreasonable!" Fortuna frowned and shouted in response.
Pandora merely smiled without replying.
"It seems this matter can be settled now, right?" Pandora asked at that moment.
But Fortuna shook her head.
"Then what is your true purpose?" She forced herself to calm down and attempted to communicate with Pandora.
"Purpose... I've already hinted at it quite clearly. Are you sure you want me to say it, Miss Fortuna?" Upon hearing this, Pandora showed a gentle smile.
Fortuna paid no mind and nodded directly.
"Please wait a moment." Pandora suddenly said.
Then, under the confused gazes of everyone, she looked into the distance, her lips moving as she uttered silent words.
"Alright, let's continue our previous topic." As if nothing had happened, Pandora turned her attention back to Fortuna.
"Well..." She suddenly looked at Petelgeuse, "I'll say it then, Archbishop Petelgeuse."
Still reeling from the earlier conversation, Petelgeuse had no idea what Pandora was about to say and merely nodded woodenly.
"I came here... to..." Pandora's smile widened, "make the two of you acknowledge your love for each other."
As soon as these words were spoken, both Fortuna and Petelgeuse widened their eyes in shock.
"What... did you say?"
"What did you say?"
Two astonished voices rang out.
After speaking, the two exchanged a glance, both seeing embarrassment on the other's face.
"You... you must be joking!" Fortuna shouted, avoiding Petelgeuse's gaze.
"Not at all..." Pandora innocently spread her hands, "I mentioned earlier that I noticed Archbishop Petelgeuse kept coming here, so I concluded there was someone he cherished."
Even Pandora herself had to admire her own eloquence at this point.
"Since he's male, I recruited him into the Witch Cult; if it were female, then..."
Though nervous... how thrilling!
"Hmm..." The two exchanged another glance upon hearing this but quickly turned away again.
But when Fortuna turned her head, she discovered—
"What are you doing!" Seeing Pandora standing behind her, stroking Emilia's head, Fortuna instantly conjured ice spikes.
Unexpectedly, in the brief moment she let her guard down, Pandora had seized the opportunity to approach Emilia's side!