Buzz~
White light swallowed her whole. She narrowed her eyes slightly, carefully observing the empty, featureless space around her.
"I see... so this is your true form? You're actually a cute little girl. How interesting."
The next moment, an unfamiliar female voice rang out. It wasn't sharp or hostile—rather, it carried a natural softness, devoid of any clear malice.
Whoosh!
As that gentle voice echoed, the endless, seemingly eternal white light was suddenly peeled apart like a curtain being drawn back. The brilliance faded, and the once colorless world was gradually painted with life.
Before her eyes stretched an endless expanse of fresh green fields. Above, a clear blue sky spread wide, with sunlight filtering softly through drifting clouds, casting warm rays upon the land—far warmer than anything she had felt within the ruins.
Just as she instinctively began observing her surroundings, the voice spoke again—
"Don't just stand there daydreaming. Why not come over here?"
"...?"
She shifted her gaze forward.
In the distance, atop a small green hill, stood a large parasol. Beneath it was a white table and two chairs. Seated at one of them was a slender young girl.
"..."
As if sensing her scrutiny, the girl gently lifted her teacup, took a sip, and looked back at her.
Though dressed in a pitch-black formal gown, the girl somehow gave off a pure white impression. Her delicate face was pale, almost sickly so, her waist-length snow-white hair flowing softly. Unlike Pandora's radiant, luminous silver-white complexion, this girl's pallor felt fragile, almost lifeless. The stark contrast between her pale skin and black attire created a striking visual difference, lending her an air of solemnity—almost like someone attending a funeral.
Even so, their beauty was on par. Only their temperaments differed.
Even from afar, she could feel the girl's jet-black, intellectual eyes studying her with keen curiosity—an intense desire to understand her further.
Why do witches all seem to favor white hair...?
She had already encountered two white-haired witches—no, three. Emilia and the Witch of Envy looked nearly identical, so that counted as well.
"Do I look that frightening? I believe I'm quite attractive, you know."
Seeing her remain motionless, Echidna smiled and teased lightly.
The Shogun let out a quiet breath, then stepped forward, walking toward her. Soon, she arrived at the table—standing at the opposite side.
"Hmm... looking at you up close, you really are quite beautiful. You'd fit right in as a witch."
Echidna took another sip of tea, continuing her playful remarks.
"You're too kind. Rather than exchanging pleasantries, why not introduce yourself instead?"
The Shogun raised her eyes to meet those teasing black pupils, her tone calm and slightly cold.
Is being attractive one of the requirements to become a witch...?
She grumbled inwardly.
"Oh my~? Turning the tables on me, are you? Not bad... ah, how embarrassing. It's been so long since I've spoken to anyone. I got a little carried away."
Echidna chuckled softly, then gently set down her teacup, her expression becoming slightly more serious.
"My name is Echidna..."
She placed a hand lightly against her chest.
"I am the master of this Sanctuary—and one of the Witches of Sin, the Witch of Greed."
A friendly smile bloomed across her face.
"..."
The Shogun narrowed her eyes, subtly scanning Echidna from head to toe.
So this was the 'Witch of Greed' Pandora had mentioned. Looking at her now... it certainly fit.
"Hehe, don't be so wary of me. It makes me sad. I'm just an innocent, adorable girl, you know~?"
Noticing her guarded gaze, Echidna put on a troubled expression, then casually brushed her silky white hair aside and gave her a playful wink.
"Haa... It's rare to have such a lovely young lady come chat with me. I wouldn't want to ruin such a pleasant atmosphere. Why don't we sit down and talk properly?"
She gestured toward the identical chair across from her.
"..."
The Shogun continued staring at her.
"Haa... alright, alright, I understand~"
Echidna sighed dramatically, looking as though she had no choice. She stood up—her height nearly matching the Shogun's, her figure flawless in every regard—and walked over to the opposite chair. Pulling it out, she extended a hand in invitation.
"Please, have a seat, beautiful lady~?"
She raised an eyebrow playfully.
The Shogun gave her an awkward glance. She hadn't intended for the other party to pull out her chair, but... it was fine.
Suppressing the slight awkwardness, she quietly smoothed her skirt and sat down.
"Well? Was that gentlemanly enough~?"
Echidna returned to her seat with a pleased expression, smiling as she asked.
"...I didn't ask you to do that."
She replied bluntly.
"Mm... at least give me some praise. Don't be such a killjoy."
Echidna pouted.
"Praise."
She complied.
"Wait—mm, are you being a bit mischievous?"
Echidna lowered her head, looking deflated.
"Why did you bring me here?"
She asked directly.
"...Nothing much. I was simply a bit lonely and wanted someone to attend a tea party. A witch's tea party, you know?"
Echidna shrugged.
"You should have a sip too. It's still warm."
She gestured to the tea already placed before her.
"..."
The Shogun stared at the tea, her reflection faintly visible on its surface. Her brows furrowed slightly.
"It's not poisoned. Go ahead."
Echidna said with a wry smile.
Sip~
The Shogun glanced at her before lifting the cup and taking a sip of the so-called tea.
"The taste is strange. Is this really tea?"
She frowned.
"You could call it tea. It's something produced here. If I had to be specific... this entire area was created by me, so that tea would be my bodily fluid."
"...?"
"Don't make such an obvious disgusted face. It tastes quite good."
As if to prove her point, Echidna took another sip.
The Shogun's expression turned stiff. She clutched her chest, suddenly looking as though she might vomit.
"Don't be so dramatic!"
"Just joking."
Her expression instantly returned to its usual calm indifference.
"Pfft... You're more humorous than I expected. You really are special—being able to chat so casually with a witch like me."
Echidna laughed.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
She asked, puzzled.
"Because ordinary people feel like vomiting just from seeing me. Hehe~"
(Pandora explained that the aura of a witch appeared extremely dangerous to ordinary humans lacking magical power, so her statement was not unfounded.)
"Still... I quite like you. It feels a bit embarrassing to say this, but could you tell me your name? Visitor from another world."
Echidna straightened slightly and asked.
"...You know my identity?"
She wasn't surprised, only curious how the other had discovered it.
"It's quite simple. Witches are highly sensitive to the outside world. To us, a person's aura is like a color. But yours is filled with something unusual—a foreign presence not belonging to this world. And the fact that my 'tea' had no effect on you is further proof."
Echidna smiled.
"So you did tamper with the tea."
She narrowed her eyes, speechless.
"Hehe... just testing a hypothesis. My tea is infused with my magic. No human who isn't a witch could resist it, yet you can. You're neither a witch, nor a human, nor even an animal. That only reinforces my conclusion—you come from another world."
Echidna rested her chin on her clasped hands atop the table, smiling sweetly.
"So you brought me here just for that? The tea party was just an excuse, wasn't it?"
"Don't say that... it's one of the reasons. The tea party itself is still important."
She shook her head.
"May I ask you something?"
"Of course, go ahead."
"This is the Sanctuary?"
"Yes. Everything outside the ruins falls within the Sanctuary. To be precise, this place is my tomb."
"Can I leave?"
"Of course. If you wish to go, you may leave anytime. I won't stop you."
Echidna snapped her fingers.
Snap!
In the distance, a spatial rift resembling a portal appeared—clearly the exit she referred to.
"Truly?"
"Mm. I only invited you here today to meet you and see whether you possessed anything that interested me. As it turns out, I was right. I find you very intriguing."
As if sensing she might stand, Echidna rose as well, politely seeing her off.
"Raiden Shogun."
"Hm?"
The sudden words made her pause.
"My name—you asked earlier, didn't you?"
"Ah... I see. Shogun, then? It's a rather unusual name, but I'll remember it. We'll meet again soon. Until next time, Shogun."
Echidna called her by name with surprising familiarity. For some reason, she did not erase the Shogun's memory.
"Oh, and after you leave, don't mention this to anyone, alright? It would be troublesome for me otherwise."
Just to be safe, Echidna added a reminder.
"Understood."
She nodded, then stepped directly into the spatial rift. Under Echidna's gaze, her consciousness faded away.
After the Shogun stepped out of the second burst of white light, what greeted her was the same deep, dim corridor as before—the familiar cold air, the echo of footsteps, and that unique scent belonging only to this place.
In other words, the interior of these ruins did not actually lead to that grassy plain. Instead, Echidna had connected it to her own domain through some method—much like the spatial rift earlier. After all, this was her territory.
"How was it? Your impressions after speaking with the Witch of Greed?"
Pandora shifted from her soul-like state back into a physical form. Her delicate feet stepped lightly onto the ground as she walked over and gently touched the Shogun's elbow. Her cool fingertips brushed against warm skin, bringing an unexpectedly pleasant sensation.
"Aside from her personality being a bit strange... she's fine. She didn't feel particularly abnormal."
The Shogun did not avoid Pandora's touch, allowing her to continue as she gave a simple evaluation.
"That could be considered her personality. As I mentioned before... aside from their extreme devotion to their desires, witches aren't much different from ordinary girls. Of course, there are always exceptions."
Pandora slowly withdrew her hand and shrugged as she looked around the ruins.
"...What about you?"
The Shogun turned to her.
"...Me?"
Pandora met her gaze.
"Yes. Are you the same as them?"
After all, Pandora was also a witch.
"...Hehe, haven't you already figured that out, Shogun~?"
Pandora smiled gently, her tone soft and indulgent. Without elaborating further, she turned and walked past her.
"Aside from making things happen just by speaking... do you also have some kind of 'riddle-speaker' ability?"
The Shogun rolled her eyes at Pandora's back and followed after her.
"Pfft~ If that were the case, life would be much easier for me."
After all, explaining things properly required effort. Speaking vaguely was far less troublesome.
Hearing her footsteps behind, Pandora slowed down slightly.
"Shh~"
Just as the Shogun caught up, Pandora raised a finger to her lips.
"...?"
"Look over there..."
Pandora gestured toward the open space outside the ruins.
The ground dragon carriage that had vanished earlier now stood quietly in the clearing. Otto, the driver, lay unconscious beside it.
The next moment, as if someone had been lying in wait, an enraged voice shouted at them—
"You've got some nerve, outsiders! What are you—some kind of joke even Magmelin with holes all over would laugh at?!"
Thud thud!!
Rapid footsteps came from behind—
"You bastard! Take this punch!"
Whoosh!
A fist cut through the air toward the back of her head. Pandora instinctively drifted aside, about to activate her Authority—but the Shogun was faster.
Without even turning, she tilted her head and effortlessly dodged the blow. At the same time, she grabbed Pandora's arm and pulled her into her embrace, holding her in front of her as she transformed into a flash of lightning, instantly leaving the area.
Crackle!
The lightning dissipated as they reappeared in the clearing.
"What?! You're pretty fast, you bastard!"
The attacker was a hot-blooded young man with spiky blond hair, dressed in simple, rustic clothing—clearly a local. He glared at them with hostility, his voice hoarse and filled with rage, like a beast growling.
Though... those teeth felt oddly familiar.
"Do you know him?"
The Shogun asked, setting Pandora down.
"No... not at all."
Pandora answered without hesitation.
"Where's Emilia?"
Pandora floated lightly to the carriage window, lifting the curtain with her fingertip. Inside, Emilia lay unconscious on the seat. She then returned to the Shogun's side.
"She's fine. The illusion has simply caused her to fall asleep temporarily."
Thud... thud...
The young man was already closing in.
"I thought you were just useless trash, but you've got some skills! Damn it—making me wait this long!!"
Boom!
The blond youth charged again with explosive speed, the shockwave lifting strands of their hair.
"Perhaps there's been some misunderstanding~?"
Pandora stepped in front of the Shogun, speaking calmly in a soft voice.
"Shut up, you bitch!!!"
He showed no restraint, hurling an insult at her.
"Being like this upon first meeting will only make things difficult for us, you know?"
Pandora continued as if she hadn't heard him, her expression unchanged, her tone gentle and steady.
"I said shut up!!!"
Whoosh!!
In the next instant, he appeared right in front of her, his fist aimed straight at her delicate face.
"..."
The Shogun sighed.
She stepped forward, intercepting the punch with one hand. Redirecting the force, she struck his chest with the back of her hand.
Bang!
"Ughhh!!!"
The motion was faster than the eye could follow. The youth spat out a breath as his strength collapsed, losing balance instantly.
"You—!"
Smack!
Before he could finish speaking, she stepped in again and delivered a palm strike to his jaw.
"Pff!"
His body snapped backward. In the next moment, her long, black-stocking-clad leg shot up—
Boom!
Her kick struck his head with explosive force. His face twisted as his body was sent flying like a bullet.
Crash!
He hit the ground and rolled several times.
Clap clap~
The Shogun sighed and dusted off her hands, as if finishing a trivial task.
However, just as she was about to step forward, the blond youth stood up again.
Whether it was sheer toughness or something else, despite his bruised and battered state, his aura had not diminished in the slightest.
"You bastard!!!!! I'm going to kill you!!!!"
He seemed even angrier than before.
Boom!
A violent surge of energy erupted from his body as he charged again like a bullet. Just as he was about to reach the Shogun, a sweet, bell-like voice echoed beside his ear—
"While I admire your bravery... sometimes it's best to sit down and talk."
Pandora appeared above him like a ghost, leaning down to whisper into his ear. Before he could react, her slender hand gently pressed against the top of his head.
Rumble!!
"!!"
By the time he realized what had happened, an unseen force had crushed his body below the neck into the ground, pinning him in place.
"You—!!!"
"Please calm down."
Pandora whispered softly into his ear.
"!!"
The moment she finished speaking, the light in his eyes dimmed briefly.
He immediately calmed down—as if his previous thoughts had been forcibly rewritten.