Gasping for breath, Subaru belatedly realized he was on his hands and knees in a green meadow.

The thick scent of grass wafted from the ground beneath him. The fresh, suffocating atmosphere of nature, like a grassland basking in the sun after rain, softly enveloped Subaru’s entire being.

Turning his head, Subaru faced Echidna before him.

She was preparing for a tea party, setting up a table and chairs on a small hill in the meadow, waiting for her guest—Subaru.

As always. — Yes, just as always.

“I’m sure you have many things you want to say and ask… but how about sitting down first and enjoying a cup of tea?”

“…Do you really think I can sit amicably after what you’ve just done to me? Especially to join you for a tea party?”

“You will indeed. You prioritize the rationality to act coolly and analyze over the instinct to lose your mind in anger. You realize that having a meaningful conversation with me would be more beneficial than pushing me away… You can judge that in your heart, can’t you?”

“――――”

In front of the speechless Subaru, Echidna maintained her relaxed demeanor.

Faced with her mocking words, Subaru felt pinned down, unable to affirm or deny her claim.

After all, something crushed beneath them was not something to be trampled cheaply.

“Echidna… just say it wasn’t your intention.”

“Huh?”

“Say that… the earlier interaction with the Witch of Lust wasn’t your true intention. Just say you feel sorry for it.”

“…………”

“That it was unavoidable. That it shouldn’t have turned out that way due to unforeseen circumstances. Say that, and… I won’t hold it against you.”

Echidna’s words were indeed correct.

To move forward, Subaru needed her knowledge and cooperation.

However, what was unforgivable could not simply be forgiven. It was undeniable that Echidna used the Witch of Lust to trample on Subaru’s most precious place—that was Subaru’s “Sanctuary.”

Therefore, for Subaru, it was necessary to require her to admit it to move toward accepting a meaningful conversation with her.

“…What are you trying to say?”

In that fleeting moment, she likely grasped Subaru’s inner weakness and stubbornness.

Echidna muttered unexpectedly and then, while watching Subaru, who was nervously awaiting a response, slowly toyed with the tip of her white hair.

“As you wish, it was indeed the rampage of Carmilla, the Witch of Lust. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen. So, under the guise of ‘Trials,’ she sought to ensnare you by exposing the parts you least wanted to touch and trying to drown you in them.”

“――――”

“Just before you fell into her traps, you managed to escape on your own. Then, seizing the moment when Carmilla let her guard down after failing to ensnare you, you took back the initiative and invited yourself to my castle. Now that we are facing each other like this, it could be considered a stroke of luck.”

“――――”

“…If that’s what I said, would you be satisfied?”

Echidna quickly listed Subaru’s desired answers, betraying the last of them.

Subaru silently directed his gaze upwards, averting his eyes from Echidna’s questioning face.

“…What were you thinking when you set the witch upon me?”

“Didn’t Carmilla say? That she wanted to save you, who seemed like you would wear yourself thin trying to challenge the ‘Trials.'”

“That wasn’t the true intent of the Witch of Lust. If her words were true, then that was the very weakness I wanted Rem to express. There’s no reason for the Witch of Lust to act favorably toward me… This is your instruction, isn’t it?”

“To glean so much from such scant dialogue… it seems excuses won’t suffice.”

Without hesitation, Echidna ceased her pretense and shrugged off the weight. Then, bringing her cup to her lips, she tilted it while saying,

“As you’ve surmised, I instructed Carmilla to act like your significant girl. However, the fact that her disguise was seen through due to insufficient commitment is more of an issue with Carmilla than with me.”

“…Why would you do such a thing?”

“To put it plainly, you would be angry. — Because it was the most efficient and, above all, the most likely method.”

Unflinchingly, Echidna continued in front of the utterly speechless Subaru.

“I hadn’t anticipated you being drawn into the second ‘Trial’ at this juncture. More importantly, I hadn’t honestly expected that the contents would strike as deeply as they did.”

“――――”

“Oh, and please look the other way when it comes to my peeking at the ‘Trials.’ I think I declined during the first ‘Trial,’ but this is a ‘Trial’ prepared by witches, you know? I don’t appreciate being made to hear complaints that it’s all got a very nasty twist.”

“…Continue.”

“Anyway, watching you face the ‘Trial’ from the side made me think. — If you had to continue challenging the ‘Trial’ alone in this state, you’d soon wear yourself thin…”

That wasn’t an overstatement; it was probably the truth.

Subaru was not blind to see the ground beneath his feet.

The second ‘Trial’ — the impossible now — the countless scenes, events, and tragedies paraded before him forced his bravado and stubbornness, along with his misconceptions, to be shattered beyond repair.

“So I interfered. Being worn thin is a result in itself. I experiment and trial different things. That’s just a testament to my unquenchable curiosity seeking conclusions. To satisfy that insatiable greed, I pursue every possible outcome. — Your yielding to the ‘Trial’ is not an exception.”

“Then why would you choose to interfere? If my yielding is one of the results you seek, you wouldn’t have to intervene. In acknowledging that I’m merely the sum of my failures and that, is that not enough for you?”

“There is, of course, a perspective that can accept that as one of the results… However, that doesn’t mean I would do nothing to achieve the desired outcome.”

“What…?”

Echidna’s tone dropped as she responded to Subaru’s pursuit.

At that moment, Subaru furrowed his brow for reasons beyond anger for the first time.

Grasping the meaning behind her words, if it were to take form, it would be,

“To reject the result where I wear myself thin and disappear… you created that situation, is that what you’re saying?”

“…I have no excuses for the fact that resulted in violating your precious domain. If you wish to hurl abuse at me, I will accept it. Your anger is valid while my selfishness is at fault. That’s all there is to it.”

Placing her cup on the table, Echidna stared directly at Subaru below her hill.

The playful expressions previously dancing in her demeanor had nearly vanished, and the Witch of Greed faced Subaru with utmost sincerity.

That attitude, that posture, that wording overwhelmed Subaru.

All the indescribable anger and distrust he held towards Echidna was beginning to feel exceedingly selfish and egotistical.

In reality, Echidna’s help — this resistance to vocalize the past situation still lingered strong. But what might have happened to Subaru’s heart without it?

On the cold floor of the graveyard, shattered and ground down, unable to see a flicker of light in the darkness, lost and extinguished—what a scenario that could easily be imagined.

Expressing gratitude was impossible. Yet, the thought of lobbing anger and abuse at someone who had aided him didn’t seem right either. — That was where his emotions landed.

“――――”

Wordlessly, Subaru stood, brushing off the grass clinging to his body as he moved towards the hill.

He caught Echidna, seated in her chair, glancing at him with a faintly sorrowful expression. Even for a witch who had lived for hundreds of years, it seemed she couldn’t exactly anticipate the words he intended to throw at her.

The embodiment of knowledge. “The Witch of Greed.” The fact that a being like that could express such a distorted sentiment brought a small measure of comfort to his heart.

“—Ah.”

In front of the startled Echidna, Subaru pulled out a chair and sat down across from her.

He wouldn’t take a cup to his lips but signaled his intention to partake in the table conversation. Seeing Echidna gaze back at him nervously, Subaru leaned his cheek onto his hand, turning his face away.

“I don’t feel like drinking your tea… but I’ll allow us to have a meaningful chat.”

After swallowing his unbearable emotions, he showed his willingness to engage.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

“So what was the second ‘Trial’ all about, anyway?”

While propping his chin, Subaru asked without looking at Echidna.

Hearing that, Echidna moved her chair slightly forward and toward him as she replied,

“What do you believe it was?”

“You’re not trying to lead me on… so you are asking me the answer and it’s too presumptuous to expect it.”

“I’m not being that mean. I did things to anger you. I thought I’d like to hear a bit more from you for the confirmation to talk civilly.”

Those were tickling words that struck gently at the heart of the other party.

If Subaru had approached this conversation with a calm mind, he would have likely stumbled over his words in embarrassment.

However, given his current state of mind, returning the desired response was utterly beyond his capacity. He sighed slightly and replied briefly,

“The beginning of the ‘Trial’ said, ‘Look at the impossible now.’ The scene that was presented as the preamble was the content of that. …The impossible now refers to the ‘now’ where I made a different choice before reaching here.”

It resembled a form similar to visual novels, where the player makes choices at crucial moments that branch the story and possibilities. From a grand perspective, it would not be incorrect to describe life as an expansive game played in that manner.

A person faces a choice and selects a course of action by their will — and if they desire the outcome in a diverging world, it would rightly mean ‘life’ itself.

“A world you shouldn’t have been able to see. Perhaps it was a far happier world than the real ‘now’ and you might regret not taking that route. Or it could have been a far more miserable world than the real ‘now’ and you’d eternally appreciate the ‘now’ that you possess here. — The original second ‘Trial’ was about seeing such different ‘nows’ and thereby affirming the rightful ‘now.'”

Sharing in Subaru’s words, Echidna briefly outlined the essence of the second ‘Trial.’

It aligned almost perfectly with Subaru’s imagination of it; only that for Subaru, its content was deeply and sharply poignant.

“—Was the different ‘now’ I saw truly real?”

“…………”

“When I die, I ‘Return by Death’ right on the spot. So I’ve never seen what comes after my death. …More importantly, I never considered that the world would continue after my death. …No, I’ve tried not to think about it.”

After all, that’s how it is.

Subaru’s ‘Return by Death’ occurs because the world has reached an insurmountable deadlock. He has had to endure the sensation of spending his life to affirm that he can break that deadlock, save those dear to him, and reach the best future.

The existence of an afterlife would overturn that premise from the ground up.

For the sake of his mind’s stability, above all, he believed, with all his might, that there were ‘no abandoned worlds.’ In rescuing the people of those worlds, Subaru stood firm.

Thus,

“Does the world continue after I’m dead…? Does the world I missed due to my poor choices hold those I couldn’t protect…?”

“――――”

“So how is it, Echidna? …Please answer.”

Losing the option to look away, Subaru directed a pleading gaze towards Echidna, who sat diagonally before him.

Echidna silently pondered under the scrutiny, stroking her chin, and then closed her eyes for a moment.

“I must clarify one thing about the ‘Trial.'”

“…………”

“The ‘now’ of the second ‘Trial’ is purely a phenomenon showing a facsimile of a virtual world. The challenger undergoing the ‘Trial’ — in this case, it’s you. It projects the minutiae of your memories, all while the ‘memories of the world’ extract the circumstances, environment, and mana surrounding you, constructing the necessary information for the past, present, and future, thus creating that ‘now.'”

“…………”

“In other words, it’s nothing more than an exquisitely crafted ‘non-reality.’ While it isn’t mere whims or delusions but a reproduction of an entirely different dimension, it could theoretically occur as ‘such things.’ However, it remains ‘fabricated non-reality.’ It cannot be said to have truly happened.”

“N-no way…”

“Nonetheless,”

Just as hope began to glow in Subaru’s eyes, Echidna interrupted him by extending her palm while declaring,

“I don’t know the intricacies of the principles behind your ‘Return by Death.’ It’s undoubtedly the doing of the Witch of Envy, yet the specifics of how she facilitates your ‘Return by Death’ remain questionable. It could be an ability to rewind the entire world triggered by your ‘death.’ Or perhaps it’s a way to overwrite you with another you from an alternate universe that may or may not exist.”

“Ah…”

“If the latter principle holds, then alternate worlds do exist, within which, after your death, a world without ‘you’ continues on.”

“But… is there a way to confirm…?”

“—No.”

Echidna’s unfeeling negation rung out starkly as she shook her head.

With eyes wide open and lips parted in astonishment, Subaru’s expression reflected his heartbreak. Echidna glanced at him with sympathetic eyes and tapped the edge of the table with her finger.

“If there were one single way to confirm things, it would be to obtain information first-hand from the Witch of Envy herself. However, you should already have realized how difficult that is.”

Was Echidna referring to the memory of when Subaru actually faced the Witch of Envy? The Witch who greeted him outside after the tea party ended.

The genuine monster who had stolen Emilia’s body, torn Garfiel apart, and secretly swallowed up the ‘Sanctuary’ itself. —Suddenly, he recalled questions regarding that entity and its exhibition.

“Yes… Echidna. Prior to this, after this tea party ended… I saw the Witch outside, in the ‘Sanctuary.’ What was that? What on earth was it?”

“As obvious as it is, that was the Witch of Envy. More or less, it was a far cry from the real deal. The vessel she chose was underdeveloped, and, more importantly, none of the seals had been lifted. In a state missing the Witch Factor, she couldn’t exert her full power.”

“And yet, it’s still far from the peak…?”

Even a monster that dispatched the beastified Garfiel without taking a scratch cannot be compared to the real ‘Witch of Envy.’

How truly hellish must it have been when that witch roamed freely four hundred years prior?

“As you might imagine, her emergence stemmed from this tea party. Here, the strict taboo binding you cannot even affect her. Thus, out of jealousy, she became furious and leaped out to vent her frustrations outside.”

“You knew it would end up like that, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t truly know. It was my first experience. Until it actually unfolded, I merely hypothesized from the actual situation. Even as the Witch of Greed, I couldn’t arrive at conclusions until witnessing it myself.”

“――――”

Sticking to her role as a mere observer, Echidna left Subaru without words. Even while knowing scolding her would change nothing, he felt a certain frustration.

Had she only been willing, if Echidna had cooperated, perhaps…

“There wasn’t especially a reason I chose your beloved as the vessel. It might have been slightly easier considering she’s another half-elf. But fundamentally, I believe it was nothing but ‘jealousy.'”

“Jealousy…?”

“From the witch, who desires to monopolize your affections, your fervent attachment to another is naturally something she would wish to eradicate.”

To love someone obsessively means to desire equal love in return. When that love doesn’t turn towards oneself, it could drive one into madness to redirect that intensity inward, creating chaos born from ‘love.’

So the ‘Witch of Envy’ continues to act in such a fashion.

“All that tortures your thoughts lies strictly within what the ‘Witch of Envy’ knows alone.”

“――――”

“No matter how much you wrack your brains, the reality is, you will not find the answer. That scene where you were cornered, the notion of ‘the currently unknown now’ — conclusions will not come.”

“Wh-what do you mean…?”

That was far too cruel of a reality for Subaru.

He wanted clear denial. He wanted assurance that there was no such world after death of which he had seen.

If he was wrong, then he wanted a confirmation that his selfishness had sacrificed too much.

Whether either outcome would have allowed Subaru to take the lesson to heart and from the ash, build himself anew through grit and shed tears of blood, suffusing his soul with lamentation so he could move forward.

—Yet the very notion of an absence of answer itself felt incomparably brutal.

To live while hovering uncertainly above the realities of this world without resolution?

To be ignorant of whether he trampled something precious? To lack the awareness of what he had abandoned? Could the negligence of not recognizing sin be the punishment laid upon Subaru?

Did Natsuki Subaru commit sins so unforgivable he could not be absolved by anyone?

No one could judge Subaru. No one could condemn him. He understood this all too well.

—But did that mean not even himself could confront it?

“I know this sounds cruel. Yet I think I must resolve it,” Echidna said, reaching out to Subaru, who was devastated and left without words.

Slowly lifting her head, Subaru stared with empty eyes at Echidna’s face.

Echidna took a breath and then, with a serious expression, continued,

“The second ‘Trial’ is, in a nutshell, an acceptance of the ‘now’ as the only ‘now,’ cutting ‘other nows’ away as something irretrievable from other worlds.”

“――――”

“As a reality, it’s likely somewhat harsh for you, given that you have a strong reason to be consciously aware of its potential existence more than any other challenger. But you must switch gears regardless.”

“Switch gears…?”

“Indeed, your choices may have incurred much sacrifice. Among everything you’ve left behind, there may be plenty that cannot be reclaimed. However, simply counting what you’ve lost, or what you’ve left behind, is a sad truth. It’s an empty state. Wouldn’t you agree that it’s painful?”

“If it’s just simple psychological advice, I’m not interested. …Are you suggesting this is just a common counseling approach that will sort itself out?”

Echidna’s words offered a comforting veneer.

If such advice were applicable to light wounds, the sins committed might feel lighter, perhaps even leading to a sensation of salvation sufficient to initiate that switch.

But,

“The repercussions of what I’ve done won’t change a bit. The entire life I’ve devoted thus far stands atop sacrifices I mistook as erased. That reality isn’t altered, no matter what.”

“…That is correct.”

“In that situation, how am I supposed to affirm myself? What can I do to forgive myself? I have turned down the hope you were trying to extend me. I don’t wish to be saved by a counterfeit Rem. I will reclaim the real Rem in time — but…”

Taking a breath, Subaru twisted his face into a grimace.

“—Will the Rem I eventually reclaim truly be the Rem I want to save?”

“――――”

“As long as this answer remains uncertain, my heart shall remain trapped. …Are you suggesting I just have to accept that as well?”

“――――”

“You want me to count what I couldn’t save more than what I could save and just live with it…?”

The words Echidna wished to impart held a degree of hope.

For Subaru, they might have represented a hope he could lean upon.

—Yet, that sorrow ran so deep, the shadows he bore were anything but shallow.

“With such commonplace psychological theory, are you asking me to resist… um, really…?”

“—Yes, I do.”

“——”

“I say so.”

Shaking off the comforting words, Subaru raised his voice from the edge of desperation, and Echidna stated,

“You should count the many that you managed to save over those that you couldn’t. In the journey that brought you here now, I see those that you’ve saved.”

“What don’t you understand about my situation…?”

“To date, you have fought with great effort, with all your might, through all the trials laid before you. Thus, I can affirm this.”

“——”

“None of the paths you’ve walked are without meaning, and no one has the right to say your whole being has been ‘lacking.’ You have thrown everything you could muster into this very moment. — And that is something to be proud of.”

Echidna’s earnest words struck a chord in the hollow core of Subaru. They resonated through the emptiness within him. — Yet, they felt insufficient.

To be praised for being commendable did not change the fact that Subaru had let so much slip away. He could have done better. If it were someone other than himself in the same situation, they might have managed to save more. Yet the one present was Subaru, who had faltered and failed.

That was Subaru’s guilt. His offense. The sin he must acknowledge and atone for.

“I can’t forgive myself.”

“I will forgive you. It’s a role I’m aware of, that I play.”

“I can’t be judged by anyone.”

“I shall judge you. I, who knows your sins.”

“—No one can affirm who I am.”

“If you cannot affirm yourself, I shall deny the parts of you that you cannot allow yourself to forgive.”

“——”

“If you acknowledge your sins, then I will deny those sins.”

Echidna persisted, countering each of Subaru’s frustrations with a determination that struck hard.

Why was this witch denying Subaru’s sins with such intensity?

So why does she endeavor to continually dispel Subaru’s darkness so persistently?

“Why are you so intent on trying to do something for me?”

“…Asking a girl to say that is rather cruel, don’t you think?”

For the first time, Echidna hesitated, having never faltered until then.

Her face flushed slightly, and she cleared her throat before continuing,

“—Would you enter into a contract with me, Natsuki Subaru?”

The voice carried a quiet yet firm conviction.

Those words left Subaru blinking in surprise, needing time to process that request inside his mind.

“A c-contractor…?”

“Yes, a contract. A formal contract with the ‘Witch of Greed’—would you like to forge it?”

“By forming that contract… what will happen?”

“It’s rather simple. — When you find yourself facing an insurmountable obstacle, I will help you wrestle against that wall. If you desire words from someone, I will do my best to return what words you seek. If you feel on the verge of being crushed by your own sins, I’ll help you shake off that overwhelming weight.”

In one breath, Echidna presented her proposal and wore what looked like a shy smile.

“Would you accept a contract like that?”

“…You are a dead person, and you cannot intervene in reality, right?”

“I would likely cross over the bounds of my dead status. It’s nothing unexpected, and I think it wouldn’t be half bad now. …If you permit that.”

With her hand over her chest and looking downward, Echidna’s words struck Subaru’s eardrums with a tremor. That tremor transmitted through his body gradually warming it as the blood circulated throughout.

The tingling sensation in his fingertips grew stronger.

His parched tongue regained movement with a hint of moisture, and even the eyes that had forgotten to blink began to fill with warm liquid, driven away by thirst.

Now at a junction where he wavered between responding to outstretched hands, this proposal, and an offer of assistance, he resolved to continue struggling yet was on the verge of losing sight of that very meaning, and the witch told him she was willing to support him.

“It’s no boast, but I am confident in my knowledge. I’m prepared to devise responses to most challenges. No matter how absurd a situation falls upon you, unlike others around you, I won’t require necessary effort to persuade. More than anything else, I can understand your ‘Return by Death.’

“Are you seriously pushing your sales pitch this fast?”

“I think it’s only proper for me to speak of the benefits of forming a contract with me. If it means gaining even a bit of peace of mind then that can be considered a benefit, can it not?”

Echidna used Subaru’s words to promote her endeavors, and for the first time in this process, Subaru couldn’t suppress a smile.

He felt the air woosh out of his lungs and involuntarily sighed, “Ah.”

Bathed in the meadow’s breeze, he leaned back, staring up at the sky.

He could see white clouds drifting through the fabricated blue sky.

When he encountered a deadlock, when answers eluded him, when he faced challenges.

—If he could once more exchange words in search of a conclusion beneath a blue sky like this…

“That might not be too bad…”

“—So, what does that mean?”

Standing up with an audible creak, Echidna looked down at Subaru, her fists clenched in surprise. As Subaru leaned back against the chair, her expression changed, slightly embarrassed that she acted that way.

“Ah, no… yeah, if you absolutely insist, then I may agree to such a contract…”

“Backpedaling now won’t change anything. And in this case, I should mention it was you who brought it up… or maybe that’s too much of a hassle to say.”

Even though it had come from Echidna, this proposal still was meant to save Subaru’s heart.

To be upfront, this was an act of kindness from a witch. That Subaru did not take on the shape of clinging regarding it was due to Echidna’s consideration for him.

Would anyone extend such endless assistance in this way?

The momentum of rising from the backrest lunged him forward, as Subaru stood and made his way towards Echidna, who stood just inches away, gazing at him with an anxious expression.

It was quite a stylish series of motions from the witch.

Given how Subaru was being saved by them, he regrettably couldn’t say anything against it.

“How do we formalize this contract?”

“—If we’re to establish a formal contract, we need to form a direct connection between us. I’ll take care of the finer details, but first, let’s start by placing our palms together.”

Echidna raised her right hand, directing her white palm toward Subaru.

It meant he was to place his palm atop hers.

Overall, looking at the slightly smiling witch, Subaru felt that they would change directions and shifted his hand to align.

He reached out, fingertips poised to meet hers—

A shock.

A loud crack rang out as the white table holding cups exploded right beside Subaru.

The impact that shattered the table resonated through the earth, forming a crater beneath, shaking the ground, causing a rumble that evoked an involuntary shout from Subaru.

“—Hold on to that contract!”

A golden-haired, blue-eyed girl announced boldly, striking her fist against the ground.

—The “Witch of Wrath” glowered intensely at the pair, her fury palpable.