A roar was heard.

Natsuki Subaru, who had been stretching his tongue towards the blood dripping from his right hand in hunger, heard that voice from afar. Anger, rage. Someone was angry. Someone was furious. Someone was screaming in a frenzy for something.

――It doesn’t matter; I just want to satisfy this hunger right now.

Even if I chew and chew and chew, it’s not enough.

What can two fingers fill? How much can flowing blood quench this thirst?

Not enough. Not enough. Absolutely not enough.

Even if I devour my right hand, even if I devour my left hand, even if I eat my own body, it still isn’t enough. There is no limit to hunger. One simply craves what one desires. For that reason――.

“――Hunngh!!”

“――――What the hell?!”

A blow from directly above smashed into Subaru’s head, and his body sank into the ground with a shockwave. The sheer force made the earth bow significantly, creating a crater around the immured Subaru.

And the source of that blow, with their fist still pressed against Subaru’s skull, gasped for air and exclaimed,

“I can’t stand it anymore, why is everyone fighting…? Resorting to violence is the lowest of the low… the lowest…”

The half-sobbing voice descended from above, pulling Subaru back to reality as he tasted the soil. At the same time, a droplet hit the back of his head, prompting him to look up.

The outline of a blonde girl was blurred, and the face of someone teary-eyed began to disappear.

――Noticing that his right hand was grounded as he tried to sit up and wondering what had happened to him.

So, instinctively, Subaru called out to the vanishing girl,

“T-thank you for healing me…!”

“…Tsun.”

Turning her head away, the witch disappeared with a pout.

Just before she vanished, her face not looking at him turned red, a delighted smile breaking through.

And then, when the blonde girl――the Witch of Wrath vanished from the scene, what appeared in her place was once again a rough coffin.

“Well, well, Nerneln, you really are such a meddler. It’s just a little learning experience, isn’t it, eh, Subaru?”

As if nothing were the matter, Daphne began speaking from inside the coffin, causing Subaru to jump up, instantly leaping out of the crater with his wariness laid bare towards Daphne.

Daphne, who was invisible, snorted at Subaru’s reaction and said,

“That’s right, you have to be that wary. After all, this world is all about eat or be eaten.”

“I wasn’t expecting it to be that brutal…! What was that?! It was just a short moment, but… I was definitely insane.”

“Ah, that’s the kind of hunger that drives one insane. Extreme hunger can turn a person into something less than a beast. If you look at your right eye, you’ll find something even more interesting.”

“…Are you kidding?”

It must have been some kind of magical eye, Subaru judged.

Ram’s clairvoyance corresponds to an ability outputting from his known eyes, but while hers possessed zero offensive capabilities, Daphne’s was disturbingly malevolent.

One might call it the “Eye of Hunger” or the “Eye of Starvation.” The moment he locked eyes with her left eye, Subaru was unconsciously devouring his own fingers from hunger.

A hunger that even set pain aside was bait to satisfy a visible hunger that could not be filled. In other words――,

“Could it be that’s what the Great Rabbit sees…?”

“The little ones were born watching especially Daphne’s starving belly… so they understand the feeling of eating each other.”

“Such nonchalance… do you not feel sick at giving birth to such creatures? By lecturing me like that, it means you too are familiar with that hunger. You birthed those children… ah, making your children feel such things…”

“――? Even if the Great Rabbit is hungry, Daphne’s belly doesn’t feel hungry at all!”

“…I shouldn’t have asked you.”

It was a parallel line. No matter how far they went, Subaru could not find common ground with this witch.

Even her magical beasts, which she birthed, were merely food for her when she felt hunger.

To produce from her own body and eat herself, what ultimate self-sufficiency.

“If you had self-sufficiently gone some other dimension where you wouldn’t bother anyone, no one would have been troubled at all.”

“Ultimately, what did you want to ask Daphne, Subaru? If it’s just to hurl insults at me, being awake will only make you hungrier, so I’d like to excuse myself.”

Facing Subaru with her back turned, Daphne settled into a posture of relaxation.

Now, Subaru understood why she was in a moving coffin and bound all over. It wasn’t a cage meant to prevent her danger――.

It was just a manner of fashion she used to lessen calories consumed by moving, to distract herself from hunger.

While her eyepatch might not be such, it was very likely used to avoid exhausting her energy through using her magic.

All in all, her existence was entirely self-contained.

A mere mass of “appetite”—truly a fitting title for the Witch of Gluttony.

“Honestly, I think it’s useless to ask, but… how can I destroy the Great Rabbit?”

“Ehh? You want to destroy the Great Rabbit? That little one is weak, easy to eat, and reproduces, a masterpiece among Daphne’s best creations.”

“If you can accept that eat-or-be-eaten mentality, then killing for survival becomes necessary. But I want you to recognize that survival instinct which doesn’t rely solely on appetite.”

Subaru hurled a rational yet reluctant remark back at Daphne.

Truthfully, he had half-given up on extracting useful information from her. It was because there were no signs of establishing a decent conversation with her.

Though it seemed they were managing a togetherness of conversation, the reality was she merely crunched the ball he threw and wanted another instead of returning the desired one.

But,

“Since we eat to live, one must acknowledge the need to kill to live… huh, yes, that’s it, most certainly.”

“—Eh, you get it?”

“If I think it is correct, then even Daphne will agree. Subaru, just what do you think Daphne is?”

Honest to God, across everything Subaru has seen, she’s a witch without contest, but voicing that felt like opening a can of worms, so he held his tongue.

Pouting, Daphne nonchalantly released her silence with a casual, “Hmm.”

“If you want to annihilate the Great Rabbit, then Metometo or Donadona, Miramira would be a breeze.”

“Wait a sec, those nicknames of yours are confusing. Donadona… that’s Echidna, right? Metometo is… Sekhmet? And Miramira refers to…”

“Carmilla… the ‘Lust’ one. It seems she doesn’t want to meet you.”

“It’s a bit sad that even the Lust one dislikes me, but your plan won’t work. Witches can’t leave the Graveyard. They can’t lend their power.”

“…Hmm, can’t do it, huh?”

The idea of a rescue mission was an unimaginable request for Subaru.

If they could come outside and wield their power only against the Great Rabbit and Elsa, then it would be a different story.

“If you were hypothetically allowed out… would it be enough for you to be satisfied just by eating the Great Rabbit?”

“Daphne has never been full during her life, you know?”

“Then even if you were allowed outside, you wouldn’t be willing to, would you?”

Subaru rejected Daphne’s proposal with a tongue stick out at her predictably banal response. She replied with a “Hmm” and a sound of contemplation,

“Well then, if that’s not possible, I guess we’ll have to work hard together and eat them all, one left behind won’t be able to reproduce… haah haah…”

“Eating is one thing, but exterminating them all… but if even one remains, it’ll revive, right? I’ve heard they move in groups, but are they always together?”

“They are. They do share a collective consciousness, so they don’t have the wisdom to divide and scatter.”

“I see… with that, even if we exterminate them, they’ll still reproduce from whatever’s left afterward… that would lead to a panic horror ending.”

Even when exterminating a rampaging monster, the remnants in underground pits often lead to the trope of still not being safe.

As for the Great Rabbit, it seemed it was not affiliated with such intelligence at all.

“By the way, how many are present on average for these Great Rabbits? Since they eat each other, I’d think it would create a system to keep their numbers to a certain level.”

“…Dunno? Are you someone who counts how many droplets there are when the fog comes?”

“Seriously, even that level… no, I get it that you can’t be relied on. I’ll just have to check with my own eyes.”

Given the numbers swarming around Subaru’s body, there were easily over a hundred around. Considering that they could devour the entirety of the Sanctuary, the probability of their numbers reaching close to ten thousand was high.

To exterminate them all, he needed to consider methods and means.

While Subaru contemplated extermination strategies, Daphne yawned widely, showing her boredom. She murmured with a mouthful toward the silent Subaru,

“Well, if you’re pondering those riddles, I think it’s about time for me to disappear? Just existing makes me hungry, you know?”

“It’s quite a twisted thing to say that my existence makes you hungry. Ah, regardless of anything, this was informative. Thank you for that. –And one more thing.”

Throwing out a haphazard thank you, he added finally, as he wore a somewhat sarcastic voice,

“That Great Rabbit is going down by my hand. The White Whale has already been exterminated. Don’t complain about it, mother.”

“………….”

“For four hundred years, whatever reasons you birthed those things thinking it was for good, they have rampaged long enough. It’s time to erase them without a trace.”

“Just a mere human, huh.”

Subaru’s declaration of war garnered an unprecedented response from Daphne.

With an ominous grin spreading across her face, she expressed for the first time something other than “appetite” with a clear emotion,

“Then if you dare, go ahead and try.”

With dangerous fangs showcased, the Witch of Gluttony laughed.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

A strong wind blew, and Subaru instinctively used his raised arm to shield his vision.

The gust stirred the grass beneath him, scattering the green leaves as they were whipped away into the sky. As he followed them with his eyes, he returned his gaze to the ground, realizing,

“Sorry for making you do something unfair, Echidna.”

“I knew that it might lead to something like this, so I tried to stop it.”

“It can’t be helped. The restraints I released and the eyepatch I removed were voluntary acts. You could at least commend me for not touching your body.”

“That’s true. If I’d touched Daphne, it wouldn’t have ended well. With just her left eye, Daphne isn’t that much of a threat. The true terror comes from her right eye and after being ‘eaten’.”

A terrifying statement flew out, rendering Subaru dumbfounded.

Truth be told, experiencing just that “not such a threat” part had already been abnormally overwhelming for Subaru.

“…Anyway, can we just drop the introduction of a defeated opponent’s stats? If you plan to face a creature similar to that, it’s best to gather that information.”

“A monster, huh?”

Unable to wipe away the negative impressions of Daphne, Subaru casually blurted out his thoughts and grasped that he was overstepping his bounds with Echidna’s calm murmurs.

For her, Daphne seemed to be a friend. If she could maintain a friendship with that creature, it didn’t diminish Echidna’s witch-like qualities, but that was precisely the issue; especially calling another Witch a monster in front of her was terrible protocol.

“Ah, I just realized I didn’t express enough consideration just now… my bad. I was a bit irritable. I’ll keep my comments about your friend to myself.”

“Hehe, there’s no need to worry about a Witch. I’ve heard those words plenty.”

“…But when it comes to Daphne, I can’t really use such cheap words; however, I don’t see you as a monster. Let me be clear on that.”

Echidna’s eyes widened in surprise at Subaru’s words.

As Subaru averted his gaze from her, he couldn’t get over his own calculating thoughts.

That was far too clear a statement of flattery. Of course, half of it surely was genuine, but he couldn’t shake the awareness of wanting to avoid casting a negative impression on the cooperative Witch.

Certainly, a witch experienced in conflict would see through such inadequacies.

“You shouldn’t put yourself down like that. I expected some sort of well-meaning consolation.”

“When I consider all the obstacles standing in your way, it’s not easy for me to say that. The truth is, if you wish to change your current circumstances, there’s no avenue left to not utilize it. Personally, I’m quite displeased that I must resort to ‘Jealousy.’”

Echidna’s refusal of superficial comfort revealed her grasp of the situation.

While comforting might not apply, having someone kick him like this was a blessing.

Choosing a path where he was aware of the drawbacks of pain brought him motivation.

“I suppose I’ll have to sift through options while repeating ‘Return by Death.’ With this, I’m worried about how much pain I’ll have to endure.”

“………”

“One of the mysteries that must be solved is what experiments the ‘Sanctuary’ was a testing ground for, and what you were experimenting on… you don’t plan on telling me about that, do you?”

“…No, I won’t. I told you, I don’t want to be scorned by you.”

Echidna shook her head in response to Subaru’s inquiry, denying his request.

Accepting that, Subaru replied, “Well, if you won’t tell me, I guess I have no choice but to move freely and uncover the secrets you want kept hid. You won’t get in my way, will you?”

“…If it’s to be uncovered, I suppose it can’t be helped. If you plan to subdue my secrets that I dislike, then I will quietly brace myself.”

“Could you rephrase that, it feels like something wicked is trying to happen?!”

With a hint of blush, Subaru noticed that Echidna diverted her gaze.

As to whether she was intentionally teasing him or merely acting that way due to natural tendencies, it was hard to tell. Overall, she seemed sweetly innocent in a frightening way.

And while they were chatting,

“Hmm――”

Suddenly, Subaru felt a dizziness while sitting on the chair. Similar to vertigo, it interrupted his consciousness for a moment. That was,

“It seems the awakening of my body is nearing.”

“Is this tea party about to end…? If I say it was meaningful, that might be overstating it.”

“Last time, I had no topics I wanted to discuss, you know. For me, I feel I’ve somewhat managed to live up to my status as the Witch of Greed this time around.”

For someone chatty and eager to educate, this gathering appeared satisfactory to Echidna. As she couldn’t hide her joy, the glimmer in her eyes lingered for Subaru who was about to depart, but he shook his head to dismiss the sentimentality.

An oddly engaging Witch, but it wouldn’t do to get too involved. After all, she was a witch, moreover a dead one. It wasn’t clear which was the bigger embellishment of the two.

“When I want to come here, what should I do?”

“You’re asking for the terms of the tea party? Oh no, no! Do not get overly dependent on me. I understand that you are feeling lost since the only person you can open up to right now is me, but I am dead and you are living… it doesn’t work that way.”

“Even when you say that with a pleasantly excited expression, it lacks conviction!”

Having come back as a guest, how should he evaluate the situation where his favorability was skyrocketing?

He leaned on one hand on his cheek, considering how to respond to Echidna, who was stealing glances at him with a smile that couldn’t be hidden.

“Don’t wear a look of hardship like that. I’m a girl too; sometimes I want to chat a bit cheerfully, that’s all. There’s no need to overthink the gap between Witches and humans.”

“…Echidna.”

“The conditions for the tea party are that you shout with your heart’s desire to ‘know’ deeply within the Graveyard. The first time, you were invited without any fuss, but it won’t be that easy from the second visit onward. The third time… I think it would be quite difficult. A superficial shout won’t reach me.”

Recalling what happened just before he was invited, Subaru’s mind drifted back to the earlier events.

He had just returned from being eaten alive by the Great Rabbit, struggling in anguish, sensing the remnants of death as he painfully shouted out what was happening.

Brought into the tea party as Daphne heard it, it implied that to return here, he’d have to do so with at least the same or greater earnestness than before.

“Yeah, I’d rather avoid that…”

“Indeed. This might be the last time we can face each other like this. That is unless you challenge the ‘Trials.’”

Like before the first ‘Trial,’ she would once again appear in the realm of the second and third ‘Trials.’ If Subaru were to face the ‘Trials’ on behalf of Emilia, their reunion was already assured.

In other words,

“It means we’ll meet again during the ‘Trials.’ There might not be tea then, though.”

“If you truly want to drink it, I wouldn’t hesitate to brew it on the spot…”

“No way, seeing the manufacturing process would only kill my appetite.”

As he extended his palm to refuse, Echidna flashed the most disappointed expression thus far.

Why would she earnestly want him to use her bodily fluids? Was it a kink where she derived pleasure from having her parts meld with others? There was something deep about it.

“Time to disappear soon… so thank you, Echidna, for everything. When we meet again…”

“Before that, may I?”

Just as Subaru began feeling the sensation of his body becoming hazy, intending to part from Echidna, she interrupted him.

Rising from her seat, she approached Subaru with the hem of her mourning dress swaying.

“Having participated in the tea party, I’ve transferred some of my knowledge to you… but something seems to have been forgotten, right?”

“Forgotten?”

“The price, you know.”

Narrowing her eyes, Echidna tilted her head as she displayed her red tongue to the bewildered Subaru.

At those words, Subaru’s eyes widened, muttering “the price…” internally. Echidna nodded with, “Yes, the price” and continued,

“Even last time, I laid down that condition. A deal with a witch inherently comes with it. The previous price was laid to rest, so what shall I collect for this current one?”

“C-could we perhaps arrange a payment plan? For me, with limited resources right now, having something taken or being set conditions becomes increasingly tough.”

“For negotiating with a witch, that seems to show you lack some finesse.”

Chasing Subaru back through his chair, Echidna sent a glint into her adorable features that seemed tinged with sadism. She scanned him up and down, pondering what she might take.

A witch’s price—last time it was letting go of Echidna’s existence when he returned to reality. If she applied the same thing again, it would annihilate the details of this tea party, making progress unreachable.

However, it was unclear if he could adhere to any other heavier conditions, and

“Alright, I’ve decided.”

As if bracing for something, Echidna leaned forward, her face coming within an inch of Subaru’s. As Subaru flinched when their lips almost touched, Echidna’s figure slipped further into his—into his chest.

Her white hair flowed gently, a slight floral fragrance wafted from the fidgeting witch as Subaru grew flustered from his long-lacking immunity to beautiful girls.

Then, disregarding Subaru’s inner turmoil, Echidna touched his chest and said,

“How about I take this?”

“…Huh, what?”

Dumbfounded, as Subaru’s heart raced, Echidna withdrew her hand, revealing that in her grasp was a handkerchief fluttering in the wind.

The white fabric, adorned in gold along its edges, was embroidered on the reverse side with the image of a gray Great Spirit.

“Isn’t this the handkerchief Petra gave me right before departing from the Sanctuary…?”

“You should thank the person who gifted you this. It carries pure intentions focusing on your well-being. Each thread and needle that connects them is imbued with magic. The power residing in such things is truly fascinating.”

“…So it was Petra, huh?”

“You’re cherished. While it may be unfair to the one who cared for you, I’ll gladly accept this.”

Her face softened at the embroidery of Pack on the back, then Echidna stored the handkerchief away as she withdrew from Subaru.

“I’ve certainly collected the price for this tea party. I look forward to your next attendance.”

With a jesting air, she pinched the edge of her skirt, elegantly bowing toward Subaru.

Feeling a pang of concern that at least made her mindful as she sent him off, Subaru stood from his chair, saying,

“Thanks for everything. Really. — Farewell.”

He mimicked her gesture and bowed, causing Echidna to smile wryly.

Then, the scenery enveloped in white light――and Subaru exited the tea party.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

――As Subaru’s consciousness returned from the tea party, he was abruptly met with the coldness and hardness of the ground and the unpleasant taste of dust in his mouth.

“Ugh! Gah! Is this the default for every time…?!”

Spitting out the foreign substance in his mouth, Subaru propped himself up and shook his head to resume his focus.

First, he checked the state of his body while reflecting back on the events before waking up. He returned after being maimed by the Great Rabbit, immediately following that being invited into Echidna’s tea party. Though he faced harsh treatment from Daphne, his determination solidified, and he came back saved by Petra’s innocent thoughts.

None of it had been erased from his memory. Relief washed over him as he thought,

“Echidna kept her promise. This time around, the tea party hasn’t disappeared from my memories.”

The white-haired witch was now clearly vivid in his memory.

While she lacked typical witch-like qualities, regarding how she had kept her promise, along with her sincere support, she could indeed be counted among a rare set of allies.

It’s regrettable that it doesn’t seem there will be many chances to rely on her, but

“Every harvest counts… I can say that at least.”

Placing his hand on his chest, Subaru was wrapped in the occurrences of the tea party—namely, the fact that he could confess his ‘Return by Death’ experience, which left him feeling saved.

In that place, though it was limited to Echidna and other witches, disclosing this to someone allowed him to ponder upon it with another.

Encountering someone more knowledgeable than him about the situation in this other world—discussing the “Witch of Jealousy” as the root of everything would eventually corner him into confronting it, carrying back such heavy baggage.

“Feeling renewed, Natsuki Subaru is reborn. For now, I’ll rely on that witch’s powers. I’ll use my life as many times as necessary.”

If that brings him closer to the answers, it will be worth it.

“The tea party messed with my sense of time, but for now, it’s right after the ‘Trial,’ right?”

If Echidna’s words about the circumstances not changing after ‘Return by Death’ were correct, shaking his head and looking around confirmed to Subaru that he was indeed in the Sanctuary.

Confirming her words held true, he began searching for Emilia to start getting her out of this place.

“Thinking of what happens right after ‘Return by Death, I have to consider Garfiel’s response as it’s the third time… I can’t imagine he’d suddenly try to kill me.”

Still, given his impulsive nature, his future actions might be unpredictable.

Remembering Garfiel prompted Subaru to recall the recent “death.” The direct cause of death from being devoured by the Great Rabbit, and the scene of the villagers being slaughtered, brought unwanted dark emotions to the surface.

Repelling the Great Rabbit, defeating Elsa, unraveling the mysteries of the ‘Sanctuary,’ and settling Garfiel’s score.

Even though it was all outside his consciousness, Subaru struggled to find himself able to forgive those actions. He felt that somehow he had to make Garfiel pay as well.

As he reflected inwardly while allowing his adverse emotions towards Garfiel to mount, suddenly that thought was interrupted because,

“…Emilia, where are you?”

――Her figure was nowhere to be found.

A sense of discomfort crossed Subaru’s mind, pressing his brows together as he strained to look throughout the dim Sanctuary. He could not find the slender figure of Emilia laying amongst the confined location.

This was the first time such a strange situation has unfolded.

“If I’m right after the ‘Trial,’ then Emilia should still be in the midst of her ‘Trial’…”

Originally, Emilia, who couldn’t surpass her first ‘Trial’ and was still struggling with the past, should have been beside Subaru.

Yet now, in this graveyard, her figure had vanished. All the while, the timeline undeniably returned Subaru back to the area immediately following the ‘Trial.’

“…………”

An unsettling premonition washed over him.

The absence of Emilia in this place and the deviation from the previously set norms.

The changes that should not have existed were due to Subaru’s actions altering the future. However, what kind of impact could Subaru’s actions while unconscious have had?

Prompted by rising anxiety, Subaru dashed out from the ‘Trial’ and into the corridor, leaving a resounding echo with his sturdy footwear, and pushed through to exit the graveyard.

And there, beneath the moonlight, what Subaru saw outside the graveyard was――.