On the small hills in the green grassland, a cool breeze reminiscent of spring is blowing
The refreshing wind swayed Subaru's bangs and the tall green grass, blowing toward the distant place where there were cumulonimbus clouds in the clear sky.
"————"
"are you back……"
Yuexing smacked her lips and looked down at her body
Fortunately, my body has returned to its original state.
He touched his forehead that was scratched by the wind with his fingers, squinted his eyes against the strong sunlight, and then slowly moved his eyes down from the sky, facing forward again.
I don’t know when, I was already sitting on the white chair
A chair as big as an armchair, and a pure white small dining table in front of you. Sitting opposite across the dining table is a figure who is also sitting on the chair, with his slender legs crossed.
Except for the long hair and a small part of the skin that is not covered by clothes, which is very white, the rest of the beautiful girl is covered in black——
"I said, you should have seen everything that just happened outside."
"After signing the contract, a part of me no longer belongs here. It's a strange feeling..."
Echidna nodded lightly, shook the teacup in her hand, and looked at the person in front of her with a seductive smile.
"The "Earth Spirit's Protection" is too cheating. You can recover by standing on the ground. It's rough and thick-skinned, and you're not good at using "Heart of the Lion King"..."
Yuexing sat slumped in a chair, holding her forehead
Garfiel's protection coupled with his complete animal transformation, the body surface is covered with a large amount of hard fluff, which can only scratch it, and then it will recover within ten seconds. Unless it is killed in the air, otherwise
The wound will heal instantly, a perfect war machine
I haven't practiced "Heart of the Lion King" very well. I can't directly kill Garfiel in two seconds. It's basically used to avoid attacks.
Looking at the cloudless sky, I let out a long sigh
"What should I do with this guy? Just leave him alone?"
Echidna was pointing at Subaru who was sitting on the other chair, frowning and eyes closed.
According to Echidna, Subaru appeared directly from the tomb with his whole body convulsed, foaming at the mouth, his eyes moving in all directions, as if he was having an epileptic seizure, and banging his head against the ground.
——At that time, Subaru's mind was filled with countless "Why?", which made him enter this place without being invited.
"...Let's hide it from him for now. I think you should be very good at doing this kind of thing."
"certainly--"
…
Subaru's hand on his thigh clenched and then opened, and he suddenly raised his head. His eyes narrowed involuntarily when he felt the stimulating light, and he checked the surrounding environment in a daze.
Echidna narrowed her eyes with interest. She put her hands on the table and rested her chin on her palms, sending a provocative glance at Subaru.
"Welcome to my tea party-"
"I should be in the grave..."
Subaru murmured as his consciousness returned to his body. After being silent for a while, Subaru looked at Echidna and said solemnly
"……Thanks"
The witch slapped her hands, tilted her head and said:
"I sincerely listen to your thanks - come on, say as much as you can."
Echidna smiled lightly, puffed out her chest, and pretended to accept thanks. Subaru stared at the somewhat smug face, then sighed deeply and long, and drank the tea placed in front of him in one gulp.
"——? What's wrong? I can do it anytime?"
"...My body feels lighter, probably thanks to this cup of tea, right?"
"Well, that's right. I use the form of tea to let your witch factor work to help you settle down. The effect will not disappear even if you go to a tea party... By the way, how about thank you?"
"That's it. I'm a little relieved, so you can think that this effect will continue outside?"
"After all, it is a mental state. Now that I have regained my composure... If I can remember what happened here, then even if I return to the dreamland, my heart can remain stable. Well, where are my thanks?"
The answer that had nothing to do with him made Subaru hold his breath.
If you remember what happened here, this is what Echidna said, and in fact it is difficult
This is proven by the fact that he made himself forget the oath he made to contact the witch for the second time.
He vowed to make Subaru forget about Echidna. As a result, Subaru would also lose himself.
"——Echidna, isn't there a way to change the oath?"
"Um?"
"Is there a way to not forget you even if I leave here? As long as the premise of "I will forget you is based on the oath" is still there, my heart will be fragile and easily broken, right?"
"That's right..."
"Also, it's not just a matter of my soul. Even if this doesn't happen, I still want to remember you."
"--Huh?"
This is not just a matter of the mind. Remembering the existence of Echidna is a necessary puzzle piece to liberate the "sacred realm" and rewrite the picture of hell.
Therefore, Subaru put his hands on the table and brought his face so close that his breath was almost touching.
"If there is a price, I will pay whatever it takes to replace it——"
"————"
"You can't hide in my memory"
"——Okay, okay..."
Subaru's strong request made Echidna nod her head in an extremely stiff and trepid manner.
Although I thought her attitude was wrong, her reply was affirmative
"That's what you said! Long live! I won't accept your words!"
"I won't do something so shameless. Although I won't do it...but I think you are a bit despicable."
Why was he suddenly treated like a scoundrel? Subaru was puzzled. His reaction made Echidna look away a little unhappily. Then, the witch motioned to the seat opposite her with her hand.
"Anyway, I understand what you mean. Sit down first and let's talk slowly."
"Ah...but there is no time. Compared with that, resolve the oath..."
"——I hope you don't misunderstand, Natsuki Subaru"
Subaru interrupted his words. Her voice had an irresistible power for some reason.
Then, seeing Subaru swallowing his saliva, Echidna—the witch continued
"It is indeed not difficult to rewrite the oath, and I don't hate it when you openly say unspeakable things, but I cannot accept statements that make you unclear about your stance."
"————"
"After all, you are a guest invited to the tea party, and this is the castle of dreams under my control, my domain. If too arbitrary requests are made here, it will affect my face."
The calm tone of voice remained unchanged, but the power of the voice did.
It was enough to sweep away the atmosphere just now, and the unfathomable dark pupils looked up at Subaru.
——There is a "witch" who exists beyond common sense.
"...ah, woo"
The oppressive feeling she gave people was like a grasp of the soul, which reminded Subaru of his first impression of Echidna, which was the fear he felt in the face of a threat that far surpassed the white whale and "Sloth".
"The Desire Witch" Echidna is the name and title of the witch in front of her who is made up of white and black.
"When you are invited to a tea party, your behavior must conform to the etiquette of a guest. Do you understand this?"
The mental body shouldn't be able to sweat, but Subaru felt like he was sweating. The witch kept stroking his white hair. With his throat and tongue feeling increasingly dry, Subaru, whose breathing was erratic, managed to squeeze out an answer.
"The so-called...guest...etiquette is..."
"It's very simple. I am the host and you are the guest - follow these rules."
Echidna continued to release the pressure, slowly stretched out her hand, touched the table with her slender and soft fingers, and then flicked it three times.
He gestured to a spot on the table - an untouched, steaming tea cup.
"……ah?"
"Since you are a guest at the tea party, you should first provide proof of acceptance, right?"
"...It's hard to understand you."
"Because I am a witch, if you compare me with ordinary girls, those girls will be very pitiful, right?"
Echidna, who let the situation go her way, smiled, and the feeling of oppression was relieved. Although she was retaliating for the guest's rudeness, she still felt that the mental pain Subaru suffered was too much for this reason.
"Damn it...I know it!"
After smacking his lips, Subaru grabbed the teacup and drank the liquid in one gulp. He didn’t know how long it had been brewing, but the delicious temperature had not changed. It was indeed the main prop of the witch’s tea party.
He drank it quickly and urgently, without even tasting the taste. After finishing the drink, Subaru wiped his lips with his sleeve.
"Okay, drink it all. In this way, you can recognize me as a participant of the tea party, right?"
"Drinking all my body fluids so enthusiastically...well, I'm a little shy."
"Ugh, disgusting!——"
After drinking Dona tea without knowing it during the tea party, Subaru fell to his knees.
Seeing the guest who was vomiting desperately on the spot, the host witch shrugged and then suddenly clapped her hands as if she remembered something.
"By the way, where are the words of thanks? I don't remember hearing them yet."
"Thank you for making such dirty tea! Stinky witch!"
Although she thanked her as she said, Echidna was quite dissatisfied with the words of thanks.