"I see... That truly is valuable information. I had once guessed that your background might be somewhat unusual, but after hearing you say all this, I think I'll abandon my previous assumptions. Your story can only be described as wildly magnificent."
Splash~
Echidna rose and refilled the teacups for the two present, pouring one for herself as well. After sitting back down, she spoke to her with a look of satisfaction.
"What is so magnificent about it? Don't you think we were stubborn back then?"
The Shogun asked in puzzlement.
"No, I truly do find it magnificent. As for stubbornness, I don't really mind that. Besides, you're still quite stubborn even now—including your honored mother. That's simply your personality, isn't it?"
Echidna shrugged.
"..."
Hearing this, she lowered her gaze and did not respond.
"Haa... Don't worry. I'm praising you. Most stubborn people are actually very pure. You're a perfect example. Everyone makes mistakes—I've made plenty myself."
Echidna gently stirred the black tea in her cup with a spoon. She did not look at her, instead watching her own reflection in the surface of the tea.
"Once pure people set their sights on a goal, they'll pursue it without hesitation. For an idea, for someone, even for the tiniest sliver of hope, they won't give up. That's your charm."
Echidna looked at her.
"Haa... We've only known each other for a few days, and yet you claim to understand me so well?"
She met the other woman's eyes for a moment before instinctively looking away, staring at the tea on the table as she asked in mild confusion.
"Hehe... That's true... But I'm very good at judging people, you know? Just from the story you told us before—the story that belongs to you—I can roughly understand you and your mother. That's all thanks to how vividly and thoroughly you told it~"
Echidna smiled playfully.
"Is that also part of the Authority of the Witch of Greed?"
She teased.
"If you want to think of it that way, then sure."
The other woman did not mind and took a sip of tea.
"Ah... Speaking of which, a lot of girls actually like pure people like you~ You're very popular~"
Echidna winked at her.
"..."
She instinctively lifted her teacup to cover her mouth, using the rim to hide the awkwardness spreading across her cheeks.
Why does the topic always turn to this kind of thing...?
Squish~
"By the way..."
Feeling the constant kneading sensation on her face, she speechlessly set down her cup.
"Carmilla... could you please stop pinching my cheeks?"
She asked.
That was right. Ever since she revealed that she was a puppet, Carmilla had been standing behind her like a curious child, carefully touching her face as if examining a precious gem, occasionally squeezing her cheek.
"Ah... sorry... I was just curious... um..."
Hearing her complaint, Carmilla immediately withdrew her hands, her face flushing red in embarrassment.
"Pfft... Is it really that exaggerated?"
Echidna teased.
"Haa..."
She sighed, raising her hand to gently rub the cheek that had been pinched, shooting a sideways glance at the pink-haired girl beside her.
"I'm sorry... I was just curious... I've never seen a puppet before. And one that can move at that. And besides—"
Carmilla stopped touching her face and instead carefully held up her slender hand, gazing at it as though admiring a treasure. The back of her hand was fair and delicate, the palm neither too large nor too small, carrying a feminine delicacy. Her five fingers were slender and smooth, her nails evenly coated in a faint violet polish. The bones were not sharply defined, nor were the joints prominent—rather, they were the kind of subtle, fine bones hidden beneath the skin that made one feel comfortable at a glance.
To put it simply—beautiful.
"Wow—this doesn't feel like a puppet's hand at all! And it's so soft~! Your face too! I always thought puppets were supposed to be made of something hard."
Carmilla stared at her in disbelief while playing with her small hand, even weighing it in her palm from time to time, leaving her utterly speechless.
"You seem to be getting a little strange... And besides, whether I'm a puppet or not can't be determined just by looking at my hands, can it?"
She gave her a helpless look.
"Then why?"
Carmilla asked.
"My puppet body is hidden beneath flesh, like a human skeleton. No... it would be more accurate to say it is my skeleton. Just like an ordinary person, I wouldn't normally walk around with my bones exposed, would I?"
She gently withdrew her hand and explained to the two of them.
"Ah—how marvelous! As a mere village girl, this is the first time I've heard such an interesting story!"
Carmilla looked deeply moved.
Is it really that dramatic?!
She complained inwardly.
"Let me sort this out... Teyvat, Inazuma, the Seven Archons, and 'Eternity,' including your background... Mm~ Today has truly been a bountiful harvest."
As she spoke, Echidna took out her Book of Wisdom and flipped to a certain page, jotting something down—apparently recording the terms she had just mentioned.
"I am the Witch of Greed. Knowledge is what I desire. My entire life has been spent pursuing my own longing. Hearing stories from beyond this world today has been deeply satisfying."
Echidna beamed at her like a child who had eaten her fill of cake.
"...I can tell."
She replied casually, lowering her eyes to look at her reflection in the tea once more. After thinking about the two matters she still held in her heart, she had originally intended to find an appropriate moment to speak, but—
"So~? What else is it?"
As if reading her thoughts, Echidna brought it up first, seemingly trying to spare her any embarrassment.
"...?"
She looked at her in confusion.
"Pfft~ It's obvious from your expression. You're terrible at hiding things. It's adorable—like a child."
Echidna propped her chin on her palm, looking at her indulgently.
"Ah... right. I brought some sweets. We can talk while eating."
Carmilla took out a box of fairly decent pastries from her bag and placed them on the tea table, gesturing for the two of them.
Though she liked sweets, she did not reach out this time. She knew what was important. Echidna, however, had already taken a bite.
"...It's about Emilia."
She spoke.
"Mm-hm..."
Echidna merely nodded.
"I hope you can look after her during the trial. Don't make things too difficult for her. I don't expect you to comfort her, but at the very least... accompany her through the entire process. Can you do that?"
"..."
The other woman did not answer immediately, only lifting her teacup silently.
Tap~
The next second, the woman before her pressed down on her wrist, halting her movement.
"..."
She paused, then looked at the hand pressing against her wrist, slowly tightening around it. She did not raise her eyes at once.
"Haa... The trial must be completed by her alone from beginning to end. But..."
She lifted her gaze to meet the person across from her.
"..."
The Shogun looked back at her seriously.
"But... since you're pestering me like this~ Haa... Fine, I'll endure it and accompany her. But I won't help her. In the end, she must complete it herself, understood?"
She rolled her eyes helplessly at the purple-haired woman across from her, gently removing the hand from her wrist and placing it back onto the table with a soft tap.
"Thank you..."
She replied softly.
"No need to thank me. But why are you in such a hurry? That child still has plenty of time, doesn't she?"
Echidna asked, puzzled.
"No... she doesn't have time anymore."
"...?"
She then told the two of them about the previous loop, including the attack on the mansion and the swarm of Great Rabbits in the Sanctuary.
"...How tragic. For Roswaal to go that far... No wonder you said there's no time."
"Isn't it all because of you...?"
She retorted irritably.
"Ahem... well, that's true."
Echidna coughed awkwardly.
"To think little Dora could make that kind of decision... I never would have imagined it."
Carmilla was clearly referring to Pandora.
"Mm... That's precisely why I trust her."
"...If she truly is as you say, then I have nothing to worry about. Letting her stay by your side might be for the best. At least she won't have to remain trapped in that person's cage forever."
Echidna shrugged. Naturally, the 'that person' referred to Pandora's true body—the extreme Witch of Vainglory.
"As for Roswaal... hmm— I can lend you a hand."
...
["With his personality... even if you win the wager with him this time, he still will not give up so easily. He will continue searching for a way to revive me, and may even cause trouble for all of you again."]
["How about this... give me the Gospel in your hand, and I'll place a little trick on it."]
["There. This Gospel is now stained with my aura and my mana. Just show it to him when the time comes."]
"..."
Looking at the thick black-covered book in her hands, she casually flipped through a few pages. There was nothing outwardly different about it. Just like before, it was filled with wild, incomprehensible symbols she could not understand at all. She had no idea how Roswaal managed to read it.
But thinking about it, that made sense. He had once been Echidna's disciple. If he was a witch's disciple, then being able to read witch script should be normal.
Rustle...
At that moment, a pair of slender snow-white arms looped around her neck from behind, gently embracing her. The faint fragrance belonging to the other woman drifted into her nose. Silvery strands of hair occasionally brushed against her earlobe, making it itch.
"What are you thinking about? You were spacing out."
Pandora wrapped her arms around her neck from behind, pressing her upper body against the Shogun's back as she leaned into her. Her delicate, bell-like voice whispered by her ear. Perhaps because of her body temperature, the moment she touched her, she felt a faint coolness.
"..."
She came back to herself, feeling Pandora's embrace. Slightly raising her head, she looked at the girl above her, who was likewise lowering her gaze toward her. Every time Pandora looked at her, she carried a serene smile despite her naturally calm temperament.
"...Were you thinking of Mother?"
The other woman asked gently, her voice soft as water.
"...I was only daydreaming."
She slowly shook her head, looking at her black-stockinged feet placed neatly together upon the bed. The toes hidden beneath the sheer stockings lightly tapped against one another in an oddly cute motion. Because of her seated posture, the hem of her skirt had ridden up slightly, revealing the tender white skin above her thigh-high stockings.
As dusk had arrived, golden evening light shone through the window into the room, draping them in a warm veil of gold. Under that light, her paired black-stockinged legs faintly revealed the fair flesh beneath, especially near the toes, where even the outline of her neatly pressed toes could be seen.
She was sitting on the bed with her knees drawn up. Her somewhat girlish ribboned high heels had been neatly removed beside the bed.
"Is that so? Then... I'll keep the Shogun company while you daydream~"
Pandora smiled indulgently, leaning against her back and resting her chin upon her shoulder, cheek pressed lightly against hers.
"...This. Can you read it?"
She raised the Gospel slightly in her hand and casually opened a few pages for Pandora behind her to see.
"Hm? A Gospel?"
Seeing it, Pandora reached a hand past her face and briefly flipped through it while the Shogun held it open.
"I can read it, but... it is better if the Shogun does not understand it~ This is not a healthy thing. Only those who are drawn to it can resonate with it. Otherwise... they will suffer backlash from the Gospel."
Pandora slowly closed the book in her hand and gently advised her.
"Echidna infused her own mana into this book. When the time comes, I only need to hand it to Roswaal."
She explained.
"I see..."
Pandora slowly released the book, then shifted on her knees to sit beside her, watching her obediently. Or rather, accompanying her.
"Soon, we need to evacuate the villagers... Gather everyone inside the Sanctuary ruins, in case the Great Rabbits attack."
She looked at Pandora and spoke softly.
"Mm... The Sanctuary has natural defensive measures. It can delay their assault for a while."
Pandora nodded.
"Do you have any ideas for dealing with the Great Rabbits?"
She asked.
"..."
Pandora did not answer immediately. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and looked at the golden-red sky beyond the window. A trace of thought flickered in her ocean-blue eyes.
"...The Great Rabbits are too numerous, and they reproduce rapidly. Defeating them one by one is absolutely impossible."
Her gaze then returned to the woman before her.
"You mean—"
"Mm. We can only destroy them as a whole. And the Great Rabbits are not without a leader. If we find it and kill it, the entire swarm will collapse."
"...So ideally, gather them all together and wipe them out in one strike?"
"Yes."
The girl nodded.
"How?"
"The Great Rabbits are attracted to Mana. Mana is their primary food source, with living creatures only secondary. If the mana is strong enough, it will override their desire for prey, so..."
Hum~
Pandora drew out the mana crystal that had shattered in the previous loop from inside her clothes and held it before her eyes.
"No!"
She instantly understood its purpose and refused coldly.
"Shogun..."
"No means no. Do you not know what happened to you last time...? Haa... I refuse."
She turned her face away and rejected it again.
"...Shogun."
Pandora did not give up. Instead, she slowly climbed onto her lap and faced her directly.
"...Right now, this is the only viable method."
As she softly persuaded her, she gently caressed her cheek.
"..."
She shot the girl before her a reproachful glance, then turned her face away again like a sulking child.
"Shogun~"
Seeing such an adorable reaction, Pandora buried herself in the other woman's embrace. The softness of her chest pressed against her, leaving her momentarily entranced.
"I just... do not want you to..."
The Shogun did not push her away. Instead, she stroked Pandora's head and spoke in a complicated tone.
"It's alright. Nothing will happen to me. Please listen... The large-scale snowfall Roswaal created is an extremely rare grand spell. Once released, it cannot be stopped. And what exists within the Shogun is not mana, so it cannot attract the Great Rabbits. Therefore... only I can do this. My mana crystal can offset Roswaal's grand magic while releasing a purer and greater amount of mana. Only I can."
"..."
Pandora's voice came from against her chest, carrying only the faintest tremor.
She was not afraid. She was calm.
"Pandora..."
"I'm here."
The girl answered softly when called.
"I do not want those by my side to leave me. You as well. Since you are already this body's elder sister, then do not leave me. I will not allow you to leave me either. Do you understand?"
Their eyes met as Pandora looked up. Within the Shogun's gaze was an unyielding firmness that permitted no refusal. Perhaps it was an order. It held no hostility, yet there was a different kind of cold brilliance within it.
"...Mm. Pandora will not leave the Shogun."
From the moment she brought her back from that snowy mountain, that resolve had already begun to take root in her heart.
Her only support, dependence, and person to rely upon.