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umiscripts2012-01-30 05:42 pm
endlesswitch) wrote in umiscripts2012-01-30 05:42 pm
banquet of the golden witch; chapter 14 (battle to the death in the hall)
Sun, Oct 5 1986 1:00PM
"......Certainly, the body cannot last with nothing more than a small breakfast, but..."
"Of course, we understand. Still, as time passes, it'll get darker and darker. Now is probably the lightest. Now is the most convenient time."
"Only about an hour has passed since Rosa-san was attacked. This is simply too reckless...!"
It was only natural that Natsuhi was yelling about it being reckless.
...Because Rudolf had said that he was going to the mansion to get food.
Certainly, thanks to their fatigue, their hunger was tormenting them.
In the beginning, they could fight their hunger just fine because of their drowsiness. However, now it just made their minds hazy, since it was still only midday and their bodies felt like they were reaching their limits.
The thought of going to the kitchen in the mansion and bringing back some food certainly was attractive.
"I am opposed to this. It may be a little tough, but we definitely shouldn't leave this place."
"......We are fine. But it would pain my heart to keep the children hungry... I must bear my responsibility as a parent."
"D, dear...! Now that Father is dead, you are the Ushiromiya family head. It is not permissible for you to take on such a danger...!"
".........You're right. It's like Natsuhi-san says. Krauss-san, you should remain here as the leader."
"......Then, who will go to the mansion?"
"I think Kyrie and I, and Hideyoshi-san as well, should go. Hideyoshi-san and I are holding guns. They shouldn't be able to lay a hand on us that easily."
"Rosa-san was also holding a gun, but she was attacked. ...Isn't it dangerous?"
"...When I went out to check on Rosa and Maria-chan, I was the only one holding a gun. But I wasn't attacked. ......Maybe they'll be cautious if their opponent is a man."
"Two men. And even two guns. Those two will act as guards, and I'll push the cart with the luggage. I believe the situation will be clearly different from Rosa-san's."
"If yer countin' me as a man, I'd be pleased to help. I don't look it, but my body's in pretty good shape for pushin' a cart. Leave the heavy lifting to me!"
"It'll be alright if the men devote themselves to guarding. There's a folding cart in the servants' room, so using that, I should be able to handle carrying the food. ......Of course, we'll be careful. And if we can succeed in this adventure just once, there won't be any need for us to take risks again."
"............Is there any way I can get you to rethink that? It may be painful for everyone to deal with an empty stomach, ...but even so, we do not know what is happening outside now..."
"We'll take care. ......And Eva's feelin' pretty darn bad right now. We can't let her stay hungry. If her stomach's empty, she can't take her medicine. I have to go out for Eva's sake as well."
"How is Eva?"
"Looks like she's finally gotten to sleep. ...She has a high fever. If we just leave her be for a while..."
"......You can't just stand still when it comes to your wife's health............Understood. I'll give you permission to go outside."
"Then, we'll take a little trip there and back. A speed contest. Canned food is OK, right? You at least have a can opener here, right?"
"Y, yes. We have a can opener and a bottle opener..."
"There's running water in the guesthouse, so we won't need anything to drink. There's ten people's worth, so no complaining."
"Alright! Why don't we dash out and bring it back quickly? There's no time to open umbrellas...!"
"So, Aniki. I'll trust you to look after this place."
"......Take care. ...Under normal circumstances, I would want to go too. ...Being a man, I despise this title of oldest brother that prevents me from lending a hand in an emergency like this."
"This is about the only time we get to show off. Sit back and take it easy every once in a while, Aniki. Alright, Natsuhi-san. Wait here and get some towels ready or something. We aren't using umbrellas, so we'll be soaked to the bone when we get back."
"U, understood. ...Take care."
Rudolf, Kyrie, and Hideyoshi, each leaving their own brave words behind, left the lobby...
Compared to the time Rosa and Maria had gone outside, the winds had picked up once again.
Rudolf's group of three people jogged through the rose garden without umbrellas, holding their guns and a folded cart.
If everything had been still and quiet, without the wind and the rain, they would probably have kept their ears open and moved with caution.
But in this rain, even if some suspicious person was hiding nearby, it would be difficult to notice them.
Because of that, it had been Rudolf's plan to instead dash through the dangerous area.
......If there was a chance that their opponent was equipped with a gun, then walking slowly with their guard up would only make them a target.
It was probably correct to decide on swift action.
".........The rose garden. It feels like we're just askin' to be attacked...!"
"Please, let nobody come out of there..."
Even as Rudolf and Hideyoshi continued to run, they looked around restlessly, vigilant of their surroundings.
Rosa and Maria's deaths had not been caused by a projectile.
......However, it was easy to suspect that the servants had been killed in such a manner.
Will they come flying out of the dark?
Or will they take careful aim and snipe from the shadows?
......Either way, they couldn't relax their tension for even an instant.
But even so, when they reached the overhang in front of the entrance to the mansion and escaped the reach of the raindrops, they felt themselves breathing a sigh of relief.
"No problems for the first part. ......Unlike how it was for Rosa-san. Maybe they can't get their hands on us easily."
"I'd like to believe that. Kyrie, unlock the door while we keep a lookout."
"Sure. Returning home to the mansion with a pair of SP's makes me feel just like an executive."
"Wah-hah-hah-ha. If we had a welcoming party of servants on a red carpet, it'd be perfect."
"A welcoming party, you say......You never know. Be careful."
As the two cautiously surveyed their surroundings, Kyrie unlocked the entrance with the master key she had been given.
"It's open."
"Hideyoshi-san. Could you take the front? I'll keep an eye on the rear."
"Understood. Kyrie-san, try not to move from my shadow. ......Alright, let's break in!"
"Rear guard, understood. Covering...!"
"......Men. You're just playing around in a situation like this, aren't you?"
"Give it up, that's how men are. ......But man, there's still that awful stench."
...It felt like the air in the mansion was stagnant with a gloomy silence.
And on top of that, it was still thick with the stench from Kinzo's burnt corpse in the boiler room, and they were struck with an uncontrollable desire to leave the mansion.
"No problems in the front. Just a short dash to the kitchen."
"Let's finish this quickly and head home. This suit'll get fumigated with Dad's stench."
The three of them dashed towards the kitchen...
And after they disappeared from the entrance hall, ......the new witch showed herself there.
"They were lured out just as planned. ......Just as planned, they got caught in my trap."
The witch grinned.
......Thinking about it now, no matter how unbearable their hunger had grown, barely a few hours had passed since Rosa and Maria had been attacked and had lost their lives.
In that case, why had they needed to recklessly leave the guesthouse...?
Until that question could be dealt with, the only answer was that they had been called out by the witch's magic...
"What reckless people. ......They will never leave this mansion alive. Close yourself, lock. Mansion!"
The instant she proclaimed that...
The mansion was sealed off in a separate world.
......Unless her barrier were to be broken, no longer could anyone exit this mansion, or enter it.
"......Spectacular. To think that even though barely half a day has passed since you succeeded the Endless Witch, you can use magic this well. ......That talent surprises me. It is almost as though you were born a witch."
"Well, I was a witch since the time I was born. ......Who taught you how to blink? That's what using magic is like for me."
".....................A fearsome person."
The witch's face twisted with brutality.
......She just couldn't help looking forward to toying with someone's life again.
"Well then.........Kufufufufufufuhihhihihihihihihyahya! First is Rudolf and Kyrie, but what cruel way should I kill them...?!"
"......If you would excuse me, but Predecessor-sama has left instructions that you are to restrain yourself from committing murders of unnecessary cruelty. And, there is an etiquette for offering the sacrifices from the fourth twilight onwards. For that, you must borrow the power of the Seven Sisters of Purgatory."
"......Oh, really? Now that you mention it, that's right. I could only play as I like with that second twilight. ..............Boring. Just when I thought I could play to my heart's content like I did with Rosa.
......But, that refers to the way they're killed in the end, right?"
"Yes, as you say..."
"So I can just kill them however I want over and over again, revive them, and follow the epitaph the last time I kill them, right?
......So, in the end, no matter how I play, it isn't a problem. ......Who'd act well-behaved with an interesting power like this...?! Kuhhihihihihihihi!"
Her ranting was, for an Endless Witch, an extremely valid argument.
The etiquette deciding the style of killing for the sacrifices of the fourth twilight and onward were represented by things like 'gouge the head'.
However, that referred to the way they died in the end.
In other words, ......in the process leading up to that, she was free to tease and kill them however she wanted.
She just had to keep on reviving them, and follow the rules only when she killed them the final time.
Even while Ronove felt that her innocent cruelty was a fragment of her talent as a witch, he was beginning to notice a naturally brutal side of her.
"......They do say that apprentices are the most brutal of witches, and now I see that may be true. .........Do as you wish, ...is what I would like to say, but here, it may actually be wiser to have prudence. They are holding guns. Weapons with a high anti-magic power, such as guns, are the natural enemies of witches and demons."
The witch stared blankly at this demon butler, who was unexpectedly afraid of guns.
".........That can't be right. Shouldn't witches be able to get by with being shot by a bullet without any trouble?"
"No. It would become a fatal wound, exactly the same as it would for a normal human. ...To prevent that weak point from being noticed, most witches rigorously strengthen their guard with a defense of protective barriers and furniture."
"Do I have any of those protective barrier things?"
"......Constructing a barrier to make even gun bullets ineffective requires much in preparation and ceremonies. I am afraid to say that Beatrice-sama currently has none of those. Furthermore, you are currently ill prepared to summon furniture strong enough to block a bullet."
"So even though I've become a Great Witch with this much magical power, I really do have to be afraid of lead bullets. .........It's annoying, but I don't have a choice. So, in that case, should I call some furniture to act as my arms and legs?"
"Yes. Leaving everything to your servants while not exposing yourself to danger is also a part of a witch's elegant taste. Beatrice-sama, leave this to the furniture and hide in a safe place."
"............I get it. ...Seven Sisters of Purgatory. I don't care who, any two of you...!"
Leviathan and Belphegor responded to that call.
"Leviathan of Envy, right here."
"Belphegor of Sloth, right here."
"Show me your power. Your targets are Rudolf and Kyrie. Not Hideyoshi. ......Come on, show me just how cruel you can be, furniture."
"......My apologies, but we have received an order from the Predecessor-sama to restrain ourselves from unnecessarily cruel actions."
"Bu-t, I think the Predecessor-sama's order gives us some leeway to tease them. Is that appropriate?"
"Hmm. I get it, I'll compromise. ......You can't kill them easily. Thoroughly corner them and let them taste the fear of death before killing them. ......Will that be alright, Ronove?"
"Yes. Considering that level, I do not believe there will be a problem."
"............Then, go!"
""Yes, leave it to us...!""
"Your opponents are armed with guns. ...For those such as yourselves, dodging them should be easy, ...but if you are hit, it will be a fatal wound. Go with an appropriate level of caution."
"Do not worry. We won't expose such a level of incompetence."
The two sisters of the Seven Sisters of Purgatory hid themselves.
After bowing, Ronove also hid himself.
".........There's even rules on how to kill them. .........Why do I have to be constrained by my Predecessor-sama? ............It's so rigid and boring."
As the witch looked up at the portrait of the Predecessor Beatrice hung in the hall, she cursed...
The three people had already arrived at the kitchen, and were gathering food supplies.
Thinking of the possibility that poison had been mixed in, they gave up on the alluring fruits and vegetables, and gathered a whole cardboard box full of only the safe canned foods.
It was very heavy, but by piling it on the cart, they could carry it well enough.
With all of that, there would be plenty for 10 people to hold out until tomorrow's breakfast. That would be enough while they waited for the boat.
The two men were supposed to be devoted to guard duty, but the weight of the load was tough on Kyrie even with the cart.
Hideyoshi, who wanted to show off his power, switched to be the cart-pusher, and Rudolf and his wife took up the task of guard duty.
"With all this, even George and the kids will be full. It'll be a picnic until we get back, let's go...!"
When Hideyoshi vigorously proclaimed their departure, Kyrie frowned, looking as though she was gazing into the distance.
......There was a wall in that direction.
...No, if her gaze could go through that, the hall was beyond it...
".........What is it, Kyrie?"
"...It's vague, .........but I have a bad feeling about this."
Kyrie stopped, narrowing her eyes even further.
".........Women's intuition?"
In times like this, Kyrie's intuition surpassed reason.
...Rudolf believed that intuition.
"Yes. Someone's probably waiting to ambush us. ......I didn't sense them until a short while ago. ...But just now, I felt it. ......Just now someone,
set up an ambush for us・・・・・・・・・."
"......Then, there's no reason we should return the way we came. There's a back door over there, right? Let's leave that way."
Rudolf made to unlock the back door.
When luggage was carried into the kitchen, it never passed through the part of the mansion that the family came and went from.
So outside the back door, there was probably a slope to carry things in. Surely, they would be able to leave through there with the cart.
"......What is this? ...It's stuck. ...Damn, what's going on?"
"Can't you open it?"
"Nope. Is it broken? It isn't giving an inch..."
Rudolf tried various things, using force, then coaxing it, but the lock was as hard as stone, and didn't even budge.
"...Don't stress over it, let's leave through the front entrance. Right now, it'll be even worse if we stand around wasting time."
"........................"
"......Are you saying this is a trap?"
"...I don't know. Be careful."
With strained expressions, the three of them returned to the hall again, and headed for the entrance...
"Wh, ......who is it?!!"
The instant they exited into the hall, Rudolf noticed a suspicious shadow right in front of them and yelled...
In that instant, a storm of gold leaf started blowing, and gold butterflies covered the area with a gold color.
"............I can't believe it. A lowly human predicted our ambush?"
"I, it isn't my fault. I was hiding my presence...!"
"Don't hesitate!! Shoot!!!"
The two guns spouted fire.
The lead bullets blasted right through the magic defense the two had as easily as though it were a wet paper wall, ......but the figures of those two, which should have been there, had disappeared.
Certainly, guns were frightening objects for them.
...But there was no need to fear as long as they weren't hit.
They at least had enough speed to dodge those.
"Wait a sec! You don't even intend to state your names?! This is why I hate humans!"
Leviathan was a full 10 meters from where she had supposedly been, popping her head out from behind the pillars in the shadow of the staircase and protesting.
"Following Beatrice-sama's orders, we are to attack you! Our orders tell us to make it take some time and to tease you. You are free to resist, but know that it is useless...!"
That voice came from overhead.
Belphegor could be seen on top of the hall chandelier.
Elegantly looking down upon them, she proclaimed their execution with a cruel smile.
"......Wh, ......what are these nee-chan's...?!"
"Forget the cart!! We have two opponents, so if we split up, they can't chase all of us!"
All three of them were well acquainted with the inside of the mansion.
In the case of a crisis, they had planned to run off in separate directions, returning to the guesthouse by breaking windows or leaving through a back door.
Fighting was forbidden. ......As long as they could fully escape.
"Hah-hah-ha, in a tight spot, escaping is victory...!"
The three of them escaped into the depths of the mansion at full tilt.
The two furniture calmly watched them go.
"......I'll kill the woman. You take the man!"
"Understood."
The two furniture in the shadows of the pillars and on the chandelier made their figures explode, and, leaving behind only the sound of a hopping beetle knocking against the wall, they pursued their respective targets.
Their speed was overwhelming, and they easily blocked the others' path of retreat.
"............Why don't I watch the skill of this furniture. It'd be nice if they entertained me..."
"Beatrice-sama, I wonder if it is appropriate for you to show yourself unnecessarily..."
"You don't unnecessarily move the king into the center. That's part of a king's, ...a witch's dignity!"
In front of Rudolf, who had boldly tried to escape to the second floor, Belphegor was already standing in the way.
"Resistance, and escape as well, is useless. ......You don't need to think about anything. You can just close your eyes. I'll gently finish everything."
"You might become a good wife. Your husband would be pleased to hear that kind of thing when he comes home tired."
"To think that you're still relaxed enough to speak with such insolence at a time like this...! Beatrice-sama, thank you for such good prey! Die!!!"
Rudolf fired first.
But even before that bullet could hit her, Belphegor had already moved behind Rudolf's back.
She then raised a purple locus springing out from her arm...
However, even before that arm could decapitate Rudolf, unbelievably, Rudolf had swung his gun behind him.
The barrel remained pointing behind his back, from the same motion with which he had reloaded the sawed-off gun one-handedly.
It was pointing right at Belphegor's chest...
*click*, *cha-clunk*...!
It was the sound of the ejected empty cartridge finally hitting the wall after the reload.
In other words, it meant that the next shot was already fully loaded.
Without turning around, his gun pointing right at Belphegor's chest, Rudolf grinned.
".........Not bad............For a middle-aged man...!!"
"Don't look down on the generation that loves western films, right? Brats don't know anything 'bout the refinement of a lever-action."
Just like Rudolf, Kyrie was also confronting a demon stake in the first floor corridor.
"What a moron. You could have just escaped with your husband. You do know that that was your final farewell just now, right...? *giggle*giggle*giggle*!"
"Don't worry. This kind of thing is my husband's specialty. I'm sure he'll come for me on a white horse soon. Because he's never failed to come and save me when I'm in trouble. ......Not even when when Asumu-san was around, you see? Fufu."
"Fuffufufufufufu! What a happy couple. I'm jealous. .........I am Leviathan of Envy...! Envy is itself my power. My anger, my origin!"
"I agree. Envy is the source of a woman's power. ...And if you call something like that power, I won't lose to a girl like you."
"Hahhahahahahahahahaha! Imagine saying that to the one who governs envy! You actually think I'd let you two be reunited...?!! Ahhahahahaha, I'll give you a tragic farewell!!"
The arm Leviathan swung was trailed by a purple locus.
It was a magic blade that cut by the power of malice.
Kyrie guarded herself against that with her gun.
......Even though the magic blade should have cut through the metal like butter, the 'gun', with its extremely high magic resistance power, was able to block the blade as easily as if it were a rolled up newspaper.
Rapidly, two times, three times. It blocked all of them.
And, without missing the opening created when that purple locus took a swing upward, Kyrie kicked Leviathan in the stomach with her heel.
Almost like she was a lightly dancing feather, Leviathan was knocked away.
...Before the demon stake's feet touched ground again...
Kyrie had already perfectly captured Leviathan, who was in midair, down the barrel of her gun.
From midair, the two women who had spoken to each other of envy as a form of power met each other's gaze.
"......C, can you pull it? That trigger...!!"
"You know, I can be pretty brutal when my husband isn't around."
"Owowowowowowow!!"
Rudolf tumbled down the staircase.
He had been gradually chased down by Belphegor, and had been pushed back into the original hall.
".........Predecessor-sama's furniture is pretty good. She's lacking in style, though!"
"Beatrice-sama...! It isn't over yet, and it's dangerous to show yourself...!"
"..................Could you, ......possibly be, Eva?"
"That used to be my name. But it's different now, Rudolf."
"You don't have to tell me. You're going to say you're the Golden Witch, Beatrice, right?"
"Fuffufufufufufu, ahhahahahaha! How did you know?"
"......Since the time Rosa was killed, I had a general idea. .........Rosa, forgive me. Forgive me for sending the sister you hated down to your hell...!!"
"Beatrice-sama, look out!!!"
Rudolf mercilessly pointed the barrel of his gun at the witch who claimed to have once been his sister.
But Belphegor could not permit that, and savagely attacked.
She dashed, disappeared, and headed for Rudolf's back...
...Dodged that shot and again headed for Rudolf's back...
...And hid herself over and over, instantly moving into Rudolf's blind spot.
It was almost like she was a fairy.
As she blinked in and out of vision, Belphegor incessantly drove towards Rudolf.
"Maybe this is kinda fun. Rudolf, let me leisurely watch and see how long your brave efforts last you. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle* *cackle*cackle*!"
At that time, a dull tearing sound was mixed in with Rudolf's cry of anguish.
Rudolf's reaction to the dance of the purple locus which pressed upon him had finally been too slow, and he had let it lightly cut his flank.
A single wound slowed his actions a little.
That caused a new wound, which slowed his actions again.
Belphegor's dance began to swallow Rudolf whole...
Watching Rudolf's body gradually get carved up, his former sister let out a shrill laugh.
Leviathan could no longer hide her irritation that Kyrie hadn't suffered a single fatal wound.
".........I really am a moron. ...Among the Seven Sisters, I was always the slowest to grow. I was always slow, always weak, always stupid.
......That inferiority complex became envy, and when I convert that into power, I gain a strength greater than that of any of the sisters."
"It's important to have a moderate inferiority complex when you're a girl. It teaches women about cosmetics and hard work."
"But I don't like using the limits of my power against mere humans. ......My envy that you are able to completely trust your husband will turn into power.
......I don't like it. Why are you so relaxed when you're fighting for your life?"
"......*giggle*. I wonder?"
"............I get it. You fully believe that your husband will definitely come to rescue you and will save you. .........Isn't it incredible, that trust of yours. It's enough to make me jealous."
What kind of trust did we sisters have for each other?
The sisters are always looking down on each other, trying to thoroughly lambast each other when things already look bad...!
"I've always been bullied by my sisters. I've always wanted just one of them to become my ally. ......So since you have that single ally who is completely trustworthy, I feel the strongest envy...
............Aaah, that expression that fully believes in your husband...! I can feel it giving me power...!! .........I might even surpass that. The speed of sound!!!"
Leviathan turned herself into a stake, and the speed of her flight as she attacked was proportional to the strength of her envy.
"Since the day that my sisters looked down on me. I was jealous from the bottom of my heart of the other six, who grew quickly! I was jealous for seven days and seven nights!! You can see the power I gained as a result from my speed...!! Die, Ushiromiya Kyrieeeeeeeeeeee!!!"
The demon stake exposed her true form, leaping about at a terrible speed.
The noise from her bouncing off the walls sounded like a machine gun.
By now, Kyrie probably couldn't tell whether it was a single stake or a swarm of beetles flying and bouncing around.
Leviathan was certain of a greater than 100% chance of victory from the bottom of her heart...!
Then, Kyrie spoke with an unbelievably calm voice.
".........I was the one who had been going out with Rudolf-san from the very beginning. ......Asumu-san blatantly cut in between us, ...and shrewdly got pregnant.
......I don't blame Rudolf-san. That woman used her body as a weapon to seduce him, and then acted even more repulsively, and cornered Rudolf-san so that he was forced to engage her."
Asumu-san had been carrying Battler-kun.
And at the same time, I was also carrying a boy.
...As fate would have it, our delivery dates were on the same day.
"Then, Asumu-san gave birth to Battler-kun. ...But I had a miscarriage. .........There's something I've thought about. What if Asumu-san had been the one to have a miscarriage, and I had been the one to give birth? ......Would Rudolf-san have broken off his engagement and married me? ......But I couldn't give birth to a child. So until Asumu-san died, and until I got pregnant with Ange, I cursed Asumu-san, and was jealous of her."
Asumu-san should just die.
And then I want him to remarry, with me. In my envy, I kept cursing like that, over and over, until Asumu-san finally died.
I was certain.
I was certain that I had possessed the power of magic, which had become a curse and killed Asumu-san.
But that did not quell the flames of my envy.
Don't tell anyone, alright?
Every time I look at Battler-kun, I remember that woman.
And every time I look at Battler-kun, ...I think that if only my child had been born, he would be the same age.
I am still jealous of her, tormented by her.
Even now, and from now on. In the future, for all eternity.
"You say that you were jealous of your sisters for seven days and seven nights...?"
"Th, ......that's right..."
Don't make me laugh, girl.
".........How could you understand the madness of a woman whose man was stolen from her, and who has burned with envy for 18 years...!!"
"u, ......uuowaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
......Better luck next time, girl."
"Rudolf, what happened to all that vigor from a couple seconds ago? You're supposed to slice up a fish while it's still jumping. After it dies, it isn't interesting anymore. That's enough. Why not kill you now?!"
".........urk, ......damn it......"
"I'm surprised you managed to endure this long after being carved up. ......That's enough. From now on, you don't need to think about anything. I'll steal away your life painlessly...!"
"Wait..., there's a favor I want to ask. In the very end, I want to do one of those..."
"......What do you mean, one of those?"
"One of those things that westerns made famous. That thing where we put our backs together, walk three steps, and then *bang*."
"............Ah, a duel. Very well. If that will satisfy your regrets in this world, I'll accept."
Rudolf moved his wound-covered body, and turned his back to her.
Belphegor responded, and faced her back to his.
...Belphegor had a sense of honesty that was uncommon in a witch's furniture.
"Let me warn you. Even if you press the barrel of your gun between my eyebrows, then even faster than you could pull the trigger and have the bullet reach my skull, I can move instantaneously."
"......I can already feel that throughout my body. ..You are faster than a bullet."
"I have agreed to this out of respect for your courage in challenging me to a duel despite that knowledge. Thank me."
"......You are an honest person. And a good woman. You might just steal my heart away."
"Let's begin. Three steps is alright, correct? .........First, one step."
"......Two steps."
"......Three steps. Is that alright?"
"Yep. ......And, since you still haven't noticed after walking three whole steps, ......it's my victory, girl."
"Whaaat......? ........................Ah......!"
Rudolf turned around and fired a bullet.
......However, Belphegor could easily see through the speed and trajectory of a bullet like that.
It should have been no problem at all to dodge it.
But a spray of fresh blood flew about.
......Belphegor had set up an adequate magical defensive barrier.
But before an incarnation of anti-magic power such as that bullet, it was completely meaningless.
".........What are you doing? Why'd you get hit...?!"
The bullet had hit Belphegor right in the chest.
...The pain from the lead caused her to grimace, as did as the pain from the denial of magic...
"......Forgive me. I'm a coward of a man."
"............Ku, ............u..."
"Wh, ...what a killjoy. To think that someone who is furniture to a witch could be defeated by a human...! Know your shame. Worthless, indecent...! Why don't you just grovel and die?!"
".........Quit it, Aneki. ...This girl could have dodged it. But she didn't.
......She realized that you were in the line of fire, Aneki. So this honest girl took it without dodging, and guarded you. In the very end, she noticed that I was pinning the rook and the king."
Pinning
A pin in chess is a situation where a piece is unable to move because it would expose a more valuable piece otherwise.
An absolute pin is when the pinned piece is defending the king, and it is therefore impossible to move the pinned piece as it would leave the king in check (illegal move).
"S, .........spectacular............"
"Don't take it badly. ...I'd planned to resign if you had noticed it while you were taking those three steps."
"............Those three steps, ...were out of consideration, ...for me, were they...? .........I didn't even try to think about it. ......I, ......was, ...lazy........."
"......You were a good woman. Go to heaven before me and do your makeup. I'll definitely come and talk you up."
As Belphegor slowly fell over, ...she lost even the power that kept her in a human form, and she grew small, like gold dust, and melted into thin air...
At that point, Kyrie dashed in.
It seemed that she had somehow defeated her pursuer with her own hands.
As she pointed the barrel of her gun straight at the witch, she ran up to the wound-covered Rudolf.
"......Are you alright? Were you talking someone up just now?"
"Yep, a good woman. ...No match for you of course. ............Sorry, Aneki. It's checkmate."
The two of them pinned the witch down the barrels of their guns.
"............Worthless furniture. ...To think that they would be beaten by human opponents. ...Worthless. Stupid. ...Boring...!"
"Beatrice-sama, we should retreat from this place. ......There is no furniture or barrier to guard against bullets here."
"Fuffufufu, ......*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!"
The witch began to let out a muffled laugh.
...It surprised not only Rudolf and Kyrie, but Ronove as well.
.........Because a situation like this, with two guns pointed at her, was not one that even a witch could just laugh off.
But the witch laughed with pleasure.
".........Well, it's only natural that it'd be impossible for Predecessor-sama's worn out furniture. ......There's no point unless I have new furniture, suitable for me. I acted out of obligation, ......but I've hated old things from the very beginning."
As she said that, she looked down at Belphegor's remains, which had already finished turning into a pile of gold dust, with disgust.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Be a good girl and put your hands up."
...Then, the witch obediently raised her hands.
But instead of raising her hands because a gun was being pointed a her, it looked more like she was a conductor facing an orchestra, waving her conductor's baton.
"Come, arise, furniture suitable for me...!! Not that cheap furniture, much stronger ones! Cruel ones!! Ahhahahahahahahahahahahyahhyahhya!!!"
"Stop this bizarre act...! I'll pull the trigger..."
In response to the witch's call, the hall was once again buried with the color of gold.
As the brilliantly radiant gold butterflies danced, ...it felt as though they were being sucked into an ocean of gold leaf.
Ronove was shocked at that upsurge in magic power... That was because it far surpassed that of his former master.
As their eyes were dazzled amidst the golden flash, a gunshot could be heard. Either Rudolf or Kyrie had fired a round.
......Then, after the golden flash had subsided, the witch, who was at least cool and composed, could be seen.
The bullet? Hadn't Kyrie fired it into her?
But the witch had not been hit anywhere on her body.
There it is. ...The bullet had been fastened in midair right in front of the witch's chest.
"A, ......a bullet-proof barrier........."
A barrier which took even the predecessor a significant amount of preparation had, in an instant... Ronove's face was still twisted in shock.
And, the surprise did not stop there......
The group of gold butterflies had created two humanoid forms.
......It was a furniture summoning.
The butterflies peeled off and flew away, and beneath them, furniture in the shape of girls showed themselves.
"...............The Siesta Sisters Corps............Even the predecessor, ......wasn't able to summon them on a moment's notice, Pendragon's Memorial Troops, and so easily...!"
"Siesta 410. Right he-re."
"Siesta 45. Right here."
"...You two are suitable furniture for me, right?"
"From reading a picture book out loud, to going on a date, to shooting down meteorites, we'll take care of anything. Nihihi."
"I, if we don't take care of it, Pendragon-sama will get mad at us...! Please, your orders, great Lady Beatrice!"
".........Rudolf-san. Let's escape. These guys are no good......!"
"S, .........sure!"
Kyrie definitely heard warning sirens going off in her head, thanks to the same feeling that had alerted her to the ambush by the Seven Sisters of Purgatory.
Without hesitation, they escaped.
As the witch elegantly watched them leave, she ordered her new furniture.
"...This is an order. Kill the two who ran away. Then bring the corpses back here. Then I'll bring them back to life, and play with them over and over. ...*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!!"
The witch's expression was twisted with an evil smile.
Even though she feared that expression, Lucifer appeared and spoke.
"M, ...my apologies. ...The Predecessor-sama said to avoid brutal actions of that type..."
When the witch stared at her with those terrifying eyes, Lucifer was struck dumb.
...It was unsatisfying.
It was so boring, not being able to let her own power and her own cruelty run wild.
......And this furniture of the predecessor, who was telling her to act with prudence, gloomily bore the brunt of her dissatisfaction.
"Oh, it's Lucifer of Pride. Long time no see nyeh, how ya doin'? Let's play together again sometime. Nihhihihihihihi!"
"F, 410, you mustn't whisper, you'll get in trouble...! Let us carry out the great Lady Beatrice's order at once...!"
"Nihi. Well, we are on the job right now nyeh. .....410, roger. Sniping Pursuit Combat Setup."
"Terrain Data Accumulation, Firing Use Data Accumulation. Data Link with 410."
"410, Data Received. Target Lock Acquired. Terrain Calculation Error Correction. Firing Curve Formation, Control Point Capture Completed. Data Link to 45."
"45, Data Received. Checking Danger Area, ......ah, that's no good!"
"You're in the way behind us, Lucifer-chan, you'll get roasted in the backfire, right? Nihi!"
".........Ooh..."
The Siesta sisters, through their mutual measurements, were able to instantly calculate the terrain inside the mansion and the coordinates of their targets, as well as a firing curve to reach them.
...Yes, their shots could be guided to draw a curved line.
No one would be able to escape it.
The precision guidance ability of the Seven Sisters of Purgatory was nothing more than a cheap version of the ability these two held.
"45, Firing Preparations Concluded. Ammo Type Selection, Loading."
As the two of them faced each other. And as though they were both pulling back a bowstring together.
...There, a dazzling gold arrow was readied.
"410, nihi. Firing."
After they proclaimed that they were firing, together, they released a single arrow.
As the curve taken by the gold-sparkling snake of light drew a locus, it followed the direction that Rudolf and Kyrie had escaped to in rapid pursuit.
It turned through the corridors, crawled over the floor, chasing them as it drew a beautiful curve.
No one could block the guided shots of the Siesta Sisters.
No one could escape them.
And their strength could pierce all physical and magical defenses.
......It was quite a merciless guided weapon of certain death.
However, among mythical-class soldiers, it was a weapon used by pretty much everyone.
It was very commonplace for them, ...and very extraordinary for those of the everyday world.
"Wh, what the...!?"
When he noticed something rapidly chasing them, and turned around...
Rudolf was shot straight through where his heart was located by the gold snake. It all happened in an instant.
"R, Rudolf-san......?!"
After the gold snake pierced Rudolf, it swooped down to the floor, drawing a beautiful spiral, coiled itself around Kyrie's legs, and crawled up to her chest.
And just like Rudolf, it shot straight through the location of her heart.
...And all of that happened in an instant.
It pierced Rudolf, and pierced Kyrie.
So they died at almost the same time, dropped to their knees at the same time, and fell over at the same time.
"......What's thiiis? So overwhelming, ahhahahahahahahahahahahaha! Ridiculously easy, isn't it. Kuhhihihyahyahyahyahya! This is the kind of furniture I need. Way different from Predecessor-sama's second-hand furniture!
Come on, bring their corpses here. I'll keep reviving them until I'm bored, and try killing them in as brutal a way as I can think of. Aaah, to think that being a witch could be so much fun, that taking a life could be so much fun, ahhahahahahahahahahahaha!"
......From the time they are born, the most shunned action for humans to take is murder of another human.
It's only natural that a human couldn't understand how pleasurable it was to break this taboo.
......But she was no longer a human.
She was a witch.
...And there were some pleasures that only witches could understand.
By now, she had tasted those pleasures, and was totally immersed in them.
...After learning that the contents of the forbidden pot were honey, she could no longer live without it.
......No, maybe the contents were honey because they were forbidden.
Anyways, by killing humans gruesomely, and doing it over and over, she could feel the drug-like pleasure even now.
As the witch rolled over laughing, the gold snake which had just been shot returned as though being pulled back.
At the tips, two people were pinned and dragged along.
The witch's order had been fulfilled.
...Rudolf and Kyrie had been killed instantly, and their corpses had been carried back.
"Siesta 45, 410, execution of orders completed. We await your next order, great Lady Beatrice. Please, your order...!"
"From babysitting, to being your opponent in an online game, to shooting down a space shuttle, we'll take care of everything. Nihihi!"
".........It looks like these two are the sacrifices from the fourth twilight and the fifth twilight. So in the end, I need those worthless Seven Sisters, ...oh, aren't they the Five Sisters now? I need those guys to pierce and gouge the forehead and the chest.
......But I can do that at the very end, and I'm free to play in any way until then, right? Uffufufufufufufufufufu!"
"Wait wait wait waait. ...Have you already forgotten what I've told you?!"
"Oh, it's you, Predecessor-sama. Do you have any complaints?"
"Of course I do...! You are doing as you please, are you not?! Why can't you follow my directions?!"
"What's wrong with doing as I please, Predecessor-sama? And I don't feel like deviating from the rules of the ceremony in the slightest.
I'll definitely clean these two corpses up later, and drive stakes into their forehead and chest."
"I'm telling you, that is not the problem...! If you act so undignified and cruel, ...umm, some people might take it badly..."
"..............................You mean, your opponent in that game, who I heard you were fighting with somewhere? Ronove told me."
"......D, damn that blabbermouth. .........Well, to be perfectly honest, that's how it is. If you go a little too far, umm, ...that person will object, you see?"
"It's not like there's any need for them to tell you to pass it on instead of objecting directly. ...That coward."
".........Well, that person is a resident of a different world from this one. There's no choice but to use me as an intermediary. Well, that's beside the point but-"
"........................Which means that this person can't interact with me even if they want to. And I can't interact with them even if I want to either. Should I view this as an unrelated person from a world so far away?"
"H, hmm. ......For example, perhaps you could say these worlds are like very close parallel lines. The worlds are very nearby, but because they are parallel lines, they will never cross. For the time being, you may view that world in such a manner."
"They never cross. Which means, ............that world has nothing to do with me. ...If you're telling me to be prudent because you are speaking for that person, please pass this message on to them."
"Tell that person? What should I say...?"
"It's none of your business, so disappear, granny. Why don't you just give up and die...?"
"...............Whaa..."
"...Oh, I'm sorry. Since it was a friend of yours, I just imagined that she'd be a woman. By 'granny', I'm definitely not talking about you, Predecessor-sama, so please forgive me. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*...!"
When she spoke, the witch was looking straight into Beato's eyes.
...Anyone in that place would be able to figure it out just by looking.
"............Predecessor-sama. There is something I find very strange. ...Why do you have to play a game with someone from another world, and have him accept that you are a witch?"
"Well, about that, ...that is because making all humans accept the existence of witches is related to perfect control. There was a single holdout, and he just won't accept me as a witch."
".........Why is it that you need the approval of a human? Witches are witches, and can use magic, so why do we need to be accepted by humans?"
"...Mu, .........well, like I said earlier, that which is called magic is..."
"I am a witch. I can use magic without anyone's approval in particular, so what's your point......?"
"In this world, right? However, since that person will not accept it, umm, ...umumu, how should I explain it..."
"......I don't need an explanation. After all, isn't this all about a different world that never crosses this one? In other words, it's just as though that world doesn't exist.
............Whether you're fighting in a game in another world, or talking about your delusions, that doesn't change a-nything. ......I'll say it again. It has nothing to do with me. And, I am already a witch."
"Predecessor-sama, somehow or another, it seems that you can't become a witch as long as this person doesn't accept you, but I'm different. Even though no one has accepted me, I am already an excellent witch. .........Since you are my predecessor, I will formally pay you respect, but that is out of good will, not out of duty.
......I won't ask for your advice anymore, because I clearly know what I should do and how I should play from now on.
.........So I will carry out the murder of 13 people as a final act of respect for you. However, there is absolutely no reason for you to interfere with the methods I use, and what I do after that. ...............Therefore, I'll be counting on you in that regard."
At a glance, those words seemed obedient, but they contained within them a clear distinction.
...She was no longer under Beato's care for anything.
So she was clearly saying nothing more than 'Don't get in the way of my fun'.
Beato understood that, ...and was dejected, realizing that no matter how she explained it, she wouldn't be able to make the witch understand.
"...I, ............I see... Then it is no longer my problem... Go and learn with your own body how magic ceases to exist when you lose your feelings of respect for it."
"......I wish you would tell me how that carefree rampage of yours up until now can be called respect."
After hearing that, Beato could not respond.
......Because she remembered hearing exactly the same thing from her teacher.
"So. Siesta Sisters? See off my predecessor on her way back."
"Nihihihihi. Predecessor-sama, please retire from this place."
"I, if you don't, we'll be scolded...!"
Throughout her body, Beato felt something that couldn't be seen by the Siesta Sisters' eyes, which could only be described as an oppressive feeling.
......Most likely, they were initiating firing calculations.
It was an action much like taking out a gun and cocking it.
Even Beato could not escape from the Siesta Sisters' attack without any preparation.
...In the past, she had placed her greatest trust in them, so she knew how terrifying they were down to her very soul.
".........Predecessor-sama, if you would retire. .........I would not recommend damaging Beatrice-sama's mood any further."
"......Predecessor-sama..."
"I, .........I understand. ...I shall leave for now. ......I shall slowly appreciate the circumstances you will put yourself in!"
That was almost a sharp parting remark.
...So after Beato hid herself, the witch and her furniture fell over laughing...
"............Well, I understand. Endless power is fun. ...The joy of freely toying with an extremely limited life cannot be explained to those who have not tasted it. ......I can understand the feeling of being possessed with a pleasure similar to drugs."
"......It must have been quite fun. Judging from your antics in the past."
"Are you saying it is like how you used to admonish me in the past, Teacher, and I did not listen...?"
".........Why is it that you have started trying to scold that child's actions?"
"Mu, ......umm, well.................."
"...This is a single large difference between you and that child. That child may already be a witch. Of course, you are also a witch. In the world on top of the game board.
......However, to be accepted as a witch outside the game board, you need to have your opponent in this game, Battler-kun, accept you. ......You must have understood that when you started the game."
"......I thought that if I could show off a whirlwind of proof that I am a witch, blow away his feelings that made him deny me, and make him surrender, .........he would accept me as a witch. ...It all went my way last time, so I thought I was just a breath away..."
"It's actually the opposite. Battler-kun was shocked by your brutality. And he did not step up to the plate as a game opponent simply because he accepted you as an equal opponent. It was based on a strong animosity, as he tried to completely deny the existence of a brutal witch."
".........In your foolishness, you probably felt that Battler-kun's self-awareness as your opponent was a first step towards making him accept that you are a witch. However, it was actually the opposite."
"Battler-kun challenged you in this game because he definitely wouldn't accept you as a witch. ......No matter how much the thoughtless north wind blew, the traveler only wore his cloak even tighter. You were committing a huge error from the very beginning."
"............This game is not torture to make Battler-kun surrender. It is a test, in which you must try to make Battler-kun accept you."
"...............Uu, ......I've vaguely, ...noticed that..."
"Last time, it was a tough game for Battler-kun. But it seems that you've already noticed. ......This time, the game is tough for you."
"Wh, ...what should I do from now on?"
"Think about it yourself. ......Fortunately, you have already given up your pieces on the game board to the new witch. You should have time to deliberately ponder upon yourself."
"............Isn't Battler's soul already hostile towards me? He won't accept witches, so he won't accept me. ......In that case, what can I do so that Battler will accept me...? Are you saying that if the north wind doesn't work, ...then I should shine on him as the sun from now on...? I should, after all this time......?"
"It is October now. The Halloween season. .........It is the month of rebirth, when the sun dies and is revived again. When the sun is weak right after reviving, it may not reach far through the cold winter winds.
However, it slowly grows, and is eventually able to hail the coming of spring. ...At that time, the traveler may even fold up his cloak."
".........Are you saying, ......that I am mistaken.........?"
...The beautiful hall of the Ushiromiya mansion was covered with a golden sparkle like gold leaf, ...and stained deep red with thick spurts of blood.
The number of deaths given to Rudolf and Kyrie had long surpassed anything you could count on both your fingers and your toes.
The witch was breathing so hard her shoulders shook, but it wasn't because she was tired.
...She just couldn't hide her ragged breaths caused by her still uncontainable excitement.
"Ahhahahahahahahahahahhahahahaha!! How fun it is to do as I will with the life and death of people! Before the power of the Endless Witch, the endless everything I paint with my mind becomes reality! No matter how sloppily I mash them, I can revive them, returning them to normal with just a snap of my fingers. Because in the end, I just have to return the corpses to normal and follow the epitaph like it's an excuse. Ahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!
......Hey, you guys, have you ever sliced a stuffed animal's stomach open?"
"Never, nihi. What about you, 45?"
"N, no...! I have never done it, my apologies...!"
"That's understandable. Normally, you wouldn't. Especially not if it was a stuffed animal you liked. But I've always thought about it.
I always thought about peeking in, and seeing what was packed inside this fluffy stuffed animal that I loved."
If you cut it and looked inside, your curiosity might be quelled, but the stuffed animal would be broken.
......So even though you want to see, you can't.
You understand that feeling, right?
"......The power of the Endless Witch can truly grant that wish. ...As I am now, I can slice the stuffed animal all I want.
......And yet, with a bit of magic, I can return it to normal and revive it. ...In other words, it means that I have broken all limitations in this world. ......As I am now, I don't have to hesitate or give up an idea or anything.
That joy, ......aah, there's probably no one who can understand it. No one other than me, the Golden Witch!!"
As the witch let out a mad war cry, she revived Rudolf and Kyrie again, and faster than they could realize it, she killed them right away.
......As she made it known that something other than cotton was stuffed inside those two.
"...Q, ............quit it, Eva......!"
"Huh? ......Ah, you. You're here."
In the tragic hall, Hideyoshi showed himself, his gun readied.
The witch had sealed the mansion with a barrier, so Hideyoshi had nowhere to run.
...He had probably picked up Rudolf's or Kyrie's gun, and come back.
It seemed that the gun, which should have been something to be feared, was no longer an object she took seriously now that she was overflowing with magic power.
Her bold expression didn't flinch in the slightest.
".........Why, did ya have to kill Rosa-san and Maria-chan, ......and Rudolf-kun and Kyrie-san......?!"
"Huh? I am the head of the Ushiromiya family, the witch of Rokkenjima. Everything that occurs on this island is all up to me. ...Just isolating this one instant and asking about their life and death is meaningless to me."
"......After findin' Father's gold, .........ya went mad...! Just how high was that gold piled? I can't even guess. It must have been enough to make ya lose yer sanity...
......Still, if there was that much gold, ......why didn't ya think of graciously splittin' it up...?!!"
"You misunderstand. ............All of that belongs to the Golden Witch. No one is qualified to touch it except for me. *giggle*giggle*giggle*, ahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...!!"
"......What are ya? Are ya going to say that yer, ......the Eva of her youth that was a witch, which she told me about long ago?"
"That's right. I am the youth me, who was always living in the heart of your wife, Ushiromiya Eva. ...And I'm a witch. .........Eva became an adult by forgetting me. So she can't use magic."
"...When they're children, anyone's head might be filled with innocent yet cruel delusions sometimes. When I was young, I'd sometimes go around steppin' on ants and pullin' the wings off dragonflies. .........However, I learned the importance of life, and graduated from that cruel childhood age.
"......Right now, ya really are a child! ...A personality that Eva should have graduated from! That isn't Eva. It's a different human!!"
"That's right. I am not Ushiromiya Eva. I'm the Golden Witch, Beatrice. It's so fun, not being bounded by any limitations, and the pleasure of being able to do as I will with life and death is truly wonderful...! I don't have to apologize for breaking the goldfish bowl, and I can tear the stuffed animal as much as I want! I-"
There was a dry sound.
...It was the sound of Hideyoshi slapping the witch's face.
By looking at the hall stained deep red with fresh blood, he should have been able to imagine how terrible the witch was.
But without fear, without even hesitating, Hideyoshi had walked determinedly up to her, and hit her on the cheek.
"....................."
"You fool!! Don't act like yer cruel, not when yer really a coward and a weakling! I'll have to correct it again, that evil nature of yers!! You fool! Fool!!"
"Ow, ......ouch, ...hey...!"
"Weren't ya a woman who understood how important, how fragile a life is?! I'll make ya remember...!! What do ya mean by 'witch', ya stupid fool!! Yer my wife, Ushiromiya Eva! A witch of the kitchen, who can considerately make snacks out of leftovers in the refrigerator every once in a while, is as much as I can handle!! Won't ya open yer eyes, you fool...!!"
"Didn't I just say, ...that I'm not Ushiromiya Eva......?!"
"You stupid fool!! You! You!!"
As tears dripped down his face, Hideyoshi kept hitting the witch's head.
He wasn't even pointing the gun at her anymore.
Therefore.
That sound of gunfire couldn't have come from the gun Hideyoshi was holding.
......The gun, which had fallen in the corner near Rudolf's corpse, floated into the air, ...and smoke lingered near the barrel.
And the bullet?
.........A red stain was slowly spreading across the chest of Hideyoshi's vest.
Even though his back was facing the barrel of the gun, ...the bullet had been driven into Hideyoshi's chest.
".........E, ...va........................uu..."
"...Like I said, I'm not Eva. What a stupid, annoying man. ......You're a pain, so I'll switch the sacrifice of the sixth twilight to you. ...And if you had just hidden under a bed shaking or something, I had planned to let you go. ......You went to all the trouble of coming back. You really are a stupid man."
*thunk*... There was a dull sound as Hideyoshi fell to the floor.
Even though he would have been able to escape that pain when he died, he resisted until the last second, and staring straight into the witch's eyes, ...he passed away.
Because he had died without closing his eyes, the witch didn't realize that he was dead for a short while, and remained pinned down by that gaze.
"Will we make this one a new toy and play? Nihi."
At those words, the witch finally realized that Hideyoshi was dead.
".........Nn, ...yeah. ...Right, what'll we do..."
The Siesta Sisters waited for instructions.
On the inside, they imagined an order even more brutal than before from their master.
But the expression that rose to the witch's face looked as though she had gotten over her excitement.
She looked down at Hideyoshi's face, which still had tears dripping down it...
"......It's such a killjoy, and it's all this guy's fault. I'm a-ll done. .........Ronove, are you there?"
"Yes, right here."
"Clean up the rest please. ...The Predecessor-sama will be annoying. Please make it clean enough so that that granny will accept it. ......I'll follow the rules of the ceremony more or less, out of responsibility to my Predecessor-sama. Please make these three corpses the fourth twilight through the sixth twilight. Lucifer, it's your turn."
"Lucifer of Pride, right here."
"Dig into these three corpses and gouge them."
"I, ...in the corpses?"
"That's right. You have a problem with that?"
"N, ...no..."
The Seven Sisters of Purgatory had a modest sense of pride.
It was the pride of a hunter, the pride of gouging prey that they had brought down themselves.
...However, being told to gouge a corpse that someone else had brought down ran contrary to that feeling.
Of course, that was not the witch's intention, but for the Seven Sisters, it was horribly humiliating.
...However, they had already messed up, with two of the sisters defeated, so they had no right to question her.
Only Ronove appreciated that, and he rested his hand on her shoulder in understanding.
"......It is Beatrice-sama's order. Lucifer, carry the three, and deal with them according to the etiquette of the ceremony. Then, when you are done, lend me a hand with the cleanup."
"Certainly......"
The witch looked down upon Hideyoshi's corpse, as though implying that the now delicate atmosphere was all Hideyoshi's fault.
".........Stupid man. And you didn't even have to die."
"Dear......!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!! Dear, where are you?! You're there, right? Answer me!!"
The sound of a loud thunderbolt woke Eva from her nightmare.
If Hideyoshi had been gripping her hand at that time, her fearful heart would probably have been instantly healed.
However, Hideyoshi, who had supposedly sworn that he wouldn't leave even for a moment, was nowhere to be seen in the room.
"Dear, ...answer me..., .........dear...!! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!"
"......Certainly, the body cannot last with nothing more than a small breakfast, but..."
"Of course, we understand. Still, as time passes, it'll get darker and darker. Now is probably the lightest. Now is the most convenient time."
"Only about an hour has passed since Rosa-san was attacked. This is simply too reckless...!"
It was only natural that Natsuhi was yelling about it being reckless.
...Because Rudolf had said that he was going to the mansion to get food.
Certainly, thanks to their fatigue, their hunger was tormenting them.
In the beginning, they could fight their hunger just fine because of their drowsiness. However, now it just made their minds hazy, since it was still only midday and their bodies felt like they were reaching their limits.
The thought of going to the kitchen in the mansion and bringing back some food certainly was attractive.
"I am opposed to this. It may be a little tough, but we definitely shouldn't leave this place."
"......We are fine. But it would pain my heart to keep the children hungry... I must bear my responsibility as a parent."
"D, dear...! Now that Father is dead, you are the Ushiromiya family head. It is not permissible for you to take on such a danger...!"
".........You're right. It's like Natsuhi-san says. Krauss-san, you should remain here as the leader."
"......Then, who will go to the mansion?"
"I think Kyrie and I, and Hideyoshi-san as well, should go. Hideyoshi-san and I are holding guns. They shouldn't be able to lay a hand on us that easily."
"Rosa-san was also holding a gun, but she was attacked. ...Isn't it dangerous?"
"...When I went out to check on Rosa and Maria-chan, I was the only one holding a gun. But I wasn't attacked. ......Maybe they'll be cautious if their opponent is a man."
"Two men. And even two guns. Those two will act as guards, and I'll push the cart with the luggage. I believe the situation will be clearly different from Rosa-san's."
"If yer countin' me as a man, I'd be pleased to help. I don't look it, but my body's in pretty good shape for pushin' a cart. Leave the heavy lifting to me!"
"It'll be alright if the men devote themselves to guarding. There's a folding cart in the servants' room, so using that, I should be able to handle carrying the food. ......Of course, we'll be careful. And if we can succeed in this adventure just once, there won't be any need for us to take risks again."
"............Is there any way I can get you to rethink that? It may be painful for everyone to deal with an empty stomach, ...but even so, we do not know what is happening outside now..."
"We'll take care. ......And Eva's feelin' pretty darn bad right now. We can't let her stay hungry. If her stomach's empty, she can't take her medicine. I have to go out for Eva's sake as well."
"How is Eva?"
"Looks like she's finally gotten to sleep. ...She has a high fever. If we just leave her be for a while..."
"......You can't just stand still when it comes to your wife's health............Understood. I'll give you permission to go outside."
"Then, we'll take a little trip there and back. A speed contest. Canned food is OK, right? You at least have a can opener here, right?"
"Y, yes. We have a can opener and a bottle opener..."
"There's running water in the guesthouse, so we won't need anything to drink. There's ten people's worth, so no complaining."
"Alright! Why don't we dash out and bring it back quickly? There's no time to open umbrellas...!"
"So, Aniki. I'll trust you to look after this place."
"......Take care. ...Under normal circumstances, I would want to go too. ...Being a man, I despise this title of oldest brother that prevents me from lending a hand in an emergency like this."
"This is about the only time we get to show off. Sit back and take it easy every once in a while, Aniki. Alright, Natsuhi-san. Wait here and get some towels ready or something. We aren't using umbrellas, so we'll be soaked to the bone when we get back."
"U, understood. ...Take care."
Rudolf, Kyrie, and Hideyoshi, each leaving their own brave words behind, left the lobby...
Compared to the time Rosa and Maria had gone outside, the winds had picked up once again.
Rudolf's group of three people jogged through the rose garden without umbrellas, holding their guns and a folded cart.
If everything had been still and quiet, without the wind and the rain, they would probably have kept their ears open and moved with caution.
But in this rain, even if some suspicious person was hiding nearby, it would be difficult to notice them.
Because of that, it had been Rudolf's plan to instead dash through the dangerous area.
......If there was a chance that their opponent was equipped with a gun, then walking slowly with their guard up would only make them a target.
It was probably correct to decide on swift action.
".........The rose garden. It feels like we're just askin' to be attacked...!"
"Please, let nobody come out of there..."
Even as Rudolf and Hideyoshi continued to run, they looked around restlessly, vigilant of their surroundings.
Rosa and Maria's deaths had not been caused by a projectile.
......However, it was easy to suspect that the servants had been killed in such a manner.
Will they come flying out of the dark?
Or will they take careful aim and snipe from the shadows?
......Either way, they couldn't relax their tension for even an instant.
But even so, when they reached the overhang in front of the entrance to the mansion and escaped the reach of the raindrops, they felt themselves breathing a sigh of relief.
"No problems for the first part. ......Unlike how it was for Rosa-san. Maybe they can't get their hands on us easily."
"I'd like to believe that. Kyrie, unlock the door while we keep a lookout."
"Sure. Returning home to the mansion with a pair of SP's makes me feel just like an executive."
"Wah-hah-hah-ha. If we had a welcoming party of servants on a red carpet, it'd be perfect."
"A welcoming party, you say......You never know. Be careful."
As the two cautiously surveyed their surroundings, Kyrie unlocked the entrance with the master key she had been given.
"It's open."
"Hideyoshi-san. Could you take the front? I'll keep an eye on the rear."
"Understood. Kyrie-san, try not to move from my shadow. ......Alright, let's break in!"
"Rear guard, understood. Covering...!"
"......Men. You're just playing around in a situation like this, aren't you?"
"Give it up, that's how men are. ......But man, there's still that awful stench."
...It felt like the air in the mansion was stagnant with a gloomy silence.
And on top of that, it was still thick with the stench from Kinzo's burnt corpse in the boiler room, and they were struck with an uncontrollable desire to leave the mansion.
"No problems in the front. Just a short dash to the kitchen."
"Let's finish this quickly and head home. This suit'll get fumigated with Dad's stench."
The three of them dashed towards the kitchen...
And after they disappeared from the entrance hall, ......the new witch showed herself there.
"They were lured out just as planned. ......Just as planned, they got caught in my trap."
The witch grinned.
......Thinking about it now, no matter how unbearable their hunger had grown, barely a few hours had passed since Rosa and Maria had been attacked and had lost their lives.
In that case, why had they needed to recklessly leave the guesthouse...?
Until that question could be dealt with, the only answer was that they had been called out by the witch's magic...
"What reckless people. ......They will never leave this mansion alive. Close yourself, lock. Mansion!"
The instant she proclaimed that...
The mansion was sealed off in a separate world.
......Unless her barrier were to be broken, no longer could anyone exit this mansion, or enter it.
"......Spectacular. To think that even though barely half a day has passed since you succeeded the Endless Witch, you can use magic this well. ......That talent surprises me. It is almost as though you were born a witch."
"Well, I was a witch since the time I was born. ......Who taught you how to blink? That's what using magic is like for me."
".....................A fearsome person."
The witch's face twisted with brutality.
......She just couldn't help looking forward to toying with someone's life again.
"Well then.........Kufufufufufufuhihhihihihihihihyahya! First is Rudolf and Kyrie, but what cruel way should I kill them...?!"
"......If you would excuse me, but Predecessor-sama has left instructions that you are to restrain yourself from committing murders of unnecessary cruelty. And, there is an etiquette for offering the sacrifices from the fourth twilight onwards. For that, you must borrow the power of the Seven Sisters of Purgatory."
"......Oh, really? Now that you mention it, that's right. I could only play as I like with that second twilight. ..............Boring. Just when I thought I could play to my heart's content like I did with Rosa.
......But, that refers to the way they're killed in the end, right?"
"Yes, as you say..."
"So I can just kill them however I want over and over again, revive them, and follow the epitaph the last time I kill them, right?
......So, in the end, no matter how I play, it isn't a problem. ......Who'd act well-behaved with an interesting power like this...?! Kuhhihihihihihihi!"
Her ranting was, for an Endless Witch, an extremely valid argument.
The etiquette deciding the style of killing for the sacrifices of the fourth twilight and onward were represented by things like 'gouge the head'.
However, that referred to the way they died in the end.
In other words, ......in the process leading up to that, she was free to tease and kill them however she wanted.
She just had to keep on reviving them, and follow the rules only when she killed them the final time.
Even while Ronove felt that her innocent cruelty was a fragment of her talent as a witch, he was beginning to notice a naturally brutal side of her.
"......They do say that apprentices are the most brutal of witches, and now I see that may be true. .........Do as you wish, ...is what I would like to say, but here, it may actually be wiser to have prudence. They are holding guns. Weapons with a high anti-magic power, such as guns, are the natural enemies of witches and demons."
The witch stared blankly at this demon butler, who was unexpectedly afraid of guns.
".........That can't be right. Shouldn't witches be able to get by with being shot by a bullet without any trouble?"
"No. It would become a fatal wound, exactly the same as it would for a normal human. ...To prevent that weak point from being noticed, most witches rigorously strengthen their guard with a defense of protective barriers and furniture."
"Do I have any of those protective barrier things?"
"......Constructing a barrier to make even gun bullets ineffective requires much in preparation and ceremonies. I am afraid to say that Beatrice-sama currently has none of those. Furthermore, you are currently ill prepared to summon furniture strong enough to block a bullet."
"So even though I've become a Great Witch with this much magical power, I really do have to be afraid of lead bullets. .........It's annoying, but I don't have a choice. So, in that case, should I call some furniture to act as my arms and legs?"
"Yes. Leaving everything to your servants while not exposing yourself to danger is also a part of a witch's elegant taste. Beatrice-sama, leave this to the furniture and hide in a safe place."
"............I get it. ...Seven Sisters of Purgatory. I don't care who, any two of you...!"
Leviathan and Belphegor responded to that call.
"Leviathan of Envy, right here."
"Belphegor of Sloth, right here."
"Show me your power. Your targets are Rudolf and Kyrie. Not Hideyoshi. ......Come on, show me just how cruel you can be, furniture."
"......My apologies, but we have received an order from the Predecessor-sama to restrain ourselves from unnecessarily cruel actions."
"Bu-t, I think the Predecessor-sama's order gives us some leeway to tease them. Is that appropriate?"
"Hmm. I get it, I'll compromise. ......You can't kill them easily. Thoroughly corner them and let them taste the fear of death before killing them. ......Will that be alright, Ronove?"
"Yes. Considering that level, I do not believe there will be a problem."
"............Then, go!"
""Yes, leave it to us...!""
"Your opponents are armed with guns. ...For those such as yourselves, dodging them should be easy, ...but if you are hit, it will be a fatal wound. Go with an appropriate level of caution."
"Do not worry. We won't expose such a level of incompetence."
The two sisters of the Seven Sisters of Purgatory hid themselves.
After bowing, Ronove also hid himself.
".........There's even rules on how to kill them. .........Why do I have to be constrained by my Predecessor-sama? ............It's so rigid and boring."
As the witch looked up at the portrait of the Predecessor Beatrice hung in the hall, she cursed...
The three people had already arrived at the kitchen, and were gathering food supplies.
Thinking of the possibility that poison had been mixed in, they gave up on the alluring fruits and vegetables, and gathered a whole cardboard box full of only the safe canned foods.
It was very heavy, but by piling it on the cart, they could carry it well enough.
With all of that, there would be plenty for 10 people to hold out until tomorrow's breakfast. That would be enough while they waited for the boat.
The two men were supposed to be devoted to guard duty, but the weight of the load was tough on Kyrie even with the cart.
Hideyoshi, who wanted to show off his power, switched to be the cart-pusher, and Rudolf and his wife took up the task of guard duty.
"With all this, even George and the kids will be full. It'll be a picnic until we get back, let's go...!"
When Hideyoshi vigorously proclaimed their departure, Kyrie frowned, looking as though she was gazing into the distance.
......There was a wall in that direction.
...No, if her gaze could go through that, the hall was beyond it...
".........What is it, Kyrie?"
"...It's vague, .........but I have a bad feeling about this."
Kyrie stopped, narrowing her eyes even further.
".........Women's intuition?"
In times like this, Kyrie's intuition surpassed reason.
...Rudolf believed that intuition.
"Yes. Someone's probably waiting to ambush us. ......I didn't sense them until a short while ago. ...But just now, I felt it. ......Just now someone,
set up an ambush for us・・・・・・・・・."
"......Then, there's no reason we should return the way we came. There's a back door over there, right? Let's leave that way."
Rudolf made to unlock the back door.
When luggage was carried into the kitchen, it never passed through the part of the mansion that the family came and went from.
So outside the back door, there was probably a slope to carry things in. Surely, they would be able to leave through there with the cart.
"......What is this? ...It's stuck. ...Damn, what's going on?"
"Can't you open it?"
"Nope. Is it broken? It isn't giving an inch..."
Rudolf tried various things, using force, then coaxing it, but the lock was as hard as stone, and didn't even budge.
"...Don't stress over it, let's leave through the front entrance. Right now, it'll be even worse if we stand around wasting time."
"........................"
"......Are you saying this is a trap?"
"...I don't know. Be careful."
With strained expressions, the three of them returned to the hall again, and headed for the entrance...
"Wh, ......who is it?!!"
The instant they exited into the hall, Rudolf noticed a suspicious shadow right in front of them and yelled...
In that instant, a storm of gold leaf started blowing, and gold butterflies covered the area with a gold color.
"............I can't believe it. A lowly human predicted our ambush?"
"I, it isn't my fault. I was hiding my presence...!"
"Don't hesitate!! Shoot!!!"
The two guns spouted fire.
The lead bullets blasted right through the magic defense the two had as easily as though it were a wet paper wall, ......but the figures of those two, which should have been there, had disappeared.
Certainly, guns were frightening objects for them.
...But there was no need to fear as long as they weren't hit.
They at least had enough speed to dodge those.
"Wait a sec! You don't even intend to state your names?! This is why I hate humans!"
Leviathan was a full 10 meters from where she had supposedly been, popping her head out from behind the pillars in the shadow of the staircase and protesting.
"Following Beatrice-sama's orders, we are to attack you! Our orders tell us to make it take some time and to tease you. You are free to resist, but know that it is useless...!"
That voice came from overhead.
Belphegor could be seen on top of the hall chandelier.
Elegantly looking down upon them, she proclaimed their execution with a cruel smile.
"......Wh, ......what are these nee-chan's...?!"
"Forget the cart!! We have two opponents, so if we split up, they can't chase all of us!"
All three of them were well acquainted with the inside of the mansion.
In the case of a crisis, they had planned to run off in separate directions, returning to the guesthouse by breaking windows or leaving through a back door.
Fighting was forbidden. ......As long as they could fully escape.
"Hah-hah-ha, in a tight spot, escaping is victory...!"
The three of them escaped into the depths of the mansion at full tilt.
The two furniture calmly watched them go.
"......I'll kill the woman. You take the man!"
"Understood."
The two furniture in the shadows of the pillars and on the chandelier made their figures explode, and, leaving behind only the sound of a hopping beetle knocking against the wall, they pursued their respective targets.
Their speed was overwhelming, and they easily blocked the others' path of retreat.
"............Why don't I watch the skill of this furniture. It'd be nice if they entertained me..."
"Beatrice-sama, I wonder if it is appropriate for you to show yourself unnecessarily..."
"You don't unnecessarily move the king into the center. That's part of a king's, ...a witch's dignity!"
In front of Rudolf, who had boldly tried to escape to the second floor, Belphegor was already standing in the way.
"Resistance, and escape as well, is useless. ......You don't need to think about anything. You can just close your eyes. I'll gently finish everything."
"You might become a good wife. Your husband would be pleased to hear that kind of thing when he comes home tired."
"To think that you're still relaxed enough to speak with such insolence at a time like this...! Beatrice-sama, thank you for such good prey! Die!!!"
Rudolf fired first.
But even before that bullet could hit her, Belphegor had already moved behind Rudolf's back.
She then raised a purple locus springing out from her arm...
However, even before that arm could decapitate Rudolf, unbelievably, Rudolf had swung his gun behind him.
The barrel remained pointing behind his back, from the same motion with which he had reloaded the sawed-off gun one-handedly.
It was pointing right at Belphegor's chest...
*click*, *cha-clunk*...!
It was the sound of the ejected empty cartridge finally hitting the wall after the reload.
In other words, it meant that the next shot was already fully loaded.
Without turning around, his gun pointing right at Belphegor's chest, Rudolf grinned.
".........Not bad............For a middle-aged man...!!"
"Don't look down on the generation that loves western films, right? Brats don't know anything 'bout the refinement of a lever-action."
Just like Rudolf, Kyrie was also confronting a demon stake in the first floor corridor.
"What a moron. You could have just escaped with your husband. You do know that that was your final farewell just now, right...? *giggle*giggle*giggle*!"
"Don't worry. This kind of thing is my husband's specialty. I'm sure he'll come for me on a white horse soon. Because he's never failed to come and save me when I'm in trouble. ......Not even when when Asumu-san was around, you see? Fufu."
"Fuffufufufufufu! What a happy couple. I'm jealous. .........I am Leviathan of Envy...! Envy is itself my power. My anger, my origin!"
"I agree. Envy is the source of a woman's power. ...And if you call something like that power, I won't lose to a girl like you."
"Hahhahahahahahahahaha! Imagine saying that to the one who governs envy! You actually think I'd let you two be reunited...?!! Ahhahahahaha, I'll give you a tragic farewell!!"
The arm Leviathan swung was trailed by a purple locus.
It was a magic blade that cut by the power of malice.
Kyrie guarded herself against that with her gun.
......Even though the magic blade should have cut through the metal like butter, the 'gun', with its extremely high magic resistance power, was able to block the blade as easily as if it were a rolled up newspaper.
Rapidly, two times, three times. It blocked all of them.
And, without missing the opening created when that purple locus took a swing upward, Kyrie kicked Leviathan in the stomach with her heel.
Almost like she was a lightly dancing feather, Leviathan was knocked away.
...Before the demon stake's feet touched ground again...
Kyrie had already perfectly captured Leviathan, who was in midair, down the barrel of her gun.
From midair, the two women who had spoken to each other of envy as a form of power met each other's gaze.
"......C, can you pull it? That trigger...!!"
"You know, I can be pretty brutal when my husband isn't around."
"Owowowowowowow!!"
Rudolf tumbled down the staircase.
He had been gradually chased down by Belphegor, and had been pushed back into the original hall.
".........Predecessor-sama's furniture is pretty good. She's lacking in style, though!"
"Beatrice-sama...! It isn't over yet, and it's dangerous to show yourself...!"
"..................Could you, ......possibly be, Eva?"
"That used to be my name. But it's different now, Rudolf."
"You don't have to tell me. You're going to say you're the Golden Witch, Beatrice, right?"
"Fuffufufufufufu, ahhahahahaha! How did you know?"
"......Since the time Rosa was killed, I had a general idea. .........Rosa, forgive me. Forgive me for sending the sister you hated down to your hell...!!"
"Beatrice-sama, look out!!!"
Rudolf mercilessly pointed the barrel of his gun at the witch who claimed to have once been his sister.
But Belphegor could not permit that, and savagely attacked.
She dashed, disappeared, and headed for Rudolf's back...
...Dodged that shot and again headed for Rudolf's back...
...And hid herself over and over, instantly moving into Rudolf's blind spot.
It was almost like she was a fairy.
As she blinked in and out of vision, Belphegor incessantly drove towards Rudolf.
"Maybe this is kinda fun. Rudolf, let me leisurely watch and see how long your brave efforts last you. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle* *cackle*cackle*!"
At that time, a dull tearing sound was mixed in with Rudolf's cry of anguish.
Rudolf's reaction to the dance of the purple locus which pressed upon him had finally been too slow, and he had let it lightly cut his flank.
A single wound slowed his actions a little.
That caused a new wound, which slowed his actions again.
Belphegor's dance began to swallow Rudolf whole...
Watching Rudolf's body gradually get carved up, his former sister let out a shrill laugh.
Leviathan could no longer hide her irritation that Kyrie hadn't suffered a single fatal wound.
".........I really am a moron. ...Among the Seven Sisters, I was always the slowest to grow. I was always slow, always weak, always stupid.
......That inferiority complex became envy, and when I convert that into power, I gain a strength greater than that of any of the sisters."
"It's important to have a moderate inferiority complex when you're a girl. It teaches women about cosmetics and hard work."
"But I don't like using the limits of my power against mere humans. ......My envy that you are able to completely trust your husband will turn into power.
......I don't like it. Why are you so relaxed when you're fighting for your life?"
"......*giggle*. I wonder?"
"............I get it. You fully believe that your husband will definitely come to rescue you and will save you. .........Isn't it incredible, that trust of yours. It's enough to make me jealous."
What kind of trust did we sisters have for each other?
The sisters are always looking down on each other, trying to thoroughly lambast each other when things already look bad...!
"I've always been bullied by my sisters. I've always wanted just one of them to become my ally. ......So since you have that single ally who is completely trustworthy, I feel the strongest envy...
............Aaah, that expression that fully believes in your husband...! I can feel it giving me power...!! .........I might even surpass that. The speed of sound!!!"
Leviathan turned herself into a stake, and the speed of her flight as she attacked was proportional to the strength of her envy.
"Since the day that my sisters looked down on me. I was jealous from the bottom of my heart of the other six, who grew quickly! I was jealous for seven days and seven nights!! You can see the power I gained as a result from my speed...!! Die, Ushiromiya Kyrieeeeeeeeeeee!!!"
The demon stake exposed her true form, leaping about at a terrible speed.
The noise from her bouncing off the walls sounded like a machine gun.
By now, Kyrie probably couldn't tell whether it was a single stake or a swarm of beetles flying and bouncing around.
Leviathan was certain of a greater than 100% chance of victory from the bottom of her heart...!
Then, Kyrie spoke with an unbelievably calm voice.
".........I was the one who had been going out with Rudolf-san from the very beginning. ......Asumu-san blatantly cut in between us, ...and shrewdly got pregnant.
......I don't blame Rudolf-san. That woman used her body as a weapon to seduce him, and then acted even more repulsively, and cornered Rudolf-san so that he was forced to engage her."
Asumu-san had been carrying Battler-kun.
And at the same time, I was also carrying a boy.
...As fate would have it, our delivery dates were on the same day.
"Then, Asumu-san gave birth to Battler-kun. ...But I had a miscarriage. .........There's something I've thought about. What if Asumu-san had been the one to have a miscarriage, and I had been the one to give birth? ......Would Rudolf-san have broken off his engagement and married me? ......But I couldn't give birth to a child. So until Asumu-san died, and until I got pregnant with Ange, I cursed Asumu-san, and was jealous of her."
Asumu-san should just die.
And then I want him to remarry, with me. In my envy, I kept cursing like that, over and over, until Asumu-san finally died.
I was certain.
I was certain that I had possessed the power of magic, which had become a curse and killed Asumu-san.
But that did not quell the flames of my envy.
Don't tell anyone, alright?
Every time I look at Battler-kun, I remember that woman.
And every time I look at Battler-kun, ...I think that if only my child had been born, he would be the same age.
I am still jealous of her, tormented by her.
Even now, and from now on. In the future, for all eternity.
"You say that you were jealous of your sisters for seven days and seven nights...?"
"Th, ......that's right..."
Don't make me laugh, girl.
".........How could you understand the madness of a woman whose man was stolen from her, and who has burned with envy for 18 years...!!"
"u, ......uuowaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
......Better luck next time, girl."
"Rudolf, what happened to all that vigor from a couple seconds ago? You're supposed to slice up a fish while it's still jumping. After it dies, it isn't interesting anymore. That's enough. Why not kill you now?!"
".........urk, ......damn it......"
"I'm surprised you managed to endure this long after being carved up. ......That's enough. From now on, you don't need to think about anything. I'll steal away your life painlessly...!"
"Wait..., there's a favor I want to ask. In the very end, I want to do one of those..."
"......What do you mean, one of those?"
"One of those things that westerns made famous. That thing where we put our backs together, walk three steps, and then *bang*."
"............Ah, a duel. Very well. If that will satisfy your regrets in this world, I'll accept."
Rudolf moved his wound-covered body, and turned his back to her.
Belphegor responded, and faced her back to his.
...Belphegor had a sense of honesty that was uncommon in a witch's furniture.
"Let me warn you. Even if you press the barrel of your gun between my eyebrows, then even faster than you could pull the trigger and have the bullet reach my skull, I can move instantaneously."
"......I can already feel that throughout my body. ..You are faster than a bullet."
"I have agreed to this out of respect for your courage in challenging me to a duel despite that knowledge. Thank me."
"......You are an honest person. And a good woman. You might just steal my heart away."
"Let's begin. Three steps is alright, correct? .........First, one step."
"......Two steps."
"......Three steps. Is that alright?"
"Yep. ......And, since you still haven't noticed after walking three whole steps, ......it's my victory, girl."
"Whaaat......? ........................Ah......!"
Rudolf turned around and fired a bullet.
......However, Belphegor could easily see through the speed and trajectory of a bullet like that.
It should have been no problem at all to dodge it.
But a spray of fresh blood flew about.
......Belphegor had set up an adequate magical defensive barrier.
But before an incarnation of anti-magic power such as that bullet, it was completely meaningless.
".........What are you doing? Why'd you get hit...?!"
The bullet had hit Belphegor right in the chest.
...The pain from the lead caused her to grimace, as did as the pain from the denial of magic...
"......Forgive me. I'm a coward of a man."
"............Ku, ............u..."
"Wh, ...what a killjoy. To think that someone who is furniture to a witch could be defeated by a human...! Know your shame. Worthless, indecent...! Why don't you just grovel and die?!"
".........Quit it, Aneki. ...This girl could have dodged it. But she didn't.
......She realized that you were in the line of fire, Aneki. So this honest girl took it without dodging, and guarded you. In the very end, she noticed that I was pinning the rook and the king."
Pinning
A pin in chess is a situation where a piece is unable to move because it would expose a more valuable piece otherwise.
An absolute pin is when the pinned piece is defending the king, and it is therefore impossible to move the pinned piece as it would leave the king in check (illegal move).
"S, .........spectacular............"
"Don't take it badly. ...I'd planned to resign if you had noticed it while you were taking those three steps."
"............Those three steps, ...were out of consideration, ...for me, were they...? .........I didn't even try to think about it. ......I, ......was, ...lazy........."
"......You were a good woman. Go to heaven before me and do your makeup. I'll definitely come and talk you up."
As Belphegor slowly fell over, ...she lost even the power that kept her in a human form, and she grew small, like gold dust, and melted into thin air...
At that point, Kyrie dashed in.
It seemed that she had somehow defeated her pursuer with her own hands.
As she pointed the barrel of her gun straight at the witch, she ran up to the wound-covered Rudolf.
"......Are you alright? Were you talking someone up just now?"
"Yep, a good woman. ...No match for you of course. ............Sorry, Aneki. It's checkmate."
The two of them pinned the witch down the barrels of their guns.
"............Worthless furniture. ...To think that they would be beaten by human opponents. ...Worthless. Stupid. ...Boring...!"
"Beatrice-sama, we should retreat from this place. ......There is no furniture or barrier to guard against bullets here."
"Fuffufufu, ......*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!"
The witch began to let out a muffled laugh.
...It surprised not only Rudolf and Kyrie, but Ronove as well.
.........Because a situation like this, with two guns pointed at her, was not one that even a witch could just laugh off.
But the witch laughed with pleasure.
".........Well, it's only natural that it'd be impossible for Predecessor-sama's worn out furniture. ......There's no point unless I have new furniture, suitable for me. I acted out of obligation, ......but I've hated old things from the very beginning."
As she said that, she looked down at Belphegor's remains, which had already finished turning into a pile of gold dust, with disgust.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Be a good girl and put your hands up."
...Then, the witch obediently raised her hands.
But instead of raising her hands because a gun was being pointed a her, it looked more like she was a conductor facing an orchestra, waving her conductor's baton.
"Come, arise, furniture suitable for me...!! Not that cheap furniture, much stronger ones! Cruel ones!! Ahhahahahahahahahahahahyahhyahhya!!!"
"Stop this bizarre act...! I'll pull the trigger..."
In response to the witch's call, the hall was once again buried with the color of gold.
As the brilliantly radiant gold butterflies danced, ...it felt as though they were being sucked into an ocean of gold leaf.
Ronove was shocked at that upsurge in magic power... That was because it far surpassed that of his former master.
As their eyes were dazzled amidst the golden flash, a gunshot could be heard. Either Rudolf or Kyrie had fired a round.
......Then, after the golden flash had subsided, the witch, who was at least cool and composed, could be seen.
The bullet? Hadn't Kyrie fired it into her?
But the witch had not been hit anywhere on her body.
There it is. ...The bullet had been fastened in midair right in front of the witch's chest.
"A, ......a bullet-proof barrier........."
A barrier which took even the predecessor a significant amount of preparation had, in an instant... Ronove's face was still twisted in shock.
And, the surprise did not stop there......
The group of gold butterflies had created two humanoid forms.
......It was a furniture summoning.
The butterflies peeled off and flew away, and beneath them, furniture in the shape of girls showed themselves.
"...............The Siesta Sisters Corps............Even the predecessor, ......wasn't able to summon them on a moment's notice, Pendragon's Memorial Troops, and so easily...!"
"Siesta 410. Right he-re."
"Siesta 45. Right here."
"...You two are suitable furniture for me, right?"
"From reading a picture book out loud, to going on a date, to shooting down meteorites, we'll take care of anything. Nihihi."
"I, if we don't take care of it, Pendragon-sama will get mad at us...! Please, your orders, great Lady Beatrice!"
".........Rudolf-san. Let's escape. These guys are no good......!"
"S, .........sure!"
Kyrie definitely heard warning sirens going off in her head, thanks to the same feeling that had alerted her to the ambush by the Seven Sisters of Purgatory.
Without hesitation, they escaped.
As the witch elegantly watched them leave, she ordered her new furniture.
"...This is an order. Kill the two who ran away. Then bring the corpses back here. Then I'll bring them back to life, and play with them over and over. ...*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!!"
The witch's expression was twisted with an evil smile.
Even though she feared that expression, Lucifer appeared and spoke.
"M, ...my apologies. ...The Predecessor-sama said to avoid brutal actions of that type..."
When the witch stared at her with those terrifying eyes, Lucifer was struck dumb.
...It was unsatisfying.
It was so boring, not being able to let her own power and her own cruelty run wild.
......And this furniture of the predecessor, who was telling her to act with prudence, gloomily bore the brunt of her dissatisfaction.
"Oh, it's Lucifer of Pride. Long time no see nyeh, how ya doin'? Let's play together again sometime. Nihhihihihihihi!"
"F, 410, you mustn't whisper, you'll get in trouble...! Let us carry out the great Lady Beatrice's order at once...!"
"Nihi. Well, we are on the job right now nyeh. .....410, roger. Sniping Pursuit Combat Setup."
"Terrain Data Accumulation, Firing Use Data Accumulation. Data Link with 410."
"410, Data Received. Target Lock Acquired. Terrain Calculation Error Correction. Firing Curve Formation, Control Point Capture Completed. Data Link to 45."
"45, Data Received. Checking Danger Area, ......ah, that's no good!"
"You're in the way behind us, Lucifer-chan, you'll get roasted in the backfire, right? Nihi!"
".........Ooh..."
The Siesta sisters, through their mutual measurements, were able to instantly calculate the terrain inside the mansion and the coordinates of their targets, as well as a firing curve to reach them.
...Yes, their shots could be guided to draw a curved line.
No one would be able to escape it.
The precision guidance ability of the Seven Sisters of Purgatory was nothing more than a cheap version of the ability these two held.
"45, Firing Preparations Concluded. Ammo Type Selection, Loading."
As the two of them faced each other. And as though they were both pulling back a bowstring together.
...There, a dazzling gold arrow was readied.
"410, nihi. Firing."
After they proclaimed that they were firing, together, they released a single arrow.
As the curve taken by the gold-sparkling snake of light drew a locus, it followed the direction that Rudolf and Kyrie had escaped to in rapid pursuit.
It turned through the corridors, crawled over the floor, chasing them as it drew a beautiful curve.
No one could block the guided shots of the Siesta Sisters.
No one could escape them.
And their strength could pierce all physical and magical defenses.
......It was quite a merciless guided weapon of certain death.
However, among mythical-class soldiers, it was a weapon used by pretty much everyone.
It was very commonplace for them, ...and very extraordinary for those of the everyday world.
"Wh, what the...!?"
When he noticed something rapidly chasing them, and turned around...
Rudolf was shot straight through where his heart was located by the gold snake. It all happened in an instant.
"R, Rudolf-san......?!"
After the gold snake pierced Rudolf, it swooped down to the floor, drawing a beautiful spiral, coiled itself around Kyrie's legs, and crawled up to her chest.
And just like Rudolf, it shot straight through the location of her heart.
...And all of that happened in an instant.
It pierced Rudolf, and pierced Kyrie.
So they died at almost the same time, dropped to their knees at the same time, and fell over at the same time.
"......What's thiiis? So overwhelming, ahhahahahahahahahahahahaha! Ridiculously easy, isn't it. Kuhhihihyahyahyahyahya! This is the kind of furniture I need. Way different from Predecessor-sama's second-hand furniture!
Come on, bring their corpses here. I'll keep reviving them until I'm bored, and try killing them in as brutal a way as I can think of. Aaah, to think that being a witch could be so much fun, that taking a life could be so much fun, ahhahahahahahahahahahaha!"
......From the time they are born, the most shunned action for humans to take is murder of another human.
It's only natural that a human couldn't understand how pleasurable it was to break this taboo.
......But she was no longer a human.
She was a witch.
...And there were some pleasures that only witches could understand.
By now, she had tasted those pleasures, and was totally immersed in them.
...After learning that the contents of the forbidden pot were honey, she could no longer live without it.
......No, maybe the contents were honey because they were forbidden.
Anyways, by killing humans gruesomely, and doing it over and over, she could feel the drug-like pleasure even now.
As the witch rolled over laughing, the gold snake which had just been shot returned as though being pulled back.
At the tips, two people were pinned and dragged along.
The witch's order had been fulfilled.
...Rudolf and Kyrie had been killed instantly, and their corpses had been carried back.
"Siesta 45, 410, execution of orders completed. We await your next order, great Lady Beatrice. Please, your order...!"
"From babysitting, to being your opponent in an online game, to shooting down a space shuttle, we'll take care of everything. Nihihi!"
".........It looks like these two are the sacrifices from the fourth twilight and the fifth twilight. So in the end, I need those worthless Seven Sisters, ...oh, aren't they the Five Sisters now? I need those guys to pierce and gouge the forehead and the chest.
......But I can do that at the very end, and I'm free to play in any way until then, right? Uffufufufufufufufufufu!"
"Wait wait wait waait. ...Have you already forgotten what I've told you?!"
"Oh, it's you, Predecessor-sama. Do you have any complaints?"
"Of course I do...! You are doing as you please, are you not?! Why can't you follow my directions?!"
"What's wrong with doing as I please, Predecessor-sama? And I don't feel like deviating from the rules of the ceremony in the slightest.
I'll definitely clean these two corpses up later, and drive stakes into their forehead and chest."
"I'm telling you, that is not the problem...! If you act so undignified and cruel, ...umm, some people might take it badly..."
"..............................You mean, your opponent in that game, who I heard you were fighting with somewhere? Ronove told me."
"......D, damn that blabbermouth. .........Well, to be perfectly honest, that's how it is. If you go a little too far, umm, ...that person will object, you see?"
"It's not like there's any need for them to tell you to pass it on instead of objecting directly. ...That coward."
".........Well, that person is a resident of a different world from this one. There's no choice but to use me as an intermediary. Well, that's beside the point but-"
"........................Which means that this person can't interact with me even if they want to. And I can't interact with them even if I want to either. Should I view this as an unrelated person from a world so far away?"
"H, hmm. ......For example, perhaps you could say these worlds are like very close parallel lines. The worlds are very nearby, but because they are parallel lines, they will never cross. For the time being, you may view that world in such a manner."
"They never cross. Which means, ............that world has nothing to do with me. ...If you're telling me to be prudent because you are speaking for that person, please pass this message on to them."
"Tell that person? What should I say...?"
"It's none of your business, so disappear, granny. Why don't you just give up and die...?"
"...............Whaa..."
"...Oh, I'm sorry. Since it was a friend of yours, I just imagined that she'd be a woman. By 'granny', I'm definitely not talking about you, Predecessor-sama, so please forgive me. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*...!"
When she spoke, the witch was looking straight into Beato's eyes.
...Anyone in that place would be able to figure it out just by looking.
"............Predecessor-sama. There is something I find very strange. ...Why do you have to play a game with someone from another world, and have him accept that you are a witch?"
"Well, about that, ...that is because making all humans accept the existence of witches is related to perfect control. There was a single holdout, and he just won't accept me as a witch."
".........Why is it that you need the approval of a human? Witches are witches, and can use magic, so why do we need to be accepted by humans?"
"...Mu, .........well, like I said earlier, that which is called magic is..."
"I am a witch. I can use magic without anyone's approval in particular, so what's your point......?"
"In this world, right? However, since that person will not accept it, umm, ...umumu, how should I explain it..."
"......I don't need an explanation. After all, isn't this all about a different world that never crosses this one? In other words, it's just as though that world doesn't exist.
............Whether you're fighting in a game in another world, or talking about your delusions, that doesn't change a-nything. ......I'll say it again. It has nothing to do with me. And, I am already a witch."
"Predecessor-sama, somehow or another, it seems that you can't become a witch as long as this person doesn't accept you, but I'm different. Even though no one has accepted me, I am already an excellent witch. .........Since you are my predecessor, I will formally pay you respect, but that is out of good will, not out of duty.
......I won't ask for your advice anymore, because I clearly know what I should do and how I should play from now on.
.........So I will carry out the murder of 13 people as a final act of respect for you. However, there is absolutely no reason for you to interfere with the methods I use, and what I do after that. ...............Therefore, I'll be counting on you in that regard."
At a glance, those words seemed obedient, but they contained within them a clear distinction.
...She was no longer under Beato's care for anything.
So she was clearly saying nothing more than 'Don't get in the way of my fun'.
Beato understood that, ...and was dejected, realizing that no matter how she explained it, she wouldn't be able to make the witch understand.
"...I, ............I see... Then it is no longer my problem... Go and learn with your own body how magic ceases to exist when you lose your feelings of respect for it."
"......I wish you would tell me how that carefree rampage of yours up until now can be called respect."
After hearing that, Beato could not respond.
......Because she remembered hearing exactly the same thing from her teacher.
"So. Siesta Sisters? See off my predecessor on her way back."
"Nihihihihi. Predecessor-sama, please retire from this place."
"I, if you don't, we'll be scolded...!"
Throughout her body, Beato felt something that couldn't be seen by the Siesta Sisters' eyes, which could only be described as an oppressive feeling.
......Most likely, they were initiating firing calculations.
It was an action much like taking out a gun and cocking it.
Even Beato could not escape from the Siesta Sisters' attack without any preparation.
...In the past, she had placed her greatest trust in them, so she knew how terrifying they were down to her very soul.
".........Predecessor-sama, if you would retire. .........I would not recommend damaging Beatrice-sama's mood any further."
"......Predecessor-sama..."
"I, .........I understand. ...I shall leave for now. ......I shall slowly appreciate the circumstances you will put yourself in!"
That was almost a sharp parting remark.
...So after Beato hid herself, the witch and her furniture fell over laughing...
"............Well, I understand. Endless power is fun. ...The joy of freely toying with an extremely limited life cannot be explained to those who have not tasted it. ......I can understand the feeling of being possessed with a pleasure similar to drugs."
"......It must have been quite fun. Judging from your antics in the past."
"Are you saying it is like how you used to admonish me in the past, Teacher, and I did not listen...?"
".........Why is it that you have started trying to scold that child's actions?"
"Mu, ......umm, well.................."
"...This is a single large difference between you and that child. That child may already be a witch. Of course, you are also a witch. In the world on top of the game board.
......However, to be accepted as a witch outside the game board, you need to have your opponent in this game, Battler-kun, accept you. ......You must have understood that when you started the game."
"......I thought that if I could show off a whirlwind of proof that I am a witch, blow away his feelings that made him deny me, and make him surrender, .........he would accept me as a witch. ...It all went my way last time, so I thought I was just a breath away..."
"It's actually the opposite. Battler-kun was shocked by your brutality. And he did not step up to the plate as a game opponent simply because he accepted you as an equal opponent. It was based on a strong animosity, as he tried to completely deny the existence of a brutal witch."
".........In your foolishness, you probably felt that Battler-kun's self-awareness as your opponent was a first step towards making him accept that you are a witch. However, it was actually the opposite."
"Battler-kun challenged you in this game because he definitely wouldn't accept you as a witch. ......No matter how much the thoughtless north wind blew, the traveler only wore his cloak even tighter. You were committing a huge error from the very beginning."
"............This game is not torture to make Battler-kun surrender. It is a test, in which you must try to make Battler-kun accept you."
"...............Uu, ......I've vaguely, ...noticed that..."
"Last time, it was a tough game for Battler-kun. But it seems that you've already noticed. ......This time, the game is tough for you."
"Wh, ...what should I do from now on?"
"Think about it yourself. ......Fortunately, you have already given up your pieces on the game board to the new witch. You should have time to deliberately ponder upon yourself."
"............Isn't Battler's soul already hostile towards me? He won't accept witches, so he won't accept me. ......In that case, what can I do so that Battler will accept me...? Are you saying that if the north wind doesn't work, ...then I should shine on him as the sun from now on...? I should, after all this time......?"
"It is October now. The Halloween season. .........It is the month of rebirth, when the sun dies and is revived again. When the sun is weak right after reviving, it may not reach far through the cold winter winds.
However, it slowly grows, and is eventually able to hail the coming of spring. ...At that time, the traveler may even fold up his cloak."
".........Are you saying, ......that I am mistaken.........?"
...The beautiful hall of the Ushiromiya mansion was covered with a golden sparkle like gold leaf, ...and stained deep red with thick spurts of blood.
The number of deaths given to Rudolf and Kyrie had long surpassed anything you could count on both your fingers and your toes.
The witch was breathing so hard her shoulders shook, but it wasn't because she was tired.
...She just couldn't hide her ragged breaths caused by her still uncontainable excitement.
"Ahhahahahahahahahahahhahahahaha!! How fun it is to do as I will with the life and death of people! Before the power of the Endless Witch, the endless everything I paint with my mind becomes reality! No matter how sloppily I mash them, I can revive them, returning them to normal with just a snap of my fingers. Because in the end, I just have to return the corpses to normal and follow the epitaph like it's an excuse. Ahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!
......Hey, you guys, have you ever sliced a stuffed animal's stomach open?"
"Never, nihi. What about you, 45?"
"N, no...! I have never done it, my apologies...!"
"That's understandable. Normally, you wouldn't. Especially not if it was a stuffed animal you liked. But I've always thought about it.
I always thought about peeking in, and seeing what was packed inside this fluffy stuffed animal that I loved."
If you cut it and looked inside, your curiosity might be quelled, but the stuffed animal would be broken.
......So even though you want to see, you can't.
You understand that feeling, right?
"......The power of the Endless Witch can truly grant that wish. ...As I am now, I can slice the stuffed animal all I want.
......And yet, with a bit of magic, I can return it to normal and revive it. ...In other words, it means that I have broken all limitations in this world. ......As I am now, I don't have to hesitate or give up an idea or anything.
That joy, ......aah, there's probably no one who can understand it. No one other than me, the Golden Witch!!"
As the witch let out a mad war cry, she revived Rudolf and Kyrie again, and faster than they could realize it, she killed them right away.
......As she made it known that something other than cotton was stuffed inside those two.
"...Q, ............quit it, Eva......!"
"Huh? ......Ah, you. You're here."
In the tragic hall, Hideyoshi showed himself, his gun readied.
The witch had sealed the mansion with a barrier, so Hideyoshi had nowhere to run.
...He had probably picked up Rudolf's or Kyrie's gun, and come back.
It seemed that the gun, which should have been something to be feared, was no longer an object she took seriously now that she was overflowing with magic power.
Her bold expression didn't flinch in the slightest.
".........Why, did ya have to kill Rosa-san and Maria-chan, ......and Rudolf-kun and Kyrie-san......?!"
"Huh? I am the head of the Ushiromiya family, the witch of Rokkenjima. Everything that occurs on this island is all up to me. ...Just isolating this one instant and asking about their life and death is meaningless to me."
"......After findin' Father's gold, .........ya went mad...! Just how high was that gold piled? I can't even guess. It must have been enough to make ya lose yer sanity...
......Still, if there was that much gold, ......why didn't ya think of graciously splittin' it up...?!!"
"You misunderstand. ............All of that belongs to the Golden Witch. No one is qualified to touch it except for me. *giggle*giggle*giggle*, ahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...!!"
"......What are ya? Are ya going to say that yer, ......the Eva of her youth that was a witch, which she told me about long ago?"
"That's right. I am the youth me, who was always living in the heart of your wife, Ushiromiya Eva. ...And I'm a witch. .........Eva became an adult by forgetting me. So she can't use magic."
"...When they're children, anyone's head might be filled with innocent yet cruel delusions sometimes. When I was young, I'd sometimes go around steppin' on ants and pullin' the wings off dragonflies. .........However, I learned the importance of life, and graduated from that cruel childhood age.
"......Right now, ya really are a child! ...A personality that Eva should have graduated from! That isn't Eva. It's a different human!!"
"That's right. I am not Ushiromiya Eva. I'm the Golden Witch, Beatrice. It's so fun, not being bounded by any limitations, and the pleasure of being able to do as I will with life and death is truly wonderful...! I don't have to apologize for breaking the goldfish bowl, and I can tear the stuffed animal as much as I want! I-"
There was a dry sound.
...It was the sound of Hideyoshi slapping the witch's face.
By looking at the hall stained deep red with fresh blood, he should have been able to imagine how terrible the witch was.
But without fear, without even hesitating, Hideyoshi had walked determinedly up to her, and hit her on the cheek.
"....................."
"You fool!! Don't act like yer cruel, not when yer really a coward and a weakling! I'll have to correct it again, that evil nature of yers!! You fool! Fool!!"
"Ow, ......ouch, ...hey...!"
"Weren't ya a woman who understood how important, how fragile a life is?! I'll make ya remember...!! What do ya mean by 'witch', ya stupid fool!! Yer my wife, Ushiromiya Eva! A witch of the kitchen, who can considerately make snacks out of leftovers in the refrigerator every once in a while, is as much as I can handle!! Won't ya open yer eyes, you fool...!!"
"Didn't I just say, ...that I'm not Ushiromiya Eva......?!"
"You stupid fool!! You! You!!"
As tears dripped down his face, Hideyoshi kept hitting the witch's head.
He wasn't even pointing the gun at her anymore.
Therefore.
That sound of gunfire couldn't have come from the gun Hideyoshi was holding.
......The gun, which had fallen in the corner near Rudolf's corpse, floated into the air, ...and smoke lingered near the barrel.
And the bullet?
.........A red stain was slowly spreading across the chest of Hideyoshi's vest.
Even though his back was facing the barrel of the gun, ...the bullet had been driven into Hideyoshi's chest.
".........E, ...va........................uu..."
"...Like I said, I'm not Eva. What a stupid, annoying man. ......You're a pain, so I'll switch the sacrifice of the sixth twilight to you. ...And if you had just hidden under a bed shaking or something, I had planned to let you go. ......You went to all the trouble of coming back. You really are a stupid man."
*thunk*... There was a dull sound as Hideyoshi fell to the floor.
Even though he would have been able to escape that pain when he died, he resisted until the last second, and staring straight into the witch's eyes, ...he passed away.
Because he had died without closing his eyes, the witch didn't realize that he was dead for a short while, and remained pinned down by that gaze.
"Will we make this one a new toy and play? Nihi."
At those words, the witch finally realized that Hideyoshi was dead.
".........Nn, ...yeah. ...Right, what'll we do..."
The Siesta Sisters waited for instructions.
On the inside, they imagined an order even more brutal than before from their master.
But the expression that rose to the witch's face looked as though she had gotten over her excitement.
She looked down at Hideyoshi's face, which still had tears dripping down it...
"......It's such a killjoy, and it's all this guy's fault. I'm a-ll done. .........Ronove, are you there?"
"Yes, right here."
"Clean up the rest please. ...The Predecessor-sama will be annoying. Please make it clean enough so that that granny will accept it. ......I'll follow the rules of the ceremony more or less, out of responsibility to my Predecessor-sama. Please make these three corpses the fourth twilight through the sixth twilight. Lucifer, it's your turn."
"Lucifer of Pride, right here."
"Dig into these three corpses and gouge them."
"I, ...in the corpses?"
"That's right. You have a problem with that?"
"N, ...no..."
The Seven Sisters of Purgatory had a modest sense of pride.
It was the pride of a hunter, the pride of gouging prey that they had brought down themselves.
...However, being told to gouge a corpse that someone else had brought down ran contrary to that feeling.
Of course, that was not the witch's intention, but for the Seven Sisters, it was horribly humiliating.
...However, they had already messed up, with two of the sisters defeated, so they had no right to question her.
Only Ronove appreciated that, and he rested his hand on her shoulder in understanding.
"......It is Beatrice-sama's order. Lucifer, carry the three, and deal with them according to the etiquette of the ceremony. Then, when you are done, lend me a hand with the cleanup."
"Certainly......"
The witch looked down upon Hideyoshi's corpse, as though implying that the now delicate atmosphere was all Hideyoshi's fault.
".........Stupid man. And you didn't even have to die."
"Dear......!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!! Dear, where are you?! You're there, right? Answer me!!"
The sound of a loud thunderbolt woke Eva from her nightmare.
If Hideyoshi had been gripping her hand at that time, her fearful heart would probably have been instantly healed.
However, Hideyoshi, who had supposedly sworn that he wouldn't leave even for a moment, was nowhere to be seen in the room.
"Dear, ...answer me..., .........dear...!! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!"