Tsukishiro Yuki's replies had been intermittent.
[Great Witch: Animus, that fountain pen was indeed given by me to that Witch of Vainglory.]
[Great Witch: If possible, keeping her is more beneficial to me.]
[Great Witch: Of course, if she offends you, dispose of her yourself.]
If Suke wasn't absolutely certain that the Farm Public Channel couldn't be hacked, he would have suspected something had happened to Tsukishiro Yuki.
But thinking about it carefully, given Tsukishiro Yuki's current abilities, there were almost no existences in this world that could threaten her.
Moreover, even if she were to meet with an accident and die, the Farmhand mechanism of Stardew Valley could revive her perfectly intact.
Seen this way, Suke felt he was perhaps worrying too much.
"For the sake of Little Yuki, I'll trust you for now."
"I'll say the ugly words first: if you dare play any tricks using Little Yuki's name, I have plenty of ways to make you wish for death!"
Guided by Pandora, they rushed toward the Sanctuary located in the Mathers domain. Suke spoke in a deep voice to Pandora beside him.
After learning from Abigail that the [Sloth] Archbishop who attacked the Roswaal Mansion had also been eliminated by her, Suke had the Kingdom Subjugation Team return in triumph ahead of them.
Although they hadn't had time to do much on this trip, the current Suke had no intention of continuing to pay attention to their Royal Selection affairs. He simply remarked casually that Priscilla had helped him the most.
Right now, his mind was filled more with thoughts of Tsukishiro Yuki. He didn't know what this Great Witch was planning, delaying their reunion for so long.
Most importantly, when he asked directly in the public chat channel, Tsukishiro Yuki would change the subject.
It was as if she was afraid he would find out what she was going to do. But given their relationship, what was worth hiding from each other?
"Hehe, 'Love' is truly wonderful. Even though 'Witches' are existences undeserving of love."
"'Love' is indeed incredible. Even people as powerful as you and she are deeply affected by it."
"It makes one envious, and also curious. Can you tell me what happened between you two?"
The Witch of Vainglory, Pandora, seemed unable to hear Suke's threats. She simply smiled faintly and asked him questions.
This woman named Pandora... despite every sentence revolving around "Love," she would commit all sorts of hair-raising deeds that made others wish they were dead.
Combined with her appearance of missing some emotions, she elicited no feelings other than a chilling shudder.
That is, if Suke were an existence weaker than her.
"No comment."
"Also, you said one thing wrong. It's not that 'Witches' aren't qualified to receive love; it's that you aren't."
Facing Pandora, who had leaned in before his eyes, Suke wasn't moved in the slightest by her flawless countenance.
"Why?"
"She and I are clearly the same existence. We are both 'Witches' whose hands are stained with the blood of innocents."
"In fact, compared to the karmic debt of billions she carries, the lives I've taken don't even count as a drop in the ocean."
"If you detest me because I've harmed innocents, then why do you not detest her?"
The curiosity in Pandora's deep blue eyes grew more intense, and her questioning deepened.
It had to be said, even after temporarily losing her standing as an enemy, Pandora's every word could be called terrifying.
This woman was too smart, smart to an excessive degree.
"Hehe, take a guess?"
Suke did not fall into the verbal trap Pandora had exquisitely arranged for him.
He was just a farmer. He wasn't good at debating, nor did he intend to argue rights and wrongs with others.
As a Farmer who only wanted to possess a peaceful life, Suke's creed of conduct had always been singular:
Hate what he hates, love what he loves.
"If you really want me to give a reason, then my reason is very simple."
"You aren't as pretty as my Little Yuki. Is that reason enough?"
"...Truly an interesting answer."
Hearing Suke's answer, Pandora narrowed her eyes, pondered for a moment, and then revealed a relieved smile.
It was unknown whether she had truly realized something or was just striking a pose.
"I still want to know..."
"Can't you see Big Brother thinks you're ugly and wants you to stay away? Big Sister who can't read the room."
Pandora looked at Suke again, seemingly wanting to ask something more, but was blocked by an annoyed Abigail.
But just when Suke thought Pandora's boring pestering was finally over, Abigail immediately followed up with a question of her own:
"Big Brother, look, who is prettier between Abi and this Witch Big Sister~?"
"Of course Abi is prettier. What about it?"
"Then what about compared to Big Sister Tsukishiro Yuki?"
Praised, Abigail was very happy, so she immediately continued asking.
Suke: ...
What a death question.
Abi, you aren't Zou Ji, and Little Yuki isn't Lord Xu of the North; what is the point of comparing back and forth?
Of course, if Suke were to evaluate objectively, he could only say each had her own beauty.
After all, Abigail and Tsukishiro Yuki had different facial features; one was the cute style, the other was the cool and elegant style.
But if one really wanted to be pedantic, at their level, wasn't physical appearance just something they could mold at a whim with a single thought?
He didn't know what they were gesturing blindly about. Don't get too tangled up in these things, okay? It alienates people's efforts!
"Big Brother, why aren't you talking?"
"Is it as expected? Abi still can't compare to Big Sister Tsukishiro Yuki, she..."
"No, no, no, I didn't say that!"
"How about this? I'll answer this question after we see your Big Sister Tsukishiro Yuki, alright?"
Pacifying Abigail, who was about to go into 'Bad Child' mode and throw a tantrum, Suke grumbled internally that this spatial travel was taking long enough. It had been nearly a quarter of an hour and they still hadn't reached the Sanctuary.
[Starts with the face, stems from the heart—is this your 'Love'?]
[It truly makes one increasingly confused. Why are all your answers different?]
Suke didn't know what Pandora, who watched the scene of him and Abigail bantering, was thinking.
She simply recalled the scene before the start of the bet she made with the Great Witch named Tsukishiro Yuki—about whether Suke's group could eliminate the Witch Cult she led.
[Before you leave, could you allow me to ask one final question?]
[You say that 'Love' drove you to do these things, but what exactly is 'Love'? Can you tell me the answer?]
Within the "Witch's Tea Party."
Pandora gazed at the Great Witch who had turned her back to the other Witches and was walking toward the rift where worlds collided.
The Witch of Vainglory, who claimed to possess "Universal Love" and thus used unscrupulous means to achieve her tragic wish, and who had wandered the world for nearly a thousand years, felt such confusion.
['Love,' is it?]
[Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes...]
(New Testament · 1 Corinthians 13:4)
[...Of course, this is not my answer.]
[It was told to me by a woman named Mabel. If you insist, she counts as a 'Witch' just like us, I suppose.]
[My answer is very simple:]
These were all the words spoken by the woman known as the Great Witch in the "Witch's Tea Party" before she stepped into the rift.
Under the gaze of seven... no, eight Witches of Sin, the Tea Party's most important guest departed.
[Animus's everything is what I love, and what I love is Animus's everything.]
[It is just that simple. Until we meet again, everyone—]
"Big Brother, we're almost there~"
The village where the "Sanctuary" was located was close at hand.
As if sensing the arrival of an important person, the barrier surrounding it—once laid by the Witch of Greed, Echidna—naturally blossomed with radiance.
Suke only felt a flash before his eyes, and he, Abigail, and Pandora arrived within a peculiar space.
"Chili, tsk, Chili!"
(Farmer, why did you come so late? You're slow as death!)
A red Junimo sat askew on a round table used for displaying tea and snacks. It looked at Suke "angrily."
Of course, perhaps it was simply because its facial features were different from Starfruit's, making it look very "angry."
"Animus, you really came much later than (Servant)... I expected."
Beside the round table where the red Junimo sat was the figure of the Great Witch, waiting for him with a smile.
White hair, white pupils, and a sun hat worn atop her head. That familiar appearance hadn't changed at all.
Wearing a faint smile, the Great Witch brewed a cup of tea and placed it across the table, as if extending an invitation to the man who had arrived.
"The journey here must have been hard, Animus."
"Would you like to drink a cup of tea and relax properly?"
____
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