"Would you like some tea?"
Echidna's voice was calm, tempered by years of wisdom. Her deep black eyes seemed to see through everything, making Lillian slightly uneasy.
"I have questions for you," Lillian said bluntly. He didn't want to waste time with pleasantries. If she answered, great. If not, he'd know the price and move on.
"Don't be so impatient," Echidna smiled. "I know you have questions. Without sufficient 'curiosity,' you couldn't have entered this world."
Lillian hesitated, then took the chair opposite her. A cup of pale tea awaited him, subtly fragrant.
He lifted the cup and drank it in one gulp.
"Drinking so boldly… spoils the beauty of tea," Echidna remarked, a mischievous glint in her brows. "How is it?"
The taste was sweet, like freshly pressed sugarcane.
Seeing him silent, she leaned on her hands, curious. "Aren't you curious what it's brewed from?"
"I'm not."
Echidna froze slightly, not expecting his reply, but then smiled and revealed the answer: "—It's my bodily fluid."
"…"
Lillian's stomach churned at her words. No matter how popular such jokes were online, nothing prepared him for it in reality.
Echidna chuckled softly at his reaction, then became slightly more serious. "You're truly a strange person."
"…What?"
Lillian suppressed his discomfort. He had no choice but to follow Echidna's lead—he needed her help.
"You seem to know a lot, including about me. Witch of Greed… many know my name, but few have actually seen me. You are not one of those few," Echidna said, her words casual but striking at the heart of the matter.
"You know who I am, yet feel no fear. Asking questions with such composure—even knowing Beatrice is my daughter. Who… or what are you, really?"
"You…"
While cutting to the core, her words also allowed Lillian to catch something. He had only told Beatrice that she was Echidna's daughter. How did Echidna know? Could she be remotely observing Beatrice…? Then he noticed his chest, where the gospel book rested. Could she sense the owner of the book through it?
He looked up at Echidna, whose faint, unreadable smile remained. Lillian formed a guess but kept silent.
"I come from another world," Lillian admitted. "You could probably guess that. As for how I know your story, it's because when I arrived, a lot of knowledge was implanted into me…"
Excuses were easy; this world itself was mysterious, filled with otherworldly elements. Echidna would understand.
"Then let me guess… your question is about 'how to leave,' right?" Echidna asked. "If I'm not mistaken, you're trapped in this world, poor boy."
"…I am trapped, yes. But that's not what I'm asking. Even if I asked, you couldn't answer—it's beyond your authority."
"Oh?"
Echidna's curiosity was piqued. Indeed, when and how Lillian came or left was determined by the "Goddess," a presence above countless worlds, beyond any single-world sage like Echidna.
"You've had your tea. Shall we start the questions?"
"Why so impatient?" Echidna glanced around. "You've arrived but haven't taken the time to admire my world… don't you find it beautiful?"
It was indeed beautiful.
The two sat across a round table atop a gentle hill. Endless vistas, soft breezes, and the distant horizon gave the scene a fantastical charm. Lillian's gaze had mostly been on Echidna, yet looking at the scenery briefly lifted his spirits.
"Welcome to my tea party."
After taking in the view, she delivered the opening line she should have spoken first.
"So, in my dream, what will you ask?" Echidna's words quickened. "Will you ask about [Witch of Gluttony] Daphne, who created beasts to spare humanity from hunger? Or [Witch of Lust] Carmilla, who gave non-humans emotion to fill the world with love? Or [Witch of Wrath] Minerva, who healed all with violence? Or [Witch of Sloth] Sekhmet, who sent dragons to waterfalls for comfort? Or [Witch of Pride] Typhon, who judged relentlessly due to youthful naivety?"
Names of witches long vanished into history spilled from her crimson lips.
Lillian shook his head—none of these concerned him.
Echidna smiled wryly. "Then perhaps you want to ask about me—the [Witch of Greed] Echidna, who craves all knowledge, even after death clinging to it?"
Her expression suddenly hardened, cold and disdainful. "Or… the [Witch of Envy], who consumed other witches and opposed all life. Are you here for that detestable creature?"
Her hatred for the Jealous Witch was palpable. Likely, her pursuit of "wisdom" depended on the world's existence. No world, no wisdom. Hence her deep-seated animosity.
"—Perhaps I went too far," Echidna softened, smiling again. "Witches tend to ramble when excited. But you, you aren't afraid of me."
"You did say this is a mental world. Why fear you?"
Lillian could sense this world clearly. If he wished, he could use his mana to scorch it. The golden seed in his mind carried a fragment of the "Goddess," suppressing any spiritual entity—meaning any mental attack by Echidna would be futile.
"Yes, in the mental world, it's hard to harm the body."
"I don't want to ask about other witches. I want to know… you saw it, right? What happened that day."
Echidna twirled her long fingers around the teacup. "You mean the day you burned to ash?"
Indeed.
Lillian inhaled deeply, asking the question he deemed most urgent.