"Won't you make a contract with me, Natsuki Subaru?"
The Witch of Greed waited as he collected his thoughts.
"I thought you're dead and can't mess with the real world."
The girl in black and white hummed. "I can overcome that if I want. I'm not showing off, but I'm confident that with my knowledge, I can provide solutions to most problems you will face. After all, I can understand your 'Return by Death'."
A sense of relief washed over Subaru. With the Witch's knowledge, he could-
"Don't do it!"
Minerva barged in from somewhere, fastens an arm around Subaru's neck.
"Why are you-"
The Witch of Wrath growled with frustration. "If I didn't stop you, you would have been deceived by her sweet talk. I can't believe you're so thoughtless!"
The white-haired girl opposite them coughed. "Sweet talk? I properly told him what he would gain with my contract, and about to make a conclusion."
"And you didn't tell him about the price he would pay!"
Subaru shook his head. "Even if there is a price, that's not-"
"-a big deal? You're really underestimating the importance of the contract. Especially when your opponent is the Witch of Greed, who made the most contracts with humans and who meddled in the affairs of others the most."
Faced with this, he wasn't sure who to believe. Echidna seems to mean well but seemed shady while Minerva was blunt and to the point.
The other Witches of Sin appeared around the table, facing off their fellow Witch.
"Echidna is hiding... something... She hasn't made...a lie... just not revealing...whole truth." Carmilla accused.
The Witch of Greed placed a hand over her mouth in mock surprise. "Ho~, to suddenly harm my honour. Why are you helping him, Carmilla? Unlike Minerva, you don't have any reason to help this man."
"Yes, I ... don't know... him... but... using me... to make him... Echidna's ally? I won't admit... anyone... who... deceives me..."
Echidna turned back to him. "I will repeat myself, Natsuki Subaru. If you choose to make a contract with me, I will take you to your goal."
"Echidna will surely fulfil her contract. But, she can do whatever she wants along the way until the contract is fulfilled." Sekmet interjected blasély.
She can do whatever she wants?!
Silence. The witches waited for his response.
"Accomplishing my goal with your cooperation - Does it always take the best route?"
"..."
"Are you truly willing to do your best to accomplish my goal?"
"..."
"Why are you silent? Answer, Echidna, Witch of Greed!"
"...could you accept losses along the way?" SHe finally replied.
"What?"
"Your ability, Return by Death is an authority unlike any other. You don't really understand its potential. You can repeat events and observe the different outcomes that stem from it. That's the ultimate tool for any researcher. I definitely have the means to know everything with 'World's Record'. But, I don't really like using it. I want to know, not just for knowledge itself, but I value the effort spent searching for knowledge. Because of that, it is ironically despicable for me. Our talk has derailed for the moment. Yes, I am envious of your ability. How could I pass that ability? How could I pass the opportunity to test everything with that? Of course, I don't want to force you into using it. You just have to use it for yourself. I will make every effort for the future you want, and fulfil my curiosity along the way. I won't get punished for this much, do I? You get the result, while I fulfil my curiosity. It's mutually beneficial, no?"
"So you will sometimes not reveal essential information in order to satisfy your curiosity? How despicable." Subaru felt a blanket of disappointment cover him as Echidna revealed her intentions.
"Do you know Beatrice?"
"Of course, I created her after all. What did she do?"
"You ordered her to stay in the mansion and wait for 'That Person', right?"
"Yes, although I didn't specify the location."
"Then, who is 'That Person'? How can I free her from the duty?"
"I made her wait for 'That Person', and see who she could choose. She was originally made for a certain purpose, but when it became invalid, I had to change things. To give her a new purpose, I made a contract with her."
"That's..."
"Maintain the Forbidden Archive and give it to 'That Person'. There's no limitation because there is no true answer. I used her as intended and I can watch what her choice would be. Though I didn't expect Beatrice to wait for 400 years, agonizing over whether she should break the contract or not. Isn't that just wonderful?" Echidna smiled beautifully as a chill crept up Subaru's spine.
"...I won't choose you-"
And that was the moment that darkness blotted out the sky.
The women cloaked in darkness rushed towards them
The Witch of Envy.
"I'm sorry Natsuki Subaru, but that decision is no longer yours to make," Echidna sighed, grabbing his hand as the light around them was snuffed out.
.
.
.
.
"Well boy, are you going to buy those appas or not?"