"...Who in the world is Shaula and why do I already feel excited?"

You clasped your hands together and waited for an answer. The final point in Echidna's plan was to recruit this person into the Crusaders, but this name was an unfamiliar one.

Sitting back into her chair, Echidna crossed her arms and explained, "Do you remember the tale of the Sage, the Sword Saint, and the Dragon who defeated her?"

You nodded your head, now seeing where this was going. "The swordsman was Reinhard's ancestor and the Dragon's name is Volcanica, so does that mean that the Shaula is the Sage?!"

Echidna scoffed. "Not at all! If that dullard was the Sage, then I would weep for this world!" Regaining her serious demeanor, the Witch of Greed shook her head. "No, Shaula is the Sage's apprentice and the current protector of the Pleiades Watchtower."

Ignoring the fact that Echidna set up that entire example just for it to be loosely related to her point, you had actually heard about the Pleiades Watchtower during a meeting with Anastasia a few months ago. Back then, it was a tower of mystery, and you still didn't really know that much about it. "What exactly is the Pleiades Watchtower?" you asked.

After hesitating for a moment, Echidna replied, "The Pleiades Watchtower is several things. First of all, it is a library that contains knowledge that even I do not possess. Secondly, it acts as a lookout for Shaula to locate and kill all trespassers, as they may be aiming to reach the shrine in which she is sealed."

"..." You scratched your head. "Why is there so much stuff to learn about in this world? I feel like something new always comes up out of nowhere and then you start telling me a ton of stuff. Now I can relate to how Subaru felt when I used to try and tell him everything I knew about what was going to happen."

Echidna seemed genuinely concerned about this statement. "Is that so?" she wondered out loud. After a moment of thought, she concluded, "If that is truly how you feel, then I will temporarily halt the communicating of my thoughts. In fact, this may be for the better, as you may not retain all of this information if it is given in a short burst of activity."

This reaction from the Witch of Greed was unexpected, so it took you a second to process what she just said. "Wait, you're going to stop short? When have you ever talked less because it made other people's brains scramble?"

"..."

Echidna had no response, so she changed subjects. "As soon as you exit this Castle of Dreams, fall asleep. We will have several tasks to complete tomorrow, so your mind must be rested in order to be successful."

"Any chance you'll tell me what they are?"

The Witch grinned. "Only after you wake up."

Time Skip

The entire Priscilla and Al ordeal left you more exhausted than usual, so you had no issues falling asleep.

Falling asleep the second time was the issue.

When you first opened your eyes, the sun's harsh rays were yet to rise, and Omega was still asleep next to you.

Truth be told, it was going to take a little time to get used to sharing the bed with her, but it would surely become another occurrence that was added to the list of everything else in this fantasy world that you had become accustomed to.

You closed your eyes once more and attempted to fall asleep, but thoughts began to creep into your mind about the day that was yet to begin and about the more distant future.

What was Echidna planning? What else was she going to say before she stopped? How strong is Shaula, and what race is she if she's been alive for over four hundred years? What would be the best "inventions" to make? Will people in this world put their equivalent of pineapples on pizza and begin a war over it?

As your mind began exploring these questions, another voice posed a different question.

'(Y/N), why do you keep yourself awake when I need you to sleep?'

You looked beside you and didn't notice Omega making any motions. This meant that Echidna had her physical body resting while she communicated with her nonphysical form.

'Well, it's not like I'm trying to stay awake. At this point, I can't stop thinking about different things and my brain won't let me sleep.'

'I can see that...'

After a pause, Echidna instructed, 'Follow my directions, and there is an eighty percent chance that you will fall asleep.'

Wanting to see where this was going, you got ready to do whatever it was that Echidna had in mind.

'To begin, make sure that you are in an optimal position for comfort,' Echidna said with a calculated voice.

You were already comfy, so step one was already done.

Continuing, Echidna instructed, 'Now, close your eyelids and take a long, deep breath through your nose and exhale slowly.'

You closed your eyes, just as she said, and started to take those deliberate breaths. Just by doing this, you could already feel your body relaxing.

'As you take these breaths, note that your eyelids begin to feel heavier, and you are becoming increasingly drowsy.'

Echidna knew what she was doing because, just by breathing differently, you were getting closer to sleep. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that your mind was now focused on something other than the raging thoughts that kept it running.

'Now focus on your breathing and your face. Relax your forehead... your cheeks... your lips... your jaw... Relax every minuscule muscle until all tension is dispelled.'

As you relaxed these muscles, you were surprised to discover that your muscles were less relaxed than you thought they were, because there was a noticeable difference between the tension in your face muscles before and after you listened to Echidna.

Echidna picked up on this silent amazement and resumed with more enthusiasm in her voice. 'Continue to relax your muscles until your entire body is devoid of tension. As you are doing this, remember to take deep breaths.'

Your muscles weakened from your shoulders all the way to your feet, and now you felt as if you were truly relaxed for once. Now, since your mind was focused on breathing and your body was relaxed, you were now in the perfect condition to fall asleep.

Unbeknownst to you, Echidna counted down from ten with her fingers, and as she reached zero, you were already asleep again. With a faint smile, the Witch of Greed noted, "He feels comfortable enough with me to the point that simple instructions will lure him to the realm of the unconscious."

Looking up at the artificial sky, she sighed, dropping the smile. "How have I changed so drastically in less than a year? I am reminding myself of myself when I was younger... Has this boy given me something that I abandoned all those centuries ago? Can I actually hope to return to the person I used to be?"

Echidna shook her head. "That is impossible," she whispered to herself. "There is a reason that I had to give up... A reason why I had to abandon my heart."

After a deep, shaky breath, the Witch of Greed muttered, "It's all her fault."

Time Skip

"Wake up, (Y/N). It is time to initiate stage one of today's plan."

You rubbed your eyes and saw Omega reaching down and gently shaking your shoulder. Sitting up slowly, you asked, "And what exactly are we going to do for this stage?"

"Get dressed and I will tell you."

Since this topic was one that actually interested you, you got out from under the fancy covers and went to grab your casual clothes. All of your clothes were in the small closet located across from the bed, and while Omega was yet to receive or create new clothes, there was more than enough space for her to store her clothes in there if she wished to do so.

After you got dressed, you made the bed. This might have seemed like a small action brought by not being slothful, but there was an actual reason to do it. You didn't want Frederica, Clind, or Ram to try to clean the bed themselves, because inside the mattress was the Tome of Wisdom that you found at the Sanctuary, and if the wrong person found it, there would be a lot of issues.

It would have been easy to tell Subaru about the book, but that could also create more problems down the road, so you and Omega decided to keep its survival a secret until it needed to be revealed.

Now, with the bed made, Omega nodded with a pleased expression. "Now that you are ready, let me explain my plan as we prepare to eat breakfast with a jester."

Something about that sentence struck you as unusual. "Wait, how do you know that Roswaal's going to be at breakfast for once? Did he say something about it?"

Omega shook her head. "Not at all!" she answered.

As she opened and walked past the door, Echidna explained, 'Now that he has come to a false conclusion about my identity, the clown aims to either kill me or use me as one of his pieces. His first step will be to make me seem untrustworthy, so he will meet me at breakfast and either attempt to make me say something suspicious or make me reveal something before I am completely awake and aware of my actions. I will oblige, but do so in a way that will leave my interrogator confused.'

As you followed Omega down the hallway, you grinned in anticipation. 'Since you're always with me, he's probably going to question me too, right? If he does that, I'll come up with something good to clap back with.'

'Indeed. I trust you not to say something stupid, so please consider your words before you utter them.'

'Gotcha. I can be smart when I want to be, so you have nothing to worry about!'

Time Skip

Roswaal sat at the dining table, waiting for a certain guest to enter the room. If his suspicions were correct, then Sphinx somehow survived the Demi-Human War and somehow hid her existence from the world until now.

What was she doing here, and why was she so close to (Y/N)?

Was she back for revenge? This was the only logical explanation unless Sphinx somehow changed drastically ever since his grandmother (who was actually just his soul inhabiting a woman's body) cut one of her arms off and drove her away. She was also reported dead soon afterwards by the head of the Barielle family, who claimed to have killed her, so there was yet another puzzle to solve.

Nevertheless, Roswaal was going to find out how this nuisance survived, and he was going to uncover her motives before anybody could be compromised.

As he sat patiently at the dining table, others began filtering in, the first being Otto.

When the merchant walked into the room, he seemed surprised. "I didn't expect to see you here, Roswaal, but this is perfect! I need to talk to you about several visit requests that ask for you, specifically."

Otto was the Head of Internal Affairs for the Emilia Camp, so he was in charge of things such as this.

Crossing his arms, Roswaal called out, "Ah, Otto-kun! Hooooooowww nice of you to remind me! Let me seeeeee..." He pretended to ponder the requests, and after a short pause, he announced, "Accept Muse-san's request and ask if the others would consider a different time, for I am a verrrrrry busy man!"

Otto nodded his head as he scribbled down some notes on a loose sheet of paper that he carried with him.

As he was doing this, Emilia, Subaru, and Beatrice walked in together.

"Oi, Ros-chi! What are you up to? You never eat with us unless we have guests!" Subaru was the first one to react, pointing his finger at the clown and accusing him of ulterior motives.

Putting a hand up to his chest, Roswaal pretended to be hurt by these words. "You make me verrrry sad, Subaru-kun! Can I never dine with company other than Ram? How lonely this makes me feel!" Dropping his hand, he added, "But you are correct. I am only here because of a guest! I would like to know (Y/N)'s companion, Omega-san, better, so I am here!"

While Beatrice looked at Roswaal with suspicion, Emilia did the opposite. "That's super nice of you!" she exclaimed.

Beatrice began to retort, but at that point, Roswaal paid no attention to the three who weren't Sphinx.

He had revealed to Subaru that he was honestly waiting for "Omega" for two reasons: he could use this twisted truth to ask questions without interference, and any attempt from "Omega" to use his words against him could be hidden under this guise and his position of Emilia's benefactor.

He waited patiently while the four others made idle talk, but none of their words made it through the filter that allowed only important information pass through his ears.

Soon, after Clind seemed to have finished preparing breakfast, Roswaal's ears finally picked up on something coming from outside of the dining room.

"Omega, you don't have to be so grouchy about it! I know that you're still a little tired, but you don't have to yell at me for sending us down the wrong hallway!"

Roswaal heard you approaching the room with "Omega", and a smirk failed to hide itself on his face. Sphinx was now here, and now he could finally begin to dig some information out of her.

Of course, he was going to have Clind examine her tone and facial expression to detect lies, so this standoff could not fail even if she lied. The only option other than this or telling the truth was to withhold information, but even this would work in Roswaal's favor, as it would make the sudden guest seem very suspicious to the other residents at the table.

Clind, being the superior butler that he was, set out the dishes with elegance as he already fixed his eyes on "Omega".

As the two of you approached the table, Roswaal waved. "Goooooood morning, (Y/N)-kun and Omega-san! You've come with perfectttttt timing! Clind has just finished making some of his very best mystery pancakes!"

"Omega" yawned as she sat in the chair across from Roswaal. "What do these mystery pancakes consist of? What exactly is their mystery?" she asked.

Clind, who was setting the pancakes on each plate, answered. "I have yet to grasp the concept of pancakes, so instead of perfecting my technique, I decided to stay clueless as to how to cook them, so their ingredients and style of cooking vary greatly. Thus, one wonders how I managed to create something so delicious. Ingenious."

"Ah, is that so?" she wondered. "Omega" proceeded to wolf down her pancake, and her face displayed a pleased expression. "I see! Somehow, you use your lack of knowledge to lower one's expectations, and once that expectation is surpassed, the unexpected flavor always pleases the tongue. I wonder how such a thing is possible!" After a brief pause, she added, "In short: explain. Who are you to be able to accomplish such a feat?"

As she ranted about the mystery pancakes, both Clind and Roswaal secretly made a mental note. Sphinx always used the phrase "in short" when she talked, so this gave them another piece of evidence that was backed up by the same occurrence yesterday.

This was either Sphinx or an unknown somebody who knew her well, both of which were very dangerous threats.

Complying with her demand, Clind explained, "I am Clind, the butler of this mansion and loyal servant to the Miload family. I am highly skilled at most things, so please do not be startled when I perform impressive feats. Jesting."

Seizing this moment, Roswaal interjected, "And while we are on this topic, may I ask who you are and where you come from? You see, I am very curious as to how you and (Y/N) already seem so close to each other. Has his luck with females suddenly improved?"

Your eye twitched, but you let "Omega" answer those questions.

"My my, those are a lot of questions, but I suppose that it makes perfect sense for me to answer them," she replied. Leaning back in her chair, "Omega" began, "In short: listen. My name is Omega, and I have been living a nomadic life for quite a while now. I was lost for a while, but then I found some companions, but then they were mercilessly slaughtered while they were unsupervised by me. Therefore, when I heard about The Crusaders, I could not help but jump for the opportunity to join. Luckily for me, I was at the Crusch Karsten manor inquiring about this organization when (Y/N) and the rest of the group arrived to deliver crystals. I joined The Crusaders, and then I arrived here. As for my relationship with (Y/N)... I am sure that, given time, we will become great accomplices, akin to a witch and a warlock."

"That was not short at allllll," Roswaal remarked. Apparently satisfied with the answer that he received, the jester nodded his head. Clind didn't ask him if breakfast was delicious, which was the code for a detected lie, so this was the truth. Sphinx's identity was pretty much confirmed at this point, so only two questions remained: how was she alive, and what was she implying about her and (Y/N)? To claim that he was the equivalent of a warlock... what did this mean? His teacher's relationship with Hector, the Warlock of Melancholy, was one of brute hunter and cunning prey, so how did any of that translate to (Y/N)?

As that last thought passed through the clown's brain, "Omega" began to talk even more. "I apologize if I seem suspicious in any way, but I believe that this is inevitable, as any person who joins this camp from the outside will definitely be met with apprehension."

From across the table, Subaru chuckled. "I know exactly what you're talking about! When me and (Y/N) first came to the mansion before this one, we were really sus. So don't worry! We were in way hotter water than you, so I'm sure that you'll be fine. Unless you're actually up to something..."

"Omega" ignored the glare that Subaru subsequently threw at her, but Roswaal did not miss it.

In fact, he found joy in seeing that glare, for it meant that it would be easy to frame Sphinx of a dubious act if she was not already planning one.

Time Skip

Breakfast did not last for long, but it was a very productive time for Roswaal. He wasn't able to uncover any secrets from Sphinx, which was expected, but he was able to discern a path to extract this information.

There was a possibility that Sphinx was already deceiving him and Clind, but the chance of this happening was very low, for the Sphinx he knew was mentally unstable and incapable of perfectly controlling her emotions. The only way that he could be fooled in this situation is for Sphinx to have become whole through loss of memories or gaining lost ones (but those were unlikely since a whole Sphinx would be Echidna and she would not act this way toward her pupil) and a Sphinx with lost memories would be actively searching for them, as this was in her very nature.

It was still possible that this was not Sphinx, but that was as likely as Rem's existence returning to the world before Gluttony fully digested it.

Roswaal grinned as he contemplated the possibilities of Sphinx's current state, and this grin remained as he suddenly heard a voice call out from down the hallway.

"Excuse me for continuing my interrogation, but where can I find a library in this manor?"

The subject of Roswaal's contemplation voiced herself, and the margrave couldn't help but to stretch his grin even wider. "I do not mind at alllllll, Omega-san~! But can (Y/N) not direct you to our library, or is there a reason you had to ask meeeee?"

With narrowed eyes and a hushed voice, she replied, "You are very perceptive, indeed. For some reason, you seem to see right through me... It is as if you already know me!"

Walking even closer to Roswaal, "Omega" whispered, "In short: yes. Are you in possession of... certain books? You know, the types that only people of your caliber should have access to? I am aware that this makes me look suspicious, but you must understand: I am quite the powerful magician, and I believe that I can become a great asset to your camp if you allow me to gain this extraordinary knowledge."

The clown shook his head. "I am verrrrry sorry to say this, but you will not be able to read from such a library! I am afraid that the library you are referring to was burned to a crisp, and even if it existed, I am faaaaaaaar to cautious to allow you to read from it, although I would looooove to witness your self-proclaimed magical prowess!"

"Omega" shrugged her shoulders, disappointment displayed in her eyes. "Perhaps I shall display my skills another day. As of right now, I am not interested in becoming an exhibitionist. For now, I will be reading in the general library."

As she turned away, the mysterious guest added, "And please do not interrupt my reading, for I tend to get immersed in my books, and breaking that immersion is a very terrible thing."

Roswaal, who no longer held control over the encounter, could only watch as his target walked away from him, seemingly oblivious to the amount of thought that was being directed towards her.

Time Skip

Roswaal sat in his room, twiddling his fingers as he planned his next course of action.

As he did this, three knocks came from his door - the signal that Clind always gave to let Roswaal know who it was.

"Come in~," Roswaal invited, his voice halfway between his acting voice and his more serious tone.

The butler slowly swung the door open, and he was cleaning his monocle as he did so. Before talking, Clind made sure that the door was closed.

Once the room was secure, the elegant butler asked, "Have you decided on the best course of action in terms of our new guest? I personally believe that we should interfere. Advisement."

Roswaal sighed. "Obviously, I agree. At this point in time, there is almost no denying the true identity of "Omega," but there are a few complications. First off, she is a very dangerous mage, and she seems to be aware of this fact. However, I do not know if she retains her memories from the Demi Human War, for she does not seem to recognize my family name. If she remembered this, she would surely seek to destroy me and this camp, which is unacceptable."

"I see," Clind announced. "We do not know if this is an act or if the woman in question has actually lost her memories, and the answer to this dilemma would dictate our decision. If this is an act, then we kill her. If this is genuine, we can use her or still kill her. Conclusion."

The margrave nodded his head. "Once again, you are correct, Clind. I would love to wait and gather enough information to make this decision, but if Sphinx's intentions are malicious, then we need to act swiftly."

The butler bowed. "In that case, would you like me to retrieve the guest from the forest? She has been outside for quite a while now, so I believe that she would not mind if we asked her to step inside-"

"What?" Roswaal interrupted with confusion. "Is she not in the library?!"

Clind, seeing where this was going, already had a hand on the ornate door handle. "I shall locate her as soon as possible, for it seems that we have been deceived. Shocked."

The butler was gone in an instant, but Roswaal couldn't move a muscle, his face frozen in an expression of creeping fear.

He was having flashbacks to one of his previous vessels, in which he had to train for his (or her, since this was a female body) entire life to master martial arts that would be able to defeat the monster that was Sphinx.

If there was going to be a repeat of that battle, then the remnants of his dream could actually be shattered with the death of Emilia.

Emilia?

With the half-elf in his mind, Roswaal quickly leaped toward a particular shelf that held an empty bowl.

As his hands began to shake, the magician chanted, "Huma!'

Water filled the bowl, and Roswaal was already beginning his next spell. With an image of Sphinx - her actual self, not the illusion that he was now able to see through - clear in his mind, he uttered, "Sicht!"

When the scrying spell failed and nothing appeared in the water, Roswaal threw it down in anger. The small volume of water spread across his floor, and the noise caught somebody's attention.

With her voice muffled by the closed door, Frederica called out, "Is something wrong, Roswaal-sama? I saw Clind hurrying outside, so I came here to check on you."

Not quite controlling his anger, Roswaal barked, "Where is Omega!?"

Frederica paused for a second, surprised by the aggressiveness of her master's voice. "She told me that she would be training with (Y/N). Is that not why Clind was going outside?"

"NO! She-" Before he gave too much away, Roswaal stopped himself and took a deep breath to regain control of his anger. In a concerningly calm voice, he said, "No. We do not know where this guest is, so please search for her. But before you leave, can you tell me where Emilia-sama is? There is something I must talk to her about."

With a voice full of worry, the maid answered, "I am sorry, but I am also not aware of Emilia-sama's location. If I find her or Omega-sama, I will report to you right away."

She waited outside the door, but when no reply came from the other side, Frederica curtsied and proceeded to complete this mission.

Approximately one minute later, Roswaal finally exited his room, his emotions back under control.

His first step was now to talk to (Y/N).

Time Skip

Roswaal found you, Subaru, and Beatrice sitting in the library with many pieces of paper littered across the floor.

These papers were filled with sketches of unfamiliar objects, but this was not the time for Roswaal to ponder over them.

Without greeting any of you, he asked, "Have any of you seen Omega-san since breakfast? It apppppears that she has gone missing, and I am also incapable of finding Emilia-sama."

You shrugged your shoulders. "I dunno. Both of them seem like strong, independent women who can handle themselves. And why are you looking for them? If you need to tell them something, then you can just tell us since we'll eventually see them."

"And unless this is something really urgent, you don't need to be invading Emilia-tan's privacy, you know," Subaru added. "If she doesn't want you bothering her, then there's probably a reason behind it. Maybe she's planning a surprise or something."

As the two of you responded, a twitch developed under Roswaal's eyes. "You see, as you hinted at during breakfast, Subaru-kun, Omega might not have had the best intentions when coming here. Can it be pure coincidence that the two of them are missing simultaneously?"

After taking a second to think, you answered, "Yup. Coincidences can be scary sometimes, and this is probably just one of those times."

"Is that sooooo?" Roswaal remarked, frustration creeping back into his voice. "Why do you believe in that girl so devotedly?" With increasing volume, he demanded, "Has she already seduced you?! Have you mistakenly fallen for a woman again?! Can you not see through the illusion that she always keeps up?! Can you-"

"That's crossing a line!" Subaru interrupted as he stepped up to Roswaal. "Your woman situation is quite arguably worse, and you do realize that without (Y/N), Emilia-tan's campaign to become the ruler would be a lot weaker? You're in no place to talk, and what do you even mean by illusion? Is there something that you've been hiding from us?"

"You are fools! Without me-"

"Without you," you finished, "we would have fewer problems. Remember, you're relying on us to make your 'dream,' whatever it is, come true. We don't need you, but you need us, so you better stop acting like we're the idiots here. You're really quick to point fingers and do whatever it is that you're trying to do behind the scenes, but the only thing you accomplish is making it really hard to trust you."

Tired of arguing with what seemed to be a brick wall - an offensive one at that - Roswaal turned around and stormed out of the library.

"Something must mean a lot to you if you are acting this childish, I suppose," he heard Beatrice comment as he did so.

If only she knew.

Time Skip

Clind's face did not reveal his failure, but the lack of "Omega" or Emilia was enough to let Roswaal know that the butler was just as shorthanded as he was.

Tired of looking at the surrounding trees, the butler focused on his master. "What do you propose we try next? Perhaps we can reveal this predicament to the rest of your camp and force them to provide assistance. Suggestion."

Roswaal shook his head. "It seems as if old wounds haven't closed yet, so I will not be able to procure any aid." He balled his fists. "No, we should decimate the surrounding area. If anything survives, then it will be Sphinx. She would not allow her hostage to die, so Emilia-sama will be safe as well."

"This is most definitely a last-case solution, but I am not against it," Clind said, "For we can blame the guest for the fire, which will suit your plans perfectly."

As an afterthought, Clind added, "If I were able to use that ability to teleport to people, not places, then this situation would have been much less bleak. Regret."

Roswaal shook his head once more. With his right eye twitching, he said, "That is not-"

"This seems very interesting! Would you care to elaborate about that ability? I think it's only fair, since you're about to drown me with your questions and demands."

At that moment, "Omega" suddenly appeared in front of the two men, who immediately prepared to fight. Roswaal adopted a defensive stance with his arms raised in front of his body while Clind stood menacingly in place.

"Omega" waved them off as if this were no big deal. "I don't want to fight the two of you, and you don't want to fight me, so let's not engage in combat," she decided. "Instead, let's have some Q and A time! If you answer my one question, I will answer two of your questions! Is that not an excellent proposal?"

Roswaal and Clind exchanged glances before apprehensively agreeing to the currently diplomatic approach.

Not happy about having no control over this situation, Roswaal demanded, "We will only give you an answer if you will answer our questions first. As you can see, trust is something we have yet to gain in terms of you."

"Omega" shrugged. "Why not? The order of the questioning and answering matters not, just as it does not matter whether you cut through a line or patiently wait in it. You reach the same destination, but at a different time, and time is something that we have plenty of."

Not willing to waste time dissecting those words, the clown interrogated, "Who are you, and what is your goal here?!"

"Before I answer," "Omega" smugly replied, "Are you sure that you want to ask those two questions? I mean, the butler did not even have a say in it."

Clind shook his head. "His will is my will. Servitude."

"Omega" shrugged again. "If you are so sure about that, then fine by me! But for a reason you will soon discover, I will answer those questions in reverse, with my identity being the last thing I reveal."

Making sure to talk slowly to retain tension, she explained, "Today, I purposefully deceived the two of you in order to talk to that half-elf. You see, she invited me to have a private discussion, and I suggested that the two of us go someplace where we will not be easily found, and it seems as if we won that round of hide-and-seek."

With gritted teeth, Roswaal muttered, "If that was all, then whyyyy did you conceal yourself with magic?"

"Omega" chuckled. "I did so in case somebody attempted to use magic to discern our location! Us ladies need privacy, as you must certainly know."

This time, Clind was the one to interrupt. "Excuse me, but please reveal your true intentions. You are obviously hiding much more than you are letting on. Observation."

"Oh, but am I not telling the truth? The two of you are reading my body language and such, so you must be convinced on some level that I am not lying."

Both Roswaal and Clind became even more alert when "Omega" revealed that she knew what they were doing.

"What, are you surprised?" "Omega" scoffed. "You had the nerve to ask me about my intentions and identity, and yet my seeing past your poorly knitted facade?"

When she was met with two malicious glares, "Omega" sighed. "Oh well. Boys will always be boys." Continuing where she had sidetracked from, she said, "My foremost reason to come to this particular residence is to use (Y/N) as a tool to gain information, as he seems to be very useful in a certain area I am curious about. As for the meeting with the half-elf, I played along in order to incite this three-way discussion." After a pause, she added, "And I must applaud you for following my plans so well without being aware of them!"

Roswaal, who couldn't stand the taunting from "Omega," lunged back into his combat stance. "Stop with the nonsense. What are you doing here, Sphinx!? Give me the answer or lose in our rematch!"

"Sphinx" sighed for a third time. "I gave you all of my plans for the present, so there must be a misunderstanding." She then mockingly pursed her lips before saying, "But I suppose that this would be my fault... In fact, you still believe that I am Sphinx!"

"If you are not Sphinx, then who are you?" Clind interrogated. "I cannot imagine an answer that will prevent combat. Prepared."

"Sphinx" spread her arms wide, her face one of malicious excitement. "I was just getting there! You see, I am somebody who is very familiar with this failed experiment you speak of, and I am somebody who wields magic that she has only copied!"

A suspicious realization was slowly creeping into Roswaal's eyes, and his steeled resolve began to quake with his body.

"No... it can't be..." he whispered, attempting to hide his emotions behind the mask of a joker.

Of course, "Sphinx '' saw right through him. "Why are you afraid, child?" she asked condescendingly. "Is it not your goal to reunite with your teacher?"

The clown's eyes widened as he took a step backwards.

Clind, who was quick to understand, didn't know what to do.

With a grand flick of her wrists, "Sphinx" revealed, "Behold, it is I, Echidna!"

As she said this, a projection seemed to emanate from her body, and an image of a white-haired woman stood above Omega.

Both men were immediately attacked with unease, and nausea began to spread over their bodies.

"You... are not... my teacher!" Roswaal gasped in disbelief.

"Hmmm?" "Echidna" hummed. "Is that so?" With another flick of her wrists, the projected image of Echidna disappeared, and Omega was now standing alone. "How can you deny that I am the Witch of Greed? Is it because I am dead? Is it because my appearance differs from the image you have devoted your cursed existence to?"

Roswaal straightened back up, his confidence not quite repairing itself after the shock it took. "I do not know how you are standing here, but I know that Teacher had several plans to resurrect herself. However, while you are Echidna, you are not my teacher."

"Indeed," Clind added apprehensively. "Your soul, now that it is clear to me, reminds me of a younger version of the mistress. One that still hadn't healed from Satella's betrayal and the Great Calamity she incited."

For the first time, Echidna/Omega allowed her guard to slip. "How do you know about that?!" she snapped. "Not even-"

She composed herself quickly, but it wasn't soon enough. Since he found a weakness, Roswaal began to attack it.

"Ahhhh! A copy of Teacher's soul before I was saved by her! Hoooowww did this come to happen, I suppose?"

With great bluntness, Omega stated, "Just because a woman kisses you doesn't mean that she loves you. If I were her, I would most definitely use you as a tool to resurrect myself and then continue to manipulate you to achieve all of my other goals. Have you really allowed a delusion to control you for the past four centuries?"

"Yes," Roswaal said firmly. "And you should not be diverting my question!"

"Oh yes, how rude of me! And what question may that be? We agreed that I would state my goals and my identity in exchange for a question I direct toward your butler. In fact, this means that I am entitled to a question, and I have no reason to answer anything else you may ask."

"Very well," Clind announced. "We may not like it, but a deal is a deal. Ready."

Omega grinned. "Before I ask this, please be reminded that the terms of this agreement, and I quote, were, 'If you answer my one question, I will answer two of your questions!' Therefore, I will not ask my original question and I will choose to ask what Authority you, the butler, possesses!"

A moment of silence followed as Omega received no response.

"Hmm? Are you going to forgo our agreement and answer with silence?"

The butler slowly shook his head. "I am a character who honors promises, but I am afraid that I cannot answer your question due to a contract that is already set in place. Perhaps I can answer a different question? Compromise."

"Hmm..." Omega thought out loud, "I don't think so. Instead, I will ask your master the same question. What Authority does the butler possess?"

She turned to Roswaal, who looked mortified. "Ahhhh~ you are truly crafty, just as I would expect Teacher's earlier self to be! Would it be a stretch to ask for a contract between the three of us if I give you this answerrr?"

Omega laughed. "How amusing! Why not! Now, please state the terms of this contract and your answer!"

The margrave grinned, finally gaining some ground in this confrontation. "Letssss see... What about we start with..."

Time Skip

It was long past the sun's farewell, and the abnormally bright moon was now shining through your windows.

Well, you actually couldn't see that light because you were in Echidna's Castle of Dreams, but they would eventually become worthy of notice.

"...And that's how we ended the conversation," Echidna finished explaining as she sipped her home-brewed tea.

"But why?" you implored. "That ending wasn't really that satisfying. I mean, Roswaal was flustered for a little bit, but he never really got defeated."

The Witch smirked. "The best method to effectively manipulate somebody is to make them believe that you are less capable than they are. By making this contract with this absolute clown, he now sees me as a very intriguing individual, but my threat level has decreased significantly. Now, as we prepare to venture to the Pleiades Watchtower and prepare to take action with The Crusaders, I can convince him to lend more direct aid, all while he thinks he is getting the better deal. Trust me, there will be a time in the future in which I crush his dreams, but until then, he will serve as a potent puppet who believes he is free."

When Echidna mentioned the watchtower, your ears perked. "Hey! Can't we use Clind to get to the Watchtower? Since his Authority apparently lets him teleport at a price, can't the two of you work together to make sure we all make it there?"

Your tea partner shrugged. "Firstly, I would like to save his Authority of Melancholy for later, and based on the crude explanation I was given, I believe that he cannot teleport any person other than himself, which makes this ability useless. However, I plan to use this versatile resource often in the future, as the version of Melancholy that the butler has manifested seems to have multiple abilities."

You smiled from anticipation at the mentioning of his Authority. "Man, I wish that he could've told you how he got it! I can't believe that Clind, of all people, has an Authority like that - or an Authority at all!"

Echidna slid a plate of cookies toward you. "I share your enthusiasm on this subject. Hector was the previous Warlock of Melancholy, and I would like to learn how he was defeated, as he relentlessly chased after my head for several decades." After taking a bite out of her own cookie, she added, "He was certainly a depressed pest, and the one I modeled your opponent after in our recent Dungeons and Dragons game."

"That's what I started to think," you noted. "Can't you just ask him since you've made a contract?"

"I could, but where is the fun in that?" Echidna quipped. She began to swing her legs as if this thought was endearing. "The two of us can investigate his mysterious past together, and we can revel in our success as we slowly come to understand the truth! Besides," she added, "One of the two terms in our contract states that we will not pry into the past of the other. This does not mean much in terms of the clown, but it prevents me from asking that question."

You nodded your head. "And you don't want them to know that we can void other people's contracts with our own, so you'll just take the fun path, right?"

The Witch grinned. "Exactly!"

You smiled at the sight of this happy woman and decided to take a cookie because it looked very tempting. As you took a bite from the side, Echidna didn't say anything. Instead, she watched you intently, waiting for a reaction.

Since her stare was obvious, you took care as your teeth sunk into the mystery cookie. At first, it seemed a little hard, but once you started to chew it, the cookie became very soft and sweet, as if the outer layer was protecting the inside.

"I love it!" you exclaimed, overexaggerating just a little bit.

The Witch of Greed noticed immediately, but she didn't pay any heed. "That is a relief, for I can only make these cookies by imagining them. If any stray thoughts enter my mind as I create them..."

"You'd get a mix of something that would probably kill someone."

She nodded her head in defeat. "If such a thing were possible in this realm, then yes." Suddenly, she perked her head back up. "Speaking of failures, would you like to explain the inventions you and Subaru came up with today? I have only seen the bagpipe, and I shuddered so violently that I ceased to explore that memory."

You chuckled as you shifted your position in the chair. "Yeah... we scrapped that idea pretty fast... But you know what? I'll just make you wait until tomorrow to learn about the other things because you made me wait that long to learn about your plan for today."

"..." Echidna seemed surprised by your rebuttal, but she didn't take any offense. In fact, she looked more amused than upset.

"That seems fair, I suppose. But now that you have refused your host her request, you shall now be ejected!" Echidna said jokingly.

You shrugged. "Alright. See ya tomorrow, and good night!"

Once again, you caught the Witch by surprise as you disappeared from her fabricated landscape.

"...Good night, (Y/N)," she spoke softly as she was once again left alone at this table for two.

Hey guys! Sorry for being gone for so long!

You see, life decided to become way more complicated than it should have been after I posted my last chapter, and I was swamped with so much stuff that I couldn't find time to write. Luckily, I figured some stuff out and readjusted a couple of things, and now I'm back with this goliath of a chapter!

I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm excited to announce that I have decided to continue my other story, Re:Living Their Past! Right now, I plan to update it around December.

And with that, I'll see you next time!