After two short hours of walking, Flugel, Minerva, and Echidna finally made it out of the forest.

Flugel noted that, with companions, making the journey through the dark forest was much less... intimidating than if he were to wander alone.

And with these two Witches, the two hours were spent rather quickly. That is, there was never a dull moment, so the time seemed to pass much faster than it was actually going.

Now, the three of them finally walked out into a clearing, which was unlike the vast expanse of grass that Flugel had traveled through earlier. This clearing had houses in sight, with the outlines of playing children also visible.

This view was the liveliest thing other than Minerva that Flugel had witnessed after being transported to this time, and it made the aforementioned Witch smile.

"Finally! You see that, Echidna? There is some peace in the world, just right there! It makes me sooo happy to see people getting along!" Minerva became giddy with joy as soon as she saw the children playing what must have been tag.

Echidna sighed and shook her head. "I can see that, but I will not be satisfied with only a select few being able to live happily. I will not stop until I am able to shelter all of the world, creating a haven in which everybody can experience joy."

Flugel was still weirded out by this new Echidna, but he liked the change. This one was a lot more caring compared to the one who was constantly scheming and lying.

He followed the two Witches as they walked towards the village, which was apparently on the route back to Echidna's residence, where they would talk some more.

As they neared the village, Flugel noticed one of the children push another to the ground as they finally tagged somebody.

The fallen child began to get up, but they suddenly lunged at the one who pushed them down.

Minerva noticed this, and her demeanor changed immediately. "Why?! They were getting along so well just a moment ago, but now they're at each other's throats! This makes me so angry!" She wiped away her forming tears and prepared to end the fight with her own strength.

Before she could interfere, Flugel held his arm out to the side, signaling her to stop. "Minerva, I'll try to put this nicely... If you try to stop these kids from fighting, you'll probably end up making them angrier."

Minerva sniffed. "I don't care! I have to help them!"

Flugel sighed. "Violence isn't always the best answer to violence. Let me show you how to stop these kinds of things."

He stepped towards the kids, and both of the Witches looked with interest.

As he approached the two kids who could now be identified as boys and were now shoving each other back and forth, he cleared his throat.

The other onlooking children stepped away from him, but the two who were fighting spared him no attention until he cleared his throat.

They looked at him with aggression while still shoving each other. Seeing this was enough to make up Flugel's mind. He knew exactly how to handle this. "So, what game were you two playing?" he asked playfully.

The one who did the first push angrily replied, "Tag." He only said that one word in response, but it was enough to verify Flugel's assumption.

Flugel continued, "Well, it doesn't look like you're playing tag anymore. What happened?"

The one who was pushed to the ground first answered. "He pushed me to the ground!"

"Did not! I barely touched you!"

"Nuh-uh! You hit me hard!"

"No! You tripped when I touched you, but then you hit me even harder!"

"I hit you back to get even!"

At this point, Flugel crouched down, and in a soft voice, said, "Hey guys, I know that you're angry right now, but look over there." He pointed to Minerva and Echidna, who were confused as to why he was pointing at them. "There are two pretty ladies who are watching. And you know what? There's a bunch of other girls watching too."

The two boys eased in their physical assaults and looked around their surroundings. Sure enough, there were many females looking onto the incident.

Flugel then made the finishing move. "You might want to fight, but fighting in front of these ladies isn't cool, is it?"

The children shook their heads with remorse, and they put their arms down, effectively ending the fight.

Flugel flashed a wide grin. "Remember this: the coolest guy doesn't start fights because he wants to. Only fight when you have to, because that's the only time that violence is cool. Okay?"

The two boys, now looking at the older teenager with awe, nodded their heads slowly.

Flugel patted them on the head as he stood up. "Good! Now, have fun!" At this point, he turned around and made his way back to the Witches.

Minerva stared at him, mouth agape, and Echidna looked on with interest.

The Witch of Wrath couldn't believe what she just saw. "H-how? You just said a few words and stopped them! They didn't cry or scream or ignore you! They stopped fighting so easily! How?! You're definitely a Sage! Only someone with tons of wisdom can do something like that!"

Flugel shook his head quickly, trying to refute the claim. "Y-you've got this wrong-"

"Nonsense," Echidna interrupted. "My book informed me that you are a Sage candidate, and we presently witnessed you do something that neither of us have ever accomplished. You did something that I, one who has unlimited knowledge, am unable to do. You stopped a conflict by using nothing but your own words." She looked excited for some reason, but Flugel didn't want this to keep going.

"To your credit, both of you don't exactly fit the mold for 'normal'. I just knew that guys like impressing girls, so I used that to make them stop fighting. I used common sense."

"Pfft." Echidna waved her hand dismissively. "This 'common sense' is no common thing. You used knowledge that none other has ever been able to access, and you used it in the most efficient way possible. What can you be if not a Sage?"

"A guy who has a brain?"

Flugel received two blank stares in return to his response. "Are you implying that we are brainless? If so, I take offense to that," Echidna replied.

Minerva was visibly confused, as she looked back and forth between Flugel and Echidna. "Wait, that was an insult? I thought that he was just saying that he has a brain. He does, doesn't he?"

Echidna sighed, but it was obvious to Flugel that she was used to Minerva's slight obliviousness. "In that case, are you agreeing with him and claiming that he is not a Sage?"

"Eh?" Minerva bit her lip, and tears began forming as her brain overexerted itself in order to figure out what was going on and the right answer to the question. "I don't know!" she exclaimed in a burst of frustration. "This is so confusing!"

Before she could make a scene, Flugel reached out and patted Minerva's head, which calmed her down through surprise. "Don't get all worked up because of me," he said. "I guess that you two can call me whatever you want to call me. Just know that I don't want to accept any credit for anything I do as a 'Sage'. I'm not that special, so don't go and make a big deal out of everything that I do."

Minerva's tears faded away and Echidna seemed to be deep in thought. "Very well," said the Witch of Greed. "I understand your sentiment, so I accept those terms."

"Terms...?" Flugel muttered.

He didn't receive any elaboration, as Echidna strode forward, towards the path that led to her mansion.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An hour later, the company of three finally arrived at Echidna's nearest mansion.

She actually owned numerous properties, which came as a surprise for some reason. This reminded Flugel of Roswaal, who also had several mansions. And speaking of Roswaal...

"Hey Echidna, do you have any students right now?" Flugel asked. Right around this time, Echidna should meet Roswaal and take him as a student. If that clown is her student right now... that means that Beatrice is also somewhere.

Currently, Flugel and the two Witches were walking towards the entrance to a grand mansion that stood two stories tall, its light grey exterior giving a not-so-welcoming appearance.

As Echidna approached the door, she shook her head. "No. I do not have any students, nor are there any pending offers. Why do you ask? Do you wish to learn under me? If so, I must decline. With your wisdom, I cannot teach you anything except for magic spells that you will be likely unable to cast. Of course, as I suspect you are a Sage, you may hold a mana capacity great enough to cast them. If you wish to learn those spells, I can casually assist you in learning those instead of becoming a teacher."

Flugel shuddered at the lengthy dialogue, but Minerva didn't seem to mind. Just as Echidna was used to Minerva's quirks, Minerva was acceptant of Echidna's uniqueness.

"No, I was just wondering," Flugel said awkwardly. However, he was curious about Beatrice, so he asked another question. "And are you, by any chance, close with any Great Spirits?"

This time, Echidna grinned widely, and her body discreetly shook with excitement. "I should have known that you would be informed of my plan regarding Great Spirits!" She seemed really excited for a moment, but she composed herself quickly. "To answer your question, not yet."

She turned around and opened the wide doors to her mansion and controlled her pace as she waltzed inside.

Leaning towards Flugel, Minerva asked with a hushed voice, "What was that about? Echidna almost never lets herself get excited like that!"

"I just knew some future stuff. I don't know why she reacted like that, though," he answered.

Minerva seemed satisfied with that, so she followed Echidna without prying into her friend's feelings.

Flugel would have jogged to catch up, but his legs honestly felt like they were going to collapse any minute. He had walked for just about two days without proper rest, and his stomach was approaching emptiness. As a result, he was only able to walk at what seemed like a snail's pace.

When she looked behind her shoulder to check on Flugel, Minerva noticed his impaired movement, so she hurried back to him.

She stood beside him and put an arm around his back. When Flugel looked at her with confusion, she explained, "I'll help you walk the rest of the way. I'll hold you up, so you hold me too. For support," she added.

"Why don't you just hit me or something? Isn't that easier?" Flugel wondered out loud.

With a blush that Flugel didn't notice, Minerva said, "B-because I like this way more..."

Warmth spread throughout all of Flugel's body, reaching his cheeks. Without any other words, he put an arm around Minerva and allowed her to guide him through Echidna's mansion.

They walked in silence, thankful for each other's company but unable to find any words to say.

After a minute of silently walking in a straight path, they saw Echidna's head poke out of a door on their right. "This way," she announced. "This is the dining room, where we can finally have a decent meal together."

Minerva didn't cease her grip on Flugel, and a very faint flash of something showed itself on Echidna's face. It could have been jealousy. It could have been frustration. It could have been confusion. Or maybe it was hesitance.

Nevertheless, Minerva did not stop holding on to Flugel, and he did not stop holding her. Together, they entered the dining room, where Echidna had pulled three chairs out from under a long table that could have easily fit twenty people.

Echidna didn't seem to notice the two holding each other anymore, as she focused on the table in front of her. "Now, I invite you to sit down in one of these comfortable chairs and ease your mind and body as you eat this wonderful meal that has been prepared for us. I am sure that it is warm, so it will be a wonderful sustenance to consume after exerting ourselves for such a long period of time."

Minerva looked at the table and a tick mark formed on her forehead. "Echidna..." she said in a restrained tone.

"Yes?" Echidna asked cluelessly.

Flugel heard Minerva's knuckles crack from behind him as she readied her response. "Echidna... there's no food on the table! And no plates! People are hungry here, and you're teasing them! You're a meanie!"

Minerva suddenly lashed out at everything near her, which was mostly Flugel. He braced himself for the angry blows, but when her fists met his body, he felt no pain.

Instead, his body felt increasingly refreshed, and his pain was fading away. This was Minerva's Authority of Wrath in action.

As Minerva healed Flugel through violence, Echidna criticized herself for being so forgetful. This was one of her flaws, and it was one that she could not run away from. "Hmm... It seems like the staff has forgotten to prepare a meal..." She then winced as she remembered something. "Ah! I understand now! There isn't food here because I live alone! Nobody prepared our meal because there is nobody to do such thing!"

Minerva stopped hitting Flugel after Echidna exclaimed the reason for the absence of a warm meal. There were tears in her eyes again as she faced the Witch of Greed.

"You poor thing! I always say that you're lonely, but you tell me you're not! This is proof! You think that people are there for you, but nobody is actually there! I was right! But that isn't a good thing!"

Echidna shrugged, not reacting emotionally to Minerva's outburst. "I suppose that doing things on my own has not been going well for any of my efforts." She then turned to Flugel with a small grin on her face. "To that end, will you become my Instigator? Will you become the person who will help me accomplish my goal?"

Flugel, who had been relishing his refreshed condition, didn't know what Echidna meant by that. "Eh?" he asked.

"My Instigator," Echidna repeated. "Will you assist me in my endeavors to protect the entire world? Will you stand by my side as we use our knowledge and wisdom to save everything?"

Before he could answer, Flugel had to carefully consider the outcomes of his next words.

The last time that Echidna proposed a contract, or a partnership, between them, she had wanted to use his Return by Death ability to satisfy her Greed.

This Echidna was different, but he was still weary of her. What intentions could she have other than what she was saying right now?

Did she want to monopolize him, who she thought to be a Sage? Did she want to use him for his apparent wisdom? Did she want a tool? Or did she honestly want someone to help her in a task that seemed hopeless when facing it alone?

Flugel knew how it felt when someone could not do something alone and despaired from that. Was Echidna feeling that right now? Did she need help, and was he the one who she chose to provide that essential service?

He asked himself these questions as Echidna looked into his eyes, awaiting an answer.

When he finally looked back into those eyes, he knew his answer.

Those black eyes that always seemed dead were now opened a little wider than usual, and they contained a mixture of hope and grief.

This was a genuine expression of emotion from the Witch of Greed, and that fact led Flugel to believe in her. Echidna truly believed that the two of them could make a difference, and she felt that she needed him to be able to move forward.

What kind of person would deny her of this chance to escape the hole that she had been trapped in? He had received so much help in the past, and this was his time to repay it.

"Echidna," he said with resolve, "I'll do it. I'll be your Instigator. I'll help you do what you can't do alone."

For the first time ever, Flugel saw the Witch of Greed seem truly happy.