The usual gloomy overcast sky greets the sprawling Lugnica City.

The streets are crowded with bustling people. The motor cars, carriages, wagons, and horsebacks hopelessly try to find a path through the crowd. The smokes steam out of the factories. The zeppelin airships patrol the skies. Just another ordinary day.

Be that as it may, a strange phenomenon is taking place across the city. Today is [A Happy Wedding Day] where numerous weddings are to be held all over the place at noon.

Arc I: The Witches of Lugnica
Chapter 1: Wedding Infiltration

March 21 | 10:00
Corneas Castle, west of Lugnica City

Somewhere on the western side of Lugnica City, a motor car was parked just outside the vicinity of a middle-sized castle; the castle of a sinister scum who shall be referred to as [Black Greed].

Inside the car, Echidna is settled into the driver's seat with Minerva besides her on the passenger seat. Sekhmet, Carmilla, and Daphne are seated at the back with Typhon sitting on Sekhmet's lap since only three people are able to fit.

From the inside, they are closely observing the guards patrolling the castle grounds. Although their exact number is hard to determine, there seems to be a lot. Alongside the castle guards, there are also two guards manning the gates to make sure no intruder is able to pass.

"Our target is [Black Greed]'s secretary. If anyone knows where [Black Greed] is to marry [Frost], it's him." Echidna reminded everyone why they, a group of maidens, are even trying to break inside a castle.

To summarize, [Black Greed] is the main culprit behind the wedding phenomenon. He sponsored countless weddings as a scheme to confuse any unwelcomed guests trying to spoil his wedding. So, in order to expose the location of the event, they're targeting his secretary.

"But how the hell are we going to get inside with all these guards around?!" Minerva stated the obvious question.

"Daphne thinks Met-Met and Ner-Ner should just make them all go BOOOOM!" Came Daphne's extreme suggestion. Her wolfish grin, together with her furry hood with cat ears, gave her the look of a predatory cat. "Or Daphne can call her pets! Daphne's pets will snack on these meaty men just fine."

"No, both option would attract too much attention." The suggestions were quickly shut down by Echidna. "Anyway, fret not for your lovely leader just come up with a clever idea, my dear friends!" She expressed enthusiastically. "So, all of you be good girls and wait here while I work my magic. Enjoy the show." She leaves the car with a smug smile plastered on her face.

"Hey, dumbass! What the hell are you up to?!" Minerva's words came too late. Echidna was already gone.

"Haa… if she says so… let's just leave this to her…"

Echidna approaches the two guards guarding the entrance. Straightaway, her presence made them wary.

"This castle is not open to the public, ma'am. We kindly ask you to turn around and leave."

"I-I'm here for my brother, Regu-kun… this is where he lives, right?"

"Eh?" Both guards look at each other in confusion.
"The boss has a sister?"
"I don't recall him having one…"
"What if this chick is just trying to trick us? You know… the boss went too far this time and kidnapped the daughter of the Elior faction's Duke! I bet there are all kinds of search going on right now…"
"Yeah. But she kind of bare some resemblance to the boss, doesn't she? She has the same white hair…"

"Uhm… e-excuse me…" Echidna called for their attention."It's rude to ignore a lady, you know."

Ending their conversation, one of the guards faces her with a regretful look. "I'm sorry ma'am, but the boss never mentioned a sister before."

"Regu-kun never talks about me? I… I see… that's how it is… huh…" She said with a deep frown. "H-how could you… Regu-kun… I'm gravely disappointed… after we shared an inseparable bond during our wonderful childhood filled with many memories… now, you don't care about me anymore, your dear sister… why…" A tear dropped elegantly from her right eye.

The guards begin to feel sorry for the seemingly innocent girl. Surely enough, even they know how much of an asshole their boss is.

Unluckily for them, they fail to realize they're dealing with a crafty liar of the highest level. The little act is starting to have its desired effects, playing with their emotions.

"W-we're truly sorry… ma'am…"

Taking full advantage of the situation, tears stream like gentle rivers down her delicate face. "E-even so… as his faithful sister… I still want to meet Regu-kun..." Her eyes remained resolute despite the tears. "I heard many unpleasant rumors about him lately… and I'm really worried… I want to see him for myself… I want to see what has become of my dear Regu-kun…"

"We're really sorry but even if you are his sister, he's not home at the moment, ma'am."

"I… I see… in that case, may I wait inside the castle until he returns?"

The guards can only sigh at her naivety. Not only are they quickly falling for the white-haired girl's delicate charms, but her persistence is beginning to wear them down.

However, despite their growing weakness, they manage to resist falling completely under her spell.

"We can't do that, ma'am. After all, we still don't know if you're really boss' sister."

"We can't take the risk. He may get mad at us. He's... he's really not pleasant when he's angry. I hope you understand, miss. Why not come back in another day?"

Echidna thinks for a moment and pulls something out of her pocket.

"Ah. Will an identification card work? H-here." She handed them a card.

The guards closely observe the card. It contains a clearer picture of her face without the beret. Moreover, the name "Echidna Corneas" was engraved beside the picture.

"T-this… y-you really are boss' sister!" One of them exclaimed as he handed back the card and turns to the other guard. "Hey, what should we do?"

"I-I guess it should be fine if we let her in…"

"Really?! Thank you very much! How kind of you, good sirs!" She bowed, expressing her gratitude. "I promise to return the favor someday! Y… you can ask for anything you'd like!" She finished off her sentence with a charming wink.

Beneath her act, however, she can only sneer at the foolish guards for falling to such a simple trick.

"A-anything? E… ehehehe… don't mention it, miss!"

"C-can my friends come too?"

"You have friends with you?!"

"Y-yes…" She answered with a 'nervous' tone. "U-uhm… it's been a long time since I've talked with Regu-kun, you know… a-and with those nasty rumors abound… it would make me feel at ease if my friends are with me…"

She turns to where the car was parked and waved for the others to come over. Thus, they got out of the car and join Echidna's side.

Sekhmet looks bored as always, Daphne is amused by Echidna's acting, and Carmilla is using Sekhmet's tall figure as a cover to hide from the guards. Lastly, both Minerva and Typhon have an unamused expression; their judgmental eyes spearing to Echidna.

Certainly, Echidna's beauty is a head-turner... but with a group of cute and pretty girls joining her, the guards are unable to contain themselves anymore.

"I can sense your lecherous gaze upon us, you mongrels!" Minerva exposed their inappropriate stares. "Avert your gaze!"

"Ahaha." Flustered, one of the guards laughed nervously. "Right this way, girls. I'll lead you to the guest rooms."

"H-hey, no fair! Why can't it be me?!" said the guard who was too late to volunteer himself as the tour guide.

As they follow behind the guard, Echidna smiles in satisfaction for a job well done without a shed of blood.

The guard leads them inside the castle.

Surprisingly, the castle's interior design looks very mundane and ordinary. From what they know about [Black Greed], they expected a more grandeur design. Instead, the ambiance of the castle feels gray and dull.

While they continue walking along, Minerva confronts Echidna.
"You're an awful person, you know that?"
"Well, obviously… we're witches, aren't we? We're supposed to be awful creatures."
"Even so! How can you so easily lie and manipulate people like it's nothing?!"
"It's part of my charms, I suppose." Echidna added a lovely wink.
"So shameless…"

Once they turned to a hallway with no other visible guard in the area, Echidna gives Sekhmet a signal.

Sekhmet nods with a slight huff. Then, she lethargically walks behind the guard and grabs him in a headlock, forcing him to the ground while placing a knee against his back.

"W-"

"Hush… huu…" Sekhmet warned with a frosty tone, sending chills down his spine. "If you don't want… haa… your head… huu… looking the other way…"

Whimpering at the thought of his head being snapped, the guard obliges and decides to keep his mouth shut unless asked to speak.

Typhon kneels down to draw eye-level with the guard and pulls out a knife. "Now then, mister~. Tell us where's Mr. Secretary! And you better not lie! I'm really good at exposing liars, you know~. This will reeeally~ hurt a lot if you lie like a bad man, you know~. So please, be honest~." An air of menace surrounds her despite her innocent youthful appearance.

All of the sudden, what seemed to be a bunch of lovely and cute girls a moment ago now appear as terrifying monsters with dangerous gleaming eyes to the guard.

"E-eek! H-his room is on the other side of the castle!"

Satisfied with his answer, Typhon withdraws her knife. "Ahahaha, thank you for being honest, mister! I really appreciate it, you know~."

Sekhmet jabs the man's neck with a hand, knocking him out cold to the ground.

"Hey, Sekhmet! You didn't have to be that harsh!" Minerva scolded. She bent down to check if the man is alive and breathing. "You could have seriously hurt him!"

"Haa… it's easier… and more convenient… huu… that way…"

"What a stupid excuse!"

As they continue to argue, Echidna walks towards the vents she spotted along the wall and opens it.

Minerva momentarily forgets about her argument with Sekhmet and walks behind Echidna to see what she's up to.

"What are you doing? Don't… tell… me…"

"Yes, Minerva. We're crawling through here." Echidna confirmed her suspicion. "This should lead to the other side of the castle. We can't afford to cross the main hall since there are guards around there. Besides, this is the fastest and most efficient route." She goes in before anyone can state their complaint.

"Ugh… fine…" Left with no other choice, Minerva followed after her.

Then, they are followed by Daphne, Carmilla, Typhon, and Sekhmet respectively. And thus, begins their adventure through the vents.

"Hey, Ner-Ner. Daphne can see your panties~. You too, Dona-Dona~."

Daphne's pitch-black goggles are specialized to take advantage of her enhanced sight, allowing her to see in darkness. And with the bottom of Echidna's thigh-length caplet coat and Minerva's skirt, accidents like these are bound to happen.

"Oh? I hope you're enjoying the view, then." Echidna sounded rather amused.

"Hhmm, yes, yes, very nice~. Their cuteness level is almost as high as Daphne's hunger level~."

Minerva grumbled angrily. "Shut your eyes, stupid child! Stupid Daphne, perverted Daphne! Just close your stupid eyes!"

"Haa… if you don't want people seeing your underwear… huu… wear something longer… haa…"

"Ugh! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! All of you! Be quiet! You're all stupid!"

Despite the little incident, they soon reach the other side of the castle... fortunately for Minerva… and for anyone else who hates dealing with her wrath.

Echidna silently opens the vents. Then, she checks to see if there are any guards around the hallway.

Confirming the area is clear, she got off the vents, subsequently followed by the others.

"Now then, that's enough about panties. It's time to get serious." She said to others as she looks at the door she's certain belongs to [Black Greed]'s secretary.

After turning around to once again check if the hallway is clear for good measure, she gives a nod to Sekhmet and Minerva.

The two immediately understood what she meant. They kick the door open and burst into the room.

They're immediately greeted by four guards stationed inside. Sekhmet grabs one of them and body slams him into another, knocking them both out. Her strength is quite ridiculously strong despite her frail and sickly body.

Engaging the two remaining guards, Minerva dodges one of the guard's relentless strikes and lands a devastating blow with a punch to his gut. The final guard attempts to catch her by surprise but she rolls out of the way and performs a back-kick which lands straight to his face, knocking him out unconscious.

"W-who the hell are you people?!" A man dressed in fancier clothes, [Black Greed]'s secretary, demanded of the intruders.

Fearful for his life, he didn't wait for an answer and tries to run past them, but Sekhmet lands a crippling kick to his midsection, sending him flying across the room until his momentum was stopped abruptly by the wall. A few broken bones were audible from the impact.

Once the team's combat specialists took care of their job, the rest joined them.

Echidna walks over to the slouched secretary and inserts a foot into his chest, pinning him against the wall.

"W-what the fuck do you want, bitch?!"

She pulls out a revolver and points it straight at his head

"E-eek!"

"I'll get straight to the point. Your boss' wedding. Where is it taking place? Don't bother giving false information and wasting my time if you don't want a bullet between your brains."

"W-will you let me go if I tell you?"

"That would depend on your answer."

"It's… on the Central Chapel."

"Hm? Typhon?" Not convinced with the answer, she asked for the team's "Liar Radar."

Answering Echidna's call, Typhon merrily skilled towards them and pulled out her knife. "Why lie, mister? Are you a bad man? Lying is an act of evil, you know~."

The secretary glanced at the knife in fear and trembled. "I-I am not lying! What even makes you think I'm lying?!" He turned to Echidna. "Look, I'm saying the truth! As cowardly as this sounds, I care more about my life than serving under that bastard! So, I wouldn't have a reason to lie anymore, right?!" He pleaded his case.

Typhon's expression turned dark. "That's another lie, you know~! Your sins are beginning to pile up, you know~!" She brought the knife closer to the man's neck, causing his trembling to intensify. "Very well~. IShallImposeAbsoluteJudgementOnThisLyingBastard." She made a slight contact with the man's neck using her knife, drawing a pint of blood.

In spite of the barely noticeable cut, the secretary screams his lungs out and rolls around the ground in complete agony.

That's because there's something special about Typhon's knife. It's an artifact known as [The Knife of Judgement]. The knife artifact causes its victim agonizing pain even with the slightest of contact. While it's far from fatal, its effects can last for a few hours, essentially making it a terrifying tool of torture.

Suffice to say, taking care of the knife does provide a whole set of trouble for Typhon herself. If she's to accidentally cut herself while cleaning the knife, she's also not immune from suffering its torturous effects.

"URGGAAAAGGHHHHH! I-it's! AGGHGHHHGGGHHH! The Northside Chapel! HAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The secretary managed to blurt out despite the intense pain.

Receiving the answer she wanted to hear, Echidna pulls out an electric baton and electrocutes the man to unconsciousness out of pity… and to pacify Minerva at the same time.

However, it's far too late. Minerva clearly isn't happy with Typhon's actions.

"Typhon! How many times do I have to say you need to be careful with that stupid knife of yours?!"

Typhon displays an innocent expression. "What are you so angry, Neru~? I was only punishing a sinner, you know~."

"That's not a valid excuse! Ugh! You people and your stupid excuses!" Minerva gritted her teeth in anger and glared at Sekhmet. "Hey, Sekhmet! You need to discipline this child! She deserves some whooping for this!"

"Haa… leave my Typhon alone…"

"Now, now, girls, let's all calm down. We got what we came here for. The wedding is starting at noon and we still have enough time to prevent it. Well, unless if you want to stay here and argue all day." Echidna reminded everyone of the objective before the situation blows out of control. "So, are we all ready to move on?"

"Ugh, fine!" Minerva had no choice but to agree.

As they are about to leave, something caught Daphne's attention. She begins sniffing around the room, eventually leading her to the window.

"Ooh, ooh, lookie, everyone~!" Daphne called the others, pointing at something down the window.

Curious about Daphne's findings, they joined her side.

All the way down in the courtyard, they witness a chaotic scene; a blue-haired girl and a pink-haired girl who appear identical to each other, and a rough looking blonde boy are engaging in a skirmish with the guards.

The boy is fighting with his bare fists, punching the guards with ferocity while using his superior speed to move around and avoid their attacks. The pink-haired girl uses a twin bladed fans as her weapon, striking down anyone who dare approach her. Finally, the blue-haired girl is ruthlessly taking down the guards with a flail. Out of the three, she's by far the most aggressive, screaming in rage as she fights on.

"Well, well… I should have seen this coming," commented Echidna with a hint of amusement in her tone.

"I… I know them… the blue-haired and pink-haired twins, I mean… I don't belong to the same class section as either of them… but they're second years... at the academy… just like Minerva and I…" said Carmilla silently, her eyes showing no particular interest as she watched her fellow second years in battle.

"Ah, yes. That's Rem and Ram. I'm a third year but I've heard of them before. And that boy is Garfiel Tinsel. He will start attending the academy as a first year in this incoming school year."

"Assuming you're not lying… how… do you know about him… Echidna-chan?"

Echidna displayed a playful smile. "I said this several times already but I'm actually the [The Seer of Greed]. I know everything. I don't understand why no one ever believes me."

"Because you're a disgusting liar," was the answer that immediately popped up in the witches' minds.

Nevertheless, Echidna tends to be knowledgeable about information that isn't supposed to be known yet. It creeps them out at times, but that know-it-all brain of hers helped them out on more than one occasion. Of course, since Echidna is also a proven liar, they're well aware she may intentionally say outrageous things for the sake of her amusement. Indeed, it can be quite a challenge trying to figure out whether her words can be taken as truth or not.

"Haa… we get it… huu… you're too much of a showoff… haa…"

"So, what's a bunch of high school girls and a gruff looking boy doing here, anyway?" Typhon asked, getting everyone back on the topic at hand.

"Daphne hears the blue-haired girl screaming something like 'Subaruuuuun-kun! Where's my Subarun-kun?! Give me back my Subarun-kun!'" Daphne tried to imitate the desperate cries of the blue-haired girl, Rem. Her imitation failed miserably, and she ends up sounding like a dying cat.

However, having already spent a lot of time together, the others understood what she meant well enough.

"… Rem-san… must be referring to… Natsuki Subaru… he's also a second year... a foreign student… an annoying, brash boy... who came from a faraway eastern land…" explained Carmilla.

"Hm. And he's also [Frost]'s self-proclaimed knight." Echidna added. "He's quite notorious for his reckless personality, to say the least. Based on the context of the situation and from what I know of him, I assume he probably tried to barge in by himself to rescue [Frost]. And of course, he failed, and he probably got captured himself. Hence, the present situation."

"Haa… how stupid of him…"

"Regardless, they're none of our concern since recovering [Frost] is our only objective… although, I'm surprised Minerva is being awfully quiet. Aren't you friends with them?" Echidna turned around to face Minerva. But... "Minerva? Where is she?"

"Ner-Ner? Ooh, Daphne thinks Ner-Ner joined the fun!"

Upon hearing Daphne's words, Echidna realized she let her guard down. She should have seen this coming. And sure enough, when she turned around to look down the courtyard again, there's Minerva charging into the battle. She knocked out a few guards to get to Rem who had been injured. Reaching the blue-haired girl, she began tending to her wounds.

Overall, the situation doesn't look good for the intruders. Ram is visibly exhausted, her moves becoming sloppier by the second. Garfiel makes sure to stay close to her, protecting her and threatening anyone who gets close.

With more reinforcement guards appearing, it will only a matter of time before they get overwhelmed despite their superior combat skills.

"That fool! Of course, she would do something like this!" Echidna is clearly annoyed by the development. "Great! Fantastic! Well done, Minerva! Once again, you have caused trouble for the rest of us! Oh, wonderful! How wonderful! Next time, let's make sure to tie her up!"

"Haa… what a pain… huu... I guess I'll stay with her… haa… you go on ahead… huu… and save that half-elf bride…" As the most proficient fighter among them, Sekhmet volunteered to stay albeit unwillingly.

Echidna deliberated her suggestion for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Very well. That would be the best course of action. With you around, the guards shouldn't be that much of a problem no matter their number."

She would have preferred to confront [Black Greed] with Sekhmet, but Minerva's action ruined that plan. In the end, she didn't have any other choice because leaving Minerva by herself is not a mistake she will make again.

With everything decided, they retreated to the front gates where they separated from Sekhmet.

"Good luck, mom! See you later!" Typhon waved her goodbye before she followed the others.

Departing from the rest of the team, Sekhmet stares at the scene of battle in front of her.

Rem is up and fighting again after getting healed by Minerva. Garfiel and Minerva remain resilient, but even they wouldn't be able to keep this up forever. Not to mention, Ram is completely exhausted at this point.

"You're really troublesome, Minerva… haa… and I always have to suffer for it… huu…" After her complaint, Sekhmet slowly walked to join the fray, an eerie purple aura gradually builds up around her.

Following their successful infiltration of the castle, Echidna is en route to the Northside Chapel with Carmilla, Daphne, and Typhon.

Fortunately, Echidna knows how to operate a motor car. Otherwise, walking from the castle, which is situated on the western side of the city, to the northern chapel would have taken a few hours.

In the beginning, the witches were frightened by the prospect of sitting inside a car with Echidna as the driver, but she immediately proved her driving competence.

She claimed she eventually learned how to drive throughout the years. It started out as a side interest until she became devoted and willing enough to learn. And while there's a stigma around letting women drive in this period of time, she certainly has her ways to overcome such hurdle.

As for when she got a car or how she can even afford a luxury generally reserved for the nobles and royalty, it remains a mystery. When asked about it, she gives her usual dodgy response. And when she's being dodgy with her answers, they know well enough to stop pressing because they'll either get a confusing explanation, a half-truth, or an outrageous lie. Whatever the case may be, they just attributed it to the many "shady connections" she seems to have.

After almost 50 minutes of expertly maneuvering through a traffic of people and other vehicles, they finally made it to the destination and Echidna parks near the sidewalk.

Scouting around the area, they find the chapel square to be infested with even more guards who are shooing and diverting everyone away from the chapel.

This proves to be another obstacle. Echidna can't just slither her way through with words as she did at the castle because based on her observation, there's absolutely no one who's allowed to enter the chapel. Sneaking past them isn't an option either because they have every ground covered. Their only option at the moment is the use of force. But if they resort to that approach with their current available personnel, it would be a complete bloodbath and she would much rather avoid that.

As Typhon already demonstrated, she won't hesitate to use her knife of torture. She will just classify everyone as sinners and start stabbing arbitrarily. And while Daphne and Carmilla may appear cute and harmless on the surface, they're no less deadly than Typhon. A scene with plenty of body count would definitely be troublesome.

Actually, there's a better solution to the problem but Echidna would prefer not to agitate the individual she has in mind. Unless…

"U-uhm… I… I can draw them away… Echidna-chan…" The person in question, Carmilla, volunteered to do so herself.

She's surprised that the extremely introverted Carmilla, of all people, would even volunteer for something like this. "Are you sure? You don't have to do this, you know. We can still come up with something else." She asked for certainty, treading with her words carefully. "Hmm, but I'm curious. What makes you want to do this?"

"… I don't like any of this… I… I just don't like this… I… I hate it… I really… really… really… hate it…" Carmilla started with an unsettling tone, her expression turned eerie, which is a complete opposite of her innocent and timid look. "… forcing marriage… on that pure and innocent girl… that man is a disgusting scum… he… he should just go away… and die…"

"If you're this determined, very well." Echidna accepted her motivation, giving her suggestion the green light. "Just… be careful."

"… we need… to prevent the marriage… and save that girl… as quickly as possible… this is the fastest… and most efficient method… Echidna-chan…" Carmilla pulled out a flute with her trembling hands.

She slowly makes her way towards the guards and plays a sweet melody with the flute, catching everyone's attention.

Similar to Typhon's Knife of Judgement, Carmilla's flute is also an artifact. It's known as [The Sound of Eternal Yearning]. The sound it projects causes those who hear to hallucinate about their desire. Furthermore, it gradually maximizes their emotional feelings, trapping them inside the spell of the illusion. However, there's a downside to the powerful artifact; its effects will only work on those who aren't aware of the artifact's effects itself. Hence, the reason her fellow witches will remain unaffected… fortunately.

All in all, the flute, along with Carmilla's natural affinity for drawing people towards her, makes for a deadly combination.

As the sweet melody continues on, everyone, the guards and ordinary citizens alike, is drawn to the sound of the flute. When their sight lands on Carmilla, they are compelled to approach her.

She nervously starts walking away, leading them into another area, while doing her best to keep on playing the flute at the same time. Because she's growing more anxious by the second, the sound of the melody gradually becomes distorted until she stopped playing altogether.

Regardless, she succeeded in her objective; the guards were drawn away from the square. As a result, Echidna pulls her facemask, covering the lower half of her face, and enters the chapel without any trouble.

In spite of the artifact no longer emitting its seductive sound, Carmilla's "followers" are still under the spell; its effects had already seeped in too deep.

Suddenly, they start getting aggravated, pushing and shoving through the crowd. Next, they began punching and kicking each other, engaging in an all-out brawl, all for the sake of earning the right to reach and claim her.

She runs away as fast as she can. Consequently, the "followers" seize their fighting at the moment and start chasing after her.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! GROSSGROSSGROSSGROSSGROSSGROSS! STAYAWAYFROMMESTAYAWAYFROMMESTAYAWAYFROMMESTAYAWAYFROMMESTAYAWAYFROMME!" She cried out with tears streaming down her face.

Watching the scene unfold…

"Ahahahaha! Milla-Milla is having so much fun~! Ooh! Ooh! Daphne wants to join~, Daphne wants to join~! Let's go, Tyu-Tyu!"

Daphne dashes towards the scene followed by Typhon. Then, she uses her fingers to blow a whistle. Henceforth, a massive gray dire wolf with thick fur appear before them a few moments later.

She mounted the wolf and helped Typhon hop on. "Good dog~! Always following Daphne's words~!" She commended the wolf with a pat on his head.

Daphne has the bizarre ability to tame and control wild animals. She claims to have the ability to communicate with them as well. To her credit, it appears the animals she declares as "pets" do respect and obey her.

During their missions, she orders her pets to prowl around the surrounding vicinity, hiding from plain slight unless called. They're usually reserved for the most drastic situation but sometimes, she calls them just for the sake of it.

"Hey, Daphne. This is a nice puppy, you know~," complimented Typhon as she touched and played with the wolf's fur.

"Yes, yes, Gray Wolf-chan is a good pet~. Very good pet, indeed~. Gray Wolf-chan is Daphne's best friend, in fact! The only pet Daphne will never dream of eating~!"

"Uwu~, you eat your pets?"

"Of course! They only have one purpose in life, you know; hunt the prey, be hunted by a stronger predator, and satisfy the predator's belly." Daphne let out a predatory grin. "But Daphne will NEVER eat Gray Wolf-chan!" She hugged the wolf's back in an endearing manner.

In response, the wolf wags his tail happily due to the affection.

"Anyway~, let's get Milla-Milla. Come on, Gray Wolf-chan!"

Obliging her command with no hesitation, the wolf races towards the running Carmilla, ramming past the people chasing after her. The wolf's charge stopped in front of the terrified pink-haired girl. Then, Daphne and Typhon both help her get on top of the wolf.

"… thank you… Daphne-chan…" Carmilla showed her gratitude and wiped the tears from her face.

The "followers" are back on their feet and continue their pursuit of Carmilla despite the presence of the wolf.

Daphne quickly commanded the wolf to start sprinting again. And thus, the chase continues on.

Meanwhile, inside the chapel, Echidna is observing the upcoming event from the waiting area, staying clear of anyone's sight.

In the middle of the aisle, she sees a man who shares a similar white-colored hair as her. He's wearing an all-white princely outfit, looking like an absolute gentleman. That man is Regulus Corneas, the [Black Greed], waiting for the wedding to begin.

"Just in time, huh?" Echidna thought to herself. "Regulus Corneas. Fufu~, you're quite the greedy man, aren't you?"

She notices all of the wedding guests are women. There's no doubt in her mind that all of them are the "wives" he forced in marriage. She's actually in disbelief someone could be so shameless to marry this many women and have them watch him marry another one each and every time. In fact, that type of "greed" irritated her quite a bit.

"A mere commoner who was bestowed an all-too-powerful artifact that granted his greatest desires. It's too bad... because I'm here to take away your silver treasure." Her lips curved into a threatening smile. "I'm going to spoil this pathetic excuse of a wedding and end your reign, my fellow sinner of Greed."

After her silent declaration, she searches around the backroom, looking for the half-elf she refers to as [Frost]. Eventually, she finds her in a room accompanied by two bridesmaids.

Before anyone can react to her presence, she pulls out a stun gun and takes out the bridesmaids.

"Emilia." She said to the stunned half-elf in front of her.

The silver-haired half-elf [Frost], Emilia, is dressed in a beautiful white wedding gown befitting of the occasion. Her sparkling silver hair flows elegantly as it always had. And her curious purple eyes are fixated on her. Perhaps, her features remind Echidna of a certain someone she would rather avoid in her thoughts. Unfortunately, Emilia looks completely identical to that person it makes it impossible.

On the other hand, Emilia feels a sense of familiarity towards her but the beret and facemask make it hard for anyone to recognize her identity.

"W-who are you?"

"Your future sister-in-law, I suppose."

"Eh?! W… what do you mean by that?!" Emilia is shocked by the declaration before she realized something. "Hold on… are you saying you're Regulus' sister? You do have the same white hair…"

"No. I was joking. Anyway, I'm here to rescue you out of this mess, princess."

"R-really? That's a relief. But there seems to be a misunderstanding. P-princess? I may be from House Elior, but I'm not a princess…"

Echidna sighed. "Another joke. Do you not understand sarcasm?"

"Oh. Another joke. Ahaha. You love joking around, do you?"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. But seriously, we really need to get out of here, right now, as soon as possible. Otherwise, I'm going to have to use force. You don't want that, right?" Echidna threatened, growing annoyed at the half-elf.

Emilia gulped due to the threat. "N-no… o-of course not. But before that, may I change to something more comfortable first?"

"Fine. Just hurry up."

"Okay… I'll be quick."

Emilia retreated to the wardrobe.

When she finished changing, she rejoins Echidna. Different from the elegant wedding gown she wore a while ago, she opts for a much simpler white blouse and mid-length dark blue skirt.

"Well, let's go."

"Hold on..." Echidna approached her and touched the collar placed around her neck. She just noticed its presence now that the half-elf's casual getup made it more visible.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Relax." She cautioned, removing the collar using certain tools from her small satchel.

"Oh, thank you very much!" Free from the collar's constraints, Emilia smiled gleefully.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm not doing this from the goodness of my heart. I'm only doing this to assure nothing goes wrong."

"Even so, thank you!"

"Whatever." Echidna killed that line of conversation and settled her observant eyes on the collar.

"There's something really strange about that man. He has the ability to control any object he touches at will. And he uses these collars to make sure none of his wives try to escape… he can use that strange ability to move and control the collar along us even if we try to run," explained the half-elf about the collar's purpose.

"Any object he touches? I see…"

After their exchanges gave her enough information, Emilia somehow got an idea who the girl in front of her might be.

"Hm?" She tilted her head to get a clearer view. "Wait a minute… I know you… you're… E-Echidna?"

Echidna sighs and a deep frown formed beneath her facemask.

"I know you belong in the same class section as nee-san. You've also visited our mansion a few times before… I… I can recognize those mystic dark eyes of yours… and your voice…" She explained how she reached that conclusion.

"Well, congratulations. I bet you're feeling proud and smart for exposing my identity, don't you? Are you expecting a gold star, perhaps? Talk about an egocentric brat."

"I… it's absolutely nothing like that!" The half-elf quickly denied the baseless accusation.

"Whatever. Anyway, we've already wasted too much time. Let's go." She decided it's time to move on before the half-elf can ask questions.

And just when they're finally about to be on the move...

"Hey, the wedding should have started five minutes ago." A different voice called out from behind the door; a voice of a man.

Emilia stops in her tracks.

"Aren't you people being a little rude to me? Right now, do you understand how inconsiderate you are towards me? I mean, isn't it common social decency? For a man's happiest day of his life, to have everything prepared right on time. Which, in this case, happens to be my wedding. Punctuality. Do you not think it's very important? Especially for this very special day." His voice was calm but it's on the verge of rage. "With that said, would anyone please tell me what happened? Why hasn't my bride been presented to me? You know, to keep my bride away from my loving embrace. This… this is a serious violation of my rights."

"T… that's him… Regulus…" Emilia quietly whispered to Echidna.

"You're staying silent. Why are you staying silent? Is it because of guilt? Is it because of shame? Whatever the case may be, don't you think I deserve answers? Don't you think you have to answer for your incompetence? So, why am I not receiving answers? Have society's standards really sunken to the point of no return that people aren't even capable of giving simple answers anymore? I feel like I'm just talking to myself here. Wait. Wait. Wait. You are listening. You are listening to me, right? You didn't lose your ability to hear or anything, right? Or... or maybe you're just listening to me rant and you just don't care enough to give me the answers I deserve? Well, what is it? Tell me."

Echidna figured he must be trying to talk to the bridesmaids… both who are unconscious.

"Echidna…"

She instinctively pulls the half-elf behind her. "Stay back. I'll take care of this."

"I see. You still choose not to answer. Even if I explicitly stated the violations against my rights, you choose to keep acting like a damn voiceless mute!" Finally, his voice was filled with rage as he ranted. "Freedom! I bet you're thinking you have the freedom to stay silent, aren't you?! Well, guess fucking what?! That so-called freedom of yours infringed on my rights! What are you?! Entitled whores?! My rights! The few remaining rights I have as an individual! My rights! That you ruthlessly trampled over! Unbelievable! Un-fucking-believable! You must be punished for your sins! You deserved to be punished! You know you have to be punished, right?!" He threatened. "Very well! Remember, this is all your fault! Even on my wedding day, I was trying to be gracious enough to give you the chance to defend your sins, but you didn't take that chance! Me! My kindness! My patience! My fairness! All thrown into dust by your vexing silence! Maybe I should just rip your fucking mouth or sew it shut?! Which one would you prefer?! Oh, still no answer?! Very well, I'll do both! I've had it with this bullshit!"

The door is violently torn into pieces and Regulus walks into the room with an unsightly expression. His advance is stopped when he inadvertently stepped on the unconscious bridesmaids and stumbled.

He looks down and sees their pitiful state. "Huh?"

Then, he raises his gaze towards Echidna and Emilia.

…

"Who the fuck are you and what are you doing with my bride?!"

"Fufu~… nothing ever goes perfectly as planned, does it?"