Future Yuji Itadori Joins the Chat Group

Garfiel recalled the battle just now—

There didn't seem to be anything worth recalling.

From beginning to end, Yuji Itadori had simply beaten him down, and he didn't even know what had happened.

Just what kind of monster was this guy?

And from the looks of it... he hadn't used his full strength at all.

Looking at him, Garfiel couldn't help but break out in goosebumps.

"What did Roswaal send you here for?"

"I came to find Echidna and see whether I can解除 the Trials of the Sanctuary."

As Yuji Itadori spoke, he keenly caught the change in Garfiel's expression.

Garfiel gritted his teeth, seemingly somewhat displeased by the matter.

However, that expression only flashed across his face before quickly disappearing.

"That place up ahead is the Trial Grounds, right?"

Natsuki Subaru hadn't noticed the extremely subtle change in Garfiel's expression. He merely looked toward the distant building and asked.

"That's right, but neither of you is qualified to challenge the Trials."

Garfiel spoke with a frown.

"Only mixed-bloods are qualified, right? Then you should be qualified, Garfiel! Have you ever challenged them?"

Garfiel's voice gradually grew quieter, as though he had recalled some painful memory.

"What are the Trials like? What form do they take?"

"Can't you just see for yourselves when the time comes? Besides, none of you are qualified for the Trials, so there's no point in telling you!"

Garfiel's tone sounded somewhat impatient.

"That's true. Itadori-senpai, let's go take a look over there first!"

Yuji Itadori nodded, then brought Beatrice and Natsuki Subaru toward the Trial Grounds.

"You can go by yourselves. I'm not going."

Garfiel crossed his arms and stood in the distance, unwilling to move even one step closer.

The instant they entered the building, the light from outside seemed to be severed completely, while a damp scent permeated the air.

"This place..."

Natsuki Subaru curiously surveyed his surroundings.

At that moment, an unfamiliar woman's voice rang beside his ears.

"You've finally come—"

In the next instant, Natsuki Subaru's surroundings underwent a complete transformation.

What had originally been an enclosed space made of rock had now become an endless grassland, with a breathtakingly blue sky overhead.

"What happened?"

A bewildered expression appeared on Natsuki Subaru's face. It took him several seconds to react before he hurriedly shouted,

"Itadori-senpai! Itadori-senpai!"

"There's no need to shout. Only you and I are here~"

A light yet faintly cunning female voice rang out, identical to the one he had heard earlier.

Only then did Natsuki Subaru notice a small pavilion in front of him, with a young woman seated inside.

A long black dress resembling mourning clothes wrapped around her body. Apart from that, everything about her was white—her long white hair, white eyebrows, and white skin. Her beauty seemed almost unreal. Only her pitch-black eyes resembled black holes that threatened to devour everything around them.

"There's no need to be so wary."

A friendly smile appeared on the young woman's face.

"My name is Echidna—or perhaps calling me the Witch of Greed would make things easier to understand."

The smile on the self-proclaimed Witch of Greed's face grew even more pronounced.

The one who had appeared before Natsuki Subaru was Echidna's soul.

After her physical body died, Echidna's soul remained here.

The Castle of Dreams, a space of consciousness she had created.

The moment Natsuki Subaru entered the Castle of Dreams, Echidna's gaze focused on him.

It wasn't only because of Natsuki Subaru himself.

More importantly, there was someone within Natsuki Subaru's memories who interested Echidna.

"Oh dear! You're making me very sad by being so wary. After all, no matter how you look at it, I'm still a young maiden in the prime of her youth."

Echidna said with a smile.

"It's hard not to be wary of someone who calls herself the Witch of Greed."

Natsuki Subaru said with a vigilant expression.

Although Beatrice had previously mentioned that Echidna was an extremely gentle person, he somehow felt that the young woman before him wasn't that kind of person.

"Say, when exactly did you transport me into this space?"

"Unfortunately, you've misunderstood. Your physical body wasn't transported anywhere. I merely invited you to a Tea Party—a Witch's Tea Party."

An inscrutable smile remained on Echidna's face.

"How long do you intend to stand there? Take a seat before the tea gets cold."

"Fine, fine!"

Natsuki Subaru quickly walked over to Echidna and drained the tea on the table in one gulp.

"Oh? How brave. You actually drank something offered by a Witch all at once."

"What kind of tea is this? It doesn't taste good, but it doesn't taste bad either."

"It's my bodily fluid."

"???? What the hell did you make me drink!?"

Natsuki Subaru practically screamed.

A Witch's bodily fluid sounded disgusting just thinking about it...

But for some reason, the image of Sato Kazuma surfaced in Natsuki Subaru's mind.

That guy would probably drink it all in one gulp...

He might even ask for another cup.

Come to think of it, Sato Kazuma had still been able to use the Chat Group after he died before.

Did that mean they could continue using it as long as their consciousness or soul remained?

As he thought about it, Natsuki Subaru opened the group chat and happened to see a message from Yuji Itadori.

[Unsurrounded One: Witch of Envy's Runaway Fugitive, Subaru, can you see this message?]

[Witch of Envy's Runaway Fugitive: I can! I can!]

[Unsurrounded One: What's happening on your side?]

[Witch of Envy's Runaway Fugitive: I think I've entered a space of consciousness and met Echidna!]

[Useless Goddess, You Really Deserve to Die: What does Echidna look like?! Let me see!]

The moment a topic involving the opposite sex came up, Sato Kazuma would appear right on time like an NPC.

Natsuki Subaru immediately sent over a photo of Echidna.

[Useless Goddess, You Really Deserve to Die: !!!! Holy crap!!!! Another beautiful girl! A beautiful white-haired girl!!! Roswaal may be a pervert, but his taste is extremely NICE! Only Love White-Haired Elves]

[Only Love White-Haired Elves: Why are you tagging me?]

[Useless Goddess, You Really Deserve to Die: This is your beloved white hair!]

[Only Love White-Haired Elves: Frieren is the only one in my heart!!!]

[Useless Goddess, You Really Deserve to Die: Hehe, lolicon...]

[Only Love White-Haired Elves: You didn't answer me last time either. What exactly does lolicon mean?]

[Witch of Envy's Runaway Fugitive: Um, Kazuma, let me ask you something.]

[Useless Goddess, You Really Deserve to Die: What?]

[Witch of Envy's Runaway Fugitive: Suppose a beautiful girl... gave you a cup of tea containing... her bodily fluid. Would you drink it?]

[Useless Goddess, You Really Deserve to Die: What the hell are you talking about, bastard? Do you have some kind of prejudice against me to even ask that question?]

Seeing Sato Kazuma's reply, Natsuki Subaru finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed this guy wasn't as much of a pervert as he had imagined.

Just as Natsuki Subaru began typing an apology, he saw Sato Kazuma's next message.

[Useless Goddess, You Really Deserve to Die: Of course I'd drain it in one gulp without leaving a single drop, then, dressed in a suit and tie, elegantly slide the cup back in front of her and ask for another.]

[Witch of Envy's Runaway Fugitive: ?]

[Jujutsu's Top PE Student: ?]

[Only Love White-Haired Elves: ?]

[Coin Decides Your Life or Death: ...]

[Witch Who Destroyed a Country: Um, may I ask whether this is slang from one of your worlds? I don't quite understand.]

Even Yuji Itadori was stunned by the message. After several seconds of silence, he slowly sent a question mark.

[Useless Goddess, You Really Deserve to Die: Is that supposed to be something unusual?]

Sato Kazuma had already grown accustomed to similar things. After all, there was a Goddess of Water by his side, and even toilet water she had touched was drinkable.

The corners of Natsuki Subaru's mouth twitched uncontrollably several times. He decided to change the subject immediately.

[Witch of Envy's Runaway Fugitive: Um, Itadori-senpai, how are things on your side?]

[Unsurrounded One: Nothing has happened here. You suddenly collapsed in front of us just now, and I discovered that your soul was no longer inside your body.]

[Witch of Envy's Runaway Fugitive: I-I'm not going to die, am I?!]

[Unsurrounded One: No. Your body is still alive. Your soul has only been temporarily transferred somewhere else. It just needs to be transferred back later. I'll find a way, so wait a moment.]

[Witch of Envy's Runaway Fugitive: Phew, that's good. Come to think of it, Return by Death wasn't activated, so I really should be fine. Don't worry, Itadori-senpai. I'll talk to Echidna first.]

[Useless Goddess, You Really Deserve to Die: Hey, hey, hey! Subaru! Pull me over there! I want to go too!!!]

Natsuki Subaru ignored Sato Kazuma's message, closed the chat interface, and continued his conversation with Echidna.

Echidna had no idea what Natsuki Subaru had just done.

"You truly are a strange person. You're still so calm even when facing a Witch."

Echidna looked meaningfully at Natsuki Subaru.

"Are you trying to say you're so beautiful that ordinary people would be too embarrassed to look you in the eye? Let me tell you, I regularly nourish my eyes with top-tier beautiful girls!"

A trace of pride filled Natsuki Subaru's voice.

He absolutely couldn't let Sato Kazuma hear those words.

In Natsuki Subaru's understanding, Sato Kazuma's companions all looked like hideous monsters.

At the very least, every meme Sato Kazuma posted in the group—made using photos of his companions—looked incredibly distorted, with expressions no normal person should have been capable of making.

"No. Ordinary people would vomit merely by standing before me. Interesting, isn't it~?"

Echidna possessed terrifying miasma.

Ordinary people wouldn't notice it, but once infected by the miasma, they would unknowingly descend into madness.

The tea from earlier was also meant to allow Natsuki Subaru to retain his sanity in her presence.

Of course, there was another reason.

To activate the Witch Factor within his body.

"How is that interesting? Why exactly did you bring me here?!"

"I didn't bring you inside. You entered on your own."

Echidna said with a smile.

She permitted those who possessed Witch Factors to enter the Castle of Dreams.

Natsuki Subaru was the only candidate.

Of course, none of this was a coincidence. It was Echidna's plan.

Even Natsuki Subaru's appearance in this place at this very moment had been arranged by Echidna.

She had used Roswaal's fanatical devotion toward her and manipulated his actions through the Book of Wisdom, driving Natsuki Subaru forward to defeat the White Whale and the Sin Archbishop of Sloth~

And then, to appear before her.

Everything had been part of Echidna's plan.

She was the most intelligent person in the entire world, and her Authority allowed her to see the world's memories and predict the future.

Although Echidna didn't like this ability—knowing the answer to a mystery took away all the fun—everything had proceeded according to plan beneath her layers of calculations.

At least, that was what Echidna currently believed. Natsuki Subaru's arrival here was proof.

Her objective was to use Natsuki Subaru to liberate Sanctuary.

Sanctuary's Barrier was also the prison that confined Echidna's soul.

"You aren't already thinking of leaving, are you? This is a rare opportunity to converse with the Witch of Greed. To anyone else, it would be a priceless treasure."

Echidna narrowed her eyes slightly.

Her wisdom and omniscience had once made countless people throughout the world yearn for an audience with her.

"Your thirst for knowledge and curiosity can be satisfied here. Go ahead, ask me anything. Do you wish to know about Daphne, the 'Witch of Gluttony,' who defied the natural order and created beasts to save all living beings from starvation? Or the story of Carmilla, the 'Witch of Lust,' who sought to fill the world with love and granted emotions to inhuman beings...?"

Echidna's gaze grew profound, and the smile on her face gradually became chilling as the names of the former Witches of Sin left her lips one after another.

Natsuki Subaru stared at the Witch before him in a daze. She was quite different from the person Beatrice had described.

But at that instant, Natsuki Subaru felt an intense pain in his chest, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably.

"It took effect. As expected of a compatible vessel, the fusion is proceeding quickly."

"What did you do?"

"Didn't you drink the tea? It activates the Sloth Witch Factor within you. Now we can chat pleasantly."

"The Sloth Witch Factor..."

"That's right. After you killed Sloth, his Witch Factor entered your body. That Witch Factor is also the reason you were able to come here."

"You... got something wrong... I didn't kill Sloth... and the one who possesses the Sloth Factor... isn't me..."

Natsuki Subaru forced out a smile with great difficulty.

"What are you talking about?"

Echidna looked at Natsuki Subaru in confusion—and in the next instant, a puzzled expression appeared on her face.

She sensed that there was no Sloth Factor within Natsuki Subaru's body.

Yet a Witch Factor undeniably existed within him. It wasn't merely the Envy that should have already been there...

It was... Greed???

For the first time in her life, Echidna felt confused.

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T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.

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Shilling time!

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