The sudden turn of events left Flugel and Shaula momentarily stunned, but they quickly came back to their senses.
"Wait, let's talk this through! Don't be rash! It's all a misunderstanding—just a misunderstanding!"
Flugel rushed forward to stand before Reid, whose face had already turned crimson as his eyes rolled upward. Panic filled Flugel's expression as he turned toward Eriri and Echidna, pleading with them silently.
Shaula, after a moment of hesitation, followed her master's lead. Though she didn't speak, the same anxious look filled her face.
Despite her usual bickering with Reid, she had no wish to see him actually harmed.
"Oh? Then tell me, what kind of misunderstanding would that be?"
Eriri's tone carried a hint of mockery as she stared at Flugel. She made no move to release Reid—in fact, as she spoke, the invisible energy around his neck tightened even further.
Echidna merely stood at her side, coldly watching without any intention of intervening.
Seeing this, Flugel didn't even have time to think up an excuse. He hurriedly voiced what was truly in his heart.
"Reid just likes to run his mouth! He's actually a good guy—he was just joking around earlier! You mustn't take it seriously!"
Eriri's expression didn't change in the slightest. Her eyes remained calm and derisive, while Echidna's gaze toward Flugel grew subtly strange.
Until now, Echidna had held a fairly positive impression of Flugel.
If not for her connection to the chat group, she might have even considered joining his crusade to save the world.
But after witnessing this, she realized just how distorted his sense of morality truly was.
She had clearly seen the lust in Reid's eyes earlier—there was no mistaking it for a joke.
Of course, this reaction of hers was largely due to Eriri's influence. Because of her, Echidna now valued purity far more than she ever had before, and she would never allow anyone besides Eriri to touch her.
Otherwise, she might indeed have laughed off Reid's behavior as mere jest.
Having lost interest in arguing with Flugel, Eriri ignored his desperate pleas. She simply clenched her right hand tightly.
With a sickening crack, the invisible force crushed Reid's neck, separating his head from his body in an instant.
A spray of blood erupted from the wound, splattering across Flugel and Shaula.
The flying blood was immediately stopped by a faint barrier before it could touch Eriri or Echidna.
"Ah!!!"
A piercing scream burst from Shaula's throat. Her face went pale with terror as she stared at Reid's decapitated body lying lifeless on the ground.
Flugel also staggered backward, disbelief written all over his face. He couldn't accept that Eriri had actually killed Reid—just like that.
He turned his head slowly, eyes wide and trembling, and fixed his gaze on Eriri.
"Why would you do that?! Reid was only joking! Why did you kill him?!"
As he shouted, his tone grew increasingly angry.
"What do you even think life is?!"
But all he received in return was a silent, unfeeling stare.
"I don't like your tone—or that look in your eyes. If you're so eager to join your friend, I wouldn't mind sending you after him."
Eriri's face was devoid of emotion as she looked at Flugel. Her words made his heart seize with fear, crushing any thought of resistance.
Shaula shrank behind her master, her pretty face twisted in terror. She didn't even dare to meet Eriri's eyes.
Without sparing them another glance, Eriri grabbed Echidna's hand and turned away, continuing forward.
The situation had ended so abruptly that Puck and Beatrice—playing up ahead—hadn't even noticed what had happened.
Watching Eriri and Echidna's figures grow distant, Flugel slowly raised a trembling hand, as though trying to call out to them.
However, Shaula quickly covered her master's mouth before he could make a sound.
"Master, are you crazy?! Do you have a death wish?!" she said nervously.
But in her panic, she accidentally covered not only Flugel's mouth but also his nose.
"Mmmph… mmmph…!"
Feeling short of breath, Flugel frantically raised a hand and patted at Shaula's hands. Muffled sounds escaped his throat.
Realizing her mistake, Shaula quickly let go, an embarrassed expression spreading across her face.
"Ah—sorry, sorry!"
Freed at last, Flugel didn't scold her. He simply fell silent.
Thanks to Shaula's quick reaction, he gave up on the idea of calling out to Eriri and Echidna, even though he had never gotten the chance to ask Echidna about joining his world-saving team.
...
After the incident with Flugel's group, Eriri and her companions encountered no further trouble and finished their outing smoothly.
However, instead of returning to the castle, they chose to stay at a pleasant inn within the nearby town.
Their trip wasn't just for leisure—there was a far more important purpose behind it.
That purpose concerned Echidna's plan to save the world.
Her method was to gather all the Witches of Sin, unite them to found a single nation, and then use that nation as the foundation to unify the entire world—thus eradicating all wars completely.
Based on what she knew of the other witches, Echidna was confident she could persuade them to join her world-saving plan.
Of course, this excluded the Witch of Vanity and the Demon of Melancholy.
Thus, aside from enjoying themselves, Eriri, Echidna, Puck, and Beatrice also bore the mission of seeking out the remaining six witches.
It wasn't exactly a difficult task—for Eriri and Echidna, the locations of the witches were no secret. They could easily find them while sightseeing along the way.
The next morning, the four set out in a dragon carriage, heading toward the nearest witch's location.
...
The dragon carriage traveled at remarkable speed. Even with Eriri and the others stopping to admire the scenery, they still arrived at their destination by evening.
After entering the town, they didn't immediately go searching for the witch. Instead, they checked into an inn and went out for dinner at a local specialty restaurant.
The food couldn't compare to the dishes made by Aoi Kujou, but it had its own unique flavor nonetheless.
After finishing dinner, they still didn't set out to find the witch—choosing instead to enjoy the town's nightlife.
Even though night had fallen, the streets remained bustling with activity until around nine o'clock, when the crowds finally began to disperse.
Before the streets quieted completely, Eriri and the others returned to their inn.
Though money was of no concern to them, they still booked only one large room. Fortunately, it was spacious and equipped with two double beds.
"Mother, I want to sleep with you tonight!"
As soon as they entered the room, Beatrice leapt into Eriri's arms, snuggling up affectionately.
Hearing that, Puck immediately protested.
"No way, Beatrice! You slept with Mother last night—it's my turn tonight!"
"Nooo~ I want to sleep with Mother again! Big Sister, can't you let me, just this once~?"
Beatrice left Eriri's embrace and clung to Puck's arm, shaking it gently.
However, her adorable plea had no effect—Puck refused to give in.
"Hmph! I can let you have anything else, but not this!"
Echidna, watching from the side, let out an exaggerated sigh and pretended to be offended.
"Hey, hey, you two little brats—what, you don't want to sleep with me instead?"
"U-um… Mother, that's not what we meant…"
Beatrice and Puck froze for a moment, completely unsure how to respond.
Although they both loved Echidna deeply as their mother, it was obvious that they were a little more attached to Eriri.
Of course, neither of them dared to say that out loud. So, they simply stood there, staring at each other with wide eyes, unsure of what to do.
"Oh? So that's how it is? You just don't like me, is that it? How heartbreaking!"
Echidna clutched her chest and made an exaggeratedly pained expression. Her acting was so flawless that even Eriri couldn't help but give her a silent thumbs-up in her mind.
Naïve as they were, Beatrice and Puck were completely fooled. Both of them quickly ran to Echidna's side and hugged one of her arms each.
"That's not true at all, Mother! I'll sleep with you tonight!"
"Beatrice is right! We don't dislike you, Mother—I'll sleep with you tonight too!"
Hearing the two little ones' flustered words, a faint smile tugged at Echidna's lips, though she quickly suppressed it, replacing it with a look of mock suspicion.
"Really now? Are you telling me the truth?"
"Of course!"
Both Beatrice and Puck nodded repeatedly, afraid that Echidna might not believe them.
"Hmmm... is that so…"
Echidna crossed her arms and pretended to think seriously. After a few seconds, she continued with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"Well then, if you want me to believe you, you'll have to agree to one condition."
"No problem! Whatever your condition is, I'll agree!"
"Me too!"
The two immediately declared their willingness to comply.
"My condition is simple," Echidna said with a smirk. "I get to sleep with Eriri, and you two sleep on the other bed."
The moment she said that, she slipped out of their grasp, ran straight to Eriri, and wrapped herself around Eriri's arm with a triumphant grin.
Beatrice and Puck stood frozen for several seconds, completely taken aback.
Even with their limited experience, they quickly realized they'd been tricked. Puffing out their cheeks in frustration, they glared at Echidna, who was laughing heartily a short distance away.
"Mother! You tricked us!"
"Hmph! I don't agree to that condition!"
Crossing their arms, Beatrice and Puck huffed indignantly before pouncing toward Eriri and Echidna.
Soon, the room was filled with playful laughter and the sound of cheerful commotion.
In the end, under Eriri's final decision, the two beds were pushed together so all four could sleep side by side.
At Echidna's insistent request, she and Eriri slept in the middle, while Puck and Beatrice lay on either side of them.
...
The warm and peaceful night passed quickly. The next morning, Eriri and Echidna were the first to wake, followed soon after by Beatrice and Puck.
After washing up together, the four of them had breakfast in their room rather than going out.
Naturally, the food wasn't from the inn but from Eriri's storage system—freshly prepared supplies she had stored in advance.
Once they finished eating, they checked out and left the inn.
They didn't plan to stay any longer. After meeting the witch living in this town, they intended to head straight for the next destination.
After all, there wasn't much time left before New Year's in the Saekano world. According to annual tradition, Eriri still needed to visit the Spencer family estate in England and the Sawamura family home in Kyoto.
Thus, they had to find all the remaining Witches of Sin before then—their schedule was tight.
Of course, Eriri could easily manipulate the flow of time in the Saekano world if she wished, but she saw no need to do so.
After leaving the inn, the group didn't waste time sightseeing like the previous day. Instead, they followed the direction of the witch's aura and headed straight toward her location.
...
In a quiet northern district of the town, a somewhat old single-story house stood atop a small grassy hill.
The house was surrounded by lush green fields, and just a few dozen meters behind it stood a grove of tall trees.
Inside, a beautiful silver-haired girl, no older than sixteen or seventeen, sat at a wooden table wearing a black dress.
On the table before her rested a thick magic tome, and her bright violet eyes were fixed intently on the half-open pages.
—
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