"Elaborate. What's my connection to Pandora?"
"... If she hasn't told you until now, there must be a good reason. I'm afraid I can't interfere."
That was very suspicious. I gave Echidna an accusatory look.
"Why not?"
"I have an agreement with her." She said bluntly.
Now things are getting interesting. Were Echidna and Pandora working together? To what end? If only I could remember whatever it was I'd forgotten...
"What about the cultist who had a crossbow and daggers? Can you tell me anything about that guy?"
My next question focused on my doppelganger. Even with everything I knew about Re:Zero, I couldn't imagine an origin or justification for its existence.
For some reason, I gained his abilities by killing him, and for the past few days I'd been dreaming strange things that could very well be visions of his memories. I had some theories about it, but I needed to rule out options, and this was the perfect opportunity to do it.
Echidna made me wait several seconds before answering, as if she were choosing her words carefully.
"... He was one of the trials you must face."
"What?"
"It's related to Pandora. When you see her, she'll tell you."
"Ah. That's no good to me."
Looking at Echidna's expression, I wondered if she enjoyed having such complete knowledge while I felt like I was walking on a tightrope in the middle of the abyss.
"Don't think I like to keep information to myself. This goes against my nature."
"Are you reading my mind?"
"I'm reading your face."
"Really? Guess what I'm thinking right now." I bit my lip and winked at her.
Echidna rolled her eyes.
"How is it possible that you go from being serious to making jokes from one moment to the next?"
"I have a lot of mental disorders."
"I've noticed."
We both smiled. I wanted to ask something about Subaru, or about Aldebaran's reaction to seeing me, but I risked being overheard by Satella, and I didn't want to expose my knowledge of this world to Echidna, assuming she didn't have full access to my mind.
"So, what can you do for me?" I asked rhetorically, exhaling in frustration. "I have no idea what Pandora is planning, but if I'm going to keep running into dangerous enemies, I need more power—or more information."
"Well, you've been having nightmares lately, haven't you?"
"Yes... Are you sure you don't read my mind?"
"I am, and I think I can do something about those nightmares."
The witch in question had stood up, standing behind me. Before I could ask her what she was doing, she began massaging me.
"You're very tense. You should relax."
"I wish I could, but in this situation, I feel more excited than anything else..."
I sighed, releasing some of the tension in my body. Echidna worked on my muscles with a surprising technique that completely loosened me up. Enjoying the sensation, I reflexively leaned back slightly, my head pressing against two soft balloons.
"Wow, you're so daring." Echidna barely reacted when I leaned against her tits.
"I didn't expect this to happen, but it's very comfortable." At this point, I didn't care at all. "Do you mind if I stay like this a little longer?"
"Not at all. The more comfortable you feel, the better." Her voice was almost maternal.
Although my eyes were squinting from sleepiness, I maintained eye contact with her the entire time. Perhaps I did so because I didn't want to let my guard down completely, or because there was something in her dark eyes that called to me, insistently demanding my attention.
I didn't realize her face was so close until I felt her breath on my face, and a second later, her lips were pressing against mine.
"Hmm?!"
I wanted to move away, but she wouldn't let me. I was surprised to feel resistance from her, her arms holding me tightly to keep me still.
Then my mouth was ravished by a serpentine invader, a bold explorer who swept every corner of it with desperation, forcing me to move and keep up with it.
Remembering the scene where she met Roswaal, I came to the conclusion that Echidna had a very outgoing tongue.
The kiss had been great at first, but now my head was spinning like a Ferris wheel (catch it?). I felt dizzy and kept hearing voices in my head. If I closed my eyes, I saw a succession of strange images: scenes I didn't remember experiencing. I couldn't concentrate on it for long because I was running out of air.
Suddenly, Echidna let go of me and we both gasped, breathing hard to catch our breath.
"Haa... Haa... Why did you...?"
She didn't let me finish, because she kissed me again almost immediately. The second kiss started a chain reaction, as if it had completed what the first one had begun to unfold in my mind.
Memories flowed like a tsunami, inundating my thoughts and pulling me away from reality. I sank under the weight of those memories and began to drown.
Luckily, Echidna stopped what she was doing and freed me (physically and mentally) before my consciousness collapsed. Her face was inches from mine, a thread of saliva dangling between our mouths.
As lucidity returned to my mind, putting my thoughts in order, I felt a mixture of sadness and pain: it was similar to being betrayed by a loved one. The feeling disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, leaving me perplexed.
"What did you do to me?"
"I helped you process the information you acquired, but only a little. It should be enough for now."
I looked at her cautiously.
"Was the kiss necessary?"
"Yes." He said immediately.
"And the tongue part too?" I asked, tasting a slightly sweet aftertaste.
"... Do you want more tea?"
"Don't dodge the question!"
Seeing how red she'd made me, Echidna clutched her stomach and burst out laughing. I wasn't mad at her at all, but I felt like she was messing with me. It would be dangerous to stay on her turf for too long, so I got up to leave.
"I think I've kept you busy enough. I have things to do."
"Oh, are you leaving already? What a shame."
"There's another silver-haired beauty waiting for me out there." I shrugged. "I can't take too long, or she'll worry."
"You have such bad taste." Echidna sighed and opened a portal for me.
"You don't mean my mouth, do you? I make sure to brush my teeth every day and I don't eat junk food anymore."
She ignored my question, so I approached the portal. Before I could cross to the other side, Echidna touched my forehead with a finger.
"There you go. Now you can take the Sanctuary tests."
"And that? Are you going to give me a test, teacher?"
"You can put it that way. Also, remember not to tell anyone what happened here."
"Okay, I won't tell anyone what color your panties are." I mocked, entering the portal.
"I DIDN'T MEAN THAT!" Echidna's voice faded away, along with my consciousness, which left the castle of dreams.
***
I woke up in the stone hallway, as if it had all been a dream. Unlike Subaru, I perfectly remembered the conversation I had with Echidna. Apparently, she didn't block my memories, which was a good sign, I thought.
I walked leisurely outside. My first impression was that the forest was quiet and empty, but I was wrong.
"There you are, stranger!"
A fierce-looking teenage boy was running toward me. He had blond hair, spiky hair, and green eyes. As he got closer, the height difference between us became very obvious, but despite being short, Garfiel radiated an intense aura, like that of a wild beast.
Plus, he had a six-pack and I didn't, which made me feel slightly inferior.
"Hello." I greeted calmly, "You must be Garfiel."
I couldn't remember if this actually happened in the anime. I didn't really care, though.
Garfiel leaped up the stairs and landed in front of me, grinning with his sharp teeth as he pointed at me with a haughty gesture.
"Are you really the guy who took out the White Whale and two Archbishops of the Witch Cult in a single day!? Dude, you're not that impressive!"
"I'm sorry for not meeting your expectations." I pretended to wipe away a tear while making a distressed expression.
The boy's face crumpled. His hands balled into fists, and he let out a low growl.
"Bastard, do you think you can make fun of the great me? I don't care what Rem said! I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"
"Did Rem tell you anything–?"
The sentence was left unfinished as a punch connected with my face, throwing my body several feet back. I rolled on the stone floor.
"Ha! I don't think I even have enough to start with you!"
I spat out blood and slowly stood up. My clothes had gotten a little dirty from the fall.
Seriously, kids these days... Why the hell did I ever think of becoming a school teacher?
"Oh, do you want more?" Garfiel bumped his fists. "Come on, show me something worthwhile."
"I guess we're not going to resolve this peacefully. Well, I've been meaning to put this thing into practice."
I manifested the authority of sloth throughout my entire body, molding it into a membrane that completely covered it. Next, I extended a portion of that energy toward Garfiel, wrapping it around him and pulling him toward me.
He yelped in surprise as an invisible force jerked him around, and he couldn't react to the kick that sank into his stomach before sending him flying.
"As expected, I can combine Authority with my moves to add power to physical attacks. I can also use it as armor, which is very convenient."
I realized my aura wasn't as intense or abundant as it was when I fought Lye Batenkaitos: it probably couldn't cut through someone's body with its current power. Well, it's not like I wanted to kill Garfiel.
Speaking of him, he was making a rather funny face at the time.
"What did you just do?!"
"I got a little serious. Maybe I overdid it? I can go more gently if you prefer."
I don't usually make fun of my rivals when I have the advantage. This is because I'm quite competitive and hate losing, even if I know I'm facing someone better than me. However, in this specific case, my pride had been involved.
I'd rather sleep with Roswaal than be bullied by a fourteen-year-old.
Eh, on second thought, I think sleeping with Roswaal is a bit much. Let's just say I'd rather sleep with Felix.
"..."
Hmm, but now that I think about it, that sounds more like a reward than a punishment. I'm joking, haha. The only man for me is Reinhard.
"YOU PIECE OF SHIT! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"
Garfiel roared, propelling his body in my direction. In a split second, the distance between us shrank to zero, and his air-splitting punch hurtled toward me.
Sighing, I raised my hand and casually blocked, though the impact of the attack was enough to cause a small shockwave.
"The defense isn't too bad either, especially if I gather all the energy in one spot, but that takes away the protection from the rest of my body. It's a shame I can't use this to its full potential without damaging my body."
Despite his frustration, Garfiel continued to attack ferociously, throwing spectacular combinations of punches and kicks, but to no avail.
"Bastard! How did you get so tough!? I remember perfectly well that my first hit knocked you down, and it was much weaker than the ones that followed!"
We had reached a stalemate, because I refused to attack (to further humiliate him) and he could not break my defense.
"Ah, what I said before was to make you believe that you are strong and that you wouldn't feel bad."
"WHAT!? THAT'S A FUCKING LIE!"
Obviously, but I wouldn't tell him right now. I had to do some emotional damage.
"If believing that makes you feel better, go ahead..."
Garfiel raised his fist once more, but I had a very interesting idea. Wrapping my arm around his, I forced him to move so that he punched himself repeatedly in the face.
He was incredulous, and I could hardly contain my laughter.
"Pfft. Everything okay, buddy? I understand you're angry, but hitting yourself is a bit excessive..."
"SON OF A BITCH, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"
"I'll consider it if you apologize for being so rude..."
"FUCK OFF!"
Writhing in rage, Garfiel screamed and began to shapeshift, increasing in size and muscularity exponentially. He also grew orange fur with black lines and a white patch on his chest, transforming him into an anthropomorphic tiger.
With Garfiel's newfound strength, my aura could no longer stop his movements. I gulped, staring at the raging beast preparing to tear me apart with a single blow.
"Okay, I admit I was wrong too. What do you say we start from scratch?"
His response was to slash me with a brutal claw. I made the mistake of being overconfident and thinking I could cushion the damage with my energy armor, but the power of the attack tore through it like paper. The pain was short-lived: Garfiel probably ripped off my head or my entire torso, and death came a second later.