Unlike the first tea party, which had only two participants, this time there were already four witches present, including the host, Echidna, the Witch of Greed.
This was Lillian's first time seeing the witches in person. No—more accurately, aside from him, all of them were already "dead." What existed here were merely the souls Echidna had collected.
He felt no fear toward them. In this dream world, none of them could kill him. He simply observed how the situation unfolded.
"He does indeed possess the Sloth Factor, but that has nothing to do with you, Sekhmet," Echidna said.
From what Ryuzu had once told him, Echidna and Sekhmet were supposedly on good terms—they had even fought together against the Witch of Envy. But to Lillian, their relationship seemed ordinary. Especially Sekhmet: from the moment she appeared, she remained expressionless, true to her title of "Sloth," too lazy even to change her expression.
"Since you're here, then Typhon—"
Before Echidna could finish, a crisp girl's voice interrupted her.
"Yep, yep! Typhon is here too!"
A short-haired girl suddenly jumped out from behind Sekhmet's tall figure. Her brown face carried a lively smile as she greeted Lillian.
"The Witch of Pride, Typhon, has arrived!"
"Hehe…" Echidna laughed. "It seems today has become a rare gathering of us sisters. In that case, Daphne mustn't be left out either."
As her words fell, a hole suddenly opened in the ground. A heavy coffin "emerged" from beneath the earth. Its lid was open, revealing a gray-haired girl bound within a straitjacket. Chains radiating magical energy tightly restrained her inside the coffin, and even her eyes were covered with a black blindfold.
"—I want to eat something," said the newly arrived Witch of Gluttony, Daphne.
The atmosphere immediately grew strange.
Six witches gathered in one place—it could truly be called a spectacle. Lillian thought that even centuries ago, very few people had ever seen so many witches together. After all, the witches were not a unified group; each had acted independently. Only after death had their souls been collected by Echidna, allowing them to meet here.
What Lillian could confirm was that Echidna had no control over these souls. Otherwise, she would never have allowed them to interfere at a time like this. In other words, they existed on equal footing with her. Perhaps that was precisely why they willingly allowed her to collect their souls. After all, setting others aside, the Witch of Sloth Sekhmet alone possessed such overwhelming power that—even as a soul—she would surely surpass Echidna, who was likewise only a soul.
As the witches arrived one after another, the most ordinary human—Lillian—became the rarest presence here. All the witches' gazes gathered upon him. Taking a deep breath, he steadied his thoughts.
"Sekhmet," he addressed the Witch of Sloth directly. "When you arrived, you mentioned 'adding a time limit.' What did you mean?"
"It means… exactly what it sounds like…"
Unlike Betelgeuse, the so-called Archbishop of Sloth who was in truth terrifyingly "diligent," Sekhmet truly embodied sloth—too lazy to change her expression, too lazy even to speak. No wonder Echidna had been surprised by her appearance; for someone so indolent to show up at all was remarkable.
"What Sekhmet means is that Echidna never set a time limit on what she promised you!" the Witch of Wrath, Minerva, explained. "She could postpone everything until the very end! Do you understand?!"
Though she was explaining, her tone sounded like an argument, her blue eyes glaring fiercely at Lillian.
"…Is that so, Echidna?"
Lillian turned to her. At some point, she had already returned to her seat. Facing the questioning, she nodded slightly.
"Yes. I admit it."
"…."
This kind of verbal trap was something Lillian himself had used before—but clearly not with Echidna's level of sophistication. From the very beginning, perhaps even during their first tea party, when he asked about methods of saving people, she had seized upon that desire to entice him. He had nearly overlooked the crucial details…
"I admit it," Echidna continued, "but that does not mean I accept Sekhmet and Minerva's interpretation of why I did not mention a time frame. They have misunderstood."
She stood and walked to Lillian, meeting his eyes and stating her intentions clearly.
"The reason I did not specify a time is because I cannot determine how you came to this world, nor how you will leave in the future. This is unknown to me, and I cannot arrange a schedule for such uncertainties. Although my personal curiosity about the world is indeed my foremost desire, that does not mean I would satisfy myself first and only then help you achieve your goals. My desires are endless, whereas the things you wish to do—such as saving people—cannot be delayed indefinitely."
"You worry about the meaning of 'independent thought.' Is there something shameful you fear I would discover? Rest assured, everyone has their darker side—even me. If we share each other's thoughts and feelings, we would truly love one another with our whole beings. That is what love is, isn't it? As you said, we would be like one person. Everyone loves themselves, don't they? In that case, we would become those who understand and love each other most. You pursue your future; I pursue knowledge. Once our minds are connected, we would understand each other completely and act for each other's sake. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"We would face every problem together and confront every enemy side by side. If you refuse to accept this as love, then consider it mutual use. I believe I am still a very valuable tool. Though I have no physical form, this dream world can simulate all sensations. If you wish, you may even use my body to comfort yourself—I would gladly oblige. That is the meaning of my existence."
"I, whom the world calls a 'sage,' pursue knowledge like a dog chasing a car—when it catches it, it doesn't even know what to do, driven only by instinct. Can you understand this maiden's heart? I truly, truly want to see what other worlds are like. To me, this world is like an encyclopedia I have already read through. Though there remain a few details I do not fully understand, the overall structure is clear. I wish to go to an entirely new world. Like a traveler in the desert, I am parched. The knowledge remaining in this world is like dew, while other worlds are like an ocean. Even a child would know which to choose."
"These are all my thoughts—I have shown them to you completely. Give me your hand, Lillian. Together we will accomplish countless achievements in the future. I will make you the strongest being in this world and grant you supreme happiness. Because I believe in you. Your strength and courage brought you this far—to stand before me. This is our destined encounter, one we must not betray."
"Can you imagine it? I suddenly feel something that should be impossible for someone as rational as myself—that the reason I remained here was to wait for you. This is my destiny, and you are the hero who will lead me toward infinite futures. So… please, take my hand."
Having poured out everything she wished to say, Echidna stood before all the witches, cheeks flushed, and extended her hand to Lillian—like a high school girl confessing her love after school to the boy she admired.
"Let us form a contract," Echidna said with a smile. "This is my third invitation. For a girl to take the initiative this many times—doesn't that make you a rather unqualified man?"
Lillian looked at the faintly shy smile blooming on her flawless face and answered without hesitation:
"I refuse."