With the arrival of the Witch of Envy, the tea party gradually approached its end.
Lillian felt the situation had become somewhat chaotic. After completing the second trial, he had exchanged a contract with Echidna, leading her to alter the contents of Roswaal's Gospel. As a result, Roswaal would not—at least for now—create any major crisis.
That meant Subaru's concerns were actually unnecessary. Even if he did nothing, the current crisis had already been resolved. However, Subaru did not know this, which was why he sought to form a contract with Echidna.
As for why Lillian did not stop him or reveal the truth, there was only one reason—he himself could not deal with the problem of the Multiple Rabbits.
Although the rabbits had been drawn by Roswaal's climate magic, that also meant they already existed near the Sanctuary. Even if the magic was no longer used, they would eventually arrive anyway—perhaps only a few days later.
Of course, logically speaking, Lillian had nothing to worry about. As a human, he could leave the Sanctuary at any time. If the problem proved unsolvable, he could simply flee.
But that was not a long-term solution. After devouring everything in the Sanctuary, the rabbits would likely leave the forest and attack the nearby villages—and then the kingdom's cities.
Must they wait for massive casualties before the Sword Saint Reinhard finally intervened? That would indeed resolve the situation, but Lillian was not so cold-hearted. If possible, he wished to minimize deaths while solving the problem.
If Subaru formed a contract with Echidna now, then regardless of her intentions, she would be obligated to help resolve the crisis—otherwise Subaru would never leave the Sanctuary. Lillian also wished to see what method she would propose. Yet the sudden arrival of the Witch of Envy had halted everything.
Lillian looked at the silent figure and recalled that the Sanctuary's barrier repelled the souls of half-bloods. Satella herself was a half-elf, so it was no wonder Echidna had said she had "gone through considerable trouble" to enter. Breaking through the barrier as a half-blood soul was something the other witches could not accomplish.
Carmilla's earlier question—"Is it Sister Satella?"—had received no response. No one knew whether the personality controlling the body was Envy or Satella, which was why no one dared to act.
"A split personality, then… you all…"
Subaru's face was filled with confusion. He had no idea what to say or do. Though he had countless questions, he lacked an opening to begin asking them.
"We won't do anything," said the girl in the coffin—Daphne, who had just been scolded by Subaru. "Until we determine whether it's Envy or Sate—Satella, we won't do anything. As a candidate for Sage, you should at least—"
"Daphne!"
"Oh… I see. So the person involved still doesn't know? How careless of me."
Daphne said no more. Beside her, Sekhmet—who had been expressionless—let out a faint sigh, her lazy demeanor showing a subtle shift.
Subaru, whose mind was in turmoil, paid no attention to what Daphne had just said. But Lillian, who had been observing coldly from the sidelines, heard it clearly.
Candidate for Sage…
Four hundred years ago, the Witch of Envy killed the other six witches and devoured half the world. Later, she was defeated and sealed away by three heroes working together—the Sage, the first Sword Saint, and the Divine Dragon Volcanica.
Afterward, the first Sword Saint married and had descendants. The Sword Saint lineage continues to this day and has always served the royal family as loyalists, wielding considerable power in both politics and military affairs. In this generation, under the leadership of Reinhard—the one hailed as the "strongest Sword Saint"—their reputation has spread even further across the continent.
As for the Divine Dragon Volcanica, after the great battle it departed beyond the Great Waterfall. Before leaving, it likely formed some sort of covenant with the Kingdom of Lugunica, with the kingdom offering something in exchange for the dragon's protection. Since then, the Divine Dragon has not been seen again, but it is known to still exist—whenever Lugunica faces disaster, appeals to the dragon receive a response.
That left the most mysterious figure of all—the Sage.
Unlike the other two, there seemed to be many records about the Sage, yet in reality, very little was known.
The portrait on Lugunica's silver coins depicted the Sage—a long-haired handsome man. Most people believed his name was "Shaula," but that was actually the name of his disciple. His own name was "Flugel," though even that was likely a false name.
Beyond this, almost nothing else was known about him. Not long after the great battle ended, he disappeared. Then, four hundred years later, Subaru appeared.
To say the two were unrelated was impossible. Otherwise, why would the Witch of Envy harbor such obsessive feelings toward him? No matter how one looked at it, the Sage must have once saved her, then vanished for unknown reasons. Subaru was very likely his reincarnation—or perhaps the Sage himself from a different timeline. That would explain why Envy granted him her power and placed his survival above all else.
From Daphne's earlier words, Lillian realized that the witches all seemed to recognize Subaru. They had all lived through the events of four hundred years ago, meaning they had probably met the Sage. It was even possible that the Sage and Subaru looked identical. After all, rumors described the Sage as the most handsome man in the world—but with no photographs or evidence, and with the distortions of worship and admiration, such claims might not hold any truth.
If that were the case… it gave the unsettling impression that everything had already been predetermined.
Lillian looked at Subaru, thinking that many people were probably watching—or even manipulating—his fate. Setting aside the witches present here, there was also the Witch of Vainglory, Pandora, who remained hidden in the shadows. She had been mentioned repeatedly by Betelgeuse in the past, who had warned Lillian to beware of her. She was almost certainly observing everything from some unseen corner.
To Lillian, what could not be seen was far more dangerous than what could. He did not believe himself to be the center of attention—after all, Subaru was the one suspected to be the Sage and possessed the Witch of Envy's authority. Subaru was undoubtedly the focal point.
Even so, Lillian reminded himself to remain extremely cautious and to pay attention to every detail. During the second trial, he had witnessed too many tragic endings caused by small mistakes. Even now, as Echidna had said, his mental state remained unstable.
"H-hey… so what exactly are we supposed to do now?" Subaru looked at the group, completely at a loss.
"She came here for you," Echidna said calmly. "Just speak to her yourself. It seems she has no interest in dealing with us. So you should ask her whether she is Envy—or Satella."
"And if…"
"If she is Envy, I assume no one here will stop me," Echidna said.
"Yeah, yeah! We're not angry at Satella, but we're definitely angry at Envy!" said the dark-skinned girl Typhon, the Witch of Pride, placing her hands on her hips. "Envy is guilty—if it's her, then I'll carry out judgment!"
"… "
The witches had made their stance clear—if it was Envy, they would attack.
Notably, Echidna seemed intent on attacking regardless of whether it was Envy or Satella, but without the support of the other witches, any rash move on her part would likely be stopped by them. Thus she endured her restraint.
What Lillian found curious, however, was this: if the one present truly was Envy, could the six other witches defeat her by joining forces?
Was Envy's strength greater than the combined power of all the others? Or was this dream world Echidna's "home ground," capable of partially suppressing Envy's abilities?
As he pondered this, Subaru had already taken the initiative to speak to the figure who had been watching him.
"What exactly… do you want me to do?"
All eyes focused on Subaru. He had no choice and no escape. He could only follow the witches' wishes and question the one who filled him with such complicated emotions.
Why had she brought him to this world? Why had she given him the power of Return by Death? Why had she always stayed by his side?
All the questions that had accumulated within his heart demanded answers.
"…"
The response he received was still silence.
"Say something already… why are you—"
As he spoke, Echidna, standing behind him, suddenly changed expression as if sensing something. She turned her head and saw Lillian's body rapidly fading. In the next instant, he completely vanished from the dream world.
"Someone—"
---
Inside the tomb of the Witch of Greed, Ryuzu stumbled in, reaching out to push the motionless Lillian.
Disturbed by the outside world, Lillian's consciousness quickly withdrew from the dream and returned to his body.
"Ryuzu?" Regaining awareness, Lillian immediately saw the weakened Ryuzu before him. He steadied himself. "What happened?!"
"That child, Ram… forced her way in…"
Before Ryuzu could finish, Ram walked in step by step from outside. Within the narrow one-way passage, there was no room to evade—only to confront her.
"Alright. Your orders are lifted. Go rest first."
After saying this to Ryuzu, Lillian turned toward Ram. In the dim environment, he could see only her silhouette, not her expression.
"What is it?" Lillian guessed. "Did Roswaal send you to kill me?"
"… "
Her only response was silence and the steady sound of approaching footsteps.
Lillian frowned slightly. The Unseen Hands emerged from behind him, ready to defend and counter any incoming attack.
Yet when she drew closer, he finally saw her face.
"You…"
The corners of her eyes were red. Her gaze was both sharp and gentle, as if she wished to scold him but could not bring herself to speak. That was not the look of someone who had come to kill.
At last, to Lillian's astonishment, she slightly parted her lips and spoke his name.
"Lillian."
The two syllables echoed softly within the corridor.