Chapitre 84: Witch of Greed Echidna
"Has Puck still not appeared during this time?" Ayanokouji asked, focusing on the crystal stone around Emilia's neck.
"Mm..." Emilia nodded.
"Betty, do you know why?" Ayanokouji turned and looked at Beatrice.
"Betty doesn't know why Bubby hasn't come out during this time, but there are many possibilities for this situation." Beatrice sat on a chair, her striped stocking-clad legs swinging rhythmically. "For example, Bubby's magical power might not be enough, he doesn't want to come out, or there's interference from external spells."
'Could it be interference from the outside?' Ayanokouji thought after listening to Beatrice's words.
He couldn't rule out the possibility that Puck was unable to appear because Roswaal was causing trouble.
Everyone then chatted briefly about the Sanctuary. Judging from the current situation, Emilia basically knew nothing about it.
"Alright, we've entered the forest!" Otto said to everyone through the small window at the front of the carriage.
Ayanokouji recalled that Frederica had told him earlier that this forest was protected by a special barrier, one that repelled outsiders and misled their direction.
According to the information Beatrice had given earlier, the reason Echidna created the Sanctuary was to hide from the Warlock of Melancholy, but she ultimately failed.
Ayanokouji didn't know what the relationship between the Warlock of Melancholy and Echidna was. A grudge from four hundred years ago had nothing to do with him. He was considering the possible strategic significance of the Sanctuary.
If one day Emilia's camp were attacked by another force, the Sanctuary could serve as a good place of refuge.
A place where others couldn't interfere. If possible, Ayanokouji also wanted to stay inside it without having to worry about anything.
However, the premise of 'not being interfered with' wasn't entirely true. For example, Frederica had the ability to enter and exit the Sanctuary, and living in isolation there wasn't a completely stable option.
After all, Ayanokouji had heard that there was a village in the Sanctuary where only Demi-Humans lived. It wasn't clear how they lived in isolation. Perhaps they resented humans, as there was once a fierce civil war between the two in the kingdom long ago.
"I've never seen another Half-Elf like me... Maybe there will be some in the Sanctuary..." Emilia lowered her head.
"There might be." Ayanokouji replied.
He was also a bit curious why he hadn't seen anyone of the same race as Emilia so far. He had also asked her about the past. But Emilia didn't seem to remember.
At this moment, the blue crystal pendant on Emilia's chest suddenly emitted a strange blue light, immediately enveloping the entire carriage.
"What... what's happening?" Emilia was slightly panicked and confused.
'Is it a bomb or a magic spell?' Ayanokouji was very confused.
He immediately asked Beatrice to create a magic barrier between him and Emilia.
"Sorry, Emilia, I need to ensure the situation first." Ayanokouji said, his eyes fixed on the other's necklace, and the blue crystal light shone even brighter.
If Frederica wanted to kill Emilia, such a complicated strategy wouldn't be necessary.
"What's happening? What's happening? What's happening?"
Otto, driving the dragon carriage, didn't know what was going on inside and could only turn around and ask.
Naturally, Ayanokouji had no time to pay attention to him. After confirming that the crystal wasn't dangerous, he slowly walked forward, reached out, and touched it. It felt cold, and there was nothing particularly special about it, but Emilia's face turned red.
"No heat, at least that means it won't explode?" Ayanokouji carefully observed the crystal and essentially ruled out any danger from it. "Or maybe it's because we're getting close to the Sanctuary?"
"Emilia, please show me the pendant." Ayanokouji said.
"Okay!" As Emilia untied the pendant, her body suddenly softened, and she immediately fell into Ayanokouji's arms.
Ayanokouji reacted quickly and immediately supported Emilia's body. He used his other hand to grab the pendant that almost fell to the ground. If the pendant broke, it might hinder them from reaching the Sanctuary.
And as he fully grasped the blue crystal in his hand, a pale light burst before his eyes, almost overwhelming him.
Then, he felt a strange sensation of weightlessness, and the touch beneath his feet changed as well.
It didn't take long for his vision to clear again.
What appeared was a dense forest, almost identical to the one he had seen before. He could faintly hear the crisp and clear chirping of birds, which was very distinct.
Sunlight filtered through the thick leaves, flowing onto the ground and forming patches of light.
Ayanokouji immediately pinched his finger with his nail to confirm it wasn't an illusion.
"This isn't an illusion. Am I still in the forest? Is this crystal set with teleportation magic?"
He quickly walked to a nearby tree and broke off a sharp stick to use as a weapon, and its hardness was relatively suitable. As long as the right angle and force were applied, it should easily pierce the throat of an animal without a shell.
He heard rustling behind him, turned around, and saw a girl dressed in white standing before him.
She wasn't tall, barefoot, and standing in the muddy forest. Her white clothing had no trace of any material. Her face was buried beneath a high collar. Her long, pinkish-purple hair reached her waist, almost capable of stealing one's soul.
Moreover, Ayanokouji noticed that the girl had very pointed ears. Was she of the same race as Emilia? But she didn't have silver hair and purple eyes.
'Why is there a girl here, and she seems to have intentionally appeared before me.'
Ayanokouji leaned forward and hid the hand holding the sharp branch behind his back, so if the other party seemed inclined to attack, he could counter with a sudden strike.
To prevent the other from having some kind of mind-reading ability, he immediately cleared his thoughts.
"Who are you?" He asked.
The two locked eyes, and after confirming that Ayanokouji had seen her, the girl immediately turned and ran in a specific direction.
Ayanokouji felt that the other seemed to be guiding him somewhere. Now, he needed to gather more intelligence and information, so he followed her.
Soon, he passed through the forest and arrived at a large building.
It was massive, more than ten meters wide and at least five meters high. The vines and moss clinging to it indicated that no one had been here for a long time. Judging by its shape, it was somewhat reminiscent of ancient tombs from his original world.
The girl's whereabouts were unknown, and Ayanokouji realized that she seemed to have led him here.
He pulled out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and slowly entered the building.
He constantly observed his surroundings, trying to find some clues about this place from the details around him.
If this really was a tomb, then there was only one possibility—this was Echidna's tomb.
Ayanokouji knew that the Sanctuary was the resting place of Echidna.
"I see. Is this the root of your desire? How interesting."
At that moment, a very ambiguous woman's voice echoed in Ayanokouji's ears, but he couldn't pinpoint its source.
At the same time, the scene before him suddenly changed again.
He had been in the ancient tomb, but now he was standing on an endless grassland, and above it was a very blue sky, with fluffy white clouds slowly drifting by.
Ayanokouji noticed that the branch and phone in his hands were gone.
"I haven't spoken to a human in a long time, so I'm a little excited."
The same woman's voice, with the same tone, came from behind him. Ayanokouji followed the voice and looked up. It was a delicate and small pavilion, where a woman was gazing at him with a smile.
She wore black clothing all over, like mourning attire. Her face, as white as snow, was adorned with very delicate features, and her black eyes were like stunning black holes.
Her hair was also as white as snow, but it wasn't from old age—it was long and fine, adorned with a butterfly hair ornament.
"My name is Echidna—or the 'Witch of Greed,' if that's easier to say."
The woman who called herself Echidna said this with a smile. Her curious eyes focused on Ayanokouji's face, as if expecting his reaction.
But Ayanokouji remained expressionless as he slowly walked toward Echidna and sat across from her: "This is the first time we've met. My name is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."
"Ah, aren't you surprised to hear my name?"
Surprise appeared on Echidna's face, and she asked.
"I was almost mentally prepared." Ayanokouji calmly replied, his eyes fixed on Echidna, trying to glean some information, but she hid it very well.
The other referred to herself as Echidna. In the eyes of ordinary people, witches were a very taboo topic. Except for people with odd thinking circuits like Emilia, in general, no one would call themselves a Witch. The fact that the other could pull Ayanokouji into this space was enough to show that she was very powerful.
Ayanokouji came up with various ideas in his mind to test Echidna, but she did not respond. It seemed she did not have mind-reading abilities, but he could not completely rule out the possibility that she was pretending.
"Are you mentally prepared? I thought I might surprise you." A smile spread across Echidna's face.
"How did you bring me here?" Ayanokouji looked around and said, "This isn't the real world."
"Do you see this?"
"Although it's very realistic, the structure here is somewhat inconsistent. The grassy field is endless, but there's no open space or wild grass. This is impossible, and the ground doesn't feel like real soil when stepped on." Ayanokouji said calmly.
He pinched himself again with his nail, and he felt clear pain, but he remained convinced that this wasn't the real world.
"Is it because of this? I'll have to pay more attention next time, but if there were wild grass, this place wouldn't be perfect." Echidna closed her eyes and said with a smile, but soon reopened them, her gaze fixed on his face. "However, I didn't bring you here; you broke in yourself. When you have a strong desire for knowledge, you will come here."
Ayanokouji recalled that he had just been in that ancient building, wondering what was there, and then he traveled through time and arrived here. Did he need to be in that building to enter this space?
He raised his head and closely examined Echidna's very refined face.
The so-called Witch of Greed. Could he obtain information from her?
At this moment, Echidna presented a cup of tea to Ayanokouji.
"Please use it."
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
Takamiya_Shin
Takamiya_Shin There are two options for accessing more chapters.
1. Ko-fi: bit.ly/Candra24
2. Patre*n: https://www.patre*n.com/LoveFanfiction
-For donations from generous benefactors who are Crazy rich: paypal.me/andicand
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone