Chapter 380: The Witch's Tea?

Facing the familiar scene in front of him, Wood couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. Although he hadn't personally experienced this moment, it was indeed a part of his memories.

He was back in the Kararagi City-State, where he had first met Anastasia and formed an inseparable sibling-like bond with her. It was here that Wood Hessen, aspiring to become a knight, took a life for the first time, marking one of his most troubling memories.

Back then, Wood Hessen wasn't the man he was now; he was merely a child under ten years old, filled with dreams of becoming a knight. But taking someone's life for the first time, no matter the reason, had left a profound impact on him. The so-called "Sanctuary Trial" seemed to be forcing him to face his past again, recreating moments he had wished to forget. To pass the first trial, one had to confront and overcome those memories.

For young Wood Hessen, protecting Anastasia was his way of fulfilling his dream of becoming a knight, but the fear and unease of taking a life made it a memory he was reluctant to revisit. However, for the Wood standing here today, who had experienced countless battles, taking the life of some scum wasn't something that weighed on his conscience.

Wood watched the potbellied noble dragging Anastasia by her hair. Without saying a word, he raised his sword, and before the man could utter any threats, Wood had already cut off his head.

Not stopping there, Wood slaughtered all of the noble's guards in front of a young, stunned Anastasia.

In his original memory, Wood Hessen had chosen to take Anastasia and flee after killing that noble, embarking on a life on the run. But this time, he decided not to run. He stood his ground, shielding Anastasia behind him, cutting down every guard that came their way.

More nobles sent more men, and the bodies began piling up like a small mountain until Wood's actions finally drew the attention of the Lord of Kararagi.

Unable to deal with Wood, the Lord eventually decided to strip the noble family of their titles, bringing the matter to an end.

It was evident that if one possessed enough strength, they could break the rules, even become the ones who made the rules.

The moment the Lord of Kararagi yielded to Wood, the scene in front of him shattered like glass, breaking into countless fragments.

"So this is the so-called Sanctuary Trial that no one has managed to overcome in centuries? Hmph, how boring," Wood muttered, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

There was no sign of Emilia or Subaru; clearly, they were still undergoing their own trials.

Curious about what the second trial would entail, Wood pondered for a moment. Suddenly, thick fog enveloped him, obscuring his vision.

This time, the scene that unfolded before Wood was a garden, with a picturesque courtyard full of blooming flowers. In the distance, on the grass, stood a set of elegant white chairs and a table, where a woman with a graceful figure was seated.

She had striking beauty, long white hair, and wore a sophisticated black dress with a butterfly clip adorning her hair.

Searching through his memories, Wood quickly confirmed that he did not recognize the beautiful woman in front of him. Her appearance, with a monochromatic color scheme of black and white, made her one of the most captivating women Wood had seen in this world.

Even Emilia and the Crimson Bride paled in comparison. Though Wood wasn't someone easily swayed by appearances, he was sure that he would remember such an extraordinary beauty if they had met before.

The first trial was about confronting the past, so could the second and third trials be about the present and the future?

However, even if this was a trial of the "present," the people appearing here should have some connection to him, right?

Yet the white-haired beauty before him had no connection to Wood whatsoever.

"You don't need to be so wary," the woman said, gracefully standing up with a teacup in her hand. "The fact that you are here means that you have questions in your heart, and so I brought you here.

"This isn't part of the trial you are undergoing. Instead, it's my tea party—or perhaps I should call it my grave?"

"Your grave... I see," Wood said thoughtfully. "You must be the most intelligent of the witches, Echidna, the Witch of Greed, correct?

"To think that Roswaal has worked tirelessly for over four hundred years without ever seeing you, while I, someone unrelated, get to meet a legendary figure so easily. Should I say that I'm incredibly lucky, or that Roswaal is just really unfortunate?"

Wood kept his guard up despite Echidna's beauty and apparent goodwill.

According to legend, the other Witches of Sin were devoured by the Witch of Envy four hundred years ago, yet here was Echidna, still able to pull Wood into this space and appear before him. This alone was proof enough of how dangerous she was.

"You don't need to be so cautious," Echidna said with a faint smile. "Right now, I am merely a remnant of my soul. Besides, given the power you possess, even at my peak, I might not have been a match for you.

"I bear you no ill will. The only reason I brought you here is that I'm curious about you."

Wood's eyes narrowed slightly. From years of experience in the underworld and across various worlds, he had become an expert in reading people. He could tell that Echidna wasn't lying.

Indeed, Echidna's only real greed was for knowledge. Her desire for information was insatiable, which is why she was called the Embodiment of Greed for Knowledge.

Her curiosity drove her to pull Wood into this space, especially after seeing how quickly he had cleared the first trial of the Sanctuary. She used her Authority, the "Book of Wisdom," to observe him.

But what she found surprised her. The more she looked, the more questions arose.

Echidna's Authority, the "Book of Wisdom," also called the "Memory of the World," was a book that recorded all information. Even Subaru's "Return by Death" ability, which reset the world each time, was completely documented in it.

The "Gospels" held by Roswaal and Beatrice, as well as the Witches' Cult's Archbishops, were all inferior versions that she created by attempting to replicate the "Book of Wisdom."

The difference was that Roswaal and Beatrice's versions were more advanced compared to those of the Witches' Cult.

The "Book of Wisdom" recorded all the knowledge of this world, including that of Subaru and Emilia. However, when Echidna tried to look up Wood Hessen, she found that the person described in the book and the Wood before her were entirely different.

According to the "Book of Wisdom," Wood Hessen of this world was an ordinary person from Kararagi. Yet, the Wood in front of her, with incredible strength and the ability to easily pass the trial, was no ordinary character.

The "Book of Wisdom" had never been wrong before. Even Echidna herself had not fully deciphered all its secrets.

But the discrepancy between what it recorded and what she saw in Wood made it clear: either the "Book of Wisdom" was mistaken, or the current Wood had replaced the original Wood.

Unlike Subaru, who was a visitor from another world, Wood's situation seemed more like he had taken the place of someone who had originally existed here.

As the embodiment of insatiable curiosity, Echidna was fascinated by this anomaly. If she had been capable of it, she might have tried to keep Wood here as her experimental subject.

Wood was equally surprised by Echidna's knowledge of Subaru's "Return by Death" ability.

That power was so absurd that it could even affect Reinhard. If it weren't for Wood's unique existence, even his memories might have been reset. Subaru had never been able to tell anyone about his ability, yet Echidna was somehow aware of it.

That alone convinced Wood that Echidna was indeed the most intelligent witch.

"So," Echidna said, seeing that Wood had lowered his guard slightly, "would you care to accept my hospitality and join me for a cup of tea?"

Seeing that Echidna meant no harm, Wood accepted her invitation. She poured him a cup of black tea, and he cautiously took a sip. It tasted different from the tea Rem usually brewed for him.

"This tea tastes..." Wood began, about to ask what was different about it, but Echidna interrupted with a sly smile.

"This tea was brewed with my bodily fluids," she said nonchalantly. "How does it taste? Unique, isn't it?"

Wood froze, staring at her with a stunned expression. He hadn't expected the Witch of Greed to be such a prankster, using her bodily fluids to brew tea for her guests.

While there was no denying that Echidna was an extraordinarily beautiful woman, drinking bodily fluids was... a bit much.

Wood suppressed his urge to retch, convincing himself that tears counted as bodily fluids, and decided not to touch the remaining tea in his cup.

Echidna seemed to enjoy his discomfort, her mischievous smile betraying a hint of her personality. Clearly, she wasn't just a seeker of knowledge; she was also someone with a deeply cunning side.

"You say you know about Subaru's 'Return by Death' ability," Wood said, trying to change the topic. "But what is the source of that power?"

Wood had always assumed "Return by Death" was a cheat granted to Subaru by the world, but now it seemed like there was more to it.

"The power known as 'Return by Death' is a forbidden ability that surpasses the life source, Od Lagna," Echidna explained. "It is the Witch of Envy, Satella, who brought Subaru from another world and bestowed that power upon him.

"The number of times Subaru can use 'Return by Death' isn't unlimited. It depends on how long Satella's love for Subaru lasts."

"As for why Satella chose Subaru... I don't know. Even the 'Book of Wisdom' can't guess a person's motivations, especially when that person is the Witch of Envy.

"And now that I've answered your question, it's time for you to answer one of mine." Echidna smiled.

Wood nodded. He had expected as much. They were strangers to each other, after all, and exchanges like this were natural.

"Who are you, really? Are you still the original Wood Hessen?"

Wood looked surprised. He hadn't expected even the most intelligent of the witches to catch on to such a nuance.

"I am indeed Wood Hessen," he said. "But the former me lacked a 'soul.' It is only now that I am truly myself.

"And as you've probably guessed, I'm not originally from this world. I appear in different worlds in different ways—through reincarnation, rebirth, or direct transference. Each time, I'm given an identity by that world."

For the first time, Wood openly explained his simulated life ability to someone else. Since they were exchanging truths, he saw no reason to hide it, and he doubted he could lie to the perceptive Witch of Greed anyway.

Echidna's eyes sparkled at his explanation. As the embodiment of insatiable curiosity, she found Wood utterly fascinating. The mention of other worlds filled her with a longing and an insatiable curiosity for what lay beyond.

The Witch of Greed had found a new mystery—one that she was eager to unravel.