Chapter Text
“I love him. He is mine. I love him. He is mine. I love him. He is mine. I love him. He is mine. I love him. He is mine. I love–”
There were the only words audible at the Witch’s shrine, muttered by an incomprehensible being, the Witch of Envy. Repeating her words of affection like a broken puppet, this being did not have any understanding of love. She wanted to embrace her beloved, kiss him and drench him in her love. But drowning in the envy, she struggled to share any fragment of him, even a flap of his skin. Even if she reached her lover, only a tragic fate awaited her.
But suddenly there was a change. Her eyes, which were cold and lifeless until now, have got a glint of intelligence in them. Her words, which were empty, are now tinged with deep love, albeit bordering on obsession. It was as if she had gained awareness. It is a miracle. Did her words reach the goddess of love? Or did the goddess of fate smile to change her tragic fate. Nevertheless, consequences of this unforeseen change will be inconceivable for the world.
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“Will he accept it or will he reject it? Hearing his answer too would sate a fragment of my curiosity”
Said Echidna, smiling sweetly, sitting on one of the chairs beside the white table atop the hill. She was, as usual, hosting a tea party, engaging in an entertaining talk with her guest. But the said guest was more engrossed in the food. Although she had to bribe her, she was a better conversational partner, compared to others.
“You brag of your abil-i-ty, to enjoy either out-comes, but Idna-Idna wouldn't hes-i-tate to guide tow-a-rds an out-come that Idna-Idna wants to see. Haa, haa, munchmunch”
Daphne, stood in her black coffin beside the table, devouring sweets on the table like a dog.
“Even though you have so very little interest in others, you–”
Echidna stopped mid-sentence and her eyes snapped open. As she gazed towards the unending horizons of her castle, she found the Witch of Envy approaching her, her surroundings obscured by pitch-black darkness.
“I won’t en-dure through. A-ct-u-all-y… haa, haa… my calories will burn out very soon”
Saying that, while devouring even the teacups and table, Daphne disappeared to get away from this calorie-burning conflict. As Echidna prepared to summon Sekhmet, she glared towards her, asking with hostility brimming in her voice.
“YOU, brazenly trespassing even into my dream castle… always the egoist, aren’t you”
“You don’t have to be soo on the edge, I have not come here with feelings of enmity… not unless you refuse to assist” Replied the envy with bitterness.
Echidna was greatly surprised. Although She asked a question, it was more of an impulse, urged by her spite. She never really expected an intelligible answer. So shocked was her mind, that she stood stock still for several moments, her summoning being interrupted. Seeing her state, Envy seemed to smirk, increasing her irritation.
“Even the ‘Thirst-incarnate of Knowledge’ can’t understand my predicament, how satisfying”
As Echidna wondered, if her two personalities somehow merged, she replied with indignation.
“So you finally unveiled your mask of kindness, accepting your hideousness. Even though I always said truth, everyone was fooled by your pretence”
“Unfortunately, your presumptions are wrong… stop with your gross eyes. My time is measured, I need your assistance in my plan to be with my beloved”
“Did you really think I would help you? You defiler who desecrates my world, you whore”
“I am not sooo naive to forget your hostility. But I have such an offer, that your greed can’t turn it down”
As Echidna listened to her offer, she once again felt a shock—
“You half-devil, wouldn’t you die of jealousy. Last I heard you saying— ’…evenonebeadofsweat!allismine!’ “
Envy seemed to not answer her question. She felt exasperated. Envy offered such a bargain, that her curiosity couldn't refuse it. But, going along with the plan of this harlot, It would be accepting her loss. It was quite vexing. Pondering some more, an idea came to her mind. A way to not only secure her win, but even impede the goal of this reprobate. A way to truly teach her, what it means to make a contract with the Witch of Greed.
“You are so shameless and self-loving, going to such lengths to debauch a man. Refusing this offer would be against my nature. But don’t think this is the end. Surely, I will have my win over you… very soon”
Mumbling the last part, Echidna started her preparations. She wondered what changed in the mind of this whore. Her behaviour didn’t seem similar to Satella. It felt distant even from the witch of envy. Did she truly gain a proper persona or is she someone else? Nonetheless, the future seemed much more enthralling. As her thoughts turned towards the future, she heard her mutterings.
“As long as I can be with my beloved, there is nothing I would ever need anymore. Soon, we will have our meeting again, Subaaru~”
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“—I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED TO ANOTHER WORLD!!!”
Natsuki Subaru yelled at the top of his lungs, with excitement burning in his eyes. Scanning his surroundings, he noticed the girl standing beside him. Standing so close to him and staring at his face with a smile full of delight, she was an otherworldly beauty.
She had long silver hair, reaching her hips, her eyes amethyst like a topaz. Her ears were pointy, indicating her elf heritage. An ebon dress —sewn from shadows arising underfoot—garbed her, its flesh pulsating almost as if in rhythm with her heartbeat. Subaru was overwhelmed, to the extent that he’d completely forgotten his predicament. His heartbeat was pounding so fast. He could only think of her. He felt a deep longing, a desire to touch her, to embrace her.
“It seems you have been spellbound by my beauty, Subaru” The girl replied, giggling in her hand, seemingly happy with his reaction. Her voice sounded like the chime of a silver bell. While he came out of stupor, he felt ashamed, harbouring such feelings towards the first girl he met. As his mind dug into his isekai knowledge, He asked with vigour.
“Are you the goddess who summoned me to this world?!”
Perhaps that’s the reason for this throbbing in his heart. It wouldn’t be strange if he was charmed by her. The girl, perhaps surprised by the volume of his voice, suddenly grabbed his hand and replied while running.
“Only you can see me. We should go into a secluded spot before people think of you as looney”
Surprised by her actions and his mind overwhelmed by her touch, Subaru went along with her without resistance. When they reached into a park, she led him to a bench and sat alongside him. As he became more familiar with her presence, his mind overworked to calm his feelings, and to arrange his thoughts. she was gazing at his face, her eyes holding some complex emotions. Before He can discern her emotions—
“I summoned you here but I am not really a goddess. In reality, people might refer to me as a satan.” Seeing her face stricken with distress, he cursed the people responsible for it. In isekai tropes, there were some instances where the heroine was falsely accused of being a demon king. Perhaps he was summoned to save her and prove her innocence.
“I mean, you are drop-dead gorgeous. Accusing such a cute girl of being a fearsome devil, their eyes must be malfunctioning”
“...hk. Surprise attacks are off-limits, you bubblehead”
The red-faced girl slightly pinched Subaru's side. Taken aback by her adorableness, He replied the first thing on his mind.
“Who says bubblehead in this day and age? People will think you are an old lady”
“Hmph” she pouted adorably. He hadn’t been alone with a girl since elementary. As he thought about how to continue the conversation, he asked the question that was in the back of his mind for the last several minutes.
“Anyway, you said only I can see you. Why is that?”
“In reality, my body is placed inside a seal. Only you can see or touch me because you are my apostle. I have created an advanced YoriShiro, refined by witchcraft and soul-marriage. The crystal on your neck–”
“M- Marriage?” Subaru squeaks, his blood rising to his face. Having heard of marriage between souls, He couldn’t comprehend any further words. Shouldn’t she ask for his consent before his marriage? He wondered if this world even has rights about consent. As his mind panics, his heart couldn’t help but relish in delight, seemingly feeling deep contentment. Watching the charming figure of her, he couldn’t help but agree with his heart. Even using the luck of his whole lifetime, he wouldn’t be able to marry such an angel.
“Wh- What? Subaru, you saphead, you featherbrain” She rapidly fired some insults towards him. Although He found it adorable that she can’t really pronounce any true insults. “It’s not a real m-marriage. It’s just the name of the technique. It creates a connection between our souls, sooo that you can use some of my power… although I wouldn’t mind a marriage with you, my beloved” The girl explained with a bashful face, mumbling the last part in an inaudible whisper.
“What’s with these insults? Why am I being blamed when the fault lies in your words. Also did you say something in the end”
“Stop with this dilly-dallying. Actually I can only appear for a limited time before you. That unhelpful shrew, couldn’t even create something without constraints …” She muttered a complaint about someone, her words brimming with bitterness.
Before her eyebrows could furrow and disturb her beautiful visage, he changed the subject.
“Is that so? Then let’s start from introductions. Although you already know my name, let me repeat again. My name is Natsuki Subaru! I’m utterly lost and completely broke! Nice to meet you!”
“Heehee! You are such a bubblehead, Subaru. I am the Witch of envy. My name is … “ She hesitated for some time. “Actually I don’t have any name. People always called me witch”
He felt a heartache hearing her answer. She must have lived a lonely life without having any friends or even an acquaintance. Even though he was a shut-in, he couldn’t comprehend such a life. Cursing his mishap for making her sad, he tried to uplift her mood.
“Then as your first friend, Can I give you a name?”
“Reaally? It would give me immense joy… getting a name from my beloved” She once again mumbled something in the end. He wondered if she was too nervous to talk about something. As Subaru was thinking about her name, His mind intruded on his isekai knowledge. He remembered how some demons evolve after getting a name. Is it possible that she truly was a demon, a succubus maybe, and was manipulating him to get a name?
“Hmph. You are thinking something bad about me, aren't you? Subaru~” The girl pinched his cheek while pouting.
“M’Swary! M’Swary!” Subaru apologised repeatedly, while wondering if she can read his mind. After getting free from her grasp, Subaru pondered something more and a name came to his mind.
“Back in my homeland, there is a myth related to envy. A Greek goddess, Artemis killed his lover Orion due to envy because he loved another woman. Let’s see… that’s right. She was also called Selene, goddess of the moon. And seeing that your beauty is as ethereal as the moon, So how about Selene?”
As he turned towards the girl, he felt an unease. She appeared to be shell shocked, with tears visible in her eyes. She was sobbing, while mumbling something under her breath. He could hear some phrases sounding “It wasn’t my fault!”. She was likely reliving some traumatising memory. When he heard of envy, his passion for myths and stars made his mouth blabbered on without thinking. Hearing the story, she probably felt accused. He lamented his foolishness, his self-hatred currently maxed out due to his terrible mistake.
He tried talking to her, but she didn’t respond. As he thought of how to calm her down, he followed the desire of his heart, and hugged her. That way, at least, he didn’t have to see her grief-stricken visage. Although his heart was pounding, he couldn’t feel any happiness about the situation. The girl seemed to calm down, her heartbeat syncing with his own.
“You know, In roman myths, there was a beautiful goddess of moon, Luna; a seductive and kind goddess inspiring love and peace, but she was also very secluded and timid, prefering to be hidden in the shadows. What do you think of Luna? A cute name for a cute girl!”
Subaru said, separating himself from her. As the girl tested the name on her lips, Soon she had a lovely smile on her face.
“Thank You, Subaru, for giving me such a pretty name.” Even though there were traces of tears on her face, her smile full of delight, once again captivated his heart.
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As they made small talk, Luna taught him about this new world. Apparently this world was flat, consisting of only 4 countries, Lugunica being the easternmost. There were demihumans, as he had watched during his sprint with her. And Magic!
“You have the same affinity as mine, Yin. It is mentioned as manipulation of time and space. But your gate is as fragile as–”
“SpaceTime Magic! That’s so cool! I can already imagine myself as a powerful sorcerer bending the flow of time and space, unstoppable–” As Subaru muttered his isekai fantasy, his words stopped mid-sentence sensing a stern gaze from Luna.
“You are as foolhardy as ever, Subaru! Your gate is fragile like a newborn. If you strain it too much, you will lose your ability to cast magic.” She muttered, her eyes holding complex emotions. As he stared into her jewel-like eyes, he wondered if it was nostalgia.
“Hey I am not that reckless! Why are you talking with such familiarity, as if you have suffered from my recklessness!”
Without acknowledging his words, she continued. “I will slowly be teaching you magic. So you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Luna-sensei, I am also wondering if I will get staple gears of an isekai protagonist, like an Excalibur!” He asked, eyes brimming with eagerness.
“Sorry, I don’t get what you are saying.” And his hopes were dashed before taking a flight. As He deflated his shoulders from discouragement, Luna came closer to him.
“But I do have an ability for you. It’s called Shadow Hands. You can call one by chanting, uuh, let’s see…“ A hand made of shadows arised from her chest, touching his cheek with a cold sensation. While Subaru was awestruck by her magic, the hand turned his face towards her and he realised he could feel her breath on his face. Registering the closeness with Luna, his mind once again jumbled into a mess, blood rushing to his cheeks.
“Aishiteru”
Although the girl mumbled into a whisper, Subaru heard some fragments, sounding ‘ais’ and ‘ter’. Wondering if she spoke that word, his heart felt elated, seemingly jumping out from his chest and he stuttered. “Wh- What? What did you just say”
“Ashtr-I-mean-Ashtr!Since-I-refined-a-new-type-of-magic-I-decided-to-celebrate-by-naming-the-chant-by-myself-and-I-found-ashtr-to-be-the-perfect-chant-for-this-magic-since… “ Luna rapidfired her words, her mind seemingly overworking, trying to justify how it was a perfect chant.
Hearing her words, his thoughts became orderly. It seemed that he had misheard. But he didn’t know why his heart felt such disappointment. He felt ashamed. He slightly distanced himself from her face, while calming his heart.
“So you have to use this chant” Luna had also stopped her words. They sat in silence, watching the flower-fields. After some time had passed, she stood from the bench. “I have to go now. I will no longer be able to appear for today, Subaru”
As he watched her gloomy face, his heart became anxious.
“Hey! I was thinking I had not gotten my first quest!”
“What do you mean?” Luna asked. He stood from the bench and came closer to her. “You said that you were sealed! By some asshole hero or sage! Since I am summoned here, my quest should be to free you from the seal, right!”
“Subaru, you shouldn’t bother with this. It would be an arduous task. I am content, just to be able to talk with you everyday”
Subaru abruptly grabbed her hand and shouted energetically “But I want to help you!!” Luna, seemingly taken aback by his forward actions, stuttered. “B-But–” He felt some gazes from people, of wonder and incomprehension, as though they were looking at something strange.
“This world is set to raise my power after all! I can defeat any hero or dragon to save–”
“NO!” she shouted, but followed in a low voice. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me, Not again.”
Seeing her face twisted in sorrow, he felt pathetic. He once again made her sad. Dejected, he decided to not hurt her by pushing further.
She raised her other hand, reaching towards his chest. As he wondered about the situation, her hand made contact with a purple palm-sized crystal. Since when, did he have this crystal on his neck? Now that he thought about it, she did say something about a YoriShiro. But his mind was distracted by soul-marriage. Useless.
As she pressed the crystal in her palm, it flashed a purple light and her body started becoming transparent. “We will meet again tomorrow, Subaru”
Seeing her disappear, he squeezed her hand tightly, not wanting to part so soon. His heart appeared to convey something to him, but he didn’t understand. As he thought about what to say—
“I will, definitely—” But Luna had already disappeared. “–save you” He continued staring in his palm. As he looked at the purple gem, it reminded him of her eyes. How pretty. Tucking the crystal inside his tracksuit, he decided to start the first day of his isekai adventure.
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As the witch, or now Luna, returned in her seal, her mind was elated. She had met her beloved again and now she can talk to him everyday. He wasn’t running away from her anymore. He even gave me such a lovely name.
Thinking about such things, she retrieved a book. Indeed, she had acquired some books from Echidna, with the help of Minerva. Seeing her face twist in fury was truly satisfying. That vixen. Calling herself a genius, when her crafted YoriShiro couldn’t hold me for more than one hour.
Thinking about her only made her infuriated. That day, if it wasn’t for her, she would already be with her beloved. She could admit she wasn’t in her right mind. But she could have persuaded him. Maybe. NO! Definitely! It wasn’t her fault! It was due to that vixen, she had to see her beloved doing—
Not wanting to remember that day, Luna changed her focus to the book—”Acting cute and adorable before your crush”. Indeed she had gained many books related to romance and love. She is determined to not make the same mistake again. This time, she will shower him with such love, he would never want to be away from her.
Reading the book, her mind went once again to her beloved and she felt anxious. What if he met some other girl and fell in love? No, she would never allow any girl such a place in his heart. His heart was HERS. Thinking as much, she remembered that half-elf girl and her mind went into panic. That girl, she would likely die. And Subaru would have to suffer. How did she make such a mishap? She needed to warn him, to get him away from the capital.
But her attempts, to summon herself, didn’t work. Her YoriShiro will take a day to recharge with mana. But she had other means. That spell which can stop time, so she can talk to Subaru. Albeit he couldn’t talk, but she could at least warn him of danger. But her spell didn’t work. Even her divination spell, to always keep watch on him, didn’t work. She realised she was truly trapped. The only way out was either by that crystal, when it recharged, or when her contract with Subaru summoned her.
Realising that she felt angry. Angry at Echidna for trapping her. Angry at herself for her mishap in scrutinising the deal with that vixen. Now Subaru will suffer due to her naivety, again. Realising this, her heart was in anguish. What if he died? Would he hate her for summoning him to such a place? For not even warning him about the approaching disaster? Would he loathe her for giving him such a cursed power? As she waited for her reunion with her beloved, these thoughts swirled in her mind, tormenting her heart and she prayed for the safety of her beloved.