Uninvited Guest

The Roswaal Mansion, a guest room belonging to Higashino Makoto.

Or perhaps not. It wouldn't be wrong to call it Higashino Residence now, since Roswaal has already given this place to Higashino Makoto.

Afternoon.

Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, falling on the disheveled sheets.

Higashino Makoto leaned against the headboard, his golden eyes half-closed, gazing at the crystal chandelier on the wall swaying gently in the breeze.

Elsa Granhiert lay on his lap, her long black hair cascading over his knees, a lazy smile playing on her lips.

Instead of wearing her usual somewhat revealing dress, she wore a black slip dress with one strap slipped down, revealing a section of her fair shoulder.

Higashino Makoto.

"Um."

"You're not going out today...?"

"I'm not going out."

"Why?"

"Because you've drained me dry, I'm too lazy to move."

Elsa Granhiert chuckled softly, a sly glint in her dark red eyes.

She sat up and pulled down the straps of her nightgown.

"Then... shall we continue?"

"Continue."

The door was not closed.

It's not that Higashino Makoto forgot, but that he didn't care.

Apart from the maids, there were only Higashino Makoto and Reisen in the mansion; there were no outsiders.

They all belong to him.

As Ram walked down the corridor, she saw them. She stopped and peered through the crack in the door at the two people in the room.

His expression remained unchanged; he simply stood there, like a statue.

Then she reached out and gently closed the door, her footsteps fading into the distance without uttering a word.

Ram wasn't angry, or rather, she didn't know how to be angry.

Mr. Higashino Makoto is the master, Elsa Granhiert is the master's woman.

She was just a maid; a maid shouldn't meddle in her master's private affairs.1 But the corners of her mouth tightened slightly.

Rem saw it as she walked down the corridor.

The door was closed, but Rem knew what was happening inside.

The demons have such good hearing that they can tell without even looking.

Her face flushed slightly, and she quickened her pace, almost fleeing down the corridor.

Frederica was in the kitchen and didn't pass by.

But she knew it was Reisen who told her.

Reisen stood in the shadows of the corridor, her rabbit ears standing straight up, her face as red as if it were about to bleed.

"Miss Frederica, Master... he..."

"I know, no need to say more, can't that guy just tone it down a bit?"

"But--"

"Don't worry about it. Master should decide his own affairs. I'm just a maid."

Frederica continued chopping vegetables.

The sound of the blade striking was crisp and clean, without the slightest hesitation.

But her fangs bit down on her lower lip, clearly indicating that it wasn't as easy as she claimed.

Then, the troublesome guy arrived.

Pandora.

No one saw how she got in.

The door was closed, the window was closed, and there was no sound of footsteps in the corridor.

She appeared in the room as if she were out of thin air, as if she had grown out of the sky.

Her long, platinum-gold hair reached her waist, and she wore only a white dress, the hem of which fluttered gently in the still room.

Her face was so exquisitely beautiful it seemed inhuman.

No, she wasn't human; she was a witch.

Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory.

The way he stood there was as if he were strolling in his own Garden, composed, elegant, and with a calm, superior air, looking down upon all living beings.

She looked at the two people on the bed, her crimson eyes devoid of any emotion.

There was no blushing, no avoidance, and no awkwardness of "Am I here at the wrong time?"

She simply looked at it, as if she were looking at a painting, or a performance that had nothing to do with her.

Elsa Granhiert's body stiffened.

It wasn't fear, it was instinct.

Her Bowel Hunter instincts told her—this person was dangerous.

Her fingers tightened slightly at her sides, and a hint of wariness flashed in her dark red eyes.

"Who are you?"

Higashino Makoto answered on her behalf, since she was one of the prototypes for his guardians, and he naturally knew her identity.

"Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory?"

"Right."

Elsa Granhiert's fingers gently caressed the sheets.

What brings you here?

"Find him."

Pandora's gaze passed over Elsa Granhiert and landed on Higashino Makoto.

"Mr. Higashino Makoto, I'd like to talk to you."

Higashino Makoto looked at her, his golden eyes devoid of any emotion.

Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory, is one of the prototypes for the Guardian Pandora.

But the woman before me is not the Pandora that Novas Etierre was.

This was the first time Higashino Makoto had seen the prototype of the Guardian, and he was quite curious.

Because the difference between animation and reality is quite large, the difference between the two is immediately apparent.

There are subtle differences in height, hair color, and body type.

To be honest, it's quite interesting.

What should we talk about?

Higashino Makoto's tone was relatively calm.

Pandora walked to the window, her long platinum blonde hair gleaming softly in the sunlight.

"The Witch of Envy."

What's wrong with her?

She cannot be killed.

"Why?"

"Because her Authority is at the heart of my plan."

Pandora turned around, her crimson eyes looking at him.

There was no madness, no distortion in those eyes, only a calm, almost pious light.

It's as if it's stating something obvious, yet also as if it's waiting for an inevitable answer.

"The Witch Factor of Deception and Melancholy is different from the Seven Deadly Sins Witch Factor. It was specially bestowed upon the 'Hero' and the 'Saint' by Ode Laguna. I am the Saint chosen by the world, the one chosen by the world to change the world."

Higashino Makoto wasn't really aware of this matter, nor had he specifically looked into it.

Therefore, he became interested and inquired.

So how do you plan to change things?

Pandora answered in a slightly fanatical voice.

"I hate pretense, I hate lies, I hate pretense, I hate those truths hidden beneath the surface, truths that can never be reached. I want to build a world where everyone is honest with each other, a world without lies, without pretense, without barriers, a world where everyone can understand each other."

Higashino Makoto looked at her.

How do I set it up?

"With Satella's Authority, the Witch of Envy devours the world, not to destroy, but to merge. When her shadow consumes everything, everyone's consciousness will be mixed together... you in me, and me in you, no secrets, no lies, no misunderstandings, only perfect understanding."

The room fell silent.

Elsa Granhiert's fingers stopped, her dark red eyes fixed on Pandora. In those eyes, there was fear, shock, and an indescribable, bewildered look, as if she had seen a real madwoman.

"You want to turn everyone into one person?"

"It's not one person, it's a consciousness, the consciousness of countless people merged together."

"Everyone abandons their bodies, and their souls mingle together?"

"Yes, don't you think so? How wonderful it is to become a more complete person, someone without pretense or pretense!"

Elsa Granhiert's lips were trembling.

"You're crazy."

"I'm not crazy, I just see further than you do."

Pandora turned her head and looked at Higashino Makoto.

"Mr. Higashino Makoto, what do you think?"