After finishing their lunch and farewelling the teacher-knight duo, Mel and Lila left the restaurant to explore more of the capital.
The rest of their date went well without interruption, as they walked hand-in-hand, chatting idly, occasionally stopping by stores and stalls that interested them.
Mel once offered to buy clothes, with a not-so-pure intent to dress up Lila however she liked. Unfortunately, merely a disgusted look from Lila dissuaded her.
It would seem 'maid-Lila' would have to wait till later. But Mel was not afraid. She will fulfill her Lila-Dress-Up Fantasy one day!
As the sun set, casting a warm glow over both figures, Mel figured it was time.
She smiled at her childhood friend, her lover, her Witch. "Lila. I want to take you somewhere now."
Lila's emerald eyes glimmered with interest. "Hm. Lead ahead, Mel." She sensed a solemnness in Mel's voice, but she judged she would have her answer later.
A few corners here and there, and they arrived at a vast, public park. The lush greens from the leaves glittered with a sunset orange, while the stone path beneath their feet curved gracefully.
Lila gasped at the serene beauty as Mel guided her forward, their hands interwined like a bridge between two worlds.
An unusual sentiment swelled up within Mel. Funny, considering the place she was about to lead Lila to.
Their steps clattered together, heartbeats syncing before they arrived upon a wall.
Titania's stone wall, on the Southern Edge of the capital, stood tall and firm, promising no intrusions of Pride's minions.
That is aside from one tiny hole, the size that could allow a child to slip through.
[ Host, no Knights or pedestrians within 20 metres! ]
Thank you.
Sincerely thanking her 'System' in her heart, Mel let go of Lila's hand.
She leaned onto the wall, the rough texture cool against her back through the thin fabric of her pink dress.
"Lila."
Her golden eyes, now stripped of their usual playfulness, locked onto Lila's with a steady, serious gaze.
Lila's emerald eyes fluttered with a mix of worry and tenderness, and Melt felt the urge to surrender, losing herself in the comfort within the depths of the vibrant green ocean.
"I want to tell you a story. About a girl who first awakened and found herself in a strange yet familiar world."
There was a slight sense of insecurity, even though she knew how Lila would react in the end, without a doubt.
Her honest confession, however, felt cathartic to Mel, as if a new door was opened for their relationship.
Lila gulped, yet said nothing. She knew this was it.
This is Mel's untold story, the story of her origin, perhaps as a Witch, or perhaps as something more than she could imagine.
Mel chuckled at Lila's nervousness. She would have teased, but alas, bad timing.
"That girl, when she opened her eyes and sat up in a sea of flowers, was first dazed by nature's beauty before her."
Only pure admiration swelled in her heart as Mel found herself in a Fantasy World.
Like a transmigrator experiencing every new phenomenon, the moon that shone at her that day was particularly gentle, graceful, even divine.
She felt free. Refreshed. Relieved. Her old life as an unloved orphan was left behind, and she embraced herself anew.
"Yet, she quickly realised that this World was not for her adventure. That this familiar World would soon turn into a wasteland. That she now held the power to change that future, and many more tragic fates that came before."
The 'System' introduced itself back then, as her kidnapper, as her dutiful partner.
Mel was excited at first about the privilege-like cheat before it came crashing down upon revelations brought by the System.
That she was now in the World of the 'Witchhunter's Howl', 15 years before the Future.
That she was now the Witch of Lust, one of seven calamities the Church would have hunted down.
She panicked, her mind hazy from all the revelations shoved to her suddenly.
"Then, the girl was told by someone. Should she desire, she could return to where she came from."
However, the System wasn't the cruel mastermind she imagined it to be.
'She' offered her a choice, a way out, a 'leave-behind-it-all' exit, even claiming it could erase her memory if desired.
Now that she thought about it, the latter part must be a lie. After figuring out 'her' identity, she now wondered if 'she' ever had that capability in the first place.
[ ... ]
Mel's eyes flickered to the panel, smiling.
"But the girl hesitated. She told that person she needed more time before deciding."
The 'System' was very persistent with 'her' offer.
The Witches were not worth it, it claimed.
This World's matter could not be weighed by her own, it comforted.
That being a Witch meant more than what Mel could imagine, it warned.
As the Young Mel trudged through the forest, she stopped before the stone wall, the very wall she now stood on.
"Then she arrived at the last barrier of her choice."
She glanced down. One tiny entrance guided by the very System that wished for her well-being above the fate of the World.
The System pleaded one last time at this very last wall, at the small entrance that promised a journey of hardship.
[ Please. This World was not worth your mercy. ]
[ Please. The Witches were not worth your mercy. ]
[ Please. We were not worth your mercy. ]
[ ...please. I promise I can save this World alone, without your interference. ]
In the past, Mel found the last excuse quote ironic, considering it was 'she' who brought her here.
In the original timeline, 'she' has truly shouldered it all: the destruction, the responsibilities, the guilt.
She wished none of that onto her now.
She prayed that all of the Witches would have a happy ending.
She imagined a living World filled with the romance and fantasy she once looked up to, all those days ago.
"At the end, that girl refused the voice's offer, choosing instead to crawl through the dirt for the point of no return."
Even when uncertain if she would save the World, she didn't like the feeling of leaving behind this World.
This World, the one that had accompanied her through countless days long past.
This World, tainted by a grim ending that she now held the power to change, with her own hands.
This World, filled with countless memories, each she cherished as if they were her very life.
"Then, that voice never offered her the way out, ever again."
[ ... ]
Mel's golden eyes met Lila's again.
"Well. Quite a vague, boring tale, don't you think?"
Ultimately, it was not a satisfying tale of a powerful witch, nor a sob story of a tragic figure.
Merely a girl who chose to struggle, for an absurd cause of seducing the Witches to achieve a better ending, no less.
Mel felt awkwardness bubbling up in her chest. She was not used to emotional scenes like this.
"Um..." She scratched her chin. "If you're uncomfortable, please... just say so. I won't blame-"
"Mel."
Lila stepped forward.
"You know full well I won't blame you for something like this."
She stopped, before staring up, her hairlock fluttering down to reveal-
The Witch of Lust's lips opened before smiling softly. Her hand stretched to cup Lila's cheek, thumb gently wiping off the tear that streamed down.
"Yeah," Mel uttered, hearing the subdued whimpers. "Hehe. Don't cry at something like this. It makes me embarrassed, even regret telling you now."
"Idiot," Lila whispered, gripping the hand resting against her face. "Don't think it so simply."
Then, Lila slowly lowered the hand from her cheek.
The tears ceased, leaving her cheeks with a faint blush.
"I would have never cried easily." She breathed out. "I had to be strong. Strong enough to take care of my sick sister. Strong enough... to protect you."
And in Mel's shocked gaze, Lila pulled the hand forward.
"Lila?"
"So I am willing to give all of myself to you, just as you are willing to give yourself to me, even just for a moment."
Then, Mel's palm pressed against Lila's chest.
Beneath her hand, Lila's heartbeat drummed rapidly, each pulse echoing just as loudly as Mel's own heartbeat.
"Do you feel it?"
Lila smiled.
"All of how I feel?"
"..."
Mel couldn't speak. For the first time since she resolved herself to seduce her Witches, she felt an unbearable heat creeping up her face.
[ Envy felt immense gratitude, sadness, and happiness at your confession. ]
And carrying the desire that peeked out from the corner of her heart, she flipped Lila against the wall.
[ Envy favourability: 89.5 -> 101 ]
"Lila."
Her forehead tapped against Lila's, their hot breaths mingling together, the proximity setting both their senses ablaze.
"The Kiss." Mel held Lila's face, examining her lover's reddened cheeks.
Lila's emerald eyes were slightly closed, not escaping her gaze, as if to savour every bit of this moment.
It was cute.
It was worth all her sweat, efforts, and time in this World.
She was never a selfless hero asking for no rewards.
She was the Witch of Lust, someone who would cast aside everything for a beauty's smile.
"Let's do it here."
And without more words, Mel leaned forward.