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On this day, the Witch of Greed, Echidna finally remembered that humiliation.

For someone possessing an infinite desire for knowledge and exploration, there was only one kind of person she detested above all else.

Riddle-makers—people who clearly could speak of certain information or secrets yet refused to do so, or deliberately kept others in suspense.

And right now, Kenma was a very typical riddle-maker, even dropping the phrase "Guess" which drove her nearly mad.

She found it a bit hard to maintain her put-on modesty. If she hadn't wanted to save a shred of face, she would have even planned to crawl over and hug Kenma's thighs, solely to beg for an answer.

Echidna gave two light coughs, deliberately avoiding looking at Kenma. She sat up straight back in her chair and handed over a teacup filled with liquid.

"Would you like a cup of tea?"

Looking at the pale yellow liquid in the cup, Kenma's expression didn't change in the slightest as he grabbed the teacup, downed it in one gulp, and smacked his lips.

Is this Echidna's tea? It feels pretty mediocre.

Kenma's thoughtful expression was taken in by Echidna, her lips curving upward as a mischievous smile gradually appeared.

Gently tapping her fingers on the tabletop, Echidna spoke with vested interest, "Kenma-san, do you know what the raw material of this tea is?"

In fact, this cup of tea was a product created within the Witch's Garden, and the entire Witch's Garden was a world controlled by Echidna, which could be considered a part of her body.

Therefore, in a sense, the tea created within the Witch's Garden was essentially her...

Echidna was very curious what kind of expression the calm man before her would wear once she revealed this secret.

Would there be panic? Or would he feel disgusted? Or perhaps revulsion?

Just as Echidna was imagining Kenma's various reactions, his next sentence hit like a bolt from the blue.

"I know, this is bodily fluid, right? The taste feels just so-so, but it's still quite thirst-quenching. Bring me a few more cups."

He actually knew?! And he even wanted a few more cups?!

After a brief shock, Echidna took a deep breath, the smile on her face growing even richer as she raised her hand to create a few new cups of tea and handed them over.

"You really are like the great sage of legends, infallible in your calculations. I feel like I've been seen right through. Should I say you truly live up to being an otherworldly traveler?"

"Thank you for the compliment."

Kenma drank two more cups of tea.

Over the next few minutes, the two sat at the small pavilion sipping tea together, chatting occasionally about different topics, and the atmosphere unexpectedly looked quite harmonious.

Seeing that the chat was coming along, Echidna's expression remained unchanged, still wearing a gentle smile, but inside she had already begun calculating.

Just how could she get Kenma to sign the contract?

After learning of Kenma's identity as an otherworldly traveler and the Authority of Return by Death, she had developed the idea of signing a contract with him.

As the Witch of Greed, Echidna possessed an almost endless desire for knowledge and exploration, taking delight in searching for all outcomes and unknowns in the world.

The Return by Death possessed by Kenma was the sole Authority capable of seeing countless possibilities of the future.

Echidna wanted to sign a contract with Kenma, wanting to witness all of this within his spiritual world, witnessing the infinite possibilities he created utilizing Return by Death.

Thinking of this, she decided to provoke a topic first, starting with the purpose of this trip from Kenma's memories.

"Speaking of which, Kenma-san, your purpose in coming to find me should be to inquire about the method to crack the Authority of the Witch of Vainglory, Pandora, right? Regarding this point, I..."

However, before Echidna could even finish her sentence, she was interrupted by Kenma.

"Never mind this insignificant matter for now. Let's first consider the issue of signing a contract."

Eh?!!

Echidna's coaxing rhetoric was stuck in her throat. She was unable to utter a single word, leaving only confusion on her face.

That's not how the script is supposed to go!

Was he really going to be this direct?!

But judging from his memories, the other party really was the kind of person who cut straight to the point and spoke bluntly.

Since that was the case, they would start discussing the contents of the contract first.

Just as Echidna was preparing to speak, Kenma once again interrupted her thoughts.

Facing the utterly dumbfounded Echidna, he tapped his fingers on the table, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

"I know you want to sign a contract with me, and I agree to sign with you. I only have one demand: the conditions of the contract will be set by me."

Huh?

Echidna was even more confused, she felt something wasn't quite right.

Clearly, she was the master of the Witch's Garden and the party preparing to propose the contract. Why did she suddenly feel like she was being led by the nose instead?

But at the thought of Kenma agreeing to sign the contract, she intended to be patient and listen to his conditions first.

She had already prepared herself mentally. Even if the conditions Kenma proposed were a bit harsh, it didn't matter. As long as they could sign the contract, allowing her to witness the infinite possibilities of Return by Death, she was willing to do anything.

Thinking this, Kenma held up a single finger and said, "First, after signing the contract, your soul, life, and everything else will be under my control, and even your thoughts will be within my control. I have the right to restrict everything about you."

"Second, you will swear eternal allegiance to me, until either party reaches the end of their life. Of course, I must add a supplementary note here: the end of life refers to the annihilation of the soul, not the destruction of the flesh."

"Third, you have no right whatsoever to observe Return by Death. Only when I permit it will you be qualified to peek into the outside world. Perhaps when I'm in a good mood, I'll show you some possibilities, but under circumstances where I don't permit it, you won't be able to perceive anything at all. You will enter a state where your five senses are sealed, forever unable to freely enter or exit my spiritual world."

"I only have these three simple conditions. How is it? Very easy to follow, right? If you can accept them, we can sign the contract right now."

Echidna: "..."

What kind of contract was this?

The conditions of a slave contract weren't even a tenth as harsh as this!