Peaceful

The woman has a thin body with long silver hair and purple-blue eyes. She looks his age but is shorter than Subaru, who is quite tall for the average Japanese. Calling her cute would be an understatement but for Subaru, whose whole room was decorated by white-haired heroines, she looked straight out of a fairy tale.

People from this world are attractive, first there was Echidna and now the cute girl in front of Subaru. Subaru who heard the woman's apology decided to speak the first thing in his mind.

"Don't worry, you can even say it's my pleasure to meet someone as pretty as you."

"Eep!" The girl was blushing, but Subaru was faster and continued talking like the ignorant guy, he is supposed to be.

"Nice to meet you! My name's Natsuki Subaru!" He was once again showing his famous pose, striking one finger in the air.

"Ehmm..." She continued blushing but at the end said, "My name is Satella. Just Satella."

"Sooooo Satella-san, where are you going in such a haste?"

"I —was going to buy some food for the children."

"The children?"

"Yea, there are a couple of children who needed some food, and I couldn't leave them behind without doing anything!"

"You are very kind-hearted, aren't you?" Subaru said but suddenly he changed his pose once again.

"AALLRRIIIGGHHTT! I will help you!" Subaru shouted once again but this time there weren't a lot of people who noticed it. Seems like changing your clothes to something that is considered normal works wonders to not seem like a foreigner.

"Eehh?! You don't have to help Subaru!" The girl was flustered by the man's actions in front of her.

"Don't worry Satella-san. You can say I consider this my one good deed a day!"

"Thank you, Subaru-kun." Satella smiled.

The couple walked for a short bit and soon arrived at the location. The orphanage where the children stayed was called [Wool's Orphanage], a weird name for an orphanage that was located in the slums part of the city. Subaru thought they must have decided that name because wool, was supposed to be warm?

"SATEELLLAAA!"

"ONEE-CHAANN!"

More than ten little kids ran towards the girl, who was smiling after seeing all of them again. They hugged the girl in question, and you could feel the comfort they brought each other. Something Subaru lately experienced with Beatrice and Echidna.

"Ne?! Who is thaaattt!" They immediately spotted Subaru who was looking out of place.

"Me? I'm the great magician!" Subaru said with his childish smile.

"Aaaaahh! A mage?! COOL!" They screamed like their superhero was in front of them.

Subaru has spent a lot of time on the internet and searched, like many, how to do some magic tricks. Card tricks, coin tricks and even how to saw a person in half. This NEET didn't have to go to school and because of that he was able to gather a lot of information. There were a lot of tutorials on YouTube that he became confident enough to impress some 6-year-old children.

Even Satella was impressed by Subaru, him a mage? Soon she realised that he meant something else entirely, the tricks impressed her but anybody that wasn't a child could see that it was sleight of hand instead of real magic. He disappeared a coin made it come back behind a girl's ear, he also tried to make them guess in which hand the coin was but even that was something special for the kids.

"Hahahaha, Onii-chan!" Said a black-haired kid.

"AGAIN! AGAIN!" The children chanted but Satella who thought they played enough decided to make a stop to it, "Come on, you wouldn't want to make Subaru-kun even more tired, right?"

The children realised that Subaru was indeed getting tired and decided to leave him alone, for now. Satella and Subaru walked towards a bench and started talking. It went about how Satella met the children, how Subaru learned his tricks and how they came to Lugnica. Something hard to explain for Subaru, but Satella said that she came with her parents.

"So, you came with your parents? It's quite late shouldn't you return to them, if you want I can..." Subaru said but stopped when he heard her cry.

"Satella?"

"Sniff, sniff... my parents..." Subaru didn't need to hear more, because this beautiful Half-Elf was crying, and he needed to do something about it. He hugged and comforted the girl, something he was getting better at.

They hugged but Subaru broke the silence, "Satella, do you have a place to stay?" If this was someone else saying these words, then it would have been something far less innocent. Even though Subaru was being smoother than he ever was, he wasn't at that level yet.

It became clear that she was getting help from the orphanage and that she was feeling terrible for that. The children already had it bad and now with an older girl requiring food and shelter, things became even worse. They cared for her, but she wasn't willing for them to have it harder because of her.

Subaru decided to bring her to the inn, meeting an unhappy Beatrice and Echidna in front of the building.

"Subaru picked up a lost girl. Something you would do, I suppose."

"My partner getting tired of two cute girls like myself and Beatrice, had to add another girl to the equation. How greedy."

Subaru blushed not knowing how to explain it. Satella is indeed beautiful, but he would never think about Beatrice and Echidna not being good enough for him. For all of his problems, loyalty wasn't one of them.

"So, a Half-Elf charmed my partner? I have seen many things but nothing as bold as you." Echidna for the first time truly looked at Satella.

Satella felt a bit threatened by Echidna, but that didn't suppress the embarrassment she felt by Echidna saying she "charmed" Subaru. Did he —like her? Did she like him?

Echidna made Satella a proposal, she would accept Satella if she became a maid that takes care of the tasks Echidna isn't willing to do. She also had to spend a minimal amount of time playing with Beatrice, which wasn't hard because Satella was already captivated by Beatrice's cuteness.

Days went by, soon would be the day they left for the Mathers Domain, to meet an "interesting individual". It became known that his name was Roswaal A. Mathers, one of the members of the Mather's Household.

"Echidna-tan, why are we meeting that Roswaal guy? Are you going to ask him to join you?" Subaru asked feeling threatened by an eventual individual joining their small group.

"Oh? You jealous?" Echidna said with her well-known smirk.

"Hmmmm no..." Subaru mumbled.

"Good, you do not need to be jealous, would you? You are the being who can spend the most time with someone like me." She sounded very prideful of herself, but when it comes to her appearance nobody can deny that.

"You are my partner, Subaru. Never forget that."

Subaru nodded his head not realising the greed Echidna held deep within her gaze. The party traveled towards the Mather's Domain without anything happening in between. Except for an accident in were Echidna fell from the carriage on Satella but both women decided to never talk about that moment again. Subaru would later swear that he saw heaven. Echidna went alone and later returned with a man named Roswaal, but there was once again trouble in paradise. It seemed like Roswaal obtained something very special from Echidna.

*I see that is a grave illness. It's remarkable that you've endured it for so long without dying. You don't even know how to vent your accumulated mana. Your lack of understanding is truly lamentable.*

*How's that? Do you feel a bit better?*

"You did what?!"

Subaru and Echidna were currently alone, Beatrice and Satella were walking around the village and Roswaal was finishing the last steps of preparations to leave his Household and join Echidna for her quest. Subaru didn't like that Roswaal bastard! He had the nerve, not only to ignore him but also say that Echidna tasted "nice"?! What the hell!

"I said, I had to give him a bit of my saliva to help him vent his mana," said Echidna nonchalantly.

"You... you...!"

"So, you do feel jealous?" Subaru became even more flustered, but she continued, "Aren't you spending a lot of time with another woman?"

Something about Echidna's tone was different. Subaru didn't realise it but maybe Satella's presence affected the Witch after all. They only spoke the required amount and they couldn't be described as "friendly". Satella was spending most of her time with Beatrice and Subaru, something the Witch didn't fail to notice.

"Echidna..."

"What do you want from me Subaru?" She started coming closer, "Do you need something from this very evil Witch?"

Subaru was hyperventilating, Echidna never in their spend time together acted like this. Like she wanted to claim something... him. Never once did Subaru forget that Echidna was beautiful and Roswaal was making very clear how beautiful of a young lady Echidna is.

Echidna's face was so close to Subaru's that he could smell the fragrance of old books that she was so fond of reading. Subaru's heart beat faster and faster as Echidna's white face came up to his own. Like a lioness she watched her prey and then her tongue was in his mouth. Subaru had not expected this prodigy of a tongue, remembering this moment he wished that he would've looked at her face. Subaru's mind stopped working, he was with his head in the clouds. Echidna, the one with who he was attracted the most, was kissing him as a lover would.

"Ah~~," Echidna moaned but Subaru had another problem he didn't want her to find about.

But that didn't matter because Echidna stopped the kiss and as fast as possible tried to make her clothes a bit more decent. Seems like Subaru hands had a mind of their own.

"Echidna..."

"Subaru, you truly are an enigma." Subaru was looking at her deep-black eyes that attracted him the most. Her intelligence, curiosity and greed might be extreme at times, but that doesn't lessen the fact that Subaru is attracted to all of it. You know what they say about girls, how they like bad boys but in this case it's reversed.

"Now, now. Although I enjoyed it, I have some other matters to attend." She smirked and left as quickly as she came.

"What just happened?" He said while holding his lips and blushing, wishing to take a cold bath to calm his "nerves". He wasn't granted that salvation.

"What are doing, I suppose?"

"Eeep, Subaru-kun? Are you alright?"

In front of him stood Beatrice and Satella, better known as BBF's. They just clicked, Satella became the big sister to Beatrice just like Subaru was the big brother. The two dynamics between the two of them really improved the mood of the little group. But right now, was not a moment for that, because Subaru had far... harder things to worry about.

"Subaru-kun?" Both girls made him snap out of his thoughts.

"Of course, I'm fine! Don't worry about me." Subaru tried to act like his usual, but the girls didn't accept that excuse.

"Are you sure Subaru-kun? You are really red, maybe you have a fever? Let me check!" Satella came closer and put her hand on Subaru's forehead. Something that made Subaru even redder, remembering just a second ago another girl stood so close by him.

"You do feel warmer than normal..." Satella was trying to figure out why Subaru was behaving this way. Beatrice, the girl she is, made the finishing move.

"Where is mother?"

"Eehh Echidna is... somewhere!" Subaru couldn't handle it anymore and decided to run away, somewhere colder.

"Subaru is weird as always, I suppose."

"I hope he isn't having a fever." Satella sounded concerned about Subaru but let it slide for today, tomorrow she would give him all the care and medicine he needed. She blushed by the thought of her feeding Subaru in his bed, like a wife...

"Satella is also weird, I suppose." Beatrice mumbled seeing Satella's mumbling with a red face towards herself. "I wonder when Bubby will come back, I missed him."

Bubby, better known as Puck, was another artificial spirit Echidna created but he was tasked to do some other things. Beatrice liked to describe Puck to Subaru by saying that his fur was the softest material there ever was and how the cat-like creature was the most adorable thing ever existed. When Subaru heard this, he couldn't believe it, who dares to be cuter than Beako?! But decided to let it slide when he realised how much Puck meant to her.

Subaru considered Puck without meeting him as a friend, the same couldn't be said about another individual. The individual who disliked Subaru's presence the most, why? Easy, he was spending too much time with Echidna and Roswaal didn't like that.

Echidna talked about a place she wished to create called [Sanctuary], she spoke about a dangerous individual trying to track her down named Hector the [Warlock of Melancholy]. Echidna didn't say what the reason was for him doing this but all of them knew that people with the title Witch or Warlock, like Echidna, were not people to mess around with. Echidna was a clear example; it was lucky that they were being favoured by the Witch or else she would have no problem going against all of them.

Roswaal might be a talented mage, like Beatrice and Echidna stated, but far from the level of the Witch. Before they decided to go to [Sanctuary], Echidna decided to go to the city of Priestella. Days went by traveling, Subaru, Beatrice, Satella, Roswaal and Echidna began their journey. Satella spends a lot of time together with Beatrice, while Roswaal was most of the time alone reading tombs about magic. Subaru who shared his time by playing with Beatrice and Satella by the day and with Echidna in the night, was satisfied.

Nothing happened between Subaru and Echidna after the kiss, but Subaru felt that something had changed. They were on the run, so Subaru decided to be patient before he would talk with her about it. Right now, was not the best time with Echidna becoming frustrated by the day, hating the fact that she couldn't be more efficient. They continued stopping at some towns to stretch their legs and later continued riding in the uncomfortable carriage driven by an Earth Dragon whose species are blessed with the [Divine Protection of Wind Evasion]. It enables the Earth Dragon to be unaffected by the wind and not encounter any wind resistance while running. The effect also applies to the Dragon Carriage that it pulls, so the little group didn't have too much annoyance because of the wind.

Priestella just recently started getting attraction. The city's construction is said to have been responsible by Hoshin of the Wilderness, which has created a merchant hotspot. The Kararagi City State is becoming more and more like a real nation, some people already say it belongs with the other great nations, the [Eight Great Nations]. The city is also known as the Water Gate City, it is called that way because the waterways divide the city into four blocks called districts which are numbered clockwise from the main gate.

Subaru who saw the city was honestly impressed, the city was still in construction but even in its early stage, it looked beautiful. Subaru who has seen many great buildings in his former world wished to one day see the city completed. He snapped out of his daydreaming because he still had a goal to accomplish and that was to find lagmite, alternatively known as mana- stones or crystals. Magic crystals are large types of mana stones that grow over a significant amount of time and have no impurities, but very few currently exist. Echidna didn't want a normal mana crystal, but one called Pyroxene Crystal.

She explained that it was a rare colourless type of lagmite crystal that unlike normal mana crystals holds incredible powers. Furthermore, she explained that more crystals would improve the barrier that she wished to erect at the [Sanctuary].

The group decided to stay in Priestella for a couple of days. Everyone needed to rest so they decided to go for a swim. Subaru was thinking about the holy thing called: "BEACH EPISODE!" and how he was alive to experience it. Echidna and Satella in their respective white and black bikini... Subaru is very slothful, isn't he?

"Subaru! Comeeee!" Satella took his hand and pushed him into the lake.

Beatrice not wishing to be left behind started splashing Subaru with water.

"Beako! Let me show you my legendary water technique! Even my father had to take his loss against me!" Subaru shouted while overwhelming the little girl.

SPLAASHH! SPLAASHH!

"Hahaha" They all started laughing and began doing other things. They held a competition making sandcastles, they played a game called "Beach Volleyball" and they also relaxed in the lake. Roswaal decided not to come, thinking that learning magic was far more important than "relaxing". Never in his wildest imaginations would he have expected Echidna to accept their invitation. Roswaal not willing to seem like a child, decided to stay with his original decision but like a child glared at Subaru when they started going to the lake.

Subaru was walking back where Echidna was reading a book in the shadow. She was wearing a white two-piece bikini that made her look more like an angel than ever. The sight the bikini created was something Subaru would forever engrain in his mind. Silver was Echidna's favourite colour but wearing that colour would bring too much unnecessary attention, like she didn't already receive a lot of attention from a lot of men.

"Echidna! Aren't you going to swim?"

"Subaru, aren't you pleased with what you see at the moment?" She smirked seeing the reaction her appearance had.

"Of course, I am..." He mumbled and decided to lay next to her. "So, what are you reading today, more about magic, history, science or is it something else?"

"It's a story."

"You are reading a story?"

"Can't a lady read a story?"

"Of course, you can, but I never expected you to use your time reading a story." Subaru continued, "What kind of story is it?"

She replied, "It's a tragedy."

"Mother!" Beatrice jumped on top of her mother and decided to sleep next to her. Satella followed suit and stayed in the sun for longer and this is how the day went —peaceful.

Beatrice was spending the rest of the day reading a book, while Satella was learning to cook different types of Priestella's recipes that Subaru had come to like. It reminded him a lot of his former world like somebody Japanese had made it. Subaru was spending the night was Echidna trying to come with different types of concepts that could be helpful for setting up the barrier and making day-to-day things easier.

The next day they finally collected all the crystals and went back towards their carriages when a little girl walked towards them. The young girl has long transparent platinum hair with dark blue eyes and long eyelashes. What garbs her is merely a single white cloth and the whole aura of it suggests that the world would permit nothing else to touch her skin. The presence she holds is not that of an ordinary person but one of an important person.

The saying is that she is beautiful enough to be said to make others tremble with her beauty and that even God would hesitate to touch her. She started walking towards the group, who had yet spotted her, and spoke words so soft and angelic that hearts would be healed just by listening.

She comes forward, this single girl. Her voice possesses an almost magical allure, binding the minds and bodies of those who hear it, and nobody present here is capable of saying anything anymore.

"Are you going somewhere Echidna, [Witch of Greed]?"

Tilting her head, the girl fires her question. Being looked at by her, being talked to by her. Just the fact that any one of her actions is aimed at oneself is enough to inspire an overwhelming euphoria, such that death would not be an aversive prospect, the sensation unavoidable.

"With that person?" The girl said while looking at Subaru.

This was the meeting between [Natsuki Subaru] and the [Witch].

"Pandora, what is this supposed to mean? You coming here to question what I do with my time? I have far better things to do than to talk to someone as disgusting as you." Echidna stated with conviction, feeling her magic come beside her to attack at a moment's notice. The girl's presence would mean nothing good.

Beatrice, Roswaal and even Satella figuring out Echidna's actions started gathering magic. Beatrice and Satella using their Yin-type magic, Roswaal using his [Divine Protection of Sorcery] making him able to use all six magical elements perfectly. Hell, even Subaru tried to gather magic, but his knowledge about magic was still too little —El Shamak wouldn't help at all. He also hadn't contracted his spirit yet, but even if he did would something change? No.

From her pocket, Pandora withdraws a small black box. Echidna's brow furrows at the sight of the [Witch Factor]. The girl whose expression was unreadable pressed the box towards the Half-Elf. Satella's eyes shoot open wide by the gesture.

"This is for you."

She threw the box towards Satella and started walking towards Subaru.

"What do you think you are doing, [Witch of Vainglory]? Going after my partner like some kind of harlot." Out of nowhere Echidna fired spells towards Pandora, Roswaal and Beatrice followed her, and you could say they created pandemonium. The spells cut straight through her and decimate the buildings surrounding her, her body exploding into a splatter of blood and gore.

"So that was that, I suppose." Beatrice said still looking wearily at her mother.

"No, Beatrice it is not over..." Echidna said looking at Pandora's supposed death.

In a blink things changed, they realised the animal that stood in front of them, Pandora stands in front of them again, as if this is entirely normal. This girl, calm smile on her face, is supposed to be a scattering of gore.

"Could your eyes have deceived you?"

Pandora looked first at Satella than to Echidna and at last to Subaru. In just a blink of an eye, Subaru was being attacked. One person was able to react, but in front of Pandora's attack is there really another alternative than death?

"Subaru..." In Subaru's arm laid a little girl, the girl who saved him when he first arrived in this world. The girl he considers as his little sister, the cute little thing he loved, Beatrice.

The girl took the attack of the Witch meant for Subaru, saving Subaru's life in the process but—

"Subaru... Betty doesn't want to die." She said softly with tears coming out of her eyes, before she shattered into light particles, her death had come.

"Beako? Beako!" Subaru screamed in despair seeing Beatrice disappear in front of his eyes. It all happened in a blink of an eye, one moment she was fine and the other she was dead... His eyes bloodshot when he looked at the investigator. He couldn't comprehend what just happened, just that he hated her.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGG! I WIIILL KILL YOUU." He said with the most hatred he ever felt in his life but his hate didn't make him more powerful.

"When pursuing a noble goal, it is essential that some lives be given as sacrifices. But even so, one cannot disremember the zeal to rebel against even that wicked fate. I believe that the beauty of such spirit cannot be invalidated." Came her calm voice, such a contrast.

"You dare to attack my daughter?" Echidna's voice sounded with a tone never before heard, the same as Subaru's but while Subaru's anger is that of fire, Echidna's is that of ice.

Pandora not caring about what they had to say looked at Satella and calmly said, "If you wish to have me leave, then open the box. Fate is fate and your fate is this."

"Don't listen to her!" Echidna shouted realising the consequences of her opening the box, the [Witch Factor of Envy].

Satella was trembling, this could save them? Opening this box, could save Subaru? If I opened it up faster would Beatrice have survived? I—I have to open it...

"Happy travels Satella, [Witch of Envy]."

With that, Satella presses the dark entity to her chest. Instantly, the dark entity snaps onto Satella's body like droplets of water, enveloping him wholly. It's as if she is being absorbed by some vicious creature. Her mouth agape and shrieking, not as if she in pain but as if some other emotion is throwing her being into disarray. There suddenly sounded a clapping noise, Pandora was clapping her hands as she gives her applause.

"Magnificent." She speaks with tears in her eyes.

"Teacher, we have to leave!" Roswaal shouted when there were suddenly thousands of shadow tendrils coming to life. Him trying to keep them a bay but slowly was losing ground, the newly appointed Witch was too strong. Her focus was on only...

"SATEEELLLAAAA!" Subaru shouted not knowing what was happening to his friend. He saw her shrieking, screaming, and crying but there was nothing he could do except watch.

"IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou,"

"IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou,"

"—IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou,"

Roswaal tried to help his teacher but the [Witch of Envy] was just too strong. In only a matter of time, he was consumed by the shadows and currently, only Subaru and Echidna, who were trying to keep the shadows away, were left standing. Pandora was nowhere to see, and slowly by slowly even Echidna was losing. There was no way out, fate had been decided.

"Echidna?" Subaru looked at Echidna.

"Subaru?" They both looked terrible, they both felt weak, they both wished for something to stop this but nothing stopped the shadows from coming closer. Subaru was being bombarded with "I love you's", but his only attention was to the last woman in front of him.

"Echidna, I love you." He confessed; it might be because death was creeping closer but Echidna for the first time had a real smile.

"I know." Echidna said towards to boy who was unfortunate to fall in love with a Witch like herself.

"Always you. Always only you, am I in love with."

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

[Re:Life With the Witch of Greed]

Subaru was in disarray, something felt wrong. Totally wrong, like there was something inside of him there shouldn't be. Like when someone steals your kidney, but instead of stealing it, they put another kidney inside that person. Disgusting, he feels disgusted with himself. It doesn't stop, he keeps thinking about all the deaths... Beatrice, the sweet little girl who he loved like a sister. Satella the cute, purple-eyed girl who he considered as a close friend. Roswaal, the smug bastard, who kept on fighting never thinking about fleeing and of course Echidna.

Suddenly he felt something in his mouth, a tongue? He opened his eyes to see Echidna kissing him, more specifically exchanging saliva. He was feeling better?

"Echidna... where are we?" After the kiss ended, he started looking around them in distress. Subaru noticed that they were somewhere else.

"I believe we are still in Priestella..." Echidna sounded unsure! Subaru woke up, when was Echidna, synonym of knowledge, uncertain.

The buildings indeed looked like Priestella, except that it looked far better than it had before. Like there was 400 years of development in between.

"AAAAAHHHH"

Echidna and Subaru looked at the source of the noise and saw a lot of blood and body parts on the market square. But the thing that truly shocked both of them was the body of a boy with a very noticeable tracksuit that was being surrounded by a crying blond-haired girl and a silver-haired girl.

In front of them, in the midst of all the death, stood a flaming red-haired knight. He was slender, tall, and extremely good-looking. He wears a knight outfit that is primarily white with some red finishes and golden accessories. But the most important thing was that he was wielding the Dragon Sword, which was supposed to be Reid's.

"I'm sorry if I'm mistaken, but could it be that you're the famed Sword Saint? If so… what a wonderful day this will be! I'm the Witch Cult's [Sin Archbishop of Wrath]."

"I am called Sirius Romanee-Conti."

Subaru and Echidna who watched the spectacle didn't know what to do, especially when they made eye contact with the two girls.

"Subaru?" The silver-haired said bewildered by the sight of the supposed dead person.

"Subaru? Mother?!" The blond-haired girl was even more shocked because not only was her contractor alive, but also her mother...

[Subaru Natsuki died his 19th death at the hand of the [Sin Archbishop of Wrath], Sirius Romanee-Conti.]

A/N: Aaand the Prologue is done; the story has begun. What did you think about it? Liked it, didn't like it, why? As always input is appreciated. The Prologue is called: The Witch from 400 years ago, I made it abstract on purpose. The Witch Echidna, the Witch Satella, or the Witch Pandora? In total three chapters that introduced three Witches, felt like that was quite cool. For this chapter, I want to give mad respect to WitchCultTranslations, where I have taken some Pandora (Arc 4) + Sirius (Arc 5) interactions. Now talking a bit about the story.

I tried to make this story as little of an AU as possible, but some things just didn't work out in the long run. There was no real mention of the Sage, I believe in the theory Subaru=Flugel but I didn't want to continue a Sage! Subaru, so I on purpose ignored that. Who knows he might become a Sage later down the line? Furthermore, there was a review (thanks) that stated that they used Grimm Oxen to travel, but there was not enough information about that so I decided to not use it. I decided to go along with the "Original Timeline" and decided on Arc 5 as the beginning. Why? Because it is the Arc where the most people interact with each other, so a far more enjoyable scenario (if you had other recommendations, please tell them!).

Upcoming: Arc 1 – The Witch's Lover | Chapter 4 - Redo Undo