CHAPTER 101: THETA CHAPTER 1
One of the Lewes representative personalities, who Subaru calls Theta. She had entered the tomb and touched the past of her progenitor, Lewes Meyer, but her memories of the event were incredibly fragmentary, and even the chronology of events was indefinite.
Theta figured that this resulted from her being an existence crafted from multiple fragments, severed from the original Lewes Meyer's soul. Perhaps, then, the other Leweses. Alpha, Beta, Sigma, and potentially the doubles which had not fostered a personality, would all see different glimpses of the past.
But even should this idea be correct, Theta would prefer the others not enter the tomb. —Because to show the past she saw to the other Leweses would come alongside unbearable, intolerable agony for Theta.
???: “—What do you want, I suppose? Staring isn't going to make me give you anything, in fact.”
The memory began with a girl, her hair faintly hued, who glared at her.
This girl was one with a lovable face. Her hair was so pale it seemed to meld into the light, her skin so white as to be nearly transparent. Her bluish eyes were large and round, her appearance described easily with the word 'sweet'. Her hair was tied in two long, winding pigtails, whose appearance alone communicated their smooth, silky texture, and springy softness.
She wore a dress of a subdued hue, which made the immature-looking girl appear somewhat adultlike. But, considering the ostentatiousness of what comprised the girl, the dress's colour inevitably felt to harmonize alongside that.
Lewes: “—”
Lewes recoiled, pierced by the lovable girl's harsh gaze. Compared to this girl, Lewes's own attire and appearance were the very definition of shabby. They were of the same general age, which made her own wretchedness even more conspicuous, and just standing here in this spot was now incredibly embarrassing for her.
Girl: “Hmp. Coward, I suppose.”
The girl snorted in dissatisfaction at the silenced Lewes. Her lovable appearance transformed that even that conduct into something cute. For Lewes it came accompanied by pain not from being belittled, but from the hurt of something constricting her chest. But before she could recognize that this was something akin to terror for displeasing the girl—
???: “Beatrice. What is that attitude? I don't remember teaching you that behaviour.”
A mild voice called. The girl's face stiffened. The voice came from behind the girl—otherwise said, from directly where Lewes was looking.
Exiting from a small hut in the back of the village was a woman of IMMACULATE WHITE.
In white did her hair stretch long. Not even light could be as glowing as her skin. Only her eyes, lips, long-sleeved outfit and skirt gave her any slight pigment, informing those around that her that yes, her existence was one of reality.
The person walking slowly toward Lewes and the girl was a great benefactor for this village—the witch, Echidna-sama. It was to Echidna's voice that the girl reacted dramatically. The so-called Beatrice turned around, her expression still tense.
Beatrice: “Auh, erm... you misunderstand, in fact, Mother! Betty wasn't doing any... just, this girl was...”
Echidna: “I don't remember teaching you to make these disgraceful excuses, either. Speak the accurate truth. If you're confident that you're not at fault, then you shouldn't hesitate at all in doing this. Am I wrong?”
Beatrice: “You're, not wrong, I suppose...”
Echidna's voice harboured no sharp emotions, but did contain a silent, pressuring strictness. Beatrice's shoulders slumped. She brought her hands together, expression timid.
Beatrice: “Exactly as you instructed me, Betty was quietly waiting here outside, in fact. And then this girl came over, I suppose. Staring at me from far away... so rude, in fact. So I called out to her and asked what she wanted, I suppose.”
Echidna: “Hm. I see, then. Now, you here, do you find that telling correct?”
Lewes: “Auh... Y-Yes, I, do. Please forgive me. I-I, was very rude, and...”
Beatrice was speaking accurately. Lewes had, from the village outskirts, vacantly gazed at Beatrice as she leaned against a fence. She surely had been waiting there for Echidna to finish whatever she was doing. Her posture, her eyes, had looked rather lonely—and Lewes felt something squeezing her chest. But even if she talked to Beatrice about it, she would probably just get snorted and laughed at. Lewes shrunk her small self up even smaller, and attempted to outlast the storm by keeping her head down.
Echidna: “So you don't deny it. Then it'd turn out that Beatrice was correct, and you might've been a little rude, Lewes.”
Beatrice: “True in fact, Mother. Betty didn't do anything wrong at...”
Echidna: “However, it's your mistake that your imperious approach frightened her this much, Beatrice. I'm certain that I'm always telling you. You are special, but it's not so that you can look down on others.”
Beatrice: “Ueh, mhu...”
Lewes watched their exchange, and realising that Echidna had remembered her name, felt her guts almost tremble with how moved she was.
It was a small village, sure, but Lewes was just some worthless kid. The Great Witch, her benefactor, remembered her name nonetheless. This was an overwhelming honour for the people of SANCTUARY, who dedicated to the WITCH OF GREED their gratitude and respect.
Echidna: “Let's entrust the corrections on that front over to Juice once we return to the mansion. I predict he'll be very enthusiastic.”
Beatrice: “...I don't like Juice very much, I suppose.”
Echidna: “He says himself that it's his duty to be disliked, so I'd say he'd be fully willing for that.”
Echidna gave the grimacing Beatrice a faint smile, before turning to face Lewes. Lewes' heart sprung. She had missed the timing to participate in conversation, and figured that really she better leave. That Echidna's attention focused on her again was a surprise. Echidna proceeded to approach Lewes, whose shoulders remained hitched and rigid.
Echidna: “Apologies for surprising you, Lewes. Her name is Beatrice... she's something like my daughter. As you've seen, her discipline isn't quite up to par yet, which is a little embarrassing.”
Beatrice: “It's not 'something like', I am exactly your daughter, in fact.”
Echidna: “Well, I suppose that's how the situation looks. She'll be accompanying me in visits to SANCTUARY rather often now. You'll have more chances to interact with her, and I'd like it for you two to get along.”
Lewes: “U-Understood. Please entrust this to me, Echidna-sama.”
With Echidna's hand on her shoulder, Lewes's heart trembled in joy as she nodded. Echidna nodded back with full satisfaction. Behind her, Beatrice muttered:
Beatrice: “...Whatever, I'm fine being alone, I suppose.”
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
???: “Excuse me, you there. I'm certain that Echidna-sama would be present somewhere around here, have you seen her?” Called to a halt and carrying a basket of laundry in her hands, Lewes turned around. And, recognizing who it was who stopped her, she about yelped. Her surprise meant she verged on dropping the basket, when an outstretched arm swiftly came in and propped it back in place.
???: “Ah, hup—” Lewes: “Wuah, auah, I am so sorry,” Lewes bowed her head to the boy, who had slid in to support the basket.
Seeing this, the boy raked his fingers through his long, navy hair.
Boy: “No, no need to worry.”
Boy: “I'm who should apologize, for failing to notice you were carrying something. I was lacking in forethought.”
Lewes: “Surely that's not... I am undeserving, Mathers-sama.”
Mathers: “Whoever they may be, all must remember to practice consideration toward women. ...To correct you on just one point, I don't especially favour being called by my surname. I'd like for you to call me Roswaal.”
Said the boy, Roswaal, as he winked. He was perhaps four or five years older than Lewes, and one head taller. He had not finished growing yet, and his far-projecting voice had not completed its alteration into that of an adult's, either. He possessed that rather sensual appeal attainable only in the short timespan between boy and man, his behaviour so abounding in natural dignity that even Lewes felt his charms.
As she surely would. Roswaal despite his youth was the head of the Mathers household, which governed multiple territories. He was assisting the Witch Echidna, was managing SANCTUARY, and was a paragon.
He was contributing to SANCTUARY's preservation in a different way from Echidna, and people constantly said never to be rude to him. With her cheeks reddening thanks to Roswaal's wink, Lewes frantically grappled for the topic he had stopped her for.
Lewes: “Well, um... so, Echidna-sama... I have not yet seen her today. Beatrice-sama was not at the usual place, either.”
Roswaal: “I, see. Then she might be delayed. Echidna-sama aside, it's inconceivable that Beatrice would fail to immediately come see you.”
Lewes: “Ermm, um... I sort of think, it's really coincidence that Beatrice-sama and I talk so often...”
Roswaal: “You're saying it's coincidence because that's what Beatrice calls it, yes?”
Lewes silently nodded. She had interacted with Echidna's daughter Beatrice countless times since their first meeting, now. Beatrice would come alongside Echidna in her visits to SANCTUARY, which the witch worked into her busy schedule, and then often loiter about the place while Echidna finished her business. And then she would interact with Lewes exceedingly often. Visits while Lewes was gathering the laundry, or going off to pick wild plants, were surprisingly frequent.
Unable to hold it in, Roswaal laughed.
Roswaal: “Beatrice isn't honest at all. Not that you should consider yourself as doing poorly with her.”
Lewes: “I am doing poorly, what in the world are you saying. She is being so good to something like me. I'm the one who is always making Beatrice-sama displeased... it's to the point that I'm worrying whether she might hate me.”
Roswaal: “You're fine. Beatrice's dislike isn't anything particularly credible. If she truly hated you, she'd find some reason to not come along.”
Would she? wondered Lewes, tilting her head. Through most of Beatrice's interactions with Lewes, she would be complaining, and she seemed prone to grumbling in response to every single action Lewes took. That was what Lewes always saw of her, so despite being told that Beatrice did not actually hate her, she had trouble believing it. Lewes, and many of SANCTUARY's people, had often been selected as the recipients for hatred and hostility in the outside world. Beatrice's thing was overwhelmingly tender compared to what Lewes knew, and it had a warmth to it, but acerbity remained acerbity.
Roswaal: “I hope the time will eventually come where you all would understand that too.”
Lewes shivered, seeing the sad smile arise on Roswaal's face, wondering how she had messed up to make his expression be such a thing. But before she could spout any words to varnish the situation over, Roswaal blinked his yellow eyes, having spotted something.
Roswaal: “Ah! Teacher! I heard you were present, and came soaring in!”
Roswaal raised his hand, utterly discarding his mature attitude, his face that of an exhilarated child as he broke into run. Lewes watched Roswaal dash past, his sprint leading him toward a woman— Echidna. Echidna spotted Roswaal zooming over, him entirely ecstatic. She raised her brows slightly.
Echidna: “Roswaal, huh. I don't remember me ever allowing you to call me your teacher.”
Roswaal: “You cannot say that today. I'm now fully capable of achieving the assignment you presented to me before, Teacher. Balancing four types of mana at equal concentration, and creating rainbow mana. —And by my own power, I reached the point where I can add the remaining two. What do you think?”
Echidna: “You self-studied to the point that you can bind six of them? My goodness... You could perhaps call that a foreboding rate of expertise, and also obsession. I'm sure in a bind now.”
It was rare that Echidna's expression ever be one of surprise. This was Lewes's first time ever seeing it, at least. Roswaal puffed his chest up in pride as he waited for Echidna to respond. Even Lewes, younger than him, found his attitude adorable. It plainly abounded in the loving respect for Echidna which he could not fully hide, as well as even greater emotion than that.
Beatrice: “What're you standing around doing nothing for, I suppose?”
Lewes: “Ah... Beatrice-sama.”
Lewes gazed at the two from afar when Beatrice abruptly appeared at her side, peering at her face. Lewes unwittingly stepped back. Beatrice to crossed her arms, posture practised, and snorted at Lewes.
Beatrice: “Going on with your staring, just rude as always, in fact.”
Lewes: “P-Please forgive me. I apologize for my impoliteness.”
Scolded, Lewes found herself ashamed in her own shameless behaviour. But Beatrice's brows only furrowed further at Lewes' apology. Just by smiling, or not pursing her lips, did Beatrice's face give a softer impression. That Lewes nevertheless always made the girl grimace thanks to her thoughtlessness was truly inexcusable.
Beatrice: “How long do you intend to stay sulking like that, I suppose? It's dismal. If you've got time to hold onto laundry baskets forever, you ought to hurry up and move on to the next chore, in fact.”
Lewes: “R-right. That is what I shall do. Please excuse me.”
After bowing her head to unsparing Beatrice, Lewes swiftly left the scene. When, just as Lewes began to speedily walk off, Beatrice tottered along behind her, her dress dragging as she followed.
Lewes: “Beatrice-sama?”
Beatrice: “It's nothing, I suppose. Just killing time, in fact.”
Answered Beatrice, dispassionate as usual, as Lewes glanced back. But just when she thought to look back ahead, Lewes remembered her conversation with Roswaal. He had insisted that Beatrice did not dislike speaking with Lewes, but—
Lewes: “Beatrice-sama. Would it interest you to help me fold the laundry?”
Beatrice: “...Wha?”
Beatrice's eyes opened wide, her expression shifting to one of shock, with a tinge of anger. Lewes began to regret Roswaal's urging her into this.
Beatrice: “—If you alone won't be enough for it, then there's no choice so I guess I'll help you, I suppose.”
Lewes: “Huh?”
Beatrice: “I'm not saying it again, in fact. Come on, get going, I suppose.”
Said Beatrice as she speedily passed Lewes, who had unwittingly stopped walking. Lewes saw in the moment she passed that her mouth was slacked half in astonishment, and half in some other emotion. A heat flared in Lewes's chest as she trotted over to catch up with Beatrice. She gazed at her face, walking alongside her.
Lewes: “Would you be interested in holding some small amount of the laundry?” Beatrice: “Don't get carried away, in fact. —There's no choice, so just a small amount, I suppose.” Said Beatrice, her expression one of reluctance, as she reached out to Lewes.
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