"Pandora?"
Shiro looked at the seemingly immaculate girl before him, but his heart was nowhere near as calm as his expression suggested.
She had just helped him deal with the enormous problem known as "Reinhard."
That did not mean she was an ally.
According to the legends Shiro had learned, there should only be seven Witches.
They represented the Seven Deadly Sins—Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Pride, Envy, Sloth, and Wrath.
Perhaps because of differences between worlds, what he knew as "Greed" was sometimes called "Avarice" here.
But fundamentally, the two concepts were almost identical.
Whether this woman named Pandora was the original Witch of Vainglory or merely a later inheritor of the title—History had never once recorded the existence of a Witch of Vainglory.
That could only mean one thing.
For the past several centuries—The Witch of Vainglory had deliberately avoided being discovered and recorded by the world.
And now—Someone who had remained hidden from public view for so long had deliberately appeared before Shiro and even removed "Reinhard" for him.
Shiro would never believe she had done so without some purpose of her own.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Yet his expression remained unchanged.
"So, may I ask why a Witch who has spent centuries hiding behind the scenes has suddenly decided to show herself?"
Shiro calmly watched her.
"Or are you planning to do the same thing as that 'Reinhard' just now?"
"Kill me and recover the Witch Factor belonging to your Witch Cult?"
"Please don't be nervous."
Pandora smiled gently.
"I bear you no ill will."
"My ability cannot keep that person away for very long."
"So before they return, I would sincerely ask that you give us both an opportunity to speak."
"You do know I killed an important member of the Witch Cult not long ago, right?"
"Archbishop Romanee-Conti?"
Pandora's smile remained as gentle as that of a loving mother.
"The resolve he displayed in the name of love was truly beautiful."
"Still, his death was something that could not be helped."
Her voice carried a trace of regret.
Yet Shiro heard no anger.
No dissatisfaction.
Nothing resembling resentment.
It was almost as if Petelgeuse had not been killed by Shiro at all—But had simply encountered an unfortunate natural disaster and died by accident.
Pandora casually moved past the subject.
Then she revealed the true reason she had appeared.
"I came here to seek cooperation with you."
"Cooperation?"
"You should already know the true identity of the 'Reinhard' I sent away just now, shouldn't you?"
It was phrased as a question.
Yet Pandora spoke with absolute certainty.
That alone told Shiro she already knew the truth.
There was no point hiding his conclusion from her.
After thinking for a moment, Shiro answered somewhat cautiously.
"While fighting me, it could use Reinhard's Divine Protections."
"It could even grant him new ones whenever it wanted, just like the world normally does."
He paused.
"So... 'he' probably isn't the right word."
"It should be 'it.'"
Shiro's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That thing is the consciousness born from this planet itself, isn't it?"
That was right.
Shiro had already begun suspecting the truth the moment "Reinhard" started extracting the planet's life force.
The very existence of Divine Protections proved that this world possessed some form of self-awareness.
Depending on how much the world favored a particular living being—That individual would receive corresponding Divine Protections.
Shiro was not a lifeform born in this world.
So even though his strength had already reached the peak of the world—Even though he could now defeat Reinhard, who had originally stood as the strongest person alive—The world still offered him no love.
That was also why "Reinhard" had called him an outsider.
Once that premise was accepted—The identity of the existence controlling Reinhard became much easier to deduce.
Everyone knew Reinhard possessed an absurd number of Divine Protections.
He practically had whatever ability he needed.
That alone demonstrated just how excessively the world favored him.
And if an existence could seize control of Reinhard despite the entire world favoring him, without Reinhard himself even noticing—Then there was only one reasonable answer.
The world itself.
After all—Everything Reinhard possessed had been granted by the world.
If the world wanted to reclaim those gifts, doing so would be effortless.
Even Divine Protections that prevented possession or mental interference could simply be withdrawn with a thought.
Naturally—Reinhard would never notice.
"Hehe."
"What wonderful insight."
Pandora gently clapped her hands, like a kind mother praising a child who had just learned something new.
"Since you already understand its identity, we can finally have a proper conversation."
"About our cooperation."
"No."
Shiro immediately rejected her.
"Even knowing that, I still can't think of any reason to cooperate with someone from the Witch Cult."
"Oh, but there is a reason."
Pandora maintained her smile and calmly denied his conclusion.
"It has already remembered you."
"As long as you remain in this world, no matter how far away you travel, it will immediately know where you are."
"And then—"
"It will control Reinhard's body and come after you again."
"The reason it attacked me was because I'm carrying a Witch Factor, right?"
Shiro frowned.
"If I remove this thing from myself, then it should have no reason to attack me anymore."
"Do you truly believe that?"
Pandora seemed to have expected his answer.
Her voice remained gentle.
"Do you really think the Witch Factor is the only reason it attacked you?"
"The reason...?"
Shiro lowered his gaze and murmured.
Only after hearing Pandora's question did he realize—He had focused so heavily on the Witch Factor that he had overlooked several more important details.
At the end of the day—A Witch Factor merely granted its user an unusual power.
Even after obtaining the Witch Factor, Petelgeuse would never have been capable of defeating Reinhard, who had been cultivated by the planet itself.
So—If there had been so many Witches throughout history—Why would the planetary will care so much about a Witch Factor falling into the hands of a single outsider like Shiro?
"Wait."
Suddenly—Shiro remembered something "Reinhard" had said.
"Devour..."
"And the Witch Factor..."
His expression changed.
"Don't tell me the Witch of Envy who devoured more than half the world four hundred years ago was also—!"
The scattered clues began connecting inside his mind.
Then—Shiro's golden eyes met Pandora's deep-blue gaze, as vast and unfathomable as the sea.
"It seems you've already guessed."
Pandora smiled softly.
"The truth of what happened four hundred years ago..."
"And the real reason the will of this planet wants to drive you out."
…