Priscilla and Al met with Roswaal and Annerose Miload after the battle, and you heard nothing from them afterwards. According to Frederica, Priscilla left with a scowl on her face, so that would explain her absence.

Seeing as your "phone" didn't go off, Roswaal probably denied the Princess of Pride her message to Al's phone, seeing as the message would get sent to everybody in The Crusaders. You were going to reject her demand for the same reason, but since Clind acted before you could, it looks like the clown said it instead.

Speaking of the clown, wasn't Omega going to engage in some psycological war against him? That hadn't happened yet, but maybe it would start soon.

'Perfect timing for that thought, (Y/N). After extensive consideration, I have deduced the most advantageous actions to take next. I will discuss this topic with you once you have settled in your room, where we will not be pestered by distractions.'

'Wait... so does that mean you're not in a bad mood anymore?'

'You expect me to be upset for an extended period of time for no apparent reason? What do you take me for? A simpleton?'

That question was best left unanswered, so you brushed it off. 'Well, that's good. Seeing as you said all of this right after I was thinking about messing with Roswaal, I can't wait for you to tell me about it.'

'While that topic will be discussed, there are far more serious matters that we must consider.'  Echidna sighed. 'But, as I stated earlier, I will be patient and reveal the results of my self-inquisition only when we will not be bothered.'

The Witch of Greed sounded slightly disappointed in her response, so you decided to act a little more serious. 'Got it. We might be getting ourselves in a pinch, so I'm glad that you somehow came up with some solutions.'

'Of course I was able to formulate those solutions. All that I was required to do was to use the "nunya" technique.'

'...'

'What?'

'Did you seriously just try to get me to ask you what nunya is?'

'....'  Echidna pouted in defeat. 'Was it that obvious? I was attempting to appear humorous, as my character has seemed too serious lately.'

You shook your head, even though Echidna couldn't see you directly. 'You don't have to use those jokes from my memories. You can be funny just by being yourself.'

There was a brief pause, and you took the mentally silent moment to focus on your surroundings to make sure that you were heading in the right direction, which was supposed to be the dining hall.

From a distance, you could hear Garfiel loudly bantering about something, so this was definitely the right path.

After this short break from discussion, Echidna resumed talking. '(Y/N), you have come very far since I first met you. Not only have you progressed in using magic and in combat, but you have slightly matured, and now you can even find your way to most locations within this mansion. Perhaps it was wrong of me to initially judge you as an individual who could not properly think for yourself.'

'Not gonna lie, that hurt a little, but I'm just going to accept the praise and ignore that insult. You're not really wrong, so there's no point in trying to do anything about it.'

'Indeed. Now, please consume your meal as quickly so that we can discuss my ideas as soon as possible.'

Just by walking closer to the dining hall, you could smell the delicious aroma of whatever it was that Frederica had prepared. 

With your nose entering bliss, you replied, 'Gotcha. I'm getting really tempted to take my time to savor it, but this is some really important stuff, so I'll eat as fast as common courtesy will let me.'

Time Skip

"(Y/N)! Why didn'tcha tell 's 'bout th' fight?! Nothin's happen'd 'n f'rever, an' ya didn't think ta' let us watch th' action?!" With a mouth full of food, Garfiel yelled as soon as you entered the dining area.

Frederica, who was setting out a plate for you, lightly smacked him in the side of the head. "Garf, you know that you don't talk with your mouth full!" she scolded.

Looking toward you, the maid smiled apologetically. "Congratulations for your impressive victory and for accepting another member into The Crusaders!"

"Thanks! I-"

"No, no. I agree with Garfiel~ Why didn't you let me in on the violence?" Elsa, who appeared out of nowhere, had a bloodthirsty glint in her eyes. "That was veeery cruel of you, (Y/N), since you know how much I love blood~"

You deadpanned. "First off, I'm pretty sure that there was no blood. And second, we didn't fight seriously and it didn't last that long. To be honest, the practice matches that we have are a lot more interesting than me versus Al."

As he swallowed his food, Garfiel slammed his fist on the table, which earned a glare from Frederica. Ignoring his older sister, Garfiel exclaimed, "You've got 't wrong! We ain't angry 'cuz we miss'd out 'n tha' fight. We're angry 'cuz we missed you doin' some new stuff! How in h'll did'ya use magic 'n th' swords?! We ain't seen tha', an' when we hear Captain an' Emilia talkin' 'bout it, we g't angry tha' we didn' see it!"

Elsa hummed with her eyes narrowed. "I'm not so sure about that 'we'. I just reaally wanted to see blood." She licked her lips thirstily and stared you down.

Tension was rising, so demi-human siblings waited to see your reaction. One watched for entertainment and the other out of curiosity. 

Unfortunately, all they saw was you staring blankly at Elsa as you reconsidered your decision to recruit her.

There was a brief silence as this happened, but it was soon broken by a fifth person who had just entered the room. "The most perfect steamed 'tatoes are finished. All of you will eat them, or else you will be forced to eat them."

With no regard for the situation before her, Ram strode forward with a plate stacked with steamed 'tatoes, the only food she had mastered.

Upset that her chat had been interrupted, Elsa turned her piercing gaze toward the pink-haired maid. "Now that I think about it, I've never seen you fight... Perhaps we can have a gruesome spar tonight~"

Without missing a beat, Ram retorted, "I care more about the dust on the cabinets than I do your suggestion. I told you to eat the 'tatoes, so drop that perverted expression and enjoy my cooking."

You could barely contain yourself as Ram destroyed Elsa, but Garfiel didn't even try to restrain himself. With a wide grin, the demi-human chuckled. "Tha's th' girl I like f'r ya! Good un', Ram!"

Ram adopted her typical smug expression as she soaked in the praise. Without looking, she tossed several 'tatoes onto Garfiel's plate and two onto your plate that was yet to be filled. 

When she tossed one to Elsa, it was caught. The hot 'tatoe burned the Bowel Hunter's hand, but she paid no mind. 

After relishing the pain that she just felt, Elsa ate the freshly steamed 'tatoe, and the anger in her demeanor dissipated. "Ara~ I seem to have been a tad bit too pushy." She turned around, wiping the slight 'tatoe-related mess off of her face. "I suppose that I will have to wait until tomorrow's training to relieve my pent-up desires~"

With that, Elsa exited the scene, and the two demi-humans picked up right where they left off as if nothing had happened. Elsa was an odd person, but everyone was used to her eccentricities at this point, so this was treated as an ordinary interaction.

As Frederica prepared to serve you her freshly cooked food, Garfiel huffed. "(Y/N), I guess tha' I was a lit'le too angry too, s' I'll leave ya' alone. Jus' try an' let me know nex' time you come up wit' sum cool sh't."

As you finally took a seat, you nodded your head. "Sure thing. But to be honest, I came up with that new move on the spot, so I couldn't have told anybody before this fight."

As you took a bite of the hot 'tatoe, you silently added, 'And I would have used it against Kurgan and Capella.'

"Are ya f'r real?" Rubbing his hair, Garfiel apologetically said, "Then tha's m'bad, I guess. Sorry 'bout tha'."

You waved him off as Ram watched you eat her 'taoes. Making sure that you swallowed your food, you replied, "Don't worry about it. When I get frustrated every now and then, you guys don't hold it against me, so it's nothing special for me to do the same."

Ram huffed when she heard this. "Your memories must be faulty, because I have no recollection of you being frustrated recently, and when you acted out of line, I do not remember being gentle to you about it."

Well, she wasn't wrong. Your memories (or her memories, it could go both ways) were technically faulty because of Pandora and Gluttony, and she surely didn't sugarcoat things when she rejected a little over half a year ago.

'I agree, (Y/N). Your memories must be altered because I happen to recall you stating that you would eat your meal as quickly as possible.'

'Do you see anything other than these potatoes in front of me?'

'Firstly, they are called 'tatoes, and secondly, you can informally request that the demi-human maid perform her duties and swiftly serve you the food.'

'Well, you see, it still feels weird to have someone serve me food when I can get up and get it, so I really don't want to tell her to hurry up. But on the other hand, I did promise you that I'd eat as soon as I can, so I'll just have to forget about savoring this stuff and settle for shameless speed-eating. Is that a good enough compromise?'

'Well played. Your negotiation skills have improved, so I will accept your proposition.'

You sighed, but Ram and Garfiel, who didn't know about the conversation inside your head, thought that it was in response to Ram.

Rubbing his hands together in a mischievous way, Garfiel leaned towards you. "(Y/N), ya know tha' we're reject'd buddies, yeah? You can talk 'bout these kinda things wit' me if ya want ta!"

Ram, on the other hand, smirked. "It seems that I hold a high ground above the two of you lustful males. How amusing. Now, finish the steamed 'tatoes. If you do not, you know what can happen."

You wanted to tell Ram that she was no Obi-Wan, but then again, her rejection cut you down and burned you to a crisp just as the Jedi knight had done to Anakin, so you let her have it.

To sum it up, this girl was scary, so eating these 'tatoes was now another task on top of eating Frederica's food.

Ram set the remaining 'tatoes down on the dining table, and she left the room.

Once the Oni maid was gone, Frederica began setting the food on your plate. Once you realized what it was, you grinned. You couldn't tell what Garfiel had been eating since he devoured it before you came in, but now the dish was revealed. 

Frederica had made pizza, which didn't exist in this world until recently. 

"How many slices would you like, (Y/N)?" the maid asked.

"Just two should be fine," you replied. "I need to eat some 'tatoes too, so I'll be full."

Frederica smiled, displaying her sharp teeth. "Very well," she said as she set the second slice of pizza on your plate. As she stepped away, she added, "I hope you enjoy!"

Time Skip

'You know, that pizza was really good. I wish that I didn't have to eat it so fast, because that stuff beats anything from most of those big pizza chains back home.'

'I have already told you that this conversation is imperative to the success of our future. That is, if you wish for your future to include all of these people to remain in the realm of the living.'

'Well, I guess that risking a stomachache from eating all of that so fast is nothing compared to whatever you're going to tell me. I'll be in my room in a second, so wait just a little longer.'

'(Y/N), I would be content with that assertion if you weren't currently stuck at an intersection, reconsidering your decision to hurry to your room without assistance.'

'Hehehe.... about that... I make a left, right?'

'Congratulations! You have-'

'And then a right, another left, and then go to the third room to my right.'

'...'

'What? You can't be surprised, right? You can literally read my thoughts.'

'(Y/N).'

'What?'

'When have you learned to partially conceal your thoughts from me?'

'Wait, what?! I was just trying to mess with you. Could you not actually tell that I knew the directions?'

'No, I could not discern that your true thoughts differed from the ones actually present within your mind. We will need to discuss this as well when you reach your room.'

'Because you won't have perfect insight to me now?'

'No, because you may accidentally violate the clause in our contract that forbids us from hiding things from each other without good cause, in which case we are required to explain that reason. It would be very unfortunate if your soul suddenly combusted, rendering you permanently dead in every sense.'

'You know, that's a really good reason. I'll shut up now.'

'While that is not necessary, I have no qualms with a temporary silence.'

A minute passed, and you were able to successfully find your room. As you opened the door, you saw Omega waiting in the bed.

"Just one second..." you muttered.

You took your clothes off and folded them before donning your sleeping clothes. Echidna has already seen you naked via memories, so you pretty much gave up on hiding all but the most private of things in person.

Once you got dressed, you slipped under the covers with Omega and turned off the mana crystal- powered lamp that illuminated the room. Now, if the unexpected happened and somebody came into the room, they would think that the two of you were sleeping instead of talking about whatever people talk about when they are in bed together.

As soon as you got comfortable, you grabbed the black pendant that hung around your neck. The world became blurry, and it transitioned into a small, green hill. Echidna sat at the top of the hill at her tea table, her folded hands covering her mouth. 

She didn't say a word as you jogged toward her table, and she still didn't say a word as you sipped her tea, which was apparently produced with her saliva.

Something felt off, so you broke the silence. "Echidna, weren't you the one who wanted me to hurry up so that we could talk? You've been awfully quiet so far."

You stared at her, waiting for an answer.

Echidna moved her hands down, and her expression only confused you more. She was smiling wide, as if she was holding in a laugh.

That laugh came out as a chuckle, and Echidna's serious demeanor was shattered. "The way you actually believed my nonsensical claim that you could hide your thoughts was very amusing! You had so much hope, and then it was shattered when I explained that it could kill you! That reaction was priceless!"

You deadpanned as Echidna chuckled to herself. "You know, sometimes I forget that you're a sociopath. And while we're talking about that, why in the world did you lie about that?! Didn't you make a point about how hiding things from each other can destroy our souls?"

Echidna shook her head. "As long as you or I have the intent of revealing the truth or explaining the reason for hiding the truth before it could become harmful and violate the clause in which we must aid each other, there will be no consequences for 'messing with you'."

"Well," you sighed in defeat, "you got me good. Now, let's get started since I'm really interested in whatever it is that you came up with."

Echidna's face immediately shifted to a serious expression. "Indeed. The very first object of my contemplation was the deaths of Collette and Palmyra. Your allies seem to have forgotten that I claimed to be traveling with them, or they believe that I was lying, so we do not have to mention those two. To be honest, I began this conversation with a comical introduction in order to make this easier for you to process."

Before you could ask what she meant by that, the scenery changed. The sun was rising, and you were now surrounded by trees. 

Echidna was standing next to you, and she was pointing toward the purpose of this change of scenery. You turned around, and without having to follow Echidna's pointer finger, you gasped.

There were two decapitated heads on the ground, and around them was a bloody mess.

"(Y/N)," Echidna stated, "this is what I saw when I came to collect Collette and Palmyra the morning of our departure from the Crush Karsten manor. What can you observe other than the obvious?"

Looking at the gruesome slaughter, you immediately noticed that the two heads seemed to have been cleanly cut. 

The bodies, if they could be called that, were scattered around a short area. Broken arms were sticking out of the ground, chests with slightly visible rib cages were hanging in the trees, and legs with dislocated joints were thrown into the foliage.

The faces, from under the dried blood that coated them, were frozen in a scream of pain.

Gulping, you concluded, "Well, I can tell that they suffered a lot."

Echidna sighed. "That is quite obvious. The answer I was looking for was closer to this: whoever or whatever did this is either a master of stealth or is powerful enough to kill these girls with no issue. For you see, there are no signs of struggle. The land in this area is untouched, and there are no footprints that suggest that either of the girls attempted to flee. The attacker entered this area, incapacitated Collette and Palmyra, tortured them, decapitated the girls, and then proceeded to desecrate their bodies further. This violent treatment suggests that the attacker is either very violent in nature, was ordered to act with cruelty, or was frustrated enough to go beyond killing these girls."

"Frustrated?" you thought out loud. "Wait, does that mean..."

Echidna nodded her head. "Yes. As I mentioned earlier, it is no coincidence that this happened at the exact same time that you were attacked by the Sin Archbishop of Lust. Looking at the evidence, this work could potentially have been performed by a Sin Archbishop or a powerful member of the Assassin Organization who was ordered to attack at approximately the same time as the undead puppets and their Mother. If my assumptions are correct, then there was a high-threat assailant after them, and there is a strong possibility that I was the main target."

"Wait, how did they even know about you? Did something happen in a village or something that made you seem suspicious or something?"

Echidna shrugged her shoulders. "The only time that I did anything out of the ordinary was when I burned that one forest down and killed several bandits."

"Bruh." You looked at her, and she looked back with an innocent expression. "Burning down that forest is a good enough reason for even the Knights of Lugnica to come after you. I don't know how Pandora or whoever figured out where you were, but I guess there's no hiding Omega from the world anymore."

Echidna nodded her head thoughtfully. "That is actually related to one of the points that I wanted to communicate."

The world around you changed back to the green hill, and you found yourself back in your seat.

"My plan for Omega," Echidna continued, "is for her to act as if Yang magic is her forte. Since the battle with Lust has been wiped from