"You casually brought this fledgling into your world, let it witness the most beautiful heaven in existence, and then, just as it was addicted to it, you just as casually want to drive it out of heaven and tell it to go pursue freedom. That is your third layer of Pride."

Dorothy: "...."

The homebody witch fell completely silent. She realized she probably, maybe, actually was indeed proud.

Or rather, transmigrators like her were born carrying the original sin of Pride. She clearly shouted every day that she didn’t want to be a savior, just wanted to live freely, but when something really happened, she would always unconsciously step forward and do it. That really was a streak of Pride that assumed herself a savior.

It’s just, did I do something wrong?

Are you telling me to just watch that fledgling fall to the ground and pretend not to see, not care at all, and leave it there to live or die on its own?

Then I’d rather be wrong, let it be Pride if it wants, either way I just can’t let it die right in front of me.

So after her silence, she raised her head again, her eyes filled with the stubborn resolve of someone who’d already given up on arguing.

"Denisha, I admit my Pride, but I don’t regret my decision. After all, I’ve never claimed to be some flawless Deity. I just want a happy ending, so what? I just don’t want to watch others die in front of me when I have the Strength to save them..."

The more she spoke, the more courage she found, already looking like someone who believed she was right and would never regret it.

But.....

"So you die in front of me? You’re just going to let me live on with the guilt of having personally killed you? You left happily, with a smile on your face when you died. Then what about me? Dorothy, my savior, have you ever thought about how I’m supposed to keep living in a world where you no longer exist?"

Denisha said this.

Her voice was very calm, no hysteria, no accusations or resentment, only a kind of calm that made Dorothy’s skin crawl.

It felt like you were drifting in a little boat on the surface of a lake, but beneath the water where you couldn’t see, some unspeakable horror was quietly surfacing, casting a vast shadow.

In just an instant, all of Dorothy’s freshly gained courage and lack of regret vanished into smoke. She deflated on the spot. Looking at her God King Sister’s unblinking stare fixed right on her, she suddenly lost the courage to meet that gaze, and subconsciously lowered her head again.

She wanted to open her mouth and say something, but nothing at all came out.

Right now she just wanted to slap herself hard, then curse, "I really deserve to die."

She was probably a scumbag, a proud and selfish piece of trash.

Denisha—this was the bird she’d kept locked in a cage all along.

"Then, I’ll ask you one last thing, Dorothy. When the fledgling falls right in front of you, what will you do?"

Lord God King still had no intention of blaming the little sister before her; she merely asked the earlier question again.

Dorothy: "....."

How am I supposed to answer that again?

But after she thought about it very, very seriously for a long time, she finally spoke.

"I’ll take it back and nurse it to health, and then release it."

Mm, in the end, she just couldn’t lie to herself, and she didn’t want to lie to Denisha in front of her either.

Even if you asked her this question a thousand times, ten thousand times, her answer would still be the same.

After all, if she didn’t save this fallen fledgling, it would die for sure. But if she did save it, at least there was still a chance at some kind of future.

"You..."

Seeing her little sister too timid to even look at her, yet with her mouth still stubborn to the end, Lord God King couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.

However, laughing and laughing, she started to cry.

Damn it, this really was her good little sister, without a doubt.

"Fine, you’re amazing. I just hope you can stay this tough when you’re in the basement later."

Denisha said this with a smile tinged with madness.

Dorothy: "....."

Wait, sis, you told me all that and in the end you’re still going to lock me in the basement?

I don’t want this, absolutely not, don’t you come any closer.

The statue up on the high platform was so scared it immediately shut its eyes, then clung onto the supporting pillar of the temple, looking every bit the picture of "I’d rather die than submit."

Only, after she stayed still for a while, it seemed like nothing was happening. Only then did she timidly open her eyes.

Uh...

"Young Miss, you were just playing a game of chess. Why do you look like you had a nightmare? Didn’t you win?"

Just as Dorothy opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Sophia’s somewhat disgusted gaze, and then the Pure White Witch’s cool voice sounded in her ears.

Homebody Witch: "???"

Uh, I’m back?

She turned her head and looked to the side, and as expected, she saw Senior Mia and Aunt Sitle sitting nearby, and of course Miss Estelle, who’d somehow also come over to be an audience member.

"Um? What just happened?"

Dorothy asked a bit guiltily.

She felt like the world line had just suddenly jumped. One second her Good Sister was about to shut her into the basement, and the next second it was as if nothing had happened at all.

"Nothing happened. It’s just that your little believer, Little Fairy, smashed your statue with a hammer, and then you woke up."

Senior Mia answered truthfully.

Hearing this, Dorothy finally looked over at the Chessboard World to the side, but that spot was already completely empty.

Uh, where’s the chessboard, where’s my huge Chessboard World?

"Heh, my dear savior Young Miss, congratulations on once again saving a poor little world through sacrificing yourself. That Chessboard World shattered right before our eyes and then just vanished into thin air. There’s not a trace left now; it probably ran off."