As time passed, the sky gradually darkened.
Despite this, the gates of the Karsten estate remained busy, with dragon carriages constantly coming and going, and the flow of people continued unabated.
Fang Li walked through the bustling courtyard.
Those who saw Fang Li naturally stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully to him.
This was likely due to the uniform of the Royal Guard Knight that Fang Li was wearing.
As a Royal Guard Knight directly serving the Royal Family, he commanded respect wherever he went in the Kingdom.
Therefore, regardless of whether people recognized Fang Li, just seeing his Royal Guard Knight uniform was enough to make them pause and pay their respects.
In response, Fang Li merely nodded and continued walking along the courtyard path, aimlessly wandering under the respectful gazes of the surrounding people.
He had only one thought in mind.
"It shouldn't take long for this to be exposed."
He wasn't talking about anything else but the massive gathering of manpower and resources currently taking place.
The Royal Selection had only just been announced.
At this time, if word got out that one of the Royal Selection candidates was amassing a large force, it would undoubtedly cause unrest and create the false impression that Crusch intended to make a move against another candidate's faction.
To avoid such disturbances, the influx of people into the Karsten estate was under the guise of visits.
As for the accumulation of weapons and other supplies, these were being brought in under the pretense of "defending against potential attacks from other factions," carried out half-openly and half-secretly.
But, as Fang Li noted, it wouldn't be long before the truth was uncovered.
After all, not everyone in this world was a fool. There were always clever individuals capable of seeing through such subterfuge.
Thus, in a few days, many would likely be gathering or spying for information, causing the atmosphere to grow tense.
"It all depends on when the Hakugei (White Whale) appears."
No one knew the exact location or time of Hakugei (White Whale)'s appearance.
The Hakugei (White Whale)'s random and unpredictable appearances had long instilled fear in people.
Even Fang Li, relying on his knowledge from the original story, could only vaguely remember that the Hakugei (White Whale) would appear after the Royal Selection began, and even then, only in a somewhat special location. He couldn't recall the exact timing.
Crusch and the others shared this belief, expecting Hakugei (White Whale) to show up post-Royal Selection.
"And why is that? Because Emilia, the silver-haired half-elf, has officially entered the stage and become known to the world."
With this, the Witch Cult would certainly take action.
Once the Witch Cult acted, the Hakugei (White Whale) would likely appear.
Wilhelm confirmed this connection.
"These years, I've been tracking Hakugei (White Whale)'s movements and discovered that they are intricately linked with the actions of the Witch Cult. The regions where the Witch Cult is active and where Hakugei (White Whale) appears have a striking correlation."
He had said this himself.
In other words, Hakugei (White Whale) might have a manipulator behind the scenes.
And that manipulator was likely the Witch Cult.
"In fact, rumors have been circulating recently that the Witch Cult has entered the Kingdom. Coupled with Emilia's official debut, the Witch Cult will undoubtedly take action soon."
As the sky darkened further, the atmosphere grew more tense, a prelude to the impending conflict and chaos.
"By then, Hakugei (White Whale) will absolutely appear."
With this deduction in mind, Crusch began to gather a significant force and military power post-Royal Selection, preparing for the upcoming Hakugei (White Whale) subjugation battle.
As for the specific timing, that would have to be left to luck.
Fang Li felt the same way.
While he remembered some of the original plot, the butterfly effect of the main Divine Envoy couldn't be ignored.
The location and timing of Hakugei's (White Whale) appearance could change, so relying too much on the flexible memories from the original story was not advisable. Instead, they needed to consider the actual circumstances.
In the original story, Emilia had already returned to Roswaal's mansion at this point, but now she had stayed behind and even planned to participate in the upcoming subjugation battle. Since there had been this change, they couldn't rely on memories from the original story anymore.
So, how could they determine where Hakugei (White Whale) would appear?
"Could it be fog?"
Hakugei (White Whale), the "Demon Beast of the Mist," carried the "Gluttony" factor.
Since it was called the "Demon Beast of the Mist," Hakugei (White Whale) naturally had a connection to "Fog."
According to records, wherever Hakugei (White Whale) appeared, there would undoubtedly be mist.
"As long as there's mist, there's an eighty percent chance that's where Hakugei (White Whale) is."
Muttering to himself, Fang Li suddenly stopped in his tracks.
It was because of the scene in a corner of the courtyard.
"Fang Li-Sama?"
Rem, who was arranging the Dragon Carriage for the Roswaal family in the corner of the courtyard, turned her head before Fang Li could stop his steps and looked at him.
In the glow of the setting sun, Rem's neatly arranged blue hair shimmered slightly, her pupils sparkling like crystals, making her look charming.
And her somewhat blurry features softened upon seeing Fang Li as if melting slightly.
This was something only visible to Rem's body before the Heart Bond was undone.
Facing Rem's appearance, Fang Li could only scratch his nose and smile, saying, "Did I disturb you?"
"Not at all," Rem replied tactfully. "Fang Li-Sama's matters are more important."
"...Sounds like something you'd say when you can't avoid being bothered," Fang Li said, feeling somewhat speechless.
This maid always managed to insult people in a roundabout way.
As soon as he had this thought, Rem shook her head and said, "I've only accelerated my work pace upon smelling Fang Li-Sama's scent."
"...Smelling scent?" Fang Li's expression became puzzled.
Indeed, Rem's sense of smell was extraordinary, rivaling even that of a hunting dog.
Given this, her statement wasn't wrong.
However, for some reason, there was a sense of unusual terror mixed in.
"It feels like dealing with another crazy girl like Shirayuki..."
"Fang Li-Sama, did you just say something?"
"...Nothing."
It seemed that Rem not only had a keen sense of smell but also sharp hearing, catching even his muttering.
As Fang Li sighed to himself, Rem seemed somewhat confused, tilting her head in a cute and inexplicable manner.
And just as Fang Li thought this, Rem suddenly said a line that was both surprising and relentless.
"Fang Li-Sama, do you like Emilia-Sama?"
...
You can read ahead up to 70 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/GGS6395