"Emilia."
Ayanokouji held Meili's hand and walked in front of Emilia.
"Ayanokouji, what's the matter?"
Emilia was smiling at this moment, as if she were also a child, enjoying the company of others.
"This child wants to come to our mansion to be a maid." Ayanokouji introduced.
If Meili could be brought into Roswaal's mansion, it would be equivalent to bringing her into Roswaal and the others.
Furthermore, Ayanokouji did not mention that Meili had met Elsa and could control Demon Beasts, as revealing this would make people in the mansion wary of Meili. He was very cautious about the ability to control Demon Beasts and had other plans.
"Really?"
Emilia's eyes widened with slight surprise as she quickly walked over to Meili.
"You're still very young. If you want to leave your family, you must become a maid. This is hard work!"
"I-I don't have a family…"
After Meili finished speaking, she lowered her head and remained silent.
This was the setup Ayanokouji had given her. Although she was easily confused and exposed when seeing Elsa, she could still easily play the role of a normal young girl in ordinary circumstances. Her youth was the greatest advantage, which would unconsciously reduce others' vigilance against her.
The reason Ayanokouji had Meili claim she had no family was not only to complicate the revelation of her identity but also to exploit Emilia's kindness.
"I'm truly sorry…"
Emilia thought she had made a mistake, so she immediately apologized and extended her hand to gently stroke Meili's hair.
"What's your name?"
"Meili…"
"Alright, let me inform Roswaal that you will be part of our household, and we will treat you as one of our own!"
A gentle smile appeared on Emilia's face.
She was kind-hearted. She just wanted to protect this cute child and had no defenses against her.
All of this was as expected by Ayanokouji. Emilia's kind nature was her weakness, making it too easy for her to trust others. But this was also why he had chosen her.
No matter how rich the potential heir's resources were, if they were uncomfortable to control, they were meaningless.
"Elsa, where did she go?"
Emilia noticed that Elsa was missing.
"I asked her to investigate the person who employed her previously." Ayanokouji answered.
"Will she never return..."
"No, if she wanted to escape, she would have had countless opportunities to do so on the way here." Ayanokouji replied.
He knew Elsa would definitely follow his orders because he could give her a chance to kill and satisfy her desires, and Meili was also under his control like a hostage.
The scene changed, and soon Ayanokouji and the others returned to the mansion.
Emilia informed Roswaal about Meili, and Roswaal naturally nodded in agreement.
Rem went to prepare a room for Meili, while Ram began teaching her some of the tasks she needed to perform as a maid.
Ayanokouji glanced at the doors of each room. After a moment of thought, he chose a door and entered.
What caught his attention was the spirit wearing a tutu and sitting on a high chair with a face like a young girl.
"You're really a boring man."
Beatrice closed her book and focused her eyes on Ayanokouji's face.
She was puzzled as to how the other party could find her door of opportunity time and time again.
"It's just based on conclusions; I choose the most likely option. As for why I'm accurate every time, I don't know." Ayanokouji answered calmly.
His eyes were on her; as usual, Beatrice was always sitting in front of the entrance to the Forbidden Library, as if waiting for someone.
In the last regression, Ayanokouji would sometimes visit the Forbidden Library when he had no work. On one hand, he wanted to see her level of understanding of the world's texts, and on the other hand, he wanted to communicate with Beatrice.
After some previous contacts, he knew that Beatrice had very powerful magical abilities, possibly even stronger than Emilia and Ram. However, although Beatrice managed the Forbidden Library, she seemed to have no voice in the camp, having only a good relationship with Puck. Her relationship with others was very average, and she did not listen to Emilia and the others at all.
Beatrice had very strong powers, and it would be a significant loss if Ayanokouji couldn't win her over to his side.
During this period, from his observations, Beatrice seemed more like a child who lacked attention. She slowly closed her heart, holding a book with no writing on it and pretending to be busy.
Perhaps this was an opportunity to reduce Beatrice's vigilance and distance from him. Although Ayanokouji did not know the role of such emotions, he was very skilled at taking advantage of them.
He also needed to obtain some information from her.
"Really, it's just luck. You're a bit too self-satisfied!" Beatrice said with slight dissatisfaction.
"I truly apologize." Ayanokouji apologized without changing his expression.
"If you apologize sincerely and don't know what mistake you've made, you can be considered arrogant." Beatrice frowned and said, "Get out of here quickly!"
"Sorry, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."
Facing Beatrice's dismissal, Ayanokouji said calmly.
"Are you asking for help with such an attitude?" Beatrice crossed her arms in front of her chest, jumped down from her chair, and lifted her head, still looking proud.
"What questions? But let's talk first, but Betty will let you know first. Betty is not obligated to answer them for you!"
"Thank you. Do you know how to change one person into another?" Ayanokouji intentionally paused after asking the question, then continued, "I heard that Betty-sama is a manager with far greater wisdom and experience than others, so I believe only you can answer me."
"Of course, what kind of person do you think Betty is?" Beatrice lifted her head slightly as she spoke, with an unmistakable smile on her face. She looked very happy.
"Changing someone into another person? There are many types of techniques like that, and I'm not sure which one it is."
"Meaning, after killing someone, they appear in someone else's body." Ayanokouji said slowly.
In the last regression, he was defeated by Petelgeuse's abilities. He was caught and, as a result, Roswaal died, and he needed to find out the reason.
"There is a technique that can transfer a person's soul into another body, but it requires the body to be empty. If there is a soul, it might need a close relative's body..." Beatrice said slowly, "There is another type, which is also a forbidden technique that can be transferred into a previously prepared body."
"Are there any limitations to this technique?"
"Generally, it's distance. Usually, the backup body should not be too far away."
"What if it's an unprepared body? For example, if I am now in front of someone who has mastered this forbidden technique, can they take my body?" Ayanokouji asked.
He was very cautious, wanting to understand the scope of Petelgeuse's ability and the limitations of its use so that he could come up with appropriate solutions in a major problem.
And fortunately, Petelgeuse was quite insane. It would be difficult if someone with the ability could take the bodies of people around them.
"Are you stupid? If you could take anyone's body at will, wouldn't the world have been in chaos long ago?"
Beatrice began to pace around the room as she spoke. "However, there is one type of person who might fall into this trap… It can only possess kind-hearted people who have not made a contract with any spirit."
"Someone who has good spirit compatibility and has not made a contract with any spirit?"
Ayanokouji stroked his chin. At least he did not need to worry about Emilia being possessed.
"What about other people in the mansion?"
"Even though they have not signed a contract with a spirit, their compatibility is quite average—generally, most people's spirit compatibility is relatively poor."
Beatrice looked up and met Ayanokouji's gaze.
"What's wrong?"
"But your spirit compatibility is very good; no, I can't say it's just very good, I think it's excellent."
Beatrice put her hands on her hips, looking a bit jealous.
"It's no wonder that Bubby and you are so close!"
'So it might be that I myself will become Petelgeuse's object of dependency…' Ayanokouji thought to himself.
Although he never considered Return by Death as one of his solutions, he might not be able to activate this ability. It might be trapped inside him forever.
"Then is there a way to resolve it?" Ayanokouji asked, "Is signing a contract with a spirit enough?"
"Right, it seems your wooden head can finally understand something." Beatrice said slowly.
This was the first time Ayanokouji had been called a wooden head.
"But why are you asking so many questions? This is a forbidden technique that only a few people in the world can master. You speak as if you've really seen it."
"I'm just curious." Ayanokouji said immediately.
Beatrice did not expect that the man in front of her had actually experienced it personally.
If he signed a contract with a spirit, he could become immune to Petelgeuse's abilities, so where could he find a suitable spirit? Ayanokouji's gaze inevitably fixed on Beatrice, the Great Spirit.
"What are the terms of the contract signed between Emilia and Puck?" He asked.
"I don't know; it might be to protect Emilia or something like that."
Beatrice tilted her head slightly, with a hint of jealousy in her eyes.
Deep down, she also wished she could leave the Forbidden Library like Puck, but all of that had to wait until that person arrived.
Beatrice's eyes were on him, but she quickly averted her gaze: 'Could he... He can find my door of opportunity every time... But there's nothing in the book...'
"You've asked enough questions. My throat is dry. Can you leave? I don't want to smell your stench again!" Beatrice dismissed the thought in her mind.
She turned around and waved her slender finger, preparing to use magic to blast Ayanokouji.
"Sorry, Betty-sama, I have one more question I'd like to ask you." Ayanokouji said.
"Just say what you want; don't waste my patience!" Beatrice's face now showed a slight frown.
Generally, she wouldn't talk much to anyone other than Puck, not even Roswaal, but she and Ayanokouji had engaged in so many conversations without realizing it.
"Are you willing to make a contract with me?" Ayanokouji spoke slowly.