Chapter 42 - Setting a Trap

Beatrice stood there with a blank expression, even thinking she had misheard.

It took her a few seconds to realize what Ayanokouji was talking about, a frown appearing on her face.

"You, you, you, what are you talking about! You're spouting nonsense about Betty! Betty wants to teach a lesson to a man like you who doesn't know the heights of the sky..."

The airflow around Beatrice immediately became turbulent, as if a fierce typhoon was about to hit.

"No, I'm serious."

Ayanokouji faced Beatrice's threat but still maintained a calm expression.

"What exactly do you want to do?"

"Didn't you say? As long as I sign a contract with the Spirit, I can avoid the risk of my body being taken over."

"Is it because of something almost impossible? Is there something wrong with your brain?!" A look of anger appeared on Beatrice's face.

Only a few people in the world mastered this forbidden technique, and she didn't understand why Ayanokouji was obsessed with it.

"Compared to yesterday, the smell on your body is stronger. Has your brain been damaged by this smell? Betty is fed up with your arrogance. Now, quickly disappear from Betty's sight!"

'Is the smell getting stronger?' Ayanokouji thought for a moment.

What Beatrice mentioned as 'yesterday' and today were two different regressions. His body was linked to the ability Return by Death. Maybe every time he experienced death, the smell of the Witch on his body would get stronger.

Strong winds roared around Ayanokouji, his hair fluttering in the wind, and he continued: "Then what will happen if I tell Puck what you did yesterday?"

He knew that Beatrice cared a lot about Puck, so he would use this as a threat.

However, he also knew that Beatrice had a good heart but often wouldn't admit it because of her pride. She had a character that, despite complaining, found it hard to refuse others' requests.

"Are you threatening Betty?"

"If Puck knew that you took my magic power yesterday, he might also be angry." Ayanokouji continued, his eyes fixed on Beatrice.

He could feel that even though Beatrice taking his magic power was a joke the first night he arrived, she felt a bit guilty in her heart.

"You, you... Betty really can't understand you." Beatrice pouted and looked at him with eyes full of confusion.

She didn't know why the other party was obsessed with this, using Puck to threaten her, leaving her with no choice but to lower her head a bit.

"It's not impossible to complete the contract – but let me warn you first, the contents of the contract cannot be strange. Otherwise, I won't agree, and I'll only sign a temporary contract!"

"How long can a temporary contract last?"

"A maximum of one week! I won't be so foolish as to sign a long-term contract with you, an unknown man I've just met for a short time." Beatrice raised her head and said, "Anyway, Betty can tell you, I don't want you causing any trouble. For Betty, this mansion is irreplaceable, and the contract's content is limited to the mansion's interior!"

"Fine, don't worry, I won't do anything strange, and I don't need to bother you to leave the mansion. Betty-sama can do whatever she wants." Ayanokouji said.

According to what Beatrice had just said, as long as he signed a contract with the Spirit, he would be immune to Petelgeuse's possession power, so wherever Beatrice was, there wouldn't be any major problems.

"Weird man. Betty doesn't understand your intentions at all." Beatrice shook her head.

"But Betty-sama, have you really not considered going for a walk?" Ayanokouji asked.

He felt that even though Beatrice said she was afraid of trouble, deep down she seemed very eager to leave the mansion.

"I'm not as carefree as you humans!" Beatrice immediately said, letting out a long sigh, "Hold out your hand!"

"Yes." Ayanokouji held out his hand.

"Too high!"

Beatrice grabbed his palm and intertwined their fingers.

Ayanokouji could clearly feel the pressure brought by the warmth of Beatrice's slightly fleshy small hand.

"To fulfill your wish, we complete this contract in Beatrice's name." Beatrice closed her eyes and slowly opened them after a few seconds. "Even if it's only temporary, a contract is a contract. If someone really learns this forbidden technique, I won't be able to use it on you again. If you complain to Bubby, I won't let you go!"

She pouted slightly and folded her arms in front of her chest. Glancing to the side, she looked like a cute little girl.

"Thank you very much." Ayanokouji nodded.

But at this moment, a sly smile appeared on Beatrice's face: "But I must tell you, Betty is different from other Spirits. I can't condense magic power on my own and can only absorb it from the contractor. There's also an exclusive contractor; you can't sign a contract with another Spirit."

"I think Betty-sama should have said this earlier about something like this." Ayanokouji shrugged, but such side effects were acceptable to him.

Even though he wasn't good at magic himself, magic power was still generated in his body every day. As long as he didn't use much magic, it didn't matter if Beatrice absorbed a little of it, and as for not being able to contract with other Spirits, it didn't matter now, because his current focus was on whether he had a Spirit contracted with him.

"Okay, now are you satisfied! I'm tired, don't disturb my rest!" After Beatrice finished speaking, she turned her back on Ayanokouji, sat back in her chair, and picked up a book.

"Remember to close the door when you leave!"

"Yes." Ayanokouji nodded.

This time, Beatrice didn't immediately kick him out of the forbidden library. Instead, she asked him to close the door.

At least this was a good start, and the distance between them would gradually shorten.

After leaving Beatrice's room, Ayanokouji went to the room where Meili was.

At this moment, Meili had just learned the general layout and structure of the mansion from Ram. Tomorrow, Ram would continue instructing Meili on what to watch out for as a maid. Meili had now returned to her room and was preparing to rest.

"How are you?" Ayanokouji asked, "Are you still getting used to it?"

"Yes." Meili nodded enthusiastically, "This is the first time I've slept alone in such a big room!"

"If anything happens, just call me." Ayanokouji extended his hand and gently stroked Meili's hair.

This was one of the gestures of an elder caring for a younger one. Even though he wasn't interested in what was called feelings, he knew how to do the right thing at the right time.

"Alright..."

Meili extended her hand and held Ayanokouji's hand.

"Brother Ayanokouji, can you tell me a bedtime story tonight?"

She had already placed great trust in him. This was simply because Elsa was now serving him, so in her heart, Ayanokouji was a trustworthy person, as simple as that.

A child's mind is very simple.

"Yes." Ayanokouji nodded, then picked up a fairy tale book that Ram had left for him and sat by Meili's bed: "Once upon a time..."

"Brother Ayanokouji, why are you telling the story without emotion? At least you should be more emotional!" Meili was lying in bed and said to him.

"Is it emotional and emotional..." Ayanokouji paused for a moment, then continued, "Sorry, I don't have much experience in telling stories."

"Telling stories shouldn't be difficult at all!" Meili's cheeks puffed up a bit, and she shook her head, "Forget it, Brother Ayanokouji, you'd better continue!"

"Yes." Ayanokouji nodded and continued telling a story.

Unknowingly, more than ten minutes had passed. His storytelling skills were indeed too ordinary, but his words were indeed very hypnotic.

Meili slept very soundly, tightly holding a cloth doll that Ayanokouji had asked from Ram, without any precaution.

This made him somewhat hard to believe that the little girl in front of him came from an assassin organization, was it because Elsa usually took care of her?

Seeing her asleep, he also took a moment to think further about his future plans.

Now he should be immune to Petelgeuse's possession ability. If he killed all the opponent's fingers, then the opponent wouldn't have any extra chances to rise. Combined with the strength of Elsa, Meili, and others, it shouldn't be difficult to face Petelgeuse.

However, Ayanokouji was a bit curious about the Witch's Cult. Besides Petelgeuse as the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, there seemed to be several Sin Archbishops accused of serious crimes. He might need to face other Sin Archbishops in the future.

It would be fine if their abilities were the same as Petelgeuse's, but it would be a bit troublesome if they had stranger abilities.

This made Ayanokouji think about whether Petelgeuse could be used to gain more information about the Witch's Cult.

And from Petelgeuse, he seemed to mention that the position of Sin Archbishop of Pride is currently vacant. Ayanokouji might be able to use this to get closer to him, obtain more information about the Witch Cult, and even infiltrate it.

But that's as far as it goes. The usable value of Sloth Archbishop Petelgeuse is limited to this extent.

In the last regression, Ayanokouji had already learned that Petelgeuse was truly insane. His madness was different from Elsa's. Elsa only appeared delighted when she killed and had some rather perverted hobbies, but she could still communicate well under normal circumstances and maintain basic rationality, making her controllable.

However, Petelgeuse's madness had penetrated deep into his bones. He was truly irrational, and his behavior was unpredictable and uncontrollable. Moreover, he was not hired to kill Emilia like Elsa—his target was Emilia, which meant that no matter how he used Petelgeuse, he would inevitably turn against him.

Although Petelgeuse had very special powers and might provide excellent combat effectiveness, Ayanokouji would never keep an uncontrollable tool, no matter how sharp it was, as it had no value worth maintaining.

As long as Petelgeuse was fully utilized and drained, Ayanokouji was ready to eliminate him completely.

If necessary, the same applies to other members of the Witch Cult. After all, the Witch Cult is a significant threat.

"I didn't expect Master to have such a gentle side."

A cold and ambiguous voice sounded in Ayanokouji's ear.

Elsa had returned to the mansion quietly without anyone noticing. If she wanted, she could kill everyone in the mansion quietly.

There was no doubt that she was a dangerous person, but now she could be a sharp blade for Ayanokouji.

"I've investigated it, and there are indeed signs of human activity near the forest. It seems like members of the Witch Cult. Are they our target?" Elsa said with anticipation, sticking out her tongue.