The scene shifts; the feast is over. Ayanokouji and the others have left the Karsten mansion and returned to their own home.
Emilia was too drunk and babbling nonsense. She even clung to Ayanokouji's arm like a child.
After Ayanokouji asked Rem to help look after Emilia, he took Beatrice back to room.
He first sat at desk, took out some fruit he had prepared, and skillfully inserted several copper pieces and other metal fragments he had brought back from the workshop into the fruit mash, then used some metal wires connected to a battery he had taken from his phone.
"What are you doing? Even if you don't like eating fruit, you shouldn't waste it!" Beatrice watched his actions, behaving like an adult, and accused him of his behavior.
"Sorry, I'm not wasting it. I'm just making a fruit battery." Ayanokouji said slowly.
"A battery? What's that?"
Beatrice walked closer with a puzzled expression on her face. She was so tiny that she had to stand on tiptoe and rest her round chin on the table.
"It can be understood as a way to recharge the magic power for my magic weapon."
Ayanokouji didn't want to explain the principles behind the fruit battery because Beatrice wouldn't understand even if he did.
Even if Beatrice knew everything about the knowledge in the Forbidden Library, she would still struggle to comprehend knowledge beyond the concepts of this world.
In this world, there is no concept of electricity, and his phone's power is limited, so he needed to find a way to recharge it.
Making a fruit battery was easy for him without any difficulty. However, its efficiency was too low. This battery could only charge a small amount at a time, but at least the phone still worked.
He also considered whether he could use magic or magical stones available in this world to recharge the battery, but this still needed to be tested.
"Extracting magic power from fruit?" Beatrice's mouth slightly puckered, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"Betty, can I ask you something?" Ayanokouji set aside the phone and battery.
"Yes." Beatrice also put her hand on the table, looking very sweet.
"Do you know if Roswaal has a Gospel?"
Beatrice seemed to be lost in thought. After a few seconds, she nodded, "Mm, theoretically, yes. Mother gave it to me. Roswaal and I each had a Gospel book. Although human lifespans are too short, Roswaal today might have inherited the wisdom book from the first Roswaal."
"First Roswaal?" Ayanokouji recalled that the family name was Mathers, and Roswaal was just a name. "Did the ancestor of Roswaal have the same name as him?"
"Yes, their family has been called Roswaal Mathers for generations. It's just that their middle names are different, from A to J…" Beatrice extended her fingers and began counting, "A, B, C… I don't know how many generations apart, but it's many generations!"
Ayanokouji knew that although this name sounded like a code name, in Western countries where he lived, there were also cases where many family successors used the same name.
"So what is the relationship between Roswaal and Betty in the first generation?" Ayanokouji continued to ask.
"It's just about living together. He was Mother's disciple, that's all." Beatrice seemed tired of standing, so she took a few steps back and sat on the bed. "But in the end…"
"What happened?" Ayanokouji noticed a change in Beatrice's expression, which seemed a bit sad, so he also sat beside her and asked.
"It was a long time ago. Mother wanted to create a place called the Sanctuary…" Beatrice began to tell what happened.
Four hundred years ago, they lived with Echidna and prepared to create a place called the Sanctuary to fight against a terrifying entity known as the 'Warlock of Melancholy.'
But as time ran out, the Warlock of Melancholy eventually found the Sanctuary, Roswaal was severely injured, and Echidna died and was buried there. In the end, a woman named Ryuzu was sacrificed, and the Sanctuary was successfully launched.
"Eventually, only Betty was left." Beatrice bowed her head, her eyes glistening with tears.
At this moment, she suddenly felt a warm sensation coming from her palm, which was Ayanokouji's hand.
Ayanokouji held Beatrice's small hand with one hand and gently patted her shoulder with the other. For someone like Beatrice, as long as he showed care, she would quickly open her heart.
He knew that Beatrice now trusted him deeply, but the drama he was playing had to continue. From the current perspective, Beatrice had a good understanding of the Sanctuary. If he needed to dig into Roswaal's history, he would surely need her power, and during the fight with the White Whale, Ayanokouji had seen Beatrice's tremendous power. As long as he could provide sufficient magical power, she had formidable combat strength, and her Yin magic also had significant strategic importance.
"No, you're not alone." Ayanokouji said.
Beatrice's face turned red, and she could even feel her ears getting warm: "Really, Betty is not that fragile!"
"This is a bit different from what you showed earlier."
"Ouch! No! Just forget it!" Beatrice quickly shook her head, her prominent cheeks looking like a pufferfish.
"But… thank you…"
She lowered her head and bit her lip. She held Ayanokouji's hand tightly, unwilling to let go.
The gloom on her face faded, and a bright smile appeared again.
"Betty, do you remember what the Warlock of Melancholy looked like?"
Seeing Beatrice's face return to normal, Ayanokouji continued to ask.
"Betty only caught a glimpse through the window… It was too long ago, and Betty can't remember the appearance, but Betty remembers that he wore a strange clown costume. Since then, the Mathers family has worn clown costumes from generation to generation. Such a strange family."
"Have they worn clown costumes for several generations…" Ayanokouji thought hard after hearing this.
When he first met Roswaal, he analyzed Roswaal's strange clothing and behavior. Either he wanted to attract attention or he had encountered a major issue in the past.
Based on what Beatrice said, the first-generation Roswaal must have suffered a severe blow after being defeated by the Warlock of Melancholy and had to wear this clown costume.
But why did his descendants, from the second generation to the current Roswaal, all wear the same clown costume? Although it could be explained by family tradition, Ayanokouji had heard that the Mathers family was a guarantee family, and no one chose to wear luxurious clothing. Only the past Roswaal would do this.
"Betty, is there a difference in character between each generation of Roswaal?" Ayanokouji continued asking.
"Difference?" Beatrice raised her head and put her pinky finger on her chubby chin. "Roswaal from each generation didn't talk much to Betty. They all saw me after entering the Forbidden Library, but their behavior was very similar, as if they were carved from the same mold—"
"A mold…"
After hearing these words, Ayanokouji couldn't help but have some suspicions in his mind. Could it be that the current Roswaal is the first-generation Roswaal?
After four hundred years, the current Roswaal sounds very similar to his ancestor, which is quite unscientific.
"Betty, do you think there's a chance that the current Roswaal is the original Roswaal you once knew?" Ayanokouji expressed the bold idea in his heart.
"No, that's impossible…" Beatrice involuntarily swallowed, her eyes filled with shock. Ayanokouji's words sounded somewhat too absurd. "Isn't it said that Roswaal's gender in the past was different? How could a person live for so long…"
Beatrice looked at him with some concern, realizing that her words also included Ayanokouji.
"Is there a specific forbidden technique that can take someone's body?" Ayanokouji asked slowly.
He remembered clearly that when he met Petelgeuse, the other party used the ability to take over someone's body.
Could it be that Roswaal also mastered related forbidden arts?
"You mean…"
Beatrice's eyes widened. Although she wanted to deny the other's words, she also remembered that her mother, Echidna, had researched immortality, and it was not impossible for Roswaal to achieve it with his talent.
Ayanokouji saw her expression and already had an answer in his mind. Although this suspicion is highly implausible, it is not impossible – it could even be considered the most likely answer at the moment.
However, he currently lacked relevant evidence. To find out the answer, he would have to meet Roswaal directly.
For now, he still had to stay in the royal capital for a while. During this time, he could investigate the background of the Mathers family.
❀❀❀
"This is very interesting."
Roswaal squinted slightly, and his eyes, which had previously been filled with curiosity, were now filled with excitement.
Although Ayanokouji was getting closer to his true identity, Roswaal was becoming happier.
Ayanokouji was almost a perfect being, meeting all of Roswaal's requirements and capable of doing anything to place Emilia on the throne.
As long as Emilia could ascend to the throne, Roswaal could fulfill his long-standing wish and resurrect his master, Echidna, after killing the dragon.
Roswaal was also slightly worried.
Initially, he thought that with the Gospel, he could easily make Ayanokouji his pawn.
But now, Roswaal himself was concerned whether he could control Ayanokouji.
But now Roswaal only cared if the figure in the image could eventually fulfill his long-held desires. Even if his true face could be revealed to the world later, he didn't care.
Even if it was just he in the sky screen fulfilling his long-held desires, it would be enough.
"Come to me, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka!"
A sly smile appeared on Roswaal's face, and there seemed to be a hint of madness at the corner of his mouth.
❰❱SKY SCREEN❰❱
"Ayanokouji, why are you asking this?" Beatrice was filled with confusion.
"It's nothing, I'm just very curious." Ayanokouji nodded and touched his hair. Beatrice immediately turned red again, her body trembling, and her mind nearly short-circuited.
"I've been very helpful these past two days! You must tell me at least five stories tonight!" Beatrice quickly let go and grabbed his sleeve, saying.
"Five stories? I might be exhausted before you fall asleep." Ayanokouji said without expression.
"I don't care!" Beatrice flailed her arms on the bed like a stranded fish.
"Okay." Ayanokouji shook his head but verbally agreed to Beatrice's request.
The scene changed. An hour later, Beatrice was asleep beside Ayanokouji.