Beatrice had actually fallen asleep by the time Ayanokouji started telling the second story, yet he continued to recount all five stories he'd promised her.
"Let this be storytelling practice." Ayanokouji thought to himself as he glanced at Beatrice's face beside him. Her breathing was steady, her expression relaxed, and she seemed to be in a deep sleep.
After the fight last night, Beatrice had used a lot of her magic and physical strength, and after enjoying the banquet, she fell asleep shortly after lying down.
Ayanokouji turned toward the shadowy corner of the room, where a slender figure stepped lightly out of the darkness—it was Elsa.
Her black clothes almost blended with the darkness, and her high heels touched the ground without making a sound. Only her golden-purple eyes stood out from the shadows.
Elsa opened her mouth slightly, about to say something, but Ayanokouji raised his finger and placed it in front of his lips, signaling her to stay quiet for now. Beatrice couldn't learn about the deal between them.
He rose from the bed to avoid waking Beatrice and then followed Elsa outside.
"This is the list for the operation." He said, pulling a list and related information from his pocket and handing it to Elsa.
"Is this another lucky one?" Elsa asked with a meaningful smile as her eyes skimmed the names on the list. Her tongue slowly slid over her lips, but after reading a particular name, her smile deepened.
"If I remember correctly, these are members of the Karsten family." She asked with a smile. "Aren't they supposed to be allies, Ayanokouji-sama?"
"If only the enemy camp's people had accidents, I'd be easily suspected." Ayanokouji responded expressionlessly.
"Treating them like abandoned children, are we?" Elsa leaned forward. "You're truly ruthless, but that's why I follow you. So, how's Meili doing?"
"She's doing well. Frederica is now teaching her relevant knowledge to become a maid. Frederica says Meili is learning very quickly." Ayanokouji replied.
Seeing Meili's awkward handwriting, Elsa's expression froze for a moment before she broke into a genuinely happy smile, entirely different from her previous one.
"Meili has never received any formal education, so Frederica is teaching her to read and write. From what I can see, Meili is learning at a relatively fast pace." Ayanokouji said.
"I see." Elsa nodded before disappearing into the darkness again.
Though she was one of the world's top assassins, emotions still bound her.
Ayanokouji watched the darkness where Elsa had vanished, paused for a few seconds, then returned to his room and lay down on the bed.
"Ayanokouji…" Beatrice mumbled in her sleep, eyes closed, unconsciously reaching out and holding Ayanokouji's hand.
❀❀❀
"Honestly! Once or twice is enough—why do you have to put Betty to sleep every day?!"
Every time the sky screen showed her sleeping, Beatrice's face would flush red, and she'd cover her face with her hands, the embarrassment still lingering in her heart.
This wasn't just a public display.
And it had happened more than once or twice.
"Betty-sama, your meal is ready. Should I bring it to you?"
Rem's voice came from behind Beatrice. Her attention was entirely focused on the illusion, and she hadn't noticed Rem approaching at all.
"Just leave it there; I'll fetch it myself later… I'll return the dishes after I've finished eating!" Beatrice quickly tried to sound calm, placing her hands, which had been covering her face, down on her lap, pretending to read a book. She didn't notice, though, that all her books were upside down.
"Betty-sama, do you have a cold?" Rem asked with a slight tilt of her head, sounding concerned.
"Your face is awfully red. Let me go make you a cup of warm tea."
"Ah! I don't… no, yes, I do have a cold. Please make me a cup of warm tea!" Beatrice quickly nodded, finally managing to send Rem away. But within minutes, Rem returned.
"What is it?"
"Roswaal-sama just said that Betty-sama is a Great Spirit and can't catch a cold. The reason she's blushing must be from embarrassment."
"Don't say any more!"
❰❱ SKY SCREEN ❰❱
The scene shifted, and several days had passed in the blink of an eye.
In the last few days, Ayanokouji had finalized his work arrangements in the royal capital, utilizing the manpower and material resources of the Karsten family to expand and renovate his workshop in preparation for entering the royal capital's market.
He first commissioned the workshop to produce beautifully colored glaze and personally displayed the artificial crystals to the nobles.
These colorful artificial crystals quickly captivated the nobles. People are always drawn to beauty, and the elegance and intricacy of the colored glaze Ayanokouji produced could easily be compared to the most precious jewels in this world.
He expected the colored glaze he made to set a new trend among the nobility—and indeed, it did. After seeing the glaze, the nobles placed numerous advance orders.
This brought him great profits. People were willing to go crazy for beautiful things, and Ayanokouji took the opportunity to interfere in and control the jewelry market.
Not only that, he planned to broaden his business scope, entering various fields and aiming to monopolize the market from all angles.
By controlling the market, Ayanokouji could generate immense profits for himself while striking at his competitors.
He expanded in commerce and maintained his political ties. After annexing the Karsten family, he immediately purged those opposed to him, keeping only the valuable individuals. Many nobles took the initiative to pledge their support to him.
Ayanokouji also frequently visited Reinhard and engaged in lengthy conversations with him.
He studied Reinhard's character, often discussing knighthood with him, and promised to help Reinhard resolve his strained relationship with his grandfather, Wilhelm.
His motive was to win Reinhard's favor.
Standard methods wouldn't work on Reinhard—his character was too perfect, almost spotless. Bribes were useless, and Elsa's strength couldn't sway him.
Ayanokouji knew that to win Reinhard over, he'd need to genuinely form an alliance.
Now, Reinhard considered him a close friend. During their conversations, Ayanokouji subtly withheld his true thoughts while continuously planting psychological hints—suggesting that if Reinhard allowed others to control the kingdom, Lugnica might face a major crisis.
These words also nudged Reinhard toward the idea of joining Emilia's camp.
However, it was still too early to invite him to officially join.
Meanwhile, Ayanokouji had been gathering information on the Mathers family in the royal capital.
According to his findings, as Beatrice had mentioned, the previous heads of the Mathers family all dressed bizarrely and acted strangely.
Roswaal didn't publicize himself much in the capital, but he rarely missed any significant gatherings. Roswaal A. From 400 years ago was no exception.
Ayanokouji also read through historical records, searching for information on the Witch of Greed from the past. According to the records, the witches were all ultimately killed by the Witch of Envy, but from Beatrice's words, it seemed there was more to the story.
Could the historical data have been tampered with?
Ayanokouji wasn't sure, but what was clear was that Roswaal wasn't a simple man, and he had some connection to the Witch of Greed.
Why did he want to go to the Sanctuary? What was the purpose behind it all?
Ayanokouji didn't know the exact reason for Roswaal's journey to the Sanctuary, but it was undoubtedly linked to Echidna. He had also decided to return to the mansion soon and head to the Sanctuary to confirm the details firsthand.
Just after meeting with Russell, they signed an agreement on various trade routes. Ayanokouji provided him with financial assistance and used Russell's network to cover his tracks, while Russell promised a substantial share and helped him expand his industrial chain, even aiding Ayanokouji in selling his goods to other countries.
"Here's to a successful partnership!"
After finalizing the contract, Russell beamed with satisfaction as they shook hands.
Ayanokouji studied him. For a businessman, profit was everything.
He provided funds and protection to Russell not only to secure profits but also to gain control of the man's industrial chain and ensure his loyalty.
Bound by mutual interest, Russell had no reason to betray him.
"By the way, Ayanokouji-sama, I've just received a new 'shipment.' Would you like to take a look?" A meaningful smile crossed Russell's face.
"Yes." Ayanokouji nodded, knowing exactly what Russell meant.
Russell led him to the underground vault of his secret fortress.
It was a dark dungeon—filled with the cries of various people.
These individuals were Russell's "products."
Those who owed him large sums or were abandoned by society were captured here by his men and sold as merchandise. Many high-ranking nobles were involved. Ayanokouji had already investigated this matter.
"There are humans and Demi-Humans of all ages and genders. Please choose whichever you like, Ayanokouji-sama. I'd be happy to offer it as a gift for our partnership!" Russell said, smiling as he introduced each individual in the dungeon as though they were products.
He introduced each person in the dungeon as if he were selling products, saying, "This is a girl from the Demi-Human race. Many people like this type now. This is…"
Ayanokouji had no peculiar interests. He was only here to see if he could find someone useful.
"This person owes me a lot. They have some sort of Divine Protection and can understand the words of animals, though it's not a very useful Divine Protection." Russell said after introducing a particular individual, continuing to move forward, ready to present more "products."
Currently, Ayanokouji stood in front of a cell, observing a young man inside.
"May I know your name?"
"Otto Suwen."