Ayanokouji and the others returned to the mansion and took a short rest. Beatrice also went back to the Forbidden Library to add magic.
Ayanokouji put his belongings back in his room and then went to Meili's room.
"Meili, has Frederica been acting strangely lately?" He gently closed the door, then turned toward Meili.
Although Frederica was a maid trusted by Rem and the others, he did not trust her.
Not only did he not know much about Frederica's identity, but he also knew only that she had once worked at the mansion, and her timing of appearance was also strange.
There must be a reason why Roswaal sent Frederica back before he left.
The reason Ayanokouji kept Meili in the mansion was to monitor Frederica and prevent her from doing anything unusual.
"No!" Meili shook her head, "I've been following Ayanokouji-bro's instructions and secretly watching that too-big sister! But aside from cleaning the mansion every day and doing various chores, she hasn't done anything strange."
"I see, thank you for your hard work." Ayanokouji nodded.
"Big brother Ayanokouji… I want a reward!" Meili raised her head, placing her hands on top of it, and looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"Of course." Ayanokouji reached out and gently patted her head again. For a little girl like her who had lacked attention since childhood, such gestures were a significant reward.
"We also brought you a lot of snacks. This is a gift for you, Meili."
"Big brother Ayanokouji is the best person in the world!"
Though Meili was an assassin with a rather twisted personality, psychologically, she was just a little girl, lacking malice and easy to control.
After chatting a bit more with her, Ayanokouji left the room and found Frederica.
Frederica was preparing dinner for everyone in the kitchen. Her movements were very skillful, and she could cook many dishes simultaneously.
"Ayanokouji-sama, what's the matter?" Frederica turned around and asked.
"I wanted to ask how things were at the mansion while we were away." Ayanokouji said, leaning his back against the wall. His goal was to get information from her.
"In the mornings, I taught Meili some things to keep in mind as a maid, and in the afternoons, I went to the village to help. The village is almost fully rebuilt." Frederica smiled as she spoke, "Meili learns very quickly!"
"Do you know what happened when Roswaal and the others went to the Sanctuary?" Ayanokouji suddenly asked, not giving her time to react.
Asking an irrelevant question first would lower her psychological defenses, and when another irrelevant question followed, the person would react unconsciously.
He wanted to gauge from her reaction whether she knew the purpose of Roswaal's trip to the Sanctuary.
"Sorry, Ayanokouji-sama, I truly don't know anything." Frederica shook her head as she spoke.
Ayanokouji observed her closely. Frederica didn't seem to be lying. She genuinely didn't know what Roswaal was doing at the Sanctuary.
"But Roswaal-sama and Ram haven't returned, so I'm a little worried..." Frederica said slowly, "I don't know what's going on at the Sanctuary."
"That's true. It seems I will also have to go to the Sanctuary." Ayanokouji said.
"Although I was ordered to keep it a secret, I'm very concerned about their safety as well. I can tell Ayanokouji-sama and Emilia-sama how to get to the Sanctuary…"
"Since you were ordered to keep it a secret, isn't it too quick to reveal it so soon?" Ayanokouji noted the flaw in her statement.
When she had just spoken, Frederica spoke quickly, not out of genuine concern, but as if she had already planned her response.
Moreover, Ayanokouji had learned from Rem that Frederica was very loyal to Roswaal. If Roswaal had truly asked her to keep the Sanctuary a secret, she wouldn't have said anything.
The fact that she revealed it so naturally without hesitation was enough to show that Roswaal hadn't asked her to keep the information about the Sanctuary a secret; rather, he had invited them to enter the Sanctuary.
But what was Roswaal's true purpose?
And was the target himself or Emilia?
However, Ayanokouji also knew that Roswaal didn't seem to want to harm him. If he had ill intentions toward him, Roswaal would have had many opportunities to act while they were at the mansion.
This felt more like Roswaal inviting them to the Sanctuary.
Still, Ayanokouji was unsure of Roswaal's motives at the Sanctuary. To eliminate any risks, he needed to investigate for himself. Otherwise, with Emilia's character, she might not care if the villagers were trapped in the Sanctuary. While in the capital, Emilia had shown dissatisfaction on several occasions.
"Ayanokouji-sama, I don't know what you're talking about..." Frederica quickly feigned ignorance and denied it, but to him, her acting had become quite poor.
"Did you and Roswaal come to some kind of agreement? Or was it a contract?"
"Sorry, I really don't understand what you're talking about, Ayanokouji-sama..." Frederica's eyes darted around, and sweat began to form on her forehead.
"Where is the letter that Roswaal wrote for you?" Ayanokouji asked, but to her, it sounded full of pressure.
"Sorry, I cannot show it to Ayanokouji-sama..."
"'Is it impossible'?" Ayanokouji's eyes focused on her face. From her appearance, she wasn't lying. It was for a special reason that she couldn't do it — some kind of contract with Roswaal to keep the information a secret.
"Forget it. Just tell me how to get to the Sanctuary." Ayanokouji said.
From Frederica's demeanor, it seemed she was just one of the people Roswaal had invited to let them into the Sanctuary to understand the situation there. He had no way to get more information from Frederica, who had signed a contract.
"Hmm..." Frederica nodded and then told him how to get to the Sanctuary.
"…It will take me two days to prepare. Also, Ayanokouji-sama and Emilia-sama must be cautious of someone named Garfiel..."
Frederica pursed her lips, her expression becoming a bit complicated.
"Is he important to you?" Ayanokouji noted the change in her expression, especially when she mentioned Garfiel's name.
"Mm... He's my brother... But he's also a very dangerous person, though I haven't been in contact with him for a long time. I don't know what he's like now or what he's doing."
"Yes, I understand."
Ayanokouji nodded, and after asking a few more questions about the Sanctuary, he left the kitchen and informed Emilia and Beatrice about the Sanctuary they were going to visit.
"Do we really have to go to the Sanctuary?"
Beatrice looked slightly reluctant and couldn't help but purse her lips.
"Mm, Roswaal, Ram, and the villagers have been gone for a long time. This is already an abnormal situation." Ayanokouji directed his gaze toward Emilia.
Emilia also nodded enthusiastically: "We must go and see the villagers! They are the residents of our territory, so of course, we must ensure their safety, and there are many things I want to say to Roswaal."
Beatrice's expression remained somewhat awkward. For her, the Sanctuary was a place she didn't want to remember.
"Betty, if you don't want to go, we won't force you." Ayanokouji said slowly.
He knew that after saying this, Beatrice would surely follow him to the Sanctuary.
Puck had not appeared for unknown reasons, and Elsa was still handling various matters in the capital, so Beatrice was the most important insurance.
"No, since you're going, Betty will go too!" Beatrice puffed her cheeks and said, "It's not because of you! It's just that Betty hasn't been there in a long time. I just want to see it, it has nothing to do with you!"
Emilia couldn't help but laugh.
But at this moment, Otto spoke with a terrified expression on his face: "Wait, am I supposed to go too? Are we really going together? There shouldn't be anything dangerous there, right? Ah? Why isn't anyone answering me?"
The scene changed, and two days later…
Ayanokouji and the others had prepared everything and were about to set off for the Sanctuary.
Otto would drive the dragon carriage, and Ayanokouji, Emilia, and Beatrice would go to the Sanctuary together.
Before leaving, Ayanokouji also gave Meili secret orders. If Frederica did anything unusual during this period, she could capture her alive immediately. Additionally, if she did nothing for a week, once she left the Sanctuary, she should contact people in the capital for assistance.
"Emilia-sama." As everyone was about to leave, Frederica quickly approached Emilia and handed her a blue crystal pendant, "With this, you can break through the forest barrier and enter the Sanctuary. Then, follow the route I told you, and the earth dragon will take you there."
"Is this the key to breaking through the barrier?" Emilia took the pendant and put it around her neck.
"The qualifications and location have been prepared. Please proceed to the Sanctuary. Also, remember my instructions..." Said Frederica.
"Yes!" Emilia nodded quickly. "We will definitely be cautious of the one named Garfiel!"
Ayanokouji had already committed Garfiel's name to memory. Since Frederica claimed that the other person was her brother, this Garfiel must also be a Demi-Human.
From Frederica's words, her advice seemed genuine, but why did Garfiel need to be treated with caution?
Was he an enemy?
Ayanokouji had many questions in his mind, and he already had a rough guess about them, but to confirm, he needed to investigate himself.
"Please depart early. If you're late, the forest path will become difficult. I wish you a safe journey." Frederica bowed deeply to everyone.
Ayanokouji and the others boarded the dragon carriage, with Otto gradually steering it forward, while Frederica's expression grew more serious.
"Roswaal-sama, everything has been done according to your orders. How Emilia-sama fares in the Sanctuary can only rely on prayers." Frederica whispered to herself, with only her able to hear her words. "But... Ayanokouji-sama seems to be aware of Roswaal-sama plan, and it seems Ayanokouji-sama knows everything very well. If he's there, everything should be fine."