The scene changes, Ayanokouji carries Emilia, who is experiencing nerve disturbances, out of the ruins and back to the residence with the others.
He hugs her and lays her back on the bed. Emilia seems to have suffered severe damage, both physically and mentally.
Beatrice also examines Emilia's body and finds no external injuries. This means healing magic is ineffective. For now, Emilia can only rest well.
Ram also prepares scented candles for Emilia to help her sleep, to ensure she doesn't have nightmares.
"As expected, it failed." After leaving Emilia's room and returning to the hall, Garfiel immediately crosses his legs on the table and impatiently says. It seems he didn't have high hopes to begin with.
"But there is one thing that I am very concerned about, Sir, how did you get into the trial location? You are not a Demi-Human, so you should not qualify for the trial!" Garfiel leans forward and throws a sharp look.
"Sorry, I really don't qualify for the trial." Ayanokouji immediately responds.
All of Garfiel's emotions are written on his face. He is not satisfied with the direct intrusion into the trial location; he uses his surroundings to look towards Beatrice, who is sitting next to Ayanokouji. He has experienced the same pain before and does not want to repeat it a second time.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Ayanokouji chooses to hide the fact that he can participate in the trial. If he, a non-Demi-Human, can participate in the trial, he will surely attract attention from others and even cause problems for himself.
He also notices something strange about Garfiel. He was initially very eager for Emilia to participate in the trial. He seemed very keen on letting Emilia free the Sanctuary, but from his current appearance, he already knows the difficulty of the trial, and he does not seem disappointed by Emilia's failure.
It's as if he doesn't want the Sanctuary to be freed at all, which makes Ayanokouji pay more attention to Garfiel.
"I endured severe pain." He slowly answers, "and I am also injured, as you can see."
Before leaving the ruins, he deliberately fell to the ground a few times, causing himself to be slightly injured and dusty, making it look like he was rejected by the trial and forced to enter.
"Really, why did you have to forcefully break in!" Beatrice pouts to the side and blames him.
"Sorry, I entered because I was a little worried about the situation inside." Ayanokouji says.
"You should prioritize yourself!" Beatrice says with a serious face.
Even though she has been a four-hundred-year-old Great Spirit, she did not realize that everything Ayanokouji did was for personal gain. "Let Betty spend more energy treating you!"
"Alright, I will do my best." Ayanokouji nods and gently pats her head, "Thank you for your hard work, Betty."
"Betty, Betty didn't work hard either... It's a trivial matter..." Beatrice's attitude, which had just blamed him, changes drastically. Her cheeks turn red, and she speaks a little hesitantly.
"Although I almost fainted from entering the ruins after hearing your words, I felt a little better when I thought Ayanokouji-sama was also like this." Otto completely misses the lie and doesn't care what he says, Ayanokouji's facial expression doesn't change, there is no trace of deception at all.
"Did you forget about me..." Just as Garfiel was about to say something, he saw Beatrice's ghostly look, as if she only saw a natural enemy like a kitten, and glanced to the side, pretending not to see.
"Can I say something?" Otto raises his hand and says, "Even if you don't challenge the trial and free the Sanctuary, there may be a way for others to escape from the Sanctuary."
"What are you talking about? How can there be such a method?" Garfiel says roughly, seemingly venting his anger on Otto.
"Listen to me first." Otto's eyes shine brightly, he leans forward and says seriously, "I know you are of mixed blood and will faint when you touch the barrier, so what if I bring out everyone who is unaffected by the barrier!"
Otto's face is filled with a proud smile, as if he has made a significant contribution.
'Otto's mind does move faster than others, but there is no doubt that this method is not feasible. The Sanctuary barrier has been around for a long time. If we can avoid the trial and escape, these people should have thought about it long ago.'
Ayanokouji thinks so, but he does not reveal his thoughts, but lets his body lean forward, showing that he is somewhat interested.
"Although this method is very bad, it's better not to do it!"
And at this moment, a small figure slowly enters the house.
She has long pink hair, a cute face, and unique elf ears. She looks exactly like the girl Ayanokouji saw before he was transferred to the ruins.
Except he remembered that the person he saw then was wearing white clothes, but she is now wearing a black suit and holding a staff in her hand.
"I don't want to be an empty shell without a soul."
"Ryuzu?! Is that you, Ryuzu!"
Beatrice sees the presence of another party, immediately slaps the table and stands up, looking at her with enthusiasm, as if she has just seen someone she hasn't seen in a long time.
"Sorry, you..."
And the girl called Ryuzu looks at Beatrice with a puzzled face, as if she is looking at a stranger.
"Aren't you Ryuzu Meyer?"
"Sorry, I'm Ryuzu Bilma." The girl who calls herself Ryuzu Bilma uses a title that is completely inconsistent with her appearance and very mature words, "That name belongs to the girl sealed inside the crystal, and this body is just one of the copies created by the witch."
"The girl sealed in the crystal..." Traces of sadness appear on Beatrice's face, "Ryuzu... You were created by my mother... Just like me."
Ayanokouji hears Beatrice talking about Sanctuary's past and realizes that the girl named Ryuzu sacrificed herself to complete the creation of the Sanctuary barrier. Is Ryuzu Bilma a copy of that girl? That it is one of the clones, does that mean there may be more clones?
So the person who guided him to the ruins earlier might not be Bilma.
Ayanokouji gently pats Beatrice's back, calming her emotions, then looks at Bilma: "Miss Bilma, have we met before?"
"Sorry, I have never met you before, and I am much older than you, dear!" Bilma says with a smile.
Ram approaches Ayanokouji with tea in hand: "Have a cup of tea, you must have worked hard all day without doing anything."
Ayanokouji feels something is wrong because Ram is not the type to take the initiative to pour tea for him.
"Don't say what you shouldn't say."
As she hands the tea to him, Ram whispers in his ear, and the sound can only be heard by the two of them.
There is no change in Ayanokouji's expression. Based on Ram's attitude, he is suspicious of Bilma's position.
But he does not relax his guard against Ram. After all, even though they are on the same side, Ram is very loyal to Roswaal. Ayanokouji has long considered this, Ram may have deeper feelings for Roswaal, but at least Ram needs Roswaal to replenish her body with magical power. Even if the emotional factor is set aside, Roswaal has absolute control over Ram.
From start to finish, Ayanokouji does not consider Ram as his complete possession, but only as an alternative tool. Moreover, he also considers Ram's weakness – Rem.
After the Demon Beast incident he orchestrated, Rem has placed great trust in him and basically follows his words.
Even in front of her very loyal master, if the safety of her own sister is involved, Ram must consider it.
Although she cannot be trusted, Ram is not a threat to Ayanokouji.
"Sorry, Miss Bilma, what are you doing?" Otto asks, finding it very difficult to adapt to addressing a girl who seems to be only ten years old with respect.
"Just consider me as the tribe's responsible person." Bilma says with a smile.
"Sorry, what do you mean by an empty shell without a soul?"
❀❀❀
At Advanced Nurturing High School Academy, following Chabashira Sae to the academy's reception room. On the way, Ayanokouji can clearly feel that Chabashira is a little anxious.
"The reception room? We haven't discussed our aspirations yet."
Ayanokouji says calmly, of course he knows what awaits him, he just wants to observe Chabashira's reaction, but the other party ignores it.
Chabashira comes to the door of the living room and knocks hesitantly:
"Principal, I'm bringing Ayanokouji in."
"Please come in."
Ayanokouji hears a slightly panicked male voice coming from the living room.
He follows Chabashira into the living room and sees the sweating principal sitting in a chair. He stands up as the door opens. His expression and demeanor indicate that he wants to be there at the first opportunity.
Being able to be the principal of this school is enough to show that the man has certain abilities and social status, but right now he is in a panic, like an employee who has just met his boss.
In fact, that's true.
"Well then, let the two of you talk. Of course, we have to go first!"
After speaking, Chabashira and the principal leave as if they are escaping.
Ayanokouji looks across to where the principal is sitting. A tall man is sitting there, his eyes like an eagle staring at his prey directed at him, and Ayanokouji looks at the other party without hesitation.
That man is his father.
"Would you like to sit down first? I came here specifically for you."
Father speaks slowly to Ayanokouji, his voice full of majesty, like a command.
"Sorry, I don't plan to chat for long. My friend is still waiting for me in class."
Ayanokouji disregards his father's intentions and speaks calmly.
"Friend? How is that possible? It's highly unlikely for someone like you to have friends."
Father shakes his head, as if he has just heard a ridiculous story.
"If you can give me the answer I expect, then this topic can be ended soon."
"What answer?"
Ayanokouji looks at him expressionlessly, he is truly observing.
He notices that the temperature in the room is not too high, but there are still sweat stains on his father's collar, near his neck, and slightly white. It's clearly sweat stains. It should have been wiped with a tissue, but the small sweat stains on the collar reveal a lot of information about him.
Sweating means he most likely came to the school in a hurry, and the fact that he always appears perfect reveals that this cunning man is so confused that he overlooks details like that.
When a shark senses a little blood, it will rush towards its prey, like Ayanokouji's sharp gaze right now.