The Unsolved Conspiracy and the Oncoming Blizzard

As Beatrice gazed upon the original Ryuzu, countless memories flooded her mind, making her unable to hold back her tears.

Ayanokouji slowly walked toward her without saying anything. He simply extended his hand, and Beatrice grasped it tightly, as if venting her emotions.

At that moment, Otto hurriedly rushed in from outside: "Ayanokouji-sama, someone is coming, someone is coming!"

But before he could finish speaking, three figures quickly approached—it was Garfiel and two Ryuzu clones.

"So the information reached them?" Ayanokouji focused on the newcomers.

He noticed that the appearances and demeanors of the two Ryuzu clones were different. One was dressed in black and resembled Bilma from yesterday, but he wasn't sure. It could have been another clone with the same appearance and clothing.

The other Ryuzu present was dressed in white. She looked exactly like the Ryuzu who had previously guided Ayanokouji to the ruins, but her eyes seemed slightly sunken.

"Why are you here? How do you know about this place..." Garfiel initially wanted to ask, but his voice trailed off after seeing Beatrice.

"Since the Sanctuary was created by Betty's mother, knowing about this place is normal. But you, who arrived late and are still acting like the master here, are truly unpleasant!"

Beatrice wiped her tears and glared at him, causing Garfiel to take an involuntary step back.

"Mother?" Garfiel was slightly shocked, "Are you from the Witch of Greed..."

"You're not allowed to call Mother by that name!" Beatrice shouted, raising her hand, summoning a gust of wind, and blasting Garfiel out of the ruins, making him disappear from Ayanokouji's sight.

All the trees along the way were broken by Garfiel, who flew like a cannonball.

"Betty, didn't I tell you to conserve some of your magic power?" Ayanokouji shook his head.

"Betty couldn't tolerate someone slandering Mother!" Beatrice pouted.

Although in her eyes, Echidna was a kind and caring person, the Echidna that Ayanokouji saw in the spiritual world was not like that.

Even though he didn't know the specific reason, he wouldn't take Echidna lightly.

If he needed to become Echidna's enemy, even with Beatrice by his side, he wouldn't show any mercy.

No, Beatrice should not be included in this consideration.

"Are you Grandma Bilma?" Ayanokouji turned to the Ryuzu in black and asked, wanting to confirm her identity.

"You've made a mistake! I'm not Bilma; I'm Ryuzu Alma." The one who had the same demeanor, appearance, and way of speaking as Bilma was yet another Ryuzu clone.

"Can you explain the relationship between you all?" Ayanokouji asked.

"Since it's an order from the Apostle of the Witch of Greed, I will naturally explain, and all Ryuzu clones must obey the Apostle of the Witch of Greed." Alma said with a smile.

'Apostle of the Witch of Greed?' Ayanokouji thought for a moment after hearing her words. Why was the other party calling him that?

Was it because he was granted the qualification for the trial? Or because he drank Echidna's bodily fluids?

But in any case, this was undoubtedly Echidna's doing. Had she given him this ability to facilitate decryption for fun?

Or was this just to confuse the public?

At the very least, Ayanokouji planned to make good use of this ability.

"Alright." Ayanokouji nodded.

Alma then explained the situation in the Sanctuary, as well as the information about the four earliest clones.

Ayanokouji learned that the four clones were named Alma, Bilma, Shima, and Delma. They each performed their respective duties, guarding and monitoring various places in the Sanctuary. However, among them, Shima had taken Garfiel, who failed the trial, out of the ruins and was dismissed from her position. She wore white clothing and stayed with the other Ryuzu clones whose souls had not been filled, just like the clone standing beside Alma.

The biggest difference between Shima and the other three clones was that she had forced her way into the ruins to save Garfiel and had to undergo the trial, so she gained the memories of the original body, Ryuzu.

This made Ayanokouji a bit curious. Was the Ryuzu clone who led him to the trial ruins just a regular clone, or was it Shima?

After the two of them chatted for a while, Garfiel, covered in dust, finally returned to everyone, but there were no injuries on his body.

Ayanokouji knew that Beatrice's earlier attack had been quite serious. Coupled with his previous appearance, he believed that Garfiel not only had a very strong physique but also might have excellent healing abilities.

"You're really bold to come back. Is there something else you want to say this time?" Beatrice crossed her arms and looked at Garfiel with disdain.

"Grandma..." Garfiel didn't meet Beatrice's gaze but turned to look at Alma beside him.

"Young Gar, Young Aya and the others are not enemies." Alma said kindly.

"In that case, I have no business here. I'll go back to sleep." Garfiel pretended as if nothing had happened, then turned and left to avoid further embarrassment.

"Young Gar is actually a good boy, but he's just a bit dishonest." Alma said, like a kind-hearted elder.

"There are some people like that." Ayanokouji glanced at Beatrice with a knowing look.

"Ayanokouji, did you just look at me?"

"No." Ayanokouji replied expressionlessly and then focused on Alma again, "Grandma Alma, has there been anything unusual about Roswaal recently?"

Since there were countless Ryuzu clones used as eyes and ears, Roswaal's movements should be quite clear.

"Roswaal-sama went to challenge the trial some time ago but was rejected by it, so he was seriously injured." Alma said, "However, he seems to have recovered almost completely some time ago and even reached the core."

"What did he do there?" Ayanokouji quickly asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand..."

Beatrice quickly walked to the core, extended her hand, closed her eyes, and released an induction spell simultaneously. After a few seconds, she slowly opened her eyes: "A spell has been placed here. It seems to be a technique that can control the weather."

"Can it be stopped?"

"The spell has already started, and there's no way to stop it." Beatrice said.

"What is the effect of this technique?"

"It seems... like heavy snowfall." Beatrice said, "The duration is uncertain, but from the current perspective, it will last for about three days."

"Heavy snowfall?" Ayanokouji thought, 'Could this be the death line set by Roswaal?'

But is it just snowfall?

If it snowed, it would cause many problems, but it wouldn't be impossible to deal with. There were plenty of forests in the sanctuary, so food and firewood wouldn't be an issue.

With Roswaal's methods, it was very unlikely that this was all there was to it. There must be many things he hadn't discovered yet.

Although Roswaal's true intentions were unclear, Ayanokouji's current priority was to let Emilia pass the trial and leave the Sanctuary before figuring out how to deal with Roswaal.

Right now, he wasn't sure what the problem with Emilia's past memories was. He needed to find an opportunity to meet Echidna again.

Using Echidna's thirst for knowledge about unknown events to obtain more information from her mouth was Ayanokouji's initial plan.

However, if Garfiel was present, it wouldn't be easy for him to enter the ruins. After all, Ayanokouji had always hidden the fact that he was qualified for the trial.

Judging from his current performance, Garfiel was on Roswaal's side, but he didn't seem particularly loyal. Perhaps he could be used as a tool to target Roswaal, but from the current situation, he wanted Emilia to break through the trial, which was against Garfiel's goals. The other party had now become an obstacle to him, and he would have to eliminate him temporarily.

And Ayanokouji had already thought of a countermeasure.

"Otto, I need to ask you something." Ayanokouji turned and said, "Grandma Alma, I'll need your help as well."

"Don't worry, Ayanokouji-sama, we will fully comply with the orders of the Apostle of the Witch of Greed."

"No need to ask! Whatever Ayanokouji-sama tells me to do, I will do it! Without hesitation—but it's best if it's something that doesn't endanger my life. After all, Ayanokouji-sama is my savior!" Otto said with determined eyes.

Ayanokouji assigned Otto the task, not only to arrange a method to move Garfiel away from the mountain but also to verify Otto's abilities. From the current perspective, Otto wouldn't disappoint him, and he could ask him to help with keeping an eye on the dark side of business in the royal capital.

"Now you need to listen carefully..."

The scene changes as Ayanokouji and the others leave the facility. Although Beatrice has the ability to transport everyone collectively, Ayanokouji didn't want her to use more magical power, so he chose to walk back.

It was late at night, with a bright moon hanging in the sky, and Beatrice was also a bit tired.

"I'm so tired, Betty can't walk." Beatrice pouted, her words suggesting something.

"Betty-sama, let me carry you!" Otto said hurriedly and politely.

"Human, never think of touching Betty!"

"In that case, let me do it." Ayanokouji said calmly.

"Yes!" Beatrice enthusiastically nodded, and after Ayanokouji half-squatted, she jumped onto his back like a playful child.

"This is what's called different treatment. Even though Ayanokouji-sama is very strong, he's still a human."

"Be quiet, or I'll kick you out if you keep talking nonsense!"

"Sorry, I apologize!" Otto didn't want to squander the life he had finally regained.

'Betty is a very important combat asset right now, and it's crucial for her to maintain both her physical and magical strength.' Ayanokouji thought this and looked around, asking, "Are you sitting securely?"

"Yes!" Beatrice nodded and rested her head on his back. Even through his clothes, she could feel the warmth of Ayanokouji's back.

"Ayanokouji, your back feels very strong."

"Naturally."

"Is that normal? It must have been trained!"

"I've studied a bit of chess, calligraphy, and painting." Ayanokouji knew that there were various musical instruments in this world.

"That's a vague answer. Ayanokouji-sama can't draw and write while lifting weights at the piano?" Otto tried to join the conversation, but when no one responded, he asked a bit shyly, "Should I stay quiet?"

But Ayanokouji didn't speak; he just raised a finger and gently placed it in front of his mouth to signal Otto to be quiet.

Otto quickly covered his mouth with his hand, worried that his words might be offensive.

However, Ayanokouji turned his head slightly, and Otto then realized that Beatrice, who was being carried on Ayanokouji's back, had fallen asleep without him noticing.

'Although he usually seems cold, Ayanokouji-sama is actually a very gentle person,' Otto thought to himself, unable to stop the smile on his face.