Ayanokouji Kiyotaka 189

Title: Orchestrating a Deadlock

“So, Ayanokouji didn’t sign a contract with Echidna this time?” Annerose asked curiously.

“No.” Roswaal deliberately shrugged, “Ayanokouji-sama felt that Echidna might cause us a lot of trouble, so he refused.”

Everyone was still chatting, while Ayanokouji was observing Clind.

Clind’s various reactions had basically confirmed that the other party’s goal was Echidna.

And judging from the possible methods Clind had shown now, his mind wasn’t simple.

Clind definitely wouldn’t believe Roswaal’s words.

With Roswaal’s very persistent character, how could he just let his beloved teacher go?

And Roswaal deliberately concealed it, it must be because he was hiding Echidna.

Clind would definitely confirm this now.

Next, he would probably expand the scope of his search. Since Echidna wasn’t in the mansion, he would definitely think that Echidna would be somewhere else in the area.

Whether Clind wanted to kill Echidna or use Echidna’s knowledge to do something else, Ayanokouji still didn’t know.

But this could be used.

Moreover, this could also be used as a final test to test Clind’s background and test his value.

Clind’s disguise could be said to be perfect. Even Roswaal didn’t realize the intention behind his actions. He directed the topic and asked questions through Annerose. This kind of thing could indeed be considered clever.

However, Clind didn’t expect that his ideas were eroded bit by bit by Ayanokouji.

The scene changed, dinner was over, Clind and the other maids were responsible for cleaning up the mess, and Ayanokouji was the first to return to his room.

He reached out, unbuttoned his collar, and took out a black crystal hidden inside his clothes – it was his contract medium with Echidna, to prevent Echidna’s existence from being overly exposed directly.

The crystal vibrated slightly, but he didn’t choose to enter the Dream Castle. Through this medium, he and Echidna could communicate directly from a distance.

“What’s wrong, has Kiyo started to miss me?” Echidna’s very ambiguous voice sounded directly in Ayanokouji’s mind.

Through the medium, the two could communicate consciously without worrying about the risk of others eavesdropping.

“Do you know Clind?” Ayanokouji asked, “He said he used to be a resident of the Sanctuary.”

“Really? But I don’t have any impression of him.” Echidna said with a smile.

“From the current point of view, that person’s target is you.” Ayanokouji reported.

“What’s wrong? Are you warning me? It seems you really care about me, Kiyo?” Echidna’s smile became more obvious.

“There’s no such idea. It’s just to eliminate all uncontrollable factors. If necessary, you will be treated as a victim.” Ayanokouji said calmly.

“So cold. At first, I thought what Betty and that woman said about changing you and redeeming you had an impact on you. Or, wouldn’t that impact appear in front of me? After all, I’m not Betty.” Echidna’s words were full of mockery.

“What’s wrong, are you jealous?” Ayanokouji asked.

“Huh? Jealous, what makes me jealous? This name will only remind me of someone who doesn’t like me.”

‘Jealous of someone’s desire to redeem me? Although I don’t need such actions, you seem to care.’ Ayanokouji’s tone was very calm and he said slowly, “Roswaal is trying to save you.”

Echidna’s voice was silent for half a second, but it soon sounded again, and her tone didn’t change at all: “Sorry, I don’t care about this kind of thing at all, and what Roswaal wants is just to resurrect me completely, not salvation.”

“But listening to what you said, it seems you still care a little, and don’t you want to be complete?”

“I am the Witch of Greed Echidna, and this will not change, whether complete or not.” The smile in Echidna’s words seemed to have faded.

“So it is.” Ayanokouji nodded, without saying anything else, and released his hand holding the black crystal, interrupting the conversation with Echidna.

After signing the contract, he only took the initiative to start the conversation.

He turned his head slightly and looked at the gap under the door.

He could clearly see that there were two shadows above the subtle light that should have passed through the gap under the door and illuminated the room.

This was something that most people didn’t notice at all.

This indicated that someone was standing outside the door, but he didn’t hear any footsteps from beginning to end.

The only person who could do this and had reason to do so was Clind.

The other party must have wanted to eavesdrop on him as much as possible to see if he could get the necessary information.

However, this was also an opportunity for Ayanokouji.

The other party stopped in front of his door for about a few seconds, and then a knock on the door slowly began.

Ayanokouji looked outside the door and narrowed his eyes slightly: “Please come in.”

He didn’t hide the black crystal pendant, but let it sway on his chest.

He deliberately displayed the crystal in front of Clind to test him.

“Ayanokouji-sama, this is a comfortable tea for digestion after meals. Please use it slowly.” The door opened slowly without making any sound, and Clind entered the room with tea.

His movements were very elegant and etiquette, without any problems.

“Thank you for your hard work, just leave it here.” Ayanokouji replied.

Then, Clind noticed the black pendant on Ayanokouji’s chest, and his eyes couldn’t help but shift to it.

For a moment, Ayanokouji carefully observed the changes on Clind’s face.

Even Clind showed hostility at this time.

Judging from his previous actions, Ayanokouji believed that Clind’s goal was most likely to target Echidna, and this time the possibility directly increased to one hundred percent.

However, Clind wasn’t an easy person. All emotions disappeared completely from his body very quickly, and it seemed like there was no problem at all.

He didn’t realize that his first subconscious reaction had fully revealed his thoughts to Ayanokouji.

This also allowed Ayanokouji to take the next step.

“Then I’ll take my leave.” Clind said respectfully.

“Wait a minute, Clind.” Ayanokouji called out to the other party.

“Ayanokouji-sama? What can I do?”

“Clind, I heard you seem to master many combat skills?” Ayanokouji asked.

“That’s what’s expected of a head butler..” Clinde replied.

“I want to learn some combat skills. Can you spare some time to teach me a few?”

“Ayanokouji-sama should have extraordinary abilities and you don’t need me to teach you. I don’t understand.”

“You’re right, but what I learned is self-defense techniques in my world. I want to know what combat techniques are like in this world, so I want to ask for your advice. Garfiel also built a special place for training next to the forest, where we can practice.”

Ayanokouji deliberately mentioned that the training place would be far from the mansion. This would definitely be a good opportunity for Clind who wanted to know Echidna’s whereabouts.

“Since it’s Ayanokouji-sama’s request, then I will naturally comply.” Clinde said respectfully.

“Then let’s schedule it for two days. I’ll let Garfiel get ready in the last few days.” Ayanokouji said this, also to prevent Clind from acting rashly in these two days.

Moreover, his own plan also required a certain amount of time for preparation.

“Understood, then allow me to take my leave.” Clind bowed again, while his eyes once again looked at the black crystal on Ayanokouji’s chest.

The camera changed, and at night, everyone was asleep, and the whole house was almost silent.

After Ayanokouji finished telling the story, Beatrice also fell asleep.

He gently got out of bed and opened the window.

A black figure entered the room quietly, like a ghost, without even the sound of footsteps.

Elsa.

After Ayanokouji returned from the royal capital, he also sent Elsa back.

He extended his finger and gently placed it on her lips, signaling the other party not to speak.

A meaningful smile appeared on Elsa’s face. She looked at Beatrice who was sleeping on the bed. A smile appeared on her face, and then she quickly looked at Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji handed an envelope to Elsa, which contained the arrangements for the next actions.

Not only the action book, he also handed her a magic weapon made by Echidna.

Elsa narrowed her eyes slightly, her eyes flashed with impatience, and then she immediately left the room.

Ayanokouji walked to the window, raised his head to look at the sky.

Everything was under his control.

The scene changed, it would be two days later.

As agreed, Ayanokouji and Clind came to the forest to practice combat skills.

The distance was very far from the mansion, and there was no need to worry about being disturbed by others.

The first time he arrived here, Clind carefully observed the surrounding area, and seemed to be thinking about something.

Training began immediately. Clind held a long whip in his hand and taught Ayanokouji how to use this weapon.

It must be said that Clind’s skill in using the whip had reached a very high level, just like his own limbs.

After about two hours, the two finally stopped training and took a break.

The two chatted, and Clind repeated his old trick, trying to direct the conversation towards Echidna.

“Ayanokouji-sama, is that a black crystal on your chest?” Seeing the time was right, Clind asked.

“Now that everything has happened, Clind, you are now ours, and I admit it directly – I did sign a contract with Echidna, after all, her value is worth utilizing.” Ayanokouji replied.

“This isn’t the right choice, Ayanokouji-sama, you’re carrying something bad. A threat.” Clind’s expression gradually became serious.

“Threat? Do you mean this pendant?”

“The answer is yes and no. It’s not the essence.”

“Essence? Do you think Echidna is a very dangerous existence?”

“It’s unreasonable to turn a blind eye to it. In my opinion.” A trace of anger seemed to appear on Clind’s face, “The Witch of Greed is the most dangerous existence in the past. Her greed might threaten the whole world. Before this happens, Ayanokouji-sama shouldn’t fall first.”

“About this...”

At this time, countless footsteps suddenly appeared in the forest, and countless sharp blades stabbed from the shadows of the forest, targeting the two who were resting.

“Sudden assassins? Is the target us? How dare you.” Clind skillfully swung his whip and intercepted all the hidden weapons. “Insolent people, show yourselves!”

With his roar, dozens of black shadows emerged from the forest.

Each of them held a knife, and their bodies were filled with a terrifying aura of murder.

But what was more worrying than their murderous aura was the black robes they wore, which already explained their identity.

Witch Cult!

Clind’s attention was focused on the face of the witch cultist, and he didn’t notice it at all.

Beside him, Ayanokouji’s face was filled with a smile that didn’t belong to him.

It was a smile that wanted to kill.