Chapter 77: Anxiety
As Ayanokouji reached the corner of the corridor, he saw an object rushing towards him at an incredibly fast speed.
Having undergone rigorous training, he immediately identified the object—a jet-black fist aimed at his face.
He also clearly recognized that the owner of this fist was Albert Yamada from Class C, a mixed-race student.
Ayanokouji vividly recalled that the other party was the black henchman of Class C leader Ryūen Kakeru, who acted as his enforcer.
There was no doubt that Albert's current attack on him was under Ryūen's instructions, likely because after watching a video, Ryūen wanted to test his strength.
Violent incidents were strictly prohibited at the school, and anyone involved would be punished or even expelled. This was why Ryūen chose to have his subordinates take action rather than risk getting involved himself.
People tend to react unconsciously when faced with sudden events. If Ayanokouji could dodge Albert's attack at such close range, it would confirm that he indeed possessed the skills shown in the video.
Although the video had revealed his true thoughts and strength, its authenticity couldn't be guaranteed. Even though some were suspicious, they couldn't match the video with his real-life persona, which helped him keep his abilities hidden for a more convenient life at school.
Naturally, Ayanokouji wasn't about to take Albert's punch head-on. There was no benefit in suffering unnecessary damage.
As Albert's fist touched him, Ayanokouji also fell in the same direction with the aid of his opponent's force. Thus, the punch posed no real danger to him, making it appear as if he had been knocked down by it.
"Hey, what are you doing?!"
Many other students in the corridor witnessed everything and gathered around them.
"I-I'm...sorry...I was careless too...I wasn't standing firmly, and he just happened to appear in front of me."
Everything that happened left Albert suddenly bewildered, and he hastily made up an unreasonable excuse.
After watching the video, he could tell that the other person clearly wasn't easy to deal with, and his attack just now could have been avoided.
Amid the crowd, Ryūen frowned as he watched Ayanokouji fall to the ground.
"Could this really be Ayanokouji? Or is he acting too..."
He didn't stay long, slipped his hands into his pants pockets, and quickly left the crowd.
❰❱SKY SCREEN❰❱
The scene shifted to night, at the Karsten family mansion.
As requested by Ayanokouji, Crusch hosted a grand celebration at the mansion. For the kingdom, the defeat of the White Whale was indeed an event worthy of celebration.
For Crusch, although killing the White Whale fulfilled a long-cherished desire, she had also lost the qualification for the royal selection and became Ayanokouji's subordinate.
However, she also knew that if it weren't for Ayanokouji, her existence in this world would have been erased long ago. Since she had chosen to be loyal to him, she was committed to fulfilling her promise.
"Honestly, I feel strange wearing this outfit."
Ayanokouji had brought the people around him to the Karsten family mansion to attend the celebratory banquet.
Felt played with the dress she wore reluctantly. She was used to casual clothes. She had never worn formal attire like this and felt very restricted.
"This dress isn't suitable for running, and I can't even jump in it...I really want to wreck this place."
"I'm sorry, Felt, but please bear with it for a while. This is a very important occasion." Ayanokouji said slowly. "I got this dress from Crusch. It costs at least 100 holy gold coins per piece."
"A hundred coins?!"
An expression of disbelief immediately appeared on Felt's face. She would have to steal many items to get ten holy gold coins.
Ayanokouji turned to look at Felt. Although she said she was unwilling, after wearing the dress, she looked like a completely different person, and her entire demeanor had changed.
With the blessing of the red dress, Felt's short golden hair looked very distinctive, and her red eyes were like the rising sun, completely different from the thief she had been before, hanging around the slums.
After Ayanokouji and the others entered the hall, people immediately gathered around and praised him with all kinds of flattering words.
He nodded slightly in response, his eyes sweeping over everyone, observing their expressions.
He could clearly feel that most people were only trying to flatter him. These people were not sincere and would only choose to follow whoever was more powerful. However, this was human nature and didn't cause him much trouble.
A small number of people expressed their sincere gratitude to Ayanokouji. These were essentially the soldiers who had survived the battle against the White Whale. Not only had he saved their lives, but he also gave them a chance to avenge themselves.
And some remained silent. They were all dissatisfied with Crusch's loyalty to Ayanokouji and couldn't accept the Karsten family serving a man of unknown origin.
Ayanokouji knew the names of almost all of them. Before starting the war against the White Whale, he had investigated the members of the Karsten family, and those unwilling to comply were not included in his future plans. Even though there were talented people among them, what he needed now was internal stability, and those who could cause negative effects had to be eliminated.
"Ayanokouji-sama."
Crusch appeared, wearing her military uniform.
"Yes." Ayanokouji nodded, then handed her a note, "When you give your speech at the banquet later, just follow the contents of this."
It was a speech he had written for her.
"Understood."
Crusch accepted the speech and then left Ayanokouji's side.
After Crusch left, Wilhelm and the other soldiers also expressed their gratitude to Ayanokouji.
Wilhelm, who always wore a serious expression, also smiled after drinking a few glasses of wine.
Emilia saw Ayanokouji being praised by others and couldn't help but pout.
She felt a bit complicated at the moment. Although she now trusted him, she also felt that aside from being in charge of the handover of the workshop, she hadn't done anything from beginning to end.
From the royal selection to the conquest of the Karsten family, Emilia had hardly helped. Ayanokouji did everything on his own.
This made Emilia feel that she was somewhat useless.
Moreover, she had been feeling a bit anxious lately. She couldn't help but look down at the crystal around her neck. Recently, Puck's appearances had become increasingly rare. Although she had experienced this before, every time it happened, she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
"What's wrong, Emilia?" Ayanokouji asked.
He had already noticed the change in Emilia's expression, and he guessed the answer based on her personality, but he didn't say it aloud; instead, he asked.
"No, no, no, it's nothing." Emilia quickly shook her head.
She felt that Ayanokouji had already done so much for her, and it was too selfish of her to make him worry.
"You look a bit uneasy."
"It's just that Puck has been appearing less and less frequently lately, so I'm a bit worried." Emilia said sadly.
"I've felt the same way too. When did it start?" Ayanokouji had felt this before, but he wasn't sure at the time.
"Maybe when I came to the royal capital—no, it should've been earlier. It seems like this has been happening since the Demon Beast invasion. I had that feeling at the time, but I didn't pay attention to it until the past few days. I haven't been able to sense Puck's presence, and there's no response no matter how much I call."
"Is it because too much magic power was consumed during the battle?"
"Maybe not... But this has happened before. Maybe it's because he hasn't done anything lately and is just sleeping in."
Crusch walked to the front of the hall and cleared her throat a few times. All eyes couldn't help but turn to her, and the entire hall fell silent.
Soon, she began speaking according to the script written by Ayanokouji.
In the speech, Ayanokouji detailed the White Whale's evil deeds to resonate with the audience and then began talking about the hardships of the White Whale expedition.
The content of the speech touched many people's hearts, even bringing Wilhelm to tears.
This was deliberately designed by Ayanokouji to evoke emotions in the audience.
"...This success is thanks to the wise leadership and excellent tactics of Ayanokouji-sama. Next, I would like to invite Ayanokouji-sama to say a few words." Crusch said, then invited Ayanokouji to come up on stage.
"Was he the one who planned to kill the White Whale?"
"And the Karsten family and Crusch both submitted to him. How did he do it?"
"Where did this person come from?"
Many people whispered and had different thoughts. To some, Ayanokouji looked very ordinary. He didn't have an aura that made people feel pressured at all, and he appeared lazy and very common—like someone who was capable.
"This operation wasn't because of me. First of all, I need to thank everyone from the Crusch and Karsten families." Ayanokouji said calmly. "Thanks to their efforts and sacrifices, we were able to defeat the White Whale. Some died heroically, while others' names weren't even left behind. I want to thank them all for what they've done."
"Additionally, all of the support and tactical arrangements this time were planned and organized by Emilia-sama."
Emilia, who was listening to Ayanokouji's speech among the audience, was momentarily stunned: "Huh?"
She had just returned from a nearby town today and only learned about the success of the White Whale's subjugation a few hours ago. She was unaware of Ayanokouji's plans, and now he was once again giving her all the credit, which left her confused.
Just as Emilia was about to clarify, other nobles gathered around and began offering flattering remarks. Many of them were politicians who had previously been critical of Emilia.
Ayanokouji nodded in acknowledgment, then stepped down from the stage and blended back into the crowd.
"Congratulations, Sir Ayanokouji."
A soft voice came from behind. He turned around, and the owner of the voice was a man known as the strongest, whom Ayanokouji had asked Crusch to invite from the Knights.
His purpose in doing so was to use this banquet as an opportunity to communicate with Reinhard.
Known as the strongest, he currently didn't belong to any faction. He was an unpredictable and dangerous factor.
Naturally, Ayanokouji wouldn't miss the chance to gain a powerful tool like him.
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