Chapitre 73: Live or Be Loyal to Me
As Crusch is either pulled out of the royal selection or her power significantly weakens, and she's then forced to pledge loyalty to him, Ayanokouji might be able to turn her into a pawn he could use to wield power in the kingdom. It's a very high status, and it would be a shame to give it up.
Crusch must be in a desperate situation now and has no other choice. Even if she refuses to be loyal to him and is killed by the White Whale, he would suffer no loss.
Now is the best chance to kill the White Whale, and he may never have such an opportunity again. He now has a clear understanding of the White Whale's abilities. By relying on Crusch's forces, he should be able to kill the White Whale, completely resolving the situation without leaving further problems, and Ayanokouji could also create a significant achievement for himself and further increase his influence.
After all, Beatrice is by his side now. With her power, combined with the remaining forces of Crusch, it wouldn't be impossible to face the White Whale. At the very least, it would be more than enough to escape unscathed.
"Ayanokouji!"
It was then that Beatrice's anxious voice brought Ayanokouji back to reality from his thoughts.
He realized that Beatrice was tightly holding onto his sleeve.
"Ayanokouji, those fools are in danger." Beatrice said with a worried expression, leaning forward, her eyes focused on the thick fog in front of them.
"The current situation is indeed not optimistic." Ayanokouji slowly said as he looked at the thickening white fog.
"If this continues, all those people will be killed by the White Whale!" Beatrice said in a panic.
Although she usually appeared very arrogant, she was actually very kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see these people die at the hands of the White Whale.
Ayanokouji lifted his head, his eyes meeting Beatrice's anxious gaze. The other party seemed to be waiting for his stance.
"Betty, didn't you say you hated humans?" Ayanokouji asked.
"Ah? Now is not the time to talk about this!" Beatrice's face was full of doubt.
Although she said she hated humans, she would still help him whenever he needed it, like when the curse came, she left the mansion and came to the village to help break the curse.
Arrogant yet kind-hearted, this was the characteristic of this Great Spirit girl.
If Ayanokouji refused to help, he feared Beatrice would feel disgusted with him. Saving Crusch and the others would not only bring many benefits but also increase Beatrice's trust in him.
"After all, they did entertain Betty! The food was quite delicious." Beatrice immediately lifted her head and said, casually giving a reason and speaking indifferently, as she always did whenever she helped before.
Ayanokouji nodded and whispered to himself, "A unique character."
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing." Ayanokouji shook his head. "Betty, it's very foggy now. Can you transport me to where Crusch is?"
"Of course, who do you think Betty is!" Beatrice immediately lifted her head and said proudly, then used magic to create a ferry gate and transported Ayanokouji and herself into the fog.
Crusch's large army was stationed here, but its scale was much smaller than when they set out. Half of them had been swallowed by the white fog, and some people were rolling on the ground in pain.
"That's the White Whale's cry." Beatrice explained. "It's a mental attack. It doesn't affect Betty, but it's very painful for these ordinary humans..."
Ayanokouji nodded. He could see Wilhelm swinging his sword to disperse the thick fog around him.
And within the thick fog, there was also a large ball formed from the dense fog rolling on the ground, leaving a large chasm in the earth as it passed, as if the land in that area had never existed at all.
Ayanokouji quickly realized that this was the White Whale's method of erasing the existence of something.
Beatrice immediately unleashed her magic, and a large magical barrier immediately enveloped the nearby people, isolating them from the surrounding fog, at least allowing the remaining people to breathe a sigh of relief for a moment.
"Ayanokouji, nyaaa!"
Ayanokouji heard Felix's cry and quickly turned to look up. At that moment, Felix was desperately tending to the wounded, and Crusch was sitting beside him, her eyes slightly dazed, burying her head in her hands, which was completely different from her spirited appearance earlier.
"What happened, Felix?"
He noticed that Crusch was in an abnormal condition and asked.
"Felix doesn't know, Felix doesn't know, nyaaa!"
Felix still held back his emotions and tended to the other wounded. "Crusch-sama isn't injured and isn't cursed... but... but she ended up like this."
"I'm afraid it's because a large number of memories have been erased, causing logical contradictions." Beatrice said with a serious expression. "In this case, no matter how great the healing magic is, it's impossible to restore her memories."
Ayanokouji's eyes narrowed slightly. Many of Crusch's team members were her trusted aides from childhood to adulthood. They must have accompanied her with many memories, and if these memories were erased on a large scale, it would certainly cause inconsistencies, leading to mental breakdowns. Felix and Wilhelm must have also been affected, but to a much lesser extent than Crusch, who was the head of the family.
Furthermore, he also knew that many of these dead people did not die at the hands of the 'Erasure Fog,' and Crusch's memories of them had not disappeared, so she must have known about their deaths, and the guilt of driving them into the abyss of death would also cause Crusch to gradually collapse.
"Ayanokouji, you are an ally of Crusch-sama... Please help her!" Felix's voice trembled, and his eyes were filled with anxiety.
"Crusch no longer has the ability to think independently, so the current agreement is naturally void." Ayanokouji said calmly.
"How could you do this! Crusch-sama genuinely treated you as a friend!" Felix rebuked firmly, his words full of anger.
"You must know that in politics, so-called friends must be able to provide sufficient benefits to each other – but you all can't even protect yourselves and are no longer qualified to be my allies. You all will soon be killed by the White Whale. The world won't even remember this battle."
Facing Felix's words, Ayanokouji always spoke without expression.
"How could..."
Tears continued to stream down Felix's eyes.
He rushed forward and grabbed Ayanokouji's collar. Beatrice was about to release magic to block the opponent, but Ayanokouji quickly reached out his hand to stop her.
Felix's tears soaked Ayanokouji's collar, and the hands gripping the collar trembled. He knew that the other party's words were not wrong, but saying it now was too heartless.
"I can help you resolve your problems." Ayanokouji said slowly, reaching out his hand to brush off Felix's hands from his collar. "My request is very simple, Crusch withdraws from the royal selection, and you will be loyal to me from now on."
If he could make Crusch loyal to him, he would not only eliminate one political opponent but also gain a great pawn.
Though it felt a little strange, Ayanokouji's actions were still based on the greatest benefit to himself. If the other party refused his offer, he would never take action.
He wasn't foolish enough to save an enemy.
"You're taking advantage of our misfortune!" Felix said angrily.
"This is the only way to save all of you now. After all, we are competitors. If I save you like this, I would be raising a tiger, which would be of no benefit to me." Ayanokouji said indifferently. "As long as it is in my favor, Betty and I can leave you alone. As long as you agree to my terms, I can help you."
"Crusch-sama clearly treated you very sincerely!"
"What he says is true." Wilhelm, who had been silent for a long time, also spoke.
"What I need is an answer from your leader." Ayanokouji slowly walked over to Crusch's side. "Although your memories are confused, you can still think now."
He had now concluded that Crusch was more valuable alive than dead, but if the other party had no will to survive, he wouldn't choose to take action.
Crusch initially appeared a bit dull, lifting her head and staring at Ayanokouji with some confusion in her eyes.
"Do you remember who you are?"
"I am Crusch Karsten, head of the Karsten family..."
"Then who am I?"
"You are... Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."
"What is your purpose for being here?"
"A crusade against the White Whale... but now... it has failed..."
"Not yet." Ayanokouji said, his expressionless face making it impossible for others to read his thoughts. "As long as you withdraw from the royal selection and make all your subordinates loyal to me, I will be able to help you resolve this crisis and save the remaining people."
"But..."
"Do you want all these soldiers who are loyal to you to be buried here with you? Although we haven't known each other for long, the Crusch I know is not the one you are now."
Crusch was stunned for a moment, and some expression seemed to return to her previously empty eyes.
"My memories... My thoughts are in disarray... and I killed those people... It's all because of my incompetence..." She replied, her eyes still filled with doubt.
"As long as you remember these actions and the people who are still alive, that is enough." Ayanokouji said indifferently. "Since some have died, as a leader, shouldn't you avenge them?"
"Leadership... vengeance... the White Whale... This action is to defeat the White Whale!" The light in Crusch's eyes shone again. "Yes, I swore to rid the world of the White Whale this time, but now, what should I do?"
"Surrender your choice and be loyal to me, and I will help you resolve your problems." Ayanokouji said. He knew that Crusch was a woman who found it difficult to go back on her word, even if it was just verbal, she would surely keep her promise. "As long as you agree to my conditions, everyone can survive."
Crusch looked around and saw that the soldiers around her had suffered heavy casualties. She couldn't even remember how many troops had been sent out at the time.
She looked at the man and realized she had never seen the other's true face. She was now making a deal with the devil.
This was a huge blow to her pride, but now she had no choice. She knew that the lives of her soldiers and trusted subordinates were more important than her own honor.
She turned and looked at Felix, whose eyes were red.
Felix was crying because he was worried about her. She could never let him be involved. Finally, Crusch made her decision and took Ayanokouji's outstretched hand.
"I, Crusch, swear on the name of the head of the Karsten family that I will withdraw from the throne election and be loyal to Ayanokouji!"
Crusch knelt on the ground on one knee, a symbolic gesture of surrender.
"Good."
Seeing Crusch swear loyalty to him in front of him, Ayanokouji nodded, his facial expression never changing.
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