Chương 78: Different Identities Move Like Swords

"I couldn't provide any assistance to Crusch-sama and Sir Ayanokouji in their campaign to defeat the White Whale, yet I accepted your invitation to attend the banquet. I feel a bit ashamed of myself." Reinhard said with a smile.

"No, I'm aware that the Knights have also made significant contributions in protecting the nation." Ayanokouji responded politely.

As they spoke, his eyes focused on Reinhard.

According to information from various sources, Reinhard indeed possessed terrifying strength, and there was no one in the entire kingdom who could match him.

If possible, Ayanokouji naturally wanted to bring Reinhard into his faction.

If that failed, he needed to ensure that Reinhard wouldn't join another faction. The level of combat power and the influence of the Sword Saint family could affect the throne selection process.

As long as there was no guarantee that Reinhard wouldn't join another faction, Ayanokouji needed to find a way to resolve it.

From the information he had gathered, Ayanokouji felt that Reinhard was seen as an almost perfect existence in the eyes of the public, but he knew that Reinhard was not perfect.

As long as he had human emotions, he was not perfect.

However, at the moment, Ayanokouji was uncertain about Reinhard's true attitude and strength, so he planned to use this banquet to gather information about him.

He was also concerned that Reinhard might possess some unique abilities. He had even heard that Reinhard had a type of Divine Protection that could read an enemy's thoughts.

Though he guessed that Reinhard adhered to the principles of knighthood and wouldn't use such abilities on those around him, to prevent any unexpected situations, when speaking with him, Ayanokouji deliberately conjured various thoughts to test him.

"Thanks to Sir Ayanokouji this time, I was able to fulfill... Wilhelm's long-held wish." Reinhard said, and a slight hint of guilt crossed his face.

Ayanokouji had already investigated and knew about the relationship between Wilhelm and Reinhard. Judging by the other's behavior, Reinhard was also deeply concerned about this matter.

Family love—this might be a point he could exploit.

And from the current perspective, Reinhard hadn't changed at all. He didn't seem to be aware of his inner thoughts. It seemed he wasn't using Divine Protection, but Ayanokouji would not reveal any weaknesses, ensuring that Reinhard couldn't detect anything during the conversation.

"I heard about Wilhelm, and I'm very sorry." Ayanokouji bowed his head and said, "But I don't think this was your fault, Reinhard."

"Then I'm the direct cause of this." Reinhard shook his head.

Even though the White Whale had been slain, the guilt in his heart hadn't lessened much.

"This was unavoidable." Ayanokouji shook his head, "Since you are protected by the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint, it is also fate. Since that tragedy has occurred, you must inherit the responsibility of the former Sword Saint."

The two soon began chatting. Ayanokouji used his eloquence to quickly gain Reinhard's trust, and they discussed the country, the code of chivalry, and the affairs of the throne selection.

Although Reinhard's image was nearly perfect in the eyes of the public, Ayanokouji knew that no such character existed in this world. As long as Reinhard was human, he must have flaws.

During their conversation, Ayanokouji seemed to have found Reinhard's weakness. He was very persistent in pursuing what he called knighthood and justice.

In a way, this was similar to him.

However, Ayanokouji had no emotions from the beginning, and he didn't feel anything because of his choices, but Reinhard was different. Though he believed that the justice in his heart was most important, he still had some emotions within him.

The biggest difference was that Reinhard would use morality and law to restrain himself, but Ayanokouji wouldn't be bound by any limitations. This allowed him to do whatever he wanted.

If Reinhard had no limitations, he would be someone who could control the entire world.

The combination of bottom lines and principles known as morality and law became what was called chivalry and turned into shackles that restricted Reinhard's actions. Ayanokouji tried to turn these shackles into control for himself.

"It seems Sir Ayanokouji and I have many topics in common." Reinhard smiled and said, "Even though Sir Ayanokouji and I have only met a few days ago, it feels like we've known each other for a long time."

"If you have the chance in the future, you can often come to our residence as a guest." Ayanokouji also replied.

"It's getting late. Some of my comrades are still on duty. We should hurry to change shifts. The capital has not been very peaceful lately." Reinhard nodded, "Thank you, Crusch-sama and Sir Ayanokouji, for your hospitality. Please forgive me for taking my leave first. Take care of your safety."

"Yes." Ayanokouji watched Reinhard leave and slightly narrowed his eyes.

A lot has happened in the royal capital recently, all orchestrated by him.

For the nobles who disobeyed his orders, he had Elsa deal with some of them.

Elsa's skills and combat strength could be said to be top-tier in the kingdom. Every mission she completed was clean and efficient, leaving no trace. Ayanokouji also had spies in the Knights and the Guards, allowing Elsa to perfectly avoid being hunted by others.

As for the others, Ayanokouji used other means, such as schemes, framing, etc., to exclude all of them.

Unknowingly, he had created a large network in the dark side of the royal capital.

"Ayanokouji-sama."

A man with a very elegant appearance sat next to him.

He was tall, with the smile of a true gentleman on his face, but his eyes looked very deep, as if he could see through a person's heart.

Russell Fellow, he was the one who previously traded iron products with the Karsten family.

"This is our first time meeting, Ayanokouji-sama. I have long admired you." Russell greeted with a flattering smile on his face.

"Russell, this is our first time meeting, but you are an impressive person." Ayanokouji looked at the man in front of him expressionlessly.

He had already learned about Russell, who always claimed to be from the Chamber of Commerce. He was a small accountant, but he was actually a significant figure controlling the market in the royal capital.

"Just joking, I'm just an ordinary accountant!" Russell laughed, and his face didn't look at all like a sly businessman, but in front of Ayanokouji, his disguise could still be seen through at a glance.

"Forgive me, Russell, but do you have business with me?" Ayanokouji's eyes were fixed on the other party.

A person like Russell was like a shark. They would surely take the initiative when they smelled the scent of profit.

"Ayanokouji-sama, you killed the White Whale this time. This can be said to be an extraordinary achievement. How about we launch some related themed products?" Russell said with a smile.

He took out a product from his pocket. He opened a notebook containing his plan, "I can have people under me design some wood carvings of the White Whale, furniture and toys for children, etc.! Now, almost the entire population is in the middle of the White Whale's slaying carnival."

"Feel free to do as you like, but I'm sure Russell will also give us a certain share, right?" Ayanokouji said slowly.

"Of course. After all, Ayanokouji-sama killed the White Whale, which is also a good thing for our chamber of commerce. Our caravans also suffered significant losses because of the beluga whale incident." Russell said with a smile, "I'm sure the value of the share will definitely satisfy Ayanokouji-sama! We can finalize the relevant contracts later."

"Thank you for your hard work." Ayanokouji slightly turned his head, and his eyes fixed on the wine glass in front of him. The nectar inside was red like blood, "But Russell didn't come to me just for these things."

"Haha, Ayanokouji-sama sees through it." Russell continued to smile, "Indeed, I wanted to talk to you about the iron products. I heard that Ayanokouji-sama plans to return those iron products to the market?"

"Yes." Ayanokouji nodded. There was no need to hide such a thing. However, this order had been given to Crusch almost at noon today. It seemed that Russell also had spies in Crusch's mansion.

"Ayanokouji-sama should know that large-scale iron products entering the market will cause significant turbulence in the market." Russell said with a smile.

"The price of iron products that were initially too high will plummet in a short time." Ayanokouji added.

"Ayanokouji-sama, you do understand..."

"Were you the one who deliberately raised the price of the iron products before?" Ayanokouji's eyes shifted to Russell's face. Although there was no expression on his face, to Russell, his gaze became very sharp.

Ayanokouji continued, "You knew the Karsten family's plans beforehand, so you bought up a large amount of iron products, raised the prices, controlled the market, and then released them bit by bit. You could earn a lot from the foolish and wealthy Crusch, right?"

"Sorry, I don't have such abilities. I'm just a small accountant."

Although Russell continued to smile, he looked slightly more reluctant than before.

"I know you're actually the controller of the Royal Capital Chamber of Commerce. I figured this out by comparing your account books with the Karsten family's account books."

"My account books?"

Russell's eyes widened slightly, with a hint of surprise in them.

"That's right, they are in the mezzanine floor under the desk drawer in your room." Ayanokouji said expressionlessly, and this expression made Russell feel a bit scared.

When he learned about Russell, he had asked Elsa to investigate him quietly.

No matter how cautious Russell was or how well he disguised himself, he would still be vulnerable when alone—something Russell did not know. Elsa hid in a corner of his house.

And some of his little secrets were discovered by Ayanokouji, such as the secret of the mezzanine in the drawer.

Currently, Russell felt a chill at the back of his neck. He did not expect the other party to have reached this level. In his mind, today was the first official meeting between them.

Furthermore, from what the other party had just said, Russell felt a sense of fear. Since the other party could quietly sneak into his room, he could easily take his life.

Ayanokouji had just threatened him.

Russell couldn't help but swallow, and his Adam's apple clearly trembled. He even felt that the other party could clearly hear the sound of him swallowing, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

"The information above is quite explosive." Ayanokouji's expression remained unchanged, as if he were stating something trivial, "If the content inside is published, I'm afraid it won't be as simple as going to prison for you, Russell."