After the sealing, Carlisle immediately went to the Astrea Family's Residence. In his hand, he held a pale blue magic crystal, this was the key to sealing Puck. If the Beast of the End awoke and was not killed by the seal, this crystal would shatter as a warning.
The Residence's butler respectfully received him. After learning that Reinhard had not yet returned, Carlisle handed the crystal to the people who had served the Sword Saint family for decades. The Astrea Family's servants were loyal for generations, and this key would be absolutely safe here.
"We have already sent a messenger to inform the Sword Saint. According to his itinerary, the Sword Saint should be back in five days at the latest."
Carlisle nodded. Making such a key was not difficult for him; he could recreate one anytime if necessary. After explaining the precautions, he left the Residence.
That crystal, which concerned the fate of the world, lay quietly in the Astrea Family's secret room, awaiting its mission or perhaps never to be needed.
The next morning, Carlisle stood in the courtyard and bowed slightly to Otto, who was organizing the Dragon Carriage.
"My apologies, Merchant. These past few days, I've delayed your business discussions with Roswaal."
Otto immediately put down the reins in his hand and waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no, no! Please don't say that!" A slightly flustered expression appeared on his face. "Business with lord Roswaal is not urgent. And..."
His voice became a little embarrassed. "Thanks to you these past few days, being treated with such hospitality by Lord truly flatters me."
Originally, Crusch could have arranged for her own Dragon Carriage to send the three back to Roswaal Mansion. However, considering that Otto happened to be going to the border for business, the task of transporting them naturally fell to him. What surprised Otto even more was that ever since he came to Cruschs Residence with the subjugation team that day, although Otto was nominally just a merchant who had been rescued, he received the same courtesy as the other team members.
Otto even attended the banquet in temporarily prepared formal wear, moving among numerous business representatives in the Royal Capital and chatting all night long. Although Subaru still doubted whether this guy had any talent for being a merchant.
As for Emilia and Puck's situation, that dated back to yesterday afternoon. When Carlisle returned from the Sword Saint's Residence, Crusch revealed an unexpected piece of news: Emilia, after discussing something with the Great Spirit, suddenly proposed to return to her territory alone and ahead of schedule.
Crusch did not understand why this Royal Selection Candidate would leave alone, abandoning her Guardian Knight, but considering that the other party held the same status as herself, she immediately arranged a Dragon Carriage for Emilia to depart.
This news made Carlisle subconsciously suspect that Puck was secretly plotting something, but after confirming that the seal was intact through magic perception, this conjecture was quickly dismissed.
In fact, Carlisle had indeed wronged Puck this time. That Great Spirit, who usually appeared so composed, was truly terrified this time. It not only dared not reveal anything about the seal to Emilia but also instinctively felt fear just thinking about being in the same carriage as the Knight who had given it such heart-wrenching pain.
After all, in this world where Emilia was still safe and sound, Puck was still very much attached to it.
As for Geuse's situation, he had been imprisoned in the dungeon of Cruschs Residence for the past few days. According to the private discussions among the Guardsmen, they had never seen such a docile captive; he simply curled up silently in a corner all day, neither causing trouble nor speaking, and never even proactively requested the most basic survival necessities.
"He's practically a wooden dummy," was the Guardsmen's assessment. "If he didn't eat when we gave him food and water, I'd suspect we'd locked up a fake person."
For the return journey, Crusch arranged a small Dragon Carriage to transport Geuse separately. This Dragon Carriage followed behind Carlisle's convoy, with no extra guards; not to mention the seal Carlisle had placed, the Kingdom's Second Knight himself was the best guard.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Carlisle, Subaru, Rem, as well as Patrasche, Otto, and the escorted Geuse, finally slowly departed from Cruschs Residence, embarking on their journey back to Roswaal Mansion.
Crusch stood at the Mansion's main gate, watching the Dragon Carriage gradually disappear. Felix, standing beside her, stomped his feet in frustration, his cat ears drooping dejectedly.
"Lady Crusch!" Felix couldn't help but complain, "Why did you agree to let them leave so soon? I have a strong premonition, Nyaa! If you just give me a few more days, I can definitely persuade Subaru to join our faction! Then, the Perfect Knight will naturally become one of us!"
Crusch sighed softly, "Felix, although I also very much hope to have Sir Carlisle join my faction, you must understand..." She paused, her gaze following the departing convoy. "Recruiting talent through such indirect means is ultimately not the best strategy. When unable to offer sufficient benefits, only by having Sir Carlisle willingly join from the bottom of his heart is the recruitment method I desire."
Felix pouted, his tail flicking uneasily. "But..." he mumbled softly, "even if they stayed a few more days, there wouldn't be any problem, right? Anyway, the Witch Cult subjugation is already over..." As he spoke, his voice grew increasingly aggrieved. "Darn it, I even went out of my way these past two days to get along with them..."
Crusch looked at her trusted Knight's dejected expression and couldn't help but smile. She reached out and gently patted Felix's shoulder, then turned to Wilhelm, who stood quietly beside her.
"Old Man Will, our agreement has been fulfilled. The White Whale has been slain, and your long-cherished wish has finally come true." She paused slightly, her gaze questioning. "What are your plans next?"
Wilhelm straightened his back. "Lady Crusch, this old man's personal vendetta has indeed been settled. But..."
His gaze sharpened: "Regarding the Witch Cult, especially the whereabouts and secrets of that Greed Archbishop, I hope to continue investigating. That woman's abilities are truly terrifying; such a catastrophic villain cannot be left unchecked."
Wilhelm's request seemed like a personal endeavor, but in reality, any intelligence and achievements regarding the Witch Cult would become important bargaining chips on Crusch's path to the Royal Selection. This old swordsman was not ignorant of the rules of political games but chose this way to repay his liege's kindness.
More importantly, the power displayed by the Greed Archbishop was indeed chilling. Behind such nearly unsolvable abilities, there must be flaws they had not yet seen. Wilhelm yearned more than anyone to find this weakness; the feeling of powerlessness from being forcibly removed from the battlefield still stuck in his throat, and Wilhelm would never allow himself to become a burden needing protection again.
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.