After the talk ended, Crusch invited Hayashi Maki to stay at her mansion.
Part of it was to keep an eye on him, and part of it was to look for chances to probe him—because what Hayashi Maki claimed, that he could produce a "witch's scent" to lure the White Whale, was simply too strange.
Even though, under the Blessing of Wind Reading, she confirmed that Hayashi Maki wasn't lying and that his intel was true, Crusch still couldn't completely shake the suspicion that he might have some connection to the Witch Cult.
Hayashi Maki happily accepted the invitation.
After sending messages to Rem and Ram with his phone to let them know, he stayed as a guest together with Beatrice in one of the mansion's guest rooms.
Since they'd already agreed to cooperate in the White Whale subjugation, spending time together and building some working chemistry made sense.
The moment Crusch saw him take out his phone, she looked surprised.
"Hayashi Maki-sama… that thing in your hand can communicate over long distances? Is it some kind of rare magic tool?"
"You could say that," Hayashi Maki replied. "It's a communication magic tool our Aqua Church developed. Once you add someone, you can call them from afar. If you're interested, Crusch-sama, I can give you one."
With that, Hayashi Maki pulled out a new phone and handed it to her, then taught her how to use it.
Crusch turned it over in her hands in amazement, and the look she gave Hayashi Maki grew even more complicated.
As a principled leader, she immediately saw the military value of it.
With something like this, she could stay in the mansion and still command operations from miles away.
Felix looked at Hayashi Maki with pleading eyes.
"Hayashi Maki—what about Felix's? Could you give Felix one too?"
"Felix! That's rude!" Crusch reprimanded her attendant, thinking the request was excessive.
This kind of magic tool was far too valuable. Hayashi Maki giving even one was already more than enough to show sincerity.
Asking for another was greedy.
"Haha, it's fine," Hayashi Maki said generously. "This thing was made for convenience in the first place. I'll give Felix one too—then you two can contact each other."
He waved it off and took out another phone, handing it to Felix.
Crusch was stunned.
"Hayashi Maki-sama… do you truly understand how strategically important this is?"
Hayashi Maki nodded with a smile.
"Of course I do. But like I said, this is going to become widespread sooner or later. My goal is for ordinary people to eventually have one phone each."
Crusch stared at him for a long moment, then sighed.
"I understand. I accept your goodwill… Felix."
"Hehe—yes, Crusch-sama!" Felix grinned as she played with the phone, then said to Hayashi Maki in a surprisingly serious tone, "Thank you for the gift, Hayashi Maki. If you ever need help—so long as it's within my ability and doesn't violate my position—just say the word."
"Good. Then I won't hold back when the time comes," Hayashi Maki replied casually.
Working with someone this generous actually put Crusch in a better mood.
She had Felix show Hayashi Maki around the mansion while she stayed behind to handle paperwork.
Just as she'd said before, Crusch was a deeply practical person.
For the sake of House Karsten, she'd set aside her "ladylike" side long ago—she carried herself like a man in public.
While others were out enjoying themselves, Crusch buried herself in sword training and constant self-improvement, and that was how she kept the entire family standing.
After touring the mansion, Hayashi Maki got a better sense of the place.
From a second-floor window, he could see caravans and soldiers moving busily below.
It was obvious—Crusch had prepared thoroughly for the White Whale hunt.
Now, with accurate intel in hand, the subjugation should be significantly easier.
Of course, what Crusch needed to think about was the White Whale and how to bring her people home alive afterward.
What Hayashi Maki needed to think about was how to deal with the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishops who might show up once the Whale died.
Among the Witch Cult's heavy hitters, the most dangerous was probably that screw-loose Archbishop of Greed with the obsession over "purity"—a pale-haired kid with an ordinary face, but terrifying rule-based powers.
His ability could freeze time for himself or objects around him, or force objects to remain in an "active" state to create damage.
And he had a technique called "Little King" as well—over centuries, he'd forcibly "married" hundreds of women and placed his heart inside them, allowing him to transfer between them at will.
But even that ability had weaknesses.
His heart had to keep beating to use his powers, and if he pulled the heart back into his own body, the strain was so painful that he couldn't maintain it for long.
In the end, the tragedy caused by Regulus Corneas was like a tantrum-throwing child gaining overwhelming power.
For every "wife" he took, he slaughtered their family and friends first, then dragged them into marriage.
And after that he didn't even touch them—he forbade them from smiling, demanding they remain expressionless at all times.
To a "demon" like Hayashi Maki, Regulus Corneas was exactly the kind of existence he couldn't stand. Since he'd come to this world, the Archbishop of Greed was someone who had to be eliminated.
"What are you thinking about?" Beatrice tilted her head, tugging gently at his hand.
Hayashi Maki chuckled. "I'm thinking about what 'new lessons' I should teach Beatrice tonight."
"Pfft. You bad man—so you want to bully Betty again," the little spirit huffed, rolling her eyes, though a shy smile still surfaced on her face.
For Beatrice, Hayashi Maki mattered more than anything now.
So long as he kept her with him, she would do everything she could.
She didn't want to be alone anymore.
After guarding the forbidden library for four hundred years, she was done with waiting.
And Hayashi Maki was the one who pulled her out of that hopeless, endless solitude—so she treasured this bond more than anything.
Hayashi Maki ruffled her hair and scooped her up into his arms.
"How could I bully you? You're so cute, Beatrice. I don't even have time to spoil you, let alone hurt you."
Beatrice beamed, her eyes curving into crescents, then nuzzled his neck affectionately.
"Ugh… if you keep calling Betty cute, Betty's going to get arrogant."
"Even an arrogant Beatrice is adorable," Hayashi Maki said warmly. "Having you by my side really is the best."
"Mm." Beatrice clung to him, voice soft and sweet.
"And when we meet Echidna… I'm going to have you scold Mother for me. Making Betty wait that long was way too much."
"No!" Beatrice protested at once, shaking her head as she pouted. "You can't scold Mother. And besides… Betty did find you in the end, didn't she?"
She spoke like she was teasing him—soft, clingy, and impossibly cute.