The corners of Satou Kazuma's mouth curved up even more, you could say with a hint of creepiness.
He had already started to imagine himself dominating everyone after getting the Power of Greed.
And then, beautiful girls all around him!
Fifty of them?
Regulus, that useless guy!
I'm going to use my own charm to conquer at least a hundred!
Just as Satou Kazuma was lost in his fantasy, Beatrice on the side slowly said:
"Betty thinks the risk is too big."
"Risk?"
"That's right, witch factors can't be easily used just by merging with someone. If someone with poor compatibility forcefully uses a witch factor, it could cause very serious consequences. Geuse is a good example. And Betty has heard before... the Witch of Envy might also be in this situation. Betty is worried that you, idiot Kazuma, might not be able to handle it."
Beatrice's expression gradually became serious.
"That's true, but useless goddess, how did you deal with Geuse's situation?"
Satou Kazuma turned his head to look at Aqua, who was poking Regulus's swollen, balloon-like face.
"Ah, I just simply purified the negative effects, so there shouldn't be any major problems, right? Theoretically, it shouldn't have any impact."
Aqua answered.
"Then I feel like there's no problem. Even if there are negative effects, Aqua can purify them for me, so it should be fine."
Satou Kazuma said, while having Aqua inject the witch factor into his body.
"Hey, Kazuma, you just guessed that Regulus's power is to freeze his body's state, right? Then wouldn't that mean your lower half will also be..."
Natsuki Subaru reminded him, as if remembering something.
"Wait, wait, wait, don't rush, Aqua!"
Satou Kazuma's face instantly changed.
"Don't worry, even if you get the witch factor, you definitely won't end up like that guy."
Beatrice replied.
"Ah? Why?"
"Although the effects of different witch factor powers are different, even the same witch factor will produce different power effects depending on the holder's desires. This has led to the powers of witch factor holders differing in each generation. For example, Betty's mother was a previous Greed factor holder, but her power was to create the Book of Wisdom, which is completely different from this guy's."
"I see..."
Satou Kazuma stroked his chin with one hand.
The powers will change depending on the holder's desires, so that means...
"Can I get the power to turn everyone around me into mature women?"
"Betty is so done with this!"
"But what you said does make sense, Betty. I feel like this witch factor can't be used casually, or the consequences would be disastrous."
Satou Kazuma nodded in agreement, then turned to look at Aqua,
"Useless goddess, can you find a way to store this witch factor? Normal containers can't hold it, right? But I believe you must have learned useless skills like creating containers out of thin air—what are you doing?"
Satou Kazuma widened his eyes in horror.
Aqua's hand, which should have been holding the witch factor, was now empty.
"Where's the witch factor!?"
"It's already in your body, duh?"
"Who told you to put it in!!!"
"Didn't you just tell me to put it in! Why are you blaming me now!"
"In that situation, you should have stopped, no matter what!"
"How was I supposed to know! And I can just take it out later!"
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
A look of pain appeared on Satou Kazuma's face. Recalling Geuse's state and Beatrice's words, that people with incompatible suitability might experience severe pain, he immediately lay on the ground and started rolling around frantically.
"BaKazuma!"
Beatrice rushed forward, asking with a worried expression.
But Satou Kazuma's movements suddenly stopped.
"Huh? I don't feel anything."
Satou Kazuma looked down at his body with a confused expression, then stood up straight from the ground.
"Betty really wants to use the Shroud on you."
"Why don't I feel anything after getting the Greed factor? Is it fake? Or did you break the witch factor, you useless goddess!"
Satou Kazuma immediately looked at Aqua with an interrogating gaze.
"That's not my fault!"
"Then how am I supposed to know if I successfully obtained the power or not!"
Beatrice looked at the two people about to start arguing again and sighed helplessly:
"Perhaps the power will be used subconsciously at a critical moment."
Beatrice could feel the presence of the witch factor within Satou Kazuma's body.
"Turn into a mature woman—no reaction."
"Shroud!"
"I'm sorry."
Satou Kazuma immediately slid to his knees on the ground at lightning speed.
"By the way, Betty, can I ask you a few questions?"
At this moment, Natsuki Subaru asked curiously.
"Ask away, Betty will reluctantly answer you."
"Um, are you familiar with Roswaal?"
Natsuki Subaru was still very curious about Roswaal, and as Beatrice, who had been living in the mansion, might know more information about him.
"Which Roswaal are you talking about? If you're talking about the current Roswaal, then just an average level of familiarity."
"Which Roswaal? Could there be multiple Roswaals? I feel like that name isn't very common. Why are there so many guys with the same name."
Aqua completely didn't understand what Beatrice meant.
"No, it's Roswaal L Mathers. The heads of the Mathers family in each generation are all called the same name, only the order of the middle name is different, and even their personalities are almost identical."
Beatrice shook her head and said.
"Every guy is a clown with weird makeup and a sarcastic tone?"
Satou Kazuma immediately asked.
"More or less."
"That's surprising."
"Surprising? Why?"
"Because the current Roswaal looks like a pervert, but based on his behavior, he doesn't seem interested in the women around him. If every Roswaal has the same personality, it's hard to imagine him having children with someone—wait, guys like that can even find wives?"
"Betty is so done with you!"
Beatrice felt a little exhausted, but soon, her gaze gradually became sad,
"The only one who was somewhat different was the first Roswaal, the first head of the family and also the mother's first student. That guy was super clingy to the mother!"
Past memories kept flooding into Beatrice's mind, and a smile appeared on her face.
But after her mother, Echidna, passed away, Beatrice felt that these memories were becoming more and more distant.
"The first Roswaal was a normal person? Hard to imagine. But if the personalities of every Roswaal after that are the same, that's a bit too strange, right?"
Satou Kazuma said casually,
"Normally, even if their personalities are close, they shouldn't be completely identical. If they're completely identical, then it can only be the same person, after all, Roswaal is the kind of pervert that's one in a million. The probability of every generation being super perverted is even smaller."
"The same person..."
Hearing Satou Kazuma's words, Beatrice frowned and fell into thought.
Because she was always in the Forbidden Library, Beatrice didn't have much contact with the others in the mansion and didn't pay too much attention to them.
But Satou Kazuma's words just now gave Beatrice a reminder.
"No... no... That's actually very possible."
"What?"
"Roswaal, it's very possible that he's always been the same person!"
"Wait, wait, wait, what does that mean? I don't understand at all!"
Aqua hadn't followed the others' conversation from the start.
"Betty knows that the mother researched magic to reincarnate souls. That magic isn't perfect... But if Roswaal perfected that magic, it might really be possible to overwrite the soul onto a direct relative, thereby achieving reincarnation."
"Really? Is it possible to do that much?"
A look of shock appeared on Natsuki Subaru's face, his Adam's apple moving up and down uncontrollably.
If that was the case, then it meant that Roswaal was even more dangerous. Emilia and the others definitely didn't know about Roswaal.
What exactly does he want to do?
Could it be... to take Emilia's body?
Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but think of the Witch Cult wanting to use Emilia as a vessel for the Witch's descent.
Could it be that Roswaal also wants to do the same thing?
"Roswaal, why would you do this?"
Natsuki Subaru asked in disbelief.
"There's only one possibility, and that's to revive my mother—who is also the teacher he cares about the most, the Witch of Greed, Echidna."
"Damn it, another love-struck fool..."
Satou Kazuma said in a low voice, while his gaze couldn't help but glance at Natsuki Subaru.
"Kazuma, did you just look at me?"
"No, you must have seen wrong."
Satou Kazuma immediately shook his head, then looked at Beatrice,
"Then do you know what Roswaal is planning to do?"
"Betty doesn't know, but remember Betty told you about that place called Sanctuary before? The mother's remains... are preserved in that place."
"No wonder Roswaal was particularly concerned about revival when he first met that useless goddess."
Satou Kazuma fell into thought.
All the mysteries pointed to Roswaal and the Sanctuary, where there were answers to everything.
"I see, Roswaal wants to revive someone?"
Aqua finally nodded in realization at this moment.
"I didn't expect you, useless goddess, to be able to keep up with our train of thought in such a short time? It seems Regulus's elbow strike was effective!"
"You're mocking this goddess again, you're going to be punished by the heavens! But speaking of resurrection magic, isn't that a simple thing? Why is Roswaal making it so complicated?"
Aqua frowned in incomprehension.
"Resurrection magic isn't that simple. Even the mother ultimately wasn't able to succeed."
"How about it, Kazuma!"
Aqua puffed out her chest, looking at Satou Kazuma with a 'how about it, I'm amazing, right?' expression.
"Who cares, anyway, let's hurry back and meet up with Crusch and the others."
Satou Kazuma said immediately.
"Then what should I do with this guy?"
Natsuki Subaru looked at Regulus, who was passed out on the ground.
"Just drag him along."
Satou Kazuma said with a smile.
. . . . . .
In the evening, Satou Kazuma and the others reunited with Crusch and the others at the city gate of Lugunica.
"Kazuma-sama, Aqua-sama, you're back! We've been waiting here for a long time."
Crusch said with a smile on her face.
Crusch could have entered the royal capital earlier, but she believed that defeating the White Whale and returning with the spoils of war was an extremely important matter. She insisted on entering the city with Satou Kazuma and Aqua, the real heroes.
Of course, she had Wilhelm and Felix return to the mansion early to make arrangements for the celebration.
"The Greed, has he been defeated by you?"
Crusch's gaze fell behind Aqua, who was dragging something—or rather, someone who used to be someone—towards them.
Face down.
"That's right, that bastard has been taken care of!"
Satou Kazuma turned around, preparing to spit at Regulus again.
But in Crusch's eyes, Satou Kazuma's anger was all for the sake of Regulus's wives.
"Kazuma-sama, you deeply care about those women, don't you."
"Of course!"
Satou Kazuma answered without hesitation.
And blowing on Crusch's face was the Wind of Truth, without a hint of lie.
"Kazuma-sama's sense of justice is truly admirable! Lord Russell will also be joining us soon."
"Russell? What's he coming for?"
"He recently obtained a special mineral that seems to suppress the effects of magic and powers. It's said that the shrine used to seal the Witch of Envy was also made of this material. Although these two cardinal sins seem to have lost their fighting ability, we still cannot be careless."
Crusch looked to the other side, where Gluttony Bishop Gourmet Lye hadn't woken up yet.
"That Russell can get his hands on anything. It's perfect because I have something to talk to him about later."
Just as Satou Kazuma finished speaking, Aqua next to him began to gesture wildly.
"By the way, Crusch, I have something to ask for your help later."
Satou Kazuma ignored Aqua and said to Crusch.
"As long as it's something I can do, I will do it to the best of the Karsten family's ability."
"It's not that complicated, I only need you alone."
"Just, me alone?"
Crusch looked at Satou Kazuma, her mouth slightly open, seeming to have misunderstood something.
And Satou Kazuma continued:
"I want you to temporarily act as a lie detector."
----
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