Because the candidates for the royal selection had been gathered not long ago, Anastasia needed to take the oath for the selection, so a few of them stayed temporarily in the capital.
Ren moved between the noble families every day, setting traps for them one after another. If anyone discovered him, there was no doubt he would become a public enemy, hunted by all the nobles.
But his goal was to pull off a great deception in this country. Nobles? That was nothing to him, and he enjoyed it endlessly.
That day, Anastasia unusually came to see Ren. With her were the knight Julius and the leader of the Iron Fang Mercenaries, Ricardo.
"What's going on?" Ren asked, slightly puzzled. He had planned to visit some noble houses today.
"Something major happened in the royal selection," Anastasia spoke first, her tone serious.
Then Julius said, "Lord Roswaal from Lady Emilia's faction has eliminated a great sinner who had run rampant for a hundred years, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth."
"Roswaal eliminated him?" Ren asked.
"Yes. He brought the corpse of Sin Archbishop of Sloth. Whether it's genuine or not, we only need to wait and see," Julius continued.
"Is that so… I understand," Ren said, frowning. Only five days had passed, and he didn't believe that Roswaal had defeated Sin Archbishop of Sloth.
There had to be some trace of Subaru Natsuki in this, but why wasn't he the one reported? Had he entered an IF line?
"Mr. Ren, we came to seek the use of Priestella's influence. Now that Emilia has defeated the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, the nobles who originally wanted to negotiate cooperation have started to hesitate," Anastasia explained the purpose of her visit.
"Here, this can represent Priestella city's authority." Ren tossed a badge to Anastasia.
"Also, upon hearing of Emilia's accomplishments, Crusch is eager to hunt the White Whale. The White Whale is a serious headache for merchants," Anastasia told Ren another piece of news.
"The White Whale? Are you planning to get involved in this?" Ren looked at the young woman before him. Her ambition was bigger than he expected.
"Merchants care about profit, but they won't make sacrifices for no reason. Hunting the White Whale will bring more benefits, both in accomplishments and in trade," Anastasia explained.
"What do you think is the success rate? Give it up. Crusch is bound to lose, and this world will lose her trace," Ren said bluntly.
Though Subaru Natsuki had no combat ability, in the original story he played an irreplaceable role. Without him, these people were nothing but filling the White Whale's teeth.
"Completely useless, huh? I understand, Julius. You can go and inform your friend on this side." Anastasia looked at the man beside her, his fists clenched.
"Thank you, Lady Anastasia." Julius said, then left.
"He can't shake Crusch's determination, can he?" Ren asked, glancing at Anastasia.
"Whether he can or not, no one can say for sure. In business, not every deal makes money, but if you don't take the risk, you'll never earn anything."
"True to form, a merchant chasing profit. So, Anastasia, you intend to hunt the White Whale?"
"Of course. Having the achievement of hunting the White Whale, without a doubt, the company will earn even more afterward." Anastasia revealed her thoughts.
"And what role do you want me to play in this?" Ren stared directly into her eyes.
"Collaboration." Anastasia put away her smile and spoke seriously. She had never defeated Ren. In this royal selection, Ren was more like an investment than an opponent.
"Collaboration is a win-win, not you winning twice, right?" Ren smiled at her.
"Is that so?" Anastasia left with Ricardo. She needed achievements. She needed to grow the company into a powerhouse. Only then would she likely gain Ren's recognition.
It wasn't until Anastasia left that Ram spoke, "Lord Ren, did Roswaal hunt the Sin Archbishop of Sloth?"
Ram was genuinely concerned. A Sin Archbishop, an existence on the same level as Ren, had been hunted by Roswaal.
"No, it wasn't him. It was someone we met a few days ago. He calls himself Subaru Natsuki." Ren corrected.
"Really?" Both Ram and Rem were surprised. That clownish introduction had stuck in their minds. Most importantly, the boy had shown no combat ability at all.
"Of course, don't forget his ability. He can keep restarting, piling up lives until he defeats the opponent. After all, there will always be a chance to get the enemy's information, right?" Ren's expression was also serious.
If Subaru Natsuki entered the Pride IF route, he would undoubtedly be deadly powerful.
Ram clearly realized that she doesn't have her memories, and he kept restarting with memories, there would eventually be a time she would be killed. Such an ability was undeniably overpowered.
"Lord Ren, what should we do next?"
"First, go meet that man." Ren no longer had the relaxed attitude he had when he first arrived in the royal capital.
"Where would he be?"
"Surely somewhere near Roswaal, and targeting the Sin Archbishop."
"Targeting the Sin Archbishop? Lord Ren, that's dangerous." Ram hadn't forgotten Ren's identity.
"We've all become his targets. Don't forget whose aura you carry now." Ren was surprisingly optimistic about it.
"Big sister." Rem was a little worried. She knew Ram carried a strong witch's aura.
"Why is he doing this?" Ram didn't understand Subaru Natsuki's purpose.
"To defeat all the Sin Archbishops, give the glory to Emilia, and help her gain the credit for destroying the Witch Cult. Wouldn't Emilia become queen then?" Ren asked Ram rhetorically.
"Just for that?" Ram recalled what had happened before. Emilia and Subaru weren't particularly close. She couldn't understand it.
"Of course."
"What an obsessive person. Is there no normal person in the Witch Cult?" Ram thought of Ren, then Regulus, and now Subaru. Truly, there wasn't a single normal one.
"But maybe it's time to change strategies." Ren murmured to himself. Once Subaru turned the royal capital into hell, he would come to save it. This plan would undoubtedly succeed.
"Ram, Rem, go meet him next. When interacting with him, no unnecessary words, and don't reveal your abilities. Do nothing if you can." Ren instructed the twins.
"Understood, Lord Ren." Ram and Rem answered in unison.
"Let's go." Ren stood up and left the villa with the two girls.
Ren recalled what had happened recently. His involvement seemed to have prevented the other party from showing off or getting close to Emilia.
Did this lead him down the branching route? He didn't know. In the end, he needed to meet the person in front of him to find out.
Emilia's faction had defeated the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, who had been rampaging for over a hundred years.
The achievement was far greater than expected.
The streets were filled with cheers, and opinions about Emilia, the half-elf, seemed to soften considerably.
Undoubtedly, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth had committed countless atrocities, causing disasters far beyond the other sins, making the Witch Cult infamous.
**********
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