I just hope to live a leisurely life in the world of anime.

He looked at Mycroft with pleading eyes, only to find that the other man was just sighing at him and had no intention of offering any help.

They've been friends for decades; Bordeaux believes he's not so heartless, but rather truly has no other choice.

Do I really have to hurt myself?

He asked himself this question, feeling very unwilling, but there was nothing he could do; the difference in strength was too great!

Perhaps agreeing to his request would save face and demonstrate backbone; if he were to do it himself, it might look very bad.

Bordeaux weighed the gains and losses, his face shifting between light and shadow, but then quickly relaxed.

snort!

Bordeaux! When did you become so cowardly and hesitant?

It's just one hand and one mouth, what's the worst that can happen? We can just give them the food! So what!

People always have to pay the price for their actions.

Seemingly becoming more open-minded, Bordeaux's expression gradually calmed down, and he gave instructions to the ramrod straight-standing Grand Master of the Knights below.

"Marcos, bring me the sword!"

After saying that, he closed his eyes, adjusted his mindset, and showed the backbone of a veteran.

"Marcos Marcos!"

After waiting for a while and finding no movement around him, he opened his eyes and saw Marcos standing still. He called out twice more.

clap clap-

Applause suddenly erupted.

Who is so arrogant and rude!

Bordeaux, already in a gloomy mood, glared angrily at the source of the sound.

Upon seeing the other person's face, the anger in his eyes quickly dissipated, leaving only unexpected astonishment.

"Your country has certainly put on a good show for me!"

###Chapter 196: An Unconventional Title###

“Miss Emilia, you have successfully moved me. The ‘Ghost’ Merchant Guild has decided to stand behind you and support you unconditionally…”

An Shu looked like she'd swallowed a bitter pill. She gritted her teeth and finished saying the first sentence before finally bursting out!

"Ugh, ptooey! It makes me sick! Why does this dialogue sound like a low-quality dating show?!"

"Stop acting! Your acting is so bad, everyone has already seen through it!"

"I, An Shu, am on Emilia's side! Anyone who's not happy about this, beat me first!"

Before the trembling people could react, An Shu patted Rem on the head and stood up with her.

Click.

A crisp snap of fingers echoed throughout the hall, bringing in a warm breeze that made the frail nobles shiver comfortably; the hall was no longer chilly.

An Shu ignored the different expressions of others, opened her fingers which had been clenched when she snapped them, and let a colorful butterfly land on her palm.

"Here comes little Rem."

An Shu stretched out her hand and smiled as she offered a butterfly that had flown in from who-knows-where to her maid, trying to win her favor.

"Eh..."

Beautiful things are what all girls pursue and yearn for, and Rem is no exception!

She carefully took it and found that the butterfly did not seem to be startled and fly away. So she boldly reached out and touched it, gently stroking its colorful wings, and a smile gradually bloomed on her face.

The plot is moving too fast, leaving many people looking bewildered and confused. Just a moment ago they seemed ready to fight, but now they seem... completely clueless.

"An Shujun, this isn't the plan we agreed on!"

Roswaal's lips twitched. The magic surrounding him had calmed its agitation, seemingly flowing into everyone's hearts with the warm breeze that had just passed by, soothing their moods.

It was a small-scale healing spell!

He glanced at the ice sculpture in the corner again and found that the person inside had already revealed himself. Ignoring the melting puddle at his feet, he knelt on the spot, panting heavily, and no longer needed his help.

An Shu, holding her maid's hand, slowly walked down from the stage and stood next to Emilia, ignoring Natsuki Subaru behind her.

"I really wanted to follow the usual procedure, but you guys have really disappointed me! I thought you two would be smart for once, but it seems you haven't changed much!"

If this continues, I'll really become a clown just like you!

The tone was like talking to an idiot, and even the look in their eyes was similar, leaving both the person and the cat speechless.

"This is so inhumane! They should at least give us some face! What did we do wrong?"

Parker and Roswaal exchanged a glance, then asked with wry smiles what they were thinking. Normally, it would be hard to imagine that a cat could have such a rich range of expressions!

"Let Myrotov say it!"

An Shu didn't want to waste her energy talking a lot of meaningless nonsense, so she decisively pushed the blame away.

"Hey! Lord Mycroft!"

Roswaal was somewhat surprised, though mostly confused. Following An Shu's words, he turned his gaze to the stage.

“President An Shu, you…” McCrotov ignored Roswaal and instead looked at An Shu with a complicated expression.

He saw through the performance, but he didn't expect An Shu to be involved. Now he finally understood how the other party was going to end things.

"It's surprising that I've supported Miss Emilia for so long!"

An Shu didn't care, and was somewhat understanding of his surprise.

It's not that he lacked intelligence; rather, ever since Anshu taught Roswaal spatial magic, no one has been able to track his whereabouts.

As for Emilia herself, she has only visited Anshu three times, including today, making it quite convenient for her to conceal her presence.

Others who know about the relationship aren't so gossipy; if Mycroft knew, it would surprise Anshu.

"..."

McCrotov frowned and remained silent; no one knew what he was thinking.

"Aren't you happy? I sided with your country a long time ago! McCrotov, you'd better explain to my two stupid teammates so I can make my next move."

An Shu was getting impatient. He didn't want to speculate. He had been sitting in the chair all morning, and even the best temper would be worn down by boredom.

“Well, well… Count Mezas… your speech was excellent, but it had two flaws.”

McCrotov coughed twice, ignoring the dissatisfaction of being ordered around, before turning his attention to Roswaal.

"I would like to hear the details."

Roswaal was extremely humble, even bowing in a perfunctory manner.

McCrotov cleared his throat, glanced at Bordeaux who was still in a daze, and spoke slowly.

"First of all, after the Great Elf came out, he didn't cause you any trouble, but instead targeted Lord Bordeaux. He didn't even glance at you. But from any perspective, a traitor is more hateful than an enemy."

"……Well!"

"Okay, I admit I didn't expect that..."

Parker shrugged, his paws trembling. It was his fault.

But since there were two points, he must not have finished speaking, so Parker pressed on, "What's the other one?"

"As for the second point, it's about Captain Marcos! After the Great Elf appeared, he didn't take any action, not even basic vigilance, completely letting you do as you pleased, which is illogical."

I guess the reason Count Mezas and Lady Emilia are late today is because they went to see Commander Marcos and were delayed in preparing.”

McClotov glanced at Marcos, who was standing ramrod straight, and seeing that he made no further move, he looked away.

"Ha, Roswaal, this isn't my fault. I did try to persuade you before we came this morning, didn't I?"

Parker gloated. After all, it was a cunning cat, and he was a little unwilling to bear the blame all by himself... no, a cat alone!

"But if we don't give advance notice and a conflict breaks out with the Knights, things could get out of control! People like Reinhard and Julius—any one of them could give you, Great Elf, a real headache."

Roswaal was quite helpless; this seemed to be unsolvable. Perhaps there were better methods, but he didn't have time to think about them.

"That's a bit of a headache..."

Parker also suppressed his smile and nodded; it was a fact.

"Time was too short, there was no other way! But An Shujun, how did you figure out that Mycroft already knew?"

"He was shaking his leg the whole time! He wasn't nervous at all! You couldn't tell he was the blind one! Okay, now that the explanation is complete, then..."

Bang!

With a loud bang, the entire hall shook, and Roswaal was nowhere to be seen.

“An…An Shujun”

Parker stammered a little, and seeing An Shu making a gesture of flicking a glass marble towards him with her index finger and thumb together, he felt even more uneasy!

"Oh, his magic just now burned my little Rem."

An Shu raised her eyebrows and offered a tolerant explanation.

"Uh... just now..."

It's not my fault! Roswaal secretly told me to do this this morning to annoy you!

Bang!

The sentence that was meant to shift the blame had been conceived, but it lacked the time to be spoken!

It's obvious that An Shu definitely won't give it to him!

With a loud bang, the gray kitten vanished from the spot.

A profound silence fell, even breathing was held, and even the seasoned and composed Mycroft wavered!

“Mr. Anshu…” After a long while, Emilia still looked troubled and hesitated to speak.

"Well, Miss Emilia, don't worry, those two idiots will be fine! Don't worry!"

An Shu didn't take it to heart, waved her hand as an explanation, noticed that her maid's hair had been messed up by her, and carefully straightened it for her.