Emilia led him not to a grand palace or a noble estate, but to a modest, three-story building in a quieter part of the city.
It was a residential manor, well-kept but not ostentatious.
“This is where I’m staying for the time being,” she explained.
“It belongs to the Margrave.
He’s been…
generous.”
Ayanokoji took in every detail: the layout of the hallways, the exits, the windows, the paintings on the walls.
He noted the names and faces of the few servants they passed.
It was all part of his orientation to a new environment.
The fact that a woman of her power was a guest of a “Margrave” was another piece of the puzzle.
They settled in a comfortable sitting room, where a maid served them tea.
The cat spirit, Puck, floated in the air beside Emilia, his small body radiating a power that was surprisingly dense.
Ayanokoji cataloged him as a high-tier threat.
“So,” Emilia began, her amethyst eyes studying him with an unnerving directness.
“You said I’m the most powerful person you’ve sensed.
That’s an interesting thing to say to someone you’ve just met.
And it suggests you have a way of sensing such things.
Are you a spirit arts user?”
“I don’t know what that is,” Ayanokoji admitted.
He saw no reason to lie about his ignorance.
“I assess people.
It’s a skill.
Your ‘presence,’ for lack of a better word, is qualitatively different from everyone else I’ve encountered.
It’s like a constant, low-level pressure.
It’s not hostile, but it’s undeniable.”
Emilia’s eyes widened slightly.
This was not a typical answer.
“You can sense mana?
My mana?”
“That is likely the correct term,” Ayanokoji said.
“I have no frame of reference for it.
My world had no magic.”
That made both Emilia and Puck fall silent.
Puck floated closer to Ayanokoji, sniffing the air around him like a dog.
“He’s not lying, Lia.
There’s no taint on him.
His soul is…
different.
Very still.
Like a deep, frozen lake.
And there’s not a drop of Od, the life force, being actively used.
It’s like he’s from another world.”
“I believe I am,” Ayanokoji said simply.
“I was in a bus, and then I was in this city.
My previous life, my previous world, is gone.
I am here now, with no connections, no resources, and no knowledge of the rules of this place.
The two of you are the most significant sources of information I have encountered.
Therefore, I would like to propose a transaction.”
Emilia looked intrigued.
“A transaction?”
“Yes.
I will offer you my services,” Ayanokoji stated.
“My skills are in analysis, strategy, and as you have seen, combat.
I am not a warrior by trade, but I am efficient.
I need two things: information about this world and a stable base of operations from which to build a new life.
You appear to be a person of importance, and your ability to provide these things is high.
In exchange, I can offer you an objective, analytical perspective.
I can be a bodyguard, an advisor, or a problem-solver.
I believe my skills would be an asset to you.”
It was a bold, almost arrogant proposition.
A complete stranger asking a girl of immense power for a job, framing it as a mutually beneficial transaction.
Puck started to laugh, a light, airy sound.
“Wow, Lia, this one’s a piece of work!
He’s not asking for help, he’s offering a business deal!”
Emilia, however, didn’t laugh.
She looked at Ayanokoji with a serious expression.
“You don’t know who I am.
You don’t know what my goals are.
Why would you want to work for me?”
“Because you are powerful, and you are not currently using that power to dominate others,” Ayanokoji said.
“You were in the slums yesterday and today.
You weren’t there to fight or to take.
You were observing, perhaps even trying to help.
That suggests a certain…
moral compass.
It is easier to work for someone whose goals are not entirely selfish.
Furthermore, you have not attempted to kill or intimidate me, despite my unusual nature.
You are curious, not hostile.
Those are acceptable working conditions.”
He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“Let me be clear.
I am not a good person.
I do what is necessary to achieve my goals.
My primary goal is my own survival and security.
Working for you, if it ensures that, is the most logical path forward.
I am not offering loyalty or friendship.
I am offering my competence.
Loyalty is an emotion that must be earned, not given.”
The room was silent for a long moment.
The air crackled with an unseen tension.
Then, Emilia did something unexpected.
She smiled.
It was a genuine, warm smile that lit up her entire face.
“You’re different,” she said, her voice soft.
“Everyone I meet either fears me, hates me, or wants something from me.
You’re the first person who has just…
laid out your terms like this.
It’s…
strangely refreshing.
You’re not pretending to be a hero.
You’re not trying to use me.
You’re just asking for a job.”
She looked at Puck, who shrugged his tiny shoulders.
“I told you, Lia.
I like him.
He’s got a spine.”
Emilia turned back to Ayanokoji.
“My name is Emilia.
I am a candidate for the Royal Selection.
I am working to become the next ruler of this kingdom.”
The data clicked into place.
The Royal Selection.
Kadomon had mentioned it.
This was a political power struggle, and Emilia was a key player.
A ruler.
This was a much bigger game than he had initially anticipated.
“I see,” Ayanokoji said, his expression unchanged.
“That is a significant objective.
It will attract powerful enemies and complex political maneuvering.
It is an even more suitable environment for my skills than I had hoped.”
Emilia nodded.
“I have a benefactor, a man named Roswaal.
He is sponsoring my candidacy.
I could ask him to house you as well, if you were to enter my service.” She took a breath, her expression turning serious.
“But I have conditions of my own.
I won’t be party to needless cruelty.
You said you do what is necessary.
I need to know what you consider ‘necessary’ before I can accept.”
Ayanokoji considered this.
It was a fair question.
“In my world, I was trained to win at all costs, but also to be efficient.
Cruelty for its own sake is inefficient and creates more enemies.
I will not kill unless it is strategically essential.
I will not harm the innocent if it is avoidable.
My methods are cold, but they are not senselessly brutal.
That is all I can promise.”
Emilia held his gaze for a long moment, as if trying to see into the very core of him.
He let her look.
His eyes were like twin mirrors, reflecting only the cold, hard truth of his own logic.
Finally, she let out a small sigh.
“Alright,” she said.
“I believe you.” She extended her hand, a gesture of trust and a formal acceptance.
“Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, I accept your proposal.
You will be a guest of my patron and an advisor to me.
In exchange, you will have all the information and resources you need.
Do we have a deal?”
Ayanokoji looked at her hand.
He did not shake it.
Instead, he gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.
“We have a deal.”
It was not a rejection of her trust, but a statement of his own terms.
He did not forge bonds through physical contact.
He forged them through shared goals and mutual benefit.
And so, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji secured his place in this new world.
He had gone from a lost outsider to a strategic advisor for a royal candidate in less than two days.
He had no idea what challenges awaited him—the political machinations of the other candidates, the monstrous threats of the Witch’s Cult, the terrifying secrets of a power called “Return by Death” that lingered in the unseen corners of fate.
But for the first time since leaving the White Room, he felt a genuine sense of anticipation.
This was a new game, with new rules, new pieces, and stakes higher than any he had ever played for before.
And Kiyotaka Ayanokoji did not intend to lose.
He would use Emilia, use her resources, use this entire world, to ensure his victory.
He would learn everything, master everything, and in the end, he would be the one holding all the cards.
That was his nature.
That was his cold, unyielding path.
And he would walk it without hesitation.