The group arrived at the settlement on the outskirts of the manor. Ayanokoji had orchestrated the trip under the guise of "exploring the territory," bringing Elsa and Emilia along. Rem, driven by an instinctive distrust of both the assassin and the "guest," followed them under the pretext of purchasing kitchen spices.
"If you twitch toward a blade, I'll end you," Rem whispered to Elsa, her hand hovering near her hidden flail. Elsa merely offered a shallow, amused smile, treating the threat with the weight of a summer breeze.
Ayanokoji watched them. Rem's presence was an asset; her rapport with the villagers would serve as the social lubricant needed to ease the outsider's integration. Meanwhile, Emilia stood close to him, clutching his sleeve, her anxiety manifest. She wore a white hooded mantle—a magical artifact designed to veil her features from those who would see the "Witch" in her face.
Ayanokoji noted the villagers' lingering resentment toward Emilia. Roswaal, her supposed backer, had done nothing to mitigate this social friction. Does he truly want her to win? Ayanokoji wondered. Regardless, he viewed Emilia as he once viewed Horikita—a puppet to be elevated for his own profit.
The Integration Play
In the real world, the ANHS coffee shop erupted in light laughter as Horikita's name was mentioned again.
"Horikita, you're the star of the show today!" Ichinose teased, patting the girl's shoulder. Horikita's face burned a deep crimson. Being the subject of a viral broadcast in a room full of strangers was a special kind of torment. She looked at Ayanokoji, who was calmly finishing his coffee, and huffed. "It's all your fault, Ayanokoji!"
Ayanokoji merely exhaled a quiet, practiced sigh of resignation.
The Leash and the Candy
Back in the vision, the group was swarmed by children. Among them was Petra, a lively girl who treated Elsa like a visiting noblewoman. Ayanokoji scanned the crowd, his eyes locking onto a girl with blue-violet hair standing on the periphery. Meili.
She wasn't holding her mabeast-puppy. She was staring at Elsa with a gaze that flickered between shock and a childish, piercing jealousy. To be a killer and lose your composure at a mere sight... Ayanokoji noted. Meili was a mess of psychological openings.
He directed Emilia to play with the children. "You need to build a foundation here. If the children trust you, the parents will follow." It was a classic move to split the group's attention.
Once Emilia and Rem were occupied, Ayanokoji stood with Elsa and Meili in the shadow of a storehouse.
"Elsa!" Meili hissed, her voice a mix of relief and accusation.
"Meili, meet your new employer," Ayanokoji said flatly. "Kiyotaka Ayanokoji."
"New employer?" Meili blinked, looking between the two.
Elsa's smile vanished, replaced by a razor-edged seriousness. "Master, are you threatening me? Bringing her out like this?"
Ayanokoji didn't blink. He reached into his pocket and produced a small candy wrapped in colorful paper—a luxury from the manor's stores. He handed it to the girl. "A gift for our first meeting, Meili."
Unlike Elsa, Meili lacked a professional's caution. she unwrapped the sweet and popped it into her mouth. Elsa sighed; to accept food from a stranger was to invite poison.
"My proposal is simple," Ayanokoji continued. "Meili joins the manor as my personal attendant. She will have safety, comfort, and the one thing she values most: your company, Elsa."
He looked at Meili, parsing her history through her reactions. She was an orphan, a drifter who had traded her childhood for the Guild's cold survival. Her dependency on Elsa was a structural flaw—one he would exploit by becoming a secondary pillar of support.
"I require your loyalty. Not to the camp, but to me personally."
Elsa's eyes narrowed into slits of dark amusement. "I see. You have more depth than I thought, Lord Ayanokoji. If only I had met you sooner."
"Where Elsa-nee goes, I go!" Meili chirped, the sweetness of the candy winning her over as much as the promise of staying with her "sister."
"Good." Ayanokoji turned to Elsa. "You have your first task. Erase every trace of Meili's presence in this village. Forge a history for her that will survive Roswaal's scrutiny. I cannot have him digging into her origins."
"And after that?" Elsa asked, her aura shimmering with a lethal anticipation.
"After that, you'll get to have some fun," Ayanokoji said, his voice like a calm, windless sea. "There are some 'Fingers' in the forest that need to be removed."
Elsa's smile bloomed like a blood-red rose—beautiful, jagged, and predatory. "Understood. I'm quite looking forward to it."