Ayanokoji had considered bringing the Royal Guards into the slums to tip the scales against Elsa Granhiert. However, the risk was too high. If Elsa were already lurking, a troop of guards would be a flare in the dark, causing her to vanish and hunt them from the shadows later. No, it was better to settle this here, using only the tools currently on his board.
They arrived at Old Man Rom's loot cellar. After a brief exchange of secret signals, the heavy doors groaned open, and the group slipped inside.
Ayanokoji scanned the room. It was a cavernous warehouse overflowing with stolen goods—weapons, armor, jewelry, and junk. To most, it was a den of thieves. To Ayanokoji, it was a perfectly stocked armory. If he could arm himself and prepare the terrain, Elsa's overwhelming physical advantage would be mitigated.
"Who are they?" Rom asked, his eyes narrowing. He relaxed only slightly when he saw Felt wasn't being coerced.
"Hello. My name is Emilia, and I am a candidate for the throne," Emilia said, removing her hood. Her silver hair cascaded down like a shimmering galaxy.
"A Royal Candidate?" Rom's face went from confusion to a deep, bruised purple. He turned to Felt, realizing the magnitude of her blunder. "Felt! What have you done?!"
"I didn't know!" Felt puffed out her cheeks, trying to look innocent. "I thought it was just a fancy badge. How was I supposed to know she was a future Queen?"
Rom sighed, quickly realizing they were all in the same sinking boat. He looked to Ayanokoji, sensing the boy was the one holding the compass. "What's the plan?"
"We proceed with the transaction as normal," Ayanokoji said, turning to Emilia. "Lady Emilia, give the insignia back to Felt. We need it to bait the employer."
Emilia didn't hesitate. She was desperate to find out who was trying to sabotage her campaign. She handed the badge back to the thief.
"Act naturally," Ayanokoji commanded. His voice was flat, but it carried a weight that made Felt's skin crawl. This was about their lives. "Obey my instructions without question. We have to assume she's armed and potentially has backup. We need weapons, traps, and a contingency for every variable."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the group. Puck and Emilia were the DPS—the primary damage dealers. Felt was the harrier—fast and distracting. Rom? Rom was the tank. He would draw Elsa's fire.
'As long as Emilia remains unharmed, the survival of the others is secondary,' Ayanokoji noted internally. 'Especially Rom. His utility is providing this armory and absorbing the first strike. If he falls, the plan continues.'
"Felt, your employer intends to silence you. Do not hesitate when the time comes to strike," Ayanokoji added, grounding her in the reality of her situation. "You have no retreat."
Felt nodded, her resolve hardening. She fully believed him now.
"I'll take this." Ayanokoji pulled a longbow from the wall. In the last loop, he realized a melee confrontation with Elsa was suicide. With Emilia and Puck handling the frontline, he would provide precision support from the periphery. Having mastered every skill in the White Room, his marksmanship far exceeded that of an Olympic champion.
"And," Ayanokoji added, his eyes searching the shelves. "Do you have any poison?"
The afternoon bled into evening. The sun was still bright, but the shadows in the cellar were stretching, reaching out like cold fingers.
Then, the sound arrived. The sharp, rhythmic click of high heels on the pavement outside.
Seconds later, a familiar silhouette stepped into the warehouse. Elsa Granhiert. Felt and Rom swallowed hard. Despite her beauty, they could feel the predatory chill Ayanokoji had warned them about.
Ayanokoji and Emilia were already hidden among the crates and tall shelves, observing through the cracks.
"Have you found what I'm looking for?" Elsa asked, her smile appearing harmless yet carrying a jagged edge.
"Yeah, I got it," Felt said, leading her to the table. They sat, and Felt slid the insignia across. Elsa inspected it, nodding in approval.
Rom stepped forward, offering a steaming cup of tea. "A successful deal deserves a drink, guest."
The tea was laced with a potent sedative—Ayanokoji's idea. If she drank it, the fight ended before it began.
"How kind of you," Elsa said, looking at the rising steam. Her smile widened. "But I'm afraid I'm not thirsty."
"The reward?" Felt asked. Elsa produced a small silk pouch. The Holy Gold coins clinked inside, glowing brilliantly as she opened it.
For a split second, Felt's body leaned forward. She wanted to believe this was just a trade. If the woman just took the badge and left, they could avoid the blood.
But as her hand reached out, a flash of cold steel cut through the air. Elsa's killing intent exploded. Felt, already primed for betrayal, threw herself backward. The wicked curve of a kukri blade sliced the gold pouch in half. Coins spilled out like the golden entrails of a fallen god.
"You dodged? You were expecting me," Elsa noted, her smile never wavering. Felt was drenched in cold sweat, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. If she had been a half-second slower, her throat would have been open.
"You bitch!" Rom bellowed, swinging his massive spiked club. The heavy wood shattered the table into splinters, but Elsa wasn't there. She flipped through the air like a macabre dancer, her black cloak spreading like bat wings. "My first giant. I wonder what your guts look like?"
As Elsa hung in the air, the ambush triggered. Emilia stepped out from the shadows, launching a barrage of ice.
Ayanokoji had calculated this. He knew Elsa played with her prey. She wouldn't just dodge; she would show off. That flamboyance was her opening. Puck and Emilia's ice spears rained down like a blue storm.
But Elsa wasn't human. She twisted her body mid-air with impossible flexibility, contorting her joints to dodge every single shard.
"She dodged that?!" Emilia gasped, frustrated. Elsa landed softly, looking like a performer taking a bow.
"You all have such distinct scents," Elsa purred, her eyes locking onto Felt. "Especially your fear. And the lady behind the cabinet... your hostility is so vivid." She licked her lips. She had known they were there the moment she walked in.
However, Elsa was genuinely curious. Why were the thief and the candidate working together? Everything felt rehearsed. It was as if her identity and her methods had been leaked.
'Is there someone else here?'she wondered, her violet eyes scanning the darkness.