Those who lived in the slums possessed a granular understanding of the capital's underbelly—intelligence that a Royal Candidate like Emilia simply couldn't access. If future operations required movement within the city's lower depths, Felt and Rom would be invaluable assets.
Furthermore, since Ayanokoji had decided to align himself with the Emilia camp, ensuring her success in the Royal Selection was the most logical path to securing his own freedom. Having been raised in the White Room, he understood a fundamental political truth: regardless of the world, winning an election required the support of the masses. Felt and Rom were his bridge to the common people, tools to humanize the "Silver-Haired Half-Elf" in the eyes of the public.
Most importantly, Ayanokoji remained fixated on the fact that Felt had caused the insignia to glow—a detail from the previous loop he chose to keep hidden for now.
Emilia, driven by her innate kindness, didn't need much convincing. Despite Felt's past as a thief, she recognized the girl was merely a pawn who had eventually helped defeat Elsa. She couldn't leave them to be purged by the mysterious organization behind the hit.
"Fine, you can come with us," Emilia said with a firm nod. "But no more stealing!"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it! I'm retired!" Felt chirped, flashing a playful, snaggle-toothed grin.
The scene shifted. Ayanokoji, Emilia, and their group—hauling the frozen, chained Elsa—arrived at the edge of the Royal Capital. Waiting for them was a custom carriage prepared by Roswaal L. Mathers, designed to transport them to the Margrave's estate.
Ayanokoji studied the creature harnessed to the front. It was a "Groundragon," a reptilian beast with a striking resemblance to the dinosaurs of his original world. While carriages existed here, Groundragons were faster and possessed superior endurance. This confirmed Ayanokoji's assessment of the world's technological level: it was a pre-industrial society, devoid of internal combustion engines or advanced machinery.
He wondered about this "Roswaal." As Emilia's primary benefactor, was a fancy carriage the extent of his support?
The Margrave's mansion sat on the kingdom's frontier. Even with the speed of a Groundragon, the journey from the capital would take a full day and night.
At midnight, no one in the carriage slept. Their eyes were fixed on the black-clad figure of Elsa. Though she appeared comatose, encased in ice and bound by heavy iron chains, she remained a predator.
"You can stop pretending now," Ayanokoji said into the silence, his voice a low drone. "I know you're awake."
"What?" Emilia gasped, leaning in to inspect the assassin. Elsa still looked deathly still.
"Her breathing rhythm changed a minute ago," Ayanokoji stated flatly. He had spent the last few hours observing more than just her vitals. He studied the way her clothes were tailored for hidden blades and noted that her severed hand had already fully reattached and healed. Her regenerative abilities were bordering on the divine.
He suspected that even a "lethal" blow might not be enough to kill her. However, Elsa still had utility. There was information to be extracted, and testing the limits of her immortality carried too high a risk of an accidental escape right now.
Emilia looked at Ayanokoji with disbelief. She hadn't even noticed a shift in the air, let alone a change in a prisoner's respiratory rate. At that moment, Elsa's eyes fluttered open. A seductive, mocking smile spread across her lips.
"Caught me, did you? It's quite rude to stare so intensely at a lady, you know~"
"I'd argue that pulling a knife on strangers is the greater breach of etiquette," Ayanokoji replied, meeting her gaze without blinking.
"You! You actually tried to kill us!" Felt barked, balled her fists to strike, but Rom caught her shoulder, shaking his head.
"In my line of work, leaving witnesses is considered a failed contract," Elsa said airily, as if discussing the weather.
"Why?" Emilia's expression turned grim. "Why target me?"
"I have no personal grudge against you, dear. A client simply paid me to steal your badge and 'dispose of all related parties,'" Elsa purred. "Besides, I've always been curious to see the color of a half-elf's clockwork."
The comment sent a chill down Emilia's spine, but she summoned a shard of ice, holding the frozen blade to Elsa's throat. Cold mist swirled between them. "Who is your employer?!"
"So sorry, but I truly don't know," Elsa replied. Before Emilia could press the blade closer, Elsa laughed. "Are you trying to threaten me? Miss, I have no reason to lie, and frankly... that little toothpick isn't nearly enough to make me talk."
"She's telling the truth," Ayanokoji intervened. His ability to read micro-expressions confirmed that Elsa wasn't bluffing. More importantly, he recognized her type: she was someone who couldn't be broken by pain or threats. She could only be moved by what she desired.
As he watched her, Ayanokoji noted her lack of concern for her current predicament. Despite being chained and mutilated, she showed no fear. This only solidified his theory: she possessed a trump card—some ability to escape that made her current captivity nothing more than a minor inconvenience.