Kojo and the others stood in front of the mansion that was part of Kojo's reward. The mansion was close to some woods. There were a lot of smaller buildings where the servants were lodged around the house. The house itself was massive. It was surrounded by flower beds. The estate was complete with a training ground.
"Why don't we have a look inside?" Lin said. Kojo moved forward and opened the door.
"Welcome home, master." Kojo was taken aback. The staff that were in charge of maintaining the mansion had gathered to welcome them. It wasn't a surprising thing for servants to greet their master. What surprised Kojo was the fact that Keo and Mekna were there. Mekna was dressed as a butler, complete with glasses and a uniform. The maid uniform Keo wore was different from the ones worn by the other maids; it was shorter and exposed a significant amount of her cleavage. She looked at the girls accompanying Kojo and frowned slightly.
"Okay, so what's your story?" Kojo asked, folding his arms. They stepped forward.
"Master. We have diligently trained ourselves in order to be of service to you," Mekna said. "I am now the chief butler in charge of household affairs."
"And I am the chief maid," Keo said.
"Please do with us as you see fit," they said, bowing. Kojo was about to say something but thought better of it.
"That's wonderful," Sharone said. "Why don't you show us around?"
They bowed and showed them around the mansion.
"It's not a bad place the Duke's got here. It has the suits of armor in the corridor and everything." He looked back and saw the girls chatting as they toured the house.
"Well, they're getting along."
One of the servants cut a piece of wood with an axe. He put it down and gathered all the pieces together. He heard a strange sound coming from the woods. He walked a few meters, then the sound stopped.
"Probably a fox," he turned and came face to face with Cyranius, his neck pressing against the dagger in his hand. Cyranius didn't hesitate and slit his throat. He touched the body, draining its life energy. The servant's body turned to sand by the time it touched the ground. Cyranius took off his cloak and wore the man's clothes. He picked up the axe from the ground and walked back toward the mansion.
"You've meddled with my affairs for far too long, Kojo Atari. I'd hate to get my hands dirty, but it seems I'll have to get rid of you myself," he said. He remembered what Oslon told him in their last meeting.
"I'd be careful if I were you," Oslon said, gently shaking a glass of wine.
"Kojo's more cunning than he lets on. It would be unwise to make a move on him at this time. Especially since he's been aware of our intentions."
"Don't worry. I'm not like that fool Giovanni. I won't fail," he said and got up to walk away.
"Pride goes before a fall. Don't say I didn't warn you," Oslon said, taking a sip of wine.
Cyranius paused, looking over his shoulder before disappearing into the shadows.
"What does that fool know?" Cyranius said, carrying the chopped wood inside. "This is going to end before it even begins," he said, his eyes glowing green.
Kojo's ear twitched.
"You alright?" Koniko asked.
"Yeah, I'm good," Kojo responded. He walked past Cyranius. He turned.
"Hey," he called. Cyranius stopped walking.
"Yes, master?" he turned, putting on a cheerful face.
"Have we met before? You seem... familiar," he asked. He locked eyes with Kojo and immediately felt something stir within him. He unconsciously took a step back.
"No, I don't believe we have. I just moved to Ekron to find money to support my wife and children. This is my first job, so please take care of me," he said with a bow, his words full of emotion.
"Okay, don't worry about it," Kojo said.
Cyranius straightened.
"What's your name?"
"My name? Oh, it's Nan. Nan O'Dame."
"Okay then, Nan, see you around," Kojo said, tapping his shoulder and walking away with Koniko.
"Well, whatever. Kojo, we need to meet up with the others," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him away.
Cyranius' smirk turned to a scowl.
"I could have killed you if I wanted to." He remembered what he felt when he looked into Kojo's eyes but shook it off. He then looked at Koniko and kicked his lips.
"Maybe I'll have some fun before massacring them," he said before turning and walking away.
"Hey, Kojo, so about our sleeping arrangements," Koniko began.
"Oh, you guys shouldn't worry. There are enough rooms in the house. You can sleep in whichever one you want," Kojo said.
"Okay," Koniko said, averting her eyes and blushing.
Kojo went to a room. It was spacious with a king-sized bed.
It had a bathroom of its own and another door. Kojo opened the door and saw another room, which acted as a wardrobe.
"Okay, these clothes aren't really my style, so I'm going to have to make some alterations," he said, closing the door.
He walked over and sat on the bed. He lay back and closed his eyes.
He found himself in an empty space. Everything in all directions was white. Kojo found himself in a hoodie and cargo pants. He turned and saw a café. He walked in. It was empty except for two girls. He walked over and sat down with them.
"Okay, so why am I here, Estell?" he said to a young lady in a turtleneck and glasses typing on a laptop.
"Something's come up," said the other lady sitting opposite Estelle. She was extremely beautiful. She had red eyes and white hair. Kojo realized that she was a female version of him. He looked down at her chest.
"You know it's rude to stare," she said. "You pervert."
"Sorry, Sysia," he said.
"So what was so urgent that you needed to summon me into what I'm guessing is my subconscious?"
"You're quick to catch on. This is one of the Skills I gave you. It's called Mindscape," Estelle said.
"You're here so we can talk. About the future," Sysia said.