Zay blinked slowly at Roland's words, his eyes widened after listening to the words of Roland. 'What... does he mean? I know I have a contract so I possess some divinity... like everyone who possesses a contract but, matching that of a high priest? The hell does that mean? I chose the seal path over contracts... so it grows slower, even with Midnight. That... doesn't make sense. How do I possess aura to a high priest?'
As he was lost in thoughts, trying to comprehend what Roland meant, as the way it worked for his contract was slightly different than most. Typically, you would increase your contract after every Sequence, just how Seals work. But he hasn't received the message deeming him worthy of advancing his contract yet, that is, if he will ever receive such a message. He wasn't expecting to be deemed worthy due to the fact he held multiple Seals, and one being the Seal of the Demoness.
Zay stood still, lost in thought, before blinking rapidly five times, seeing that Roland was already near the door of the mansion. Zay snapped out of his thoughts and finished climbing the stone steps. He walked past the water fountain and made his way next to Roland.
Zay cleared his throat. "Can I get a rundown on everything before we step inside?"
Roland shook his head. "We'll go over everything once we're in my office. It is quite hot today, isn't it?" Roland smiled slightly, reaching his hand out and pulling the door open.
Walking into the mansion, Zay felt cool air blow down onto him and looked up at the ceiling. He saw incantations written into the ceiling to provide a cool breeze, allowing the mansion to stay cool within its halls. 'That's smart.'
Roland turned back, noticing Zay taking everything in, scripts from books that were ripped out and placed behind glass on the walls, several intricate designs of flowers, a carving of a dragon, and even a painting of a butterfly with pink wings.
Zay turned his attention to the stairs. A red carpet covered the middle section, while the edges of each step revealed the wooden floor beneath, the true stairs beneath the fabric. He walked across the white carpet flooring, then reached the staircase and began to ascend.
Roland glanced back, resuming his climb to the next floor. "My office is on the fifth floor of the house. The quicker we go, the sooner I can go over everything."
The two continued up the stairs, reaching the third floor. As they passed through the hallway, Zay saw children run past them. Roland raised his voice just enough for them to hear, though they seemed completely absorbed in their own world of play.
"No running in the halls!"
The children looked back, saw Roland, and slowed to a brisk walk.
"Sorry about that. The children can be a handful at times. I've told them so many times not to run in the halls, they might trip, get hurt by a door opening, or something else... but they just don't listen," Roland said with a weak chuckle. "I guess that's just how children are."
Zay gave a slight nod, even though Roland couldn't see it. The two continued walking, and before either of them noticed, they had arrived at the fifth floor. Roland turned left, revealing two large oak doors at the end of a short hallway.
They made their way to the room, opened the door, and stepped inside. Roland moved around the desk, took a seat, and motioned for Zay to do the same.
Zay walked toward the desk, taking a seat in one of the chairs as Roland held a file in his left hand.
"This file contains the duties you'll be doing for the next eight months." Roland placed the file down on the desk. Zay reached out, took it, and lifted it in front of his face, beginning to read through it.
'Teach a class of five students in the morning... 5 A.M. through 8 A.M. a break after the class lasting until 11 A.M. This isn't that bad, actually.'
"Is this really all the classes? Just a few hours in the morning?"
Roland cracked his knuckles, leaned back in his chair, and nodded. "That's all for classes."
Zay held his lower lip between his teeth, very lightly biting it as if lost in thought, then gave a small nod and continued reading through the file.
'From 11 A.M. until... oh, I see.' He glanced up at Roland, watching him smile like an old fox. 'From 11 A.M. to 9 P.M. I have to be a bodyguard for the priestess.'
"Who... exactly is this priestess, anyway? You haven't really mentioned her."
Roland swallowed, letting a few seconds pass in silence. His eyes shifted around the room, as if half-expecting the priestess to be listening in from the shadows. He leaned forward in his chair, placing his hands on the desk, his fingers curling into a light fist.
"Ira Winters," he said slowly. "She's the priestess of the Order. But... I don't personally believe she's qualified enough. Not that it matters, she was blessed by the goddess last year, and that alone sealed her position. Still, I think she's too much of a free spirit, if that's the right term for it."
"A free spirit? How so?"
"It's just... ever since she was young, she's had these dreams of wandering through ancient ruins, discovering forgotten places, and marrying a man she describes as 'hot, strong, protective, and someone who is free to experience the world with me.' Her words, not mine." He exhaled slowly. "I find it a foolish notion. But then again, it's not my life. I have no right to tell her what she can or cannot do."
Zay raised an eyebrow, listening closely before sighing softly. "It just sounds like she wants someone who shares her passions. I don't think that's foolish. If anything, it shows she knows what she wants, that's more than most girls in their late teenage years, or even women in their twenties."
Roland blinked a few times and gave a slight sigh, "I guess you're right in that sense. Perhaps its because she's been here since she was a child and I look at her as a daughter in a way since I've been really the only one to take care of the children here at this outpost for the past twenty-six years."
Zay thought back to a few memories from his most recent past life, particularly the months he had spent caring for a group of children he had saved. He remembered their laughter, the way they reached for his hand, the warmth of their presence despite the broken world around them. A faint smile formed on his lips. He wasn't sure why Roland was telling him all of this, but he appreciated the moment to drift into a memory that wasn't stained by blood or loss. Those days had been among the few moments of peace in that entire life.
Neither of them spoke for a while. The silence settled gently in the room, not heavy, but thoughtful.
Eventually, Roland stood up from his chair and let out a quiet breath. "I'm sorry for my outburst of emotions. I know you're not here to act as a therapist or to listen to an old man's stories."
He nodded toward the file in Zay's hand. "You have what you need. Lights out is at eleven o'clock every night. If you leave the grounds during the day, make sure you're back by then. The gates stay closed until five in the morning. If you don't make it back, you'll have to find somewhere else to stay."
Roland adjusted the sleeves of his coat with slow, practiced motions. Then he looked down at Zay and gave a small, tired smile.
"Who knows, she might just end up falling for you," he said with a faint chuckle.
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked to the door. He opened it and stepped outside, leaving it slightly open behind him as his footsteps faded down the hallway.
Zay stood up and watched as Roland walked away. He heard the parting words, but they barely registered beyond the silence that followed. 'Someone... ends up liking me? Romantically?' The thought alone felt distant, absurd. He let out a faint laugh under his breath, hollow and short. No one in their right mind would fall for someone as fractured as him. Not with everything he carried. Not with everything he had become in his own mind.
His gaze drifted downward to the desk, catching the faint gleam of light reflecting off a small metal object. A key. He picked it up and noticed a folded slip of paper tied to the ring. He brought it closer and began to read.
"There's a clothing store in Harland. It's a city ten miles south of here. I've gone ahead and left thirty pieces of silver and fifteen bronze pieces in the drawer in room 5J, the room you'll be staying in during your time here."
He moved his thumb aside and saw the signature at the bottom, Roland Richfield. Zay stared at it for a moment before closing his hand around the key. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the office.
The hallway stretched before him in silence, his footsteps the only sound. He continued forward, scanning the room numbers along the way in search of his own. At the end of the corridor, the path curved sharply to the right and followed it.
As he rounded the bend, someone emerged from another hallway he hadn't noticed. The figure wore a white tunic and loose black trousers. Zay stopped and turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing as he looked at the unfamiliar face.
Her snow-white hair flowed freely past her waist, catching the light with every subtle movement. Her eyes, a glowing amber, seemed to draw attention without effort, almost as if they demanded it from anyone who met her gaze.
Alira looked directly at Zay, her eyes drifting over him with unfiltered curiosity. She lingered for a moment on the scar above his chest, then another along his shoulder. She didn't hide her interest as she looked down at his abs for a few seconds, and smiled faintly before finally meeting his eyes.
With her hands slipping behind her back, she strolled toward him with an easy, relaxed gait. "Zay Yuso, right? No need to introduce yourself. I already knew you'd be showing up today."
She closed her eyes for a moment and smiled, the kind of smile that made the air around her feel a little lighter. There was something undeniably carefree about her. Despite that, she also felt like someone who cared deeply about the people around her.
As she passed by him, she leaned in just enough for her voice to drop into a playful whisper. "Meet me in the garden, an hour from now. I want to go out, Mr. Bodyguard." There was a teasing lilt in her voice, and the soft giggle that followed made it clear she wasn't the kind of priestess who liked to sit still. She turned the corner at the end of the hall without another word, and within seconds, her footsteps faded into silence.
'Was that... the priestess?'