The Contrast He Only Now Realized

“Wel… come…”

A shop clerk greeted the entering customer with a lifeless tone.

His face was gloomy, dark circles under his eyes proof of sleepless nights.

Even so, he still served the customer with simple yet swift movements.

From afar, Ayato watched the man. His own body appeared transparent at that moment.

But when their eyes met, it felt as though Ayato was staring into a bottomless abyss of darkness. The air turned frigid, and before he realized it, the ground beneath him froze, ice crawling up and engulfing his body. A sharp crack rang out—then he shattered into countless shards of frost.

GASP!

Ayato’s eyes shot wide open, startling the servant who had been changing his bandages.

Seizing the moment, Ayato asked the servants to deliver a message to Kaelyn Duskbane: “I want to look around the area.” They agreed to pass it along.

Of course, the reason he sent the message to Kaelyn first was to avoid stepping over her position. Judging by Selphira’s attitude yesterday, Ayato was certain that if he asked her directly, she would have immediately allowed it. But that would only make Kaelyn even more suspicious of him.

Ayato understood well that, right now, he was a suspicious person. After all, they had just been attacked by a horde of monsters far larger than usual. It was only natural for someone like Kaelyn, as a personal guard, to raise her vigilance against a stranger who suddenly appeared and helped them escape.

But Selphira ojou-sama… she appears far too innocent. …At the very least, I’ll need to use that to my advantage.

Ayato had almost no information. He didn’t know where he was, or why he had been sent here. That’s why, from now on, every step he took had to be carefully chosen—otherwise the price would be too high.

For now, the most important thing is to get permission to look around first. Alright…

Ayato stretched his stiff body, still sluggish after resting for so long. His wounds had begun to heal, and his body felt much lighter than before. He then rose from the bed, pulled aside the curtains, and gazed at the scenery outside the window.

What greeted him was a tranquil sight—clear skies with barely a cloud in sight, warm sunlight bathing the wide garden. Small birds flitted from branch to branch, chirping cheerfully, while butterflies and colorful insects danced among blooming flowers.

In the distance, a few workers busied themselves tending to the garden. Their movements were steady—pulling weeds, watering flowers with great care, despite the relentless sun above.

Ayato watched it all in silence, and before he realized it, the corners of his lips curled into a faint smile. That fleeting beauty lightened his heart, if only for a moment, before he turned back to his bed, awaiting Kaelyn’s reply to his request.

At first, Ayato waited patiently. But though servants came and went, none of them brought the response he had been waiting for.

It wasn’t until the next day that a servant finally arrived with an answer: “Not allowed,” spoken curtly as if Kaelyn herself stood there.

What the hell?! After waiting an entire day, that’s all I get?! Fine then, if that’s how you want to play it, I’ll play along!

Ayato immediately prepared a reply to send back through the servant, and before long—BAM BAM!

“Come in!”

“You…!”

Kaelyn stormed in, glaring at Ayato with a furious scowl.

“How dare you use such cheap tricks!”

“I had no choice. Otherwise, I doubt I’d ever be allowed to look around.”

“Of course! As long as I’m here, I will never permit you to freely wander around the mansion!”

“Very well, then I’ll ask Selphira ojou-sama directly!”

“Bastard!”

Her face turned bright red from holding back her anger at Ayato’s words. But after a long sigh, “Haah…” she offered a compromise.

“Fine. If you truly wish to look around, then I have one condition!”

…

“You… of all places, I didn’t expect you to choose this.”

“What? Is it a problem that I picked this place?”

“Not exactly. Look all you want.”

Some soldiers in the middle of warm-ups turned to glance at Ayato and Kaelyn. They seemed puzzled at the sudden guest intruding on their training ground.

Indeed, the place Ayato chose to visit was none other than the Lunareth family’s military training grounds. Most of the city’s soldiers trained their bodies and combat skills here.

From basic exercises, stretches, to formation drills. But as though instructed beforehand, the soldiers stuck only to simple routines—running, swinging swords, sparring.

It didn’t take long before most of them gradually dispersed one by one, as if their training session had ended. Some of them stared at Ayato, pausing mid-drill, until a sharp bark—“HEY! WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT?! KEEP MOVING!”—snapped them back to their routines.

Ayato could tell this wasn’t normal training. It was half-hearted, a facade to keep their true strength hidden from outsiders—outsiders like him.

Still, Ayato paid it no mind, focusing intently on each soldier’s portion of training.

“H-Hey… you…”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Isn’t there anywhere else you want to go? We’ve been here for hours, you know?”

“Not at the moment. I just want to observe this place until their drills are done.”

“If you say that, then are you planning to wait until nightfall? Their schedule ensures the field won’t be empty until then!”

“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll stay until they finish!”

“Y-You… seriously?”

Kaelyn’s doubtful tone was clear, but unfortunately for her, she had to endure it—because Ayato truly meant to watch the soldiers train until night.

…

That night, in his room, Ayato sat deep in thought.

For safety reasons, some of his belongings obtained in the forest were still being kept by Kaelyn. Naturally, she would never let a stranger walk around armed, especially with something like the dagger given by the Forest King.

Kaelyn’s caution was obvious—her actions stemmed from deep suspicion. She still wasn’t convinced of Ayato’s origins, nor his intentions.

The same was true for Ayato. He couldn’t fully accept the kindness from Selphira ojou-sama. He carefully weighed the pros and cons of her offer.

Even though he still had time, he needed to plan his narrative well, so that everything would turn into his advantage.

Besides that, I need to think of a way to protect myself.

This truly was the Lunareth family’s mansion. But unlike the forest, here the law of the jungle didn’t apply. Simply relying on physical ability wasn’t enough; Ayato also had to sharpen his communication skills.

This place truly was the Lunareth family’s mansion. But unlike the forest, here the law of the jungle did not apply. Which meant Ayato couldn’t survive with physical strength alone—he had to refine his ability to communicate as well.

Not only that, I can’t keep relying on this ice power that I don’t even understand how it works. I need to think of another way to protect myself. Fortunately, from watching their basic drills, I feel like I could at least follow along and develop my own combat skills.

A worrisome thought crept into him—the only power he could rely on right now was the one that only awakened when he was on the verge of death. Anyone would hesitate to use such a power, especially with no certainty it would even activate when needed.

Argh! My head’s spinning with all these thoughts! Somehow, life in the forest felt safer than this…

As he weighed his current situation, a seed of longing for the forest he had once been stranded in began to grow. Strangely enough, though life there had been filled with danger, it had felt far more honest compared to this mansion. In the forest, with the Forest King, he had never felt the need to question every intention.

It’s strange… with the Forest King I never had to think about complicated things like this. It was as if she hid no malice at all. Or perhaps… because she was strong from the very beginning, she had no need for roundabout schemes to harm others? I mean, what would she gain from killing me after going out of her way to save me? Ah… I see now…

A faint smile crossed Ayato’s lips as he realized a simple truth—something he had not found here.

Alright then, I guess it’s time I take the first step!