[FGO]: 210

After ten days of repairs—thanks to Ryou's wealth and unrestricted spending, combined with Emilia's assistance—the Mathers mansion, destroyed in the aftermath of the battle, was completely restored. A large amount of gold and the help of magic users made this feat possible. Furthermore, in line with Ryou's wishes, the mansion was equipped with numerous magical and physical traps to guard against potential assassins who might threaten Emilia's life. However, Ryou's true target for these defenses was the world's largest evil cult, the Witch's Cult—a fact he shared only with his contracted Heroic Spirit, while others were told the measures were purely for Emilia's protection.

At this time, Semiramis had already arrived at the Mathers mansion, bringing along the now-tamed Elsa and Meili. Meanwhile, news spread quickly that Roswaal, the border margrave of the kingdom, had been reduced to a drooling idiot, attracting the attention of various factions. Ryou made no effort to conceal this development because he never intended for Emilia to participate in the charade of the royal selection. His real goal was for Emilia to absorb the Witch of Envy's authority, becoming the second-generation Witch of Envy and the Witch King.

However, the powers involved in the royal selection saw things differently, especially the Sage Council, the Knights, nobles, and merchant alliances, who quietly celebrated. With Emilia's only supporter now incapacitated, she was essentially eliminated from the royal selection before it had even officially begun. The Council of Wise Men, the true power holders of Lugunica, were especially pleased. Consisting of a group of conservative relics, they saw Emilia—a half-elf resembling the Witch of Envy—as an affront. If she had any chance at the crown, they would go to any lengths to thwart her.

Other forces, each with their favored candidates, shared a similar hostility toward Emilia. Her resemblance to the Witch of Envy made her a natural target for hatred in this world, and she had already lost public support. After these events, major factions in the royal selection considered Emilia effectively defeated and turned their attention elsewhere.

Meanwhile, one of the kingdom's pillars, the Astrea family of Sword Saints, announced that they had found the last surviving royal, a girl named Felt, who could even make the royal selection gem—bestowed by the Divine Dragon—glow. This meant another powerful candidate had entered the race. The Astrea family held a distinct position above the kingdom's nobility. Since the first Sword Saint, they had made countless contributions to Lugunica, and each generation of Sword Saints wielded immense power. The current Sword Saint, Reinhard, was known as the Strongest Sword Saint and World's Strongest Man, essentially Lugunica's walking nuclear weapon. With the Sword Saint family supporting her, Felt's claim to the throne was strong and legitimate.

Thus, Felt's threat level soared from an unknown commoner to a top contender in the royal selection, prompting various factions to rally around her and the Astrea family. As for Emilia, who they saw as defeated, she now warranted only minimal surveillance.

At this time, the Mathers branch family seized the opportunity to kick Emilia while she was down, declaring their intent to reclaim the Mathers mansion and territory. Originally, supporting Emilia had been Roswaal's personal choice, opposed by the rest of the Mathers family. With Roswaal incapacitated, their greed was evident as they vied over his inheritance. For now, they were held back only by internal disputes over how to divide the spoils, but once resolved, they would likely force Emilia out of the mansion.

However, Ryou had not spent these ten days idly. After careful consideration, he, on Emilia's behalf, secretly sought an alliance with another royal selection candidate. The first candidate he ruled out was Duchess Crusch Karsten, the most likely to win. As head of the Karsten house, close to the royal family and backed by a substantial military, Crusch had the best odds of claiming the crown. Ryou doubted she would ally with Emilia, seeing it as a pointless alliance that brought no advantages. Besides, he found her too upright for his liking and ruled her out as an ally.

The next faction he dismissed was Priscilla Barielle's. While this beautiful widow had some noble support, her personality was a deterrent—she was too arrogant and self-centered to make a reliable ally.

This left two remaining candidates: Felt, newly named a royal selection candidate, and Anastasia Hoshin. Based on their past encounters, Felt seemed a reasonable choice. While the Sword Saint family was formidable, her camp was still in its infancy, and offering an alliance now would be a case of helping in a time of need. However, Ryou ultimately chose to ally with Anastasia Hoshin.

Ryou understood that the Astrea family was not as united as it seemed. The blessing of the Sword Saint had abruptly transferred to a five-year-old Reinhard, causing the previous Sword Saint, Theresia, to be defeated. This incident led Reinhard's grandfather Wilhelm to leave the family, and his incompetent father resented Reinhard. The Astrea family was essentially in disarray. Moreover, Felt herself, based on the original story and their past encounters, was a rebellious street kid with a quick temper and impulsive nature—not ideal for leadership.

Thus, Ryou decided to approach Anastasia Hoshin.

...

On a fine day in the garden pavilion of Roswaal's mansion, Ryou and Emilia met with Anastasia Hoshin, the head of the Hoshin Company and a royal selection candidate. Ryou, on Emilia's behalf, extended an invitation to Anastasia, who, as a shrewd merchant, had little interest in dealing with the eliminated Emilia. However, Ryou's offer was irresistible: mining rights to a magic crystal mine in the Mathers territory and several large purchase agreements. While Ryou lacked nothing material, he could easily exchange his energy points for large sums of gold and gems, enough to disrupt Lugunica's economy if he wished.

With such vast wealth, Ryou could afford extravagance. In this sense, he had acquired a hidden skill: "being rich." His decision to ally with Anastasia was based on this logic. Money was the sharpest weapon against a merchant, and Anastasia, being pragmatic, could be used as a temporary ally. Ryou harbored no illusions about her loyalty; she was simply a pawn bought with money to buy him time for other matters.

No merchant could refuse wealth, and Anastasia was no exception. The terms Ryou offered immediately attracted her, and she agreed to meet at the Mathers mansion. While another figure could only offer a small crystal mine, Ryoug's vast wealth easily drew in a merchant as ambitious as Anastasia.

Intrigued by Ryou, who had suddenly appeared as a supporter of Emilia, Anastasia saw him as a powerful figure akin to Roswaal. She couldn't help feeling a touch of jealousy; while she had worked hard to achieve success, Emilia seemed always to have someone to take care of her. The world was indeed unfair, she thought with a small twinge of bitterness.

Still, Anastasia was an exceptional merchant, and none of her inner feelings showed on her face. Once seated, she was the first to speak.

"I never expected you to invite me. What a surprise," she remarked, her eyes curious as they met Ryou's. With her purple hair, blue eyes, and white attire complete with a fur hat, she spoke in her distinct Kansai dialect, observing Ryou with interest.

Ryou smiled faintly, and the two began a round of pleasantries. Their conversation quickly evolved into subtle verbal sparring, each probing the other, yet neither mentioning the true reason for their meeting. Emilia, seated to the side, watched in awe as the two negotiated skillfully. Recently, she had been studying the intricacies of kingdom management under the guidance of Ryou and Semiramis, but her kind nature made such scheming difficult. Ryou had brought her along to this meeting, hoping she would learn from the experience.

From the very start of this fierce verbal duel, Emilia, like a delicate white flower, appeared completely bewildered, passively absorbing the rapid exchange between the two. Watching Emilia's somewhat helpless demeanor, Anastasia, already biased against her, couldn't help but feel a pang of disdain toward the half-elf. Meanwhile, her appreciation and wariness of Ryou deepened. Anastasia Hoshin, whose name differed by just one letter from her own, may have seemed kind and harmless, but she was, in truth, cunning. After all, she hadn't built the Hoshin Company from the ground up without a shrewd mind.

In Ryou's view, the purple-haired girl across from him was a rare match in negotiation, not someone he could easily outmaneuver. It was the first time he had encountered a rival of her caliber, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Gradually, the sharp tone of their exchange softened, with Ryou even beginning to flirt subtly with Anastasia. Though not particularly adept at flirtation, he was a seasoned veteran; his witty remarks and playful banter soon had Anastasia laughing. Yet she was no ordinary woman. A successful businesswoman, she had encountered all sorts of people in her ascent, and Ryou's attempts at charm, while decent, weren't enough to impress her.

Ryou was well aware that her laughter was more diplomatic than genuine. Yet, to his surprise, his actions seemed to have provoked someone else's resentment.

Standing behind Anastasia was a knight with striking purple hair and golden eyes, a figure straight out of a girl's novel. This knight, Julius Juukulius, known as the Finest Knight, now glared at Ryou with a wary, almost hostile expression, as if sensing danger. To his sharp instincts, Ryou seemed practically to radiate dark and negative energy, and the stench of blood was unmistakable. What infuriated Julius even more was that this butcher flirted with his master.

Seeing Ryou's lack of deference, Julius could barely suppress the urge to strike him. He quietly reminded Anastasia, "Lady Anastasia, it's getting late, and you still have to meet with the heads of various merchant guilds..."

Surprisingly, Ryou showed no intent to persuade her to stay, instead saying, "Anastasia, I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time. Since you have other matters to attend to, shall we continue our conversation another day?"

Anastasia gave her knight a helpless look. Julius's well-intentioned reminder had disrupted her strategy. In negotiations, the one who speaks first often ends up at a disadvantage, a crucial misstep in this context. With no other choice, Anastasia was forced to break the silence.