What's it Like to Be a Stand user?
Roland couldn't quite put it into words. He was still an ordinary human, after all, just with enough vitality and spiritual strength that surpassed the average person. Maybe it was because he'd absorbed a quality.....quality he never had before.
But fundamentally, something had changed. It didn't need explanation; it was more like an instinct—like flexing your fingers or blinking your eyes. He knew, effortlessly, that he could summon the Killer Queen in front of him at any moment.
As a typical close-range power-type Stand, Killer Queen's impressive stats:
Power: A
Speed: B
were more than enough to handle most of the dangers you might realistically encounter in daily life.
Although its fighting scenes in the original manga weren't especially flashy—leading many people to underestimate it in hand-to-hand combat—that was really a misjudgment.
Back then, Killer Queen was up against top-tier melee Stands like Crazy Diamond and Star Platinum. The fact that it could block all their attacks with just one arm said it all. Its strength? Still formidable. Honestly, it looked far more reliable than a certain unnamed Stand with double-A ratings in both power and speed.
If Roland wanted to, Killer Queen could slice through a human body with ease, or punch straight through one's chest like it was nothing. In an ordinary city, without even using its Stand abilities, Roland could obliterate people as effortlessly as snapping flimsy puppets.
But what made it truly perfect was its ability—simple, clean, and terrifying.
Roland flicked a coin lightly, and Killer Queen caught it between its fingertips. Just that brief touch was all it took; if Roland willed it, he could set off an explosion big enough to take out the entire room. In the end, though, he let it dissipate, reducing the coin to an untraceable dust that drifted from Killer Queen's fingers.
The way it could turn anything it touched into a bomb was the purest kind of violent beauty. And since Killer Queen itself couldn't be caught on camera, that made things even more convenient. What an ability to have in your back pocket.
In this era, when surveillance cameras weren't everywhere, Roland was confident that with Killer Queen's help, he could live comfortably in this city and fully enjoy the lifestyle he wanted.
And it was only after experiencing Killer Queen's power firsthand that Roland realized something many had overlooked:
"Killer Queen's potential is far from being fully tapped."
He closed his eyes, sensing the Stand that was now inseparably linked to him, probing its hidden potential.
Even though its powers had already been developed multiple times, improving with each evolution, Killer Queen's full potential hadn't yet been unearthed. That applied to both its first bomb and its frequently used second bomb.
Perhaps it was because Yoshikage Kira, unlike other villains, was more passive in developing Stand abilities—largely due to his own personality. But ironically, maybe it was precisely that personality that gave rise to the perfection of a Stand like Killer Queen.
That said, more than thinking about the future, the greatest benefit of having Killer Queen right now was the sense of peace and security it brought.
At Roland's original level, he wouldn't even have stood a chance against a random killer among the Masters participatingin the holy grail war, let alone a Servant from the throne of heroes. But now, with the advantage of the Stand's deadly first strike, Roland at least had enough power to negotiate with those Masters. In fact, if he played his cards right, combining his power with his foreknowledge of the plot, becoming the eighth most dangerous figure in the Holy Grail War wouldn't be all that difficult.
"But I can't get overconfident. People who don't know the limits of their abilities usually meet terrible ends."
At present, Roland's goal was to live peacefully in Fuyuki City. After one month, this ability would permanently belong to him.
He had considered leaving Fuyuki City when he first crossed over here, but now, whether because of the influence of the Stand or simply from enjoying his quiet life over these past few days, he'd begun to fall in love with this city.
On one side, you had the still-developing new city district; on the other, there was Miyama Town which was old, relaxed, and full of life. No crowds of tourists, no drastic changes… even ten years from now, Fuyuki City would probably look just like it did today.
It was really, really beautiful.
The only thing to worry about was the Fourth Holy Grail War, which hadn't started yet. But as a resident of Fuyuki City, Roland had a rough understanding of the difference between rumors and reality.
As everyone knows, the Holy Grail War is supposed to be conducted in secret.
Of course, looking at the results, that claim is questionable. But considering the underlying principle that magic must remain hidden, except for the large-scale destruction at the end when the Grail goes out of control, as long as you don't wander around the docklands at midnight or the abandoned old suburbs, it's actually hard for an ordinary resident to be affected.
Setting that aside, Roland had no reason to participate in the Holy Grail War, he wasn't even a mage.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. His eyes sharpened.
Unless… those spirits that escaped ended up attached to participants in this Holy Grail War.
The core function of the Key to All Souls was to help its user create, absorb, and control spirits.
Recovering the escaped spirits was just a process of refinement, not the ultimate goal.
The ability to travel between worlds was only an additional perk, to help achieve that core goal. Once Roland had visited a world, he could always return, as long as his authority was high enough to unlock that world's travel access.
In short, Roland's cheat wasn't mandatory: once he successfully reclaimed a spirit even once, his authority would rise, and he'd unlock the ability to head to a new world. After that, he could forget all about Fuyuki City.
Fleeing to a new world was way safer than just escaping Fuyuki City. Rationally and emotionally, it was worth trying.
Plus, as long as the escaped spirits were within a certain range, Roland would receive a prompt. If they were far away, he'd only know the number; the closer they got, the more details he'd learn.
If he really figured out which participant a contracted spirit was attached to… well, depending on the situation, there might be an opportunity to make a move.
"Man, I'm just taking back something that belongs to me, so why do I have to be so sneaky about it…"
Roland sighed, glanced at the wall clock, and stood up just as the store manager's voice called out from outside the lounge door.
"Roland kun, it's time to clock out! Shift change."
"Coming, manager."
For now, though, he'd enjoy the bliss of clocking out on time and working a relaxed job. He'd think about whether to move over to the new district, rent a place, and find a new job later, to avoid getting caught up when the Holy Grail inevitably exploded and turned the whole city into a sea of flames.
But not these next couple of days. There was an important reason for that:
His paycheck was coming soon.