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The last flicker of light from the summoning circle faded into the training ground walls, leaving the air heavy with mana. Sarah's pulse hadn't steadied yet. She clutched the towel she'd thrown at the pale stranger, watching him sit with unsettling calm, the fabric draped loosely over his frame.
Behind her, her younger sister still clung nervously to her sleeve. Sarah forced her voice steady.
"Lyra." Instantly, a maid appeared.
"Don't tell the Head yet," she instructed the maid who had appeared at her call. "I'll handle this first."
The maid bowed, and with a quiet gesture, led the younger girl away. The chamber finally stilled, silence pressing in.
Sarah exhaled. "…Follow me."
She guided him into the adjoining side room. The chamber was smaller, furnished with a sturdy wooden table and two chairs. Dim mana lamps cast a softer glow here, the kind used for late-night study or private talks. Sarah set a glass bottle of potion-water on the table, took a sip to wet her throat, then placed it back with deliberate calm.
Sai followed without hesitation. He sat opposite her, his movements deliberate, controlled. For the briefest moment, their eyes met across the table. His were strangely colored—like cut gems that didn't belong in this world.
Sarah's system screen flickered up before her eyes once more.
[Status]
Name: Sai
Age: ??
Race: ??
Strength: ??
…
Nothing. Again. She dismissed it with a frown and returned her gaze to him.
"Strong walls," he murmured. "Not just stone. Mana reinforcement. Built to withstand intruders—or contain them."
Sarah stiffened. He noticed too much.
Again, silence.
---
Sai's POV
The whiteness of the stone pressed faintly beneath his fingers. Reinforced walls, humming faintly with energy. Not ordinary stone—this place was built to contain accidents or intruders. His eyes lifted to the girl across from him, posture composed though her hands trembled faintly.
When she dismissed the maid, Sai had caught her words: Don't report yet. I'll explain personally.
That meant guards. Power. Influence.
Recklessness would get him killed here.
---
Sarah broke the silence. "This is the Winchester training ground. One of the great families. You… appeared in the middle of it."
Her voice cracked on appeared, betraying what she hadn't yet processed.
Sai studied her stance, her tone, the faint stir of mana around her. She repeated herself once more, slower: Winchester family. Great family. A warning. A test.
Clever girl.
she pressed on, steadying herself. "Wealthy. No one enters this mansion without permission. If you think of doing anything foolish—remember where you are."
Sai's lips twitched faintly. A warning wrapped as a fact. Good.
Her pupils narrowed. Even ordinary villagers showed stats. Why does his system glitch like this? She forced her tone neutral.
"So… what were you, before you landed here? And where are you from?"
Sai answered evenly. "Innkeeper,from wuhan"
Sarah blinked. Wuhan never heard a place like that and He didn't look like innkeeper. Pale skin, noble features, lean build that spoke of neither back-breaking labor nor true training. More like a young aristocrat who had skipped lessons than a man who scrubbed tankards.
She thought of the novels—those strangers who appeared out of nowhere. They always had hidden power. Or were monsters in disguise.
"So… do you want to go back?" she asked bluntly.
"No." His voice was quick, sharp. "Never."
That conviction startled her. Not lost. Not confused. Determined.
She chewed her lip, then leaned forward slightly. "Then… work for me."
His brows rose. "Work for you?"
"I have resources. Wealth. Training. You don't know where you are or how to start. I can give you that. In return, you'll help me when I need it."
Sai's gaze sharpened. "And if you betray me?"
Sarah stiffened. "I wouldn't."
His faint smirk made her irritation flare, but she steadied herself. "You're a no-name who dropped into my family's training ground. I could have had you bound already. Instead, I'm giving you a choice."
Sai leaned back, eyes half-lidded. "You say you're a good person. Then prove it. Show me I can believe you."
She turned on her heel, pausing at the doorway. Her violet hair shimmered under the glow of mana lamps.
"…Were you strong?"
Sai's reply was calm, but heavy with promise.
"I am. And if I'm not—I will be."
Sarah froze. Those are the words of someone with a hidden fate.
When she left, her thoughts spun toward contracts and seals. If he was dangerous, binding him might be the only option.
Sai, meanwhile, sat quietly. Her words lingered in his mind. Great family. Wealth. Power.
The very things he lacked in his first life. The very things that kept him from reaching the peak.
Now, in this world… perhaps that would change.
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