Vince was shocked.
How did she…?
As if she could read his mind, she said, "How did I know? It is fate, Vince. You and I are fated to meet, which is why I know. I've been waiting for you."
Leaving him stunned, she turned away and started walking again.
She was already several steps away when he finally moved his feet. He ran and caught up to her in no time.
This time, they were walking side by side.
"What do you know? Why were you waiting for me? I don't understand."
"Gaining knowledge in this world doesn't come free. Everything has a price, even the most worthless things. What I mean is, you cannot afford the price of the knowledge you are seeking, little boy. At least, not for now."
Little boy? Vince got annoyed at how she called him.
"Hey, don't call me that. I'm not a little boy."
"Oh really?" She raised an eyebrow with a taunting smile. "Should I call you dormant boy instead? I think that's more suitable, considering your power class. It's a shame that I found you in such a pathetic situation."
She glanced at him, and her eyes told him that she was planning devious things in her mind.
"Don't worry, my dormant boy, I will help you fix that."
Vince could tell that the silver-haired lady wouldn't tell him everything he wanted to know. So he didn't push it and let her be.
He should just be thankful that he was chosen by a royal lady. He would receive the monetary reward, and on top of that, he would live in a royal household! It must be grand, and he could finally live a comfortable life with a healthy body. She wasn't planning anything dangerous for him, was she? Well, he could only hope so.
Setting that aside, he was all good.
When they were finally out of the corridors and Vince could see the sky outside, he looked behind him and realized they were in a very large castle that looked a bit gothic.
The sky was getting dark, and the sun was setting, making the castle look even darker.
They stood in the front garden of the castle, where there was a wide stretch of land, and in front of Vince was a carriage with no roof, pulled by two white horses. Not ordinary horses, but ones with wings.
He looked at the majestic winged horses in awe, as it was his first time seeing such a sight. He also noticed that they were much larger than the average horses he had seen in his world.
"Do all people have this kind of transportation?" he couldn't help but ask.
"No, there are ordinary carriages too. Winged horses are expensive because it takes time for them to reproduce and they are hard to tame. Not everyone can afford such luxury," Raine answered.
She walked toward the carriage, and a man stepped out from the other side, opening the door and placing a stool on the ground for Raine to step on.
"To the manor, Patton."
The coachman offered his mistress a bow. "Yes, my lady."
Vince climbed into the carriage and sat beside Raine. There were two sides to sit on and he hesitated at first, but before he could sit across from the woman, Raine tapped the space beside her.
The wind blew Vince's hair as the carriage ascended from the ground. The horses flapped their wings with ease, and the carriage floated in the air. Of course, it wasn't his first time in the air, as he had flown on planes and helicopters in his world, but this was a different and new experience.
"You must want a comfortable life, considering your family's situation right now."
When Raine spoke, Vince's attention was drawn away from the scenery. He looked at the woman beside him, whose hazel eyes looked brighter in the twilight sky.
"I can give you money and a comfortable life, and I will accept you as a mate," she smiled sweetly, "on one condition."
"Condition? I thought you already took me as your mate."
"During the Selection, yes, I did say that. But you won't officially be my mate until we do the marking ceremony. Until then, I still have the option to either discard you or keep you."
Vince didn't know about this. But he would still get the reward money even if she changed her mind, right? After all, she claimed him during the Selection.
"Now, about the condition."
He kept his attention on her, curiosity evident in his eyes.
"Next month, the City Guardian's entry exam will start, and I want you to participate and get admitted as a city guardian."
"…"
"As you already know, I am the captain of Demon City's guardians. If you don't know about this, the guardians are the main line of defense for a city. We are the protectors of the city and its people. If you pass the exam, only then will we have the marking ceremony."
Protectors of the city?
Oh no, that meant he would face a lot of trouble if he became one, right? That sounded like a lot of work. It was like he would become a soldier (which had never been one of his dream jobs, honestly), and he knew it meant he would constantly be in danger.
Vince was speechless. This silver-haired girl was trying to make him a soldier of her city.
But he was no hero! He never dreamed of getting isekaid to a fantasy world to do heroic deeds.
Well, he wanted to get isekaid to live a comfortable life where he could do everything he wanted. He wanted leisure and nothing else.
And hello? Did this demon girl forget that he had a dormant power core?
Vince scoffed and looked away. "How would I even do that with a dormant power core?"
"Not a problem, darling. I will train you."