It creaked open to reveal a room. Viewed from above, there were beds in the top left and top right corner. In between them was a window with red curtains that extended all the way to the floor.
In the bottom right corner, behind the open door, was a closet. In the bottom left corner was a door leading into the bathroom.
The bed frames were made from good-quality wood with bedsheets made from fine linen. They had several layers of bedding made from wool. The bed in the top right corner had all of his stuff on it.
The window had a pointed arch and a glass pane set into its frame, maintaining a comfortable temperature in the room.
Most importantly, Haruto was sitting on the bed in the top left corner. After staring at each other for a moment, Haruto ran toward Reiji and hugged him.
"You're back! I was so scared of being alone."
"Yeah, I promised to protect you, after all." Reiji hugged Haruto back and after a while he pulled away.
Instead of his winter coat, pants, mittens, winter shoes and earflap winter hat with pom-poms he had a long tunic, tights and soft leather boots.
"There was an old man! He was really nice and gave me this room. I asked where you were but he didn't give me a clear answer, it was so annoying!"
Old man? Some kind of caretaker? The lord himself? Doesn't matter.
Reiji looked to his left and opened the closed door. Behind it was a nice bathroom. Right when you walked in, there was a sink with a mirror. Moving to the right from Reiji's perspective, in the corner was a toilet and in the corner opposite where the door stood was the bathtub. Each tile had a small painting on it.
"This is nice, actually." "Mhm!"
Reiji walked over to his bed and unraveled his kimono. It was the exact same kimono, white in color with crimson stains. His katana, bow, quiver, and arrows were all there too. He put on his kimono and threw the prison clothes into the closet when he saw that there was a good pair of shoes inside.
He put them on and threw the old ones inside. He put everything except the katana inside the closet. He slung the katana diagonally over his back, from right shoulder to left hip.
"Can we walk around the building?"
Haruto shrugged in response. After thinking for a moment, he opened the door and motioned for Haruto to follow him. They were on the other side of the mansion from where the dungeon was. They walked through halls, encountering locked doors.
Reiji grabbed the handle of another door and tried to open it, only for it to be locked. Out of nowhere, a voice spoke behind the two of them.
"Please, do not walk around this building with a weapon, gentlemen." Reiji turned to look at the person.
He had a soft expression and a face with defined cheekbones and a strong jawline. He also had a thick, well-groomed mustache. His hair was messy yet stylish, predominantly white with darker streaks, swept to one side in dramatic waves.
He was dressed in a formal three-piece suit—a vest, dress shirt, and tie with yellow-and-black diagonal stripes. Over it, he wore a long, dark overcoat.
"And who might you be?"
"I am Lord Fujioka. I heard that you'd be in room number one but it seems I ran into you sooner."
Haruto looked at the man for a moment before recognizing him. "It's that man who helped me!"
He grabbed Reiji's pants with his left hand while pointing to Fujioka with his right. He jumped up and down a few times before calming down.
"Come, let's talk while we take a walk outside, shall we?"
"How do you know who I am?" "I read the paper with your requests and you're wearing a kimono, wielding a katana and have Haruto with you, so who else could you be?"
"I guess that makes sense." "Follow me."
Lord Fujioka turned and started walking in the other direction. Reiji and Haruto followed him.
"Akihiro Sato must have trusted you if he let you out just like that."
"He told me about some magical artifacts."
Lord Fujioka kept walking in silence. It seemed like he was thinking about something. After a few moments, he once again started talking.
"Well, that Akihiro does what he wants but his disregard for rules is made up for by his genius. He really is one of a kind, in both good and bad."
"He also told me that you were seeking talents from everywhere, even criminals, for the Royal Knight entry exam."
"And you so happen to be the first special case on our hands."
"Special case?" "Yes, we both know that most criminals are guilty and selfish. Others, like the wrongly convicted or the ones who did wrong to survive, will also be no exception to the law. But I want to find those who have the potential to be better."
"Trying to save what you can?" "Yes."
Before they knew it, they were already in the backyard of the property. There were dirt pathways, lush green trees that touched the sky, a beautiful fountain, a small river, and multiple small bridges going across it in various places.
"So, you're a rich guy, huh?" "I do try to be modest about it."
"Sure." Both of them followed Lord Fujioka through the backyard. "Why are we here anyway?"
"What's wrong with a little fresh air?... You're the first special criminal we have. I'm not expecting every one of them to be as easy to deal with as you but still, it was a pleasant surprise that our first try was a success."
"Aren't you going to ask me questions and stuff?" "I'll get a report from Akihiro soon enough."
They admired the scenery all around them. It was obvious that every structure and plant was taken care of. Even the pathways were just dirt, giving you the feeling of being in a forest. It was a big backyard. They walked around for about an hour.
There were a lot of exotic plants like citrus trees, tulips, magnolias, palms, pineapples, and others. There were some gardeners taking care of them.
"Hey, lord dude, not to be a brat but we haven't had much to eat in the past few days."
"I did." Haruto spoke. Reiji looked down at him. "Fujioka gave me the best food! He even gave me a butler." His voice was filled with joy as he spoke.
"That makes one of us. On the other hand, why do you have problems pronouncing only my name apparently?"
Haruto gave him a confused expression, not knowing what he was talking about.
"Yes, I understand." The lord spoke out. "By now even you're hungry, aren't you, Haruto? Let's get you two something to eat."
They walked back toward the mansion. They eventually got to the feast hall. The doors swung open to reveal a long table that could seat thirty people on one side with one seat at each end of it, sixty-two in total.
Reiji and Haruto sat down next to each other, furthest from the doors. Viewed from above, they were sitting on the right side of the table, Reiji taking up the seat closest to the lord.
Lord Fujioka rang a small bell that was placed on the table in front of him. A short while later, a servant came in.
"Is there anything you two want to eat specifically?" "No." The both of them said in unison. "Please, tell the chef to make something for these two. I'm not hungry."
As the servant left, Lord Fujioka turned his attention to Reiji and Haruto. "I never got your name, mister…?"
"Reiji Kurozuma." "I have high expectations for you, Mister Kurozuma."