Night had fallen completely over Daru's mansion. The dining room windows let in a faint glow of moonlight, filtered through the leaves of the towering trees surrounding the estate. That silver light mingled with the warm glow of the chandeliers, creating a tranquil, almost homely atmosphere.
The dining hall was spacious, with a long polished wooden table where the light shimmered like a dark, serene river. Seated across from one another were Daru Eicker and Jay Baker. Beside Jay, sitting upright with her back straight and her wolf tail swaying gently, was Nekotyna—the silver‑furred girl with calm eyes.
Jay was devouring his food as though freed from an eternal fast. His hands moved on instinct, spoonfuls, chunks of meat, and bread disappearing into his mouth without pause. His eyes gleamed with pure joy at tasting human flavors once again.
"You're eating like you haven't eaten in years," Daru said, laughing as he leaned his elbow on the table to watch him.
Jay, mouth full, looked up and replied without a shred of shame:
"Actually… two years."
The sound of Daru's utensils clattered against his plate as his eyes widened in shock.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, leaning forward, trying to read his younger brother's expression.
Jay sighed, as though explaining was far too heavy a task after such a feast.
"Well… two years passed in the fire dimension, while here only two days went by. Don't ask for details—I'm too lazy to explain."
Daru blinked a few times, then snapped his fingers as if something suddenly made perfect sense.
"Ah, so they gave you a justified buff to strengthen the isekai protagonist, so it doesn't look like a free power‑up. I get it, I get it."
Jay, still eating, pointed at him with his spoon and spoke with food in his mouth:
"Exactly, dear brother."
Nekotyna watched in silence, her usual calm expression unchanged. Her silver ears twitched subtly at every word Jay spoke, as if confirming again and again that he had truly returned safe. The tranquil glow in her eyes—yellow only when she used magic—was now simply silver, soft and warm.
She was happy. And Jay noticed.
In that peaceful atmosphere, Daru straightened in his seat and announced:
"By the way, it's Nekotyna, not Nekotina. We've been saying it wrong all this time. Her real name is Nekotyna."
Jay choked on a piece of bread, pounding his chest as his face twisted in utter shock.
"Why didn't you ever correct meee?" he asked, still half‑muffled by food.
Nekotyna only lifted her shoulders in a small shrug, as if to say I don't know, it just happened.
Jay finished his meal with a long, satisfied sigh, leaning back in his chair before asking:
"So… what have you two been doing these past two years without me? Well, really just two days here, right?"
Daru nodded, fingers interlaced on the table.
"Yes. In those two days I've helped Nekotyna expand her Orb reserve so she can use the Scorpion Heart more. I'm also preparing a bracelet for her to place it in."
Jay turned to look at the girl. Then, with a gentle smile, he reached out and patted her head right between her wolf ears. Nekotyna blushed instantly, her cheeks turning pink as she lowered her gaze—but her proud smile remained. Her tail swayed side to side, as if trying to hide her joy.
At that moment, one of the maids entered. She had pointed ears, silver hair tied neatly, and wore a flawless maid uniform. Her voice was elegant, almost musical.
"My lord Jay, your attire is ready."
At the words my lord, Jay felt a nostalgic shiver run down his spine, as though he had returned to a place he belonged long before arriving in this world.
"Alright, leave it in my room. I'll check it out later."
The maid bowed her head and departed with silent steps.
Jay rose from the table with renewed energy, adjusting the loose shirt draped over his shoulder.
"You'll see my new outfit soon," he said, puffing out his chest as though about to unveil some legendary treasure.
The warm light of the dining hall shone upon him, blending his silhouette with the gentle nighttime atmosphere of the mansion, while Daru and Nekotyna watched him go—caught between curiosity and expectation.
And so, in the quiet of the night, Jay's return marked the beginning of a new chapter for the three of them.
The stairs of Daru's mansion echoed softly beneath Jay's boots. At that hour, the corridors were lit by crystal lamps that seemed to hold tiny fragments of moonlight within them. Their glow trembled faintly, as if silently celebrating the return of the traveler who had survived two years in a blazing hell.
Jay walked without haste, breathing in the familiar fragrance that always lingered in the mansion: a blend of freshly polished wood, fresh flowers, and something else… that warm, subtle sensation that only exists in places one can truly call home.
When he opened the door to his room, the faint creak greeted him like an old friend. The room was quiet, bathed in the soft glow of the vanity lamp. But the first thing that caught his attention was what lay upon the bed.
There it was.
The attire.
Placed exactly where the maid had left it, yet arranged with a reverence so deliberate it felt as though the garment itself knew it belonged to someone who had defied an entire world.
Jay stepped closer, almost entranced. The black coat seemed to absorb the room's light and return it as an imposing, almost living presence.
He stopped before it, swallowing hard.
It was far… far more than he had imagined.
The long black double‑breasted coat gleamed with golden buttons, each polished as though tiny suns were trapped within. The high collar gave it a military air—rigid, disciplined—like the portraits of generals that once hung in the libraries of old worlds.
Resting on the shoulders was a black cape, soft, flowing almost like liquid shadow—the elegant mantle of a legendary commander.
The fitted trousers, dark as the night beyond the window, matched perfectly with the tall boots, firm and robust, as if they could march through deserts, mountains, or even hell itself.
To the side lay white gloves, immaculate, shining with the purity reserved for symbols of authority or mystery. And near the end of the bed, like an unexpected note in a dark symphony, rested a pair of black sunglasses, reflecting the light in a silver flash.
Jay drew a deep breath.
"…It's incredible," he whispered, a mix of surprise and pride, as he began to put on each piece, feeling how every garment fit him as though it had been waiting for him all along.
But then, as he adjusted the cape, his brow furrowed.
"BUT I ASKED FOR WHITE, NOT BLACK!" His shout shook the room, bouncing off the walls like a celestial protest.
Jay froze for a few seconds, staring at the coat now draped over him.
In his mind, only one thought surfaced: Damn Daru… he wants to turn me into him.
The thought made him sigh deeply, though he couldn't help but let out a resigned laugh.
He stood before the large mirror in his room. The light seemed to embrace him as he stood there.
The Jay reflected back was no longer the same boy who had arrived in this world. The black cape fell with theatrical drama, the coat clung to his figure like the skin of an ancient hero, and the golden buttons gleamed with an elegance rivaling the uniforms of the wars of independence he had studied in the past.
"I know the cape and the black suit are cliché…" he muttered, adjusting the coat's collar, "…but… it's just too incredible."
Something made him glance back at the bed.
"…Wait… did they also make the…?"
There it was.
A hat.
Not just any hat. A cowboy‑style hat, though for Jay it carried the nostalgic scent of the Venezuelan plains—of men riding beneath endless skies, proud, with the wind as their eternal companion. The hat bore two golden buttons, small yet powerful, winking beneath the room's light.
Beside it lay a black bandana, resting quietly as if awaiting its turn.
Jay didn't put it on.
He took the hat in both hands, examined it for a few seconds… and instead of placing it on his head, tied it firmly around his neck, letting it fall against his back like a symbol of identity, resilience, and quiet rebellion.
The bandana, on the other hand, he tucked into his pocket without much thought.
He breathed deeply, feeling the pleasant weight of the coat, the firmness of the boots, the softness of the cape that swayed lightly with each step.
"…Now I'm ready for this damned world." He spoke softly, but with a determination that filled the entire room.
Outside, the night wind struck the window, as if the world itself had heard his declaration… and accepted the challenge.
Jay drew a deep breath, feeling how the new coat settled against his body as though it had been made for him long before he was born. Standing before the mirror, he adjusted the high collar, let the cape fall freely across his back, and glanced one last time at the dark sunglasses resting on his desk.
"These glasses… I'm still not convinced. Better to leave them here. They wouldn't make sense in this world," he said with a soft touch of disappointment, almost nostalgic.
He placed them carefully on the table, as if they were a memory of Earth he wasn't yet ready to carry.
Opening the door to his room, the black cape whispered elegantly as it danced with the mansion's inner breeze. Each step down the stairs echoed with a mix of nobility and weariness—like a soldier returning to a war he knew all too well.
When he reached the living room, he found Daru and Nekotyna seated on the couches, chatting casually. Jay stopped in the center of the room, waiting for some comment, some reaction to his grand entrance. But both glanced at him… and immediately ignored him.
Jay cleared his throat with an exaggerated cough, puffing out his chest to demand attention.
Daru looked at him from the corner of his eye and said shamelessly:
"What do you want me to say? That you look good? Well, yes, you do… but you also look very generic with a cape and black clothes."
Jay raised his hand and, with the utmost elegance, offered Daru a perfectly extended middle finger.
"Bastard. You told the maid to make it black. I wanted another color," Jay said, his cape swaying with his irritation.
Daru burst into honest laughter—the kind only a brother could allow himself.
"But you asked for a cape. I just improved the color."
Jay snorted, ignoring the cheap excuse, and turned his gaze to Nekotyna. She studied him with wide eyes, analyzing every fold of the outfit.
"Tyna, how do I look?" Jay asked, pride gleaming in his eyes.
Nekotyna tilted her head slightly, her silver hair falling to one side.
"Where is that clothing from…?" she asked curiously.
Jay crossed his arms, letting the cape shift with dramatic elegance.
"It's inspired by my old world—specifically the war uniforms of independence in the Americas," he replied with full pride.
Daru cut in, pointing at the hat tied to Jay's back.
"And that hat?"
Jay touched it with a mischievous smile.
"I don't know. Maybe I wanted to be like Zorro, you know?"
Daru raised a brow.
"And yet you wanted it white."
Jay clicked his tongue.
"I wanted to be like his alter ego, you know?"
With a fluid motion, Jay took the saber Damascos and secured it at his waist. Even sheathed, the blade radiated a proud presence, as if it too wanted to be part of the new world Jay was about to face.
"Alright, I'm ready," he said, adjusting the cape.
Daru looked at him as though Jay had just said the dumbest thing of the week.
"Ready for what?"
Jay blinked.
"Eh? Weren't we going to hunt beasts to make a lot of money?"
Daru sighed deeply.
"Do you not see that I already have plenty of money?"
Jay once again offered him the middle finger—this time with professional precision.
Daru raised his hands, surrendering between laughs.
"We could go hunt the evil spirit. Want to come?"
Jay frowned.
"You and me? Can we even do it? Do we know where it is?"
Daru shook his head.
"No, we don't. But we can patrol until we see miasma and head there… or find a horde of beasts where they shouldn't be."
Jay tilted his head.
"How does that work?"
Daru's tone shifted—serious, rare for him.
"The Spirit of Turmoil thrives on chaos. Everyone knows that. That's why it's called Turmoil. Sometimes it sends beasts into towns or places where people live… just to slaughter them."
The moment those words left his mouth, Nekotyna's silver tail bristled like lightning. Her whole body tensed, and in her eyes burned a fierce glow—an anger Jay recognized instantly. It was the same fury born when someone steals your home.
Jay thought silently: She probably wants revenge for that village…
Then he answered aloud:
"Fine. I'll do it. Simply for vengeance. Will they pay for killing it?"
Daru nodded with a confident smile.
"Oh, of course. You'll have an audience with the king if you succeed."
Jay froze. In his mind, the phrase rang like golden bells.
Audience with the king = reward = money = maids in proper uniforms…
His face lit up as though the sun itself had descended from the heavens.
He clenched his fist with determination.
"Alright then. We'll kill that bastard."
The shadow of his cape stretched at his feet, as if destiny itself prepared to walk behind him.
The hunt was about to begin.