Even as they spoke, six tiny points of light flickered into existence around Julius.
They resembled the orbs Gojo had once seen hovering near Roswaal, but where those had been crude condensations of raw Mana, these drifted and swayed through the air with a will of their own. Something alive pulsed within each one. Six in total, each a different color.
"Spirits," Betty murmured from the sideline, watching the six-colored constellation orbit Julius.
"Those are Spirits too?" Felt leaned in.
"So this Julius is a Spirit Arts User, same as Gojo."
"Quasi Spirits. Nothing more." Betty's tone dripped with dismissal. "Compared to a Great Spirit like myself, they're barely worth mentioning. Though the man himself is unusual. Normally, a Contract binds a user to Spirits of a single attribute. Whatever method he used, he's managed to form Contracts with all six."
Felt arched an eyebrow. "So he's strong?"
"Why else do you think that idiot pulled me out of the fight?"
The memory of Gojo carrying her off the field surfaced, and Betty ground her small teeth together.
"Could Gojo lose to him?"
"Don't say something so stupid. As long as that bizarre Cursed Technique of his is active, magic is useless against him. I threw everything I had at him back at Roswaal's manor and couldn't so much as scratch him." She scoffed. "A handful of Quasi Spirits? Not a chance."
While the two of them talked, crimson light enveloped Julius's blade. Wind gathered around him like an invisible cloak, and his speed erupted. He closed the distance to Gojo in a heartbeat.
"Look, I know you won't be satisfied until you've tried." Gojo stifled a yawn, not bothering to move. "But this is wasting everyone's time. There's an old man over there still waiting for his turn."
Bolstered by his six Quasi Spirits, Julius unleashed a relentless storm of attacks. Sword and magic wove together, strike after strike, element after element.
Gojo's response to all of it was the same. He stood there.
The indifference was almost crueler than a counterattack.
Minutes passed. Every attribute had its turn. Nothing worked. Julius finally lowered his sword and stepped back, composure intact but options exhausted.
"My apologies. Regarding the matter you raised, Mr. Gojo, I'll need to consult with Lady Anastasia."
"Take your time. While you're at it, I'll entertain the old gentleman."
Gojo waved him off with a grin.
Julius nodded and left without hesitation.
Anastasia raised an eyebrow when her knight returned so quickly. She'd assumed he'd simply hit the same invisible wall and given up.
"Lady Anastasia..."
He leaned close, voice barely above a whisper, and relayed Gojo's proposition.
Something shifted behind her eyes. She glanced toward Crusch and the others, and a slow, knowing smile curved her lips.
"In that case, I have an idea. But I'll need to speak with him directly." She turned to her knight. "Come, Julius. Walk with me."
"But Lady Anastasia, if you go over there..."
Julius thought of his sword bouncing off nothing, again and again. He didn't want to admit it, but the truth was plain. If Gojo decided to harm Anastasia, there wasn't a thing he could do to stop it. He ranked third among the Royal Guard Knights. Only Marcos and Reinhard stood above him.
None of that mattered here.
"Profit and risk are two sides of the same coin. And I trust you, Julius, the same way you trusted me when you chose to serve." Her voice was gentle, but the steel beneath it was unmistakable. "Besides, Mr. Gojo doesn't strike me as the type to kill without reason. If he were, the assembly would have ended very differently."
"Understood. I'll keep you safe."
The two of them walked onto the training grounds together.
Crusch, who had been about to send Wilhelm forward, narrowed her eyes as she watched Anastasia cross the field. Something had passed between Gojo and Julius during their fight. Whatever it was, it had drawn the merchant herself out of the stands.
Julius escorted Anastasia to where Gojo stood.
"I hear you have quite the business proposition for me, Mr. Gojo. I have to say, my curiosity is killing me."
"Whether it's a big deal depends on whether the price is right."
He shrugged, unfazed.
"And what would your asking price be?"
"That's for you to decide. You want to know about my ability? Put something of equal value on the table."
"Anything at all?"
"Anything. As long as it's worth my while."
He gave a firm nod.
Revealing the Limitless Cursed Technique cost him nothing. Less than nothing. Once they understood what it did, they'd be no closer to beating it. If anything, knowing the mechanics would only make the despair more concrete. The technique's nature meant that understanding it offered zero tactical advantage.
This so-called trade was, from his perspective, pure profit built on an information gap.
"And how would I verify that what you tell me is true?" Anastasia's eyes were sharp, cutting through the casual atmosphere. "It is your ability, after all. We'd have no way to confirm it."
"You want me to swear a Vow? Fine by me." He didn't miss a beat. "As long as what you're offering is worth enough."
A smile bloomed across her face. "Well then. That puts my mind at ease."
"As for the trade itself, how about this: one piece of intelligence regarding Crusch, plus ten Holy Gold Coins."
"I think there's been a misunderstanding." His voice cooled. "This is my greatest secret. In the entire world, no one knows it but me. And you're offering ten coins? Is that a joke?"
The shift in his tone was instant. Julius drew his sword and placed himself between Gojo and Anastasia, expression grave.
Anastasia, by contrast, hadn't stopped smiling.
"Negotiations are negotiations, Mr. Gojo. If the price doesn't suit you, we can discuss it. No need for things to get tense." She paused, recalibrating. "If my initial offer was too low, then let me sweeten it. I'll add intelligence on Emilia, plus another ten Holy Gold Coins..."
"Deal."
The word left his mouth before she'd finished breathing.
The speed of it caught even Anastasia off guard. She'd spent her life in boardrooms and bazaars, and she hadn't seen that coming. Her smile was still in place, but it had frozen there, slightly stiff around the edges.
Gojo pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, flashing a brilliant grin.
"So. Shall we draft the Vow?"
Anastasia stared at him for a moment, then laughed.
"I didn't expect you to be this entertaining, Mr. Gojo. Even in Kararagi, people with your sense of humor are rare."
"Right? I think I'm hilarious. Shame not everyone appreciates it."
He shook his head with exaggerated regret.
From the moment Anastasia had floated her first offer, he'd understood exactly what kind of person he was dealing with. This wasn't Felt. You couldn't bluster your way to a better deal. Anastasia had set her price low because she already knew the truth: whatever Gojo revealed wouldn't be as earth-shattering as he was pretending. No one put their real secrets on the trading block.
Squeezing out a price bump was the best he could hope for. Pushing further would gain him nothing.
And besides, the intelligence on Emilia had genuinely piqued his interest.
"Then let's swear."
Anastasia smiled and said nothing more.
In this world, there existed a concept known as a Contract, a binding force that could operate on the level of honor or of magic itself. Three broad categories fell under its umbrella, all collectively referred to as Contracts.
The Vow he and Anastasia were forming was one such type. Vows typically bound two individuals or parties. Some carried enforcement at the soul level. Others were nothing more than promises sealed by honor.
Betty drifted over without being asked, listening carefully as Anastasia drafted the terms. With their walking encyclopedia present, Gojo felt considerably more at ease.
Once the Vow was signed, he felt it immediately. Something intangible settled around him, a quiet weight, a constraint woven from nothing visible. The sensation reminded him of the Divine Protections he'd once redeemed through the Side Character System. When he'd acquired that ridiculous haircutting blessing, the same phantom force had pressed against his skin.
This felt similar.
"Here are twenty Holy Gold Coins. Please count them, Mr. Gojo."
He took the small pouch and, without so much as a glance, tossed it over his shoulder.
Felt materialized out of nowhere, snatched it from the air, and immediately began counting.
"All here."
She nodded, beaming.
"I believe it's your turn now, Mr. Gojo?"
"Sure."
He nodded. "The ability you're curious about, the one that prevents anything from touching me, is called the Limitless Cursed Technique."
"In simple terms..."
He stepped toward Anastasia. "Mind helping me demonstrate?"
She shook her head, curiosity bright in her eyes.
"Hold out your hand." He raised his own palm and brought it toward hers.
Under Anastasia's fascinated gaze, the gap between their hands shrank. Closer. Closer.
Then, just before contact, the barrier appeared.
"I can infinitely reduce the distance between myself and any person or object, without it ever reaching zero."
He pulled his hand back. "Put simply, nothing can touch me. Ever."
"But... I've seen you make physical contact with other people before."
"Well, it's my ability. I decide when it's on and when it's off."
"Satisfied with that answer?"
Anastasia looked down at her own palm, her expression strange.
The entire point of this trade had been to understand Gojo's defensive ability so she could prepare countermeasures. But now that she had the answer... it didn't help at all.
His explanation had left her more confused than before. What did "infinitely reduce without reaching zero" even mean? The distance had looked tiny. It was right there. How could it be infinite?
If Gojo could have read her thoughts, he'd have sighed and chalked it up to the educational limitations of another world. He could hardly stand here and lecture her on Zeno's paradox from scratch.
"I believe it's time for your end of the bargain."
Anastasia let out a rueful laugh. "Mr. Gojo, if you ever went into business, you'd be wildly successful. This is the first time I've completed a trade and felt like I gained absolutely nothing."
"And the Vow didn't even react. You told the truth."
"Can't blame me for that. I thought my explanation was thorough. A little hard to grasp, maybe."
"Unfortunately, I don't share your gift for words."
She shook her head, then moved on to the intelligence she owed.
First, Crusch.
"The Karsten family has been buying up iron ore, weapons, and Dragon Carriages in bulk. They've secured deals with nearly every major trading house in the Royal Capital, and the market prices have skyrocketed as a result. At this point, finding a single Dragon Carriage for sale in the capital is next to impossible."
"Sounds like someone's preparing for a war."
"And Emilia?"
He wasn't particularly worried about war preparations. Felt didn't have a territory. No domain meant no citizens to protect, no supply lines to defend. Their entire faction stood right here in the Royal Capital, and it amounted to a handful of people.
...
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