What did it feel like to become a Stand User?
Roland did not know how to describe it. He was still an ordinary human, just with a little more vitality and mental strength than most people. Perhaps that was because he had absorbed something he had never possessed out of thin air.
But something had fundamentally changed. It needed no explanation in words; it was more like a mysterious sensation. Just as instinctively as moving his fingers or blinking, he could summon Killer Queen before him at any time.
As a typical close-range power Stand, Killer Queen's excellent stats-A in power and B in speed-were enough to handle most everyday dangers that fell within the bounds of normality.
Although his performance in punching exchanges in the original story had been less than impressive, leading many people to underestimate him in that regard, that was actually a misjudgment.
Killer Queen's opponents back then had been top-tier close-range Stands like Crazy Diamond and Star Platinum. Against Echoes Act 3, which had B ratings in both power and speed, Killer Queen had effortlessly caught every attack with one hand. That showed he was still very powerful. At the very least, his feats looked far more impressive than those of a certain Stand with A ratings in both power and speed who would remain unnamed.
If Roland wanted, Killer Queen could easily sever a human body or punch straight through someone's chest. In an ordinary city, even without using his Stand's ability, humans were like fragile puppets he could easily break.
The most perfect part was Killer Queen's ability: simple and pure.
Roland gently flicked a coin onto Killer Queen's fingertip. After that brief touch, he could unleash an explosion that engulfed the entire room whenever he pleased. In the end, however, he merely let the coin turn into powder so fine that even gathering it would be exceedingly difficult, letting it slip away from the fingertip.
Turning anything he touched into a bomb was practically the ultimate expression of the aesthetics of violence. And as a Stand, Killer Queen himself could neither be captured nor observed by cameras. What a convenient ability!
In an era when surveillance cameras were far from commonplace, Roland was confident that, with Killer Queen, he could live freely and comfortably in a city like this, exactly as he wished.
And only after experiencing Killer Queen's power firsthand did Roland realize something many people had overlooked.
"Killer Queen's power is nowhere near its limit."
Roland closed his eyes, sensing the Stand that was inseparable from him and probing the potential buried deep within him.
Even after repeated development and improvements to his abilities, Killer Queen's potential had yet to be fully explored. That included his first and second bombs, both of which had already been used many times.
Perhaps because his ambitions were so much smaller than those of the villains in the other parts, combined with his own personality, Yoshikage Kira had been very passive about developing his Stand's abilities.
In a sense, though, perhaps it was precisely that personality that had created such a perfect Stand as Killer Queen.
Still, compared with all those promising possibilities, the greatest benefit of acquiring Killer Queen right now was the sense of security this supernatural power brought.
At Roland's original level, even the weakest Master, the serial killer, could have killed him easily, never mind a Heroic Spirit. Now, with the advantage of catching enemies off guard with his Stand, Roland at least had the means to contend with those Masters. If he used it properly, combined with the advantage of his foreknowledge, becoming an eighth participant more dangerous than even the Magus Killer would not be difficult.
"I can't let it go to my head. People who don't know the limits of their abilities rarely end well."
For now, Roland's only goal was to live peacefully in Fuyuki City. After a month, this ability would belong to him forever.
Although he had considered fleeing Fuyuki City when he first arrived in this world, he had now grown a little fond of the city, whether because of the Contract Spirit's influence or the comfortable life he had enjoyed these past few days.
On one side was the New City, still under construction, with everything waiting to be developed. On the other was Miyama Town, which had already given up on development, old but comfortable and full of everyday life. There were no great crowds of tourists, no startling changes. Even ten years from now, Fuyuki City would probably look much as it did today.
It really was wonderful.
The only thing worth worrying about was the Fourth Holy Grail War, which he did not even know had started yet. Still, as someone actually living in Fuyuki City, Roland had more or less come to appreciate the difference between rumors and reality.
As everyone knew, the Holy Grail War was conducted in secret.
Judging by the outcome, that statement was debatable. But considering the fundamental principle that mystery must not spread, aside from the disaster caused by the Grail's destruction at the end, ordinary residents were unlikely to get caught up in it-as long as they did not enjoy wandering around spacious harbor districts, abandoned buildings, or remote wilderness in the dead of night.
Putting all that aside, Roland had no compelling reason to participate in the Holy Grail War. He was not even a magus.
Suddenly, Roland realized something, and his gaze grew exceptionally sharp.
Unless those escaped Contract Spirits were attached to the participants in this Holy Grail War.
The core function of the Key of All Spirits was to help its user create, assimilate, and control Contract Spirits.
Recovering escaped Contract Spirits was itself merely part of helping the user evolve and grow stronger, rather than a mandatory goal.
Traveling between worlds was only an ancillary ability intended to provide better assistance, serving that core function. Roland could return at any time to any world he had visited once. He only needed to raise his authorization level to unlock the Key of All Spirits' ability to travel to new worlds.
Thus, Roland's cheat imposed no obligations on him. Once he fulfilled the requirement of recovering a single Contract Spirit, his authorization would allow him to activate the key to a new world. Then he could put everything in Fuyuki City behind him.
Escaping directly into a new world would be much safer than merely leaving Fuyuki City. Whether viewed rationally or emotionally, it was worth a try.
After all, Roland would receive a notification whenever escaped Contract Spirits were within a certain range. At a distance, he could only learn their number, but the closer he got, the more information he would receive.
If he really discovered who an escaped Contract Spirit had attached itself to, he could always make a move, depending on the situation.
"Sigh. I'm only taking back what belongs to me. Why do I have to sneak around...?"
Roland sighed, glanced at the clock on the wall, and stood up. Right on time, the manager's voice came from outside the break room door.
"Roland, your break's over. Time to switch shifts."
"Coming, boss."
Until then, he might as well enjoy this comfortable life of easy work and clocking out on time every day. Later, he could consider renting a place in the old town and finding a new job, just in case the Greater Grail suddenly exploded one day and turned the New City into a sea of flames.
But not in the next couple of days, for one important reason.
-Payday was almost here.