Ryou joined because he'd already been dabbling in magical experiments by the time the they recruited him - he supposes it might even have BEEN why they recruited him, if they'd found out before approaching him. His curiosity became a desire for proper magical training and, he admits sheepishly, maybe he just liked feeling more powerful than the things that the cult said were out there to get them - things like ayakashi. Abe no Seimei is his idol.

He would ask why Aymeric isn't going to kill him if they wait around long enough. He was told by the cult that if the Heavens found one of them again, with real magical powers, they would kill the human to silence them and set back the cult's efforts.