Crossover: The Problem Human of [Arcadia]

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"I'll ask one last time—Ryo Yagami, do you accept, or refuse?"

Laius sat across from them, face serious, words carrying the weight of a threat.

Ryo finally snapped out of his earlier daze, his expression turning odd as he asked, "If those are the conditions, you think you can agree?"

Leader of the alliance, a gift of a hundred thousand gold coins, and a marriage to the current Perseus leader, Aishelia?

Laius… are you the number two of [Perseus], or of [No Name]? Pretty sure you're sitting in the wrong chair here.

Laius studied Ryo for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, if that's the case, let's sign right now."

He pulled a roll of white parchment from his Gift Card and spread it open on the table.

At that point, Leticia—who had been trying to stay out of the conversation—couldn't hold back anymore. "Laius, are you sure Aishelia agreed to these terms?"

As one of Aishelia's sword instructors, Leticia found it hard to imagine that strong, proud knight making such an absurd decision.

This was practically selling out all of Perseus' interests. "Humiliating" didn't even cover it.

There was no way this came from her student… unless she'd been cursed or possessed.

"This should be enough to prove my authority."

Laius lifted the parchment so everyone could see.

At the bottom of the otherwise blank agreement, the signature Aishelia Perseus was written clearly in the Unified Script.

A pre-signed blank contract—more than enough to show Aishelia's stance.

'What on earth are you planning, to offer something like this…' Leticia sighed and dropped the matter.

The same thought was on Ryo's mind.

What could possibly push Aishelia—a four-digit fighter—to such a desperate point?

But at this stage, all he could do was watch Laius write up the terms and sign his own name on the scroll.

Once he finished, Ryo looked at him thoughtfully. "Since we're allies now, shouldn't you at least tell us what's going on with Perseus?"

"Sorry, that's an internal matter."

Laius didn't even hesitate. "The alliance only applies to external threats. When it comes to internal affairs, we're equals."

In other words: When facing outside enemies, [Perseus] and [No Name] would stand together.

But if it was an internal dispute, [No Name] had no grounds to interfere—mutual non-interference.

Hearing that, Ryo nodded slightly, smiling. "I see. My mistake for asking."

Was Laius really saying nothing?

No—he was saying everything.

There was a faction inside Perseus threatening Aishelia's position.

One strong enough that even Laius couldn't handle it—forcing him to look for outside plays.

And now, allying with [No Name] was one of those plays.

Laius put the scroll away, then placed a small box on the table. "The treaty's signed. This is our token."

Inside was a pair of long boots made from a bluish-purple metal, each engraved with a diamond-shaped wing.

The Gift: Boots of Hermes.

A relic passed down from Perseus' legendary founder—received from the Greek gods themselves. Not particularly powerful, ranked in the five-digits, but an irreplaceable part of Perseus' heritage.

By placing them on the table, Laius was wordlessly asking for an equivalent Gift in return.

Ryo paused, then pulled out a sword from his own Gift Card, infusing it with his power before setting it down.

Laius blinked in mild surprise. He recognized it—it was Ryo's personal weapon. The design was slightly different than he remembered, but considering [No Name]'s current state, the leader's own blade was an acceptable token.

Without further fuss, they exchanged Gifts.

"Since the agreement is sealed, I'll take my leave."

Laius stood to go.

But Ryo called after him. "If Leader Aishelia suspects there might be an external attack, I'd appreciate a heads-up first."

He added with a smile, "After all, it does take a bit of time to get from here to the upper four-digit zone."

"…Understood." Laius nodded, even allowing the faintest smile before turning and leaving the hall.

Once he was gone, Black Rabbit flopped onto the sofa, stretched out an arm, and grabbed the treaty's attachment from the table. She flipped it open, eyes widening. "It was that easy to sign? And all the terms are in our favor? This is way too weird."

Ryo sighed. "[Perseus] is probably headed for a civil war."

He'd figured it out already.

Laius was deliberately trashing his own image—shattering the halo of "first in line" to inherit leadership.

A man who sells out his own community's interests, even his own aunt, could never hold power.

And in this generation, only Aishelia and Laius had reached the four-digit level, with no children or other heirs ready. The younger generation wasn't nearly strong enough to convince anyone.

So if an internal revolt broke out, the former leaders would have to return and take control—exactly what Aishelia probably wanted.

The enemy is the previous generation? That's… a disgusting situation.

Black Rabbit froze, then quickly pieced it together. "A civil war? Wait, seriously…? Wasn't Perseus built up by Lady Aishelia herself? The one called 'Semi-God'?"

"And didn't she get the title 'Guardian Knight' from Lady Athena herself? She's one of the goddess' favorites right now!"

She couldn't wrap her head around how Perseus' own members could turn on her.

"…Feels like a curse," Leticia muttered, her expression complicated.

Back in the day, the knightly Order built around vampires had also been destroyed from within.

And now, her own disciple—who had inherited her ideals as a knight—was facing the same fate.

It was as if all knights were doomed to be crushed by their own people.

Ryo drummed his fingers on the table. His tone was calm. "Leticia."

"…Yes!"

She snapped out of her thoughts and answered quickly.

He gave her a brief look, but didn't scold her. Instead, he said, "Tomorrow, Laius will make this alliance public inside Perseus and deliver on the terms. Officially, you'll be the one handling it."

"Yes, understood!" she said at once.

Beside her, Black Rabbit frowned. "Officially?"

"Yes. Officially."

Ryo leaned forward, hands clasped, eyes narrowing. "Since I'm now Aishelia's fiancé, slipping into Perseus to 'visit my fiancée' is perfectly reasonable, don't you think?"

In truth, he wanted to infiltrate Perseus and figure out exactly what was happening.

This alliance was crucial to [No Name]'s future, and a "big spender" like [Perseus] was hard to come by. For both personal and strategic reasons, he had to make sure Aishelia stayed in control.

That's why, in the fine print of the contract, he and Laius had both agreed to define Perseus as {Perseus under Aishelia's leadership.}

It was an openly manipulative clause—practically treasonous—and alone was enough to completely destroy Laius' reputation forever.

Leticia and Black Rabbit exchanged looks, both giving Ryo a strange stare.

"Morally… questionable, but logically… I guess it makes sense?" Black Rabbit said with a crooked smile.

Then another thought hit her. Ryo was engaged to Aishelia… so where did that leave her?

For some reason, she suddenly felt like her hair had a faint green tint to it.

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