Crossover: The Problem Human of [Arcadia]

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[1224] Outer Gate, [Perseus] HQ.

Laius returned to the community and headed straight for the central temple to request an audience with Aishelia.

But as soon as he reached the temple doors, the guards stepped in his way.

"Lord Laius, please wait a moment. The Leader is currently in discussion with Lord Arkeos."

At that name, Laius' expression darkened like a storm.

Most outsiders wouldn't even recognize it, but within Perseus, Arkeos was a legend.

The youngest son of the constellation Perseus, second leader of the Perseus community, a god descended from Perseus himself and carrying the blood of Zeus.

Wasn't that old fossil summoned to the Olympian pantheon to serve the Twelve Gods ages ago?

A heavy feeling settled in Laius' chest.

Who exactly among the old-timers was after Aishelia's position?

Was it one of his uncles' generation? Or was Arkeos himself planning a comeback? Or… was there an even bigger name behind this?

Lost in thought, Laius waited at the door for half an hour before the temple doors finally opened.

Out stepped a tall, broad-shouldered man in an old-fashioned suit of armor, golden hair gleaming.

Arkeos himself, the youngest son of Perseus.

"…Hmm?"

He caught sight of Laius and raised an eyebrow. "You… you're descended from Oscar, aren't you?"

Oscar—Perseus' youngest daughter, and the founder of Laius' branch of the family.

"Yes, Lord Arkeos," Laius replied, hiding his wariness behind flawless manners.

No matter his suspicions, this was still an elder, and as a knight, Laius was bound to show respect.

"You've grown into a fine young man. I believe the last time we met was… three thousand years ago?"

Despite looking barely thirty, his voice carried the weight of someone deep into their twilight years. "These past years, you've worked hard for the community."

'If you know that, why don't you hurry back to the heavens and keep enjoying your retirement…' Laius bit back the thought and replied humbly that he didn't dare accept the praise.

Perhaps sensing he wasn't welcome, Arkeos simply gave a curt "Keep it up," and strode away.

Laius frowned at the man's retreating back, then stepped into the central temple.

Inside, beneath the statue of the Goddess of Wisdom, Aishelia sat on the stone seat, still wearing a trace of anger on her face.

The guards standing along the sides remained motionless, but Laius noticed the cold sweat on their brows.

Clearly, the earlier conversation with Arkeos hadn't been pleasant.

Laius could even feel a faint lingering heat in the air—the kind that came after divine powers clashed.

They had crossed swords, though it seemed both had held back.

When she saw Laius enter, Aishelia quickly schooled her expression into calm. "You're back."

"Yes, Leader."

Laius knelt on one knee, not daring to pry into what had just been said between her and Arkeos.

"Did you meet our ancestor Arkeos?" she asked, resting both hands on the armrests.

"I did. He told me to keep working hard," Laius answered plainly.

The guards stiffened, cold sweat dripping faster now.

They had just watched Arkeos demand that Aishelia step down and hand leadership to Laius—and seen her flatly refuse, the exchange escalating into a clash of power.

Now Arkeos told Laius to "keep working hard"?

Did he mean… work hard at taking her position?

For a brief, uneasy moment, the guards wondered if Laius had already sided with Arkeos, and was simply playing for time with polite words.

The scent of high-level power struggles was thick in the air.

"Keep working hard, huh."

Aishelia's tone cooled, but she let the matter drop and instead asked, "How did the alliance talks with [No Name] go?"

"Mr. Yagami accepted our terms," Laius said, producing the alliance scroll. With a light flick of his palm, he sent it sailing to land in front of her. He also took out a Zanpakutō and added, "This is the token of exchange."

Aishelia glanced at the plain-looking blade and recognized it as the same model Ryo carried. She said nothing about it and instead unfurled the scroll.

"You've done well… hmm?"

Her eyes froze on the text, the surprise sharp and obvious. "What the fuck is this supposed to be?"

Here it comes…

Laius lowered his head to hide the gleam in his eyes.

He could already picture the next steps:

Upon seeing such "pathetically incompetent" terms, Aishelia would be furious—furious enough to punish him publicly, likely with a flogging.

He would then, in righteous indignation, declare that he had only been following her orders when he signed the agreement.

That would land him in a cell to face further punishment, which in turn would stir the dissenters in [Perseus] into action.

They would almost certainly convene a high council meeting that very night to pressure Aishelia into rejecting the alliance—because if they didn't, the terms would take effect tomorrow when Leticia Draculea arrived to finalize the details, and the community could be doomed.

And right now, everything was unfolding exactly as planned.

With that thought, Laius spoke in his most respectful tone, "Aren't these the terms you told me to agree to, Leader?"

"The terms I told you to agree to?"

Aishelia rose from her seat, her face shadowed in a stormy scowl, golden hair swaying around a strikingly beautiful face twisted in the anger of a lioness.

'Perfect. The fury's right on point,' Laius thought, even as he smiled faintly and said, "Of course. You said to accept all of Mr. Yagami's conditions, so I did exactly as you ordered."

At those words, Aishelia looked like she was about to explode.

Laius only smiled wider. 'Amazing—the leader really can act… she looks furious, but deep down she must be proud of me.'

Poor Laius had no idea she wasn't acting at all. In truth, Aishelia was just wondering how to beat him senseless without actually killing him.

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