Crossover: The Problem Human of [Arcadia]

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[Perseus], Central Temple.

Seated at the head of the hall, Aishelia rested her forehead in her hand, staring tiredly at the stain of blood below her feet.

It was all that remained of Laius after his punishment.

A guard approached, bowing slightly. "Lady Aishelia, Laius has been placed in the Ice Prison." He hesitated, then asked carefully, "His injuries are severe. Should we arrange for a healer?"

"...Do it," Aishelia said with a weary wave of her hand, a sigh slipping out.

"Yes, ma'am." The guard withdrew.

One of the waiting maids descended the steps, bent down, and picked up the zanpakutō lying on the floor. Cradling it carefully, she approached her mistress and whispered,

"Since you're displeased with the treaty Lord Laius signed… why not just reject it outright?"

"You don't understand." Aishelia flicked her wrist dismissively. After a moment of thought, she took the sword from the maid's hands. "Leave me. All of you."

The maid bowed low and withdrew. The guards followed her out, their footsteps echoing away until the vast temple fell silent.

Only then did Aishelia exhale, pressing her fingers to her brow.

"Laius… you absolute idiot, what have you done?"

The terms he had agreed to were something she never expected.

Letting [No Name] take the lead in the alliance—that part she could accept. In terms of sheer strength, Leticia already surpassed her, and Ryo was an enigma she couldn't read, not to mention the Black Rabbit thrown in as an extra piece.

Even the one hundred thousand gold coins weren't enough to faze her.

But the last clause—the marriage between leaders—was unbearable.

"I told that brat to make things difficult for me, but not this damn difficult…"

Remembering that the order had been her own doing made her want to groan.

Yes, the conditions had to be harsh, or else the hidden schemers within Perseus would never reveal themselves.

But this? This was beyond harsh.

'Don't tell me that fool thought I'd just break the contract later…'

It was possible. Likely, even.

Maybe Laius had signed this insane treaty banking on the idea that it could later be annulled or renegotiated.

Aishelia's lips twisted, her teeth grinding.

"Does that idiot not realize the other side could just refuse to dissolve it?"

Marriage between leaders, with her married off to Ryo Yagami—that was practically handing over [Perseus] on a silver platter to [No Name].

She wasn't being paranoid; the political weight of such a deal was simply too heavy.

As a community leader, she knew exactly what would happen when the stakes got that high: chaos, infighting, and collapse.

Even if she eliminated every opponent within Perseus, she could no longer remain as its leader under such terms.

Knightly principles would forbid her from breaking the oath, and she would never allow Perseus to be swallowed whole.

The only path left would be to step down, marry into [No Name], and let Perseus crown a new leader.

And who would that be? Most likely Laius.

If she didn't trust him so deeply, Aishelia might already suspect him of plotting to seize power. The whole situation practically painted him as the prime beneficiary.

She frowned down at the zanpakutō in her hand and murmured,

"…But there's no time to dwell on aftermaths now."

If Perseus's internal unrest wasn't quelled, the community would face total destruction. This wasn't the time to worry about titles.

"Arkeos… Oscar… other uncles and cousins don't matter, but…"

Her brow furrowed with unease.

"…Could any of this be the will of that ancestor?"

Perseus himself.

Founder of the Perseus community, a demigod son of Zeus and a mortal woman, one of Athena's chosen.

If the legendary hero himself were orchestrating this upheaval, then resistance was meaningless.

But after a moment of thought, Aishelia shook her head.

"If it were him, he'd just announce his return and demand I step down. Why go through all this?"

The thought left her silent, lost in grim reflection.

Just then, the heavy temple doors creaked open.

Aishelia frowned. "What is it? Has something urgent happened?"

But the figure framed in the doorway was no messenger.

It was a black-haired, dark-eyed young man, strikingly handsome.

Aishelia froze for a beat, then blinked in shock. "R-Ryo Yagami?"

"We meet again, Lady Aishelia."

Ryo's gaze lingered on the zanpakutō in her hand, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he stepped inside, weapon in hand.

At the doorway, the guards—expressionless, as if under a spell—pulled the doors wider to admit him.

Aishelia's brows drew tight. Alarm laced her voice. "What did you do to them?"

Ryo pressed his palm lightly against the hilt of his sword, his expression warm and calm.

"Don't worry. To their eyes, this door has never opened."

Her eyes widened. She snapped her gaze to the weapon he carried, suspicion sharp in her voice. "That's the sword's Gift, isn't it?"

"You may call it Kyōka Suigetsu," Ryo said with a smile.

"Its ability is the manipulation of the five senses."

"I see…"

Aishelia relaxed slightly, even sounding a little disappointed.

"A pity. If your Gift could manipulate instinct as well, this zanpakutō would rank among the highest even at the five-digit level."

Once you reached the realm of the five digits, battles weren't decided by the five senses alone, but by intuition, spirit, the flow of the mind.

For fighters of that caliber, Kyōka Suigetsu's ability lost much of its edge. Against a four-digit opponent, it might not work at all.

Realizing she had been wary just moments ago, Aishelia let out a faint, self-mocking smile.

"I feel the same way," Ryo replied lightly, half amused, half regretful—though in truth, there was no zanpakutō named Kyōka Suigetsu at all.

The hypnotic ability was born of his Cosmo, extended into what he called five-sense hypnosis.

By the time he'd arrived at Perseus, the Hōgyoku had already pushed that power further, into six-sense hypnosis.

In Ryo's eyes, its ultimate evolution was the Virgo Saint's secret art: the Golden Technique that manipulated all eight senses at will—Tenbu Hōrin.

Kyōka Suigetsu was just a convenient cover story.

If anyone actually went after his sword because of it, so much the better.

And with the time for Aizen to enter Little Garden drawing near, Ryo was preparing on all fronts.

"..."

Aishelia rose from her seat, her gaze thoughtful.

"To think you would walk alone into Perseus at a time like this."

Ryo chuckled. "You're not about to turn away an ally who's come uninvited, are you?"

Aishelia shook her head. "No. Quite the opposite. I'm afraid once you hear my suspicions, you'll choose to leave on your own."

"Oh?" Ryo's eyes glimmered. "Then by all means—tell me."

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Ice Prison.

Laius sat hunched against the cold stone wall, his body crisscrossed with wounds. He lifted his head as the heavy door creaked. His voice was hoarse.

"A healer? Then come in…"

But the words died in his throat. His eyes widened as he took in the figure standing beyond the bars.

Shock, disbelief, and finally a bitter smile spread across his battered face.

"I never thought… you would come in person."

His lips trembled before forming the name.

"Ancestor… Oscar."

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