Crossover: The Problem Human of [Arcadia]

— — — — — —

Ryo pressed Perseus's thumb against the parchment.

Once that was done, he let go of Perseus's hand and stood up.

"Okay. That makes it official—we've reached an agreement."

With a smile, Ryo turned to Arkeos, extending his hand. "Here's to a pleasant partnership."

"…Sure. A pleasant partnership." Arkeos forced a stiff smile and shook his hand.

At the side of the sofa, Oscar was cradling Perseus's only movable part—his head—and said, "In that case, can you undo the frostbite on my father's body now?"

"That—"

Before Ryo could respond, Perseus cut him off. "No need. Aside from my head, the rest of my body is already 'dead.'"

Aishelia's lips twitched hard at that.

A four-digit demigod with tenacious life force, beaten until his body was literally dead?

She hadn't expected Ryo's move to be that terrifying.

"For that, I sincerely apologize," Ryo said smoothly—though the smile on his face carried not a trace of regret.

Oscar's face darkened with anger.

But compared to her, Perseus's expression was oddly calm. His gaze simply fixed on Ryo.

"[No Name]'s leader. According to the contract, I can still carry out my mission, correct?"

"That's right," Ryo replied with a smile. "As long as it doesn't involve forcing Aishelia's abdication, or harm [No Name]'s interests, I won't interfere."

"Good. That's good…" Perseus's tone carried faint relief.

Arkeos, who had been silent until now, finally couldn't hold back.

"Father, what order did Lady Athena give you exactly?"

Perseus fell quiet, clearly unwilling to answer.

Oscar, however, clenched her teeth and snapped: "Father, why cling to this mission when you're already in this state? If it weren't for her insisting Aishelia had to abdicate, would you even have ended up like this?"

"Silence!" Perseus's furious roar shook the room, and Oscar froze in terror.

"I—I'm sorry." Oscar nearly dropped Perseus's head in her panic, stammering apologies.

Aishelia stepped forward then, her face serious.

"Ancestor… why does Her Majesty Athena want me to abdicate?"

At that, Perseus hesitated before murmuring, "I don't know either."

The words stunned everyone.

Even Perseus himself didn't know the reason? That only deepened the confusion.

Ryo thought for a moment before asking, "Perseus. What exactly is your mission?"

Perseus stayed silent, lips pressed tight.

Ryo sighed.

"You realize without Aishelia's cooperation and mine, you probably won't be able to complete it."

At that veiled threat, Aishelia's eyes flickered. She stepped behind Ryo, clearly signaling where she stood.

Perseus let out a heavy sigh.

Ryo was right. With only his brain intact and no body, he couldn't possibly succeed without them.

After wrestling with it, he finally spoke.

"My orders are…" He paused, sighed again, and continued,

"To attempt… to execute the Demon Star, Algol."

Ryo's eyes narrowed, his expression snapping to shock.

Beside him, Arkeos and Oscar sucked in sharp breaths.

"Execute Algol…?"

Aishelia felt her scalp prickle.

"But Algol is a Celestial Star Spirit. To kill one, you'd need a secret technique powerful enough to annihilate every observed universe."

"That's true," Perseus admitted.

"But Algol's Celestial essence has already degraded into a divine essence. She successfully transformed into Medusa. Lady Athena sees this as an opportunity."

Perseus's eyes shone with reverence.

"Her Majesty wishes to test if it's possible to kill a Celestial Star Spirit indirectly—or at the very least, to demote Algol again."

Ryo frowned deeply.

"Wouldn't that affect Algol's current keeper?"

Algol's warden had always been the head of the [Perseus] line.

This generation's head was Aishelia, who held the authority over Algol.

Any dangerous experiment like this would inevitably drag her in.

The realization made Ryo's expression twist.

Had he just… made things worse by meddling?

Perseus confirmed his suspicion.

"Exactly. To prevent the backlash of the experiment from harming Aishelia, the position of clan head cannot remain with her."

He sighed. "It's unfortunate about Laius, but as my direct descendant, he must accept the burden of guarding Algol."

So in other words—they were planning to sacrifice Laius. Ryo's eyelid twitched.

Aishelia, still confused, asked, "But if that's the case, why force me to abdicate? Couldn't she simply order me?"

As a knight, obeying one's liege was natural—and if Athena only wished to shield Aishelia from danger, why insist on abdication?

Perseus only muttered, "I don't know. But since it's the wisdom goddess's will, she must have her reasons…"

Ryo looked at Perseus like he was watching a demigod simping with his tail wagging.

Still, whether he liked it or not, the fact remained: he had interfered with Athena's plan.

The thought made his scalp tingle.

Athena—the same goddess who nearly killed Algol over being called "ugly." Even after sealing her, she still kept hunting her down.

And now he had messed with her schemes.

Weren't Athena's Gold Saints supposed to fight for justice? Why did this Athena look more like a demon of the underworld?

"Ryo…" Aishelia's worried voice cut in.

"I know."

Ryo sighed, shrugging helplessly.

"Once the contract was signed, I already sent word through the communicator to Shiroyasha. She'll step in to mediate."

Of course he hadn't just attacked Perseus blindly.

Shiroyasha could stall Athena for now. Meanwhile, he'd stir up trouble for the Greek pantheon outside and buy himself some breathing room.

He'd planned that before making a move.

Earlier, he'd been worried Shiroyasha might drag her feet.

But once he learned Athena was aiming to kill a Celestial Star Spirit, all worry evaporated.

There was no way Shiroyasha would let that happen.

If Athena succeeded, another Celestial Star Spirit could fall—and with Shiroyasha's enemies already swarming the skies, she'd be the next target.

She would absolutely shield Ryo Yagami and crush the plan.

Aishelia let out a soft sigh. "I've only dragged you into this mess…"

"Glad you realize that," Ryo shot back with an eye-roll.

She was fine. Meanwhile, thanks to poor intel, he'd just stepped straight into a death flag.

Now Athena herself had him marked.

Great. Just great.

Right then, the hall doors swung open.

Laius stumbled in, blank-faced.

Everyone's eyes instantly snapped to the entrance.

And behind Laius came a tall, golden-haired youth, a winged helm perched on his head.

"Well, everyone's here. I'm not late, am I?" the newcomer said with an awkward smile.

Perseus immediately struggled to sit upright, while Arkeos and Oscar dropped to one knee in unison, heads bowed.

"Arkeos and Oscar greet Lord Hermes."

Ryo's eyelid twitched violently.

One of the Twelve Olympians.

— the herald of the gods, Hermes.

A chill raced down Ryo's spine.

For a second, he almost sent out a desperate SOS to Shiroyasha.

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