Crossover: The Problem Human of [Arcadia]

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3345 Outer Gate, [Thousand Eyes] HQ

Stepping through the entrance, Ryo let out a quiet sigh before giving a slight nod to the girl beside him, Aishelia.

A maid guided the two of them down the hall until they stopped in front of a reception room door.

The maid stepped forward, knocked lightly, and said softly: "Lady Shiroyasha, Ryo Yagami and Aishelia Perseus have arrived."

"Oh? Let them in."

The door slid open, and Ryo immediately recognized the familiar tea room scene.

Shiroyasha, fond as ever of traditional attire, wore a pale black kimono. A lace-edged black fan hid half her face as she gave it a playful shake.

But Ryo's eyes quickly shifted to the guest seated opposite her: a stunningly beautiful woman, her golden hair cascading to her waist, an olive wreath resting on her head. She radiated brilliance and a composed grace that screamed of classical Greece.

"Well, well, you finally made it."

Shiroyasha flicked her fan, giving Ryo a mischievous glance.

"Kid, looks like you've really stepped in it this time."

Ryo nearly rolled his eyes. Stepped in it? What's with that tone—like she'd been waiting all this time just for me to get in trouble?

"Your Grace, Athena."

Aishelia drew in a deep breath, dropped to one knee, and bowed her head.

Athena just smiled gently, inclining her head. "You've worked hard this time, Aishelia."

"I'm terribly sorry, Your Grace…" Aishelia's expression twisted with guilt.

The Greek gods' carefully-laid plan had collapsed into a farce, and she couldn't help but blame herself.

"It isn't your fault," Athena reassured softly. "The failure lies with us above, not you. Don't burden yourself with blame."

She comforted her for a while, then, realizing Aishelia's stubborn guilt wasn't going away, turned her gaze toward Shiroyasha.

"I see. Take this Yagami back with you and interrogate him however you please." Shiroyasha waved her fan dismissively, laughing.

"Huh..." That made Ryo frown.

"Don't listen to her nonsense. I've no intention of torturing you." Athena rose gracefully, smoothing the white folds of her Greek robe as she stepped closer to him.

Ryo forced a wry smile, though his body was still tense.

"Shall we take a walk?" Athena said with a smile.

"With a personal invitation like that, how could I refuse?"

Ryo stepped aside, holding the door for her with a polite gesture. As he did, he shot Aishelia a subtle look. She caught on instantly and stayed behind, though clearly anxious.

Athena gave no sign of noticing the exchange and simply led the way out.

They walked the long corridors of [Thousand Eyes] in silence, the air between them oddly stiff.

Not until they reached the edge of the compound did Athena suddenly ask, curious: "Tell me, Mr. Yagami—do you find me frightening?"

Of course he couldn't say yes. So he shrugged and offered dryly: "Forgive me. I just have a bit of an allergy to beautiful women."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Athena tilted her head, as if she actually bought it, then smoothly shifted the subject: "Then answer me this—would you like to give Hermes a good beating?"

…Would I dare now. Ryo's face twitched, but he replied politely: "Apologies, but Trismegistus, the Thrice-Greatest, is far beyond my league."

"Thrice-Greatest?"

Athena chuckled, her tone playful.

"So he's been bragging for so long that even you lower-floor folks have swallowed it?"

Ryo blinked in confusion.

Athena laughed again and explained: "Magic, alchemy, astrology—the triad of disciplines attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, the 'Thrice-greatest Hermes.'"

"Such a rank would place him in the one-digits rank. Do you honestly believe Hermes is that powerful?"

Ryo's expression twisted. The Hermes he knew was a powerful three-digit god of all trades—but a leap to one-digit? That was an entire universe apart.

"Wait—you're saying he just… claimed that title?"

In Little Garden, divine epithets and titles weren't just names. They corresponded directly to authority, concepts, domains, belief. Claiming another's essence wasn't just false advertising; it risked backlash, even annihilation, from the rightful possessor.

How could Hermes possibly fake that? Unless… unless Athena was right, and he had even deceived Little Garden's system itself?

"Why couldn't he?" Athena smiled slyly.

"In this Garden, the god whose spirit rank comes closest to the unfinished archetype of 'Thrice-greatest Hermes' is Hermes himself. Since the archetype has no true owner, him borrowing the mantle suits perfectly the nature of a trickster god."

"Of course, once the true 'Hermes Trismegistus' emerges, such a stunt would almost certainly draw punishment from the system."

Hermes was, after all, the god of thieves and liars, patron of swindlers across ancient Europe.

Ryo's eyes lit faintly in realization. He hadn't known it was even possible to hijack an unfinished single-digit archetype like that.

If Hermes could do it… could he try the same with something like... Cronus?

The problem was figuring out how to avoid divine backlash.

"..."

Athena watched him mull it over, eyes narrowing with amusement.

"For upper-tier gods, borrowing incomplete one-digit archetypes is nothing unusual. When you reach that level, you'll understand how to make use of them yourself."

Ryo's mouth twitched. He quickly reined in his stray thoughts and said carefully: "You overestimate me. Just the three-digit domain is already impossibly far from where I stand."

"Oh? Is that really what you think?" Athena gave him a doubtful look, then suddenly laughed.

"I don't believe it."

"…." Ryo fell silent, staring at her with a mix of wariness and disbelief.

Her green eyes sparkled with a teasing light.

"Want to guess why I'm not angry at all, even though you wrecked my plan?"

Ryo frowned and shook his head slowly. He truly didn't get it. Athena's attitude was nothing like he expected—far too calm, almost indulgent. Wasn't this the goddess famed for holding grudges?

Athena's eyes sharpened.

"You were just thinking, 'Athena's the kind of woman who's famed for holding grudges,' weren't you?"

"Please—swap 'grudges' with 'wisdom,' if you don't mind." Ryo smiled faintly.

"Wisdom like Aqua's, maybe…" he thought dryly, though he knew better. This goddess wasn't some ditzy fool. She was the real deal—sharp enough to outthink gods and mortals alike.

Athena studied him, then nodded as though satisfied. "Then let's pretend you never thought it."

She changed tone, light again.

"As for the real reason I'm not angry? It's simple."

Ryo jumped in first: "Because I've become a candidate, just like Aishelia. Part of the Greek pantheon's plan?"

"Exactly."

Athena smiled faintly and nodded, acknowledging Ryo's guess.

The truth was, from the very beginning, the plan to undermine the Cross Pantheon hadn't rested on just one person's shoulders. Multiple agents had been dispatched, and plenty of margin for failure was built into the scheme.

Aishelia's side had collapsed, yes, and while Athena felt the sting of that loss, it wasn't the end of the world.

Failure had been expected from the start.

Ryo was quiet for a moment, then asked, "So… what exactly is my situation here?"

Athena's lips curved into a light smile.

"Aishelia was my chosen proxy. You, however, were chosen by the Twin Goddesses. Every major deity has their own favored candidate."

"The Twin Goddesses…" Ryo's mouth twitched. Of all the powers to get entangled with, it had to be those two monsters, Alpha & Omega?

But more than that, hearing words like "proxy" and "chosen candidate" made his scalp prickle.

He knew exactly what gods loved most: proxy wars.

With a strained grin, he asked, "So I'm guessing it isn't just the Greeks who've appointed proxies, is it?"

"Correct."

Athena nodded calmly.

"The Buddhists, the Egyptian pantheon, the Heavenly Court… and likely a few minor pantheons as well. All of them have quietly chosen their own. They've just avoided being caught."

Ryo's head throbbed. Was this some kind of raid party being formed to storm the Cross Pantheon?

Could the gods really play it this dirty?

"Then what's the point of Hermes passing around secret orders?" he muttered—and instantly regretted it. The answer was obvious.

Athena's expression turned wry, almost amused.

"The point?" She chuckled softly.

"Of course—to keep the Cross pantheon from catching us red-handed."

Ryo sighed inwardly. Just as he thought. The upper pantheons were practically conspiring in unison, all ganging up to gut the Cross pantheon.

And why not? The Cross held the lion's share of faith.

His eyes narrowed, lips quirking into a sly smile.

"If that's the case, then doesn't this mean I can head to the outside world under the banner of the Greek pantheon?"

The implication was clear. If he got exposed, could he use Greece's name as a shield?

From Athena's demeanor, it almost seemed like they wanted to be his backers. And if they were going to act as his mountain, then shouldn't he get to use them as cover?

But Athena shook her head. "Not the Greek pantheon. Just me. Personally."

Her smile widened.

"You'll go into unobserved realms in MY name."

Ryo gave her a look usually reserved for people standing on ledges.

"…Are you sure?"

"Of course." Athena tilted her head, amused.

"My proxy already failed, didn't she?"

That was when it clicked for Ryo, and he almost slapped the table in admiration.

Athena had sent a proxy—Aishelia.

But thanks to Hermes' antics, Aishelia had failed.

But now... when someone calling themselves "Athena's agent" stirred up trouble in another world, who would they really be acting on behalf of?

It was a neat trick, a nesting doll of blame. On the surface, any chaos Ryo caused would land squarely on Athena. But most gods would hesitate. Was she truly responsible, or being framed?

Ryo smirked at the thought. "But still you're betting I'll never get exposed?"

Because if Athena's gamble was wrong, if Ryo's true identity got pinned down, she would be dragged into the mess right alongside him.

It was a bold, dangerous stake to place on someone like him.

Athena's eyes sharpened. "Even Alpha has yet to prove that Second World War thing was your doing. If she can't, then yes, I'll take this bet."

The reason she wasn't angry was simple. Ryo's interference hadn't ruined her plan—it had perfected it. Why punish him for that? Rewarding him made more sense.

Ryo chuckled quietly. "Just keep in mind—if things go sideways, you could make enemies of every pantheon in the Garden. Maybe even your own father."

"Don't mistake me for Shiroyasha, stuck with no way forward." Athena's voice carried steel, confident and unflinching.

Ryo understood then. He dipped his head in a shallow bow. "In that case… would Your Grace grant me a blessing?"

Athena's lips curved. In her hand appeared a golden spear, gleaming with divine craftsmanship.

She raised it, the point hovering just before Ryo's brow, and spoke solemnly: "In the name of the Goddess of Wisdom and War, I grant you the blessing of Victory."

Ryo straightened, smiling genuinely. "I'm truly grateful."

Athena lowered the spear, her playful tone returning.

"The same offer I gave Aishelia applies to you as well. When human history completes its transformation, you may claim one of the Twelve seats of the Fourth Generation gods."

"Of course, the throne of the God-King is mine. Already reserved."

She didn't bother to hide her ambition.

Ryo's expression turned odd. "How about the God-Queen then?"

"???"

Athena blinked, tilting her head at him.

Kid, what is going on in that mind of yours?

After a pause, she answered dryly, "By then, the concept of King and Queen would need… redefinition."

"I see."

Ryo nodded gravely, as if that was exactly what he'd been expecting. Athena's face twitched.

"The promise is made. The rest is up to you."

Her body shimmered, breaking apart into motes of light. In moments, she was gone.

Ryo couldn't help but grin as he watched her vanish.

"So, after all that circling around, I've basically ended up as one of Athena's Saints."

With that thought, he narrowed his eyes and quickly dropped a post into the Dimensional Forum: "Can Athena's blessing be used to forge a Cloth?"

〚Answer: Yes. The blessing is one of the essential elements required to forge an Athena Saint Cloth, serving as the foundation for continuous victory.〛

〚Other requirements: Orichalcum (10,000 points), Gammanium (30,000 points), Stardust Sand (30,000 points).〛

〚Enhanced Cloth requirements: One portion of Little Garden's Sun Authority and the fully awakened blood of Athena (Sasha) (200,000 points).〛

Ryo scrolled through the replies again and again, then finally closed the forum with a long sigh.

Just two words summed it up: Cash grab.

He exhaled heavily. "Life is too damn hard…"

---

6969 Outer Gate.

Hermes, dressed like some host-club pretty boy, flashed a dazzling fake smile as he weaved between beautiful women. His smooth face, shameless flirting, and constant teasing drew plenty of giggles.

After scamming yet another girl into buying a jug of plain water for ten thousand Thousand-Eye coins, a cold female voice whispered at his ear: "That's your second warning, Hermes. I hope the day never comes when I say that word to you."

Hermes froze, legs buckling.

"… A-A-Athena…" he stammered, teeth chattering.

He knew exactly what she meant. And exactly what that word was.

Word she'd once spoken to Algol, after her third offense against her.

War.

His heart spasmed.

Right. Time to disappear to the upper levels for a few centuries. Maybe he couldn't fight Athena—but he could run.

It's better to retreat than to fight and be defeated

A bitter laugh escaped him. Most of Olympus' heavy-hitters were already down here in the lower floors, flexing their overpowered ranks and basking in fear and glory.

Meanwhile, he, Hades, and Hestia were stuck up there, grinding it out.

Hades buried himself in the underworld and kept his head down—no one cared. Hestia played big sister to half the upper-level goddesses—untouchable.

But him? He was the one taking the brunt of every other pantheon's frustrations after losing ground below.

The other god-kings didn't care if he was guilty. They just needed someone to bully. And who better than Hermes, the Trickster?

Life as a proper Greek god in the upper levels was nothing but humiliation. He'd been celibate for thousands of years, and for what?

A wave of self-pity hit him. Hermes spun around, sucked in a deep breath, and buried his face into the nearest woman's chest with a theatrical wail.

"It's just too hard for me!"

The girl shrieked in surprise as Hermes wept into her big cleavage.

"In that cruel world, where bullying never stops, only this snowy white warmth can comfort me!"

"Hey! Who the hell is this stray mutt trying to steal the wife Lord Indra had his eye on?"

"Bring me my spear!"

BOOM!

The brothel rang with shrieks and laughter as chaos exploded once again.

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