— — — — — —
Half a day later
In the West Area of Little Garden, outside Gate No. 439970, a banner emblazoned with flames, skulls, and molten rock fluttered above the headquarters of a small community.
"So Leticia is here?"
After handing off the task of gathering all those mysteriously "pregnant single moms" to Yukiko Yukinoshita, and the mission of rounding up girls afflicted with "Puberty Syndrome" to Maya Sakurajima, Veyron made his way from World-∞ to the Little Garden.
Turning to Shiroyasha, who accompanied him, he asked for confirmation about Leticia.
"That's right."
Shiroyasha nodded with certainty. "The informant who gave us this intel swore on their Spirit Rank that they personally saw the 'Pure-Blooded Vampire Princess' brought into this community."
She paused, then frowned curiously. "But honestly, why do you even need to ask? You could confirm this with just a glance."
She wasn't convinced that the protective wards of some six-digit community could block the sight of Veyron—a being ranked only four digits, but whose true weight was enough to rival those seated among the two-digit Sovereigns.
"Come on, don't you think going through the motions makes it feel more… ceremonial?" Veyron chuckled.
Shiroyasha: "…"
…Wait. Now that he mentioned it, he actually had a point.
"What the hell are you planning?!"
Spotting something very dangerous, the kimono-clad loli lunged forward, clinging to his arm. "Calm down! Calm down! That's way past 'ceremony,' alright?!"
Her gaze locked onto the black envelope in Veyron's hand.
The Host Authority.
Normally, this was the ultimate enforcement privilege bestowed by high-ranking gods and buddhas upon Hosts to punish wrongdoers. But thanks to rampant abuse by certain holders, within the Little Garden the black envelope had become widely recognized as the very mark of a Demon Lord.
Given Veyron's status—and his blatantly abnormal connection to the Little Garden's core—it wasn't strange that he held such authority.
If anything, Shiroyasha would've been more surprised if he didn't have it.
But if he really used the Host Authority here just to snatch Leticia… well, forget it, considering that all of [Thousand Eyes] had already come out openly in his support, maybe it wouldn't even cause that much of a stir.
"…Alright, alright. Let's not use this yet. We'll hear what this community has to say first."
Veyron gave a wry smile and slipped the black envelope away.
Together they entered the headquarters flying the flag of flame, skull, and magma—only to freeze at the sight before them.
A blonde-haired, red-eyed girl sat elegantly on the master's throne, sipping black tea. A black ribbon tied into a butterfly bow decorated her hair.
All around her, people bearing the same crest as the community's banner bustled about like mere attendants serving that golden-haired loli.
"…Did they get word we were coming?" Veyron glanced sideways at Shiroyasha.
"No way."
She blinked. "Sure, we've already made our stance clear on behalf of [Thousand Eyes]. But the only ones who should know about this are the upper echelons of the Little Garden. Maybe a few middle-tier five-digit communities with close ties to the top. But a six-digit backwater? Not a chance."
While they spoke, their presence finally drew the attention of the community members.
"Who are you?"
A hulking man—his ribs and veins bulging like a textbook illustration—strode forward, gripping a massive war hammer. He glared warily at Veyron and Shiroyasha, who had somehow slipped inside without anyone noticing. "If you can't prove who you are and state your business, we'll treat you as intruders!"
"Intruders, huh?"
Veyron pointed at the blonde loli on the throne, who had frozen the instant she saw Shiroyasha. "I came here for her. So if you want to see me as an enemy, fine by me."
"Damn it, so you really are hostile?!"
The giant's face twisted with rage. He slammed the butt of his hammer against the ground, making the floor tremble. "Listen up! We may not be strong, but that doesn't mean just anyone can come in here and trample us!"
"And don't think you can just grab that game document on the table by the door, or use the gift next to it—the one that summons a torrential downpour across twenty miles—and exploit our weakness against water to steal our community's most precious treasure!"
"Yeah! I don't believe you can so easily figure out how to activate that 'Storm-Summoning' gift! I mean, who can think just tearing it open will trigger it!"
"And if you can't even get past that, then you'll definitely never discover the secret behind those blue tiles on the floor—break just one and it'll release water currents to pin us all down!"
"And don't even think about the water bags hidden in the ceiling! That's my masterpiece! No enemy scheming against us could ever notice them!"
"..." xN
The moment the strongman finished, the entire community fell silent.
After some time… still silence.
Everyone was struggling to process what had just happened. Had all their secrets really been laid bare like that? Not even a spy could be this precise.
Who needs an enemy when you have someone like that in your community?
Then, at last, the community erupted, voices booming in unison.
But their righteous fury quickly broke apart—many of them couldn't stop laughing at their own words. Clearly, they all wanted Leticia Draculea to leave.
Shiroyasha: "..."
Veyron: "…"
For real?
Honestly, though… it couldn't be helped. Even though [Arcadia] had lost its flag and name and been reduced to the [No Name] community, the attack had only happened a few months ago. [Arcadia]'s shadow still lingered.
Besides, even putting aside the exiled cadres—those who hadn't fallen but merely been banished from the Little Garden, and who might one day return—[Arcadia] had spent years building connections here. Who in their right mind would act as if [Arcadia] had never existed, just because of one disaster?
That was why, for the past three months, every community that took in Leticia treated her less like a treasure and more like a cursed hot potato—passing her along as quickly as they could to the next unlucky community.
It wasn't until three years later, at the start of the original story, when the [Perseus] community officially claimed ownership of Leticia, that anyone seriously considered profiting from her.
After all, [Perseus] had the Greek pantheon at its back, not to mention their status as an officer community under [Thousand Eyes].
They even held the "Demon Star" Algol, so really… what was one more Leticia?
Wasn't holding onto Leticia, the Knight of Little Garden, actually less terrifying than dealing with one of the Little Garden's three Great Problem Children—the very ones who had once declared war on three thousand gods and buddhas across the worlds?
For in all of Little Garden, Algol, Queen Halloween, and Shiroyasha were dreaded names—problems of the highest order.
"Lady Shiroyasha, and… that guest," Leticia finally spoke. Setting down her teacup, she rose gracefully and gave them both a polite bow. "If possible, I'd ask that you not be too hard on them. Since the day I was sent here, they've done everything they could to make my stay as pleasant as possible."
"I don't even feel like leaving anymore."
.
.
.