— — — — — —
When Liliana shut her eyes, all she saw was blinding white light. The sudden brightness made her flinch, and she forced her eyes open.
"Where... am I?"
"Ooh, you finally woke up."
The unexpected male voice froze her in place.
She jerked upright, clutching the bedsheets, back pressed against the headboard. Only then did she notice—she was in what looked like a hotel room.
By the floor-to-ceiling window, at a glass table, a black-haired man with equally dark eyes was sharing breakfast with a petite silver-haired girl.
The food was simple: breakfast sausages, croissants, and a steaming cappuccino.
The meal was ordinary. The people eating it were not.
The instant Liliana saw Ryo and Athena's faces, she scrambled off the bed and dropped to one knee.
"Liliana Kranjcar of the Bronze-Black Cross greets Your Eminences."
"Oh? So I'm being treated as a god now?"
Ryo chewed casually on a piece of sausage, speaking like it was nothing. "French cuisine is all hype. If you want real food, you come to Italy."
Athena, expression unreadable, responded flatly, "These things hardly satisfy me."
"Don't worry about it. Once I win the betting, we'll eat properly," Ryo said, waving her off with a grin.
After laughing, he tilted his head toward Liliana and jerked his chin at the nightstand. "That's your wallet, right?"
He added cheerfully, "Well, I already spent everything inside."
The way he said it—completely shameless.
"Oh, and by the way, beautiful witch, I've requisitioned you too. Your service term is... three hundred years."
Three hundred years.
Liliana's expression froze. That basically meant she'd be worked to death three times over.
"Don't worry," Ryo added smoothly. "To make sure you don't die early, I'll stretch your lifespan to match."
Liliana's carefully held composure cracked. That was worse than just being used until she dropped.
Beside them, Athena studied her with mild interest. "Oh? Ryo, so this is the type of girl you like?"
"In a way, I can't deny it."
He shrugged, stuffed the croissant into his mouth, and washed it down with coffee.
Athena's gaze lingered on Liliana's silver hair and youthful, perfectly balanced figure. She nodded. "I see. No wonder you're so drawn to me. Can't blame you. After all, I'm so beautiful."
Ryo's coffee paused mid-sip, his face twitching. "Wait... are you Algol too?"
"Algol? You mean Medusa?" Athena answered matter-of-factly. "Yes, I also carry Medusa's essence."
Ryo fell silent.
So in this world, the Athena and Algol who fought to the death in Little Garden were the same being.
His resolve to find someone else to take the blame solidified again. If he didn't, Little Garden's Athena might really come after him. Good thing he'd stashed the Zanpakutō of the Demon Authority inside a Gift Card for safekeeping...
Meanwhile, Liliana, ignored up until now, forced herself to speak through clenched teeth. "Your Eminences—"
Athena cut her off, calm as ever. "Your teacher entrusted you to us. In return, she'll bring my snake back into my embrace."
"And as part of the bargain, your life will be protected by me and by my Saint."
Ryo frowned. "Why do you keep calling me your Saint?"
"Because you are now," Athena replied, looking genuinely puzzled.
"Eh. If it makes you happy," Ryo shrugged.
Daytime: Athena calls him her Saint.
Nighttime: that Saint rides Athena.
Nice division of labor.
"Teacher?" Liliana's throat tightened.
Liliana understood what Diana had done—made a private deal, trading a sacred relic to buy her life.
That was forbidden in the magical world. Against a Heretic God, protocol demanded you let a Campione handle it. Acting alone risked punishment from the King of Swords himself.
But Diana had gambled everything for her sake—
"By the way," Ryo interrupted, tone light. "Your teacher sold you to me over the phone. Price was her own safety. I agreed."
...Liliana's swelling gratitude rotted on the spot.
So much for selfless sacrifice, for protecting her beloved student, for risking everything against a god.
The truth? She'd realized two Heretic Gods were after her, dumped both relic and disciple, and begged for a way out. And she'd pulled it off.
Reality. Cold, merciless reality.
Liliana clenched her jaw until her teeth ached, her face stiff.
"My teacher really is the very picture of a witch," she ground out.
Ryo finished his coffee, turned to the Milan morning beyond the window, and smiled.
"What a relaxing breakfast."
"Oooh! The snake is moving toward me," Athena said with a faint smile, nodding as though approving his mood.
But her eyes narrowed toward the distance. "The divinity of steel... and that foul sky. So. Two gods have clashed."
She had sensed it—far away, on Sardinia, the battle of divine powers had twisted nature itself.
"Well, that's convenient," Ryo remarked, setting down his cup and raising an eyebrow.
"Verethragna, the war god, and Melqart, the king of gods. Looks like they're about to take each other out."
Cold sweat broke out along Liliana's back.
Verethragna. Melqart. Metis. And Athena... well, the male Athena.
Four gods gathered at once. Even the King of Swords would have no choice but to kneel.
She was only sixteen. She hadn't even had her "fall for a domineering CEO" romance arc yet, and the world was already ending.
Ryo rubbed his chin. "By the time you recover the snake, we'll probably still be on schedule."
"Then we'll wait. Without the snake, rushing in would only make me a burden," Athena said calmly, logic crystal-clear.
Ryo chuckled. "Don't worry. You're Athena. Just stand behind your Saint and wave the flag."
Clang!
The coffee cup slammed against the table. That was Athena's way of showing displeasure.
"I am no fragile ornament."
Ryo replied solemnly, "That's very insulting to Saori Kido."
"Who?" Athena blinked.
"Sorry. Never explain the ref," Ryo said.
.
.
.