— — — — — —
In the room full of mirrors, Algol turned her head toward the only place without a mirror, the door.
From the floor, olive branches sprouted, and at their tips, pure white olive blossoms bloomed.
A moment later, the branches twisted and reshaped into a woman in a white robe, golden hair crowned with a wreath of olive flowers.
Seeing this, Algol shifted her posture, sitting sideways on the floor with a look that was thirty percent disdain and seventy percent contempt.
"As expected. You ugly hag just can't stop drooling over Al-chan's beauty."
The newly arrived Athena froze. Whatever she had planned to say got stuck in her throat.
After about three seconds of silence, she replied flatly, "I'm not here to argue."
Algol picked up a hand mirror and a wooden comb. While grooming her hair, she said with complete disinterest, "Al-chan only argues with beautiful people."
Algol tapped her heel on the floor.
A standing clock slid up from below like some dramatic stage prop. The hands snapped straight to 12:00, then a cuckoo bird shot out and screeched twice, like it was calling someone out.
"Ugly~! Ugly~! You are so ugly~"
The cuckoo kept popping out and retracting, over and over, making Athena let out a deep sigh.
"You really are impossible to communicate with."
Algol continued styling her hair, clearly not intending to acknowledge her.
Then Athena spoke again, voice calm. "I can allow one of your avatars outside."
"Hm?"
Algol paused and turned her head, looking at Athena with a hint of surprise.
"That blind idiot Zeus is daydreaming again?"
"Oh, right. Your face may be a disaster, but your brain still functions. He's probably just bored and looking for a beautiful woman."
Athena once again lost any mood to speak.
More than talking, she truly wanted to tear Algol's disgusting mouth to shreds.
"I'll repeat this one more time. I'm not here to argue. That's twice now."
Her face was expressionless, cold to the extreme.
Algol tilted her head at the sight, giving her a look of pure distaste.
"What scheme are you plotting this time?"
"If you let one of my avatars roam free, the gods won't sit still. And besides, wasn't your mission to keep me sealed?"
"No. You're mistaken." Athena's tone remained calm.
"The Greek pantheon's mission is to make the gods of Little Garden believe you're sealed by the Greeks."
"…"
Algol went silent for a moment, then let out a laugh.
"Looks like Little Garden's center stripped away your beauty, but gave you minds that are deep, twisted, and absolutely filthy."
Algol shook her head, reaching for her cosmetics. While applying lip balm, she added with a little hum, "Ugly people really cause the most trouble~~"
She finished and looked at Athena, who stood silently waiting. "So. Did you find the avatar I tossed out?"
"So you really teamed up with Ryo Yagami."
For a split second, something like schadenfreude flashed across Athena's face before she quickly suppressed it.
After the fiasco involving Aishelia and Ryo, she'd quietly investigated his background.
And his involvement in the Perseus hero trial had triggered her suspicions.
Now… the answer was obvious.
Algol raised a perfectly shaped brow. "Oh? That little guy wasn't one of your traps?"
She paused, then nodded in sudden understanding.
"Actually, fair enough. If you had that kind of beauty-enhancing power, you would've used it on yourself already. No way you'd gift it to me."
"You really can't stop flapping that mouth," Athena said, face cold.
"Heh."
Algol let out a mocking laugh at Athena's irritated expression.
"Jealous? Frustrated? But what can you even do to a star spirit like me?"
'I can force your rank down, then breed a useless second-generation to pollute your spirit and turn you into a hideous monster…' Athena sneered internally.
But she couldn't; that was part of the previous arrangement.
Athena breathed out faintly, then spoke with no emotion.
"In another month or two, Medusa will be able to appear in the lower layers of Little Garden."
The implication was clear: Algol would be able to split off a Medusa avatar to act freely.
And given the current situation among the higher powers, letting Algol partially escape the seal would only throw everything into deeper chaos—and that chaos would buy her another chance to advance.
Algol was definitely smart enough to catch the meaning. "You seriously want to let me out?"
This time, Algol actually looked puzzled. "Don't tell me you really believe that achieving that 'Trinity Queen' spirit rank is possible?"
"Did the center of Little Garden take your intelligence along with your looks this time?"
Celestial star spirits cannot die. At least, not within Little Garden.
Even if Athena aimed to achieve a trinity spirit rank, she couldn't bypass Algol as the true Medusa.
And in the race for that trinity rank, Algol's status as a star spirit gave her one absolute advantage—she cannot die.
So as long as Algol didn't voluntarily abandon the Medusa identity, Athena completing the trinity was fundamentally impossible.
Athena was far too intelligent not to know that.
"..."
At that moment, Athena let out a short, cold laugh. "For a prisoner, being let out for a stroll once in a while is the best way to maximize suffering."
'And when that time comes, Ryo can pour salt and chili water all over your agony…' The thought made the corner of her lips twitch upward.
She had faith. With what Ryo was capable of, one day, he would make Algol truly understand the word 'pain.'
And if he didn't, she would create the opportunity.
Athena gave Algol a long, deep look. Then her form dissolved into a breeze and vanished.
"Make the most of your last vacation."
Once Athena was gone, Algol lifted the mirror to her face, muttering quietly, "That ugly woman is scheming again."
"From what my avatar sensed, that kid Ryo isn't dead. But… he stuffed my avatar inside his spirit rank and cut off my perception…"
Algol narrowed her eyes, a delighted grin spreading. "Oho… looks like the reason Athena's attitude changed lies with that little guy."
"Once I'm out, should I go take a look…"
Humming a tune, she happily continued brushing her hair. She combed it for a long, long time.
---
3345 Outer Gate
After finishing his talk with the Shiroyasha, Ryo left the Thousand Eyes headquarters and looked up at the sky.
"Looks like it's about to rain. I should hurry back to the community."
He said that, then turned his head toward a street tree nearby.
Perched on a branch was an owl, head tilted, curiously observing everything around it.
Seeing the owl, Ryo smiled, then glanced back at Black Rabbit, who was staggering under a mountain of shopping bags.
"…What are you doing?"
"Well, since we're in the upper layers, I figured we should buy some things the community needs! And we've got two new members who are goddesses, you know? We should at least prepare some furniture fitting for their status~"
Black Rabbit replied with complete conviction, then asked, "By the way, Ryo, do you still have a storage gift?"
"Yeah." Ryo sighed, rolling up his sleeves to help.
After a moment, his puzzled voice rose.
"…Most of this stuff is for you, isn't it?"
"Shut it!"
.
.
.