— — — — — —
On a crowded street in Rome, people came and went beneath the evening lights.
Rin walked a step behind the young man in front of her, confusion written all over her face.
"Your Highness… why didn't we just buy the intel from Thousand Eyes in secret?" she asked. Then, hesitating, she added, "Wouldn't acting like this make that man suspicious of who we really are?"
"It's not that I don't want to hide our identities, Rin." Highness stopped walking, his tone low and serious.
"That man is dangerous. My Leo Authority reacted to him."
Rin's eyes went wide, her breath catching. "Wait—you mean the Sun Authority resonated with him? Then doesn't that mean…?"
"Yes."
Highness nodded slightly, letting out a quiet sigh.
"Either he possesses an Another_Cosmology like mine… or he's the ideal candidate acknowledged by Leo itself. Either way, getting close to him would be far too risky."
Drawing Ryo's attention would be dangerous enough—but if the secret of Highness's Sun Authority ended up recorded by Thousand Eyes, that would be fatal.
Especially the latter.
If Ryo decided to report the Leo Authority to Thousand Eyes, the ones chasing them next would be god-kings.
For Highness, that was the kind of threat you didn't walk away from.
"You're right," Rin murmured, the color draining from her face. "Even if the defensive Gift we bought can block his atomic-level attacks, it won't hold forever."
The image of Maxwell's brutal end at Ryo's hands flashed in her mind, sending a chill down her spine.
If Highness really met Ryo face-to-face—and Ryo sensed Leo's power in him—then Ryo might strike without hesitation.
The Sun Authority was worth that much.
And even if he didn't, if he so much as listed that information for sale using Thousand Eyes' authority, Highness's name would spread instantly.
Then the gods would come hunting. He wouldn't even make it out of this world before being surrounded.
It was a terrifyingly real possibility.
"What should we do then, Your Highness?" Rin asked nervously. Her tone was tight, as though they were walking beside a sleeping tiger.
Highness tilted his head back, looking up at the starry sky before closing his eyes.
"To Britain. My intuition tells me the information we need is there. We finish the mission quickly—and leave this world even faster."
"It's a pity we didn't visit that man named Voban. The Cross seemed really pissed at him. But no time for him. Let's go, Rin."
"Yes, sir." Rin bowed respectfully and quickened her pace, following as they disappeared down the busy Roman street.
— — —
At Luo Hao's old residence
When Ryo returned, he found Alice and Erica waiting for him.
"Judging from those smiles, I'm guessing you've got good news for me?" he asked, smiling back.
Alice lifted her skirt and gave a graceful curtsy. "As you requested, the records in the Witenagemot have been properly amended."
"And the Bronze-Black Cross has finished revising theirs too," Erica added, her expression sly and confident.
Ryo, however, quickly doused their enthusiasm.
"Don't let your guard down. You're still underestimating what those people are capable of."
He'd managed to outmaneuver gods more than once, but he knew the real reason he'd succeeded was thanks to the Dimensional Forum shielding him from notice.
He'd been plotting from the shadows—hidden in the blind spot of the divine light—so naturally everything had gone his way.
After all, some gods hadn't even known he existed.
But that was no longer the case. As the representative of Thousand Eyes walking openly, Ryo was now seen.
Which meant the risk of exposure had skyrocketed.
From this point forward, every plan had to be airtight.
Erica's smile faded, replaced with a solemn look. "I was too arrogant. My apologies."
"The gods of Little Garden…" Alice murmured, pressing a hand to her temple.
"Even though all our actions follow your designs, trying to calculate against them with our minds alone—it's nearly impossible."
Ryo sighed. "That's fine. I never expected them to fully believe our records anyway."
At best, humans could make the divine factions doubt—convince them a little, never completely.
Sure, he'd just managed to mislead people like Uesugi Kenshin, but that was only because of the special nature of the Campione world.
Who could've guessed that the so-called King of End was actually a title available to every steel hero? Or that Athena, in this world, was a trinity?
That wasn't his genius—it was the world itself playing in his favor. And Ryo knew it well.
Which was why he intended to double down on that advantage—to sink even deeper into the unseen zone where light couldn't reach.
He turned to Erica. "Did you find the people I asked for?"
"Yep," Erica replied with a satisfied smile.
"Good."
Ryo nodded and walked into the courtyard, heading straight for Pandora's room.
He pushed open the old wooden door and found her slumped lazily over an antique table, looking drained of energy.
He walked over, picked up the porcelain kettle, and poured a cup of water.
"Pour me one too~" Pandora said weakly.
Without a word, Ryo handed her the cup and watched as she gulped it down in one go.
"Aahh…"
She exhaled deeply, then shot him a look that was half reproach, half amusement.
"Honestly. First you imprison your own mother, then you make her work for you. You really are such a naughty child."
Ryo couldn't even be bothered to argue.
Ever since he'd claimed some Authorities using the Circle Of Usurpation, Pandora had insisted on calling herself his foster mother—and surprisingly, she'd been willing to cooperate with his plans.
So he'd chosen to ignore the title and take advantage of her enthusiasm instead.
Once Pandora was done complaining, he asked, "Where's Sita?"
"I am here."
A shimmer appeared to his right as Sita stepped gracefully out of the Netherworld and bowed.
"King Ryo."
He smiled slightly. "So, you've decided to cooperate with me after all?"
"Out of gratitude for your kindness to Prince Rama—and at Lady Pandora's request—I can find no reason to refuse," she said with a soft smile. Then her expression turned faintly wistful.
"It's a shame, though. No matter how hard Lady Pandora and I searched, we couldn't find any trace of the prince. If he were here, your plan would be even more perfect."
Ryo's expression darkened. He'd already expected that result.
After all, Rama had been taken by a two-digit being. If Rama had somehow escaped, that would've been the real surprise.
He sighed. "I can only be sure that whoever took him wasn't an evil god."
"Given how things stand, I have no choice but to stop searching for Rama—and use this plan instead to handle the gods' investigation."
"Just hearing that from you brings me relief," Sita said softly. Then, with calm formality, she gestured toward the air.
"In that case, please follow me to the Netherworld, King Ryo."
She paused for a moment before adding, "As you requested, the ritual to summon the King of End from a parallel world is ready."
At that, a small smile finally curved across Ryo's lips.
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