— — — — — —
The underground library was quiet. Fire sprites without consciousness drifted beneath the ceiling, shedding a soft, pure white glow.
Under that gentle light, a silver-haired girl in a snow-white robe, her waist cinched with a blue ribbon, sat at a desk. One hand held a scroll, the other propped against the tabletop as she read in silence.
Ryo sighed at the sight, pulled out the chair beside her, and sat down.
"I need you to get in touch with the other Athena."
Just to be safe, Ryo wanted to check in with Little Garden's Athena—confirm how risky Arcadia's return would be.
"She contacted me an hour ago." Athena kept her eyes on the scroll as a faint smile curled her lips.
"What did she say?" Ryo raised a brow.
Athena's smile deepened, almost teasing. "She said she admired your courage, choosing this timing."
"Courage, huh…"
Ryo knew perfectly well why she would phrase it that way.
The upper layers of Little Garden were on edge—ready to snap.
Some god-kings descended as humans to become god-slayers, some gods suddenly rejected their own mythology, fighting over faith, disputes about completed divinities…
Calling the upper layers a "powder keg" wasn't an exaggeration.
And now, with Arcadia—already destroyed once—re-emerging, they were basically painting a huge target on their back.
To the gods, Arcadia might as well be a glowing fuse waiting to be lit.
Plenty of eyes were on them, hoping this incident with Ouroboros would spark a full-blown crisis in Little Garden.
Everyone understood the value of muddy waters: players wanted to move their pieces, pieces wanted to bargain for benefits, bystanders wanted a show.
And this chaos, centered on the return of Arcadia, would set it all off.
"…"
Ryo stayed quiet for a while, leaning back in his chair with a soft sigh.
"For me… it's better to let the bomb go off in a controlled environment than let it blow during a dangerous one."
Did he not know his debut battle would be ridiculously risky?
If anything, he was the one who'd lit the first fuse of this powder keg—and he'd even tossed in a few extra barrels for good measure.
He was the bomber. Of course he understood exactly how big the blast would be.
And that was why he had to do it.
The chaos coming to the lower layers was unavoidable. He couldn't sidestep it even if he wanted to.
So instead of getting dragged in when things were at peak madness, he'd much rather step in first—as the one who lights the match.
Like Gavrilo Princip, whose shot sparked World War I.
But honestly, who remembers what happened to him, if not for historians?
The one who fires the first shot rarely ends up in the spotlight… which was exactly what Ryo wanted.
"But what about after you avoid the explosion?" Athena asked quietly. "Someone like you shouldn't have forgotten the real problem Arcadia will face after its return."
Ryo's smile stiffened.
He stayed silent for a long moment, then exhaled softly. "Canaria…"
What would Arcadia be expected to do after returning?
There was really only one answer.
—Rebuild Arcadia's strength.
And rebuilding Arcadia meant confronting the issue Athena was hinting at.
Ryo knew very well there was only one matter serious enough to put that look on her face.
Finding the missing former leaders of the community: former chief Koumei Kasukabe, former strategist Canaria, and others
With that thought, Ryo fell silent again.
Knowing his personality and understanding his situation, Athena let out a quiet sigh. "Half a year isn't long. The upper layers still haven't given up on Arcadia's former chief and strategist."
"And Ouroboros definitely knows where they went. So once your debut battle ends, the gods will use every excuse and incentive they can to push you into searching for Canaria first. For the Last Embryo."
"And that means dealing with Ouroboros again—while all the other upper-layer conflicts sparked by Ouroboros keep flaring up."
"To the upper gods, even if you're not strong enough, dying in a clash with Ouroboros is perfectly acceptable. It's not their life on the line."
"And even if you survive and bring Canaria back…"
She paused, giving him a meaningful look. "By then, your position as Arcadia's leader will be hanging by a thread."
Even if he and Canaria had once been close to mother and son, under divine meddling, conflict would be inevitable. And if no conflict arose naturally, the gods would make sure one did.
So, the end result was obvious: Ryo stepping down.
Compared to Canaria—who twice challenged Last Embryo (humanity's Final Trial) and repeatedly pushed human history in the direction the gods wanted—Ryo meant little to them.
To them, Canaria was the true core of Arcadia, the reason the community mattered at all.
And to Canaria, the dream of Arcadia's Grand Alliance of Humanity was everything.
She couldn't abandon it. Ever.
In the end, with enough divine pressure, Ryo might have no choice but to walk away from Arcadia entirely.
It would be cruel—using him and discarding him—but the gods wouldn't care.
As long as they got what they wanted. As long as humanity was controlled.
"Things might not be that bad." Ryo shrugged, crossing his left leg as a playful smile touched his lips.
"Plenty of gods hate Ouroboros for destroying Arcadia, but only a handful are actually in a position to act on behalf of the divine factions."
He began listing them off. "Indra, representing the Heavenly Army. Queen Halloween, Canaria's former teacher. Then there's the Monkey King, and Apollo from Greece."
"These are the ones who invested heavily in the old Arcadia. Whether out of duty, revenge, or profit, they're bound to move against Ouroboros."
"The Queen's status is too high. The Monkey King is already someone everyone keeps an eye on. Apollo's a Greek god—most gods won't trust him."
"So the only real candidate to step forward is Indra. And he's the only one they'll let step forward."
"But he's not an idiot. He knows some of my… circumstances. He won't push me too hard. With people like that to redirect the pressure, my situation isn't as dire as it looks."
"..."
"I only care about one thing," Athena said, narrowing her golden slit-pupiled eyes. "Will you go searching for Canaria?"
Ryo's brows tightened. Silence settled over him.
After a long moment, he let out a quiet breath.
"I will."
.
.
.