— — — — — —
After the banquet ended.
Inside the hotel room, Ryo yanked off his tie, let out a long breath, and collapsed onto the bed. "Man, I'm exhausted…"
Leticia walked over with a can of fruit juice and handed it to him.
"Congratulations, Leader."
"Uniting nearly five hundred communities into a single front against Greece… that's probably a first in Little Garden."
"Cut it out."
Ryo rolled his eyes. He took the drink, pushed himself up, and leaned back against the headboard, squinting as he took a sip.
"It's nothing more than aligned interests."
"Everyone knows this so-called Avengers Alliance is about carving up the Greek pantheon and stealing their share of faith."
"But not a single person dares to say it out loud because they're afraid of offending Thousand Eyes behind Greece."
He snorted. "If Shiroyasha wasn't backing me—if I didn't basically count as an outer member of Thousand Eyes—you think they'd come to me?"
"But in the end, you still became the leader of this alliance, didn't you?" Leticia smiled, picking up an apple and a small knife from the fruit tray, starting to peel it.
"In about ten days, once everything's organized, the alliance can head to Mars and take part in the divine war."
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
Ryo nodded, then added casually, "I'm planning to leave Little Garden around that time."
Leticia frowned. "That's unlikely to work. The alliance has just been formed. If you, the leader, suddenly disappear, they'll lose their center. The war could fall apart before it even begins."
"Leticia, you really think I can command five hundred communities?" Ryo gave her a strange look.
Leticia paused, then lowered her head and kept peeling the apple, choosing not to answer.
"See? Even you don't believe it."
He rolled his eyes again.
A person had to know their limits.
Ryo had never studied military strategy. He had no formal training.
What did he have?
Just brute strength.
Sure, he had power at the four-digit rule-breaker level—but in a divine war, people at that level weren't even allowed on the battlefield.
Which meant he might as well not exist.
"But if you don't take command, those who recognize you as leader may not listen to anyone else."
Leticia frowned, trying to persuade him. "And if it's just a matter of lacking experience, you could form a staff to handle strategy."
"Nah, that won't work." Ryo shook his head.
"Who do we pick for the staff? Leaders from those same communities?"
"How do you deal with their personal agendas? What about old grudges? Won't they take the chance to settle scores?"
He listed problem after problem, each one a headache.
Finally, he sighed. "This kind of patchwork alliance needs a strong leader. Someone who can call the shots alone. That's the only way to keep it functional." He paused, then shook his head again. "I can play the tyrant. But I still can't guarantee victory."
"I'm good at fighting one-on-one. Large-scale warfare? Nope."
Saints weren't exactly known for commanding armies. Even when they did, they just charged straight ahead.
Could he do that here?
Same issue as before. In this war, people like him weren't allowed to participate.
So brute force wasn't an option.
"What are you getting at?"
Leticia placed the apple slices—cut into little rabbit shapes—onto a plate and handed it to him, her expression turning odd.
This wasn't like him. Pointing out problems without offering a solution?
Ryo narrowed his eyes and smiled at her. "I already said. Once the divine war begins… or just before it, I'll leave Little Garden for another world."
"So I need someone to take my place. Someone who can command the alliance."
Leticia froze.
Then slowly, she raised a hand and pointed at herself.
"Me?"
"Exactly. Our amazing Leticia Draculea."
Ryo nodded with a smile.
"After careful consideration by upper management, this campaign will be entrusted to you."
"Or rather… only you fit the role perfectly. You've led the Little Garden Knights. You've fought in countless large-scale battles. The 'former Overall Floor Master' herself."
Leticia stared at him, stunned. She stood up abruptly, at a loss.
"But, my dear leader… how am I supposed to replace you?"
Ryo's smile deepened, like he'd planned this all along. "Vampires of Upir have the racial ability to shapeshift. They can take on anyone's appearance. As someone who embodies the vampire concept, copying that ability shouldn't be hard for you."
Leticia fell silent for a few seconds. When she spoke again, she had regained her composure. "You really know how to use people."
Letting her handle the war while he slipped off to cause trouble in another world…
Honestly, it could work. In a way, if things escalated enough outside, it might even help clear his name.
But it came with its own pile of complications.
"I can handle concealing my spirit rank. If needed, Lady Shiroyasha might help."
"But don't forget… the unique aura you carry, tied to that Another Cosmology. That's not something I can imitate."
"You just showed it to every member of the alliance…"
She paused mid-sentence, then looked at him with a helpless smile.
"Wait… you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Letting everyone sense your aura, memorize it… so I'd have something to replicate?"
"Correct."
Grinning, Ryo pulled out a palm-sized golden lion from his gift card.
"This is a fragment I split off from my Cloth. It carries a portion of the cosmos I drew from Leo—about a third of my total."
"The energy inside isn't renewable. But once you absorb it, mimicking my aura won't be a problem."
"As the alliance leader, I don't need to fight on the front lines. I just need to stay in the rear."
"So in practice, you won't even need to expend it. As long as you don't expose yourself, nothing should go wrong."
He tossed the golden lion to her.
Leticia caught it awkwardly, then let out a helpless laugh.
"You really are…"
He'd completely boxed her in.
She was certain now—this plan had been in place from the start.
From the moment he showed off at the ball, he'd already intended to have her step in as his substitute.
"There's no helping it."
Ryo sighed softly. "If I want to grow stronger quickly, I have to use every resource available."
"A divine war draws too much attention. But precisely because of that, it's the perfect cover."
"As long as I can prove I was in Little Garden the whole time, even if something goes wrong, I'll have room to maneuver. The gods won't be able to act against me so easily."
Leticia fell silent.
She understood the methods of Little Garden's gods all too well. She'd learned that the day the vampire royal family's community—the Little Garden Knights—was destroyed.
Ryo's caution made sense.
If she had been this careful back then, she might never have fallen into becoming a Demon Lord, wandering for years before Canaria managed to save her.
His desperation to grow stronger… she understood it deeply.
Maybe that was why they had grown so close in such a short time.
After a moment, she sighed.
"If it's your order… I'll accept it."
A faint smile tugged at Ryo's lips. He extended his hand. "Then I'm counting on you."
Leticia wiped her hand with a tissue from the table, then reached out and shook his.
.
.
.