Leticia would gain freedom of movement, allowing her to observe the current situation of the flagless Arcadia — or rather, what was now called “No Name.”
Perseus could complete its assigned task.
And the Leo Chamber of Commerce would acquire two godheads in one transaction — though both had now ended up in Ryo’s hands.
“I just received word that Perseus’s leader, Laius, has broken the agreement.
He’s refusing to offer Leticia as the Gift Game prize and has found another buyer instead.”
Shiroyasha spoke through gritted teeth.
Breaking a contract was the thing she despised most in this world.
What’s more, if the Gift Game had proceeded as planned, she could have simply commissioned someone to participate, win Leticia back, and hand her over to Kuro Usagi.
Kuro Usagi was barely holding things together for the hundred-plus children of No Name.
If Shiroyasha hadn’t warned off quite a few troublemakers, who knew how much of No Name’s remaining property and territory would still be intact.
With Leticia there, they’d have a deterrent — and a way to reconnect with former allies.
This infuriated her.
But there was nothing she could do.
She, too, was bound by rules.
She could only act within their confines.
Even if Perseus broke the contract, the worst they’d face was expulsion from Thousand Eyes, loss of executive status, and a one-digit demotion.
The real problem was that, thanks to its worthless heir, Perseus had long since fallen from a four-digit community to a five-digit one.
So the punishment would be nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
After all, Leticia was their property.
They could do whatever they wanted with her.
Even Shiroyasha couldn’t interfere.
She was no longer the lawless White Night King of old.
“So your plan to obtain Leticia through the Gift Game has probably fallen through.”
Shiroyasha spread her hands and shrugged.
If things had been different, she’d have been happy to invest in Ryo and Lamia, help them gain ownership of Leticia, and look after No Name in the process.
“The Gift Game that was supposed to take place will probably also be canceled due to the missing prize.”
“That’s…”
Lamia couldn’t find the words.
She’d assumed they could recover Leticia through legitimate channels.
Ryo, however, wasn’t surprised.
Things were still proceeding according to the original story’s timeline.
They had plenty of time to plan.
At that moment, a smile crept onto Ryo’s face.
“Lady Shiroyasha, if the legitimate route won’t work… This chapter is updated first at g.com.
what about the illegitimate one?”
“The illegitimate route?”
Shiroyasha opened her fan, studying Ryo’s half-smiling expression.
She was starting to see where he was going.
“You don’t mean—”
Shiroyasha narrowed her eyes at him.
“That’s right.
Exactly what you’re thinking.”
Ryo straightened and met her gaze.
“But Perseus isn’t as easy a target as you think — even if their current leader is trash.”
Shiroyasha said coldly.
Ryo’s idea was simple.
An illegitimate method?
What other illegitimate method existed in Little Garden?
It was obvious — falling as a Demon Lord.
Demon Lords had the power to forcibly drag others into their Gift Games.
And if their victims failed to clear the game, their entire community — and their very selves — became the Demon Lord’s property.
That was why Demon Lords were called natural disasters.
They plundered everything from you without reason, without purpose, without logic.
Of course, becoming a Demon Lord wasn’t easy.
You needed to be at least five-digit and hold Host Master Authority.
But for Lamia, raised in a proper Demon Lord alliance, nothing could be simpler than falling.
Become a Demon Lord?
Wasn’t that just a matter of doing it?
Then simply plunder everything Perseus owned — including Leticia.
“Hehe~ so that’s why we’ve come seeking your help.”
Ryo rubbed his hands together with a cheeky grin.
Shiroyasha’s face darkened, and she looked like she wanted to curse.
“Get lost.
I’m not raising a hand against a colleague.”
Even with the news that Perseus was planning to break contract, it hadn’t formally happened yet.
Perseus was still a Thousand Eyes executive — still her colleague.
“You don’t need to do anything.
We can handle this ourselves.”
Ryo shook his head.
By yourselves?”
Shiroyasha snapped her fan shut and stared at the two of them, eyes wide.
“You two?
Are you sure?
That guy may be insufferable, but his Gift, the Authority of Medusa, is no joke.”
Shiroyasha didn’t have high hopes for their chances against Perseus.
She sighed, looking at Ryo with mild reproach.
“Do you even know who Medusa is?”
Ryo smiled faintly, answering with deliberate brevity:
“I do.
The Demon Star Algol — formerly a three-digit Star Spirit of the All-Authority Domain.”
But before Ryo could finish, smack — Shiroyasha’s fan came down on his head.
“And you’re still going?”
Shiroyasha rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
“Even if Algol isn’t what she used to be — and even if Laius is incompetent — petrifying the two of you would be child’s play for her.”
She wasn’t about to watch Leticia’s junior and some unknown Pureblood Dragon whelp run off to their deaths.
“Even now, Laius can use the Authority of Medusa to petrify an entire planet with ease.”
“Not to mention he can summon Algol herself.
Even with her Spirit Rank sealed, you two wouldn’t stand a chance against her.”
“So give it up.
Of all the options, why choose to fall as Demon Lords?!”
Once the Demon Lord’s brand was stamped on you, it wasn’t easily removed.
Did anyone actually think being a Demon Lord was fun?
As the price for abusing Host Master Authority, if a Demon Lord’s Gift Game was ever cleared, they became the property of the one who cleared it — losing all autonomy.
Even the princess of the Golden-Winged Great Peng clan, Kalavinka — one of the Seven Great Sages — was disowned and rejected by her own clan after receiving the Demon Lord’s brand.
“So just give up.”
Shiroyasha rubbed her temples wearily.
She never thought she’d feel this drained.
“How will we know unless we try?”
Ryo narrowed his eyes and smiled.
“One attempt.
That’s all it takes to find out if it’ll work.”